text:
Doctors and nurses have known for many years that some people are more sensitive to pain than others. Now brain scans of people experiencing the same painful stimulus have provided the first proof that this is so. But the scans also suggest that how much something hurts really is "all in the mind".
"We saw a huge variation between responses to the same stimulus," says project leader Bob Coghill of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "The message is: trust what patients are telling you."
Coghill tested the pain tolerance of 17 healthy volunteers by applying heat to the back of their calves. He varied the heat from around body temperature to 49 °C, the temperature of very hot washing-up water.
Volunteers asked to rate the pain on a scale of zero to 10 showed huge variations. One resilient volunteer rated pain at the hottest temperature at just over one, whereas another could scarcely bear it at all, rating it at almost nine.
Stark differences
Then Coghill repeated the experiment when the volunteers were in MRI brain scanners. The scans revealed stark differences that reflected each individual's sensitivity to pain. The volunteers least able to bear pain showed more activity in the cerebral cortex, the region of the brain associated with higher cognitive function. Specific areas activated included the prefrontal cortex - linked with attention, working memory and emotion - and the anterior cingulate cortex, a region already linked with pain. Finally, the "leg" region lit up on the primary somatosensory cortex - a pain "map" of the body.
None of these areas lit up in the resilient individuals. But an area called the thalamus, which receives pain messages from the spinal cord and peripheral nerves, was active in all 17 volunteers. This suggests that the pain signal was not dampened on its way to the brain in any of the volunteers, so all the differences must be down to what happens in the brain itself.
"Once the signal arrives, the cerebral cortex interprets and colours the information based on prior experience, emotion and expectation, and that's when the differences kick in," says Coghill.
Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1430684100)
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text:
There is an elephant in the room when it comes to the Internet of Things. There is a critical element inherent to just about any IoT application that hardly ever sees the light of day in industry coverage of the topic. Some would say it's because it's just not as sexy, it's a given, or it falls outside of the IoT deployment purview. But they would be wrong.
The role of content in the Internet of Things cannot be understated. By extension, the role of A Culture of Content, the topic (and title) of Altimeter's latest report, has never been more important. In our report, my co-author Rebecca Lieb and I define and address the institutional imperative to meet the growing internal and external demand for content by fostering an authentic 'culture of content;' one that establishes, evangelizes, and streamlines how brands use content to express themselves. As brands in every industry embrace how to better leverage sensors to enhance and streamline customer experience across any connected interface, it is content itself that becomes the ever more critical brand unifier.
The Internet of Things introduces an entirely new ecosystem for content– one that historically has been offline, static, perhaps crinkled up and thrown into the trashcan. In the Internet of Things, content (paid, owned, earned media) and product can converge; that is, when [connected] products serve as dynamic content platforms. Here emerges a new channel, for owned, earned, and paid content activations. Enter the Internet of Content.
Products as content platforms are an extension of 'mobile' platform proliferation we have seen across smartphones, tablets, wearables, etc. When our cars, our thermostats, our appliances, our homes are connected, they transcend a life of stagnant hardware, and become new vehicles through which brands can convey messages, even services. In fact, as connected product lifecycles transform to become enhanced, smarter, and more personalized over time, content will increasingly define, even evolve how consumers interface with their products.
A more connected world not only serves content more frequently, even in real-time, but it also generates more demand for content. Consumers themselves generate demand for content by interacting with brand properties/infrastructure such as beacons, kiosks, or a connected mirror in a fitting room, for example. The success of augmented reality applications– agnostic to platform– are contingent upon rapid content accessibility, personalization, and integration with other systems. Additionally, products themselves may create more demand for content through automated algorithms or data-informed services, such as product malfunction notifications, troubleshooting guides, support channel options, or suggestions for upsell.
Many marketers already view content as the 'atomic particle' of all marketing (a phrase coined by my colleague, Rebecca Lieb), but the Internet of Things ushers in a new era in which content becomes the atomic particle of just about any brand interaction– sales, service, support, R&D, experience. As the Internet of Things gives products, events, even media itself a voice (i.e. a contextual data stream), content becomes the very glue or connective tissue connecting any brand experience across any platform.
Furthermore, as IoT forces historically separate constituencies to partner, even share data, assets, and experiences, content also serves a nuanced role of continuity in recognition. For example, when a shopper walks into a mall, the beacon-triggered notification they receive on their smartphone could be driven by any number of players– brand, manufacturer, telecom provider, the mall itself or holding company, etc. As each player vies for customer engagement, content serves as cornerstone of brand recognition regardless of dynamic contextual elements such as location, time, or platform.
Ultimately, a culture of content doesn't just help brands organize around content, it helps crystallize the very brand message; a culmination of stories that convey brand identity. Aligning internal processes, behaviors, and needs to a single brand manifestation will only grow in importance as brands embrace new ways of connecting with customers.
There is an elephant in the room when it comes to the Internet of Things. There is a critical element inherent to just about any IoT application that hardly ever sees the light of day in industry coverage of the topic.
How much does content marketing cost? Tough question, right? So let's break the question down a bit to try to simplify it.
We recognize that existing RFP templates cannot be retrofitted to the task of soliciting content marketing solutions due to a number of specific challenges.
Lately I've been doing a ton of work around the content marketing vendor landscape: conducting research, as well as helping clients ascertain what their technology needs are and pinpoint the vendors that can solve their problems.
What's a digital newsroom? Seems like such a simple question, until you start pondering the potential answers.
Michael Brenner has long been a recognized leader in content marketing in his role as VP marketing at SAP. Very recently, he joined content marketing technology vendor NewsCred to head strategy for that company…
Murky research collided with lazy journalism last week to create a torrent of #socialmedia + #advertising = #fail link bait.
It's almost that time of year again: Altimeter's analysts are mapping SXSW plans and schedules. Making the trip to Austin this year are Brian Solis, Susan Etlinger and Rebecca Lieb.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Nivillac, France Hotels
Hayva.com offers access to over 2 hotels in Nivillac.
We have a wide range of hotels in Nivillac - from budget, business, tourist to luxury
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text:
The 21-year-old will return north to team up with the under-21 squad ahead of European Championship qualifying matches against Slovakia and Luxembourg.
The forward joined Wednesday from St Johnstone last month for a fee in the region of £800,000 but is content to work his way through the ranks on the international scene.
"I want to impress at that level and hope that it can lead to a call-up to the full squad," said May. "But I'm happy to bide my time. I'm not losing any sleep over it. I'm still learning my trade and can't wish for things too quickly."


text:
WGNA's Countryfest 2015 Featuring Dierks Bentley
- Music
- 69 Stillwater Bridge Road, Schaghticoke, NY, 12154
Join MPUG today and attend any in-person or web-based meeting at no charge. In addition, you'll have access to Microsoft Project resources, including recorded training sessions, the project management knowledge library, a dedicated project manager career center and discussion forums. Your registration in this event ensures you'll receive email notification about MPUG and its activities.
Albany: MS Project 2010 - Tracking Progress
Wednesday, October 2, 2013 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM (EDT)
Event Description:
In this session, Kameshwara Penumarthy will present an in-depth discussion on tracking project progress using MS project 2010. Topics cover include set and maintain baseline, update actual progress, compare progress against a baseline, resolve potential schedule problems, and display critical path information. The information presented is based on section 4 of the Microsoft Project 70-178 Exam Study Guide by The Versatile Company for MPUG.
Learning Objectives:
During this event, students will learn how to set up baseline for selected tasks vs the entire project, multiple baselines, updating project progress, and analyze potential scheduling problem.
Speaker Bio:
Kamesh Penumarthy is a Principal consultant at NTT DATA, currently working as a Project Manager/Scrum Master at one of the NY State Agencies. He is a member of PMI and PMI-UNY Chapter and has obtained his PMP certification in 2011. He hold an MBA in finance from University at Albany.
Where Project Managers and Microsoft® Meet. MPUG delivers our users relevant and independent Microsoft Project Management content, resources, opportunities and community networking world wide. MPUG connects thousands of project management practitioners -- to help them better leverage their investment in Microsoft tools such as Microsoft Project, Excel and Sharepoint for Project Management and ultimately advance their businesses and careers.
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text:
Late surge buoys rolls at health exchanges
Posted: May 2, 2014 at 3:10 a.m.
The number of people signing up for health insurance through the federal marketplace soared in the final weeks before the enrollment deadline, exceeding the number who had signed up in the previous five months, President Barack Obama's administration said Thursday.
43,446 Arkansans enroll in exchange for health coverage
State's Medicaid rolls add 22,000 kids
This story is only available from our archives.
Front Section, Pages 1 on 05/02/2014
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Ohio's law cutting the first week of early voting and all early ballots on Sundays was challenged by black and women's groups in a lawsuit that further expands nationwide l... Read »
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text:
Title says it all, who is your pick for Heisman. If you have somebody on the list, post it and list why.
Andre Woodson(QB-Kentucky)
Darren McFadden(RB-Arkansas)
Steve Slaton(RB-WVU)
Tim Tebow(QB-Florida)
Colt Brennan(QB-Hawaii)
John David Booty(QB-USC)
DeSean Jackson(WR-Cal)
Other Option
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


text:
(skip this header)
Wednesday, July 01, 2015
An unranked, incomplete, utterly biased list of the greatest works of literature ever published. How many have you read?
So Long, See You Tomorrow, by William Maxwell:
Remember your best friend from childhood, the one who's gone? Because of him.
