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My husband just started dialysis and does
not thinks it's important to follow his
diet. It makes me so frustrated and I don't
know how to explain to him how important it
Does anyone have any ideas?
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| Past Carenotes |
Date: 03/04/2013
Time: 07:03 PM
A lot of people new to dialysis are non compliant with their diet. If you or he haven't met with the nutritionist, primary nephrologist and social worker you should. And it might be a good idea to have your hubby partner with another long term patient on dialysis who manages their diet well. It can make a difference. Also, your husband may want to know that his decision not to adhere to his diet may make his health worst and can make him a less likely transplant candidate. Its all up to him. It is not impossible but he needs to take better care of himself.
Name: Fred F.
Location: Waterbury, CT
Date: 03/04/2013
Time: 11:21 AM
This may sound a little morbid and callus, but it may get the point across.
Tell your husband, since he insists on killing himself, that you are making an appointment with the undertaker to have him fitted for a casket.
Name: Rev. Dr. Dale Young
Location: Congregational Health, Miami
Date: 03/04/2013
Time: 08:11 AM
This sounds like a very common challenge, especially for men. We suggest getting men together who share the same health challenges in a non-judgmental supportive atmosphere. (Think of AA meetings with a twist in the dirrection of healthy eating). Our model is Faith-health support groups which we organized in faith communities. The value of this model is that it gives the participants a place to vent, feel supported and also challenged to do the right thing. Participants are encouraged (not nagged)and also educated (we bring in nutritionists).
You can find more info on the website: www.baptisthealth.net/ch look for Faith-Health Support Groups
Name: Kelli
Date: 03/04/2013
Time: 04:51 AM
While I understand your concern over your husband's refusal to follow an approved diet, however this is his body and his choice. You have to love him for who he is and right now, he is a man who does not want to follow a diet regime. That could change at anytime so you must be ready to support that as well. I had this experience 8 years ago when my husband had cancer. Taking a sanguine approach changed his mind more quickly than if I had acted as though he were a misbehaving child or tried to control his actions.
Name: Chris
Location: Orlando
Date: 03/03/2013
Time: 05:13 PM
I would suggest you seek out the social worker at the dialysis center and/or the nutritionist there, including an appt with the doctor as the other posters said. It may seem quite overwhelming to him if it is new, but the steps are necessary to avoid crisis and fluid overload ER trips which would be the result of toxins and fluid buildup, not to mention feeling very poorly. All of the posters have had good information. A Support Group is an excellent source of support because others are experiencing and struggling with the same issues. Eventually, you will have to disengage from the role of lecturing him and help him own the problem. Your emphasis on preparing the right foods and meals will greatly help - there are great recipe/solutions out there. The other posters are right, though, because like diabetes and other problems, it becomes a matter of priorities and choices. Good luck. If he won't go, they maybe you can find a caregiver support group for yourself, too. Chronic illnesses are tough, but good care can make things stable and manageable.
Name: Cathleen
Location: Florida
Date: 03/03/2013
Time: 04:54 PM
I am the caregiver of my almost 94 year old Mother who has been on dialysis for 8 years. The diet isn't so hard if you both comply. Your center should have a nitritionist plus we received many books on what she can and cannot eat. As the dr told us, there is no book for someone that old doing so well. I receive her blood work numbers monthly and adjust accordingly. The biggest problem was she didn't want to eat especially after dialysis. Solved that problem by fixing her plate. Good luck
Name: Laurie Palmer
Location: Folsom, CA
Date: 03/03/2013
Time: 03:37 PM
I know being on a restricted diet is very hard. My Dad was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in 1974. No one ever told him to restrict/change his diet. When the Internet was created, he went online and found out about limiting certain things, and he followed it (and never cheated). He didn't have to start dialysis until a year before his passing. He had to really be careful with that diet, but he stuck to. His doctor told us he was the longest-living patient she had ever heard about, and she credited his diet. I think maybe if you approach it in the manner that it is hurting YOU and by not following the diet, YOU will be a widow years earlier than you deserve.
My Dad passed in 2011, and shortly thereafter, my Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. There is a special diet she could follow that will slow down the disease. However, she refuses to even believe she has Dementia, and is very stubborn. I've never told her she has Alzheimer's, but her caregiver and I are trying to get her on a low sugar/low carb diet, which she doesn't want to do. I think the person who said you have to wait to let him make the decision was telling you the truth, but I think his actions are causing YOU a lot of pain. Maybe discussing it that way will wake him up! I hope the best for you. I saw how hard dialysis was on my Dad, so your husband must be one tough guy!
Name: Grace Terry
Location: Tampa
Date: 03/03/2013
Time: 02:59 PM
Perhaps your husband has lost the ability to choose what he eats and doesn't eat, just like an alcoholic loses the ability to choose whether to drink alcohol or not drink alcohol. If that is true, he could be a food addict. Some foods very common in the standard American diet (S.A.D. for short) are highly addictive, especially refined carbohydrates (sugar and flour) and foods high in salt and fat. Ask your husband if he would be willing to accept help to stop eating the foods that are harmful to him. If he says yes, give him the website and the phone number for Overeaters Anonymous, www.oa.org, a group which uses the same principles of recovery as Alcoholics Anonymous. You might also check into professional eating disorders treatment available where you live. God bless both of you.
Name: Lisa
Location: Ohio
Date: 03/03/2013
Time: 02:56 PM
I went to Al-Anon and learned that I have no control over anyone but myself.They teach how to get serenity, and is patterned after the AA program.I learned that if you say something more than once,then you are trying to control...so perhaps you could say what your concerns are and then leave him alone about it,knowing that you will only make yourself crazy."You did not cause it,you can't control it, and you can't cure it" is also the point made about alcoholism.You could insert the name of his illness in that staement,because it is true,and might help you see that it is not under your control.
Name: pat
Location: wisconsin
Date: 03/03/2013
Time: 12:56 PM
I have the same problem he
is being monitor for his kidney
now.took him with to the store
all about sugar salt fat he has
a combination of medical problems
going on he has had major vascular
problem had 4 different stents put in
stuborn as a mule went out of my way
to make sure no sugar stuff. for more
fish chicken even the no sugar breads
the no salt veg.so i know what you mean
so i came up with once a month he can eat
somthing what he wants.so i try an keep in
the house what he should be eating.but he does sneek off.would it help in your case to have a bowl veg. fruit out for him.i even took him back to the dr.thatdidnt even help him
Name: Mona
Location: Madison, WI
Date: 03/03/2013
Time: 11:59 AM
I just had my 92 yr. old father's explain that he has to walk around the house more and take more frequent showers and he listened to her, but when I trying tell him the same thing he refused.
Name: Lisa North
Date: 03/03/2013
Time: 10:29 AM
I appreciate the recommendations to have his treatment team explain it to him and limit access if you can do that. But ultimately, it's up to him to choose to comply or not. Perhaps he's in denial and a frank discussion with his physician will open his eyes. Talking with a therapist may help too. The emotional connection to eating is very strong. From infancy we learn that eating is one thing we can control. Hopefully, with professional intervention, he will choose to manage his diet more healthfully. Recognize the number of obese people who are likewise killing ourselves every day by our dietary choices--evidence of how difficult it is to change one's diet. My uncle had diabetes. When he was hospitalized for his first amputation, after the dietician left, he said he was not going to change his diet. Not for his toes, his vision, his kidneys, or his life. He stuck to his word. I was at his bedside when he died. He made his choice and I have to respect that. It's difficult. He was one of millions who chose death over a healthy diet. I hope your husband chooses life. Best wishes to you both.
