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Model Syllabi/UDI | Disabilities Studies at Emory | FAQ | Resources
Working with Non-native Speakers of English in the Classroom
How To Help Your Undergraduate ESL Students
Jane O'Connor
The most important way to help ESL students is to provide an open environment where they feel able to speak and ask questions in a comfortable atmosphere. The less anxious a student feels the more likely they will be to ask questions when unsure and to talk out in discussions. We must remember this may not be usual in their culture so it may take a while and some gentle coaxing until they feel comfortable doing this.
What ESL programs and services are available?
There will be an English 101 course starting in the fall and spring 2008-2009 especially designed for ESL students. International ESL students will be selected from a screening test during pre-orientation. Other second language speakers may be identified by English or other faculty during the start of classes and recommended for the class.
Study groups are run by the director focusing on issues such as academic writing, academic reading, vocabulary development, academic speaking (talking part in discussions/giving presentations), listening to lectures etc.
ESL textbooks on all aspects of language development may be checked-out from the Learning Programs office in the SAAC.
Who are the ESL students at Emory?
ESL students fall into three categories
What problems do they have?
An ESL student MAY face many challenges apart from linguistic ones. Here are some of them:
Remember they need to develop their language skills but also knowledge of and comfort with the American way of life.
What does a second language speaker need to learn about a language?
An ESL student may struggle with one or all of these and this may depend on how they learned English. Some will have focused on the old grammar translation methods and others a more modern communicative method.
General tips
Reading and Listening
Reading and listening are often referred to as a passive or receptive skills as they are regarded as something the reader or listener has done to them. In reality a student needs to be actively engaged in order to comprehend. This does not mean that they need to understand every single word on the page or every word that is uttered and often students make the mistake of trying to do this time consuming activity and so loose overall meaning.
It is really important to tap into a student's prior knowledge about a subject before they start to read an academic text or listen to a lecture. This will greatly aid comprehension of a text and is particularly important with culturally specific items. This may be done in several ways
Giving Directions in Class and Lectures
Listening has the added problems of being fleeting. A student may return to the written word to confirm ideas but they do not have the same luxury whilst listening.
After building student's knowledge in a topic how can we help them to understand a lecture? Here are some ideas you may already use or may like to try out.
It must also be understood that as native speakers we use different strategies when reading or listening. Sometimes, for example, depending on what we are reading or why we are reading we may want to read a whole text in great detail, other times we may skim over it for general meaning or scan it for exact details. Students may have these skills in their native language but not use them in English preferring all the time to try to understand everything. Students may also, in certain subjects, find it extremely difficult to read between the lines and make inferences. Students can book a tutorial with Jane O'Connor to help develop these skills.
Speaking and Writing
These are often called the active or productive skills as the student is required to produce something.
In writing student error is at its most prominent, there in black and white for all to see. In speaking the error may come and go at such a rapid rate it can almost pass unnoticed. Writing is the area where both teachers and students often voice the most concern. Errors may occur for many reasons including mother tongue interference (incorrect translation of grammatical forms from the native language), and the style of writing may be directly influenced by differences in writing used in other culture (see article).
How should these errors be treated?
Students may receive help from the writing center or from ESL services. In general they should be referred to the writing center if the areas they need to focus on are similar for a native speaker, that of organizing ideas etc. If the grammatical errors are many and a paper is difficult to understand due to that they should be referred to the ESL department.
It is not a good idea to try and correct every single error in a student's piece of writing. This can be extremely time consuming and unless the student is very meticulous and goes back over these with a fine-tooth comb these they will learn little, if anything, from them. If you wish to correct error it is better to focus on the main issues and/or a recurring error.
In grading an assignment try to focus on the overall message the student is trying to convey. You may like to provide the student with a writing frame or model to help them.
Make sure the students are CLEAR in exactly what they are required to do in a writing assignment with clear instructions that are written down.
This is seen differently in different cultures. Make sure all students are fully aware of the implications here.
Speaking is often very stressful for ESL students especially in front of their native speaking peers. They may sit silently in class and not participate but be aware that this may also be due to culture and what is the norm in the classroom in their native county. Make sure you provide them with enough thinking time before expecting a reply. Students may need time to think of an answer and formulate it in English. Make sure you ensure the success of shyer students by asking questions you know they will be able to understand and answer.
When possible allow them to work in small groups with native speakers for discussion. They will be more likely to speak out in a small group and working with native speakers will allow them to develop their language skills. This is also helpful for presentations.
Do not correct a student's grammar in front of the class. Just echo the answer back to them correctly as a model.
Vocabulary is more than just knowing a word on a list. An ESL student needs to know
You will need to be selective about what vocabulary you teach. If you try to give too many new words at once they simply will not be remembered. You also need to think about how you will teach it so that it is more memorable for the student. If possible use realia or real world objects, pictures, explanation. Put the word in context and encourage the students to record it in a way that will aid their learning. Ask them to contact the ESL Director for a consultation to work on strategies for learning and recording vocabulary).
Encourage the use of vocabulary journals.
Harmer, J. (1991). The Practice of English Language Teaching. Cambridge, UK: Longman.
Model Syllabi/UDI | Disabilities Studies at Emory | FAQ | Resources
Emory University | Office of Disabilities Services


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EPA: Missouri Company "Fresh and Clean Restrooms" Is Not So Fresh or Clean
Categories: Environment, News
|Sludge: Not just for breakfast anymore.
According to the EPA, the porta-potty company from southeast Missouri failed to treat sludge and maintain records where it dumps its waste at the Doe Run Mine Tailings Site in Desloge. EPA conducted an inspection of the site in December and per the Park Hills Daily Journal found visible toilet paper, tampon applicators, plastic and other solid materials in the sludge. (Mmm! Hope you're reading this after breakfast.)
But wait, there's more!
Regulations require that sludge applied to land must be treated to reduce pathogens. The sludge also must be either treated or applied to prevent pests and rodents that may carry potentially disease-laden materials to humans.
In addition, the EPA found that the Fresh and Clean had not retained records of its land application activities as required by law.
The compliance order directs the company to take all necessary action to ensure the sewage sludge it applies to land is in compliance with the law, including pathogen reduction and pest reduction requirements, and requires the company to maintain all records for its land application of sewage sludge.
Sponsor Content

subset: commoncrawl


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Thursday, July 09, 2009
Big Dummy Canoeing
For years I've loved canoeing. There's just something about being on the water that is a whole different experience than you get on land. It's movement in a completely different way, and a hobby I find utterly relaxing. Much as I like the actual paddling, I hate the necessary BS the comes with it. Loading it onto a car, shuttling it up river, paddling down and then shuttling both canoe and second car back to a point. It ends up being 3 hours of driving and messing around for 4 hours of canoeing. If I had to do that every time I went biking, I'd guess that I'd not like bike so much either. The simple idea to haul the canoe with the bike seemed a logical way to increase my paddling time while making the execution much easier.
Since getting the Big Dummy and BAW trailer I've said that they are like gateway bikes. They are not necessarily the kind of things that most people would buy to fulfill a particular need or use. I've found them to be tools that once you have them, the possibilities of what can be done with them are endless. Looking at what a canoe is as cargo, it's actually a pretty small thing. Weighing in at around 65lbs for our old Alumicraft beast, it's not particularly heavy. Paddles and other accessories don't weigh much either. For comparison, we then have a trailer and canoe package that weighs less than two children in a Burley.
The trouble with a canoe is it's size. At 16', it's a rather bulky item. Enter the 96" BAW trailer. With how I have the hitch mounted on my BD, the yolk adds about another 8" of usable length to it. With its movable axle, it's designed to be able to center the load over the axle for optimal weight distribution. In this case, I needed to drill 6 holes to properly position the axle. This will of course only have to be done once, so now 6 bolts are all I need to change it easily.
