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Jacqueline Woolley, Chair The University of Texas at Austin, SEA 4.212, Austin, TX 78712 • (512) 475-7596
Program Information
The IDEP Area at the University of Texas offers a Ph.D. in psychology. We provide advanced research training in a broad range of topics, particularly behavioral-genetic and evolutionary processes. In addition to their research with faculty members in the IDEP area, IDEP graduate students are encouraged to collaborate with other faculty members both in the Department of Psychology and in other departments throughout the university (e.g. Biology, Sociology, Human Development). In addition, the IDEP Area offers opportunities for undergraduates to become involved in research. Training and research in the IDEP area falls within two overlapping spheres: Individual Differences Psychology and Evolutionary Psychology.

subset: commoncrawl


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Nashville, Tenn. — While the UConn men were going about their business and winning the program's fourth national championship Monday night in Texas, the Huskies' top women's player was adding to her hardware collection.
Sophomore Breanna Stewart accepted her second national award when she was named winner of the presitigious Naismith Trophy as the national player of the year. The 6-foot-4 Stewart was named Associated Press National Player of the Year on Saturday.
Stewart, who led the Huskies against Notre Dame in a battle of unbeatens for the NCAA championship Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena, was chosen over three seniors - Notre Dame's Kayla McBride, Stanford's Chiney Ogwumike and Baylor's Odyssey Sims.
Stewart is the sixth UConn player to win the award and became just the seventh player to win the Naismith Trophy has both a high school and collegiate player.
"Having watched Breanna win the Naismith Trophy in high school, it's no surprise that she's dominating at the college level," said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. "And equally as impressive is the way she's contributing to her team's success - which reinforces her status as the ultimate team player. We are excited to present her with another Naismith Trophy."
Heading into Tuesday's title game, Stewart was averaging 19.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Huskies (39-0). She was also honored as the first American Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
Previous UConn winners were Rebecca Lobo (1995), Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2003, 2004), Maya Moore (2009, 2011) and Tina Charles (2010).
He'll keep this job
There are many at all levels of sports that have coached both males and females. Some prefer coaching one gender for a variety of reasons and have stayed with it.
Auriemma has been UConn's head coach for 29 seasons. It's been his one-and-only head coaching gig. He was asked Monday why he stuck with women's basketball and hadn't dabbled on the men's side.
"Well, probably two reasons," Aureimma grinned. "One, for the longest time no one even in women's basketball wanted me. So I got the Connecticut job (in 1985) and I thought four years from now I want to go to a really good school and win a national championship. And nobody wanted me, so I'm stuck.
"Then when we got to be really good, there weren't any men's programs knocking on my door saying, 'I have a great idea - let's hire the women's coach from Connecticut.' That wasn't going to happen."
Auriemma did coach males nine years ago - the Connecticut Nike Elite AAU team featuring son, Michael.
"We had five Division I players on that team, and I said, 'now I know why I'm not coaching men,'" Auriemma said. "A lot of things have happened to make me think I've got a pretty good job where I am."
Asked to elaborate on what he learned about coaching males, Auriemma said, "They're uncoachable. Don't get me wrong. It was fun. You don't have to throw nine passes to get a shot. You just screw up a play, throw it up at the rim, guy catches and dunks and you go like this. I love that about coaching guys."
They said it
• Stefanie Dolson on memories of her time with Auriemma: "I would say his straight forwardness and not taking anything and his sarcasm. I was a freshman and I think it was one of our first practices and I got a rebound and he stopped the practice. He took out a piece of paper and put it on the floor and said, 'you just jumped over that to get the rebound.' It was one of those things where at the time it was like, wow. It was blunt and I was a little thrown off, but at the same time he kind of throws in that humor and I laughed it off. From that it makes you grow, and even though I might not be the best rebounder, I'm going to work hard."
News and notes
Whether one likes ESPN or not, it was the NCAA tournament's V-8 engine. It dedicated much airtime to the national championship on Monday and Tuesday. Yes, that was obviously in its best rating's interest to do so, yet it's that kind of promotion that builds interest. ESPN also tried Tuesday to get "#GenoVsMuffet" trending on Twitter. ... Via Hartford Courant scribe/raconteur John Altavilla — Bria Hartley only fouled out three times in her career. All three instances were against Notre Dame. Dolson's only foul out was against the Fighting Irish, too. ... It is just the eighth time in NCAA history in which the Division I national champion finished unbeaten. UConn has done it four times (1994-95, 2001-02, 2008-09, 2009-10). Bentley (Division II) and Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham (Division III) were both perfect this season, too.
An unbeatable UConn pair: Stewart — selfless, unassuming, coachable — fits Auriemma mold
We all have ... and need ... people like Tanya Wheeler in our lives
VIDEO: Tall ship El Galeón arrives at New London's City Pier
Waterford moves step closer to berth in state Little League baseball title game
Heritage Park transition team elects former seaport vice president as chairman
Norwich murder hearing continued while key witness remains hospitalized
Newly signed state budget changes funding for cities and towns
New London lighthouse owners face legal battles on three fronts
Boater arrested after causing disturbance, blocking Mystic River channel


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THE Mining Business Investment conference starts today.
Kenya now has the opportunity to become a major mining player but is the government an enemy or a friend?
Base Titanium in Kwale is the first world class mining investment in Kenya. Rare earths will be mined at Mrima Hills and giant Barrack Gold is exploring western Kenya.
Unfortunately government is constantly moving the goalposts. Last year then Mining minister Chirau Mwakwere said all miners had to have 35 per cent local investors.
Now the draft Mining Bill says that miners have to surrender 10 per cent of their equity to the state. It has raised royalties on gross sales to 2.5 per cent for gold and 10 per cent for rare earths.
Combined with corporation tax, a miner in Kenya will now pay over 50 per cent of his revenue to the state.
But in Australia, the world's biggest mining nation, the state only takes 40 per cent. In Madagascar, the state only takes 30 per cent.
Mining Secretary Najib Balala should benchmark Kenya against other competing nations. He should pitch mining royalties at slightly below the international average to attract investors.
Otherwise international mining investors will run away and the Kenyan mining industry will never take off.


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I'm James Hague, a recovering programmer who has been designing video games since the 1980s. This is Why You Spent All that Time Learning to Program and Organizational Skills Beat Algorithmic Wizardry are good places to start.
Where are the comments?
The Silent Majority of Experts
When I still followed the Usenet group comp.lang.forth, I wasn't the only person frustrated by the lack of people doing interesting things with the language. Elizabeth Rather, co-founder of Forth, Inc., offered the following explanation: there are people solving real problems with Forth, but they don't hang-out in the newsgroup. She would know; her company exists to support the construction of commercial Forth projects.
In 1996 I worked on a port of The Need for Speed to the SEGA Saturn. (If you think that's an odd system to be involved with, I also did 3DO development, went to a Jaguar conference at Atari headquarters, and had an official set of Virtual Boy documentation.) There were a number of game developers with public faces in the 1990s, but the key people responsible for the original version of The Need for Speed, released in 1994, remained unknown and behind the scenes. That's even though they had written a game based around rigid-body physics before most developers had any idea that term was relevant to 3D video games. And they did it without an FPU: the whole engine used fixed-point math.
Yes, there are many people who blog and otherwise publicly discuss development methodologies and what they're working on, but there are even more people who don't. Blogging takes time, for example, and not everyone enjoys it. Other people are working on commercial products and can't divulge the inner workings of their code.
That we're unable to learn from the silent majority of experts casts an unusual light upon online discussions. Just because looking down your nose at C++ or Perl is the popular opinion doesn't mean that those languages aren't being used by very smart folks to build amazing, finely crafted software. An appealing theory that gets frantically upvoted may have well-understood but non-obvious drawbacks. All we're seeing is an intersection of the people working on interesting things and who like to write about it--and that's not the whole story.
Your time may better spent getting in there and trying things rather than reading about what other people think.
(If you liked this, you might enjoy Photography as a Non-Technical Hobby.)


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Rick Hill
Rick Hill is the Valero Alamo Bowl's VP of Marketing and Communications. Prior to the bowl, Rick spent 6 years working for the Spurs, one season with Missions Baseball and two fruitless months trying to sell season tickets for the S.A. Riders.
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Honoring Benjamin
My plan for this week's blog post was to recap BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock's appearance at last Wednesday's Bowl Insider Reception. In addition to linking a transcript from his question and answer section, I wanted to include stories from the post-event dinner Bill enjoyed with Valero Alamo Bowl staff and our Executive Committee. Bill's current role with […] [Read More]


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With Olivier Giroud's surgery knocking him out of action until January, the buzz around Arsenal is that the team now needs to buy a new striker if they want to compete for a title. This has led to all kinds … Continue reading
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Welcome to Imperial Graphics
40+ years in life sciences. 4,000 active protocols under management. 50,000+ global shipments to sites annually with 98% on time delivery. Imperial Graphics is a known and proven leader in the development, production, and delivery of site materials and supporting solutions. Across the world clinical teams rely on the experience and quality our teams consistently provide, keeping studies on track and on time. Our products and services range from PRO documents, to fulfillment of ancillary supplies, to site kit creative development and production, to global logistics, all the way to study closure technology. Imperial Graphics holds the skill and experience necessary in today's complex clinical environment to deliver the results clients require.