Name: Dawn Song
Location: Oregon
Date: 03/03/2013
Time: 09:54 AM
I agree with Kate, ultimately it is your husband who must decide: it is his body and his choice to live or die. I struggled with this for several years in the process of letting go of trying to control my husband's diet decisions. He fully intellectually understood the consequences but even when he experienced them, he still made maladaptive choices. Sometimes it helped to point out to him that, as his full time caregiver (he has MS and cancer and is bed-bound), I suffer when he makes bad choices and at times I have refused to buy certain foods for him. But ultimately it his decision. Do what you can and then let go.
Date: 03/03/2013
Time: 09:46 AM
you must look after your own stress levels If your husband chooses to eat improperly his choice to be ill. My husband has gone through this with colon cancer and when he eats the wrong food he is the one to suffer. I refuse to make myself sick worrying about someone that wont help themselves. This sounds callous but I also am caregiver to a 93 yr old father and a mother that is in carehome with dementia. Therefor I cant allow myself to get sick
Name: George R.
Location: Hollywood, Florida
Date: 03/03/2013
Time: 09:43 AM
I tell my patient, that long before 'medications' foods were used to guide someone back to health.
Some foods are beneficial, many are not and even harmful. SAlT for example could be extremely dangerous in many diagnosis, SUGAR also could kill a person. All fodds contain chemicals which could help or hinder a persons recovery.
Keep it SIMPLE....foods are chemicals!
Name: Lauren
Location: North Carolina
Date: 03/03/2013
Time: 07:02 AM
If he doesn't follow the diet, his kidneys will fail. Period. He will die. He may be depressed and angry and could use medicinal help and a therapist to get him talking about the real issues underlying his feelings about his kidney failure. Not following the diet is a symptom of a deeper problem. I know. My father was on peritoneal dialysis for 4 years and complained bitterly about the diet. An anti depressant and a therapist helped until he decided enough was enough. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.
Name: jc
Location: florida
Date: 03/03/2013
Time: 06:36 AM
I think the most frustrating part of caregiving is when the person won't follow instructions to help themselves whether it be diet, exercise or medication. My husband won't do the things he should to help himself either (he has MCI, heart disease, neuropathy, chronic pain from spine problems, etc.). My only suggestion is to not bring items into the home he shouldn't eat, cook healthy for you both, do exercises with him and most importantly find a support group to help YOU!
Name: kate
Location: New Orleans
Date: 02/20/2013
Time: 04:01 AM
Unfortunately, your husband must decide it is important. It is a difficult thing. Some ways you can help can make things tough for you. The most extreme is not to have any food in the house that doesn't fit his diet. Another way is to join a support group together. Find other dialysis patients for him to talk to. Join AAKP (Amer Assn of Kidney Patients at aarp.org. They have information and annual meetings-very helpful.
Name: Frank Melton
Location: Bowling Green, KY
Date: 02/19/2013
Time: 02:55 PM
If he doesn't stay on the diet, he will eating foods that are toxic to his kidneys. The kidneys get rid of some of our toxic products, but the problem is that he already has toxic products in his kidney, and they are overworked already. Dialysis can only remove a small amount at a time, and it may not be able to remove enough to keep him alive, if he doesn;t stay on the diet. This information is probably on the internet, and can be searched.
Name: tj
Location: wv
Date: 02/19/2013
Time: 10:51 AM
I often find the patient is unwilling to listen to family, making a doctor appointment to discuss the diet issue may be a good place to start. I care for a parent and he wouldn't listen when I told him but when I took him to the doctor and the doctor told him the exact same thing he listened. It seems to sound different when it comes from a non family member.
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■ Casanova Italian Restaurant, 855 South Broadway, will close on July 31. "We are planning to move Casanova to another location," chef/owner Leo Capezzuto said. He is looking for a smaller spot with a patio. "Downtown will be our target but other locations could be an alternative." He will update the restaurant's status on Facebook and Casanovaky.com.
Casanova Restaurant will close July 31; looking for new locationPublished July 23, 2013 Restaurant news Closed
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Pounds: Sarantou for RecorderWritten by Tom Pounds/ Michael S. Miller | | firstname.lastname@example.com
There are many difficult choices facing Lucas County voters on Nov. 6. Who should be elected Lucas County Recorder is not one of them.
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Toledo Free Press strongly endorses Sarantou for Lucas County Recorder.
Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at email@example.com. Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at firstname.lastname@example.com.
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The present invention is generally directed to a telephone handset for testing the transmission quality of a local loop. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the telephone handset includes a connector configured to connect to the local loop at, for example, a junction box. The invention also includes a low-pass filter circuit electrically interposed between the connector and operational circuitry of the telephone handset. In operation, the low-pass filter is designed to pass (substantially undisturbed) electrical signals within the POTS frequency band from the connector to the operational circuitry. In the same way, the low-pass filter is designed to substantially block the passage of electrical signals above the POTS frequency range. In this way, the low-pass filter blocks the introduction of high frequency signals, which may otherwise generate intermodulation products within the audible range, from reaching the operational circuitry of the testing handset. In accordance with another feature of one embodiment of the invention, a device is provided for detecting the presence of xDSL signals on a local loop. In accordance with this embodiment, at least one band-pass or high-pass filter is added in parallel with the low-pass filter. The output of the at least one band-pass or high-pass filter is then analyzed to determine whether an xDSL signal is present within that frequency band (defined by the at least one band-pass or high-pass filter).
1. An improved telephone for use in a system carrying both POTS and xDSL signal transmissions, comprising:
operational circuitry designed to provide and support operational functions of the telephone;
an input/output connector for communicating signals in a POTS frequency band between a local loop and the operational circuitry;
a plurality of low-pass filter circuits disposed for selective interconnection between the input/output connector and the operational circuitry; and
switching means electrically connected to the input/output connector, each of the plurality of low-pass filter circuits, and the operational circuitry, the switching means adapted to selectively interconnect one of the plurality of low-pass filter circuits between the input/output connector and the operational circuitry.
2. The telephone as defined in claim 1, wherein the switching means includes a double-pole double-throw switch.
3. The telephone as defined in claim 1, wherein the switching means includes a multi-position double-pole rotary switch.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to telephone handsets, and more particularly to an improved telephone handset for use in testing lines carrying both POTS and xDSL communications.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In recent years telephone communication systems have expanded from traditional plain old telephone system (POTS) communications to include high-speed data communications as well. As is known, POTS communications includes not only the transmission of voice information, but also PSTN (public switched telephone network) modem information, control signals, and other information that is transmitted in the POTS bandwidth, which extends from approximately DC to approximately 3.4 kilohertz.
New, high-speed data communications provided over digital subscriber lines, such as Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line (RADSL), etc. (more broadly denoted as xDSL) provide for high speed data transmissions, as is commonly used in communicating over the Internet. As is known, the bandwidth for xDSL transmissions is generally defined by a lower cutoff frequency of approximately 30 kilohertz, and a higher cutoff frequency which varies depending upon the particular technology. Since the POTS and xDSL signals are defined by isolated frequency bands, both signals may be transmitted over the same two-wire loop.
A POTS splitter is typically provided at each end of a transmission system communicating both POTS and xDSL information. As is known, a POTS splitter circuit consists of a high-pass filter and a low-pass filter, which are used to separate the two signals (the POTS signal from the xDSL signal). Normally, the high-pass filter is built into the xDSL transceiver, whereas the low-pass filter (commonly referred to as a POTS filter) normally provided as a separate unit. In operation, the POTS filter operates to filter the high frequency xDSL signals in order to protect the POTS (e.g., telephone) circuitry. At the same time the POTS filter provides filtering and protection for higher frequency noise signals that are often associated with a ring signal, or the switching circuitry of a central office.