Though the fenders on the trailer are rather sturdy, as I envisioned using a ratcheting tie down strap the force would be a bit much for them. I wanted the keel of canoe to be supported in the middle of the trailer. This I accomplished simply by cutting a 4x4 post down to appropriate lengths and notched the middle for the keel to rest in. This raised the canoe above the level of the fenders, while balancing it on the center of gravity. By looping a tie down strap under the front of the trailer, and looping it through the canoe it more the secured the two pieces together. 2 bungee cords keep the back bouncing in check, and this was more than secure enough for the crappiest roads at some speed.
All that done took about 45 min, and we were off.
Easy enough to do one handed talking on the phone. I've also decided that pulling a canoe is the best way not to get hit by a car. Most people who passed me were so scared they were in the opposite gutter!
An idea of scale. 8'+16'= a hell of a good time, and a wide turning radius. Surprisingly, with the added stability of the longer Dummy wheelbase, turning around in a standard street is not problem at all. With those short turns, the trailer simply rotates in place around the axle!
It carves corners rather well. The load rides so well, it's almost possible to forget it's back there. Really.
The crew. Meg and my brother John.
On the water.
Yup, after a long weekend that's exactly what I want to look at for a few hours.
So there you have it. It's now possible for me to load up my canoe in less than 10min, ride 1.5miles to the river, canoe for 2-3 hours, and come home all under my own power. It's easy, fun, and actually relaxing. Anyone in the area that would like to give this a try just give me a call, I'm always looking for someone to go with.
Looking forward to Monday morning, both this and another rig will be parked down at Goodbye Blue Monday in downtown Northfield. A bike powered regatta of sorts. More on that later, but stop my and check it out! Cheers.
12 comments:
- Sean Noonan said...
how fast can you go?
raaaaah raaaaaah
- Ben said...
Fast, 48t big ring baby! Ha!
- Cellarrat said...
That is soooooo sweet!
- JeffOYB said...
Hey! Cool rig... Here's mine: http://www.outyourbackdoor.com/article.php?id=1215. My goal is to use a folding bike and folding trailer so that both will go into the canoe--I'm close! I'm all about simplicity and lightweight. See what ya think! Thanks... JP
- Griff Wigley said...
I've blogged you and Eric Johnson on Locally Grown, Ben.
Whither the internal combustion engine?
- JeffOYB said...
Hey, that "Locally Grown" pic of the lightweight kevlar boat rig is much more up my minimalist alley. Maybe it could get some coverage, too, in another Big Dummy Canoeing report?
Now maybe to somehow turn the boat over so some (picnic) stuff can be hauled in it... See, I picture using the boat AS the trailer, so the boat can haul stuff in addition to being hauled. If it was a kayak it would even be aerodynamic in crosswinds...
- Ben said...
I will be getting to that. My purpose is just really to have an in town destination concept. I have thought to go to the extent that you have, we just really don't use the canoe in that way. I will be posting more pictures of that morning early in this next week, and will have some shots of Eric's set up. Cheers.
- frankenbiker said...
Just design a pedal powered canoe and leave the bike and the trailer at home.Don't laugh, I've actually thrown the idea around a little,a recumbent quad with all of the wheels on the outside,the rears connected thru a differential and jack shafts.Ala Atomic Zombies quad racer, Now that would make drivers go right of of the road!LOL!
- JeffOYB said...
Frankenbiker, it's easy to be tempted by such bike insanity because fiberglass/carbon-fiber boat-building and HPV-fairing-velomobile building are done exactly the same way. Hot race HPVs today are made "tub-style" with no bike frame, just all parts epoxied into a fiber "hull." Way boatish. ...It gets crazy people to thinkin'. Then there's the SpinFin and Kawak Drive Units and other pedal-prop "drop-in" units that are dangerous for tinkerers to find out about...
- Griff Wigley said...
Can you respond to the question posted by Dr. Patrick Enders at:
- frankenbiker said...
Why do you tempt me thus?The spin fin drive is pretty cool,now the idea of aa amphibious carbon fiber canoe is invading my dreams.I hope it doesn't stay there long,I might acctually have to build the thing.
- Litter Patrol said...
Cool! Do you have any closeup pics of the baw trailer/xtracycle hitch attachment? I'm thinking about getting a Baw trailer and would like to see how it attaches. Thanks!


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Egghill Supplementary Planning Advice
This document sets out a vision for the regeneration of the Egghill Estate and provides detailed planning and urban design guidance to create a place where people want to live, work and play.
Egghill Supplementary Planning Advice was approved in September 2005. It contains a concept plan and sets out a shared vision for Egghill which includes:
- the redevelopment of over 500 new homes
- the creation of a new neighbourhood park
- a site for employment/commercial uses, and
- improvements to local shopping facilities
We are currently working with Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust to bring forward new housing in the area.
In January 2014, the regeneration had reached the halfway stage, with around 300 new homes completed or under construction.
The document is available below along with a plan showing the area covered by the proposals.
Document Status : Non Statutory Guidance - Approved September 2005
Last Updated : 3rd February 2014


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I'd fire my operator for being hard on my loader digging out those trees the other day ...but i am him
And i need to can my welder for taking too long to weld the hooks on the bucket ....but i am him
The only one that got anything done was the mechanic he only took 10 min to install the new seat.... dam that's me too
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My JobBacked my CATMA over your CARMA
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What would SATAN do ??
Miller Digital Elite (new)
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Spectrum 625 Extreme
Suitcase 12RC
Evolution Rage 3 saw
Victor O/A
Craftsmen Atlas 12X36 Lathe
Half a ton of tooling
Rusty old truck


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Robert Pattinson admirers rejoice! The official one-sheet for his non-vampire flick, Remember Me, has just made its debut. He looks simply adorable in black and white with co-star Emilie de Ravin.
See more shots from Remember Me below. The film is slated to hit theaters March 12th. [Poster: Courtesy of Summit Entertainment]
View Photo Gallery
Check out the trailer after the jump!


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Home goods giant Bed Bath & Beyond Bed Bath & Beyond reported its fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2013 earnings results after the bell Wednesday afternoon, and while its profit and revenue matched Street predictions, its same-store sells fell and its first quarter outlook was under what most analysts were expecting.
Bed Bath & Beyond reported a near-6% drop in fourth quarter revenue, posting $3.2 billion in sales for the quarter. The quarter's net income came in at $333.3 million, a figure that resulted in earnings of $1.60 per share and met the Street consensus. However, these figures are both lower than the profit reported for the same time last year, when Bed Bath & Beyond's $373.9 million in net income resulted in earnings of $1.68 per share.
The retailer's same-store sales increased 1.7% for the quarter, well under the 2.5% reported for the same time last year and a rate that matches its recently-revised expectations but is a disappointment compared to earlier predictions. In a March 7 fourth quarter earnings update, Bed Bath & Beyond lowered its same-store sales expectation the (now) reported 1.7% rate but previously was expecting an increase in the 2% to 4% range. In March, the company said that it was negatively impacted by winter's "disruptive" weather.
On a full-year basis, Bed Bath & Beyond reported $11.5 billion in revenue — an increase over the prior year's $10.9 billion in revenue — and $1.02 billion in net income, a figure that resulted in earnings of $4.79 per share, an improvement over the prior year's $4.56 per share.
The retailer did not provide executive commentary in Wednesday's earnings release, but in early March its CEO, Steven Temares, said that "Despite the weather related challenges, we are pleased with our quarter. Absent the disruptive weather, we believe we would have been comfortably within our sales and net earnings per share ranges of our model."
Looking ahead to its 2014 fiscal year, the retailer said it expects to see net earnings per share between 92 cents and 96 cents for its first quarter, a forecast that falls under estimates of $1.02 per share. As for full-year fiscal 2014 earnings, the company said only that it expects its EPS to grow in the mid single digits.
Following the release of the earnings results, shares of Bed Bath & Beyond fell nearly 5% in Wednesday's after-market session; after closing the regular trading session with an 0.22% gain, the stock is trading for a 4.3% loss. Year-to-date, the retailer has not been able to keep up with the sluggish broader markets and is down 15.3%.