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A fiber optic data bus that includes a multiplexer means for generating a plurality of optical signals and for intensity modulating each of the optical signals in response to a respective one of a plurality of input RF signals each at a different RF carrier frequency to provide a plurality of intensity modulated optical signals. A signal collection means combines the plurality of intensity modulated optical signals into a combined optical signal. A conducting means conducts the combined optical signal to a signal distribution means which distributes the combined optical signal to each of a plurality of output ports. A demultiplexer means extracts from a portion of one of the distributed combined optical signals an output RF signal substantially identical to a predetermined one of the plurality of RF input signals.
1. A fiber optic data bus for multiplexing, transmitting, and demultiplexing a plurality of input RF signals as a corresponding plurality of output RF signals comprising:
a plurality of modulated light sources, each having an input adapted to receive a respective one of a plurality of input electrical RF signals each at a different RF carrier frequency wherein each modulated light source provides in response to a respective one of said input RF signals at an output a corresponding intensity modulated optical signal;
signal collection means for combining said plurality of intensity modulated optical signals into a combined optical signal, said signal collection means comprising an input star coupler having an output and a plurality of inputs with each input of said input star coupler connected to a respective output of said plurality of modulated light sources;
conducting means conncted to said signal collection means for conducting said combined optical signal, said conducting means comprising an optical fiber having a pair of ends with one end connected to said input star coupler output;
signal distribution means connected to said conducting means for output distribution of said combined optical signal, said signal distribution means comprising an output star coupler having an input and a plurality of outputs with said input of said output star coupler connected to the other end of said optical fiber;
a plurality of optical bandpass filters each having an input and an output, each optical bandpass filter input connected to a different output of said output star coupler, said optical bandpass filter comprising:
a segment of multimode optical fiber of a predetermined length, L,;
an input mirror on one end of said fiber segment;
means for directing intensity modulated light into said fiber segment; and
said fiber segment having a length substantially equal to half the wavelength of the modulation frequency in said fiber segment, with said fiber segment functioning as a resonant cavity and filtered output light exiting through said output mirror;
a plurality of optical detectors each having an input and an output, each optical detector input connected to a different optical bandpass filter output; and
wherein each of said optical filters extracts a predetermined portion of the distributed combined optical signal as an output optical signal which has a frequency corresponding to the modulation frequency of a respective one of said input RF signals and wherein each one of said optical detectors converts a respective output optical signal to an output electrical RF signal.
2. The fiber optic data bus of claim 1 wherein each RF input signal contains information within a predetermined bandwidth centered about an RF carrier of a different predetermined frequency.
3. The fiber optic data bus of claim 1 wherein each one of said modulated light sources comprises a laser diode each having an input adapted to receive a different one of said input RF signals and an output coupled to a respective input of said input star coupler.
4. The fiber optic data bus of claim 1 wherein said plurality of modulated light sources comprises:
a laser; and
a plurality of optical modulators each having an optical input coupled to the output of said laser, a modulation input adapted to receive a different one of said input RF signals and an output coupled to a respective input of said input star coupler.
5. The fiber optic data bus of claim 1 wherein each optical filter comprises a plurality of series connected optical bandpass filters each having an input and an output, the output of each optical bandpass filter connected to the input of another optical bandpass filter, wherein the first optical bandpass filter has an input connected to a respective output of said output star coupler, and a last optical bandpass filter has an output connected to a respective one of said optical detectors.
6. The fiber optic data bus of claim 1 wherein each optical filter input and output mirrors are formed of dielectric material deposited on the respective fiber segment ends.
7. The fiber optical data bus of claim 1 wherein each optical filter light directing means comprises a directional coupler having a single mode injection fiber coupled to a respective fiber segment.
8. The fiber optic data bus of claim 1 wherein each optical filter light directing means comprises an axial hole through a respective input mirror and an injecting fiber axially aligned with and closely adjacent said hole.
9. The fiber optic data bus of claim 1 wherein each optical filter fiber segment comprises a core encased by a cladding each of different refractive indexes.
10. The fiber optic data bus of claim 1 wherein in each optical filter the reflectance of the output mirror is less than the reflectance of the input mirror.
11. The optical fiber data bus of claim 6 wherein in each optical filter the reflectance of the output mirror is less than the reflectance of the input mirror.
12. The fiber optic data bus of claim 1 wherein in each optical filter the reflectances of the respective input and output mirrors are equal.
13. The fiber optic data bus of claim 6 wherein in each optical filter the reflectances of the respective input and output mirrors are equal.
14. The fiber optic data bus of claim 1 wherein the length, L, of said filter is given by the relationship ##EQU6## where λ is the wavelength of the modulation frequency,
c is the speed of light,
η is the effective refractive index of said fiber segment, and
fc is the center modulation frequency.
15. The fiber optic data bus of claim 1 further comprising at least one additional optical bandpass filter each having an additional segment of multimode optical fiber with an input mirror and an output mirror on opposite ends of each additional fiber segment, each additional fiber segment having the respective input mirror coupled adjacent to the respective output mirror of another fiber segment with each adjacently coupled input and output mirrors each having an axially aligned hole therethrough, wherein each additional fiber segment has a length equal to said predetermined length, L, and each additional fiber segment functioning as a resonant cavity with the filtered output light exiting through the output mirror of a last additional segment.
This application is related to applicant's co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 688,271 filed Jan. 2, 1985, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,924, entitled "Optical Recursive Filter", which is a continuation of Ser. No. 384,186 filed June 3, 1982, now abandoned; and applicant's co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 525,162 filed Sept. 21, 1983, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,101 entitled "Fast Frequency Hopping Demodulation System with Serial Accumulation of Signal".
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical data busses. More specifically the present invention relates to a novel and improved optical data bus utilizing a plurality of small, lightweight optical RF bandpass filters each for extracting a particular input signal from a composite signal comprised of all input signals.
2. Background Art
Future tactical data links, including data busses, electronic intelligence collection systems and high resolution radar receivers demand high performance, large time-bandwidth product devices for signal processing. Fiber and integrated optics technologies promise to provide versatile and effective signal processing techniques with bandwidths and time-bandwidth products exceeding those of any other technology currently envisioned. Other potential benefits include low power requirements, reduced size, weight, cost, complexity and reduced sensitivity to electromagnetic interference, electromagnetic pulse and nuclear radiation. Another potential benefit especially with respect to an optical data bus is the virtually unlimited expansion capability, limited only by the number of input RF carrier frequencies and the assigned bandwidths associated with each carrier frequency.
Previous attempts at constructing fiber optic RF frequency multiplexed data buses have attempted to use different optical carrier frequencies for the multiplexing. In implementing such a system, multiple optical carrier frequencies must be generated in which a series of complex filters, polarization discriminators, and modulators are used to generate the combined multiplexed signal for transmission over a single optical fiber. The demodulating scheme includes polarization discriminators, filters, and detectors for isolating the different modulated carrier signals and detecting the modulation on each carrier signal. These systems have the inherent disadvantage that a plurality of different optical carriers must be generated. Another disadvantage of these systems is that a great number of components must be utilized to achieve a working system thereby resulting in significant increases in cost, size, and weight.
With respect to optical filters used in optical systems, it is known to construct a segment of optical fiber which is resonant to the optical or carrier frequency by placing highly reflecting mirrors on both ends of the fiber and injecting light of appropriate characteristics into the fiber. A fiber segment so configured may be referred to as a resonant cavity with respect to the carrier frequency. This resonant cavity has been described as being useful for the determination of coupling coefficients so as to enable one to specify and predict the light transmission characteristics of a particular fiber. This test assumes the use of a multimode fiber segment where the coupling coefficients between at least two light propagating modes are simultaneously at resonance within the fiber segment when measured. However, it has not been suggested prior to applicant's above-referenced co-pending application entitled "Optical Recursive Filter" that a multimode optical fiber functioning as a resonant cavity may be employed, with its attendant advantages relating to cost, size, weight and reduced susceptibility to external interference, as an RF bandpass filter, especially with respect to an RF frequency multiplexed optical data bus.
The present invention is a fiber optic data bus having a multiplexer means for generating a plurality of optical signals and for intensity modulating each one of the optical signals in response to a respective one of the plurality of input RF signals to provide a plurality of intensity modulated optical signals. Signal collection means combine the plurality of intensity modulated optical signals into a combined optical signal which is provided through a conducting means to a signal distribution means which ultimately distributes the combined optical signal to a plurality of output ports. Demultiplexer means is then used to extract from a portion of one of the distributed combined optical signals an output RF signal substantially identical to a predetermined one of the plurality of input RF signals.
In another embodiment of the invention the demultiplexer means extracts from a portion of each distributed combined optical signal a different one of a plurality of output RF signals each substantially identical to a respective one of the plurality of input RF signals.
The objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be more fully apparent from the detailed description set forth below, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters correspond throughout and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the RF frequency multiplexed fiber optic data bus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an expanded data bus system FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of one embodiment of a single optical bandpass filter in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the optical filter of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of an alternative embodiment of the optical bandpass filter;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial schematic, partial sectional view of the filter of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a plot of output intensity versus modulation frequency for a typical filter;
FIG. 8 is a graph of output power versus drive current for a typical laser diode which may be employed in the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a graph of insertion loss with respect to a value which is a function of output and the reflectance of the output mirror;
FIG. 10 is a graph of fractional bandwidth with respect to output mirror reflectance; and
FIG. 11 is a graph of fractional bandwidth with respect to filter center frequency;
FIG. 12 is a schematic sectional view of a pair of series coupled optical bandpass filters;
FIGS. 13(a)-(b) are graphs of the signal power input and output from the bandpass filters with respect to frequency for a single bandpass filter and two cascaded bandpass filters.
FIGS. 14(a)-(c) are graphs of the signal power as a function of RF carrier frequency for unfiltered and filtered RF signals.
FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified RF frequency multiplexed fiber optic data bus of the present invention. A plurality of input RF signals, U1 -U4, are provided as an input to multiplexer means 10. Each input RF signal contains information or data modulated on an RF carrier having a carrier frequency typically in the range of 100 MHz-10 GHz. The information may be either amplitude modulated, frequency modulated or modulated by other well known modulation techniques. The modulated information may be either analog information or digital information that has a predetermined bandwidth centered about a respective RF carrier frequency. As with all multiplexer systems, the carrier frequencies must be spaced sufficiently far apart in the frequency spectrum to prevent any overlapping of one bandwidth about a carrier frequency with another bandwidth of an adjacent carrier frequency.
Multiplexer means 10 is comprised of a plurality of modulated light sources 12a-12d which each generate an optical signal, receive a respective one of the input RF signals and providing an output optical signal intensity modulated by the input RF signal. Modulated light sources 12a-12d may each be implemented as a laser diode, for example GaAs laser diode having an optical carrier wavelength of 0.84 μm. Each modulated light source may have the same or different optical wavelengths. The output of each modulated light source 12a-12d is coupled by means such as an optical fiber to the input of a signal collection means.
The signal collection means is comprised of a star coupler 14 which combines the optical signal provided from each modulated light source into a single combined optical signal. Although each modulated light source 12a-12d may provide a coherent optical signal output, these signals typically become noncoherent signals once coupled into multimode fiber by star coupler 14. The output of star coupler 14 is coupled by a coupling means typically multimode optical fiber 16 to the input of a signal distribution means.
The signal distribution means comprises star coupler 18 which is provided with a plurality of output ports for further distribution of the combined signal. In effect, star coupler 18 functions as a power divider so as to distribute substantially equal signal power to each of the output ports.
The output ports of star coupler 18 are coupled by typically an optical fiber into demultiplexer means 20. Demultiplexer means 20 extracts from a portion of each distributed combined optical signal an optical output signal having a wavelength corresponding to the modulation frequency of an input RF carrier signal. Demultiplexer means 20 then converts each output optical signal into an electrical output RF signal corresponding to a respective one of the input RF signals.
Demultiplexer means 20 is comprised of signal isolation means 22 and converting means 24. Signal isolation means 22 extracts the intensity modulated signal from portions of the combined optical signal and provides a plurality of optical output signals. Signal isolation means 22 is comprised of a plurality of optical bandpass filters 26a-26d each having an input coupled by means such as an optical fiber to the output of star coupler 18. Each filter 26a-26d is tuned to pass a predetermined RF frequency and bandwidth in an output optical signal corresponding to the RF frequency and bandwidth of the intensity modulation frequency of an input RF signal. Each filter 26a-26d thus has a predetermined passband of RF frequencies about the resonant frequency. A more detailed discussion of the operation of the filters is presented below.
Demultiplexer means 20 further includes converting means 24 for converting each output optical signal into an electrical signal. Converting means 24 comprises a plurality of detectors 28a-28d each having an input respectively coupled to the output of a respective one of filters 26a-26d by means such as an optical fiber. Detectors 28a-28d are typically well known photodetectors such as a PIN detector or an APD (avalanche photodiode) detector. The output of each detector is an output RF signal substantially identical to a respective one of the input RF signals. Each filter-detector pair, for example filter 26a and detector 28a isolate and extract an output optical signal from the combined optical signal, which is converted from the optical frequency spectrum to the RF spectrum as an output signal U'1 corresponding to the input RF signal U1.
FIG. 2 illustrates an expanded version of the fiber optic data bus of the present invention. In FIG. 2, a plurality of multiplexers means 30a-30n each receive a plurality of input RF signals. For example, multiplexer means 30A includes a plurality of modulating light sources 32a-32j each were receiving an input RF signal, U11 -Uj, each modulated about a different RF carrier frequency. The remaining multiplexer means 30b-30n similarly receive different input RF signals each being modulated upon a different RF carrier frequency. The output from each modulated light source 32a-32n is coupled by means such as optical fiber into a star coupler 34a-34n associated with the respective multiplexer means. Similarly, the output from star couplers 34a-34n is coupled by means such as an optical fiber to star coupler 36. While star couplers 34a-34n each combine the intensity modulated optical signals provided by a respective multiplexer means, star coupler 36 combines each of the combined signals provided from star couplers 34a-34n into a single signal. The combined signal output from star coupler 36 is coupled on optical fiber 38 to star coupler 40. Star coupler 40 distributes the combined signal with a corresponding reduction in power for each distributed combined signal to a plurality of star couplers 42a-42n.
Each star coupler 42a-42n provides a plurality of outputs to a respective demultiplexer means 44a-44n. Each demultiplexer means 44a-44n includes signal isolation means 46a-46n respectively coupled to converting means 48a-48n. Each signal isolation means, for example, signal isolation means 48a is comprised of a plurality of optical bandpass filters 48a-48j each having an input coupled to a different output port of star coupler 42a. Furthermore, converting means 48a is comprised of a plurality of detectors 50a-50j, each having an input coupled to the output of a corresponding filter. Demultiplexer means 44 extracts from a portion of the combined optical signal a plurality of output RF signals each corresponding to a predetermined one of the input RF signals. Each of the detectors provides an electrical signal that is proportional to the intensity of the light passing through the filter so as to provide an output electrical signal proportional to the amplitude of the modulation of the internal signal.
Referring to FIGS. 3-6 and 12, the physical structure of the optical RF bandpass filter is shown. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the multimode optical fiber segment 110 is mounted in a directional coupler device 112 comprising coupler elements 114 and 116. Fiber segment 110 is formed over surface 118 of coupler element 114 and input fiber 120 is clamped in position with respect to fiber segment 110 by means of coupler element 116. Coupler device 112 and fibers 110 and 120 are held together by suitable means such as epoxy 122. FIG. 4 shows fiber segment 110 comprised of core 124 surrounded by cladding 126 which is enclosed by buffer layer 128. Reflective coating or mirror 130 and 132 are applied by appropriate means such as deposition after the ends of fiber segment 110 has been ground flat and polished.
By way of example, fiber segment 110 may be a step index fiber with a silica core, having a diameter in the range of 200-1000 μm, and contained within a doped silica cladding. A fiber buffer layer made of a material capable of withstanding the requirements of deposition, that is, having heat-resistance characteristics up to 250° C., encases the cladding. It has been found that when properly applied, a buffer or jacket made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is adequate. A metal, such as aluminium, deposited on the cladding also may serve as an adequate buffer layer. The buffer layer is necessary to protect the silica glass fiber from moisture and scratches which reduce the tensile strength of the fiber. A reduction in tensile strength reduces the effective flexibility of the fiber which may cause the fiber to break easily. The types of fibers utilized in the present invention are well known in the art and are commercially available. The reflectance of the dielectric mirror is typically in the vicinity of 0.998 and the transmittance is in the vicinity of 0.001.
In constructing the directional coupler of FIG. 3, the cladding of the main fiber 110 is ground to within a very short distance of core 124, for example, 2 μm, and the end of signal injection fiber 120 is applied to fiber segment 110 at location 134. Of course, sizes, materials and specific parameters provided herein are examples only and the invention is not to be limited by these examples.
An alternative and preferred embodiment of the filter used in the present invention is shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 illustrates by schematic representation fiber segment 136 having input light (combined optical signal) represented by arrow 138 and output light (output optical signal) represented by arrow 140. Source 142 is generically defined as the system which generates the optical signal from an input RF signal. Referring to FIG. 6, fiber segment 136 is formed with mirrors 144, and 145 at opposite ends with one mirror, for example, mirror 144, having an axial hole 146 therethrough. Hole 146 may be formed by chemical etching or laser burning. The hole typically has a diameter in the range of 50-150 μm for an exemplary fiber core of 1000 μm diameter or typically in the range of 5-15% of the core diameter. Light is injected into fiber segment 136 by means of an optical waveguide or single mode fiber 148 coupled to an appropriate light source such as laser 150, the output of which may be modulated by modulator 152. In the alternative, the modulator output may be directly coupled to the fiber segment 136. A laser diode may be used as the modulating laser source instead of laser 150 ns mosulroe 152. It should be noted that although the carrier light injected by means of fiber 148 may be coherent, upon passing through hole 146 in mirror 144 and entering multimode optical fiber 136, diffraction of the light will occur, resulting in multimodal propagation of the light in fiber segment 136. It has been discovered that when the hole is placed on the central axis of the core some coherency remains in the propagated light. However when the hole is placed off-axis, but within the boundary of the core-cladding interface, the injected light becomes non-coherent.
In both the embodiments of the filter described above, fiber segments 110 and 136 each have a length L corresponding to half the wavelength λ of the modulation frequency in that fiber. Referring to FIG. 3, light input, as represented by arrow 154, from source 156 applied to input fiber 120 enters fiber segment 110 through directional coupler 112. Light exits through partially reflecting mirror 132 as represented by arrow 158. By making the length of fiber 110 equal to half the modulation wavelength, fiber segment 110 functions as a resonant cavity. Fiber segment 110 is not resonant to the optical carrier but only to the modulation on the carrier. The light injected and represented by arrow 154 in FIG. 3 and by arrow 138 in FIG. 5 may be coherent if applied directly from a coherent light source but becomes noncoherent when in the fiber. Both fiber segments 110 and 136 are multimode optical fibers, hence both embodiments exhibit multimodal propagation of the light in the resonant cavity.
The 3-dB bandwidth, Δf, is given by the equation: ##EQU1## In equations (1) and (2): fc is the center modulation frequency, A=R1 R2 (1-l1),
R1 is the reflectance of mirrors 130 and 144,
R2 is the reflectance of mirrors 132 and 145,
l1 represents the total losses in the cavity fiber,
η1 is the refractive index of fiber core 21, and
η2 the refractive index of fiber cladding 22.
The signal attenuation loss lt in dB is given by the equation: ##EQU2## where: α is the fraction of light taken for the output (α≦1-R1),
β is the loss at the coupling input, frequently termed the launch coupler, ##EQU3## Signal attenuation values less than 10 dB are possible, implying a 5 dB loss in the bias intensity.
A filter constructed in accordance with the principles as discussed herein, specifically a filter employing a fiber segment 50 cm long, performs substantially as shown in the diagram of FIG. 7. The peak at 200 MHz is the fundamental center modulation frequency fc. The other peaks shown are integer harmonics of the fundamental frequency. Once again, the light input to the fiber segment is intensity modulated, i.e., power modulated, as distinguished from amplitude modulated light. In the exemplary filter, it is expected that the 3-dB bandwidth be a few tenths of a percent (0.5%) of the center frequency, resulting in a Q of about 200 where Q=f/Δf, can be achieved. The results shown in FIG. 7 are consistent with calculated values when ##EQU4## where: L is the length of the fiber segment,
c is the speed of light (3×108 m/sec), and
η is the effective refractive index and is taken as 1.5 in this example. From equation (4) it may be calculated that L equals 0.5 m or 50 cm for the exemplary filter.
Filter performance as a function of key parameters for the RF bandpass filter of this invention is represented in the graphs of FIGS. 8-11. For example, a single laser diode may be employed as source 156 and 142 from which the light output is modulated prior to injection into the filter of FIGS. 3 or 5. Laser diodes are a readily available commercial product typically having a power versus current curve similar to the one illustrated in FIG. 8. The curve of FIG. 8 indicates that modulation about a DC bias level of approximately 23 mA (0.36 mW), with a modulating current of about 1 mA peak-to-peak, is preferred. A DC bias level of 23 mA ensures that the intensity waveform has a bias level such that the intensity modulation always remains above zero intensity.
Signal attenuation is represented in FIG. 9 for different relationships of the reflectances of mirrors 130, 132, 144 and 145. In FIG. 9 signal attenuation is given as a function of: ##EQU5## where: α is fraction of light taken for the output (α≦1-R1) and
R1 is the reflectance of the output mirror.
Ideally, it would be desirable to have k=1 which implies that all of the energy not reflected by the output mirror is collected at the output. In practice, of course, some of the light will be absorbed by the dielectric material of the mirror. A practical value for k with dielectric mirrors is in the range of 0.7 to 0.8 for R1 =0.999. However, it should be noted that when R1 is much smaller than R2 (R1 <<R2) the signal attenuation is 6 dB less than when R1 =R2 In this case, while in absolute terms it appears to be a very small difference, 0.998 is indeed much less than 0.999. The other parameters which were held constant for this measurement are shown in the FIG. 9 graph. The other parameters in FIG. 9 are the modulation frequency, fc ; the launch coupler loss, β; the numerical aperture, NA; the effective refractive index of the fiber, η1 and the characteristic fiber attenuation, a.
Fractional bandwidth as a function of reflectivity of the output mirror is shown in FIG. 10. As illustrated the bandwidth of the linear configuration filter is not explicitly dependent upon the fraction of output light α. In conformance with FIG. 9, the advantage of having the output mirror at a lower reflectivity than the opposite mirror (R1 <R2) is apparent. This is shown by the fact that curve A has a fractional bandwidth less than curve B for all values of R1 less than R2.
Fractional bandwidth as a function of filter center frequency, for different values (10, 5, 2) of the characteristic fiber attenuation, a, is shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is plotted with reflectances R1 =R2 =0.998. At frequencies of approximately 1,000 MHz, and greater all of the fibers behave similarly with respect to fractional bandwidth. The degraded fractional bandwidths at the lower frequencies result from fiber transmission losses and dispersion. FIG. 11 illustrates that the fractional bandwidth for a fiber having an attenuation of a=10 dB/km is substantially worse than where a=2 dB/km. The shapes of the curves in FIG. 11 are relatively similar for different values of reflectance but larger reflectances result in larger frequencies at which the effects of the fiber transmission losses and dispersion become important. This is consistent with the fact that larger reflectances result in larger effective path lengths for the light in the fiber.
In comparing the present noncoherent filter with a coherent optical RF bandpass filter, e.g. a filter which does not use a multimode optical fiber and employs coherent light, it has been found that the bandwidth of the coherent device with respect to the optical carrier frequency is very narrow and the filter has extreme sensitivity to variations in fiber length. In addition, a filter operating with coherent light is very sensitive to small temperature changes which effect the filter center operating frequency fc.
In the noncoherent filter used in the present invention, fiber length variations which might be expected as a result of temperature changes do not significantly affect the operation of the device unless the fractional bandwidth approaches or falls below 0.1%. In the noncoherent filter, side optical bandwidth operation is preferred while narrow bandwidth is necessary for the device operating with coherent light. The option of wide bandwidth which may be tailored to a narrow bandwidth gives the optical filters used in the present invention greater flexibility in matching the bandwidth of an RF input signal. The tailoring of the bandwidth is discussed herein with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.
For a coherent filter, the optical modulator must have an output intensity proportional to the square of the signal amplitude. This is not a common or presently available device. In the noncoherent filter used in the present invention, output intensity need only be linearly proportional to the signal amplitude which is the common operation for an optical modulator. An advantage of coherent operation is that a hole in the input mirror is not required, however, precise control of fiber length caused by thermal and mechanical perturbations is critical. Because the noncoherent filter is concerned with the frequency and wavelength of the modulation, as opposed to the carrier light, either the directional coupler of FIG. 3 or the axial coupler shown in FIG. 5 may be utilized. With the noncoherent filter dynamic control of fiber length is not required.
It has been experimentally determined that coupling a pair of optical bandpass filters in series as illustrated in FIG. 12, a narrower passband may be achieved. FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment of a pair of optical bandpass filters 160 and 162 each respectively tuned to the same RF carrier frequency. Filters 160 and 162 respectively include cores 164 and 166 encased by claddings 168 and 170. Claddings 168 and 179 are further enclosed by buffer layers 172 and 174. Both filters 160 and 162 are constructed from multimode optical fibers. Filter 160 includes mirror 176 at one end while at the other end is located mirror 178. Similarly, filter 162 includes mirrors 180 at one end while at the other end is located mirror 182. As illustrated in FIG. 12, filters 160 and 162 are mated together with the external surfaces of mirrors 178 and 180 in contact. Filter 160 includes an axial hole 184 in mirror 176 in which light may be coupled into core 164 from fiber 186. Again, hole 184 may be located off the central axis of core 164 within the boundary defined by the core/cladding interface so as to insure coherent injected light is propagated throughout the filter as noncoherent light. At the other end of filter 160 in mirror 178 is axial hole 188 which is axial aligned with hole 190 in mirror 180 of filter 162. The aligned holes 188 and 190 permit enhanced coupling of the filtered signal from filter 160 to filter 162 without significant losses in power or degradation in filter performance. It is preferred that holes 188 and 190 are of the same diameter and slightly larger in diameter than hole 184 at the input of the filter 160.
The light input to filter 160 is filtered so as to output to filter 162 light modulated in the passband of filter 160. Filter 162 filters the light within the passband of filter 162 which is then output to optical fiber 192 at hole 194 in mirror 182.
FIG. 13 illustrates the passband response of a single filter and of two cascaded filters. FIG. 13a illustrates the response in output power versus frequency when the filter is tuned with a resonant carrier frequency of 1.94 GHz. FIG. 13b illustrates the two cascaded filter response of output power versus frequency when each filter is tuned to 1.94 GHz. The results in FIG. 13 were obtained from experimental data using filters having a core diameter of 760 μm and a cladding thickness of 76 μm. The optical carrier frequency was provided from a GaAs laser diode having a wavelength of 0.84 μm. In the comparison of FIGS. 13a and 13b it can be seen that a sharper attenuation i.e. narrower passband is achieved with the cascaded filters. Although illustrated with two cascaded filters, it is envisioned that multiple cascaded filters in excess of two may be implemented to attain a sharper roll off in the attenuation characteristics of the filters.
Utilization of the optical bandpass filters as described herein in a system of present invention permits the construction of an exemplary sixty-four channel system utilizing sixty-four carrier frequencies with FM modulation. For optimum performance of this system with competing technologies, it is preferred that the system operates with the carrier frequencies within the range of 250 MHz-2 GHz, with expansion capability up to 10 GHz.
FIG. 14a provides a graphical representation of the output power as input to one of the sixty-four filters. FIG. 14b illustrates the output power, at the output of the filter centered at Fi. Without the filtering provided by the optical bandpass filter, the peak signal voltage at the output of the detector would be sixty-four times the single channel peak signal voltage. Under the assumption that channels beyond Fi +7 and Fi -7 are down 20 db, the peak signal voltage after filtering is merely 10.4 times the single channel peak signal voltage. This corresponds to an improvement with the filtering in the signal to noise ratio of 15.7 db. In addition, by utilizing the optical data bus the output RF signals will be electrically isolated from the input RF signals.
FIG. 14c illustrates the filter response necessary for signals such as high quality video signals. To obtain a narrowband filter response requires the cascading of multiple filters. FIG. 14c illustrates the characteristics of greater attenuation with the further deviation from the carrier frequency as compared to FIG. 14b. Such attenuation is needed for high quality video provided by a single channel having a 6 MHz bandwidth or 150 megabytes digitized bandwidth.
The previous description of the preferred embodiments are provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments. without the use of the inventive faculty. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
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New York
NYC Dinner for Girlfriend's Birthday
It is my girlfriend's birthday in early December and I would like to book a reservation for dinner. Our favorite restaurant is ABC Kitchen, but we could not get a reservation unfortunately. Does anyone have another recommendation for a similar restaurant? Something simple, fresh, New American, etc. Open to any recommendations. Thanks.
Talk is closed, but that doesn't mean the conversations have to stop!
Check out this post for a more thorough explanation, and jump onto our Facebook page or our Twitter feed to keep the conversations going!