It has been found, however, that troubleshooting line problems on local loops carrying both POTS and xDSL communications is frequently more difficult than troubleshooting a POTS only local loop. Years ago, the service provider (phone company) installed telephone lines from the central office, all the way to the telephone. Thus, the service provider was responsible for the integrity of the line all the way to the termination point (at the telephone). However, in recent years, it has become the custom for the service provider to run the local loop only to a junction box at the customer premises (whether the customer premises is a business, personal residence, etc.). Therefore, when performing testing on the local loop, the service provider is responsible only for insuring the integrity of the local loop between the central office and the junction box at the customer premises.
Typically, testing of a line is performed by a service technician using a testing handset to test the line. Alternatively, testing may be performed using more elaborate and specialized test equipment such as a transmission impairment measurement system (TIMS). The technician will plug the testing handset into a junction of the line to test the quality of the communications at that junction, and thus verifying the integrity of the line between the junction and the central office. Usually, the junction tested is the junction provided at the customer premises. In short, this form of testing is performed "by ear", wherein the field technician evaluates the line quality by listening to the quality of the sound/signal at the testing handset.
It has been found that a problem in this manner of testing often arises when there are shared communications on the same local loop. For example, when the customer not only has POTS service, but also subscribes to an xDSL service, technicians testing the line quality often detect noise signals within the POTS frequency band, when testing the line at the junction box, which noise signals are not audibly present on POTS telephones inside the customer premises.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide an improved method or apparatus for testing local loops that overcomes the shortcomings and disadvantages noted above.
In researching the shortcomings of the manner of testing line quality and in the testing handsets used in the prior art, it was determined that many of the perceived line problems were actually the result of intermodulation products. Testing handsets, as with other common telephone handsets, include internal circuitry that generates intermodulation products when receiving high frequency signals; the intermodulation product being a signal having a frequency defined by the differential of two higher frequency, received signals. When xDSL communications are occurring at the same time the technician is testing the line, intermodulation products generated by the handset from the high-frequency xDSL transmissions often generate noise in the audible frequency band, which interferes with the proper evaluation of the line test conducted by the technician. Since POTS filters are disposed between the junction box and the POTS telephones at the customer premises (for those customer premises having a xDSL communication service), such intermodulation noise signals are not present at the POTS telephones.
When a field technician is dispatched to test a local loop at a customer premises, the technician does not necessarily know whether that customer premise includes a xDSL service. Even if the service technician is made aware that the customer premises includes an xDSL service, the technician will still not know whether a device within the customer premise is transmitting information within the xDSL frequency band at any given time.
Certain objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned with the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the advantages and novel features, the present invention is generally directed to a telephone handset for testing the transmission quality of a local loop. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the telephone handset includes a connector configured to connect to the local loop at, for example, a junction box. The invention also includes a low-pass filter circuit electrically interposed between the connector and operational circuitry of the telephone handset. In operation, the low-pass filter is designed to pass (substantially undisturbed) electrical signals within the POTS frequency band from the connector to the operational circuitry. In the same way, the low-pass filter is designed to substantially block the passage of electrical signals above the POTS frequency range. In this way, the low-pass filter blocks the introduction of high frequency signals, which may otherwise generate intermodulation products within the audible range, from reaching the operational circuitry of the testing handset.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the low-pass filter circuit is defined by a cutoff frequency ranging from approximately 3.4 kilohertz to approximately 10 kilohertz. In addition, means are further included for bypassing the low-pass filter. Preferably, this "bypass" means includes a manually-operated switch, such as a double-pole, double throw switch. Such a switch allows the service technician to switch the low-pass filter into and out of the circuitry, when desired. Alternatively, the "bypass" means may be automatically implemented. In this regard, circuitry may be provided to sense the presence of high frequency signals (i.e., signals in the xDSL frequency band) that may otherwise generate unwanted intermodulation noise in the audible frequency. Upon sensing such signals, the "bypass" means may be configured to automatically switch in the low-pass filter circuitry.
In will be appreciated that, consistent with the concepts and teachings of the present invention, the low-pass filter may be either an active filter or passive filter. Furthermore, depending upon the intended operating environment, the low-pass filter may be designed to have varying input impedance. For example, in a first operating environment, it may be desirable to design the low-pass filter with in input impedance of approximately 600 ohms, while in another embodiment, it may be desired to design the filter to have an input impedance of approximately 900 ohms.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an improved telephone handset for normal POTS communication may be provided. In this regard, the inventive aspects and features summarized above may be incorporated into a typical POTS telephone, along with a mechanism for automatically detecting the presence or transmission of an xDSL signal on the line. In response to such detection, the mechanism is operative to switch in the low-pass POTS filter. In this way, the low-pass filter is utilized only when needed. Such a telephone may be utilized at a customer premises having a xDSL service and a xDSL communication device, and thus eliminate the need for separately install a POTS filter at the customer premises. In this regard, a handset including the "bypass" means feature described above may be mass produced at a reasonably low cost and provided to subscribers of xDSL services, particularly where that service will share a common local loop with POTS communication devices.
In accordance with yet another aspect of an embodiment of the invention, a device is provided for detecting the presence of an xDSL signal on a local loop. In accordance with this aspect, the device includes an input electrically connected to the local loop and a first filter electrically connected to the input for passing signals within a POTS frequency band. A second filter is electrically connected to the input for passing signals having frequency components above the POTS frequency band. Preferably, the second filter will be defined by a high input impedance, so that POTS signals passing through the first filter are substantially undisturbed. A signal detector is electrically connected to an output of the second filter for detecting the presence of a signal having a frequency above the POTS frequency band, and a signaling means is provided for signaling that a signal having a frequency above the POTS frequency band has been detected.
The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is graph showing the power spectrum for POTS and xDSL transmission bands;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the principal components of a prior art telecommunication system, at both the central office and customer premises;
FIGS. 3A-3C are block diagrams illustrating alternative embodiments of the present invention;
FIGS. 4A-4C are schematic diagrams illustrating alternative filter structures for implementing the low-pass filter of the present invention;
FIGS. 5A-5B are schematic diagram illustrating alternative filter circuits for realizing different input impedance values; and
FIGS. 6A and 6B are block diagrams illustrating another feature of the present invention.
Having summarized various aspects of the present invention, reference will now be made in detail to the description of the invention as illustrated in the drawings. While the invention will be described in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit it to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed therein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating frequency band communications, as is known in the prior art. The term frequency band communications is used to indicate communication of information within a certain defined, frequency band. As is known in the prior art, plain old telephone system (POTS) communications are transmitted in the frequency band 12 defined between about 0 (DC) and about 4 kHz. A second transmission frequency band 14 is defined at a higher frequency level than the POTS frequency band 12, and is used in the transmission of digital subscriber line (DSL) communications. A guard dead band 16 is typically provided to separate the two transmission frequency bands 12 and 14. The DSL transmission frequency band 14 is more broadly denominated as "xDSL", wherein the "x" generically denominates any of a number of transmission techniques within the DSL family. For example, ADSL—asynchronous digital subscriber line, RADSL—Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line, HDSL—high-bit-rate DSL, etc. As is known, xDSL transmission frequency bands 14 may encompass a bandwidth of greater than 1 MHz, but the specific upper cutoff frequency will vary depending upon that particular xDSL service. As a result, without the addition of extra equipment such as POTS filters, splitters, etc. xDSL signals are not compatible with attached POTS type equipment, such as telephones, PSTN modems, facsimile machines, etc.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a prior art communication system is shown. Specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates communication between a central office 20 and a customer premises 22 by way of local loop 24. Although FIG. 2 illustrates a central office 20, it will be appreciated that a similar illustration may be used to depict communication between a customer premises 22 and a remote terminal, other than a central office, having substantially the same functionality illustrated in connection with the central office 20. Therefore, FIG. 2 is not intended to limited the environment of the present invention, as described herein.