© 2015 The Hearst Corporation


text:
After 2037, "you would have to cut benefits by around 22 percent across the board for new and old retirees alike, so it would be a really drastic cut," he said. "If you know you have to make changes, you start today. You spread the pain over as many generations of people as you can."
In 1950, there were 16 workers per beneficiary; in 1960, there were five workers per beneficiary; in 2010, the ratio was three workers to one beneficiary, and by 2025, there will be just 2.3 workers "paying in" per beneficiary, according to estimates compiled by the president's non-partisan fiscal commission.
"Unless we act, these immense demographic changes will bring the Social Security program to its knees," the report stated. "Without action, the benefits currently pledged under Social Security are a promise we cannot keep."
If the Social Security reserve does run out of funds, millions of new enrollees would have to be rejected, those enrolled in the program are likely to see benefit cuts, and working Americans could see a sudden increase in their payroll tax.
Twenty-six years may seem a long way off, but experts say the program could become unsustainable if the government doesn't take action today.
"Our window for a reasonably tolerable solution is closing pretty fast," said Charles Blahous, former deputy director of President George W. Bush's National Economic Council and currently a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
"The cost of delay right now is incredibly costly because baby boomers are already retiring," he said. "Each year you wait, you have millions more people whose benefits are politically inviolate and your options start to get constrained very very rapidly. The idea we can wait till 2037 is nuts."
Proponents of reform say, however, that the Republicans' proposal to trim money from Social Security's budget isn't the answer either.
"I think we should target the cuts in areas we think that are not as important so government can do what it needs to do," Biggs said.


text:
- 800.878.7323
List price:
Used Trade Paper
Ships in 1 to 3 days
available for shipping or prepaid pickup only
Available for In-store Pickup
in 7 to 12 days
Joplin's Ghost (06 Edition)by Tananarive Due
Synopses & ReviewsPlease note that used books may not include additional media (study guides, CDs, DVDs, solutions manuals, etc.) as described in the publisher comments.
Publisher Comments:
From the award-winning writer of The Good House, The Living Blood, and more, Joplin's Ghost is a chilling tale of a star-in-the-making whose life goes haywire as she is haunted by the ghost of a long-dead music legend.
When Phoenix Smalls was ten, she nearly died at her parents' jazz club when she was crushed by a turn-of-the-century piano. Now twenty-four, Phoenix is launching a career as an R & B singer. She's living the life young artists envy and seems destined for fame and fortune. But a chance visit to a historical site in St. Louis ignites a series of bizarre, erotic encounters with a spirit who may be the King of Ragtime, Scott Joplin.
The music of Scott Joplin is strange enough to the ears of the hip-hop generation, but the idea that these antique sounds are being channeled by the protegee of rap superstar G-Ronn is nothing short of ludicrous.
With growing violence in G-Ronn's inner circle and a ghost bent on living forever through her, Phoenix's life suddenly hangs in the balance. Can the power of her own inner song and the love of a music writer who believes in her give Phoenix the strength to fight to live out her own future? Or will she be trapped forever in Scott Joplin's doomed, tragic past?
"The rumor of a ghost at the Scott Joplin House in St. Louis, Mo., inspired this contemplative supernatural novel, in which a young girl becomes haunted by the specter of the famous ragtime composer. Phoenix Smalls is just 10 when a falling piano nearly kills her; some weeks later, she sleepwalks to its bench and plays Joplin's 'Weeping Willow,' a song well beyond her abilities. With crisp, evocative prose, Due (The Living Blood) juxtaposes Joplin's unhappy life and musical fame in the late 19th century against the struggles of Phoenix, the biracial child of activist, creative parents, in the present day, as, at 24, she tries to make it as an R&B singer. Considering that Joplin's musical career was thwarted by racism, personal loss and illness (he suffered an agonizing death from syphilis), Due has rich material to stir up readers' empathy for the relationship between the ghost and his chosen channel. But the story is also a vehicle for Due's admirable illustration of the musician's dilemma: how to be true to a gift in the face of pressure to create what will sell. Authors face such dilemmas as well; fortunately, Due shows herself true to her own powerful gift. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"In this ambitious and action-packed novel, Tananarive Due blurs genre boundaries as adroitly as her ghost walks through walls. Part love story, part ghost story, part historical fiction, part contemporary urban drama, this book is difficult to categorize — and impossible to put down." Valerie Boyd, author of Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston
"Due does a marvelous job of recreating her characters' worlds, from the half-hopeful, half-fearful lives of black people in the early years of the last century to the bling-obsessed culture at the top of the rap charts....Due conducts suspense at a riveting pace." Detroit Free Press
"Due combines speculative and historical fiction with a splash of romance and contemporary urban drama to produce a great story....The novel serves as a wonderfully imagined work on the trials and tribulations of Joplin..." Orlando Sentinel
"[M]esmerizing as well as well-written....Joplin's Ghost is ultimately a strange book, a successful melding of elements that shouldn't work together but do. In the end, that's good writing." Miami Herald
"Due's writing is spare but incredibly visual. She keeps her flights of fancy grounded to her story....Even while she brings to life Scott Joplin the man, Due makes us appreciate Scott Joplin the icon, the symbol. This understanding gives Joplin's Ghost its haunting power." The Washington Post
An acclaimed suspense writer's latest chilling tale examines how the daughter of a musician and jazz club owner finds her life changed when she becomes haunted by the ghost of Scott Joplin.
When Phoenix Smalls was ten, she nearly died at her parents' jazz club when she was crushed by a turn-of-the-century piano. Now twenty-four, Phoenix is launching a career as an R and B singer. She's living out her dreams and seems destined for fame and fortune. But a chance visit to a historical site in St. Louis ignites a series of bizarre, erotic encounters with a spirit who may be the King of Ragtime, Scott Joplin.
The sound of Scott Joplin is strange enough to the ears of the hip-hop generation. But the idea that these antique sounds are being channeled through Phoenix? Her life is suddenly hanging in the balance. How will she find her true voice and calling? Can the power of her own inner song give Phoenix the strength to fight to live out her own future? Or will she be forever trapped in Scott Joplin's doomed, tragic past? Stunningly original, Joplin's Ghost is a novel filled with art and intrigue — and is sure to bring music to readers' ears.
About the Author
Tananarive Due is a former feature writer and columnist for the Miami Herald and the author of The Living Blood, My Soul to Keep, The Between, and a historical novel, The Black Rose. A former lifelong Floridian, she now lives in Longview, Washington, with her husband, novelist Steven Barnes.
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text:
A method and apparatus for transferring data from a first to a second memory of a computer system. The method comprises (i) initializing a descriptor with a description of physical addressing of a first section of a first array of the first memory; (ii) updating a mask associated with the descriptor with an indication for transferring data from a first sub-section of the first section to the second memory, the mask and the data managed by an application on a first virtual machine of the computer system, the application isolated from the physical addressing of the first section; (iii) responsive to the updated mask, (a) determining physical addresses of the first sub-section based on the description, and (b), transferring the data from the first sub-section to the second memory; and (iv) clearing at least a portion of the updated mask to indicate completion of transferring the data.
1. A method for transferring data from a first computer memory of a computer system to a second computer memory of the computer system, at least a portion of the method being performed by the computer system comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:
(i) initializing a descriptor with a description of physical addressing of a first two dimensional (2D) section of a first 2D data array of the first computer memory;
(ii) updating a mask associated with the descriptor with an indication for transferring image data from a first 2D sub-section of the first 2D section to the second computer memory, the mask and the image data managed by an application on a first virtual machine of the computer system, the application isolated from the physical addressing of the first 2D section;
(iii) responsive to the updated mask, (a) determining physical addresses of the first 2D sub-section based on the description of physical addressing, and (b) transferring the image data from the first 2D sub-section to the second computer memory; and
(iv) clearing at least a portion of the updated mask to indicate completion of transferring the image data to the second computer memory.
2. The method of
leaving the image data of the first computer memory unchanged;
storing a modified instance of the image data in the second computer memory, the modified instance of the image data comprising at least one of a data structure change or encoded data; or
transferring the image data via a processor expansion bus.
3. The method of
4. The method of
selecting page addresses from the list of physical page addresses;
determining physical page address offsets based on the mask and the address pitch; and
aggregating addresses of the transferring the image data to support burst transfers over a processor expansion bus.
5. The method of
6. The method of
7. The method of
8. The method of
9. The method of
10. The method of
11. The method of
12. The method of
13. A system for transferring data from a selection of two dimensional (2D) sub-sections of a plurality of 2D data arrays, the system comprising:
a computer memory enabled to store (i) the plurality of 2D data arrays, wherein the plurality of 2D data arrays comprises a plurality of physical memory pages with autonomous physical addressing, (ii) a plurality of descriptors comprising address information of the autonomous physical addressing and dimensional information of the plurality of 2D data arrays, and (iii) a plurality of masks comprising change indicia for identifying the selection of 2D sub-sections;
a Direct Memory Access (DMA) controller, coupled to the computer memory, enabled to (iv) determine the selection of 2D sub-sections based on an indication of readiness to process the selection of 2D sub-sections and the change indicia in the plurality of masks, (v) read the plurality of descriptors to obtain the address information and the dimensional information, and (vi) generate transfer operations based on the address information and the dimensional information; and
a peripheral system, coupled to the computer memory, enabled to (vii) receive image data from the selection of 2D sub-sections resulting from the transfer operations, and (viii) generate the indication of readiness.