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Inverness, FL- A battle between Progress/Duke Energy and Citrus County over unpaid property taxes heats up.
The utility company paid a little over $19 million of a $35 million tax bill, and is disputing the balance saying the property appraiser over assessed the company's property value.
"The number one thing government does is protect the safety of its citizens."
It's a job Citrus County Sheriff Jeffrey Dawsey says has been crippled by the Progress/Duke Energy Company for not paying $15 million in property taxes. Dawsey says it's money that could cost lives.
"If I have cars that are not safe, vests that are outdated, weapons that need to be replaced- the responsibility falls upon Duke for their failure to meet their responsibility to taxpayers that they have pledged," says Dawsey.
Sheriff Dawsey has stopped all purchases and ordered a hiring freeze. He says lay-offs are likely of as many as 30 deputies, fire rescue and Emergency Management personnel. The sheriff says he has reduced training for deputies and firefighters.
Today the sheriff put the communities of Sugarmill Woods, Darosa and Floral City on alert. Dawsey says due to the unexpected budget cuts brought on by Progress/Duke, the county may have to close two fire departments, meaning 12 firefighters would lose their jobs and residents would lose service.
READ:Progress Energy challenges valuation and tax bill
The sheriff believes Progress/Duke Energy intentionally waited until all government budgets had been approved and allocated before refusing to pay the entire tax bill.
"Do the right thing and pay your taxes," says Dawsey.
The $15 million in unpaid property taxes breaks down like this:
- $1.8 million from law enforcement
- $800,000 from fire rescue
- $4.4 million from other county services and programs
- $8 million from schools
"The $8 million dollars represent jobs," says Terry Flaherty, a physical education coach at Inverness Primary school.
Flaherty says these cuts are devastating and Progress/Duke's actions are deliberate.
"By not paying taxes, Duke is cheating schools cheating the community all for the profit margins," says Flaherty.
"We can't choose not to pay our electric bill. If we do they come and turn it off," says Brett Eldridge, father of two.
Elridge says he worries how the cuts will impact the education his daughter, Brileyann, will receive.
"It could mean massive cutbacks to learning materials, computer equipment and fewer field trips."
Duke Energy and Progress Energy merged in July, and Flaherty has strong feelings about their presence.
"Thanks a lot Duke; it means a lot that you come into our county and pull the rug from under public education. You should come help be part of our community, but you've alienated every body"
Sheriff Dawsey says today he put FEMA and Progress/Duke Energy on notice that due to these unexpected budget cuts, the sheriff's office will no longer guarantee mutual aid to the residents around Crystal River Nuclear Plant.
Progress/Duke Representatives and Emergency Management officials met today to discuss this latest change. No update yet on what has been decided.
Progress/Duke Energy officials say they will be filing a complaint in circuit court on Friday to have a judge determine a fair property assessment.
READ:Statement by Commission Chairman Joe Meek
Meanwhile, Citrus County Board of Commissioners will hold an emergency meeting at 10 a.m. Friday morning, and the School Board will hold its own emergency meeting Friday afternoon at 2 p.m.


