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"…the brightly coloured world… is endearing… it's fun to pop into for a quick mission." – Pocket Gamer
"It plays and looks great, it has plenty of content and charm, and you can play it wherever you are, be it on your desktop or your phone." - Gamezebo
Get ready for the best FREE dungeon crawler ever! Create a character, grab a Buddy (or two) from your friends' character lineup, and go forth on Missions as you thwack ugly Oblins and other creepy-crawlies!
Buddy Rush is a cross-platform, action role-playing game (RPG) developed for Facebook.
Connect with your Facebook account and play through your internet browser or on your Android device.
You'll adventure through a beautifully rendered 3D world, taking along buddies that aren't just generic NPCs – they're computer-controlled characters that your Facebook Friends have created!
Earn experience points for Buddies just for bringing them along on Missions, and earn experience points for your own character just for getting taken along in your friends' own adventures!
The full FREE game features:
- A cute isometric 3D world to grab loot and level up in!
- 15 customizable characters: Choose a class and customize outfits, armor and weapons to help improve your character's talents and increase the chance that your friends will select your Buddy for their next Mission!
- Play with your friends' Buddy character: Form groups for Missions and Dungeons by selecting from Facebook friends' existing Buddies. Reward their Buddy with experience for bringing them along and they'll return the favor by inviting your Buddy for their own adventures!
- 10 different Chapters and 92 Missions: Each Chapter presents a new environment and soundtrack, with fresh objectives, monsters and bosses to overcome.
- Over 2000 items: Earn items that make your Buddy stronger by completing challenging Missions, Dungeons and Challenges, or by purchasing in the store.
Coming Soon! More Chapters, Missions, Characters and Gears.
Like and Play us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/buddyrush
Watch us on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/buddyrush
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/buddyrush
A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT is required.
Minimum requirements:
800x480 resolution / Android 2.2 Froyo
Tested devices:
Google Nexus One
Google Nexus S
Samsung Galaxy S
Samsung Galaxy S II
HTC Desire
HTC Desire HD
HTC Desire Z
HTC Droid Incredible
What's New
Despicable Me
• Enjoy unpredictably hilarious Minion moments
• Perform despicable acts through hundreds of missions
• Run through iconic locations that are full of surprises, secrets and tricky obstacles: Gru's Lab, Gru's Residential Area, El Macho's Lair, Minion Beach and Super Silly Fun Land from Despicable Me
• Customize your Minion with unique costumes, weapons, and power-ups
• Battle Vector, El Macho, the Villaintriloquist and all the new villains exclusively created for the game
• Encounter secret areas, unique boss fights and amazing power-ups
• Experience custom animation and voice-overs, and state-of-the-art 3D graphics
• Enjoy multiple dynamic camera angles
• Engage in various bonus gameplay modes:
→ Destroy things as Mega Minion
→ Collect bananas while riding the Fluffy Unicorn
→ Hang on to Gru's Rocket for the ride of your life
→ Unlock a new Power-Up and get ready for a Mission to the Moon!
• Have fun with your friends! See their best scores during your run, send them funny Minion taunts and challenges to show them who's going to win Minion of the Year!
Despicable Me: Minion Rush is free to download and play. However, please be informed that the app also allows you to play using virtual currency (called ""Bananas"" and ""Tokens""), which can be acquired by playing mini-games, watching advertisements, or paying with real money. The app also allows you to purchase costumes and boosts with real money. You can use the virtual currency to buy in-game items. There will also be waiting times associated with some actions which you can skip using virtual currency. If you don't have enough virtual currency to buy an item, skip time, or perform an action, you can choose to earn additional currency gradually over time as you play the game, or purchase additional virtual currency with real money. You can control the ability to perform in-app purchases through your password settings.
Supported languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Arabic, Bahasa and Thai.
An additional download of 50 to 150 MB is required to play this game. Please note the size of this required download may change without notice.
Certain aspects of this game will require the player to connect to the Internet.
Certain aspects of this game will require the player to connect to a social network like Facebook, Gameloft LIVE! or Google+. Please note this connection is never compulsory to progress through the game.
This game may contain third-party advertisements that will redirect you to a third-party site.
Visit our official site at http://www.gameloft.com
Follow us on Twitter at http://glft.co/GameloftonTwitter or like us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/Gameloft to get more info about all our upcoming titles.
Check out our videos and game trailers on http://www.youtube.com/Gameloft
Discover our blog at http://glft.co/Gameloft_Official_Blog for the inside scoop on everything Gameloft.
• Contact us by mail: Gameloft, 14 rue Auber, 75009 Paris, France; by e-mail: email@example.com; by phone: 0-808-234-8679
Terms of use: http://www.gameloft.com/conditions/
Puzzle Rush
In this game, nothing is going according to plan! Can you create the ultimate machine and steer them safely to the destination?With balloons and many more equipments, you can help the cute kid build even fancy machines.
Enjoy it!
Minion Dentist
Behold, the best dentist game has arrived. Minion Dentist is a whole new adventure with fun characters and breathtaking levels. You need a dentist crazy enough to take on these beasts.
Choose from 4 amazing characters. Treat your characters with so many amazing new treatments. You can even now pluck their teeth when needed and even scrape away their dirty little germs. Use from various tools such as drills, which can remove little holes in their teeth. Even use water sprays to clean and give them a special glow. Now also brush your minions teeth to fight those little monsters and have as much candy as you want.
Give unique looks to your minions. Become the best doctor in town and share your treatments with your friends on facebook or even save them in your gallery.
►4 different monsters to chose from
►Scrape dirty germs with special new tools
►Pluck unwanted and ugly teeth of your animals
►Drill your character's teeth to treat holes
►Color Monster teeth for some fun combinations
►So much equipment to choose from
►Attractive, colorful visuals
►Kids friendly content – A real eye candy for kids - Bring out the creativity in your children by helping them become a little doctor and start their very own dental business!
Servants of Darkness
Servants of Darkness are back in 3D
Help the despicable Diamond run through the old city of Dracula and escape from the Servants of Darkness. The despicable Diamond run fast or jump high to avoid cars, construction works,subway, and other obstacles along the way. Run as far as you can, but don't forget to collect coins and post your top score.
But the Servants of Darkness are very fast, hurry up.
Play Diamond Rush now!
Servants of Darkness is Free.
Special Features:
- Wonderful 3D graphics!!
- Precise character control
- Smooth gameplay and movement
- Hit me feature
Looney Tunes Dash!
• Run as Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Road Runner, and other favorite Looney Tunes characters!
• Explore and run in iconic Episodes like Painted Desert, Tweety's Neighborhood, and more!
• Complete level goals to progress on the Looney Tunes map and unlock more zones!
• Unlock and master each character's Special Ability for extra running power!
• Grab Power-Ups to fly like a superhero, blast through obstacles, plus loads of other surprises!
• Collect Looney Tunes Collector's Cards to fill your Looney Tunes Bin and learn fun trivia!
• Prank other Looney Tunes characters for more coins and points!
Use of this application is governed by the Zynga Terms of Service. These Terms are available at http://m.zynga.com/legal/terms-of-service.
For specific information about how Zynga collects and uses personal or other data, please read our privacy policy at http://m.zynga.com/privacy/policy. Zynga's Privacy Policy is also available through the Privacy Policy field in the Developer section below.
The game is free to play, however in-app purchases are available for additional content and premium currency. In-app purchases range from $0.99 to $99.99.
This game does permit a user to connect to social networks, such as Facebook, and as such players may come into contact with other people when playing this game.
Terms of Service for Social Networks you connect to in this game may also apply to you.You will be given the opportunity to participate in special offers, events, and programs from Zynga Inc and its partners.
Looney Tunes Dash! TM and © 2014 WBEI
Dumb Ways to Die
Enjoy 15 hilarious mini-games as you attempt to collect all the charmingly dumb characters for your train station, achieve high scores and unlock the famous music video that started it all.
From piranhas and platforms to snakes and level crossings—tap, swipe, and flick to safely escape a wide range of DUMB WAYS TO DIE™.