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Name Change Attorney in Tampa Bay
Name Change in Florida
You may have many reasons for wanting to change your name. Maybe you want to honor a loved one. Maybe you have rethought your decision on your name after a proceeding for divorce or adoption. Or maybe you simply do not like your name. Whatever the reason, subject to narrow legal exceptions, The Law Firm of Adam B. Cordover, P.A., will guide you through the process of legally changing your name.
Eligibility for Name Change
The following individuals may seek a change of name: (i) an adult; (ii) an adult on behalf of a minor child; and (iii) an adult on behalf of a family. Each adult seeking a name change must submit his or her fingerprints for a state and national criminal history records check. Once a petition for change of name is filed, the request will often be granted unless a Court finds that (i) the petitioner has ulterior or illegal motives in seeking the name change, (ii) the petitioner's civil rights are suspended, or (iii) granting the name change will invade the property rights (e.g., intellectual property rights) of others.
Swift and Cost Effective Solution for a Name Change
At the Law Firm of Adam B. Cordover, P.A., we will work with you to change your legal name as swiftly and cost-effectively as possible. We understand that your time is valuable, and you do not want to be bogged down in the paperwork associated with a name change. Further, we understand that you do not have unlimited funds to devote to your name change. Accordingly, we will develop a specifically tailored plan to fit your name change needs.
Change of Name Consultation
To schedule a consultation or learn more about The Law Firm of Adam B. Cordover, P.A., call us at 813.443.0615 or fill out our contact form.
A Name Change Lawyer in Tampa Bay
Located in Downtown Tampa at the intersection of North Florida Avenue and East Madison Street, we practice throughout the Tampa Bay area, including in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Hernando, Sarasota, and Manatee counties.
Return to Home Page.
Practice Areas >


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Prejudice Patterns in the United States: The Illustrative Cases of Gender and RacePrejudice Patterns in the United States: The Illustrative Cases of Gender and Racehttp://www.haverford.edu/calendar/details/249351Gest Center 1012013-11-18T16:30:002013-11-18T18:00:00
November 18,2013 4:30PM–6:00PM
Gest Center 101
The Department of Sociology in conjunction with the Distinguished Visitors Program presents a talk by Samuel Lucas, Professor of Sociology, UC Berkeley
This talk will focus on contemporary patterns of discrimination in the United States. It shows recent changes in estimated incidence of prejudice, and new estimates on exposure to prejudiced authorities. This research is part of the research agenda that Professor Lucas discusses in his two recent books _Theorizing Discrimination in an Era of Contested Prejudice: Discrimination in the United States, Volume 1_ (2008) and _Just Who Loses? Discrimination in the United States, Volume 2_ (2013), both published by Temple University Press.
For More Info
Matthew McKeever


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- BlackBerry Desktop Manager 4.2 to 7.1
- BlackBerry Device Software
- Palm Desktop Software 4.0.1, 4.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.4, 4.1.4E, and 6.0.1
- Palm OS powered devices
- Windows Mobile powered devices
The Switch Device Wizard allows the BlackBerry smartphone user to perform the following procedures:
- Switch from one BlackBerry smartphone to another BlackBerry smartphone (all versions of BlackBerry Desktop Software)
- Switch from a Palm OS or Windows Mobile enabled device to a BlackBerry smartphone (BlackBerry Desktop Manager 4.2 to 5.0.1)
Switch from one BlackBerry smartphone to another BlackBerry smartphone
When switching from one BlackBerry smartphone to another BlackBerry smartphone, the Switch Device Wizard is designed to provide the following:
- Import messages, organizer data including the contact list and calendar, and options
- Import third-party applications
Note: Some third party applications might not be supported during the switch if you are moving to a BlackBerry smartphone with newer BlackBerry Device Software.
- Update the software on the BlackBerry smartphone if there is a newer version available at the time of performing the switch
- Provide the option to select the applications to add or remove to the switched BlackBerry smartphone.
Note: Third-party application migration is not supported on BlackBerry Device Software 3.8 and earlier
Switch from a Palm OS or Microsoft Windows Mobile enabled device to a BlackBerry smartphone
When switching from a Palm OS or Windows Mobile enabled device to a BlackBerry smartphone, the Switch Device Wizard is designed to import your organizer data, including contacts, memos, tasks, and calendar entries from a non-BlackBerry device to a BlackBerry smartphone.
The Switch Device Wizard will only transfer future appointments from the Palm Desktop Software to the BlackBerry smartphone. Past appointments, excluding recurring appointments, are not transferred to the BlackBerry smartphone. This is by design.
The Switch Device Wizard does not support Windows Mobile 6.0 devices.
The Switch Device Wizard only supports BlackBerry to BlackBerry transfer from version 6.0 onwards.
By downloading, accessing or otherwise using the Knowledge Base documents you agree:
(a) that the terms of use for the documents found at www.blackberry.com/legal/knowledgebase apply to your use or reference to these documents; and
(b) not to copy, distribute, disclose or reproduce, in full or in part any of the documents without the express written consent of RIM.
Visit the BlackBerry Technical Solution Center at www.blackberry.com/btsc.


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Gingerbread Men
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Category: Dessert
Gingerbread Men - TastyPlanner.com
Chef: Kefitz2008
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup softened butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg, and vanilla; beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just beginning to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate.
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Hang tight!
Recipe by Jennie
"I created this delicious and creamy soup to bring to work for a healthy lunch. I hope you enjoy it too!"
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1 head
cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 tablespoons
roasted garlic-flavored extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon
ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons
garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons
1/2 teaspoon
ground black pepper
1 tablespoon
onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons
all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) can
chicken broth
1 cup
1 tablespoon
dry sherry
Please don't rate the recipe poorly because you didn't like the changes you made to the recipe.
I made this soup as a healthy recipe to enjoy for lunch. Some butter, carrots & some freshly grated parmesan cheese would make this taste even better.
* I do want to caution others that I used a large head of cauliflower. I would strongly encourage others to reduce the amount of garlic if they are not garlic lovers and the salt should probably be reduced to 1 teaspoon. You can always add more later. I like less broth & more veggies so others may also chose to add more milk & flour if a soupier consistency is desired.
A medium sized roasting pan or 13"x9" pan is a better fit than the small roasting pan I noted in the recipe as it allows more room to toss.
Jo's Rosemary Bread compliments this meal. (I add garlic powder & grated parmesan cheese to it.)
no lika
247 Ratings
OUTSTANDING! Deserves way more than 5 stars! This is one of the best soups I've tried. If you love garlic and you love cauliflower then you MUST try this recipe. The only suggestion I have is to use a potato masher on the cauliflower after it comes out of the oven,(before you add it to your soup pot.) I used a dry, white wine in place of the sherry and I think the head of cauliflower I had was exceptionally large, so I had to use an extra splash or two of both the milk and the chicken broth. Just use your best judgement to get the desired consistency you prefer. A very BIG thanks to Jennie for submitting this one; it's a definite keeper!!!
My husband and I found this recipe extremely good. I did what someone else suggested and cut the salt in half. I wouldn't make any other changes to it. It's perfect the way it is!
We LOVE this recipe. I tweaked it a bit. I roasted the cauliflower on 425. I roasted 4 whole garlic cloves with the cauliflower. I only used 1 heaping Tbsp. of flour. I used skim milk. I added 2 Tbsp. white wine instead of sherry. I blended half the soup in a blender, and then once it is all done, at this point, I add a second can of chicken broth. Delicious!