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OKLAHOMA CITY – James Gates was working to fix a Harley Tuesday night at JRT Cycles at 2412 S.W. 29th St.
He noticed someone trying to steal an ATV in the front lot.
"Came out, saw some little goofball all hopped up on something out here trying to steal broken four-wheelers and three-wheelers," Gates said. "So I go to confront the guy and split second, pulled out a gun and shot me."
The bullet went through Gates' hip, leaving him with a limp.
But he said it could have been much worse if not for his best friend.
"She got him, attacked him, knocked him down, knocked the gun out of his hands; deterred him long enough that police was able to get here and snatch him up," Gates said.
"Minnie Mouse," or "Mouse" for short, has been Gates' faithful sidekick for nine years.
Her teeth aren't very sharp anymore but Monday night, they did the job.
"Obviously she can still snatch somebody's skin, so yeah she got him," Gates said. "She was just attacking him and when I looked over there, she was just all over him, had him on the ground."
Gates' coworker, Milton Oliva, said, "I heard the gunshot and then I heard James yelling at Mouse, just saying, 'Get him, get him!'"
Gates credits Mouse with saving his life because he said the suspect was getting ready to start shooting at him again.
"She's been my best friend for nice years, going on nine years, and she's proved it once more," Gates said. "That's it, just man's best friend."
After a brief chase, police arrested 27-year-old Michael Ruoff for the shooting.