Download the FREE game now and remember, be safe around trains. A message from Metro.
- Why is his hair on fire? Who cares, just RUN!
- Quickly wipe your screen free of puke
- Balance that wobbling glue eater
- Flick the piranhas out of range of those precious private parts
- Swat wasps before it's too late
- Best not invite that psycho killer inside
- Carefully remove forks from toasters
- Help self-taught pilots
- Get back from the edge of the platform you fools
- Have patience at level crossings
- No crossing the tracks! Not even for balloons!
- Find true love during hunting season
- Duck the bear for a candy shower
- Go on, press the red button
- And who knew rattlesnakes were so picky about mustard?
Be safe around trains and watch the original Webby and Cannes award-winning video at dumbwaystodie.com
© Metro Trains Melbourne, Dumb Ways to Die™
My Talking Tom
Dress him up any way you like and pick from a wide selection of fur colors and other accessories. Decorate his home and check out how others decorated their My Talking Tom homes. Play games with your Tom and watch as he becomes a part of your everyday life.
- Play over 10 mini-games: Memory Game, Whack-A-Mouse, Connect and more! Earn gold coins and have fun!
- Record & watch videos: Record and share your own My Talking Tom videos and watch other videos too. (Only available on select devices running Android 4.1+, see the list at http://tinyurl.com/listmtt)
- Nurture your very own Tom: Play games with him, feed him his favorite foods, tuck him into bed.
- Visit your friends & other players' Talking Toms: Check out the apartments and look of other Toms, find treasure chests and get coins!
- Enjoy life-like emotions: Tom can be happy, hungry, sleepy, bored... his emotions change according to how you play with him.
- Unleash your creativity: Create your very own Tom by choosing from 1000's of combinations of furs, clothing and furniture.
- Get rewards as you progress: Help Tom grow through 9 different stages and 999 levels unlocking new items and coins as you go!
- Interact with Tom: Talk and Tom still repeats everything you say. Poke, stroke and tickle him, and watch how he responds.
This app is PRIVO certified. The PRIVO safe harbor seal indicates Outfit7 has established COPPA compliant privacy practices to protect your child's personal information. Our apps do not allow younger children to share their information.
This app contains:
- Promotion of Outfit7's products and contextual advertising
- Links that direct customers to our websites and other Outfit7 apps
- Personalization of content to entice users to play the app again
- The possibility to connect with friends via social networks
- Watching videos of Outfit7's animated characters via You Tube integration
- The option to make in-app purchases
- Items are available for different prices in virtual currency, depending on the current level reached by the player
- Alternative options to access all functionalities of the app without making any in-app purchases using real money
Terms of use: http://outfit7.com/eula-android/
Privacy policy: http://outfit7.com/privacy-policy/
Pig Rush
This super funny and exciting runaway game is easy to play, yet it's packed with adventure. Make Jumpy jump to avoid obstacles such as deep ravines and bonfires along the way; and catch the moving platforms which lead the way to freedom.
Download Pig Rush for free to enjoy the following game features:
♥ Cute farmland graphics
♥ Easy controls: Jumpy automatically runs forward. You just need to make Jumpy jump to avoid obstacles [tap low to jump low; tap high to jump high; double tap to double jump]
♥ Bonus boosters to collect along the way [example: fireman's helmet to protect Jumpy from bonfires; Power Up to make Jumpy the invincible running pig]
♥ Endless fun and excitement. A very addictive game concept… guaranteed!
♥ Ever-ready support via Twitter, Facebook, Email
♥ Unlock different themes such as "Original Farmland", "Haunted Halloween", "Pixel Mode", "Winter Season", "Desert Theme", "Ninja Mode" and "Easter Season"!
** Please note that while the app is free, please be aware that it contains paid content for real money that can be purchased upon users' wish to enhance their gaming experience.You may control in-app purchases made within this app using password protection which can be enabled from the setting page of the Google Play Store app. **
SpongeBob Diner Dash
Mr. Krabs is expanding his Krabby Patty empire, one restaurant at a time. Help SpongeBob seat, serve and satisfy all kinds of fishy customers in wide array of colorful Bikini Bottom restaurants. Slide and tap to send SpongeBob to customers' tables. Take orders, seat customers, and collect big tips to upgrade your restaurants!
Dive into the undersea antics of SpongeBob and his crew with SpongeBob Diner Dash!
Sponge-tastic Game Features:
- Get 7 free levels of free, fast-paced and hilarious fun! Love SpongeBob Diner Dash? Upgrade the game for even more fun-filled levels and quirky restaurants!
- Explore fun and familiar restaurants from the SpongeBob cartoon, including the Krusty Krab, Dutchman's Inn, and more
- Look for special guest appearances from Patrick Star and other characters from the show!
- Shop for awesome power-ups at the store
- Unlock additional restaurants, including the Goo Lagoon and Crab Casino, through in-App purchase
PLEASE NOTE: SpongeBob Diner Dash is free to play, but charges real money for additional in-app content. You may restrict in-app purchases by adjusting your Google Play account settings.
SpongeBob Diner Dash collects personal user data as well as non-personal user data (including aggregated data), connects with 3rd party social media applications, allows communication with other app users, and/or offers in-app purchases. User data collection is in accordance with applicable law, such as COPPA. User data may be used, for example, to respond to user requests; enable users to take advantage of certain features and services; personalize content and advertising; and manage and improve PlayFirst's services. For more information regarding PlayFirst's use of personal user data, please visit the PlayFirst Privacy Policy: http://www.playfirst.com/privacypolicy.html. Our Privacy Policy is in addition to any terms, conditions or policies agreed to between you and Apple, Inc., and PlayFirst and its affiliated entities are not responsible for Apple's collection or use of your personal user data and information. Use of this app is subject to the PlayFirst End User License Agreement: http://www.playfirst.com/eula.
You are hired in a chain restaurant to serve clients as fast as possible to earn money and even tips for yourself. Take orders from your customers and make a recipe among sandwiches, garnishes, desserts and sodas. The more you will play, the more ingredients will appear in the fast-food !
Take up the challenge and try the Career Mode to cope with a higher difficulty each day of the year!
Work from Monday to Saturday and reach your goal to get more money and new ingredients for the service. Then if you are a great employee, you will even unlock a lot of achievements!
Time is money!
Try also to do your best in the Time Attack Mode to collect a maximum of coins within the time limit!
This time management game will definitely entertain and challenge you and your family!
Features of Burger:
-Ingredients' list : bread, meat, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, cucumber, mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, bacon, fish, muffins, ice creams, french fries, potatoes and sodas
-More than 300 levels and 40 achievements for burger's maniac
So come play Burger and become the master king of burgers!
After being locked away in the moon for centuries, Nightmare Moon is set free and spreading night across Ponyville! Only Twilight Sparkle and her friends can free Ponyville from her grasp and bring light and friendship back to the land. Help them rebuild the town and reach their dreams in exciting quests!
* Your favorite ponies are here: Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack and more!
* Make your Ponyville the most magical place in Equestria and explore Sweet Apple Acres and Canterlot.
* Play fun mini-games with your ponies: Ball Bounce, Apple-Picking, Magic Wings, Telescope, Crystal Mine and Equestria Girls Dance game!
* Interact with your friends and feel the Magic of Friendship!
* Enjoy official TV show voice talents featured in the game!
My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic is free to download and play. You will collect virtual currencies called ""Bits"" and rarer ""Gems"" as you play, which you can use to care for your virtual ponies or buy in-game items. There will also be waiting times associated with some actions which you can skip using virtual currency. If you don't have enough virtual currency to buy an item, skip time, or perform an action, you can choose to earn additional currency gradually over time as you play the game, or purchase additional virtual currency with real money. In-app purchases range from $1.99 to $19.99. You can restrict in-app purchases by adjusting your User Controls in your Play Store settings.
Supported languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Turkish, Arabic and Thai.
An additional download of 50 to 150 MB is required to play this game. Please note the size of this required download may change without notice.
Certain aspects of this game will require the player to connect to the Internet.