While the customer premises 22 may be a single dwelling residence, a small business, or other entity, it is generally characterized as having POTS equipment, such as a telephone 26, PSTN modem 27, fax machine (not shown), etc. The customer premise 22 may also include an xDSL communication device, such as an xDSL modem 28. When an xDSL service is provided, a POTS filter 30 is interposed between the POTS equipment 26 and the local loop 24. As is known, the POTS filter 30 includes a low-pass filter having a cut-off frequency of approximately 4 kilohertz to 10 kilohertz, in order to filter high frequency transmissions from the xDSL communication device 28 and protect the POTS equipment.
At the central office 20, additional circuitry is provided. Generally, a line card containing line interface circuitry is provided for electrical connection to the local loop 24. An xDSL modem, including both receiver and transmitter circuitry, is broadly denoted by block 42. This circuitry is directly connected for communications across the local loop 24. The remaining POTS circuitry is separated, or buffered, from the local loop 24 by POTS filter 44. Specifically, other circuitry commonly carried on the line interface card includes a hybrid 46, off-hook detection circuitry 48, and ring generator circuitry 50. Typically, the hybrid circuitry is intermittently connected to the local loop 24 by a switching means (not shown). As is known, a hybrid circuit 46 is a device for translating between two-wire and four-wire communication links. For purposes of illustration, it is important to note that voice and other POTS information is communicated through the block denoted as hybrid circuitry 46 to/from the local loop 24. As is well known, the off-hook detection circuitry 48 is the circuitry utilized at the central office to detect when a user at the customer premises 22 has lifted a telephone handset or otherwise has sought to establish communications from a POTS device.
The ring generation circuitry 50, in a manner that is known, generates a ring signal for communication across the local loop 24, to cause a telephone 26 or other POTS equipment to ring at a customer premises 22. Typically, the ring generation circuitry 50 is disconnected from the local loop 24 by way of a normally open switching means (not shown). To minimize the deleterious effects of various noise signals and to protect the various POTS circuitry, the POTS filter 44 provides low-pass filtering having a cutoff frequency above the approximately 3.4 kilohertz upper frequency band edge.
As is known, and briefly discussed above, there are a variety of reasons in which a person located at a customer premises 22 may experience line problems that manifest themselves as noise on the receiver of a telephone handset 26. The customer may then report the problem to the central office (phone company), which dispatches a field service technician to troubleshoot and isolate the problem. In this regard, the field service technician typically utilizes a test phone 60, known to be in good working order, and may check the local loop 24 by connecting the test phone 60 to any of a number of junction boxes 62, 64, and 66. These junctions may be located at or near the central office 20 (e.g., junction 66), at or near the customer premises 22 (e.g., junction 62), or at intermediate locations (e.g., junction 64). The field service technician connects the test phone 60 to the local loop 24 at the test junction 62, 64, 66, then listens to the handset to determine any "perceived" noise or poor signal quality on the line. Although the illustrated embodiment is described herein in connection with a test phone 60, it will be appreciated that the concepts and teachings of the present invention apply equally to other types of testing devices, such as a TIMS. Accordingly, the invention and inventive concepts are not to be unduly limited to the test phone embodiment discussed herein.
A problem, however, is encountered when higher frequency transmissions, such as xDSL data transmissions, are being communicated across the local loop 24. Since the field service technician is often unaware that the customer may have an xDSL service or, even if he or she knows that the customer premises is equipped with an xDSL service, whether xDSL transmissions are current underway, a field service technician does not know whether/when to discount certain noise signals.
As described previously, such higher frequency xDSL transmissions interact with operational circuitry of the test phone 60 to generate intermodulation products in the form of lower frequency noise signals, often within the POTS (i.e., audible) frequency band. In fact, since the customer premises 22 is typically configured with a POTS filter 30, the noise observed by the field service technician is usually not present on the customer premises telephone 26, therefore making problem verification and isolation even more difficult for the field service technician.
In order to avoid this and other shortcomings of the prior art, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to an improved telephone test handset for use by field service technicians in troubleshooting reported line problems of a local loop 24. Referring to FIG. 3A, a first embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. In this embodiment, the test telephone 60 used by a field service technician includes an input lead terminated at a connector 68, which connector may be plugged directly into a jack provided at a junction box. For example, the connector 68 may be in a form of a standard RJ-11 plug. As is known, the telephone 60 includes operational circuitry 70 which provides for the functional aspects of the telephone. Since the various operational circuitry and functional aspects of various telephones are known in the art, the structure and operation of the operational circuitry 70 need not be described herein. Instead, reference is more particularly directed to the low-pass filter 72, which is the primary component of the present invention.
As is illustrated, the low-pass filter 72 is electrically interposed between the connector 68 and operational circuitry 70 for operation integrally therewith. Preferably, the low-pass filter 72 is designed to pass signals having frequency components in the POTS bandwidth, or approximately DC to approximately 3.4 kilohertz. In the preferred embodiment, the low-pass filter 72 may be designed to have an upper cutoff frequency in the range of 4 kilohertz to 10 kilohertz. Providing a slightly higher cutoff frequency may be desired for operation of the present invention in many foreign countries, since many countries are known to provide control signaling in the frequency band just above the POTS frequency band. Thus, by extending the upper cutoff frequency into a slightly higher frequency range, the telephone handset 60 constructed in accordance with the present invention is readily adapted for use in a variety of foreign countries, as well as the United States.
Referring briefly to FIGS. 4A through 4C, several alternative low-pass filter circuit designs are shown. Specifically FIG. 4A shows a simple second order LC filter, while FIGS. 4B and 4C illustrate third and fourth order LC filters, respectively. It will be appreciated that the filter designs illustrated in FIGS. 4A through 4C are provided merely for purposes of illustration, and are not deemed to be a limitation on the present invention. Indeed, the present invention is directed to the broader aspect of combining a low-pass, POTS filter in connection with a telephone handset, which has not heretofore been done. The specific design and implementation of the filter may vary depending upon a number of factors, including intended operational environment.
Indeed, the filter embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 4A through 4C illustrate simple LC filters. In practice, it may be desired to provide an active, as opposed to passive, filter to achieve the performance characteristics associated therewith. In this regard, the power source required to source the various components in an active filter (e.g., operational amplifiers) may be provided by a separate battery source within the telephone handset, or may be obtained from the power communicated across the local loop 24.
To further illustrate various differing filtering embodiments, reference is hereby made to FIGS. 5A and 5B. In this regard, FIG. 5A illustrates a particular filter having an input port 86 and an output port 87. In FIG. 5A, the various filter component values (e.g., choke values and capacitor values). FIG. 5A illustrates a balanced filter having four chokes L1, L2, L3, and L4, wherein chokes L1 and L2 have component values of six milli-henries, while chokes L3 and L4 each have component values of nine milli-henries.
Similarly, the filter of FIG. 5A has capacitors C1 and C2 having component values of 0.047 micro-farads and 0.027 micro-farads, respectively.