This was a pleasant surprise in that it turned out better than what I had expected, both in taste and in looks! It's nutty flavor is reflected in the slightly brown color. Mildly sweet, but tempered by the garlic. Roasting the cauliflower gives this incredible flavor. I'm not a fan of nutmeg, so I left it out and didn't notice a loss. I omitted the flour as well, not seeing the need for it. Since I pureed half of the cauliflower and mashed the other half, this was plenty thick without it. The sherry adds a definite flavor dimension that makes this especially good. This cries out, however, for garnish - I reserved some of the roasted cauliflower florets and used them to top each serving along with roasted red pepper and a small sprig of parsley. Beautiful, delicious, and a nice alternative for getting your veggies!
This was fantastic!!! I used 3 medium heads of cauliflower, 1 cup Almond Breeze (we had no milk), and no butter. I roasted the cauliflower with cooking spray instead of olive oil and used fresh garlic. Instead of sherry, I used white wine (about 1/2 cup), and 3 cans of vegetable broth. I also used 2 onions. I blended all of the soup--it was fantastic!! Thanks for the delicious recipe--this is a wonderful way to use cauliflower and is so healthy!!!
I couldn't believe how good this was! The only change I made was using white cooking wine in place of sherry. The cauliflower was definitely done in 30 minutes. It didnt make as much as I'd hoped - three regular (not that big) servings (it must be 6 small cups the recipe refers to). But it was perfectly seasoned and creamy (even though I used 1% milk) - I did blend half after adding the cauliflower. Oh and I did salt to taste, not the full amount. This was my first time having Cauliflower Soup - gotta love health food that doesnt feel like it!
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 135
Calories from Fat: 68
With our 2,700+ chicken breast recipes, you'll never serve the same old chicken again.
The firm, juicy texture of zucchini make them a perfect side to toss on the grill.
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Creamy soup that will fill you and warm you up on a chilly day.
Earthy, comforting cauliflower soup is topped with light, cheesy fritters.
This simple veggie soup tastes rich and creamy, but it's completely dairy-free.


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A smart agent (SA) is provided which resides locally in a local client device and by iterative means integrates the habit, statistics and psycho-demographic information of a user to infer the user's preferences. The SA may also utilize the preferences to filter information delivered to the local device. The invention further discloses a means of collecting, combining, integrating and inferring information from the user to arrive at a psycho-demographic profile of the user, and a means of utilizing such psycho-demographic profile to select or filter information delivered to the user, thereby achieving targeting. The invention also discloses a means of classifying and identifying the information delivered so that it can be matched, filtered or selected.
1. A method of determining a profile of a user based on statistical data and psycho-demographic information about the user, the method comprising the steps of:
storing statistical data and psycho-demographic information that is based on probability-based character traits about a plurality of contents;
collecting data about user selections of a portion of the plurality of contents;
iteratively integrating the collected user selections data with the stored statistical data and the psycho-demographic information about the user selections of a portion of the plurality of contents; and
inferring the profile of the user from the integrated information.
2. A method for determining a profile of a user based on statistical data and psycho-demographic information about the user, the method comprising the steps of:
collecting data about user selections;
iteratively integrating the collected selections data with the statistical data and the psycho-demographic information about the user; and
inferring the profile of the user from the integrated information wherein, the step of inferring the profile (UP) is determined by the equation:
where Ei(x) is the ith element of the character trait of a real person X, and ρ[Ei(X)] is the probability of the person X having a specific character trait.
3. The method of
4. The method of
5. The method of
6. The method of
7. The method of
UP(X)={ε1, ε2, ε3, . . . , εN)
where υi={(1/n) Σj Ei,j τj ωj, . . . }, i identifies the elements, j identifies events being utilized by the person X, Ei,j is the jth event of the ith element, providing information on the ith element, τj is the duration for which event j is being utilized, and ωj is a weighting function to give weight or take away weight for a given event and having a range from 0 to 1.
8. The method of
9. The method of
10. The method of
11. The method of
12. The method of
13. The method of
UP(X)={ε1, ε2, ε3, . . . , εN)
where εi={(1/n) Σj Ei,j τj ωj, . . . }, i identifies the elements, j identifies the television program being watched by the television viewer X, Ei,j is the jth television program of the ith element, providing information on the ith element, ij is the duration for which the television program j is being watched, and ωj is a weighting function to give weight or take away weight for a given television program and having a range from 0 to 1.
14. The method of
15. The method of
16. The method of
17. The method of
18. The method of
19. The method of
20. The method of
21. The method of
22. The method of
23. The method of
24. The method of
UP(X)={ε1, ε2, ε3, . . . , εN)
where εi={(1/n) Σj Ei,j τj ωj, . . . }, i identifies the elements, j identifies the website being visited by the Internet user X, Ei,j is the jth visited website of the ith element, providing information on the ith element, τj is the duration for which the website j is being visited, and ωj is a weighting function to give weight or take away weight for a given website and having a range from 0 to 1.
25. The method of
26. The method of
27. The method of
28. The method of
29. A method of inferring a preference profile of a user utilizing general populous statistical data and psycho-demographic information about the user, the profile having a plurality of unique characteristic segments, the method comprising the steps of:
monitoring user selections
iteratively collecting data about the user selections with respect to each of the unique characteristic segments;
iteratively assigning probabilities to each of the collected unique characteristic segments;
integrating each of the collected unique characteristic segments with assigned probabilities derived from the general populous statistical data and with the psycho-demographic information about the user that is based on probability-based character traits; and
inferring the profile of the user from the integrated information.
30. A method for inferring a preference profile of a user utilizing general populous statistical data and psycho-demographic information about the user, the profile having a plurality of unique characteristic segments, the method comprising the steps of:
monitoring user selections
iteratively collecting data about the user selections with respect to each of the unique characteristic segments;
iteratively assigning probabilities to each of the collected unique characteristic segments;
integrating each of the collected unique characteristic segments with assigned probabilities derived from the general populous statistical data and with the psycho-demographic information about the user; and
inferring the profile of the user from the integrated information wherein, the step of inferring the profile (UP) is determined by the equation:
where Ei(x) is the ith element of the character trait of a real person X, and ρ[Ei(X)] is the probability of the person X having a specific character trait.
31. The method of
UP(X)={ε1, ε2, ε3, . . . , εN)
where εi={(1/n) Σj Ei,j τj ωj, . . . }, i identifies the elements, j identifies events being utilized by the person X, Ei,j is the jth event of the ith element, providing information on the ith element, τj is the duration for which event j is being utilized, and ωj is a weighting function to give weight or take away weight for a given event and having a range from 0 to 1.
32. The method of
33. The method of
34. The method of
35. The method of
recording a predetermine number of inconsistencies of the user selections;
separating the user profile into two consistent sets, a first user profile and a second user profile, while continuing collecting data for the user profile;
monitoring the time-of-day for each collected data for the first and second user profiles;
inferring that the first user profile and the second user profile are for different individuals if over a predetermined period the time-of-day of the first user profile data is grouped together and the time-of-day of the second user profile data is grouped together.
36. The method of
37. The method of
38. The method of
39. A system for inferring preference profile of a user utilizing general populous statistical data and psycho-demographic information about the user comprising:
a plurality of unique characteristic segments included in the profile;
means for monitoring user selections;
means for iteratively collecting data about the user selections with respect to each of the unique characteristic segments;
means for iteratively assigning probabilities to each of the collected unique characteristic segments;
means for integrating each of the collected unique characteristic segments with assigned probabilities derived from the general populous statistical data and with the psycho-demographic information about the user that is based on probability-based character traits; and
means for inferring the profile of the user from the integrated information.
40. The system of
41. The system of
42. A system for inferring preference profile of a user utilizing general populous statistical data and psycho-demographic information about the user comprising:
a plurality of unique characteristic segments included in the profile;
means for monitoring user selections;
means for iteratively collecting data about the user selections with respect to each of the unique characteristic segments;
means for iteratively assigning probabilities to each of the collected unique characteristic segments;
means for integrating each of the collected unique characteristic segments with assigned probabilities derived from the general populous statistical data and with the psycho-demographic information about the user; and
means for inferring the profile of the user from the integrated information wherein, means for inferring the profile (UP) is a microprocessor computing the equation:
where Ei(x) is the ith element of the character trait of a real person X, and ρ[Ei(X)] is the probability of the person X having a specific character trait.