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Girlfriend Ride
P.O. Box 115
Hope, IN 47246
Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow...
The mission of Turning Point Domestic Violence Services is to work toward the elimination of domestic violence and help empower victims to achieve a violence-free lifestyle.
From Lisa Shafran, President Turning Point Domestic Violence Services, Inc.
I believe there are a lot of women in the community and throughout our region who want to help, but they may not know how they can help. An event like this can raise awareness, educate women and girls about domestic violence and create an opportunity to help Turning Point. I also think it can become a signature event for women helping women!
Part of the motivation for the Girlfriend Ride comes from wanting to honor the memory of Nancy Jane Asher Richards, a woman who was recently murdered by her husband here in Columbus in a domestic violence homicide. It would be a great legacy to her to establish an event that brought women and girls together in a way that might prevent domestic violence from occurring in the next generation of women. Victims of domestic violence need the help and support of other women to succeed in breaking free from abuse and beginning a new life free of violence.
I am always encouraged by people in the community coming forward to help, particularly in the midst of difficult times! I think it is critical that events such as these add value to the fabric of the community and provide education and awareness that may prevent domestic violence in the future. The Girlfriend Ride can do this all while creating an environment of fun, fitness, and camaraderie!
Turning Point estimates that over 3,500 individuals are victimized by domestic violence each year in Bartholomew County alone! We will need the continued involvement of the entire community to intervene in, prevent and reduce domestic violence.
Lisa Shafran
Turning Point Domestic Violence Services, Inc.
812.379.5575, ext. 201


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One of mystery writing's most acclaimed novelists for her brilliant Tess Monaghan series, Laura Lippman won the Anthony and Barry Awards for this riveting stand-alone.
Kicked out of a birthday party, 11-year-olds Alice and Ronnie walk home and encounter a baby left in a carriage. Their earnest desire to do a good deed ends tragically, however, and seven years later they are released from "kid prison" to start their lives anew.
©2003 Laura Lippmann; (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC
"Lippman has won just about every mystery writing award there is - the Edgar, the Agatha, the Anthony, the Shamus, and the Nero Wolfe - for her Tess Monaghan series. This is her first stand-alone mystery, one in which the detectives are consigned to bit parts....Lippman doesn't write a standard whodunit here but plays with reader expectations of what should happen next. A startling page-turner." (Booklist)
I guess I'm a baby...I just love to be read to.
"Couldn't Make It"
I love what I've read of Laura Lippman but just couldn't get into this one. As a matter of fact I'm pretty underwhelmed by the one Tess Monahan book I've downloaded as well. Sad to think Lippman is not consistent because all her books are intriguing to me but I've steered away from any of her titles since failing to make it through this one.
My biggest complaint is that the beginning is fairly difficult to follow and with audiobook that is bad news for these ears. I felt like that with the other Lippman books that I've finished but for some reason those titles hooked me before it was too late...this one did not and I moved on.
"This Was Torture Listening"
This was the slowest Laura Lippman book I've listened to yet. It was torture getting to the end. There was so much non-essential talking and took forever to get to one point. I like Lippman and will still listen to her, but this one is not on my list of favorites.
"Horrible narration"
It sounds like a Kindergarten teacher reading to her students. The themes, dialogue, and content just sounded wrong in such a whimsical voice. The story was pretty good. I imagine it would be a good book to read on a plane or at the beach. Terrible listen, however...
"I was hooked on the story . . ."
. . . from the very beginning, but the narrator was horrible. She has this sort of chipper voice that's not at all in keeping with the tenor of the story and the character delineation was so subtle that it was almost non-existent; with a more suitable narrator, this would have been a 5 star listen, in my opinion.
"I just don't get it."
Ok, the first problem was that I thought this was in the Tess Monaghan series. It isn't. I even went to Amazon and read the reviews, which were favorable talking about the great character development. Well, I'll agree that the characters are well developed, but I didn't LIKE any of them. The story is told from at least six points of view and I had a hard time through the first half trying to remember who this person was that was now the central character. I suppose that I could most like the detective, but she's fairly bland, insecure and a little whiney. Yeah, she has things to be insecure about, but there isn't a lot more to her. Then there's the manipulative black (and that's why everybody's against me) mother with the rich powerful father. The two girls, Ronnie and Alice, anything I say about them would constitute spoiler. Alice's public defender is another viewpoint. She seems weak and unprofessional. Alice's mother, who struck me as self-centered. A nasty newspaper reporter and her superiors. I finished it because I wanted to understand what happend, but I could have done without the middle six hours. Everything is wrapped up, explained and you understand why a couple of characters acted as they did only in the last 20 minutes or so.
"Didn't care for this one, usually love her books"
Did not like the characters or the ending
Yes- I usually love her books, but not this one
I didn't mind her narration
"good until the end"
I really enjoyed listening to this book. It was compelling and kept me wondering until the end. It felt like the author ran out of steam though and the ending felt rushed and not as well developed or interesting as the first 90% of the book
"Devoured it!"
Great story, good mystery, and superb narration! I devoured this book! I thought the narrator was extremely talented -- was surprised that others thought otherwise. I consider myself very picky with narration. Ciulla had distinct voices befitting the various characters. Very engaging! Read it in two days. This was my first Lippman book; I look forward to reading some of her others!!!
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Delaware First Again
Delaware is the first State to serve geospatial data over the entire State through the Internet as part of The National Map. In partnership with the USGS, several organizations in Delaware coordinated technical expertise and geospatial data into an on-line mapping system called the Delaware DataMIL.
For more information click here.
For those who don't remember, Delaware was the first State to ratify the Constitution of the United States.