Significant with respect to the illustrated embodiment, the filter of FIG. 5A not only realizes a low-pass filter having an upper cutoff frequency in the desired 4 kilohertz to 10 kilohertz frequency range, but it also provides an input impedance (as seen at port 86) of approximately 600 ohms. Such filter characteristics, namely the input impedance, is preferred when the testing performed by the field service technician is performed at the customer premises (e.g., junction 62 of FIG. 2). When, however, the testing is performed at the central office (e.g., junction 66 of FIG. 2) a 900 ohm input impedance may be preferred. In this regard, reference is made briefly to FIG. 5B illustrating yet another embodiment of a filter circuit constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment. Like the filter circuit of FIG. 5A, the circuit of FIG. 5B has in input port 88 and an output port 89. Using the component values provided in the drawing, it may be readily verified that the input impedance as seen at port 88 of the circuit of FIG. 5B is approximately 900 ohms. Thus, the circuit of FIG. 5B may be preferred when testing is performed at or near the central office 20.
Returning now to FIG. 3, and referring specifically to FIGS. 3B and 3C, alternative embodiments of the present invention are shown. Referring first to FIG. 3B, it may be desired to provide a test telephone 160 that employs switching means, which allow the field service technician to either activate or deactivate the low-pass filter circuit of the telephone 160. In this regard, a simple double-pole double-throw manually-operated switch 74, 76 may be provided. When the wiper arms of the double-pole switch 74, 76 are disposed in a first configuration, the low-pass filter circuit 72 is switched into the circuit, so as to be electrically interposed between the connector 68 and the operational circuitry 70. When, however, the wiper arms of the double-pole switch 74, 76 are motivated to a second position, a short circuit 73 may be established to bypass the low-pass filter circuit 72, so that the connector 68 is directly connected to the operational circuitry 70.
Taking this concept one step further, consistent with the concepts in teachings of the present invention, the telephone handset 260 illustrated in FIG. 3C may be provided. The circuitry of this embodiment is similar to that of FIG. 3B, except that the circuitry of the telephone handset 260 may include a plurality of differing low-pass filter circuits 72, 80. As was discussed in connection with FIGS. 5A and 5B, it may be desired, depending upon where the test point is located, to employ testing telephones having low-pass filter circuits of differing characteristics (namely input impedance, cutoff frequencies, roll off rate, or other characteristics). In this regard, such differing low-pass filter circuits may be employed in a single telephone handset 260, and individually connectable by way of switching means to be selectively interposed between the connector 68 and the operational circuitry 70. In this regard, a manually-operated double-pole rotary switch 78, 79 may be provided to electrically connect filter circuits 1-n 72-80, between the connector 68 and operational circuitry 70. Similarly, as described in connection with FIG. 3B, a separate short circuit line 73 may also be provided, to effectively remove any low-pass filtering from the circuit interconnecting connector 68 and operational circuitry 70. In this way, a single test phone 260 may provide a rotary switch, for example, to allow a field service technician to select a low-pass filter having characteristics uniquely tailored to the environment or testing location at hand.
Referring now to FIG. 6A, another feature of the present invention is shown. Specifically, a line testing device constructed in accordance with the present invention may be constructed to detect the presence of an xDSL signal. Upon detection, the low-pass (or POTS) filter may be switched into the circuit. This detection feature may be provided independently, or may be provided in connection with circuitry operable to automatically switch in or out the POTS filter upon detection of an xDSL signal.
In the manner describe above in connection with FIG. 3B, a low-pass (or POTS) filter 172 may be provided, along with a bypass connection 173. When no xDSL communications are taking place, the switching means 174, 176 may be switched (either manually or automatically) to bypass the low-pass filter 172. Otherwise, when xDSL communications are occurring, then the switching means 174, 176 may be controlled to switch the low-pass filter 172 into the operative circuitry.
The detection circuitry may be provided by a high-pass filter 104 and energy detection circuitry. In this regard, the high-pass filter is designed to have a lower cutoff frequency that is higher than the upper frequency POTS band, thereby passing only xDSL signals. The energy detection circuitry 106 is designed to generate an output signal whenever an energy level (higher than a predetermined value) is detected. It will be appreciated that the high-pass filter will preferably be designed with a high input impedance, so as to have minimal impact or affect upon the line. The output of the energy detection circuitry may be directed to an LED 108 or other signaling mechanism to provide an indication (either visual or audible) that xDSL communications are occurring. This will serve as an indication to the field service technician that the low-pass filter 172 should be switched into the circuitry. The output of the energy detection circuitry may also be used as the control mechanism for the switching means 174, 176.
A further embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 6B. This embodiment is similar to that of FIG. 6A, except that it includes multiple band-pass filters BP#1, BP#2, and BP#n. Energy detection circuitry is provided in connection with the output of each of the band-pass filters. This embodiment of the present invention recognizes that each of the various xDSL communication services has a slightly different frequency signature, and such services can be detected individually by evaluating the energy profile at different frequencies. It will be appreciated that the embodiment of FIG. 6B may not only be used in isolation to detect and identify different xDSL communications, but may also be used in connection with an embodiment such as that illustrated in FIG. 3C. Specifically, based upon the specific xDSL service detected, it may be desired to switch in a different low-pass filter (either manually or automatically).
It will be appreciated that FIG. 6B has been presented merely for purposes of illustrating the broader concepts of a feature of an alternative embodiment of the invention. The broader functionality of this feature may be implemented in a variety of different ways. For example, the functionality of FIG. 6B may be achieved by an embodiment similar to FIG. 6A, but with the addition of an analog to digital converter disposed at the output of the high-pass filter. The output of the analog to digital converter may be processed by a processor, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor, to analyze the frequency components of the signal, and thus ascertain the frequency signature thereof This may be implemented, for example, by computing the Fourier Transform (e.g., computing the fast fourier transform or FFT) of the signal output from the analog to digital converter. The Fourier Transform can then be processed to evaluate the frequency components of the signal. Of course other methods of evaluating the frequency signature of the signal may be implemented in place of the FFT.
The xDSL detection and identification capability discussed above may be desired for a variety of reasons. For example, a central office may wish to police its lines to ensure that no xDSL services are provided. Suppose, for example, that a central office has leased a number of local loops to another service provider (e.g., long-distance telephone service provider), under the express contractual limitation that xDSL services are not permitted. To police such a lease agreement, the central office may connect a handset with the xDSL identification feature into a MDF (main distribution frame) at the central office. Similarly, certain local loops extending from a central office may be permitted to accommodate certain xDSL services, but limited to only certain predefined xDSL services. Accordingly, the above-described identification feature may be used to ensure that no impermissible xDSL services are being used.
While the various objects, advantages, and features of the present invention have been described herein in connection with a test phone of the type used by a field service technician, it will be appreciated that certain aspects of the present invention may also be incorporated into a telephone of the type (e.g., 26) used in a customer premises 22. As is illustrated in connection with FIG. 2, when a customer premises 22 is equipped with an xDSL service, a POTS filter may be installed to protect the various POTS equipment from the high frequency transmissions at the xDSL modem 28. Preferably, the POTS filter will be selectivly switched in and out of the circuitry as needed, base upon the presence of xDSL signals on the line. Particularly, in environments where telephones 26 are the only POTS equipment at the customer premises, using a telephone constructed in accordance with the present invention, would accordingly eliminate the need for a separately installed POTS filter 30 at the customer premises.
The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiment or embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly and legally entitled.
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07/28/2014 | Army MARS Demonstrates ALE, Courts Young Volunteers at ARRL National Centennial Convention
Army MARS demonstrates ALE, courts volunteers at the ARRL National Centennial Convention.