Certain aspects of this game like collaborating with, playing against or sharing in-game items with other players will require the player to connect to a social network like Facebook, Gameloft LIVE!, or Game Center. Please note this connection is never compulsory to progress through the game.
This game may contain third-party advertisements that will redirect you to a third-party site.
Visit our official site at http://www.gameloft.com
Follow us on Twitter at http://glft.co/GameloftonTwitter or like us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/Gameloft to get more info about all our upcoming titles.
Check out our videos and game trailers on http://www.youtube.com/Gameloft
Discover our blog at http://glft.co/Gameloft_Official_Blog for the inside scoop on everything Gameloft.
Contact us by mail: Gameloft, 14 rue Auber, 75009 Paris, France; by e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com; by phone: 0-808-234-8679
Hair Salon - Kids Games
Let's play the Hair Salon . To be a barber and design various hairstyles for your customer.
It's a fun game for kids.
Paper Toss
This game is oddly satisfying . . . much like tossing a real ball of crumpled paper into a metal trash basket. So realistic, you will think you are stuck in an office killing time.
Amaze, share and compare your scores with friends and others on the online global scoreboard.
Game includes:
-Gorgeous graphics
-6 levels of varied difficulty
-Innovative flick control
-Hi-Res graphics for newer devices
-Global online scoreboard
-Animated paper
-Real office sounds
-Varying wind speed from fan impacts paper flight
-Verbal abuse from angry co-workers
Let us know what you think.
You can follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/backflipstudios
"Paper Toss" has been installed more than 35,000,000 times - give it a shot if you haven't yet. Also try "NinJump" our latest FREE game for Android.
Farm Heroes Saga
From the makers of the hit game Candy Crush Saga, comes Farm Heroes Saga!
Switch and match the collectable cropsies in this fantastic adventure. Join forces with the Farm Heroes to stop Rancid the Raccoon from spoiling the precious farm lands. Switch and match three or more adorable cropsies to drive Rancid away for good! A farmtastic adventure filled with mixed fruit madness! Scrummy!
Farm Heroes Saga is completely free to play but some in-game items such as extra moves or lives will require payment.
Farm Heroes Saga Features:
● Gather all kinds of cropsies to win the level before you run out of moves.
● Easy and fun to play, but a challenge to fully master.
● Acres of luscious levels to complete and marvellous magic beans to collect.
● Take on your friends to compete for the best score and see who can switch their way to the fattest onions ever!
● Rechargeable boosters, extra moves and special power-ups to help with those challenging levels.
Play through hundreds of levels of strawberry switching, carrot crunching chaos to help our Farm Heroes save the day! Have you got what it takes to be the next Farm Hero?
Already a fan of Farm Heroes Saga? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for all the latest farming fun:
By downloading this game you are agreeing to our terms of service which can be found at http://about.king.com/consumer-terms/terms
Prom Spa Salon - Girls Games
In the luxuriant room, dress up her with so many nice prom queen dresses, you will find one dress which you like best, after spa, makeup, and dressup, she will be a wonderful girl and go to her Prom Dancing Party. That is really an unforgettable journey!
In the Facial Spa room, you could make the girl more relaxing and clean her face, this is really a Facial SPA experience like a realistic life. After that, she will come to a beautiful makeup room, choose your like or more suitable her style and makeover her. Really? That's more fun! You can do anything as your like and manually.
Don't forget to share your perfect prom queen via Facebook or E-mail, your friends will enjoy your work and this nice girl and kids game.
Game is ALL FREE! I have to tell you this at the last. You won't spend any money in this game and you could own so many nice items. How amazing? Yes, of course. It's a all free girl and kids games. So you parents don't worry about this and it's safe for girl and kids.
If you'd like my game, don't forget to rate us, thanks very much!
Princess Nail Salon
It's a kids games for girls!


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The (POGO) Blog
June 26, 2013
By Andrew Wyner
SIGAR Letter Reveals Nonpayment of Subcontractors
The Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) released a letter detailing the problem of prime contractors failing to pay subcontractors in Afghanistan.
Continue Reading SIGAR Letter Reveals Nonpayment of Subcontractors
Topics: Contract Oversight
June 19, 2013
By Neil Gordon
Defense Contractor Hit with Ginormous Fraud Judgment
An Ohio federal court ordered defense contractor United Technologies Corporation to pay the government hundreds of millions of dollars in damages in an Air Force contract fraud lawsuit filed in 1999.
Continue Reading Defense Contractor Hit with Ginormous Fraud Judgment
Topics: Contract Oversight
June 17, 2013
NSA Leak Prompts Talk of Limiting Contractor Access to Secrets
In the wake of Edward Snowden's leak of highly classified documents from the National Security Agency, some in Congress are raising concerns about contractors' access to government secrets, according to an article in The New York Times.
Continue Reading NSA Leak Prompts Talk of Limiting Contractor Access to Secrets
Topics: National Security
May 7, 2013
By Neil Gordon
If At First You Don't Succeed, Try Again…and Again…and Again
For the fourth time since 2007, Congress will try to pass a measure that will prevent companies and individuals who owe taxes from being awarded federal contracts.
Continue Reading If At First You Don't Succeed, Try Again…and Again…and Again
Topics: Contract Oversight
April 3, 2013
By Neil Gordon
Army Corps Stands By Its Sweetheart Deal With DynCorp
The Army Corps of Engineers stands by its decision to allow DynCorp International to walk away from a botched construction job in Afghanistan.
Continue Reading Army Corps Stands By Its Sweetheart Deal With DynCorp
Topics: Contract Oversight
Stay Connected
Browse POGOBlog by Topic
POGO on Facebook
POGOBlog Contributors
Latest Podcast
Podcast; Social Media, Internet Provides Opportunities, Challenges for Lawmakers
The Congressional Management Foundation offers the Gold Mouse Awards annually to members of Congress who make the most of the opportunity the digital world offers them. POGO spoke with members of Rep. Mike Honda's communications team about their award.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
New day. New Daily Deals. Get them before they are gone!
Can't find what you're looking for? Shop all ink and toner cartridges by brand
New Customer ? Start Here.
New day. New Daily Deals. Get them before they are gone!
Item: 954425 Model: E5PCAPL768AN75A
Download Size (in MB)
Download Time
Cable Modem: 1 mins, 18 seconds :: DSL: 3 mins, 17 seconds
You will receive two emails: one confirming your entire order, and one with a "Download Software" button. You can download immediately or return to your email to download later.Questions about downloading software? Click here for answers to common questions.
Downloadable software is not returnable or refundable.
The Enchanting Islands were filled with light and color until an evil sorceress spread darkness throughout the land. You can restore this fairy-tale realm by collecting the elements you need to cast your spells and watching as glistening pools and verdant meadows burst forth from the soil. Match elements in threes to collect them, use tools to gather everything you need and defeat ferocious guardians in order to restore the Enchanting Islands!
|Gaming Platform
|ESRB Rating
|Rating Pending
|Kids & Family
|Computer Software Format
Take the guesswork out of writing a business plan. Business Plan Pro is the best selling, most recommended business planning ...
Plays a soft audio tone when a keyword has been matched and replaced as audio feedback that you typed a shortcut..Ability to ...
Download Size (in MB)
Download Time
Cable Modem: 6 mins, 23 seconds :: DSL: 15 mins, 59 ...
Persona is based on this concept: by categorizing characters into archetypes, you can know their background, which in turn shows ...
Download Size (in MB)
36. 70
Download Time
Cable Modem: 1 mins, 13 seconds::DSL: 3 mins, 3 ...
This Web site is intended for use by US residents only. See International Sites. See our delivery policy for full details. Copyright 1998-2014, Staples, Inc., All Rights Reserved.


text:
- News
- Premium
- Lifestyle
- Tech
- Communities
- Video
- Multimedia
- More
Car hailing service Uber teams up with dining and travel apps like TripAdvisor
Published on Aug 21, 2014 4:51 AM
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Uber teamed up with dining and travel smartphone applications Wednesday as the controversial Internet-age car-hailing service moved to park itself at the heart of mobile lifestyles.