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Session W44: Focus Session: The Physics of Behavior
2:30 PM–5:30 PM, Thursday, March 21, 2013
Hilton Baltimore Room: Holiday Ballroom 1
Sponsoring Unit: DBIO
Chair: Greg J. Stephens, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
Abstract ID: BAPS.2013.MAR.W44.10
Abstract: W44.00010 : Mosh pits and Circle pits: Collective motion at heavy metal concerts
Preview Abstract MathJax On | Off Abstract
Matthew Bierbaum
(Cornell University)
Jesse L. Silverberg
(Cornell University)
James P. Sethna
(Cornell University)
Itai Cohen
(Cornell University)
Heavy metal concerts present an extreme environment in which large crowds ($\sim 10^2- 10^5$) of humans experience very loud music ($\sim130\rm{dB}$) in sync with bright, flashing lights, often while intoxicated. In this setting, we find two types of collective motion: mosh pits, in which participants collide with each other randomly in a manner resembling an ideal gas, and circle pits, in which participants run collectively in a circle forming a vortex of people. We model these two collective behaviors using a flocking model and find qualitative and quantitative agreement with the behaviors found in videos of metal concerts. Futhermore, we find a phase diagram showing the transition from a mosh pit to a circle pit as well as a predicted third phase, lane formation.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2013.MAR.W44.10


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Attorney General Mike DeWine on Wednesday announced the resolution of a multistate antitrust lawsuit against a major U.S. book publisher for price-fixing and collusion in the electronic book (e-book) market.
DeWine and 32 other attorneys general have reached an agreement with Penguin Group (USA) Inc. to settle allegations that Penguin colluded with other major publishers and Apple Inc. to manipulate prices in the e-book market. An estimated $4.77 million will be distributed to Ohio consumers as a result of this settlement and previous settlements with four other publishers.
"We are pleased to have reached this settlement, which is the next step in this important case," DeWine said. "We will continue to work with the other attorneys general to ensure that consumers who purchased e-books recoup the overcharges they paid as a result of the conspiracy."
Penguin has agreed to pay $75 million for consumers nationwide. DeWine and the other state attorneys general previously entered into settlements totaling $89 million with four other publishers: Hachette Book Group Inc., HarperCollins Publishers LLC, Simon & Schuster Inc., and Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC d/b/a Macmillan, for allegations relating to the same conduct.
The agreement with Penguin must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. When finalized, the agreement with Penguin also will grant e-book outlets greater freedom to reduce the prices of their e-book titles.
Consumers will be notified of their rights under the settlement in the coming months. Once the court gives final approval, consumers will receive emails telling them when their credits will be available.
The multistate antitrust action based on the same allegations against Apple Inc. remains pending with trial scheduled in June 2013.


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Where are the best burgers in America served? Hey, if there were a single, final answer, there wouldn't be any blogs, and what fun would that be? Delish.com has posted its list of the 25 best burgers and the restaurants that will cook them for you. And sure, I disagree with many of them, which is half the joy (the other half being eating burgers). But Delish's list also includes several places that are new to me, and I love that. Check out the list and leave a comment: name the burger joints you'd have included.
In-N-Out Burger, multiple locations
Minetta Tavern, New York City
Holeman & Finch, Atlanta
Ray's Hell Burger, Arlington, Va.
Cragie on Main, Boston
Louis' Lunch, New Haven, Conn.
Zuni Cafe, San Francisco
Dyer's Burgers, Memphis, Tenn.
Custom House, Chicago
Michael's Genuine Food & Drink, Miami
The Spotted Pig, New York City
Gott's Roadside (aka Taylor's Refresher), multiple Calif. locations
Farmburger, Decatur, Ga.
Father's Office, Los Angeles
Little Owl, New York City
Palena Café, Washington, D.C.
Ted's, Meriden, Conn.
Miller's Bar, Dearborn, Mich.
Green Street Grill, Boston
Healdsburg Bar & Grill, Healdsburg, Calif.
Shake Shack, New York City
Perini Ranch Steakhouse, Buffalo Gap, Texas
White Manna, Hackensack, N.J.
Duchamp, Chicago
Peter Luger, New York City


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FA Youth Cup preview
by Stuart Vose
Youngsters up for the cup ahead of City clash.
Sunderland's under-18s are relishing tonight's FA Youth Cup assignment, according to coach Craig Liddle.
The young Black Cats face a difficult trip to Manchester City, with the game set to be played at Edgeley Park in Stockport (KO 7pm).
Liddle admitted his side couldn't have been handed a tougher tie but is relishing the challenge of taking on the Manchester club.
"As I've said previously, if you're going to progress to the latter stages of the competition then sooner or later you have to play the better teams.
"I'm really looking forward to it and so are the players – the game can't come soon enough for us.
"Stockport's ground is a good stadium and I'm sure the lads are looking forward to playing there, too."
City coach Adam Sadler will have a wealth of players to choose from and is expected to draft in several members of the club's Elite Development squad [EDS].
"City have a huge squad and a lot of their under-18s play with the under-21s, so they'll be dropping down in the Youth Cup side," Liddle explained.
"We expected that and it's just another challenge for our boys.
"I keep reminding them that this is a good opportunity for them to test themselves against the best, and I'm pretty sure they'll give a good account of themselves."
Meanwhile the bulk of Sunderland's under-18 squad remained on Wearside over the weekend as a young squad featuring a number of schoolboys suffered defeat at Spurs.
That meant the more senior players had more training time and Liddle has been pleased with preparations for tonight's game.
"We trained over the weekend and the lads were bright and bubbly," he added.
"We'll be fresh going into the game now. We haven't played for 10 days or so – we'll be prepared and ready to go."
Live audio commentary will be available on SAFC TV tonight, with coverage starting at 6.50pm.


text:
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"Great customer service. Very prompt. They delivered what they promised. Very happy with the card overall, it was way better than expected."


text:
The sea speaks to us of voyages.
The islands are havens of rest and relaxation. The luxuriance of the Caribbean kindles dreams and the Tropics suggest a sense of warmth and the unknown. On the island of Saint Martin, Le Domaine Resort & Spa offers you the chance to enjoy those special moments.
Located in the French part of the island, very much preserved and in the natural setting of the Anse Marcel, a protected haven of peace in the north of the island, the hotel of the Domaine de Lonvilliers Resort & Spa offers you all the enchantment of this little paradise.
- Hotel Resort & SPA - Island of Saint Martin, Anse Marcel, French Antilles – Caribbean - 145 Rooms and Suites- 2 restaurants and a beach bar- Garden, terrace, patio and view over the Caribbean sea- Well-being zone and Swimming pool - La Table du Marché: restaurant devoted to French cuisine - Private beach (reserved for the hotel's guests) - 1 children's pool - New 120 m² fitness room - Air conditioned - Flat screen television - Free Wifi Internet access - Room service from 7 am to 10.30 pm - Minibar - Dressing room, laundry service- Free Children's Club (4 to 12 years) during school holidays - Baby-sitting - Safe - 2 Boutiques - Boat hire - Activities and excursions - Free, enclosed private parking


text:
What else is close by?
* Universal Studios
* The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
* Islands of Adventure
* Discovery Cove (swim with the dolphins)
* Congo River Miniature Golf A Stone's Throw Away
* More Than 20 Championship Golf Courses Close By
* The Holy Land Experience
* Sunrise/Sunset Hot Air Balloon Rides
* Helicopter Rides
* Jet Skiing and Parasailing
* Boggy Creek Airboat Excursions
* Gatorland
* Busch Gardens
* Adventure Island
* Lowry Park Zoo
* Pirates Dinner Adventure
* Arabian Nights
* Medieval Times
* Sleuths Mystery Dinner Theatre
* Hundreds Of Restaurants
* Tons Of Outlet Shopping
* Cypress Gardens
* Old Town
* Ripley's Believe It Or Not!
* Atlantic Ocean Beaches, Just 45 Minutes
* Gulf Coast Beaches, Just 45 Minutes
* Seminole Hard Rock Casino
How about:
* A spectacular children's room with TWO sets of cherry bunk beds (4 twin beds)! Even Simba and Bear are there to cuddle up with every night!
Add cable TV, movies, games, and they may never want to leave their home away from home!
* Your master bedroom will spoil and indulge you. Your king size bed is are surrounded by heart warming wildlife photography. There is a large private bath, vaulted ceilings, a desk for your computer, and sliding glass doors out to a beautiful private deck with wooded views, table chairs, and even a market umbrella!
* The 3rd BR has two "Reach For The Stars" Serta twin beds, cable TV!
* Gorgeous fully equipped kitchen has EVERYTHING! Eat in and save money!
* The "Animal Kingdom" dining room will "wow!" you. Enjoy your family meals at the 12' table!
* Fabulous family room with cable TV, Circles of Life couches, animal photography and even Jerry - our 12' carved giraffe!
As if you didn't have enough to do, add these resort amenities:
* TWO HEATED swimming pools
* TWO hot tubs
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* Playground
* TWO fitness centers
It's all here - just bring your clothes!
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You cannot get this book anywhere else. It will tell you little known ways and places to save huge amounts of money on ALL your theme park and attraction tickets! Recently, we saved the Sanders family of 5, $680 for their 5 night Disney vacation! Many have saved more, and we can do the same for you.
It also contains Disney info such as how to make character breakfast reservations for your child, best attractions, how to avoid the lines, best restaurants and outlet shopping, links to all the attractions - it's loaded with information and it's yours FREE, via email!
P.S. This book is sent immediately to you via email as soon as we have your reservation, so you can start planning and saving immediately.
Other than a one-time $69 cleaning fee, FL taxes @13%, and a 2.9% Documentation prep / management fee. there are NO other costs
Special, Even Lower September Rates!!
SAVE MY DEPOSIT Policy: If you should have to cancel your reservation/contract for ANY reason, your deposit is protected with us.
Simply reschedule your vacation dates with us for up to two years into the future and we will re-apply your deposit to the new dates (pending availability)! Your deposit is never lost. There is no limit to the number of times you can reschedule!
Please note that we do not update or maintain the availability calendar on this site. Email or call for availability.
Monthly rates!