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On May 18, the US House of Representatives approved HR 4310, The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. This bill authorizes appropriations for military activities and prescribes military personnel strengths for Fiscal Year 2013. When th
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|90 posts found
Novice Member
Joined: 1/24/05
It is lacking so much player content. They talked all this crap about wasted space when the entire map is wasted. You think using the hammer and getting resources from a thumper over and over is fun and engaging Red5? I have never wanted more things to do besides calling down thumpers and chasing crashed ones in my entire life. Not to mention they are boring as sin. 3 giant roaches that all die instantly in several waves "threaten" your thumper and then you send it back once full. The quests seemed abnormally few and difficult. Monsters in the quest area are on constant respawn and if there isnt others around it can be difficult even in the beginner zones.
There are no goals in the game besides leveling up your warframes and it feels like you never get new gear.
Maybe if you love fpsmmo pvp this game could be for you if nothing else has done it. Other than that it lacks direction and it made me feel like I was a chump not some warframe using badass. No cool fun events or moments when I was on and I never even got to fight a big boss of any kind.
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Novice Member
Joined: 5/12/10
I'm really enjoying this again. I'm hoping with the mechanics and systems locked in now the content will come much quicker.
i used to really dislike the grind component of the game but with the rewards/loot/marketplace (AH) it's actually not too bad now.
As for black water anomaly as far as I'm aware only one person in the group needs the key to access it?
Joined: 5/21/08
Originally posted by cooms
Poor guy must have never used anything besides a Stock Personal Thumper. Try switching even to just a rank 1 Personal Thumper and get owned by Terrorclaw and the 30 or so other mobs that come at the same time as him then rage about losing your thumper in a matter of seconds if youre not careful.
I find it kind of funny thought hat youre complaining about ho boring thumping is because of just a few weak enemies, then 2 sentences later are complaining that missions are too hard. Stock thumpers are ridiculously easy and boring, yes. Missions are only hard if youre playing a bad warframe for that type of mission (can make a big difference depending on objectives & type of terrain) and suck at playing that type of warframe or fighting certain types of enemies.
As far as no big bosses, sure the game isnt loaded full of dungeons with massive bosses or something, but have you ever even tried taking on a chosen incursion with just 3 or 4 people in low tier gear? Its more about large waves of a lot of enemies rather than a focus on super powerful bosses. Neither is inherently better than the other. Although, boss fights in the majority of games tend to be nothing more than a tank & spank snooze fest. BTW, I take it youve never faced Baneclaw either.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 5/24/08
Smile, you could die at any moment.
Exactly what Kaiser said! A Stock Thumper is a joke to get you to learn what to do. Even 3 people doing a Personal Thumper 1 is crazy. Try a 2 or 3 it's insane. This game is a sandbox game, you have to find the gems.
The problem is the game is still in development and Red 5 has even said this Open Beta is not a PR stunt, it is a BETA. They are working hard to streamline stuff, but right now their main goal Is to stabilize servers and work on bugs. The initial game seems small, but there is a huge world out there that player that only play it for a day, week, or month miss. Have any of the people that claim the game is boring actually been to the other 3 zones you cannot see on you New Eden map? Have they been to Blackwater Anomaly? Have they crafted a motorcycle? If yes then that's the guy to actually listen to.
Spotlight Poster
Joined: 7/09/11
May the game be ever in your favor.
Originally posted by scarybooster
All there is, is crafting and barely any PvE gameplay. The other option is PvP but you need to spam the thumpers to get good gear for PvP... It gets boring fast to do the same thing over and over.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 2/16/04
Originally posted by Razeekster
First, PvP uses stock set gear. Your "grinding and crafting" of gear in PvE has no bearing on the current PvP in the game (OWPvP will use crafted gear). PvP games give XP, resources and components for crafting and some people don't PvE at ALL and are able to advance and open frames for PvP.
Thumpers are the content? I haven't thumped for months. ARES/Chosen keep me busy. I get all the resources/rewards I need and no need to thump, ever.
Novice Member
Joined: 6/15/12
All there is, is crafting and barely any PvE gameplay. The other option is PvP but you need to spam the thumpers to get good gear for PvP... It gets boring fast to do the same thing over and over.
I'm sure Bill will run into this eventually after several Review in Progress updates and it will end up at best 6.0 like the rest of these flops. Bring on The Repopulation already.
Novice Member
Joined: 12/17/10
I really wanted to like this game. Loved the graphical style, the atmosphere and the gameplay was rather addicting as well. It's like Borderlands and Guild Wars 2 mixed up a bit. Yeah, the game is in it's infant stages, but I will grow into something decent with time.
However, I cannot and will not stand behind a game that allows item degradation. The fact that all of my gear, weapons and even skills will degrade with time, usage, and even more so on deaths, is something I can't work with. Knowing that my Tier Four Plasma Cannon will eventually be destroyed... just doesn't sit well with me, not in a MMORPG.
This is common place with the genre though. Elsword, Dragon Nest, and so on, all have systems where an item can break if upgraded too high. That I can understand. The player has FULL warning that this could happen. Here, in Firefall, nothing will prevent the eventual wearing down of one's equipment.
It doesn't help when the Devs themselves say that this topic is not up for debate either...
Sorry for the rant, but I had to share my two cents.
Spotlight Poster
Joined: 8/24/06
Basically, after you create your character, it teaches you how to move, shoot, and about the basic battleframes, then dumps you into an area that wants to kill you all the time...I love it!
Advanced Member
Joined: 9/18/04
Lost, confused and intrigued for the first few days. It has been so long since I have played an MMO that I had to learn. I was following Firefall and Planetside 2 when they were first annouced. Planetside 2 came out and I mostly forgot about Firefall.
Open beta hit and I didn't really care, but decided I should at least give it a go. I am so happy I did. Love the game thus far. It has probably been since Asheron's Call that I felt "lost" in the world and liked it.
Reading a few of the posts here and learning that there are other zones makes it that much better. I see the potential with the melding and everything. I have put quite a few hours in and just unlocked my first advanced frame with pilot tokens.
As I say with most games, don't listen too much to others opinions and just play the game. You may be pleasantly surprised as I was.
Novice Member
Joined: 2/10/12
Originally posted by Razeekste
None of this is even remotely true. You either haven't played the game or you didn't know what to do and gave up right away.
Novice Member
Joined: 3/16/12
I am not a frequent poster on this site, even though I read a lot of the forums. Let me tell you this, plain and simple. Firefall is a good, different game. It's got good concepts and a good studio backing it, and it has some great stuff on the way.
Meaningful crafting, amazing open world with no loading ( outside of the 4 instances ), best way to travel - gliding! The shooter mechanics are done quite well, the Battleframes all feel different and are fun in their own way, even the starter Accord frames are good.
At the very least try the game out, give the game a chance after the tutorial since a lot of people might feel lost on what to do at first. Remember Red 5 is a small studio, little issues here and there might pop up but they deal with it in very timely fashion.
Lastly, the game is not p2w at all, the advanced frames can be unlocked via playing the game. You can make unlimited avatar cosmetic changes, even sex, for free. Also Firefall supports some amazing addons ( and curse support ), so you have some good customization options.
Advanced Member
Joined: 3/24/11
Let me get this straight you cant wait to buy more frames with your real money???...what is there to gain doing missions and holding back chosen etc. if you just BUY all the content in a lump sum? What is the achievement? the progress? what will you do with what you earned killing everything if your dumping real funds for everything they churn out? you turn into a mindless drone doing missions here thumping there killing chosen tornadoes rinse and repeat.....
Novice Member
Joined: 10/28/08
Good game, feels very unfinished (which it is) and very much like a beta but what is there so far is strangely addicting and can be really intense at times. Took me a couple days to figure out the crafting and I'm still not fully up to speed on battleframe progression, but I'm getting there. If the devs can manage to regularly trickle out frequent updates and content then this'll hold my attention for quite a while.