The San Francisco-based startup let about a dozen businesses such as Starbucks, Hyatt Hotels, United Airlines, TripAdvisor and restaurant reservation service OpenTable make it simple for people to summon Uber cars from inside their applications for smartphones or tablet computers.
"We're excited to partner with Uber to help TripAdvisor travellers conveniently find a ride to their destination in cities throughout the world," TripAdvisor senior vice-president of global product Adam Medros said.
Uber also released a software kit to allow makers of mobile apps to link to its platform, expanding its reach with a tactic that has proven effective for other Internet firms including Facebook and ramps up pressure on Uber's rivals such as Lyft.
To continue reading, log in if you are a subscriber
Enjoy 2 weeks of unlimited digital access to The Straits Times. Get your free access now!


text:
Tag Archives: Crunchy Black
Three 6 Mafia's Crunchy Black Wanted for Domestic Assault
*Three 6 Mafia rapper Crunchy Black is wanted by police in Minnesota. The 38-year-old ran afoul of the law after skipping a November court date to face charges for allegedly beating up his fiancée, as well as cocaine possession, TMZ reported Thursday. The missed court appearance stems from an incident involving the rapper, whose real […]
Former Three Six Mafia Member 'Crunchy Black' Shot [Report]
*Former Three Six Mafia member Crunchy Black has reportedly been shot, according to Vlad TV. Black, real name Darnell Carlton, is seen lying in a hospital bed in the photo that began spreading across the Internet. Crunchy Black of Three 6 Mafia has been shot and is currently hospitalized. Details have not been revealed but […]


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Doug Peterson's Library tagged → View Popular, Search in Google
Listing of all Google services from A-Z. Great quick reference.
Think Google is just a search engine? Check out @pbeens' compilation. http://t.co/505PXdispJ
RT @pbeens: Added "Add-ons for Google Docs and Sheets" to the Google A-Z reference document. http://t.co/KukLZ9ZsHs
Another update to @pbeens excellent Google A-Z Document - http://t.co/RBVYiAM4qu
Another update to @pbeens excellent Google A-Z Document - http://t.co/RBVYiAM4qu
— Doug Peterson (@dougpete) February 22, 2015
A web with web fonts is more beautiful, readable, accessible and open.
Google Fonts makes it quick and easy for everyone to use web fonts, including professional designers and developers. We believe that everyone should be able to bring quality typography to their web pages and applications.
Our goal is to create a directory of web fonts for the world to use. Our API service makes it easy to add Google Fonts to a website in seconds. The service runs on Google's servers which are fast, reliable and tested. Google provides this service free of charge.
Google Fonts http://t.co/pR8Cm3EjGz
Google Fonts http://t.co/pR8Cm3EjGz
— Doug Peterson (@dougpete) January 30, 2015
I have created example forms for each of the different topics, follow the links in each of the ten sections. With help from a Googler I have included a link so that you can get your own copy of the form – click on the appropriate link and it should open in your docs home.
80+ Google Forms for the Classroom http://t.co/Ka9QqTg9uH via @Firefox
80+ Google Forms for the Classroom http://t.co/Ka9QqTg9uH via @Firefox
— Doug Peterson (@dougpete) January 16, 2015
RT @TCEA: This is an awesome ThingLink for introducing Chromebooks: http://t.co/HeYcFXMRMM
"iPads have given students opportunities to really start to develop creative thinking skills, as well as critical thinking skills. My focus here is apps that allow students to develop creative and critical thinking skills on Chromebooks."
http://t.co/6HIQXIWT8g: Easily Turn Google Spreadsheets into Online Flashcards http://t.co/sH9hmsfVWM
Google Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials - I didn't know I could do that in Google!
"Last week, Chidiac, a Grade 2 teacher at St. Anne's Catholic School in Kitchener, was among 64 teachers from North America who participated in a two-day program at the Google Teacher Academy in Mountain View, Calif. "
Collection of presentation resources from CBI Midwest
"There are about a million different ways to use all the great Google tools available for free in your classroom. Whether you're bringing your classroom into the 21st century by making it paperless or AppSmashing, even the simplest of Google tools offers you a wide array of ways to use it."
Tips and Tricks for Google Chrome http://t.co/ptbKHK1Wtn
Easily incorporate computational thinking into your curriculum with these classroom-ready lessons, examples, and programs. For more resources, including discussion forums and news, visit our ECT Discussion Forums.
Google: Exploring Computational Thinking http://t.co/Q4gLLCRwXx
Imagine there's a list somewhere that contains every single webpage you have visited in the last five years. It also has everything you have ever searched for, every address you looked up on GoogleGOOG -1.71% Maps, every email you sent, every chat message, every YouTube video you watched. Each entry is time-stamped, so it's clear exactly, down to the minute, when all of this was done.
"Web search can be a remarkable tool for students, and a bit of instruction in how to search for academic sources will help your students become critical thinkers and independent learners."
"Google Research Tool.
In a nutshell, it is a nifty little search bar that appears along the right-hand side of your document. You can start a search by typing into the search bar, and narrow your search to specific types of results (such as images or pdfs) with the drop-down menu. The research tool is also smart: when you first open it, it offers suggestions for things you might find useful based on what you are writing about."
Bookmark of Google Docs and Google Drive Resources
"You can search for lesson plans and curricula using the drop-down menus below, or visit the educator resources page for the products."
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Both the Watch and iPhone sales will help
Here's how to find your refund
Join the NASDAQ Community today and get free, instant access to portfolios, stock ratings, real-time alerts, and more!
With the official end to summer, there are many topics for
sunburned vacationers to consider as they settle in to their desks
and boardrooms on Tuesday. Economic data has been mixed, but with a
positive tilt. We learned the latest ideas from central bankers.
There are assorted crises around the world. Somehow, in spite of it
all, stocks showed a strong gain for August.
I expect the main topic from this will be the economic focus and
Fed reaction. I expect financial media to be asking:
What does the job picture mean - for the economy, financial
markets, and the Fed?
Prior Theme Recap
In my last WTWA
I expected
that the news would focus on central bankers unwinding. That was
indeed the dominant story, in spite of competing world events, but
we got precious little new information. There will be some carry
over from this theme in the week ahead.
Naturally we would all like to know the direction of the market
in advance. Good luck with that! Second best is planning what to
look for and how to react. That is the purpose of considering
possible themes for the week ahead.
San Francisco Appearance
I enjoyed meeting some readers and making new friends during
last week's
San Francisco Money Show
. As I warned before the trip, there was too much going on for me
to write my regular weekly update. My stay ended with a wee-hours
wake-up from the earthquake. You can really feel the effects when
on the 17th floor of a hotel! Locals were joking the next morning,
perhaps because the injuries and damage were mild given the size of
the quake (biggest since 1987).
I plan to lay out some of the themes from my presentation in
future posts, but it has been hectic catching up after the trip.
More on that to come.
This Week's Theme
In the holiday-shortened week ahead we have an avalanche of
economic data and crises from around the world. Many different
topics could command attention. Out of these choices, I expect
special attention on employment data - more so than ever. Why?
The Jackson Hole Fed Symposium highlighted the continuing
importance of the employment situation. Here are the key questions
about economic growth:
Are the job gains enough to sustain (or improve?) the rate of
economic growth? Looking beyond the gross numbers, is there enough
improvement in full-time jobs? Is the quality of employment
Even if that hurdle is surmounted, there is the question of
labor market slack. How much room is there to stimulate job
creation without sparking inflation?
Fed Chair Yellen believes that better employment prospects will
improve labor force participation, keeping wage pressures low. This
is a "cyclical" view of the labor force participation decline. Only
after the participation rate improves, will there be a need to
consider emphasizing the Fed's inflation goal rather than
The alternative viewpoint, laid out thoroughly in this week's
Barron's Cover story,
Work's for Squares,
emphasizes structural causes. The argument focuses on those of
prime working age, where the high post-WWII rates have been
followed both by periods of decline and stability.