14. The system of
15. The system of
16. The system of
This application claims benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/099,521, filed Sep. 23, 2008, which is herein incorporated in its entirety by reference.
This application references co-pending, commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/460,384, filed Jul. 17, 2009, which is herein incorporated in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to virtual computing, and, more specifically, to image data transfer in a virtual computing environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Direct Memory Access (DMA) provides a capability for certain computer hardware sub-systems to access a computer's memory for read and write operations without affecting the state of the computer's central processor. Such an ability to directly access the computer's memory frees the central processor from involvement with a data transfer, such as a transfer of data to a peripheral system of the computer, thereby speeding up overall computer operations. In some computer systems, a DMA controller (DMAC) may perform the DMA data transfer operations, for example, the copying of data from one computer memory to another.
Several techniques currently exist that address the requirement to instruct a DMAC to copy selective data from physical memory that is directly addressable by both software and the DMAC. One such technique includes a 'write-back' caching structure in which a cache memory comprises dirty page flags, where the dirty page flags inform the DMAC which memory locations should be accessed for data transfer. Another technique comprises a masked data Random Access Memory (RAM) associated with two dimensional video memory. The masked data RAM is used to regulate the DMAC access to memory that defines the position and shape of a moving window of video data designated for transfer to a video device.
However, in virtualized environments where a computer employs one or more virtual machines, software inside a virtual machine is abstracted from the computer's physical memory architecture for security purposes, making it difficult for the above techniques to instruct a DMAC as to which physical memory locations should be accessed for data transfer. Moreover, the problem is exacerbated when the virtualized memory comprises multi-dimensional data structures, such as image frames, due to the fact that the multi-dimensional data structures are located in non-contiguous physical memory.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an efficient method for instructing DMAC resources to access selective data located in virtualized memory.
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method and system for transferring data from a first computer memory of a computer system to a second computer memory of the computer system. At least a portion of the method is performed by the computer system, the computer system comprising at least one processor. The method comprises (i) initializing a descriptor with a description of physical addressing of a first two dimensional (2D) section of a first 2D data array of the first computer memory; (ii) updating a mask associated with the descriptor with an indication for transferring image data from a first 2D sub-section of the first 2D section to the second computer memory, the mask and the image data managed by an application on a first virtual machine of the computer system, the application isolated from the physical addressing of the first 2D section; (iii) responsive to the updated mask, (a) determining physical addresses of the first 2D sub-section based on the description of physical addressing, and (b), transferring the image data from the first 2D sub-section to the second computer memory; and (iv) clearing at least a portion of the updated mask to indicate completion of transferring the image data to the second computer memory.
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
The present invention discloses a system and method for transferring updated image data from multiple two dimensional (2D) data arrays, as may be stored in frame buffer structures of multiple virtual machines (VMs), to a peripheral system for further time critical processing. Such time-critical processing may include, for example, image compression prior to transmitting the image data to a remote computer for display. The image data transfer operation is performed by a DMA controller (DMAC). Based on updated frame buffer sections identified by software (e.g., an update manager or a software application) executing in each VM, the DMAC is directed to selective image data for transfer. Additionally, the image data transfer operation is based on the availability of resources individually associated with each VM that are administered by the peripheral system. In various embodiments in which frame buffer memory is pre-allocated and remains fixed (i.e., address locked), descriptor lists are created for each address locked frame buffer. The descriptor lists comprise descriptors having the addressing structures necessary for the DMAC to access selective areas of the frame buffers, or 2D data arrays, allowing the DMAC to quickly address and transfer image data for defined regions (e.g., sub-sections) of each frame buffer. Software associated with the frame buffer (e.g., the update manager) sets dirty bits of a mask mapped to the frame buffer (e.g., one bit mapped to each sub-section of the frame buffer) to identify frame buffer sub-sections that have been updated.
In order to maintain maximum image data throughput and minimum delays, the peripheral system monitors the availability of resources for consuming image data from each frame buffer (e.g., communication, storage and processing resources) and provides individual indications of transfer readiness of each applicable resource to the DMAC. Then, based on a prioritized sequence, the DMAC transfers image data from sub-sections of the frame buffers to the peripheral system as indicated by the dirty bit masks and the indications of transfer readiness. In select embodiments, the DMAC maximizes transfer throughput by reading ahead in the descriptor lists and masks to determine the transfer requirement and addresses for the next transfer operation. The DMAC may also maximize transfer throughput by reordering descriptors to maximize burst transfer features of a peripheral expansion bus; alternatively, transfer scheduling software may perform such descriptor reordering. Additionally or alternatively, the DMAC may align transfer batches along natural image boundaries, such as image slice or frame boundaries, to maximize transfer throughout. Transfer operations executed by the DMAC may be synchronized with peripheral system image data processing operations in order to optimize concurrency. Such image data processing operations include encoding the transferred image data, and transmitting the encoded image data to remote computers associated with the virtual machines.
In an embodiment, computer 100 comprises processor and chipset 110 coupled to memory 120 by bus 112. In various embodiments, processor and chipset 110 comprises one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs), one or more Graphic Processing Units (GPUs), or a combination of CPU and GPU processing elements, and additional elements such as north bridge, south bridge, bus controller, and memory controller elements, necessary for coupling memory 120, DMAC 140, and peripheral system 150.
Bus 112 comprises one or more data buses, such as one or more primary memory buses, (e.g., coupled to a north bridge or memory controller hub of processor and chipset 110), HYPERTRANSPORT buses, Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) buses, an industry compatible peripheral expansion bus (e.g., a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) or a PCI-EXPRESS bus), or a combination of one or more such data buses.
Memory 120 comprises any one or combination of volatile computer readable media (e.g., random access memory (RAM), such as DRAM, SRAM, XDR RAM, DDR RAM, on-die cache memory, and the like) and nonvolatile computer readable media (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape, CDROM, DVDROM, magneto-optical disks, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash EPROM, and the like). Moreover, memory 120 may incorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. In an exemplary embodiment, the memory 120 stores executable software in the form of machine-readable instructions, including machine executable instructions and data structures of hypervisor 160, and machine executable instructions and data structures associated with various virtual machines 170 (depicted as VM 170 1 and VM 170 2 in
Hypervisor 160 manages the virtual machines 170 1 and 170 2. Generally, the hypervisor 160 (alternatively referred to as a 'Virtualization Manager' in some embodiments) coordinates the execution schedule of the virtual machines 170 and the interaction of the virtual machines 170 with various hardware components, for example, by ensuring non-overlapping memory ranges available to each VM in the system. Examples of commercially available hypervisor products include ESX or VSPHERE products from VMWARE Corporation, XENSERVER from CITRIX Corporation, HYPER-V from MICROSOFT Corporation, and products such as the VIRTUAL IRON hypervisor or similar products based on open source XEN source code. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that hypervisor 160 comprises various functional elements, such as resource manager, address manager, virtual machine monitors, distributed VM file system, network stack, virtual network interface, storage stack, device drivers, and hardware interface drivers, omitted from
VM 170 is an operating system domain or similar 'computing process' of computer 100. In general terms, a VM 170 comprises the data structures necessary to execute an interdependent set of processes (i.e. software applications) scheduled by hypervisor 160. The hypervisor 160 enables address translation functions necessary to isolate the physical address space of the computer system from the logical addresses utilized by software applications to access data structures. Such data structures include 2D data arrays (e.g., frame buffers) within a VM domain (i.e., the logical addressing of the virtualized domain is autonomous of the physical address space). Each VM 170 under control of the hypervisor 160 is an autonomous operating system environment with one or more applications and related drivers. In an exemplary embodiment, each VM comprises an operating system, such as a WINDOWS operating system from MICROSOFT, Inc. (e.g., WINDOWS XP or WINDOWS VISTA), a LINUX operating system available from many vendors, or a UNIX operating system, also available from many vendors including HEWLETT-PACKARD, Inc., or SUN MICROSYSTEMS, Inc. It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that embodiments of VM 170 typically further comprise operating system, application software, drivers, administrative software and the like, not depicted in
VM 170 1 comprises update manager 172 1 and a memory region termed an "image canvas" (i.e., image canvas 174) allocated for image data storage. In an embodiment, an image canvas comprises a larger 2D data array incorporating one or more smaller 2D data arrays termed frame buffers. Image canvas 174 comprises frame buffers 175 and 176, where each frame buffer 175 and 176 is typically sized to match the configuration of a unique display device. Each frame buffer 175 and 176 comprises a 2D array of image data stored within a locked address range, such as partial or multiple memory pages, allocated for the storage of image data. Such image data may be associated with the rendering, drawing, or composition of one or more output display images by the operating system or application software of VM 170. In an embodiment, each frame buffer 175 and 176 comprises pixel data typically ordered in raster format. VM 170 2 comprises update manager 172 2 and an image canvas 178, comprising frame buffer 179. In other embodiments, each VM 170 may have one or more frame buffers independent of an image canvas structure, or may have one or more canvases, any of which may comprise one or more frame buffers. In various alternative embodiments, canvas 174 or 178 may comprise frame buffers associated with decomposed, partial, or composite display images, such as video, picture, background or text windows, composite image buffers, a drawing command queue, or frame buffers spanning multiple display devices. In some embodiments, canvas 174 or 178 comprises frame buffers located in video memory associated with a GPU.