43. The system of
UP(X)={ε1, ε2, ε3, . . . εN)
where εi={(l/n) Σj Ei,j τj Ωj, . . . }, i identifies the elements, j identifies events being utilized by the person X, Ei,j is the jth event of the ith element, providing information on the ith element, τj is the duration for which event j is being utilized, and ωj is a weighting function to give weight or take away weight for a given event and having a range from 0 to 1.
44. The system of
45. The system of
46. The system of
This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/110,301, filed on Nov. 30, 1998, the disclosures of which are incorporated fully herein by reference.
This invention relates to targeting information to consumers and more particularly, to automatically, using statistical methods and psycho-demographic data generate a user profile to be used for targeting information to the consumer represented by the user profile.
An important objective in broadcasting content or advertisement is targeting. Targeting generally refers to the ability to delivering audio, video, textual or other information of interest to the recipient. For example, delivering a sporting program or a sports-related advertisement to a sports fan through a television receiver, an Internet terminal or other video or audio devices. Targeting is of increasing important due to the increase in content and cost of content, and the increasing need to maximize impact of any information delivered on the recipient.
Targeting also helps to avert certain negative reaction to advertising material. Recipients of advertising tend to react negatively to advertising material they have no interest in, and welcome those which they are interested in. Delivering target advertising not only enhances impact, but reduces the risk of negative reaction.
In order to target effectively, information on the preferences of the recipient is required. One conventional approach is to request voluntary disclosure of such information by using questionnaire and other similar communicative means. The drawbacks here are high cost of the process and low response rate, the latter resulting in incomplete coverage and therefore poor statistics. Another conventional approach is to collect such information automatically and without express consent, for example, certain digital cable boxes with two-way communication capabilities may record the television viewing habits of the viewer and automatically forward the information to a central data processing center for targeting purposes. The major drawback here is privacy concerns, which may lead to the outright ban of centralized data mining practices.
According to one aspect of the invention, a form of smart agent (SA) is provided which resides locally in a local client device and by iterative means integrates the habit, statistics and psycho-demographic information of a user to infer the user's preferences and accordingly determine a user profile. The SA may also utilize the user profile to filter information delivered to the local device. The invention further discloses a means of collecting, combining, integrating and inferring information from the user to arrive at a psycho-demographic profile of the user, and a means of utilizing such psycho-demographic profile to select or filter information delivered to the user, thereby achieving targeting. The invention also discloses a means of classifying and identifying the information delivered so that it can be matched, filtered or selected.
The present invention contemplates the information collection process to be automatic, and therefore the process does not incur cost or require effort. The invention also contemplates that the information as well as the conclusion reside in a device local to the user (unless otherwise decided by the user) so that the privacy concern is eliminated. The user profile file may be a secured file stored in the local device.
According to one aspect of the invention, content and advertisements are targeted to a user connected to Internet through an Internet terminal, such as a television receiver, a computer, a wireless electronic device, and the like. Use of the Internet, such as types of websites visited (and how often), types of contents downloaded, products purchased, and the like, is monitored and the monitored data is iteratively integrated with statistical data and psycho-demographic profile of the Internet user to develop a user profile based on the user's selections, statistical data and psycho-demographic information. Content or advertisements are transmitted to the user based on the user profile using e-mail, Java™ applets, push technologies, or other types of selective transmission means.
According to another aspect of the invention, content and advertisements are targeted to television viewers that have a television receiver and a television screen. An electronic programming guide (EPG) is displayed on the television screen. Use of the receiver and/or the EPG is monitored and the monitored data is iteratively integrated with statistical data and psycho-demographic profile of the television viewer to develop a viewer profile based on the viewer selections, statistical data and psycho-demographic information. A plurality of advertisements are transmitted to the receiver. Fewer than all the transmitted advertisements are selectively displayed on the screen to match based on the viewer profile. Preferably, the stored advertisements are displayed on the screen simultaneously with the EPG.
The objects, advantages and features of this invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the drawings in which:
Without limiting the generality of the inventive concept, and for illustrative purposes only, the detailed description provided herein is directed to an interactive EPG for television shows which has the capability of displaying advertising, and/or providing services such as Internet browsing and search and interactive news or sports.
This probability information may be combined with certain deterministic information such as the zip code of the user. However, the inference of this geographic information (whether it is an affluent neighborhood or not, for example), would be probabilistic in nature. The PBPP profile can be used to select the type of information (such as the type of advertising, or the type of video programming) to be provided or suggested to the user. Through the use of the PBPP, the likelihood of providing information of interest to the user is increased ("targeting").
Since this profile can be constructed with a simple set of rules and therefore can reside in the local unit (such as the television containing an EPG) without centralized processing or control, and unless the user expressly agrees to, it is not transmitted to any central processing units, it can be made to fully comply with any privacy requirements prohibiting central data mining. Nothing in this disclosure, however, confines the implementation to a local unit. Local, client-server, or full central processing configurations are all possible.
The collection of viewing habit and Internet site visits is achieved by a click stream recorder which records the programs viewed (or website visited) and the duration of viewing of each program (website). This information is stored in a memory for a certain time duration, and at the same time, used to repeatedly reinforce a probability-based psychological profile of the viewer. The raw information is then erased on a periodic basis, but when expressly agreed to by the user, may be transmitted back to a central processing unit.
Additional information that may be available for the construction of a PBPP include geographic, information such as zip code (needed to establish channel line up and therefore available), information on the cost of the television or computer such as specific model information (available), information on gender and age (optional), number of members in the household (optional) and any other relevant information.
The PBPP, together with other information (including user-controlled information), may be used to filter the information to be targeted to the user. In general, it is contemplated that the unit used by the user will have access to more information that will be provided to the user. The Filter Execution is a process whereby the PBPP and other information will be used to determine the specific information actually to be provided to the user. This is achieved generally by a probabilistic matched filter process whereby the "highest matched" set of information is passed through (the set of information with the highest "score" in a pre-defined formula encompassing the user characteristic (PBPP and other information) and the information characteristic (dependent on the information provider and objective designation)). Nothing in this disclosure precludes the use of alternative filtering methods, or the use of other filtering methods in conjunction: Other filtering methods may include absolute prohibitive filters (no information of a certain sort will be passed through), absolute selective filters (all information of a certain sort will be passed through), balancing filters (information of different categories should be presented in a "mix" consistent with the user PBPP), and the like.
The following is an illustration of a simple PBPP directed to a television viewer. It is customary for most television program provider (including networks, cable service providers, syndicators, etc.) to have a target viewer profile for each program aired (which includes gender, age, income level, educational and ethnic background, and general interest; for example, a sports talk show may target male; 35–40, medium income, high school graduate, white, sports fan as the primary target group, and male, 12–18, low income, high school student, all races, sports fan as the secondary target group etc.). Due to the need of the industry, a show is almost always associated with such a viewer profile for each unique characteristic segment.
The PBPP is comprised of a set of "elements". An example of an element is the gender. Another example is the age. Yet another example is the income bracket. A desirable, but not required, characteristic of the elements of the PBPP is that their partitions do not overlap. In mathematical terms, it is preferred for the elements to be spanned by subsets which are non-overlapping. This characteristic makes it easier to extract information from the PBPP, or to combine the PBPP with other characteristics to provide additional information. All of the examples above are such non-overlapping subsets. Some relevant elements, however, are much more difficult to be non-overlapping. For example, the element of show preferences is not easily ordered and cannot be spanned by non-overlapping subsets. The fact that one person is a sports fan does not mean he or she is not also a romantic movie viewer. However, a simple way of partitioning is to break the show preference element into a number of sub-elements, each having non-overlapping spanning subsets. For example, instead of having show preference as an element, it is broken down to "Sport Preference" which has the subset Yes or No.
The following is an example of a PBPP for a person.