(click to enlarge)
While there are many possible causes, one intriguing factor is
the growth in disability. The causes are not the old-fashioned work
injuries; in fact, the workplace is safer. Someone on disability
does not get much income, but does (after a wait) receive Medicare.
This is a financial disincentive for returning to work.
The article provides a good summary of data from various
As usual, I have a few thoughts to help in sorting through these
conflicting viewpoints. First, let us do our regular update of the
last week's news and data. Readers, especially those new to this
series, will benefit from reading the
background information
Last Week's Data
Each week I break down events into good and bad. Often there is
"ugly" and on rare occasion something really good. My working
definition of "good" has two components:
The Good
There was some important good news.
The Bad
There was also some negative news.
The Ugly
Our "ugly" list for the last few weeks remains unfortunately
accurate. We had headline news from all conflicts with plenty of
violence and death competing for our attention. The Ebola crisis,
cited a few weeks ago, continues to worsen.
The Silver Bullet
I occasionally give the Silver Bullet award to someone who takes
up an unpopular or thankless cause, doing the real work to
demonstrate the facts. Think of The Lone Ranger. No award this
week. Nominations are welcome.
Quant Corner
Whether a trader or an investor, you need to understand risk. I
monitor many quantitative reports and highlight the best methods in
this weekly update. For more information on each source,
check here
Recent Expert Commentary on Recession Odds and Market
Doug Short
: An update of the regular ECRI analysis with a good history,
commentary, detailed analysis and charts. If you are still
listening to the ECRI (almost three years after their recession
call), you should be reading this carefully. Doug includes the most
recent ECRI discussion, which has been consistently bearish,
despite the blown call on the recession.
Bob Dieli does a
(subscription required) after the employment report and also a
monthly overview analysis. He follows many concurrent indicators to
supplement our featured "C Score."
: A variety of strong quantitative indicators for both economic and
market analysis. Dwaine's
"liquidity crunch" signal
played out as projected. This week he highlights his HILO Breadth
index which he has designed to pinpoint bottoms and to warn of
protracted corrections. Current readings imply an opportunity that
usually shows up only once a year.
Check out the full post
for a description and charts.
Georg Vrba
Updates his unemployment rate recession
, confirming that there is no recession signal.
Georg's BCI index
also shows no recession in sight. For those interested in hedging
their large-cap exposure, Georg has unveiled a new system. Georg
now has another new program, with ideas for
minimum volatility stocks for tax-efficient
. He also has new advice for those seeking a
safe withdrawal rate
, now featuring the use of put options to protect against extreme
The Week Ahead
We have a big week for economic data and events.
The "A List" includes the following:
The "B List" includes the following:
Fed participants are back on the speaking circuit. Did you miss
Breaking news from Ukraine is also likely, but nearly impossible
to handicap on a short-term basis.
How to Use the Weekly Data Updates
In the WTWA series I try to share what I am thinking as I
prepare for the coming week. I write each post as if I were
speaking directly to one of my clients. Each client is different,
so I have five different programs ranging from very conservative
bond ladders to very aggressive trading programs. It is not a "one
size fits all" approach.
To get the maximum benefit from my updates you need to have a
self-assessment of your objectives. Are you most interested in
preserving wealth? Or like most of us, do you still need to create
wealth? How much risk is right for your temperament and
My weekly insights often suggest a different course of action
depending upon your objectives and time frames. They also
accurately describe what I am doing in the programs I manage.
Insight for Traders
Felix switched to bullish last week and remains so. This had
little effect on our trading accounts since nearly everything is in
the penalty box. Uncertainty remains high - typical for a trading
range market. Inverse ETFs were highly rated during this cycle but
remained in the penalty box. This mean that Felix went to cash for
a bit and also held bonds, but did not go short. The broad market
ETFs are once again positive.
I frequently hear from young people looking for a trading job.
Brett Steenbarger --- PhD psychologist, author, trading coach,
hedge fund consultant - is a great source for traders on all
topics. His
advice for those seeking trading jobs
is first-rate: It is more than passion and desire! He provides some
specifics on what to do and what to avoid, including how to build
your credentials.
You can sign up for Felix's weekly ratings updates via email to
etf at newarc dot com.
Insight for Investors
I review the themes here each week and refresh when needed. For
investors, as we would expect, the key ideas may stay on the list
longer than the updates for traders. The current "actionable
investment advice" is
summarized here
. In addition, be sure to read this week's final thought.
We continue to use market volatility to pick up stocks on our
shopping list. We do this because we also sell positions when they
reach our (constantly updated) price targets. Being a long-term
investor is not the same as "buy and hold."
Here is our collection of great advice for this week:
The real "smart money" is looking past the obvious worries. The
headlines and financial TV emphasize the scary stuff for the
obvious reasons. Blackstone Advisor
Byron Wein reports
on a series of lunches he hosted, something he does every year.
This is a good item to bookmark and review later as an example of
how experienced investors use the "wall of worry."
Many of the participants are well known and a number are
billionaires. There are hedge fund managers, corporate leaders,
activists, buyout specialists, real estate titans, private equity
folk and venture capitalists, providing some diversity in terms
of their daily activity. I am adding newcomers to lower the
average age. The group was correctly positive during the past two
summer sessions, so I was curious to see if their mood had
changed with so much unrest around the world.
The answer is that the investors almost universally believed
that all of the threatening geopolitical problems would somehow
work themselves out favorably without significantly disturbing
the United States economy or its financial markets.
Many of the participants are well known and a number are
billionaires. There are hedge fund managers, corporate leaders,
activists, buyout specialists, real estate titans, private equity
folk and venture capitalists, providing some diversity in terms
of their daily activity. I am adding newcomers to lower the
average age. The group was correctly positive during the past two
summer sessions, so I was curious to see if their mood had
changed with so much unrest around the world.
The answer is that the investors almost universally believed
that all of the threatening geopolitical problems would somehow
work themselves out favorably without significantly disturbing
the United States economy or its financial markets.
"Google never forgets"
writes Barry Ritholtz
. The subject was CNBC's feature of David Tice making (yet another)
crash prediction. Barry notes his past history of such calls and
the performance of his Prudent Bear fund.
I was delighted to get an email from a reader on this same
theme. He pointed out the CNBC/Yahoo story citing two "experts" who
were predicting a 60% crash. He did his research on both Tice and
Abigail Doolittle discovering their past records. This reader is a
former scientist who is amazed that the financial world does not
provide accountability for cited sources. In the absence of a
dramatic change in media behavior, only constant reminders will
help people understand "that we are essentially just viewing or
reading a more dangerous version of the National Enquirer."
Google never forgets, but it should not be the responsibility of
each reader to check every source.
Vitaliy Katsenelson has a good tale
on an important subject for investors --- confirmation bias. He
explains how to make the best use of sources where you disagree
with the conclusions.
My own worries
. While on the subject of evidence and disconfirmation, I made a
list of things that I was watching and what evidence would lead to
less optimism about equities. I published it
here as the Final Thought
, and I keep it in mind.
If you are worried about possible market declines, you have
plenty of company. This is one of the problems where we can help.
It is possible to get reasonable returns while controlling risk.
You can get our report package with a simple email request to main
at newarc dot com. Also check out our recent recommendations in our
new investor resource page
-- a starting point for the long-term investor. (Comments and
suggestions welcome. I am trying to be helpful and I love and use
Final Thought
Is the decline in labor force participation structural or
cyclical? I certainly cannot answer that question in the context of
our weekly focus post, but I can suggest how to think about the
There is another important implication of this debate - one that
we will see repeated for the next two or three years. Many have
argued that the lack of any wage growth is a sign of a weak
recovery and poor prospects for future consumption. If this finally
starts to change, you can expect many of these same sources to warn
about looming price increases.
It is more reasonable to expect an intervening period of
improved economic growth and better wages. The Fed may eventually
be too slow in changing course, but we'll still be raising that
question in a year or two.
The author has no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans
to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. The author
wrote this article themselves, and it expresses their own opinions.
The author is not receiving compensation for it. The author has no
business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in
this article.