text: The Richard Hughes wiki last edited by Hailinel on 08/17/14 03:27PM View full history OverviewRichard Hughes is an antagonist in the original Saints Row. A city alderman, he runs an unsuccessful campaign for mayor with an unpopular plan to redevelop the Saints Row district. However, with the rise of The Boss and the Third Street Saints, he is able to turn the tide to his advantage after pulling strings to blackmail the Saints into murdering the current mayor. As the winner of the election by default, Hughes invites The Boss onto his yacht, where he explains what has transpired, with the intention of having his men kill him. However, a bomb planted on the yacht by Julius Little goes off, killing him and putting The Boss into a coma.After his death, Richard's wife Monica becomes mayor of Stilwater in Saints Row 2, and subsequently a U.S. senator in Saints Row: The Third.


text:
Issuing Corporate Securities - Tombstone Ads
SEC Rule 134 allows certain types of advertisements to be run relating to a new issue. Tombstone ads are the only form of advertising that is allowed during the cooling off period. A tombstone ad is an announcement and description of the securities to be offered. A tombstone ad lists the names of the underwriters, where a prospectus may be obtained, and a statement that the tombstone ad does not constitute an offer to sell the securities and that the offer may only be made by a prospectus. Tombstone ads are traditionally run to announce the new issue, but they are not required and do not need to be filed with the SEC. Tombstone ads may also include:
- The amount of the security to be offered
- The date of sale
- A general description of the issuer's business
- The price of the security
Free Riding And Withholding / FINRA Rule 5130


text:
By Jordain Carney ( @jordainc)
Welcome to NJ's Early Bird, today's best national security, defense, and foreign policy coverage. To contact us, email email@example.com.
Lippert Nominated for South Korea Ambassador Post
(Defense News: Marcus Weisgerber)
Lippert, who has close ties to President Obama, has served as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's chief of staff since last May.
Angela Merkel's U.S. Trip to Focus on Ukraine Crisis
(Associated Press: Frank Jordans)
The German chancellor and Obama will discuss when they meet Friday at what point further measures—targeting the Russian economy directly—could be taken.
Judge Halts U.S. Purchase of Russian Engines
(Defense News: Aaron Mehta)
Judge Susan Braden said the purchases violate American sanctions against the head of Russia's space program.
Democrats Blast Lack of Cuts in Defense Budget
(Stars and Stripes: Travis Tritten)
HASC subcomittees reaffirmed there is little appetite for cutting any military pay or benefits with a series of markups that largely ignored the Pentagon's version of the budget.
Veterans Affairs Officials Purged 1.5 Million Unfinished Medical Orders
(Washington Examiner: Mark Flatten)
VA officials have since refused to say how widespread is the practice of canceling orders by labeling them "administratively closed."
Rep. Smith: 'Accept' Most Proposed Cuts; Extra $26B for DoD is Unlikely
(Defense News: John Bennett)
A key House Democrat urged his colleagues to embrace some of the Obama administration's proposed weapon program cuts.
House Encourages Cargo RPA Development, National Airspace Integration
(Inside the Air Force: James Drew)
Mark-ups of the fiscal year 2015 Defense Authorization Act include a provision encouraging the Pentagon to create a program of record for the development of unmanned aerial cargo platforms -- a move which could provide spin-off benefits to the Air Force.
Hill Split on DOD Sexual-Assault Data
(Politico: Darren Samuelsohn)
Congress isn't done coming up with new sexual-assault policies as it crafts its latest version of a defense authorization bill.
Rep. Duncan Hunter to Hagel: Don't Promote Legere
(Politico: Austin Wright)
The Republican's effort to prevent Legere from advancing is just the latest move in his longstanding feud with the Army over its Distributed Common Ground System.
McCaskill Wants Answers From Kerry
(The Washington Post: Al Kamen, Colby Itkowitz)
She questions the secretary of state's call for a course on how to survive congressional hearings.
Keeps me informed about national leadership concerns."
Senior Military Officer
The best!"
Mark, Compensation Analyst
Timely and informative."
Dave, HR specialist
I can browse over breakfast or while on the metro."
AJ, US Army Officer
Lawmakers to DOD: Finish Investigation of F-22 Whistle-Blowers
(Air Force Times: Brian Everstine)
The Air Force grounded the F-22 from May 2011 to September 2011 because of pilots' complaints of hypoxia-like symptoms during flight.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Concerned DOD Changing Workplace Survey Agency
(Stars and Stripes: Jennifer Hlad)
The New York Democrat is concerned that having a different entity collect the data will impede the ability of the DOD and outside groups to track progress.
Release of White House Email Stirs Up a New Controversy Over Benghazi
(Los Angeles Times: Kathleen Hennessey)
Several Republicans described the latest email as a "smoking gun" that showed the White House sought to cover up a lethal terrorist attack for partisan gain.
John Boehner Calls on John Kerry to Testify on Benghazi
(Politico: Lauren French)
The House speaker said Kerry needs to explain why the documents were not sent to Congress under its subpoena order for any documents related to Benghazi.
McCain: Emails Prove Benghazi 'Cover Up'
(The Hill: Ramey Cox)
Republicans have charged that the White House initially linked the attack to a protest because it wanted to play down the idea it was a terrorist attack before the presidential election.
Pelosi Dismisses Email as GOP 'Subterfuge'
(Roll Call: Emma Dumain)
Asked by reporters more than once about revelations the email, the California Democrat threw up her hands.
General: We Didn't Even Try to Save American Lives in Benghazi
(The Daily Beast: Eli Lake)
A former general is accusing the U.S. military of not even trying to save the Americans under attack at Benghazi in 2012.
General's Opinion on Benghazi Draws a Rebuke
(Associated Press: Deb Riechmann, Donna Cassata)
Rep. Buck McKeon said the general "did not serve in a capacity that gave him reliable insight into operational options available to commanders during the attack."
Ukraine Attacks Rebel City, Helicopter Shot Down
(Reuters: Maria Tsvetkova)
Ukrainian officials said Slaviansk was "tightly surrounded" and called on separatist leaders to release hostages and surrender.
Putin Wants Troops Out of West Ukraine
(Associated Press: Peter Leonard)
But Ukraine's acting president ordered that the military draft be renewed, citing "threats of encroachment on the nation's territorial integrity" and interference by Russia in its internal affairs.
Replacing Russian Rocket Engine Isn't Easy, Pentagon Says
(Bloomberg: Tony Capaccio)
The Pentagon has no "great solution" to reduce its dependence on a Russian-made engine.
NATO Official: Russia Now an Adversary
(Associated Press: Robert Burns)
For the time being, defensive measures would be taken without violating the political pledge NATO made in 1997 when it established a new relationship with Moscow.
Bush Aide: We Should Have Sanctioned Russia Over Georgia
(USA Today: David Jackson)
But Stephen Hadley, George W. Bush's national security adviser at the time, did note that there were other things going on in August of 2008.
Romania Calls for Greater U.S. Military Presence in Black Sea
(Reuters: Radu Marinas)
The foreign ministry stressed the importance of an enhanced, long-term U.S. presence in the Black Sea region "to deter any other destabilizing initiatives."
NATO Says Seeking Closer Ties With Georgia as Ukraine Crisis Mounts
(Reuters: Margarita Antidze)
A NATO official said Russia's words or actions wouldn't influence the final decision on whether to make Georgia a full member
NATO to Urge Members to Boost Defense Spending
(Defense News: Marcus Weisgerber)
The topic of increasing defense spending will be among the top agenda items when the heads of state from alliance member nations meet later this year.
NATO Rethinks Its Response Strategy
(Politico: Philip Ewing)
NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow doesn't envision the North Atlantic Treaty Organization launching any sort of military operations in the current crisis.
Why NATO Is Such a Thorn in Russia's Side
(CNN: Diana Magnay)
Fear of the Western military alliance's steady march east is deep-rooted. It strikes at the very heart of Russia's national sense of security.
Philippines to Give U.S. Forces Access to Up to Five Military Bases
(Reuters: Manuel Mogato)
The United States is also considering whether to seek access to four civil airports as well as Batanes airfield for refueling and emergency servicing.
China Criticizes U.S. Terrorism Report
(The New York Times: Austin Ramzy)
Chinese officials said the United States wrongly played down China's counterterrorism efforts and was too hesitant to label attacks on Chinese soil as terrorism.
North Korea: New Kind of Nuke Test Still an Option
(Associated Press: Eric Talmadge)
Many experts—and the South Korean government—had suspected the North would conduct its fourth nuclear test during Obama's visit.
West Urges North Korea to Close Political Prison Camps, End Caste System
(Reuters: Stephanie Nebehay)
North Korea defended its human-rights record in a debate at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
John Kerry Says He'll Pause, Reassess After Israeli-Palestinian Peace Bid
(Reuters: Phil Stewart)
The secretary of State appeared to push back against descriptions of his talks as fruitless.
Kerry Says He Had No Advance Warning of Palestinian Deal for Unity Government
(Associated Press)
Kerry says he still hopes the two sides will come back to the negotiating table.
Pentagon Chief Orders Steps to Fight Sex Assaults
(Associated Press: Lolita Baldor)
Hagel called on the military services to step up efforts to encourage troops to intervene in assault situations.
Defense Acquisition Reform Could Include Pay Hikes for Program Managers
(Government Executive: Charles Clark)
One obstacle to progress is a discontinuity of personnel and short tenure of program managers.
West Coast Missile Defense System Remains on Hold
(Global Security Newswire: Rachel Oswald)
Congressional auditors say the Pentagon is not giving Congress adequate information about its plan for testing a troubled strategic missile defense system.
Army Expands Involuntary Separations of Problem NCOs
(Army Times: Jim Tice)
The service also is targeting senior noncommissioned officers who have failed to complete required NCO Education System Courses.
He Lost a Leg in Combat but Vowed to Return. Here's What It Look to Get Back
(The Washington Post: Tim Craig)
Joshua Pitcher always wanted a military career. But after a bomb blast, that goal got a lot harder.
Air Force's A-10 Transition Plan In Flux Pending Congressional Action
(Inside the Air Force: Gabe Starosta)
The Air Force has a very loose plan for shifting A-10 pilots and crews to new missions, but Air Combat Command said this week that the details of that plan are as uncertain as the future of the A-10 Warthog itself.
Bye Bye Blue Devil
(Inside the Air Force: Gabe Starosta)
An Air Force spokeswoman confirmed on May 1 that the service is divesting all mission equipment relating to the Blue Devil I multi-intelligence system, with that equipment possibly being transferred to other Pentagon or federal government agencies.
Air Force Charges Ex-Informant With Lying About Her Rape
(The Daily Beast: Jacob Siegel)
The Air Force is going after one of its own for falsifying a rape charge. But it's the military brass, not the young woman, who may soon be under fire.
Life on a Navy Sub Relies on Rules Both Serious and Ridiculous
(The Wall Street Journal: Julian Barnes)
USS New Mexico, often submerged for weeks, follows rules both serious and ridiculous. This crew loves "Odd Couple" matches and listening to Kesha on Fridays.
HASC Throws General Dynamics Little Bone on AMPV
(Breaking Defense: Sydney Freedberg Jr.)
The report requirement does have two interesting wrinkles—but they mainly illustrate how limited General Dynamics' ambitions have become.
V.A. Hospital Officials in Phoenix Are Placed on Leave
(The New York Times: Richard Oppel Jr.)
The department's inspector general is investigating allegations that the hospital created a secret waiting list for patients intended to hide long wait times for appointments.
VA Budget Bill Bans Bonuses for Senior Executives
(Military Times: Leo Shane III)
Senate appropriations officials have not given a timetable for when the chamber will take up the spending bill.
Employers Told to Meet Vets Halfway on Jobs
(Military.com: Richard Sisk)
Good intentions are not enough when it comes to hiring the new generation of veterans in a highly competitive job market.
This American Refused to Be an FBI Informant.
(Mother Jones: Nick Baumann)
Then the government made his family's life hell.
White House Takes Aim at 'Big Data' Discrimination
(The Wall Street Journal: Elizabeth Dwoskin)
The Obama administration called for new protections against the use of "big data" technologies in ways that could impinge on civil liberties or lead to discrimination.
Defying U.S., Tech Firms Alert Users to Data Demands
(The Washington Post: Craig Timberg)
Tech companies have largely ended the practice of quietly complying with investigators' demands for user data, saying that users have a right to know.
U.S. and Germany Fail to Reach a Deal on Spying
(The New York Times: David Sanger)
The effort to reach an accord began after it was disclosed last year that the National Security Agency was tapping Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone.
The Race to Bring NSA Surveillance to the Supreme Court
(The Verge: Adrianne Jeffries)
There are at least three pending cases against the agency with a shot at making it all the way.
Kerry in South Sudan to Seek an End to Fighting
(The New York Times: Michael Gordon)
The American secretary of state arrived Friday on an urgent mission to try to stop the violence that has killed thousands and is ripping the new nation apart.
U.S.: South Sudan Killings Show Unbelievable Cruelty
(Associated Press: Lara Jakes)
Kerry came to Africa in large part to broker an agreement among the African Union—and eastern Africa states in particular—to send peacekeepers to South Sudan.
Kerry Raises Detained Ethiopian Bloggers With PM
(Reuters: Aaron Maasho)
Addis Ababa has said the charges relate to "serious criminal activities" and have nothing to do with muzzling the media.
As the World Warms, Navy Strategists Plan for an Arctic Rush
(Newsweek: Max Strasser)
Strategists in the Navy and throughout the government are scrambling to put policies in place, develop technology, and create a plan of action.
Cuba Calls Terrorism Designation by U.S. Absurd, Manipulative
(Reuters: Daniel Trotta)
The designation carries with it economic sanctions beyond those already imposed in the U.S. trade embargo of Cuba.
Searching for the Obama Doctrine
(Defense One: Gayle Tzemach Lemmon)
The concern for Obama's supporters and critics is that the president is "still defining his foreign policy agenda against the last administration's."
We Will Not Be Threatened
(Politico: Danny Danon)
How Secretary Kerry's "apartheid" warning set back the cause of peace.
Lies, Damned Lies, and Garden-Variety Self-Deception
(Slate: John Dickerson)
Why the new Benghazi emails aren't a "smoking gun."
How the Iraq War Crippled U.S. Military Power
(Defense One: Nathan Freier)
The decline of American military influence actually began with 9/11 and the reflexive response to a growing threat the U.S. government never completely understood.
How I'll End the War: My First Week Back in Afghanistan
(The Daily Beast: Nick Willard)
A military officer chronicles his first week back in Afghanistan readjusting to the strange rhythm of life on an overseas military base.
Want your defense news even faster? Follow the Early Bird on Twitter: @NJEarlyBird. And tell your networks to sign up directly here.
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Don't Miss Today's Top Stories
Keeps me informed about national leadership concerns."
Senior Military Officer
The best!"
Mark, Compensation Analyst
Timely and informative."
Dave, HR specialist
I can browse over breakfast or while on the metro."
AJ, US Army Officer