Update manager 172 1 comprises machine-executable software disposed to detect updates, initiated by operating system or application software of VM 170 2, to image data stored in frame buffers 175 or 176. The detection of updates may be accomplished by monitoring drawing commands for instructions that change pixel values, by monitoring bus 112 for access operations corresponding with an address range allocated to a frame buffer 175 or 176, or by evaluating support hardware or software that records 'sticky bits' associated with frame buffer access. In some embodiments, each frame buffer 175 and 176 is delineated into sequential slices, or 2D sections, and each section is further delineated into 2D sub-sections. Update manager 172 (or alternative configuration software) initializes a mask bitmap 177 (i.e., update manager 172 1 initializes mask bitmap 177 1 and update manager 172 2 initializes mask bitmap 177 2 in
Likewise, update manager 172 2 detects updates to canvas 178 and sets the corresponding mask bits accordingly. Based on the updated mask bits, the transfer scheduler 162 in turn sets corresponding stride masks 166 corresponding to frame buffer 179 before the descriptors are processed by DMAC 140, as described below.
In an alternative embodiment, the mask bitmaps 177 1 and 177 2 are located in memory accessible to both an update manager and, with limited privileges, to DMAC 140, obviating a need for the transfer scheduler 162 to copy mask values into stride masks 166 of descriptors. In such an embodiment, the mask bitmap 177 is stored separately from the descriptor list 164 for security purposes.
Transfer scheduler 162, an embodiment of which is disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/460,384, filed Jul. 17, 2009, which is herein incorporated in its entirety by reference, comprises machine-executable software disposed to manage descriptor list 164, including providing such functions as indicating frame buffer updates received from update manager 172 as change indicia in stride mask fields of descriptors in descriptor list 164. Descriptor list 164 comprises a set of descriptors that describe all frame buffers of memory 120 (ref. buffer 175, 176 and 179), i.e., frame buffers from multiple VMs 170. In an embodiment, each descriptor in the descriptor list 164 describes a section of a frame buffer in terms of address information, and comprises a stride mask which contains information corresponding to sub-sections within the section.
In an embodiment, transfer scheduler 162 initializes descriptor list 164 by configuring associations between descriptors and frame buffers, each descriptor typically associated with a unique section (such as a slice) of a frame buffer. In various indirect-mapped embodiments, transfer scheduler 162 performs the address translation between VM 170 and physical domain page addressing required by the DMAC 140 (ref. descriptor 410 detail in
In an embodiment, transfer scheduler 162 enqueues a descriptor (of descriptor list 164) associated with an updated frame buffer for processing by DMAC 140 after a defined period, for example, a period defined by a threshold number of frame buffer updates, the presence of a frame update interrupt, the availability of a tear-free image, a scheduled buffer transfer interval, or resource availability information provided by DMAC 140 and/or peripheral system 150, including memory availability and processing bandwidth availability. In some embodiments, transfer scheduler 162 sets a flag in the enqueued descriptor to indicate descriptor availability for DMA processing. In other embodiments, descriptors are written to a processing queue and a tail pointer register local to DMAC 140 is advanced to indicate availability of one or more enqueued descriptors.
In various embodiments, transfer scheduler 162 is further tasked with setting frame buffer transfer priorities and managing synchronization between frame buffer rendering operations and transfer operations. In some such embodiments, hypervisor 160 provides transfer scheduler 162 with VM execution timing information used to adjust transfer priorities by reordering descriptor list 164. In other embodiments, transfer priorities are set according to processing resource availability, for example as indicated by reading status 154 of peripheral system 150. In other embodiments, transfer scheduler 162 previews descriptors available for processing and aggregates them according to physical page information such that image data transfers over bus 114 use burst transfer features of the processor expansion bus. In some embodiments, transfer scheduler 162 prevents image tearing by pausing rendering operations for frame buffers under DMA ownership and/or delaying DMA processing until an entire image frame has been rendered. In some embodiments, transfer scheduler 162 is enabled to purge committed descriptors, for example if the committed descriptors become obsolete (e.g., due to a subsequent image update) prior to associated image data transfer. In an embodiment, such ownership of imaging data is communicated via a mutex signaling structure.
In alternative embodiments of computer 100, parts or all of update manager 172 and/or transfer scheduler 162 comprise machine executable software or hardware logic executed by one or more functions of DMAC 140, processor and chipset 110 (e.g., a GPU function), or peripheral system 150. In some embodiments, the memory 120 comprises various combinations of separate or combined cache memory, instruction memory, data memory and graphics data memory and system memory coupled to processor and chipset 110 by multiple buses. In some such embodiments, transfer scheduler 162 and update manager 172 are stored in instruction memory, descriptor list 164 is stored in data memory and canvases 174 and/or 178 are stored in graphics data memory.
DMAC 140 and peripheral system 150 are coupled to processor and chipset 110 by bus 114. In various embodiments, bus 114 comprises one or more peripheral expansion buses, for example but not limited to, a combination of one or more PCI and/or PCI-EXPRESS buses, local buses, or alternative buses such as multi-master buses suitable for image data transfer. In various embodiments, bus 114 is one of the same bus as bus 112, a segment of bus 112 or independent of bus 112. Buses 112 and 114 have additional elements (omitted from
DMAC 140 comprises one or more DMA engines enabled to transfer image data from frame buffers 175, 176 and 179 to target memory 152 of peripheral system 150. The associations between DMA engines and descriptor list 164 for transferring the image data is achieved according to any of several partitioning strategies. Such strategies include: a) utilizing a single DMA engine mapped to all image canvases of memory 120 in
In an embodiment, DMAC 140 comprises multiple DMA engines (e.g., four engines), each tasked with processing a different portion of descriptor list 164. Each DMA engine pre-fetches descriptors (from a specified portion of descriptor list 164) designated for processing. Sub-sections of frame buffers 175, 176, and 179 indicated by the stride masks of the pre-fetched descriptors are accessed and the image data within the sub-sections transferred to target memory 152. In various embodiments, DMAC 140 is further enabled to respond to commands issued by processor and chipset 110, for example by responding to control commands, such as 'pause', 'halt', 'disable', or 'interrupt on completion' commands, embedded in a command field of the descriptor, programmed as a register in the DMAC 140, or set as flags in memory 120 and accessed by DMAC 140. In one embodiment, DMAC 140 is co-located with peripheral system 150 or incorporated as a component within peripheral system 150 (represented by the dashed portion 180 of peripheral system 150) and coupled to target memory 152 by a local bus, such as an Advanced Microprocessor Bus Architecture (AMBA) bus, or other suitable local bus independent of bus 114. In an alternative embodiment, such as a collaboration system comprising inbound frame buffer overlays, DMAC 140 is enabled to transfer image data in the reverse direction from target memory 152 to memory 120. In some such embodiments, transfer scheduler 162 maintains a transfer list describing desired updates from target memory 152 to one of the frame buffers. In another such embodiment, the peripheral system 150 maintains a list manager and descriptor list associated with image data in memory 152 destined for a frame buffer of memory 120.
Peripheral system 150 is an image processing sub-system that processes image data updates received from memory 120. In an exemplary remote computing embodiment, image updates related to a change in a display image are compressed by peripheral system 150 and forwarded to a client computer for display. Peripheral system 150 comprises target memory 152 enabled to receive data from DMAC 140. In an embodiment, target memory 152 comprises memory regions of comparable dimensions to the frame buffers in memory 120, which enables transfer of 2D sub-sections without transformation.
In various embodiments, peripheral system 150 comprises processing resources, such as one or more microprocessors and/or logic sequencers, enabled to apply further processing to image data in memory 152. Such processing may include data transformation, encoding, storage, and/or communication to one or more remote systems for subsequent decoding and remote display. In some such embodiments, descriptors in descriptor list 164 comprise target instruction fields used to communicate processing instructions (determined by image processing software in the VM domain) to peripheral system 150 in conjunction with the sub-section updates indicated by the stride mask. Such processing instructions are then executed by peripheral system 150. As one example, peripheral system 150 selects image encoding parameters, such as image quality or encoder type (MPEG, JPEG, lossless, and the like), according to image type information provided in the processing instructions.
In some embodiments, image data read by DMAC 140 from memory 120 is modified by encoding resources prior to storage in target memory 152. In one such embodiment, image data is translated on-the-fly prior to storage (e.g., RGB to YUV translation). In other embodiments, the pixel bit depth is modified prior to storage, or image data is encrypted to enable direct communication to a remote system. In still other embodiments, the data structure native to image data in memory 120 is modified to suit data structures native to memory 152. As one example, 32-bit words comprising packed 8-bit RGB (Red, Green, Blue) image data native to memory 120 are unpacked into 3�32-bit words, each comprising an 8-bit R, G or B color component, stored in memory 152. In some embodiments, peripheral system 150 comprises status information 154, for example, a set of status flags accessible to transfer scheduler 162 that provide an indication of processing completion status, memory availability, bandwidth availability; flags that provide an indication, such as inbound image data availability, used in bidirectional applications (e.g., collaboration); and the like.
In various embodiments, processor and chipset 110, memory 120, DMAC 140, and peripheral system 150 are coupled with the aid of support circuits 130. Support circuits 130 include at least one of power supplies, clock circuits, data registers, I/O interfaces, network interfaces, controllers, data buffers, drivers, repeaters, receivers, or the like, to enable appropriate communications between the components of computer 100.
In some alternative embodiments, the memory 120 is not necessarily segmented into distinctive hypervisor and VM domains. In some such embodiments, update management and transfer scheduling functions are combined to detect frame buffer updates and manage a descriptor list accordingly.