See also
Amazon.com Finally Does Something Right
on seekingalpha.com
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text:
138169vimrc is not being sourced when I spawn an interactive shell
Expand Messages
- Jun 17, 2013Hello everyone:
Whenever I spawn a new interactive shell in the mac terminal like bash none of my vim scripts in ~/.vim/bundle are sourced. For example, I am running zsh version 5.0.0 on the terminal and if I type bash for instance then bash will spawn an interactive shell. But when I open vim, neither the vimrc or any of the .vim files are sourced. Is there something I must add the bashrc or bash_profile so that it knows to source vimrc and vim directories in home directory. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
Also, I have bash version 4.2. I am running my terminal on Mac OS X 10.7.
Jean-Marcel Belmont
You received this message from the "vim_use" maillist.
Do not top-post! Type your reply below the text you are replying to.
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text:
Female Supergroup "The Local Memories" Forms in Nashville
Five beautiful and multi-talented women banding together to break down gender barriers in bluegrass, country, and beyond; that's the story of the newly-formed female supergroup in Nashville called The Local Memories. It's all the brain child of fiddle player, Berklee College of Music alumni, and former Outlaw Carnie Lucy B. Cochran.
Renowned Guitarist Duane Denison Rejoins Hank3's Band
Hank Williams III, a.k.a. Hank3 has just embarked on a 15-date east coast tour after an extended period off the road, and joining him will be one of the most respected guitarists in independent music, and one that harkens back to the formative years of Hank3's "Damn Band." … When The Jesus Lizard disbanded in 1999, Denison began to play in Hank3's touring band.
Bob Wayne Talks "Back To The Camper"
On Monday (4-21), The Outlaw Carnie Bob Wayne will be releasing his latest album called Back To The Camper. It will be his first independent release in the United States after releasing two album with the heavy metal label Century Media. Before a show at Austin, TX's White Horse honky tonk, I sat down with Bob to talk Back To The Camper and catch up with his other doings.
Hank3 Says "Brothers of the 4×4″ is a Traditional Country Record
Over the last few years, country fans have come to expect a mixed bag from Hank3, whose veered more towards punk and heavy metal as time has gone on. His first two albums became staples of the early 2000's neo-traditionalist movement, while 2006's "Straight to Hell" was the beginning of a much harder sound. Hank3 is calling his upcoming album "Brothers of the 4×4″ a traditional country record.
Bob Wayne Recruits Red Simpson for Muddy Roots
The annual Muddy Roots Festival held over Labor Day weekend announced their initial lineup last week (see below) and at the top of the list was the name of legendary Bakersfield Sound songwriter Red Simpson. In a strange turn of events, Bob Wayne found himself sitting in Red Simpson's trailer at 6 AM, swapping songs and stories with a man he considered a hero.
The Greatest Underground Country Albums of All Time
By request, here is my list of the greatest underground country albums of all time. The underground country movement started roughly in the mid 90's on lower Broadway in Nashville that at the time was a run down part of town. Young musicians from around the country, some from punk backgrounds, came together from their mutual love of authentic country music.
Defiant Images of Country Music Dissent
The fight for the purity of country music is almost as old as the genre itself. The conflict between pop and traditionalism, and the fight for creative control for artists runs like a thread throughout country music's history, defining it as much as the twang of a Telecaster, or the moan of a steel guitar. Here are some of the most iconic images of country music revolution, and the stories behind them.
Sarah Gayle Meech & "One Good Thing" Revitalize Honky Tonk
Lower Broadway in Nashville has a new songstress haunting the streets, and she's a good one. If you want to know how to put out one badass independent/underground country album in Nashville, you could use One Good Thing as a template. With impeccable country taste and instincts, Sarah assembles 12 original and authentic honky-tonk hard country songs for your listening enjoyment.
Like Him or Not, Bob Wayne Has Arrived
I bet when you saw Bob Wayne's name in the title of this article, you had some sort of immediate emotional reaction, didn't you? You either thought, "That foul mouthed punk, I can't even stand to see his ugly face," and you blame him for perpetuating a perversion of country music. Or you said "Hell yeah." Like him or not, Bob Wayne has arrived. One way you can tell this is by the polarization that precedes his name.
Album Review – Bob Wayne's "Till The Wheels Fall Off"
Over the years I've been a big Bob Wayne proponent, and to some folks he's been a very hard sell. I've always counseled to look beyond the persona to the songwriting. With his new album Till The Wheels Fall Off, Bob Wayne frankly makes that task much harder. At the same time, he's put out his most enjoyable album yet.
Video Premier – Bob Wayne's 'Till The Wheels Fall Off' EPK
On Tuesday (5-22-12) Bob Wayne will be releasing his brand new album through People Like You Records called Till The Wheels Fall Off, and Saving Country Music is excited to premier for you the EPK introduction video for the album. It was shot at the house of Andy Gibson, Hank Williams III's steel guitar and dobro player, and the man who recorded Till The Wheels Fall Off and all of Bob Wayne's albums.
Bob Wayne's "Till The Wheels Fall Off" & Duet w/ Hank3
Country music madman, the Outlaw Carnie Bob Wayne has just announced he has a new album coming out May 22nd, 2012 (April 9th in Europa) from Century Media called Till The Wheels Fall Off, and that the album will feature a duet with none other than Hank Williams III called "All My Friends" that will be released tomorrow (3-23-12).
Hank III To Release 4 Records on September 6th
With his own new label, Hank3 Records, and the sense that he has thrown off the chains holding him back creatively, Shelton Hank Williams III, aka Hank3, is coming out swinging this year with the release of four records on September 6 – that's right – FOUR.
Movie Review – "Crazy Again" Starring Dale Watson
The best way to describe Crazy Again is an "accidental documentary". Released in 2006, but only screened at a few film festivals, and to my knowledge never made available until recently through Amazon's streaming video service, the film follows Dale Watson on a tour to Atlanta and back, and then features an interview with him in New Mexico where he describes in great detail a period of his life where he goes through a mental collapse and a spiritual rebirth.
Album Review – Honky Tonk Hustlas – South of Nashville
For years, the Honky Tonk Hustlas have been a hub right in the middle of the deep South, keeping the heart of real/underground country alive in an area infected with the sickness of country pop as much as any other. Their first album Hallways of the Always (2008) was a solid offering, and though they have never been a big touring band, they have shared many bills with big names rolling through their stomping ground of Montgomery, AL.
Album Review – Bob Wayne's "Outlaw Carnie"
The first thing you need to appreciate about Outlaw Carnie is that it is country. Forget that it's on a metal label, and that Hank III's name is being put out there for context. There's no fusing of metal and country here. There's no sludgy BC Rich or Flying V guitars, no screamo, cookie monster lyrics. There's banjo, fiddle, dobro, upright bass, brushes on snare, if there's any drums at all.
Interview w/ Bob Wayne The Outlaw Carnie
A couple of weeks ago, I caught up with Bob Wayne before his gig at Austin's Hole in the Wall to discuss a few things, including the slight delay in the release of his new album Outlaw Carnie and his relationship with the traditionally heavy metal label Century Media, as well as the new band lineup, and how he lets Andy Gibson beat him at video games.
Review – Outlaw Radio Compilation Volume 1
I picture a post-Apolcolyptic scene: ghost towns full of crumbling buildings and rubble, smoke filling the sky and blocking out the sun, the result of a society […]
Review- Hank III at Emos in Austin, TX
For the modern day underground country fan, going to a Hank III show is a no brainer. Even if you've gotten sideways with his recent sound, you […]
Rosie Flores w/ Chris Scruggs at SXSW
During and after South by Southwest this last week, people kept asking me what my favorite show was. It's probably a toss up between Slim Cessna's Auto […]
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text:
A programmable connector for use with a burn-in tester for manufactured integrated circuits is provided with an array of programming regions which can be selectively activated and deactivated to accommodate a specific testing configuration depending on the type of IC being tested and on the type of test being performed. The activation process is achieved using a conductive solution, applied selectively to the programming regions from a hand-held pen-type implement. The solution dries following application and serves to close a circuit between two electrically isolated conductive portions of the programming region. The solution is removable, using a solvent or other material, deactivation of the programming region for re-configuring the programmable connector.