Elite Member
Joined: 1/12/04
Not thinking before you speak is human. Not thinking before you hit ENTER has no excuse.
While the game could be considered in a released state, because MMO's are ever evolving, there really is no difference between beta and launched. That being said, there is plenty of stuff in the pipes.
1) Open World PvP
2) Army Building - Bases and possibly vehicles, can't remember what was mentioned.
Despite that, the mere fact that item degredation is in place, crafters will always be in demand. Then you have random quality resources which with blending = crazy amounts of possibilities.
Firefall is what Dust 514, Planetside 2 and probably what The Repopulation wanted to be, but aren't.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 11/22/05
Originally posted by Indol
He probably played over a year ago before all the pvp changes. Either way it that's all he see's the game isn't for him.
Joined: 5/21/08
Originally posted by Shrilly
1) You dont have to pay to unlock frames, you can also unlock them through earning Pilot Tokens for reaching certain goals with the free frames.
2) Unlocking a frame is only the start. Its basically like unlocking a new class / job. You still have to gain XP (which starts at 0 again for each new frame) to level up all of its stats (Mass, Power, CPU), unlock the weapon & ability slots with XP, and craft all of the gear & abilities just like with any new class.
Novice Member
Joined: 6/30/13
THIS IS AN HONEST REVIEW BY A VETERAN PLAYER AND FOUNDER PACKAGE OWNER FOR A YEAR OF PLAYING NOW. (POINTS AT END ARE GIVEN ON SCALE OF 1-10; 10 being highest)
I've had the most expensive founders pack on this game for a year now. I logged in to play and pvp last night...
Honestly I can say this game HAD promise. But I went from being excited to log in much as these reviewers are now, to absolutely being BORED OUT OF MY MIND playing this game after only 3 months after the founders pack was purchased. And if these reviewers had 3 months to play this before reviewing, the terminology of their reviews would be quite different I am sure.
First off the game is repetitive as heck. There is nothing original to do in the game after you've completed each kind of mission, and there's only about 11 kinds I would guess. Each mission asks you to complete a task, which is mundane and does not effect the world, because the same task will be available again, just in a different location in a few minutes.
The players are a friendly community, but they are all about themselves for the most part, not selfishly, just that there is no real reason to group up other than to gather resources from thumping.
Even mission objectives for AERES missions can be completed without forming a group, you just have to be in the vicinity, same with thumping for that matter.
The xp expenditure system for new abilities is overinflated and though new suits look cool sometimes, the abilities, (the best part) is exclusive to the suit in PVP, and interchangeable in PVE, which is confusing and completely takes away from the feeling of being a unique individual, especially in PVP. These upgrades are expensive and require hours and hours of grinding. Which this site degraded other games for, but seems ok with on this one for some reason.... (probably since Mark is a contributor)
The game is not very detailed graphically so after a couple of hours of playing, any humanoid enemies all begin to remind the player of Wolfenstien where there's 5 different kinds of enemy all wielding the same five weapons in the same manner. BORING. But wait! There's alien animal looking bugs attacking? Same 4 of them all the time. BORING. But wait, there's different animals in different zones? nope.... same animals, different colors... BORING.
There's no levels or level cap, GREAT, I can live with that, I love RPG's like the elder scroll series, and EVE online, so what is my drive to play? If a game does not use levels and achievements, then it should have a story or universe that envelops and pushes the player to further his character. Red 5 didn't implement this... what they did was implement never ending BUSY WORK called AERES missions, in hopes that you'd spend money trying to buy suits of armor that don't even protect you any better as the game goes on, you are spending money and XP for aesthetics... Or even worse, they ask you to be wrapped up in a trying to get into a SHORT five man instance that, even to take part in getting to, takes a group and a lot longer than needed to get to being able to enter it, with a storyline that frankly, the player could care less about, because they created a violent, destitute, and empty environment that leaves no reason for the player to be EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED to the land or its people. There is no hope, the invasion is never ending, and the melding never truly moves in or out really... So really, who cares about saving anything other than their own skin?
This game HAD potential, as I stated first. HAD. But its old news now. There are much better products, with much better storyline, music, graphics, emersion, and the ability to make a player interested in furthering his character and grouping with players to accomplish GOALS. Red 5 needs to step back from the design table, and take a look at things besides PVP, and cell shading.
This game is something to pass time during 30 minute breaks between classes. Not a game that is worth investing months worth of time into. This is a stolen idea from PlanetSide, pasted together with cell shading styled, cartoon graphics, and the ideas from a disgruntled World Of Warcraft employee's revenge against leveled gaming.
There is nothing wrong with leveled OR unleveled gaming Red 5... the problem is that no company yet, least of all you, has done it right since WoW Vanilla, because every company thinks being called a WoW clone is bad. The mistakes of WoW were that it was too easy and gear dependent after Vanilla, period. Not that the leveling system was the problem. Different areas of fundamentals all together. And frankly, No company has had the balls to create a leveled or skill based game in the IMAGE OF GREAT RPG's. I haven't seen a game since, (for myself), WoW vanilla that actually engrossed me in any kind of story or world. You've taken the RPG concept, and trashed it to push FTP money into your accounts. Learn to immerse guys. IMMERSION.
Graphics 6
Music 2
Gameplay 7
Difficulty 8
Originality 7
Immersion 2
Replay-ability 3
Apprentice Member
Joined: 7/15/08
Sometimes the graphics work and sometimes they are a real hinderance in this game.....Im still ahving a ahrd time getting into it...The 3rd person view is jsut awful...Who the heck decided to put the avatar way to the left like that?...Im not sure I have ever seen that in any game before...Also is the game open world or instanced?....It seems to be split half and half on that though I havent seen much of either as Im still new....The game sounded liek it had alot of promise but now that I've seen it I dont think it does....i'll give it a few more days but its going to have to blow my socks off to stay.
Advanced Member
Joined: 11/10/08
The next big content patch is what will make or break the game for me. Open world PvP. They can go either Sandbox or Themepark route, or a mix of both.
Depending on how much control they give the players is what dictates if I will play it. If we get player built and controlled bases, Risk vs reward pvp. Im hooked forever. If not, I will wait for the next game that has it.


text:
MBB Falls Short to Georgia State in NCAA Tournament, 57-56
Taurean Prince led the Bears with 18 points.
No. 16 MBB Falls to No. 9 Kansas in Big 12 Semifinals
Kenny Chery scored 20 points and Rico Gathers added 11 points and 13 rebounds for Baylor
Drew Named USBWA District VII Coach of the Year
Baylor's 12th-year head coach honored for second time
Gathers, Prince and Chery Honored by Big 12 Media
Bears lead league with three All-Big 12 honorees
Gathers, Chery and Prince Named All-Big 12
Prince earns Big 12 Sixth Man Award, Gathers on All-Defensive Team
NCAA Highlights vs. Wisconsin
NCAA BTS - Royce the Roving Reporter
NCAA Highlights vs. Creighton
NCAA Preview vs. Creighton - Rico the Roving Reporter
NCAA Highlights vs. Nebraska
Men's Basketball vs. Georgia State
NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-2nd Round-Baylor vs Georgia State (USATSI)
NCAA Men's Basketball - Baylor vs Georgia State
Men's Basketball NCAA Round 2 Practice
Baylor Men's Basketball Selection Show
Big 12 Tournament: #4 Seed Baylor vs. #1 Seed Kansas
Big 12 Tournament: #4 seed Baylor falls to #1 seed Kansas, 62-52
Bruising power forward, has played all 75 games (three starts) over first two seasons at Baylor ... Expected to take on larger role after playing first two years behind NBA big men Cory Jefferson and Isaiah Austin ... Has seven career double-doubles, including all three career games started ... Machine on offensive boards, ranked fourth nationally in 2013-14 with 0.15 offensive rebounds per minute, grabbing 17.9 percent of Baylor's missed shots when on the floor ... Averages one rebound every 2.86 minutes played for career ... Two-time Gatorade Louisiana High School Player of the Year ... Second cousin of late Loyola Marymount All-American basketball player Hank Gathers.