The probability ρ[Ei(X)] is therefore a number between 0% and 100% which expresses the likelihood that the Approximate Person X has a given Element. For example, if ρ[E4(x)]=75%, that means there is a 75% likelihood that Approximate Person X is a sports fan. The PBPP of a person can therefore be built up by integrating information which provide inference on the character element of a person. The method of construction has the following properties: (a) it can handle incomplete information—information which merely shed light on one, but not all of the elements, a simple approach is to assign a probability of 50% to all elements which the information does not shed light on: (b) it is cumulative, that is, information received are integrated in a cumulative fashion, and unless otherwise required, the raw data can be discarded after integration, (c) it is weighted, that is, various rules can be assigned to give weight to a given piece of information relative to another to reflect its impact, (d) it is adaptive meaning such rules, and other rules of integration, can change along the process. There may be other properties which are described in context below.
To construct the PBPP for Person X, the viewing habit of X is recorded. Suppose X views a Super Bowl game. Further suppose that Super Bowl has the following view statistics:
Then, by watching the Super Bowl game, Person X receives a probabilistic profile "score" as follows:
Note that 50% or Medium incidence in effect imparts no information, but may be useful to be retained for counting purposes. If Person X views another movie, he or she will receive another "score" (which may be different from the above "score"). More and more "scores" will be added to Person X as more and more shows that X watches is recorded. The PBPP is then computed as follows:
Where i identifies the elements, and the summation is over j, which identifies the events. Ei,j is the jth event of the ith element, for example, the jth show viewed, providing information on the ith element, say, Gender; τj is the duration for which the "scoring" show is being watched, and ωj is a weighting function which can range from 0 to 1 in order to give weight or take away weight for a given show.
In short, the PBPP of Person X is defined as a running average of the "scores" he or she receives, time weighted by the duration a show is being viewed, (and/or additionally weighted for consistency and other reasons). As the number of shows increase, more statistics is contained in the PBPP. The PBPP will become the "virtual personality" of Person X for the purpose of this concept.
Clearly, the invention is not confined to the specific structure of PBPP. First, it is possible to introduce additional weighting factors to take into account other characteristics of a given show, such as the intensity of the show, the length of the show (so that the duration may be normalized by the length of the show), the day of the week, and other factors. Second, it is possible that the "score" may be a function of the number of same shows or "similar shows" watched; for example, if a person watches every episode of "Star Trek", the score of every successive Star Trek episode may be higher or lower (or first higher confirming that he is a science fiction fan; then lower—since many more additional episodes may be merely additive).
Furthermore, the invention minimizes storage space by transforming viewing characteristics from raw data to PBPP in an "on the fly" mode. However, for the purpose of extracting additional information or allowing changes in the PBPP definition, nothing prevents the raw data to be stored for any duration. Nothing prevents portions of the raw data to be stored for any duration. Nothing prevents any intermediate results of processing of the raw data, or further compilation of the raw data beyond or beside the PBPP to be stored.
In one embodiment, the invention encompasses the possibility that the PBPP may be changed, expanded, contracted, split, mapped or transformed into a new structure, when it is so determined that a new structure is more applicable. An example of the "splitting" of the PBPP to pursue a possibility that there are more than one viewer in a home is given below.
There is a high probability that there is more than one viewer in the TV Household. The following concept can be used to help determine whether this is the case, and if so, the PBPP of each person. The general notion is to look for inconsistencies that suggests the existence of more than one PBPP. Certain shows carry a strong characteristic, and are not likely to viewed if another different show is being viewed. For example, it is unlikely that a Boxing Match is watched by the same person as watching a Disney movie (not impossible, but unlikely). When such unlikely event is encountered, the possibility of a second person in the TV household exists. In this case, a two new PBPP will be created. Preferably, the second PBPP is created by copying of the original PBPP, now assigned with new labels.
When a threshold number of "inconsistencies" is recorded, the following "test" procedures will be followed: while continuing collecting scores for PBPP, a given score is separated into two consistent sets, one deposited into PBPP1, the other into PBPP2. The time-of-day of each deposit is now monitored. If over a pre-determined "test period", the time-of-day of PBPP1 deposits are bunched together (and similarly, PBPP2 deposits), then it supports the proposition that PBPP1 and PBPP2 are separate individuals, each with a dominant period of viewing. The virtual "characteristics" of the TV household is now comprised of PBPP, which is an overall average, PBPP1 (Ti), which is the first individual with dominant viewing time Ti, and PBPP (Tj), which is the second individual with dominant viewing times Tj. This information is used to help decide how to deliver customized data for individual 1 and individual 2 respectively. Alternatively, the triggering of multiple PBPP functions may be through user-provided information (through questionnaire or the use of more than one name in purchases, etc.).
In a situation of limited choices, a person's selection may be strongly influenced by the existence or non-existence of other choices. Television video programming is a particularly good example—a person first decides that he wants to be entertained by the television, then tries to find out what video program is most interesting. In a given time period on a given day, there is only a finite number of video programs available for viewing. The fact that a person selects a science fiction movie, when all movie channels are showing science fiction movies, may not carry as much weight to infer that he is a science fiction movie fan than in a situation where he chooses the science fiction movie over many other genres of programming. This Limited Selection Inference factor can be integrated into the PBPP function construction through the weighting functions ωi. For example, to reflect this, ωi can be defined as v/N, where v is the number genres-present as alternatives when a selection is made, and N is the total number of genres available (for example, during the viewing selection, only 3 types of movies are available, while in total there can be 12 genres, then the weighting function ωi is 3/12=0.25; if on the other hand, 10 out of 12 genres were present during the viewing selection, then the weighting function ωi is 10/12 or 0.84, a much higher weight).
The PBPP may be integrated with external data when the latter becomes available. Deterministic data may be in the form of (a) user provided information (user declares his or her gender, age, income bracket, show preference etc.), (b) feed-back information (user makes purchases, votes, etc.), (c) inherent information (cost of unit, place of purchase—if known, geographic location—through zip code etc.), (d) and any other types of information that may be primary, secondary, through inference, as results of further research and development, or others. As pointed out earlier, even though the information is deterministic, when used to infer a character trait, it becomes probabilistic. Generally, but not always, the weight given to such information depends on its individual relevance and reliability. Certain external deterministic data may be given special treatment, such as the information that there are two or more users of the unit. This information is used to determine the number of PBPP functions that should be used for the unit.
It is possible that a mode exists in which the user is given certain control over the spectrum of information he or she may receive. In this "high user selectability" mode, user provided information will be assigned a high degree of weighting in executing the filter (see below). In addition, the information provided by the user will be separately tagged, so that the final PBPP will itself comprise of two components (in this discussion context—there can be many other components in other contexts):
In the case of potential Multiple Personalities, filter execution may be integrated with user selection within a certain time duration before the execution event. For example, if the Multiple Personalities include a Sports Fan and a Romantic Movie Fan, then the filter will switch to the Sports Fan profile if (a) the television has been tuned more to sporting events than romantic movies during a period before the access of the guide, (b) sporting events have been selected and dwelled upon longer than romantic movies, or (c) a weighted average of (a) and (b) indicates that the viewer is more likely to be a Sports Fan than a Romantic Movie Fan. In making such determination, the concept of Limited Selection Inference may be applied.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, coded advertising messages or graphics for display in panel advertisements or banner advertisements in the body of an EPG are created at a television broadcast transmitter, the headend of a cable network, or other television signal source. The codes identify the types or class of advertisements, e.g., sports equipment, clothing, automobiles, restaurants, etc. The advertisements are telecast with the television signal to user terminals that have television receivers, i.e., cable converters, VCRs, and television receivers.
The EPG data base for generating the program listings displayed on screen 50 (
Television program data is received in download packets. The download packets are sent over the VBI and received by microprocessor 30. A download packet contains television program schedule information along with routing data that enables the system to determine how to store the information in memory.