1. A programmable connector for selectively connecting a device under test to a burn-in tester, the programmable connector being adapted to withstand clevated burn-in testing temperatures and comprising:
a plurality of programming regions each comprising:
a second conductive portion for electrical connection to the burn-in tester; and
a support region adapted to support a conductive solution for electrically connecting together the first and second conductive portions,
wherein the support region and the first and second conductive portions are provided at a first surface of the programmable connector, and wherein the conductive solution is selectively applicable and selectively removable such that different routing configurations between the device under test and the burn-in tester are realizable using the programmable connector.
2. The programmable connector of
3. The programmable connector of
4. The programmable connector of
5. The programmable connector of
6. The programmable connector of
7. The programmable connector of
8. The programmable connector of
9. A testing system for selectively connecting a burn-in tester to a device under test, the testing system comprising:
a burn-in tester adapted to provide elevated burn-in testing temperatures;
a programmable connector electrically connected to the burn-in tester, the programmable connector comprising:
at least one first conductor having a first conductive portion and connected to the burn-in tester;
at least one second conductor having a second conductive portion and adapted for connection to the device under test; and
a support region adapted to support a conductive solution for electrically connecting together the first and second conducting portions,
wherein the support region and the first and second conductive portions are provided at a first surface of the programmable connector.
10. The testing system of
11. The testing system of
12. A method for selectively routing electrical signals between a device under test and a burn-in tester used in burn-in testing under elevated temperature conditions, the method comprising:
providing a array of programming regions, each programming region having a first conductive portion electrically connected to the device under test and a second conductive portions being provided at a first surface;
causing one or more programming regions to become activated to thereby achieve a first routing configuration of activated programming regions, wherein the step of causing a programming region to become activated comprises electrically connecting together the first and second portions of the programming region by applying a conductive solution between the first and second conductive portions.
13. The method of
14. The method of
15. The method of
16. The method of
17. The method of
18. The method of
19. The method of
(Not applicable)
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to electrical devices, and more particularly, to programmable connectors for selectively connecting multiple circuits.
2. Description of Related Art
Following manufacture, integrated circuits are typically powered up and run for a test period prior to shipping to customers in order to weed out those devices which fail prematurely. This process is called burn-in and is typically performed at elevated temperatures to help accelerate early failures, or �infant mortalities.� The burn-in system typically consists of a burn-in tester which provides the electrical test signals to the packaged integrated circuit, referred to as the device under test (�DUT�), and an oven which provides the temperature acceleration. The DUT is loaded into a load board and placed in the oven. The load board is constructed using conventional printed circuit board techniques and materials. Electrical test signals are routed from the burn-in tester through the load board to the appropriate terminals or pins of the DUT package.
Conventionally, there is a wide variety of types of integrated circuit packages and number of pins on each package. In addition, for a given package type and pin count there is an infinite number of products which can be housed inside it. This means the routing of the electrical test signals to the pins of the package presents an extremely large number of combinations. Historically, a separate load board has been made for each product, wherein the traces on the load board which carry the electrical test signals are routed to the specific pins, or leads, of the product. This is a �hard wired� design which does not allow for changes in the routing of the electrical test signals either to accommodate different devices to be tested or to perform different tests on a device. If the product pinout changes, a new load board must be manufactured to be able to burn it in. Likewise, a new load board needs to be manufactured for every new product.
Load boards are expensive and their wiring to the burn-in tester is labor intensive and time-consuming. Part of the expense is due to a robustness requirement, whereby the load boards need to be able to operate at elevated temperatures (up to 350� C. or more), provide little if any signal degradation and remain reliable for one to two years of continuous operation at the elevated temperatures. It therefore becomes important to minimize the need to replace load boards, to thereby reduce the production costs of integrated circuits. One way to minimize the need to replace load boards is to make them more versatile in their applicability.
Versatility can be achieved using a programmable connector which operates as a selectively configurable wiring interface between the load board on which the DUT is mounted and the burn-in tester. The programmable connector is thus designed to accommodate the electrical configuration of a variety of DUTs. Typically, the programmable connector employs a mechanical jumpering system, wherein transversely extending conductors are selectively connected to each other by placement of pins or other conducting bridges between them, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Conductors 12A and 12B are normally spaced apart and isolated from each other, for instance by an intervening insulating substrate 11 on which they are mounted in the programmable connector. One set of these conductors, 12A, is in electrical connection with the burn-in tester (not shown). The other set, 12B, is in electrical connection with the DUT (not shown). Programming the connector is effected using conducting pins 10 inserted in holes 16A formed on one side of the connector and holes 16B formed on the other side. The holes 16A and 16B are surrounded by conducting lands 18A and 18B, respectively, which are electrically contiguous with conductors 12A and 12B. When inserted in holes 16A and 16B, pins 10 make contact with the associated lands 18A and 18B and in this manner connect the corresponding connectors 12A and 12B. A plurality of pins 10 are used to make the connections required by the particular DUT and the test to be performed.
Other methods of selectively connecting a DUT to a burn-in testor are known. One known method uses an operationally similar scheme to that described above. Instead of holes, the connector is provided with arrays of header pins protruding outwardly from the programmable connector, each header pin being associated with a connector which is either in connection with the DUT or the burn-in testor. The header pins can be selectively shunted together to bridge the connection between the DUT and the burn-in tester in a selectively configurable manner.
The above prior art schemes suffer from several disadvantages, including those associated with size, cost, reliability and complexity. Because in both prior art systems discussed pins are used which protrude perpendicularly from the connector, the profile of the connector is increased in the pin direction, detracting from the stackability of the connectors when employed in sets of more than one. Additionally, especially with respect to the header pin system, the cost per device is high because of the increased complexity of the device. The use of pins to effect an essentially mechanical connection also introduces reliability concerns. Good electrical contact must be insured with the manual insertion of each pin or with the shunting of each pair of pins for proper operation. Finally, the complexity of the devices, especially the header type connector, increases the probability of failure of the device.
There therefore exists a long felt need to provide a simple programmable connector which is inexpensive to produce, has minimal profile and is readily stackable, and which is reliable and easy to operate.
In accordance with the present invention, a programmable connector is provided with programming regions which can be selectively activated using a conductive solution applied to the programming regions. The regions can be deactivated using a solvent or other material to remove the conductive solution.
Preferably, an array of programming regions is provided on a surface of the programmable connector, Each programming region is associated with a first conductor in connection with the burn-in tester and a second conductor in connection with the device under test. The first and second conductors have conductive portions which are electrically isolated from each other. A support region is disposed between the two portions, which support region serves to support the solution such that when the solution is applied to the programming region, it completes an electrical path between the conductive portions of the first and second conductors.
More preferably, the array of programming regions is in the form of an ordered matrix, with the pair of conductive portions of each programming portion being in the shape of two bars of an equal sign, making for easy visual recognition by the operator. Similarly, it is preferred that the conductive solution be visible, and be dispensed from a hand-held pen-type implement. Similarly, it is preferred that the solvent for removing the solution be dispensed from a hand-held pen-type �erasing� implement.
Many advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art with a reading of this specification in conjunction with the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals are applied to like elements and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing showing a prior art programmable connector;
FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing showing a testing system in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 3 is an isometric, partial cut-away view of a programmable connector in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 4A is a top plan view of a pair of programming regions in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4B�4B of 4A;
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a pair of programming regions in which an one programming region is activated in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a shared pad arrangement in accordance with the invention; and
FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a dedicated pad arrangement in accordance with the invention.
FIGS. 2-7 schematically show exemplary testing system and programmable connector in accordance with the present invention. The connector 20 operates as an interface between a device under test (DUT) such as packaged integrated circuit 32 which is mounted on a load board 36, and a burn-in tester 28 which issues test signals to and receives and monitors response signals from the DUT during the testing process. Two-way arrows 22 and 24 represent signal traffic between the devices.