Frame buffer 175 is a rectangular 2D data array, typically allocated by an operating system (in conjunction with underlying virtualization functions) for storage of image data and associated with a display device, such as a monitor operating at a defined resolution. The number of pixel rows (i.e., frame buffer depth 248 in the Y dimension) and pixel columns (i.e., frame buffer width 240 in the X dimension) typically match the desired display resolution (e.g., 1200 pixel rows�1600 pixel columns). In an exemplary embodiment, each pixel row comprises 32-bit contiguously distributed pixel values. In other embodiments, each pixel is represented by fewer or more bits, such as 16, 24, 48, or 64 bits, which may be zero padded or packed for efficiency as required.
In an embodiment, frame buffers 175 and 176 are each delineated into a set of contiguous, non-overlapping, uniform, horizontal sections or 'slices', each section of each frame buffer 175 and 176 associated with a unique descriptor in descriptor list 164 of
In terms of descriptor definition, each section is specified in terms of a frame buffer width and a frame buffer address pitch. The address pitch defines the number of unused memory locations (or memory allocated to other frame buffers) between consecutive rows of the frame buffer, enabling DMAC 140 (
In some embodiments, source address information 510 comprises the base address of the section, for example the address of pixel 308 in
Target parameters 520 generally comprise information fields containing embedded parameters or instructions (or pointers to such parameters or instructions) intended for transfer to peripheral system 150 in
DMA control information 530 generally comprises one or more DMA control fields, including descriptor size information and various flags and/or preferences, such as 'enable' or 'disable' interrupts (e.g., "Interrupt on Completion", 'Interrupt at � complete', 'Last slice in frame' to aid pre-fetching of descriptors), DMA transfer timing requirements, a 'DMA Halt' command, or the like. The descriptor size is a variable parameter that enables the DMAC 140 to locate the next descriptor in memory 120, accounting for increased page count associated with partial buffers (i.e., embodiments in which page address information 550 includes a start address associated with a partial buffer). In some embodiments, DMA control information 530 comprises a "REPEAT' flag to indicate to DMAC 140 (
DMA control information 530 may further comprise skip-forward directives that allow the DMAC 140 to read the first few memory spaces of the current descriptor (410 n) and then move directly to the next descriptor (410 n+1). Such skip-forward directives prevent wasted memory bandwidth related to reading the stride mask 166 n and page address information 550, often comprising the bulk of a descriptor's size. Inclusion of such directives increases execution efficiency of linear descriptors (ref.
In some embodiments, for example, in select embodiments where descriptors are arranged in a simple linear list depicted in
Stride mask 166 n indicates which sub-sections of the frame buffer section associated with the descriptor 410 should be fetched by DMAC 140 (
In various embodiments where frame buffer address translation is performed by configuration software in the hypervisor domain, the physical address for each consecutive page boundary associated with a section is listed in a corresponding field of page address information 550. If a frame buffer has an address pitch (ref. pitch 242 for buffer 175 in
On initialization, transfer scheduler 162 allocates memory for descriptor list 164 between addresses 602 and 610. Head pointer 620 and tail pointer 630 are initialized to base address 602, and DMAC 140 activated. No DMA transfers occur while the head and tail pointers are at the same address. When stride masks are updated (in response to an updated frame buffer), the one or more descriptors comprising the updated stride masks are written to the processing queue by the transfer scheduler 162 in
In some embodiments, update manager 712 communicates mask identification details and attributes to transfer scheduler 732 during mask configuration. Such mask identification details include a pointer to the base address of each mask in the set (for example as a Guest Physical Address (GPA)), frame buffer address information (for example in the form of one or more GPA addresses), frame buffer structure information (such as frame buffer section width, height and bytes per pixel), and other information, such as parameters similar to target parameters 520 depicted in
Process 800 starts at step 802 and proceeds to step 804 ("Initialize System"). Step 804 generally comprises initialization of hardware and memory structures such as processor and chipset 110, memory 120, DMAC 140 and peripheral system 150, all shown in
Process 800 proceeds to step 810 ("Initialize Descriptors and Masks"). The update manager, tasked with managing the bitmap mask and monitoring changes to the image data, initializes the bitmap mask. Typically all bits of the mask bitmap (ref bitmap 177) are set during initialization to indicate a need to transfer the entire frame buffer following initialization or display configuration change. In an embodiment, descriptor list 164 (
Process 800 proceeds to step 820 ("Update mask"). The stride mask associated with each descriptor is set based on the transfer requirement of the related sub-sections of the corresponding frame buffer, for example as detected by an update manager 172 in
Process 800 proceeds to step 830 ("Transfer Image Data") in which scheduled descriptors are processed by a DMAC. Based on the mask and the address pitch, the DMAC determines a physical page address offset and selects one or more page addresses from the list of physical page addresses in the page address information field (ref. Page Address Information 550 in
Process 800 proceeds to step 840 ("Indicate Transfer Status"). Once a sub-section transfer is completed, the DMAC provides an indication of the transfer completion status to the transfer scheduler. The DMAC may provide such an indication, for example, by performing at least one of advancing a tail pointer, clearing a software flag related to descriptor ownership, initiating an interrupt signal if a scheduled list has been processed or clearing an individual stride mask bit in conjunction with the processing of a sub-section. In some embodiments, a transfer completion signal is delayed based on processing status information (e.g., image processing status) provided by the peripheral system. The transfer scheduler provides the update manager with an indication of transfer status so that the mask bitmap (ref mask bitmap 177 in
Process 800 proceeds to step 850 ("Complete?"), where it is determined if process 800 should continue transferring frame buffer updates. If additional transfer is required, process 800 returns to step 820. If the display resolution or system configuration has changed (e.g., display connection change) such that redefinition of descriptors is required, process 800 returns to step 810. If transfer is concluded, for example at the end of a computing session, process 800 ends at step 860.
While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
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You have to be one with the force, one with the music, to DJ like a master. Just close your eyes, feel the beat, and before you know it you'll be leading a floor of young Padawans, dancing their hearts out in weird burlap clothing. Created by Nicholas Hyde at Harshness, this digital print depicts what has got to be the best disc jockey in the universe, or at least a galaxy far, far away.
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Whether you homeschool your children or send them off to school, breakfast is the most important part of the day. I know in our house, breakfast time can be a challenge. There are lots of mornings I just wish I had something quick I could pull out and heat up that would taste delicious. But unless I plan ahead, I either have to cook or offer the usual hot or cold cereal. We eat a lot of oatmeal. And grits. And cream of wheat. I know my children would love to have muffins, biscuits, and … [Read more...]
Amish Friendship Sourdough Crepes
Crepes are super easy to make. I made this recipe a few days ahead of when I planned to eat them. This are a perfect "make ahead" recipe. I made around 5 dozen of these at a time and they keep well in the refrigerator. You don't even have to separate them with wax paper. The crepes easily peel right off one another. So you can make them on a Sunday afternoon and have crepes for breakfast all week! Crepes can be served for any meal - appetizer, breakfast, brunch, luncheon, or supper. You can … [Read more...]
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas
A Family Favorite Recipe This has to be one of my favorite meals! When I first saw this recipe, I thought the sweet potatoes and black beans were an odd combination, but the flavor marry extremely well! Since then, I have also tried a sweet potato and Black Bean Salad which was just as yummy! This is a perfect recipe for my daughter who has Chron's Disease and needs to eat a vegan diet! And, really, this recipe is so easy to make! I like to bake my sweet potatoes ahead of time and use … [Read more...]
The Perfect Pizza Crust
I have only made homemade pizza dough a few times over the years. But, it wasn't until I found this recipe that I decided that homemade pizza's would be a mainstay in our house! This crust is so easy, so quick and perfect for freezing - so make a double or triple batch! I found this recipe here. [Tweet "You'll love this quick and easy recipe for the perfect pizza crust!"] The Perfect Pizza Crust 2 tbsp. active dry yeast 1/4 tsp. granulated sugar 3/4 cup 110 degree water 1 3/4 … [Read more...]
Vegetarian Sausage Patties
Our family will occasionally purchase Morning Star Farms Vegetarian Sausage Patties, but the size of our family can make it really expensive. After some experimenting and playing around with TVP Sausage crumbles, this is the recipe we like the most. Homemade Vegetarian Sausage Patties You can enjoy these "sausage patties" for breakfast any time! Plus, if you make a double or triple batch, you can freeze the extras for breakfasts later in the week or month! Melissa's Vegetarian … [Read more...]


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The companies, of course, say this is a win-win for customers of both Time Warner and Comcast.
Weapons-Free Nuke Power: Talk about win-win—how about clean nuclear power with no potential of nuclear-weapons proliferation?
In theory this was supposed to be a win-win, since Google would be sending them traffic and they could make money on that traffic.
A habitual drunkard, esp a derelict who drinks cheap wine; stumblebum: a couple of ''winos'' who had been drinking cheap sherry in the bar/ patronized largely by vagrants, winos, dehorns, grifters (1900s+ Hoboes)


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Results 1 to 4 of 4
Thread: Wolverine VS Ninjas
May 7th, 2014 #1
Wolverine VS Ninjas
Art Developed for an ImagineFX Magazine workshop : Wolverine VS Ninjas
You have got to jump off cliffs all of the time and build your wings on the way down.
- Similar Threads
- Ninjas are Fun
- Art: Ninjas
- SketchBook: Oh no ninjas!!!!