The packet header is followed by the show information package (SIP) header. There is a show information package header for each show information package in the packet. The SIP header contains: guide number 75 used to determine the internal channel number of the data in the show information package; channel ID 76 used to determine the source of the data in the show information package; and time slot 77 used to designate the time and day of the data in the show information package. A show information package 78 follows the SIP header.
Upon receipt, the system microprocessor extracts a show information package from the download packet and temporarily stores it in program schedule memory. The show information package contains a date field that is used to determine if the data is for the current day(today) or the next day(tomorrow).
If the package falls within this two day window the system determines if the data is duplicate of existing data. The show information package contains a version number used to determine if the data is new or if it already exists in memory. If the data is new then it is stored and the address of the show information package is placed in the appropriate pointer in the pre-established time list. The pre-established time list will be explained more fully below.
If the show information package is outside of the current two-day window (today and tomorrow) and the show information package contains programs that have theme information, those programs with theme information are pulled out of the show information package and placed in the appropriate extended theme show list. The extended theme show list is described more fully below. If the show information package is outside of the current two-day window and does not contain theme information, or if the show information package is duplicative of one that is already stored the entire show information package is discarded.
Data in the program schedule memory is stored in data structures that enable the system to interpret the data. Several of the data structures are of fixed length and reside in the static area 70. Other data structures are of variable length and reside in the dynamic area 71. The fixed data structures include: the pre-established time list, the channel map, the control array, the call letter map, the memory map and the record queue. The variable data structures include: show information packages and extended theme show lists.
The pre-established time list is used to locate television program information for each channel in the system. The pre-established time list only references program information that will be broadcast on the current day (today) or on the next day (tomorrow). The pre-established time list references data through the use of pointers which are pieces of data that contain addresses of desired data items.
Referring to
Show information packages are variable length data structures that contain actual television program schedule data. Each show information package contains data for a four hour block of television programming for a specific channel. The show information package length is variable because the number of shows in each four hour block will depend on the durations of the individual shows.
Following these three fields is specific data for each show that fits within the four-hour time block. For a given show, represented by block 80, the following fields are present in the show information package: multiple show flag field—used to determine if this show is the last show within the package, or if there are other shows following to be processed; start time field—an offset from the start time of the four-hour block, this offset is added to the time of the four-hour block to determine the start time of the show; duration field—specifies the air time for the particular show; theme field—contains information on the type of show; for example, the show may be a sporting event, a news program, or a movie; CC field determines whether or not the show is closed captioned; stereo field—determines whether or not the show is broadcast in stereo; add-ons field—is a field left for expansion, this field will contain more information about the show as that information becomes standard in the art.
Following these fields are fields representing program title, primary description—a short description of the program, secondary description—a longer description of the program and VCR+PLUSCODE. Each of these items are represented by two fields, one containing the length of a specific item, such as title length, and one containing the item itself, such as title.
Following this information is an end-of-show field. The end-of-show field is used to indicate that the information for that particular show is finished. A show information package may contain information for one or more shows depending on how many shows are broadcast within the four hour block. The presence of multiple shows is represented by 81 and 82.
A show information package is structured so as to provide several unique features for storing data. The title length, primary description length, secondary description length and VCR+PLUSCODE length fields can be expanded for values that are beyond the maximum value that can be stored within one byte. For example, referring to
The end-of-show field allows for the inclusion of data in the show information package that is not read by the current version of the system. As shown in
At each user terminal, the usage of the user terminal, i.e. which programs are watched, how often, and for how long, or the usage of the EPG, i.e., which programs are selected for scheduling to record, to watch or to display more details, or which programs are highlighted with the cursor and how often, is monitored and processed by microprocessor 30 as part of creating the viewer profile as described above. In one embodiment, this profile is maintained, i.e., stored, in memory 40 as a secure file at each user terminal to preserve viewer privacy. Thus, unauthorized parties do not have access to the profile. In other words, the viewer profile cannot be uploaded to another location such as a service center, a headend, or an Internet website.
Alternatively, only part of the user profile, namely, the privacy-sensitive part, e.g., the user name and other information, is retained as a secure file, and other commercially useful anonymous marketing information about usage is transmitted to a remote processing center via telephone line, pager, the Internet etc. for analysis.
In addition to its normal function of providing the information to generate the displayed program listings, the EPG data base combined with other information and statistical data may also be used to generate the viewer profile at the viewer terminal as described above. As a result, the privacy of the data about viewer watching habits is not compromised by sending it to a remote location.
By way of example, the microprocessor could monitor the setting of tuner 24 and keep a log of the time, day, and duration that the tuner is set at each channel and program category designators could be stored in the EPG data base as part of the information about each program. The actual programs or program titles or program category designators could be identified from the time, day, and duration of the tuner by use of the EPG data base resident in the user terminal. Each time tuner 24 is reset, the channel and time could be used by microprocessor 30 to access the show information package (SIP) for the program being telecast on the channel at that time via the time-channel table and the corresponding pointer. The category of the program used to generate the category program guides could be recovered from the SIP by microprocessor 30 for use in formulating the viewer profile. Each time tuner 24 is reset the time interval since the last tuner reset is used by microprocessor 30 with the category of the program telecast on that channel during the interval to generate an accumulated value of viewing time of programs in that category. Thus, memory 40 can tally all the viewing time of the categories in this way to be used in determining the viewer profile. If desired, specially tailored program categories different from those used to generate the category program guides could be stored in the SIPs and be used in combination with statistical data and psycho-demographic information to determine viewer profile, as described above.
In the case of the data base structure described above, microprocessor 30 is programmed to obtain the pointer to the desired SIP from the pre-established time list based on time as read from a real time clock and channel as read from the tuner. Microprocessor 30 then reads the category from the SIP for the time and channel. Instead of monitoring tuner 24, the program categories could be transmitted in the VBI of each program itself in real time much as XDS or parental control ratings. However, this requires the cooperation of the television signal provider to accomplish.
The profile determined at a user terminal is correlated with the transmitted advertisement codes in headers H1, H2, H3, . . . , Hn−1, Hn, so microprocessor 30 can earmark the transmitted advertisements A1, A2, A3, . . . , An−1, An−2 that would be of greatest interest to a person represented by the profile file based on statistical data and psycho-demographic information.
More sophisticated correlation schemes such as that disclosed in application No. 60/110,301 could also be employed to correlate the targeted information to the user profile. To conserve local memory space, part of the processing could be performed at a central location, if privacy is not a concern.
In the case of advertisement targeting, as an advertisement is received at a user terminal, its code is compared with the user profile. (In the simple correlation scheme described above, the advertisement code is directly compared with the code or codes of the profile.) If a match is detected, the advertisement is stored in memory 38 for later display in area 54 and/or 56 of the television screen in the EPG (
It is not the intention of the description to restrict the invention in any way or form to the EPG, but to use the EPG as an effective example. The video in the example may be any type of information, the guide may be any list or category of information, the advertising may be any form of promotion that may involve video and audio information as well as text and graphics. For example, should there be a "guide" for video tapes available in rental stores, the same principle can apply. Similarly, should there be a guide of products or services (such as catalogs for electronic commerce), the same principle can apply to target readers or audience. Furthermore, the invention is not limited to any particular hardware configuration and will have increased utility as new combinations of computers, television systems, communication devices, and the like are developed.
The Internet has recently been popularized by the rapid success of the World Wide Web (WWW or Web). The Web links together a variety of computers from around the world and various topics in a non-sequential web of associations which permit a user to browse from one topic to another, regardless of the format and order of topics. Users access and browse the Web using a web browser that generally resides and is executed on the user's computer. Commercially available web browsers such as Netscape's Navigator™ and Microsoft Internet Explorer™ are common and accessible by computer users. The web browser allows a user to retrieve and render hyper-media content from the network of computers within the Web, including text, sound, video and other types of data. These hyper-media contents are stored on different websites.