text:
In response to a very juicy article in Reality Tea, the Guidices, Teresa and Joe, are having enormous problems, and not the financial problems we would expect. Rumors continue to swirl about Joe's whoring around, this time with a hot blonde and,Teresa being an absent mom because of her very demanding quest for fame. Of course, we're off season now so it's interesting to follow their lives outside of the show.
Here's the Reality Tea post: http://www.realitytea.com/2011/10/28/report-joe-giudice-caught-with-hot-blonde-plus-source-says-teresa-giudice-becoming-an-absentee-mom-due-to-fame/
And, of course, here's the Parody: http://wp.me/p1W5LD-6s
Being the eavesdropping people that we are, we happened in on some private conversations Tre had with her brother, Joey, and her husband, Joe, and the outcome, for Joe, is not favorable.
Your friend,


text:
About half a second later we made it through. Phew! Left wingtip a bit close. Worried about the fin, too.
I was on board the world's only active Concorde simulator when I took this picture. The visual display is much better than this snapshot - taken by me on my stoneage digital camera – suggests.
It's at Brooklands museum. Yes, you can buy time on it, and I recommend you do.
For the price, you get a real Concorde captain as your copilot. Mine was Mike Bannister, British Airway chief Concorde pilot when the aircraft was taken out of service in 2003.
I didn't do Tower Bridge. I asked Mike just for a take-off from Heathrow 28L, a left hand visual circuit (2,500ft), and line up to land back on 28L.
Mike did all the checklist stuff, set up the speed bugs, told me about attitudes for the key moments, and off we went. Not having done Concorde before, I wanted to feel everything, so I didn't use autothrottle either. Mike's guidance was brilliant. A little hint now and then when he could see the speed would soon decay if I didn't nudge the throttles forward a bit now, etc.
I was surprised at how stable the aeroplane was, and the flare and touchdown very natural. The weird bit is having to force the nosewheel down immediately she's firmly on the ground.
Brilliant! Another of those moments of incredulity when I think again: "I get paid for this!"
That's me, at Brooklands, just after the sim ride, propping up G-BBDG's nose gear. She's beautifully painted in the BA livery she wore when she first entered service. Oh yes, and that IS a VC-10 in the background (A40-AB, type 1103, formerly G-ASIX).
Want to find out what it was like being a Concorde passenger? Go to Brooklands and do the entire "Concorde experience".
I got a bit carried away with the ride, but see my next blog for what else I did at Brooklands today.


text:
Reader, thinker, and frequent commenter Sam DeBord has written a rebuttal over at GeekEstate to my declaration of vindication re: IDX = Syndication:
IDX creates efficiency for brokers, which increases financial profitability for the group as a whole. Syndication is a less-efficient platform in terms of overall brokerage profits. Real estate is, on an annual basis, similar to a zero-sum game. There are only so many transactions, and commissions, that will occur based on the market. Financial profitability is dependent on earning as large a portion of that commission pool as possible.
Read the whole thing.
I think Sam's written a thoughtful rejoinder, and introduced a hitherto unexamined argument: that IDX increases financial profitability for brokerages. I'd like to delve into that a bit.


text: Ranch House Realtors specializes in ranches and rural estates in western Ellis & Hill Counties. Our team has many years of experience in farming, ranching, chemical and fertilizer business, education, city government, and real estate in Hill and Ellis counties. For more information about our services or to contact us about setting up a listing, please click here to visit our Contact Us page.