As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, connector 20 comprises generally an insulating substrate 26. On one surface of connector 20 is provided an array of programming regions 30. FIG. 3 details the layout of the programming regions 30 of FIG. 2. Each programming region 30 comprises a conductive portion 34 of a conductive trace 38 in confronting relationship with a conductive portion 42 of a pad 40, best seen in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Additionally, each programming region 30 comprises a support region 62, whose function is described below.
Traces 38 and pads 40, along with conductive portions 34 and 42, are all made of suitable metallic or other conductive materials readily formed on or embedded in substrate 26 in accordance with known circuit board fabrication techniques. Also provided on connector 20, on an opposite surface thereof or at least in substantial electrical isolation from conductive trace 38 is a conductive trace 44, also comprising suitable metallic or other conductive materials. Trace 38 is one of an array of such traces provided on or in connector 20, while trace 44 is also one of an array of similar traces provided in substantial isolation from traces 38. Although exemplarily these traces are shown to extend in substantially straight lines along opposite surfaces of connector 20 and orthogonally to each other, it is to be understood that other shapes and relative directions of the traces are contemplated. At least one of traces 38 is in electrical communication with burn-in tester 28, while at least one of traces 44 is in electrical communication with the DUT such as packaged integrated circuit 32, via load board 36. It is also contemplated that connector 20 and load board 36 may be integrally formed as one contiguous structure, rather than as discrete devices as exemplarily shown.
Preferably, but not necessarily, traces 38 are buried beneath the surface of the connector 20, with only the portions 34 thereof being exposed outside an insulating material, such as substrate 26 or other suitable non-conductive laminate or other layer (not shown), which forms the surface of the connector 20. In a similar manner, pads 40 are buried beneath the surface of substrate 26, with only portions 42 thereof being exposed. Portions 34 and 42 can be raised so as to protrude outwardly through the surface of connector 20. Alternatively, the material forming the surface, such as the laminate or other layer, can be etched away to define portions 34 and 42.
Traces 44 are preferably, but not necessarily, buried beneath the opposite surface of connector 20, which opposite surface is formed by substrate 26 itself or by a suitable non-conductive laminate or other layer (not shown). Traces 44 are in electrical communication with corresponding pads 40 (and conductive potions 42 thereof) through vias 46 extending through substrate 26 of connector 20. Vias 46 are formed through conventional printed circuit board fabrication methods, comprising a conductor-lined hole passing from the pad 40 to the trace 44, and providing a conductive path between a column of pads 40 and an associated trace 44. Other methods of connecting the pads 40 and traces 44, such as a transverse wire or trace, fall within the purview of the invention, although the use of vias may be economically more efficient.
To program connector 20, an operator activates a programming region 30 by using a pliant conductive material, such as a solution dispensed in the form of an �ink� from a �pen,� or pen-type device, to �write� a layer of material, shown in the form of a circle, or dot 50, over support region 62 of programming region 30 in FIG. 5. The written dot 50 of conductive ink bridges the gap 48 separating portions 34 and 42, closing a circuit path between the trace 38 of the portion 34 and the trace 44 corresponding to the portion 44. Support region 62 is made from non-conductive material extending from the portion 34 to portion 42. This non-conductive material may be the substrate 26 itself, or it may be a laminate or suitable layer which maintains electrical isolation between portions 34 and 42 preceding application of the pliant conductive material dot 50. It will be appreciated that although depicted as occupying a gap 48, support region 62 can take any desired shape as long as it functions to support the conductive solution in such a way as to permit the solution to close a circuit path between the portions 34 and 42.
By selectively writing in dots of conductive ink on connector 20, the operator achieves a specific routing configuration for the connector 20. This operation, it will be appreciated, is simple and can be performed accurately, with the operator being guided by the �equal sign� appearance of the pair of conductive portions 30. Of course, it will be appreciated that other shapes can be selected for the conductive portions 34 and 42, and the choice of the depicted rectangular bars forming the �equal sign� shape is merely one of aesthetics, facilitating easy identification and guidance for the operator during the programming operation. Depending on the particular DUT being tested, an appropriate conductive ink dot pattern can be formed on the connector 20 by writing in one or more dots in appropriate locations on the connector 20, thus achieving different routing configurations and customizing the DUT-burn-in tester 28 connection in accordance with the particular DUT configuration and the test to be performed thereon.
Pens for dispensing conductive solution, or ink, are known in the art and are available from for example Chemtronics�. These pens are self-contained, disposable, handheld tubular devices very much resembling a conventional ink pen writing instrument and containing a limited amount of conductive material dispensed through one end upon that end's contact with a surface, in this case the support region 62. The conductive ink comprises a suitable electrically conductive material which dries in place following application. Preferably, the ink is visible, providing the operator with visual feedback indicative of the propriety of the connection written and the configuration of the programmed connector. Additionally, the programming regions 30 can be deactivated if a mistake is made, or for purposes of reconfiguring the connector 20 for use with a different DUT or for performing a different test on the same DUT, as is contemplated. To deactivate a programming region 30, the conductive ink is removed, or �erased� from support region 62 of the programming region, using appropriate chemical solvents or similar materials. Known solvents or other materials, also dispensed from a pen-type device or sponged on or otherwise applied over the dots targeted for removal readily accomplish this.
For purposes of economy, in the above-described exemplary arrangement two conductive portions 42 share a single pad 40. Thus, as can be seen from FIG. 6, each pair of programming regions 30A and 30B involve three traces�38A, 38B and 44A, such that one or both traces 38A and 38B can be connected to trace 44A by application of conductive ink across gaps 48A and 48B. It is also possible that a dedicated system can be provided, as seen in FIG. 7, wherein each programming region 30C involves only two traces�38C and 44B, and only one connection, between traces 38C and 44B, can be made with the conductive ink bridging gap 48C between conductive portions 42A on pads 40A.
It will be appreciated that while the invention is described exemplarily in the context of a burn-in tester, limitation to this context is not intended. Rather, the teachings of the invention can be applied for any general electrical routing use, especially applications in which frequent or repeated reprogramming is required. The simplicity of programming and reprogramming the system of the invention readily lend to such applications.
The above are exemplary modes of carrying out the invention and are not intended to be limiting. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that modifications thereto can be made without inventive departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below.
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New mum Coleen Rooney enjoyed a WAGS night out at early Christmas bash for fashion lovers.
Leaving 4 week old son Kai Wayne in the care of family, the WAG partied the night away in Liverpool until the early hours, while husband and Manchester United stiker Wayne, 23, watched a football match at Old Trafford.
The 23-year-old WAG joined fellow footballers wives; Alex Curran and Claudine Keane, at Noble House hosted by their favourite fashion store boutique - Cricket.
Dressed in slimming black panelled dress, Christian Louboutin heels and wolly coat, Coleen braved the cold temperatures until the party finished at 2am.
Steven Gerrard's wife Alex, 27, also opted for an all-black ensemble, in a rather more chilly lace top, harem pants and platform heels.
A spokeswoman for Cricket said: 'It was the shop's official Christmas dinner and an opportunity for us to say thank you to all our girls, staff and clients, for their support.'
Also at the VIP event where Hollyoaks actresses Emma Rigby and Claire Coopera, former Emmerdale actress Sheree Murphy - wife of former Liverpool player Harry Kewell and Atomic Kitten singer Natasha Hamilton.
While Coleen opted for black, Robbie Keane's wife Claudine, 26, looked sensational in a silver and black sparkly studded dress with matching spiky accessories.
The former Miss Ireland contestant, who gave birth to their son Robert Ronan only six months ago, looked thrilled with her Cricket goodie bag as she headed home in the early hours.
Party girls Coleen and Alex Curran then continued their evening as they moved on to student nightclub Heebie Jeebies before heading home at 3am.
WAGS night out for Coleen Rooney and Alex Curranby Jordan Kelly. Published Thu 03 Dec 2009 00:12
New mum Coleen Rooney enjoyed a WAGS night out at early Christmas bash for fashion lovers.
"I know, I saw them out!! Find out what I thought... www.liverpoolsavvy.blogspot.com" Charlotte, Liverpool around 5 years, 3 months ago
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