- DSG 274: Character: OMG NINJAS, NINJAS ARE TOTALLY AWESOME
- Ninjas Get Really Pumped!
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May 8th, 2014 #2
Nice, I am looking forward to more wolverine works.
May 8th, 2014 #3
No better way to get started and I think red is logan's favorite color.
May 9th, 2014 #4
The warm light hitting the ninja's looks fantastic.
Nice piece.
my sketches here... http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=92997
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Two more WR250R's Washington to Alaska
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Studly Adventurer
Joined: Jun 2010
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Oddometer: 784
Originally Posted by
Interesting observations on 650 vs 250.
I'm very interested in the WR250R but have just one concern about a 250 engine making this much power: longevity of the motor. How many miles do those things last before needing a valve job or rings/pistons or cylinder redone? Many highly-stressed dirt-bike engines like this need a rebuild by 15 or 20 thousand miles. No so with a DR650, which is a very under-stressed engine.
I have owned both the KLR650 and DR650 for many years. Never felt vibration was a problem with either, although I much prefer the DR650 over the KLR650. The DR is smoother, simpler, lighter, better off-road, bulletproof, trouble-free and lasts just as long as the KLR.
The WR250R has 26,000 mile valve adjustment intervals. Can't beat that. Thanks Yamaha. Only time it feels stressed to me is at about 85-90 mph. But there's no fun for me in riding at those speeds - so it isn't a problem. It feels very relaxed at 65 mph and fuel-economy is much better there too.
It's funny - a friend who rides a Sportster, took my CBR150R out on a 150 mile day-ride yesterday. He couldn't believe how smooth it ran at 65 mph. His left hand never went numb the entire ride......a problem he experiences often with the Sportster. His hand never went numb riding the WR250R either.
Really enjoying this report. Go WR!!!!
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It wasn't too many years ago that Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck was a young high school kid with stars in his eyes and dreams of one day becoming an NFL quarterback. But unlike most high school kids, he probably realized his youthful aspirations of NFL greatness had a chance of coming to fruition. On the other hand, just like any other high school kid, he had classes to take and stupid old textbooks to sign out. Youngster Kyle Rathgeb, who presumably attends Stratford High School as Luck did and goes by the Twitter handle @krat31_, tweeted a photo on Wednesday morning of one Andrew Luck's very own Herbie Hancock that he found located inside his government textbook. Remarkable penmanship on that Luck kid. Any guess on how much cash the young man could make auctioning this bad boy off on eBay? You know there's at least a small but rabid sampling of Stanford Cardinal and/or Indianapolis Colts diehards who would be more than willing to drop a pretty penny to procure this textbook. Makes me wish I would have held on to that Brian Bosworth chemistry textbook*. *never really had Brian Bosworth's chemistry textbook, but chemistry—steroids…get it? Yeah, I know. Weaksauce. [via @darrenrovell] TweetThe post High school student signs out Andrew Luck's textbook, tweets photo of it (pic) appeared first on Sportress of Blogitude.
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|What is an American Depositary Receipt (ADR)?
An ADR is a negotiable U.S. certificate representing ownership of shares in a non-U.S. corporation. ADRs are quoted and traded in U.S. dollars in the U.S. securities market. Also, ADR dividends are paid to investors in U.S. dollars. ADRs were specifically designed to facilitate the purchase, holding and sale of non-U.S. securities by U.S. investors, and to provide a corporate finance vehicle for non-U.S. companies.
|What is the difference between an ADR and an ADS?
An American Depositary Receipt (ADR) is the actual physical certificate whereas an American Depositary Share (ADS) is the actual share. An ADR can represent any number of ADSs. The term "ADR" is often used to mean both the certificates and the securities themselves.
|Does the term "DR" have a broader meaning than "ADR"?
The concept of a DR (Depositary Receipt) also works in markets outside the U.S. For example, GDRs (Global Depositary Receipts) are DRs that are offered to investors in two or more markets outside the issuer's home country.
|What is an ADR ratio?
Each ADR can represent one, more than one, or a fraction of underlying shares. The relationship between the ADR and the ordinary share is referred to as the ratio. While many ADR programs are established with a 1:1 ratio (one underlying share equals one depositary share), current ADR programs have ratios ranging from 100,000:1 to 1:100.
|What does a depositary do?
A depositary is a bank that provides stock transfer services in connection with a depositary receipt program, including issuing and canceling ADRs, maintaining the register of holders, distributing dividends in U.S. dollars, providing annual meeting services and executing corporate actions.
|What types of companies issue ADRs?
ADRs issuers are typically large multinational corporations. Any non-U.S. company seeking to raise capital in the U.S. or increase their base of U.S. investor can issue ADRs. Many of the best-known international names are available to U.S. investor through ADRs including companies such as LM Ericsson Telephone Co., Nokia Corporation, Philips N.V., CEMEX and Pioneer Corporation. You can find a complete list of companies with ADRs at our website, www.citi.com/dr. Go to "dr universe", then click on "Universal Issuance Guide."
|What are the benefits of ADRs?
ADRs allow you to diversify your portfolio with foreign securities easily. In addition, ADRs trade, clear and settle in accordance with U.S. market regulations and permit prompt dividend payments and corporate action notification. If an ADR is exchange-listed, investor also benefit from readily available price and trading information.
|Where do ADRs trade?
ADRs can be found on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as well as on Nasdaq. In addition, ADRs also trade Over the Counter (OTC). Brokers can access information about OTC securities through the National Quotation Bureau's (NQB) "Pink Sheets" or the OTC Bulletin Board. Trading is conducted through market makers in that particular security.
|Is it easy to get information and updates on an ADR company?
Investors can receive annual reports and proxy materials in English. ADRs listed on U.S. exchanges provide holders with the same level of information as any other U.S. security. Trading information is readily available, financials are reconciled to U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), and the SEC regulates the Company's disclosure to investor. formation on OTC ADRs is more limited as trading data is not well publicized, company financials do not conform to U.S. standards and the SEC does not require companies to communicate with shareholders on a regular basis.
|What are the risk factors in buying an ADR?
Investing in any security involves a certain amount of risk - along with reward. However, risks specific to ADRs might include country risk, as ADRs are backed by non-U.S. securities, and currency risk.
|How can I buy an ADR?
You can buy an ADR through a broker, just as you would U.S. securities. You can also buy the ADRs of some companies through the International Direct Investment Program. The International Direct Investment Program is a dividend reinvestment and direct purchase plan open to existing shareholders and new investor. Through the program, participants can buy initial and additional ADSs, sell ADSs and reinvest dividends all at low costs.
|What is the difference between a Registered holder and a Beneficial ADR holder?
A registered holder is one whose name appears on the books of the depositary. The registered holder is considered the owner of record. A beneficial holder is one whose holdings are registered in a name other than their own, such as in the name of a broker, bank or nominee.
|How can I change my address?
You can change your address by calling Citi's Shareholder Services (1-877-248-4237) or by completing and mailing the tear off portion of your account statement.
|How can I replace a lost certificate?
If your certificate is lost, stolen or destroyed, notify Citi immediately so that a stop transfer can be placed on the certificate. Citi will send you the forms necessary for issuing a replacement certificate. There is a premium charged which is approximately 2% of the market value of the shares (minimum fee of $20.00) to purchase the replacement indemnity bond.
|How can I replace a lost check?
You can request the replacement of a lost check by calling Citi's Shareholder Services and selecting option 1. Upon authorization from you, a stop payment order will be placed against the original check and a replacement check will be issued to you. Please have your Social Security number ready when calling.
|How can I obtain information about my account?
You can obtain information on your account such as your balance or the status of a dividend check by calling Citi's Shareholder Services. Representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm (EST).
|How can I contact Citi's Shareholder Services?
Call toll-free at 1-877-CITI-ADR (248-4237). Shareholder Service Representatives are available Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 6:00pm Eastern time.
E-mail at: firstname.lastname@example.com
Write us at: Citibank N.A., Shareholder Services, 250 Royall Street, Canton, MA 02021
|How are ADR dividends paid and taxed?
Dividends are paid in U.S. dollars and are generally taxable, just like dividends on U.S. shares. In addition, taxes may be withheld by the ADR company's local government. Depending on individual circumstances, foreign taxes withheld might be applied as a credit against U.S. taxes, or tax reclaim opportunities may be offered. When in doubt, consult your tax advisor.
|How can I find out dividend and corporate action information on a company?
For dividend and corporate action information on issues where Citi is depositary, www.citi.com/dr is an excellent resource. Go to the "dr universe" section of our site and click on "Corporate Actions," or "Dividend Announcements" pages to search for information. You can also call Shareholder Services.
|Can I have my dividends directly deposited into my bank account?
Through the Direct Deposit service, dividends are sent by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) directly to your designated bank account on the U.S. payable date. To find out if your company offers direct deposit of dividends and to request an Authorization Form, please contact Citi's Shareholder Services either by phone or by e-mail.


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Product Rating
1 customer reviews
Amazing Watch
By epg110 from Hazlet, NJ on 6/29/2015
Size: NA
This was a Father's Day gift for my husband. He loves it! He's a little technologically-challenged, but found the watch fairly easy to learn. It has so many functions and he is still learning to use it, but is very, very happy with the watch!
More Reviews on this item
Product Rating
66 customer reviews
Great item- it's my new favorite toy!