Saw action in all 38 games and made one start, averaging 6.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in 17.8 points per game ... Ranked 14th in Big 12 in total rebounding (6.4) and fifth in offensive rebounding (2.7) ... Ranked second on team in rebounding and third in steals (28) ... Grabbed career-high 14 rebounds in Maui Invitational win vs. Chaminade (11/25) ... Had 17 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes off bench vs. Hardin-Simmons (12/1) ... Had six points, 13 rebounds and three steals in 22 minutes off bench to lead Bears to win vs. No. 3 Kentucky (12/6) ... Made only start of season against Northwestern State (12/18), had 19 points and 10 rebounds, including career-high eight offensive boards, in career-high 31 minutes ... Posted second double-double of season with 10 points and 10 boards in 23 minutes off bench vs. Oral Roberts (12/30) ... Had another double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds in only 19 minutes vs. TCU (1/11) ... Played 30 minutes off bench against West Virginia (1/28), recording eight points and 12 boards ... Recorded fourth double-double of season with 14 points and 11 rebounds in 18 minutes at TCU (2/12), marking four double-doubles in four career regular season games against the Horned Frogs ... That game boosted season averages to peaks of 8.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, but reduced minutes down the stretch contributed to lower numbers ... Had 11 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes off bench of NCAA Tournament win vs. Nebraska (3/21) ... Posted six points and nine boards in 16 minutes of win vs. Creighton (3/23) that punched Bears' ticket to Sweet 16.
Played in all 37 games and made two starts, averaging 16.7 minutes per game in debut season at Baylor ... Was used as Bears' first big man off bench ... Averaged 5.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game ... Ranked third on team and 15th in Big 12 Conference in rebounds per game ... Recorded 211 rebounds, which was second-most among Big 12 freshmen behind teammate Isaiah Austin ... Ranked fifth in Big 12 with 2.4 offensive rebounds per game ... Improved rebounding average to 6.0 per game in Big 12 play, which ranked 10th in league ... Tied for eighth in Big 12 with three double-doubles, including both games started ... Recorded double-figure rebounds in six of nine games in which he played 20+ minutes ... Made first career start in season's second game vs. Jackson State (11/11), posting double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes ... Had six offensive rebounds and made 6-of-8 field goals vs. JSU ... Posted seven points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes of win at Texas Tech (1/8) ... Had season-highs with 13 rebounds and three blocks at Kansas (1/14) ... Made second career start and posted double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds vs. Hardin-Simmons (1/19) ... Had third double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes off bench at TCU (1/26) ... Recorded season-high 22 points on 7-of-8 field goals and 8-of-10 free throws in win vs. West Virginia (2/13) ... Had eight points and 12 rebounds - including season-high seven offensive boards - in 23 minutes off bench vs. Oklahoma State (3/14) at Big 12 Championship ... Played 27 minutes and had eight points and 10 boards in NIT quarterfinal win vs. Providence (3/27) ... Finished season making 67% (16-of-24) of free throws over final 14 games after shooting 44% (28-of-63) over first 23 games.
Consensus top-50 national recruit and No. 1 recruit in state of Louisiana ... Played for coach Tim Byrd at Riverside Academy in Reserve, La. ... Two-time Gatorade Louisiana High School Player of the Year and two-time Louisiana Sports Writers Association Mr. Louisiana ... Helped Rebels to 33-10 record and Class 2A state championship game by averaging 22.0 points, 17.0 rebounds, 4.1 blocks, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals as senior in 2011-12 ... Averaged 20.7 points, 16.2 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game as junior in 2010-11 ... Led team to state title and earned Most Outstanding Player honors at state tournament as sophomore in 2009-10, averaging 19.8 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game ... Ranked nation's No. 34 recruit by Scout.com ... Also ranked No. 36 by ESPN, No. 37 by Rivals.com, No. 41 by 247Sports.com and No. 42 by MaxPreps.com.
Full name is Ricardo Darnell Gathers ... Nickname is Rico ... Born Jan. 7, 1994, in New Orleans, La. ... Son of Richard Sr. and Janice Gathers ... Father is cousin of late Loyola Marymount All-American basketball player Hank Gathers ... Finance major.


text:
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text:
Bupa Middle East achieves 30 percent Saudization
As BUPA Middle East prepares for the forthcoming cooperative health insurance scheme, the health insurance company is increasing recruitment of Saudi nationals to add to the already high percentage of Saudization that has reached 32 percent, of which approximately half has been achieved through employing females.
"In compliance with Saudi labor law a completely separate department has been created for females in order to ensure their comfort and privacy," said Managing Director for BUPA Middle East, David Maltby. "The female department mainly involves data-inputting and those customer services that do not require direct contact with customers. For this purpose, sales and other such positions will continue to be filled by men. However, this does not mean that the training we give to females is compromised. BUPA Middle East has set aside a substantial budget for a comprehensive employee training program that will ensure higher efficiency and improved services for our client base."
Even though there is a steady increase in the number of Saudi females joining the local work force, they continue to be a largely untapped resource that BUPA Middle East has decided to draw on. The company has invested large resources to establish and develop the female department in preparation for the additional business that will result from the new cooperative insurance scheme.
BUPA Middle East, which operates through ASAS Healthcare, a Nazer Group subsidiary, is part of BUPA UK, Britain's largest private health insurance company serving six million members world wide through an extensive network of hospitals.
The company's annual turnover which exceeds three billion dollars also owns and manages 39 hospitals in the UK and across Europe, 248 care homes, 33 health screening centers and 220 approved health clubs throughout the UK, 25 health way clinics in Singapore and specialized centers in Malaysia and China. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)


text:
The Montgomery County Chamber Community Foundation will be able to help more veteran-owned businesses seeking federal contracts thanks to a cooperative agreement grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The foundation will receive $300,000 from the Small Business Administration, with the possibility for more funding in future years, for its Veteran Institute for Procurement.
The money will allow the foundation to provide a three-day training program to up to 150 businesses each year, said Barbara Ashe, national director of the Veteran Institute for Procurement and president of the Montgomery County Chamber Community Foundation.
The program, which is open to veteran-owned businesses across the country, is designed to help the businesses be more successful with government procurement, she said.
For the last five years, the foundation has held the training, but recently has only been able to provide training once a year for up to 50 businesses. The extra federal funding will allow it to hold three training sessions a year.
"The whole idea with this money is to expand the number of veterans who participate," Ashe said. "This program that the SBA is funding is really needed. It's not getting easier to be a government contractor."
From risk to competition, the challenges facing government contractors are many, she said.
"We're uniquely positioned here in Montgomery County to do this," Ashe continued. "We have the resources, we have the talent, we have the expertise, and we have the customer."
Ashe said the program started locally as a pilot because the foundation saw a need for working with veteran-owned businesses seeking government contracts within the local market.
But the foundation started getting calls from veteran-owned businesses all over the nation, and in 2011 it went national, welcoming businesses from anywhere in the U.S. to participate. A total of 348 have completed the training to date, Ashe said.