By Lapswimmr from TN on 6/29/2015
One of the best investments I've made yet. It makes swimming laps a lot less boring, even entertaining. Prior to this, I had used a cheap waterproof MP3 player, which was difficult to use, and to load music on to. File management is easy with iTunes, especially since I was already using it with my iPhone. Adding another IPod was seamless. I've loaded music, podcasts, and books on tape.Controls are easy to use, and once you've learned what button does what it's easy to use. Some of the sequences required to do things like switch between playlists take some getting used to, especially in the water behind your head, but once you figure it out its fine. The headphones that it comes with are nice. I've had several pairs of waterproof headphones and have never been too happy with them, they always sound tinny... These are much better! They sound pretty good, and seal well. Also, these have nice short cords which are coiled and stay out of the way. I have no complaints at all,.. I just hope the waterproofing lasts. Only time will tell though.
Product Rating
60 customer reviews
By Glitter from Iowa on 6/26/2015
Love the small size.great volume. I have not downloaded any music yet, only been using the radio. I have some minor static with radio when I go below 3' deep, but I am guessing that's do to the radio station itself. I really like the ear plugs on the head set, keeps water out of ears.I do notice that the head phones tend to fade out sometime. Varies and on both ears at different times. Not sure if a short or not.Overall I am very happy with them. Especially for the price.
Product Rating
17 customer reviews
Excellent HRM for swimming
By John from Apex, NC on 6/23/2015
As far as HRM's are concerned this is a very simple and straight forward product to use. It works great underwater and is highly accurate. Its only drawbacks is that you cannot log your workout or determine overall calorie count. At least not easily. Otherwise this is the best HRM that I have ever used.
Product Rating
4 customer reviews
By Peaway from Cantonment, FL. on 6/21/2015
Got this to replace my Garmin 910, which I really liked. However the 920 has some features the 910 doesn't that I wanted. The main one is the 920 has an ultra running mode which I needed. It also has features that allow one to customize the watch to fit individual needs. The learning curve is a little more difficult than the 910, I had some problems getting the blue tooth to sync with phone and computer. Over all well pleased with the 920.
Correct my last review
By Dan W. from Southington, CT on 6/21/2015
It died after 3 months. As I was preparing it to mail it to Sportcount for a replacement, I unhooked the strap and suddenly it started working again. Very strange. Since I just gave it 2 stars, I'm giving it 5 stars now to help it balance out.
Product Rating
31 customer reviews
Difficult to download all aspect of the app swim.com
By Lynn from Colorado on 6/12/2015
I like the watch. It is comfortable to wear in the water. I could not get it to count laps but it does time my swim. It said that Pebble is working on fixing bugs and I hope that that is the case and that it happens soon! The step counter works great!
Product Rating
2 customer reviews
TomTom Runner GPS Watch
By paul from williamston,sc on 6/10/2015
Great running watch
Waterproof digital FM radio is an excellent product
By nadador@62 from Bayamon, P.R. on 6/8/2015
A great swimming buddy for long training sessions sound and reception is very good. It will work for six to eight hours on a single charge the headset works well, but do louse sound it has water in earpiece suck the water out and you good to go
Product Rating
11 customer reviews
Device works well, Garmin Connect not compatible with Mac OS 10.75.disappointing
By pphillips700 from Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia on 6/7/2015
Thus far pool swimming. Information is useful. Would like to use it for SUP with HR in the future.The Garmin Connect product will not load or work on my MacBook Pro with OS10.75 which is a big disappointment, thus Swim.com also requires manual entries. very expensive device that is not living up to the sales pitch.
Fantastic Watch/Lap Counter
By Armyswmr81 from Deployed on 6/4/2015
I'm still in the process of evaluating/playing with it and all of the apps. As far as the lap counter is concerned; it's great! It helps me keep track of all of the lengths I swim (I have a habit of loosing track of which lap I'm on). With the Pebble Smart Watch, I can listen to my waterproof MP3 player and forget all about how far I'm swimming. Next thing I know, I'm approaching 1.5 miles. What makes this watch even better is that it's a smart watch, and you can download loads of other apps to it besides the Swim.com app. They have apps for cycling, running, activity monitors and much more. As far as why I am only giving it 4 stars instead of 5, there's one problem I've been running in to. I don't know if it's because I have been leaving my activity monitor on while I swim or not, but every time I'm in the pool, before my workout is over, the Swim.com app shuts down on me and all of the laps I've done so far have been lost and unless I manually enter the workout on to Swim.com, the entire workout will not be uploaded. I will revise this and give it the last star once I figure out what the problem is and am able to fix it. I will also post what it was that was causing the problem in the first place, so those of you who are reading this review in order to decide to purchase can have the knowledge of my experience.Thanks to Pebble.com for making such a great and affordable watch and to Swim.com for the great app.
A True LOVE / HATE Relationship!
By Lindsey Lu from Tualatin, OR on 6/3/2015
Oh Neptune.....how I love using you but hate trying to get any computer to recognise you........I started off with the Finis 2G Swimp3 a few years back. I fell in love with listening to music during my boring lap swim. The first unit they sent me was faulty but Finis was great about replacing it. I must give their customer service team kudos. It lasted almost two years which was acceptable to me. I wanted the Neptune anyway so I did not cry about it when my 2G died! So I bought a Neptune almost right away. I loved it. In my opinion I thought the design was great. I gave a 'hallelujah' that they added a screen so you can see what you are doing when pushing buttons! Got it, loaded it with songs and took it to the pool. Man was I a happy girl! The sound quality is excellent and the unit fit very comfortably!Now that being said.....after using it a few times I tried to plug it in to my computer to download more songs and charge it but the computer would not recognise it!? I must have plugged that USB in 15 times before I got it to work. I've had this issue.....even with the second one I bought!! Such a pain!!!!My second Neptune worked just like the first. Beatifully once or twice then I couldn't get any computer to recognise it without plugging it in 15-30 times. I've had it for a 4-6 months. I still use it cause I love it in the pool, but I cuss up a storm every time I want to charge it.So my review is mixed just like my feelings towards this product!
Good Buy
By Mary from snohomish, WA on 6/2/2015
Large display,making it easy to time intervals. Easy function, like the clock feature!. Good value for the money
By Jackie from new port richey, florida on 6/2/2015
It really is waterproof! I love it. small easy to use and BIG on sound.
Best Swimming MP# player I have used in 15 years
By Roadcoach from Chicago on 6/1/2015
4th generation differs from 5th only in color choices.The sound is much better than the Finis Neptune player -- which generally lasted me under a year before it broke.Audioflood stands behind there product for a full 2 YEARS, this includes the earphones. Generally needs to be recharged after 6-8 hours, lasts longer if volume is lower. Fidelity is excellent.Always seems to play songs in a different random order. Not sure if this is a feature or a bug.
Great item
By TRC from Minneapolis MN on 6/1/2015
If you have a Shuffle already, then you'll know how to use this. Works the same way. Makes a swim a wonderful way to listen to music or spoken word files from my library. I swim longer and better because of getting it.
Product Rating
88 customer reviews
Excellent Product
By Stich from Santa Monica on 5/31/2015
Great product. Helps me get through my swimming laps. The issues I have are as follows:Ear buds do not fit me well so I have to put them in upside down to get a seal.
Good quality for the water...lightweight
By Cosmoguy from Morrisville, NC on 5/31/2015
This is a really cool product. The weight of it, once clipped to your goggles are essentially nonexistent. The fidelity is not as great with these headphone. However for the use purpose, is more than acceptable.
Ipod Shuffle
By Dave from Virginia on 5/27/2015
Sound is great. Clips right on to goggles. Plugs stay in and have short cord. Definitely worth the investment.
Swimming with sound
By Wsilifeguard101 from Louisiana on 5/26/2015
I had one before but it wasn't sealed correctly, your product works great. the only issue i have is the head phone ear pieces some of them hurt my ears but i found another alternative pair.
Product Rating
14 customer reviews
By Nori from Dillon MT on 5/26/2015
Function buttons are labeled and simple to use; no complex combinations of button-pushes required for common functions. Medium-sized watch with large readout.
Product Rating
7 customer reviews
Great product
By FJ from NC on 5/25/2015
Great product
Product Rating
39 customer reviews
This watch never leaves my wrist
By Active Female from Florida on 5/24/2015
I have had a Timex IM watch for over 10 years now. Not the same one of course but as soon as one gives out, I run out an get another. I swim, bike, run, sleep, eat, bath, marathon, triathlon and much more with this watch. I like that is has a 50 lap memory and chono. I have a tiny wrist that is hard to fit. Most things are way to big on it but this watch is perfect size for a female wrist.
Product Rating
33 customer reviews
Yes it is waterproof but not so great for swimming..
By Sweaty runner from Tampa, FL on 5/24/2015
I have an earlier version of the Uwater and wanted to get another because I found it works great for sweaty or rainy runs. I live in Florida so more than half the year it is so hot that I sweat so much I ruin Ipod shuffles more than I care to admit. But this little guy has been with me for more than one summer season. Swimming with it is not so great but do-able. When you are moving, the water that moves over your ears creates a gap between the sound and your ear so it becomes very hard to hear. Wearing a swim cap helps a lot but is not a complete fix. But it is great for aqua jogging. The earlier model without the FM music works better.
Wonderful for gift giving
By Happy Mom from Buffalo, NY on 5/21/2015
I gave as gifts. I always see them using. They use it for activity tracking, sleep monitoring. very useful gift.
By THE TERMINATOR from ORLANDO on 5/21/2015
Product Rating
5 customer reviews
Definitely Recommend
By CK from NYC on 5/20/2015
A bit larger than anticipated, but super super cool
Product Rating
223 customer reviews
Great for Individual Swimmers
By Niki M from New Orleans on 5/19/2015
I spent most of my youth on swim teams with structured practices and pace clocks to keep time. Now 20 years later I'm just getting back to swimming as an individual at my local pool. This watch helps me to keep pace and time rest periods. The lap counter and set counter is great if you have a planned workout or if you just want to swim laps for fun. I only had one instance where the laps did not get counted, but the set did get counted and I've been using it for about 3 weeks. You do have to get used to pressing the button to pause and start and turning your wrist to catch a glimpse of your lap count, but it's all automatically counted which is the main reason I purchased this watch over others. I look forward to upping my swimming game with the help of this watch. The price point was good so I hope it lasts.
Product Rating
18 customer reviews
Best stopwatch available for coaches
By Coach Alex from Wilton, CT on 5/19/2015
This watch is great for meet splits, as with most watches, but it also has a screen that makes tracking practice sendoffs very easy (L). I've had a few buttons wear out/break on these watches in the past but they've all lasted at least a year under heavy use. I've also dropped a few of these watches in the water and dropped a few on the pool deck. All have continued to function without issue after those drops.
Five for the Pebble itself, one for the app
By bryanag90 from Bryan, TX on 5/18/2015
The Pebble watch itself is very nice and integrates well with my phone and lifestyle.With respect to the app, so far I have been unable to get the workouts to upload to my phone for further synchronization to swim.com. On the phone itself (at least on my HTC One M8) the app can only connect to swim.com when I have wifi disabled; if I try connecting via my home or work networks, it complains that it is unable to reach swim.com. The support from swim.com has been very responsive to the issues as I raise them, although a solution is still forthcoming.
Good v alue
By MK from Snohlmish, WA on 5/16/2015
I use this in my fitness classes to time interval sets.. Large display, even has a regular clock feature. The instructions on setting clock feature are a little vague. But stopwatch functions terrifically.
Great Watch...but lacking instructions!
By Paul from Washington DC on 5/15/2015
I really like this watch, but it should come with a better instruction book. I think I have "found" everything in spite of it, but I am not sure! It is smart looking on my wrist, which is a plus.
Product Rating
55 customer reviews
great product
By david from franklin, louisiana on 5/14/2015
great product
I Recommend
By lauren grippo from panama city, panama on 5/13/2015
Absolutely great product. ProsGreat use for swimming laps in a 50 meter pool (able to change the distance that the watch will track). Good way to keep track of your pace too for long event swimming. Running GPS tool is fantastic too. The HRM is on point and allows for easy recovery when doing interval training. ConsWhen doing a kickset in the pool, it doesn't read laps.
Hopefully second time is the charm
By Dave from Virginia on 5/12/2015
Can only rate average at this time. Product worked great the first time. Ear buds stayed in, wires were short enough, fit right on goggles, sound quality good. But the second time I tried to use it, it didn't work at all. Waterproofing likely insufficient. Will see. A replacement shuffle is being shipped. I will say customer service support was excellent.
I purchased to use it for timing my swim laps...but use it daiiy...love it!
By Paul from Washington, DC on 5/12/2015
I have never enjoyed having a watch as much. The styling is current and smart.
Very helpful
By Shiera from OR on 5/12/2015
Every swimmer is after a device that'll remain securely in-ear. These earphones will do that. Inside the box are three different pairs of buds designed to fit different ear canal sizes. Also included are cords, that are long enough to wrap around your goggles, but not so long as to get in the way. There's also waterproof extension that'll come in handy for other water sports or visits to dryer parts of the gym. Again, applying Vaseline to the rim of your ear canal should help with the fit.
Value Choice
By Kohl from WA on 5/12/2015
The device is a simple, dependable model for those who don't want to spend a lot to get quality sound and reception. A couple of sacrifices: It has FM tuner that gives good reception and you won't feel a slight disturbance when you have watersports above surface.
For a faster fly
By Angela from Tipton, IA on 5/10/2015
My daughter's coach used this to get her fly cycle down. The next season our swim family was very impressed, but not as much as we were with her time drops and her feelings of accomplishment!
Good for swimming but upload is not slick
By Alastair D from UK on 5/8/2015
Used this for the first time today. This is very good at tracking distance, time and intervals while swimming.Still having problems uploading the swim to the swim.com app but that might be due to the 100's of bluetooth signals in my office.Delivery to the UK took a while, a sticker on the box indicated that DHL had had a scanning problem
By njm from Smyrna GA on 5/7/2015
I had another waterproof mp3 player - that cost half as much as this one. Was 2.75 x 2 x 1 inches had good sound - but came with a long cord that that was aways getting in my way and only lasted 5 months.My nephews ipod is over 5 years old and still going strong. So, I thought I would try this ipod shuffle. It is only 1.24 x 1.14 x .34 inches and has GREAT sound, it is so much richer sounding then my other mp3 that there is no way to express it, and the swimming cord it comes with is a short cord (with a plug in extension), that reaches from the back of my swimcap to my ears with the excess coiled and out of the way. The only problem was that one of the earbuds kept cutting out on me, so I emailed Audioflood and they answered my email within a half of an hour and sent out me replacements that day.Look - I hate spending this much but, spend 6 hours a week swimming laps - and that can get boring - with this I was able to download books from Audible.com as well as music and npr podcast and listen while I swim. Audioflood told me that their ipods were completely covered for 2 years, and their quick response to my problem makes me tend to believe them.So yes, I have fallen in love with a tiny purple ipod.
Much happier with this than the first product I got
By Dennis from Louisville on 5/7/2015
Product works fine. It is much better than another product which shall remain nameless that did not work even when I had the volume up full blast and had a guide book that did not work at all like how the product did. Stupid thing on my part, you might tell people to take off the plastic cover on the screen when opening the product.
Perfect Yeah!
By Mark Mccaleb from NV on 5/7/2015
I have the UwaterT3 earphones --which i love by the way. I have struggled with finding earbuds that work and stay in. Finally, I found these and they actually work! I jog for about an hour 5 days out of 7. I'd say that is a lot of wear and tear and they continue to work great. The variety of earbuds has a small flange one that works to seal out the water without killing my ears--again, still feel ok after an hour. Sound is decent...just full bass and an ability to stay in.
Fantastic swimming companion
By Judith from IL on 5/7/2015
My friend and I swim every day for exercise and we use these units in the pool. I do not think you can find a unit like this at any price. I have researched waterproof players and this is the best. They have a standard earphones. This unit is built with a clip so that it can clip to anything you are wearing like a hat or goggles or the strap of bathing suit. People that see me using this can not believe that something this size and store and play all the music you want.
Product Rating
24 customer reviews
TYR Stopwatch
By truk150 from Central Valley on 5/6/2015
I like the simplicity of the stopwatch.
Product Rating
9 customer reviews
By Albert from FL on 5/6/2015
Great product at a great price. Super easy to use and definitely one of my favorite new workout tools. Would recommend it to anyone and wishing I had bought it long before now.
Good reception
By Wolfgang from NC on 5/6/2015
Catching news and weather while showering is easy way to multitask and this product Uwater K7 gives it all. The reception is really good despite of running water. Sound quality, ease of using controls waterproof nature, and durability makes it the best of all I bought.
Product Rating
19 customer reviews
By Mike Gollins from Chicago, IL on 5/6/2015
I bought a clip attachment for my player. Now, I can wear it in my ears OR around my neck when not listening to music...never falls off anymore. Very functional, trendy, and comfortable. www.wearablemp3clips.com.
Great product that provides all of the features you need without the fluff.
By thefryeguy from Kansas on 5/5/2015
The watch is very comfortable to wear. it was easy to set up and customize as well. The worst thing I can say is that sometimes there is a short delay before it updates me about phone notifications. To be fair, this could be the phone as much as the watch.
Great purchase
By SwimGirl from Rochester, ny on 5/5/2015
Easy to use for the swimmer that loses track of laps! I love this watch and just purchased a second one for my husband.


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Over the course of April 2011, the team recycled and separated:
• 36 tons of glass, bricks and tiles
• 23 tons wood
• 2.6 tons of paper
• Over 9 tons of metal
• Nearly 1 ton of cable and wires
• Over 1300 books
• 1.3 tons of clothes donated to The Salvation Army
• Numerous items of furniture and household items donated to The British Heart Foundation
Waste King specialise in recycling and waste collection for both the domestic and commercial markets. Providing services in Hertfordshire, London and the surrounding counties, the company offers a professional service removing waste, rubbish and unwanted items from houses, gardens, and garages and from offices, shops and building sites.
Glenn Currie, MD for Waste King Limited said, "We are delighted with last month's results, it means we are doing our job properly! And thanks to some car cleaning products from a recent garage clearance, we are cleaning our trucks and office with the re-used cleaning products we collected".
For further information, contact Glenn Currie (Managing Director) or Andy Cattigan (Operations Director) on tel: 01442 216 784 or visit the Waste King website www.wasteking.co.uk.
# # #
Alison Page Marketing provides marketing consultancy, support & creative management services for SME's in Herts, Beds and Bucks.


text:
This Week's Front Page
Contributed photo
Kelsey Lynch, of Washougal, graduated from Washington State University, in Pullman, in May. This month, she traveled to South Africa, to begin cultural and language training with the Peace Corps. Lynch, a 2008 Camas High School graduate, plans to teach science and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Contributed by Kelsey Lynch
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