Websites are locations on server computers that are accessible through Internet. A variety of information, such as hyper media contents and databases can be stored on a website and be access by users with computers connected to the Internet. To serve up pages, websites need a server (a host computer) and server software that runs on the Server. The host computer manages the communication protocols and houses the pages and related software required to create a website on the Internet. Host computers spread throughout the Internet can house different websites.
The Internet works based on a client/server model. In this model, a client computer communicates with a server computer on which information resides and the client computer depends on the server to deliver requested information and services. These services may involve searching for information and sending it back to the client, such as when a database on the Web is queried. Other examples of these services are delivering web pages through a website, and handling incoming and outgoing e-mail. Typically, the client is a personal computer (PC) user using a browser to connect to and search the servers, however, the present invention may also be implemented on a PCTV, a set top box, a television including special hardware, or the like. The servers are usually more powerful computers that house the data and databases. The client/server model enables the Web to be conceived of a limitless file storage medium and, distributed among thousands of host computers, all accessible by any individual user.
The Internet has grown so quickly and its resources are so vast that users need help navigating around it by using special software called agents to help them access the Net's resources. Simply put, agents are programs that perform users' searches and bidding automatically. Agents can find the latest news and download it to the user computer; they can automatically monitor Internet traffic and report on its total usage; they can find the best deal on the a mechanize that a user wants to buy; they can perform important Web maintenance tasks; and the like. These agents are software programs that are invisible to the user. The user determines the task to be done by the agent and behind the scenes the agent automatically goes off and performs that task. A variety of different languages can be used to write agent programs.
For instance, a simple Internet agent is one that gathers news from a variety of sources while the user is not using a computer or while the user is using the computer for another task. A news agent can work in several ways. In the simplest example, the user fills out a form saying what kind of news the user is interested in and on what schedule the user wants the news delivered. Based on that information, at pre-set intervals, the news agent dials into news sites around the Internet and downloads news stories to the user's computer where the user can read them as HTML pages.
In one aspect of the present invention, a smart agent residing locally in a local client device iterative integrates the habit, statistical data and psycho-demographic information of an Internet user to infer the user's profile. The smart agent may also utilize the preference to filter information delivered to the local device. Specifically, the agent collects, combines, integrates and infers information from the user to arrive at a psycho-demographic profile of the user and utilizes such psycho-demographic profile to select or filter information delivered to the user, thereby achieving targeting. The agent is also capable of classifying and identifying the information delivered so that the information can be matched, filtered or selected easily.
The agent is a software program designed to collect information such as the types and frequency of websites visited and the information retrieved by the user. The software program then combines the collected information with statistical data and psycho-demographic information to arrive at a psycho-demographic profile of the user. The agent may also search the Internet for information of interest to the user based-on the user's profile on websites, public Usenet Newsgroups, and the like. The data retrieved by the software applet may be entered into an algorithm that produces a sorted list based on the user profile. According to one embodiment of the invention, the software program is written in the Java™ programming language. The software applet may also be written using ActiveX™, or other known Internet programming technologies.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the system uses tables and records to store and organize data for construction of the user profile. The system organizes the tables and records into a database stored in the local device. The database may be structured as a relational database, tabular database, hierarchical database, object-oriented database, and the like. The layout and information contained in the various tables may vary based on the type of data being utilized. The user record includes the user's preference and psycho-demographic information, as well as a history of user interactions with the Internet and various websites. The user record also includes the user's information including the user's name, gender, age group, income level, e-mail address, and the like. The user record may also include a user rating table field with an index to a user's rating table. The user's rating table includes a list of subject matters, product types, brand names, and the like. Each entry further includes a user rating given to the particular entry. The user rating indicates a user's rating of the brand as "yes," "no," "like," "dislike," "don't care," or "don't know." Users may indicate their preferences or indifference for an entry by selecting a button adjacent to the entry corresponding to the above-mentioned ratings. The agent uses the entry rating information, in combination with other data to arrive at a user profile, as described above. Thus, the system can filter information or retrieve information from Internet according to the user's profile. The information includes promotional information, advertisement, or any other information related to a particular subject matter.
Increasingly, the Internet is becoming a broadcast medium. Instead of users taking it upon themselves to visit certain sites, information, entire websites, and applications can be sent via the Internet straight to users' computers with a variety of technologies collectively know as push technology. In push technology, typically users subscribe to websites, often called channels. A channel generally refers to an area of interest that a site publisher builds, which can include HTML pages, Java™ applets, ActiveX™ components, multimedia objects, and other information packaged together to deliver customized information to users via push technology. The subscribed sites and the information they contain are sent to the users automatically at specified intervals.
Receiving these channels requires either special client software or a push-enabled browser. Typically, push technology is built into browers such as Netscape Communicator™ and Microsoft Internet Explorer™. Push client software is also available from other companies. Most push technologies allows the users to customize the kind of information that they receive. This kind of customization is one benefit that push technologies offer. Another benefits is the time savings—instead of having to go out and gather the information, the information is delivered to the users with no effort on their part, and it's the kind of information that interests them.
According to one aspect of the invention, when a profile for a user is determined, push technologies are used to deliver to the user specific information of interest, such as particular product information or advertisements, based on the determined user profile.
The user can further access the Internet by choosing Network from the guide using the user interface. Cable modem 318 accesses the Internet, and once connection is made, the user has two-way communication with on-line service providers. The user can then access the different on-line services. For example, a user viewing a sporting event may press the Services button, and a different menu based on the user profile will appear with the following choices: (1) Sports Scores, (2) Current Game Statistics, (3) Current Player Statistics, and (4) Associated Products based on the user profile. If the user selects (4) Associated Products, the software, will notify the cable modem and instruct the cable modem to establish connection with an on-line service provider. The on-line service provider then lists a series of selections associated with the game (e.g., 49er's hats, Giant's Baseball Bats from Louisville Slugger, Nike Spiked Football shoes for Pop Warner, etc.), and the user can interact with the service provider accordingly to order and purchase the product.
In one embodiment, the computer network 360 includes a plurality of servers 350 and a database 370. The database 370 includes television schedule information, which may be retrieved and viewed on PCTV 362. Servers 350 represent file servers having files, databases or the like. In a representative embodiment, the computer network is the World Wide Web and each server 350 is set up as a network file server addressable by a unique address. For example, the servers 350 may be configured to follow a common network protocol such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and the Internet Protocol (IP) (commonly referred to collectively as TCP/IP), and may be assigned a unique IP address or Internet domain name. For example, the servers may be assigned the domain name "guide.com." The servers 350 may also have some form of server software installed to permit the system to function as an Internet graphics server. For example, the servers 350 may be configured with HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) server software to permit the system to function as an Internet Web server. In this embodiment, PCTV 362 may access servers 350 via the Web using Web compatible software by indicating the system's uniform resource locator address: "HTTP://www.guide.com".
In another embodiment, the television schedule guide (not shown) is stored as one or more files (e.g., a websites or Internet broadcast transmitters) on one of the servers 350, which can be accessed by any viewer having access to the Web. The television schedule guide or website may be configured for viewing and interacting with television information directly on-line, or it may be configured for downloading the information into a computer hard drive or other suitable processor. The guide provides listings information for all channels in the viewer's local cable lineup. Preferably, the guide is capable of creating personalized TV listings with search and sort features that allow the viewer to call up favorite programming choices based on categories, such as channel, day, actor, movie genre or other desired categories. The guide may also include other information about programs, such as ratings, stars, type of movie (e.g., suspense, comedy, drama, western, musical, children, biography, horror, etc.). This information may be provided on the actual website and/or Internet broadcast transmitter, or the website and/or Internet broadcast transmitter may provide means for linking the viewer with other websites and/or Internet broadcast transmitter to provide more information on certain topics and categories.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the system includes a search engine that allows the viewer to search for particular types of programs that will be broadcast within a certain period of time. The search engine may include categories such as title, description, category, dates, day parts, channels, actor/actresses, directors, etc. In addition, the viewer may obtain more information on the programs within each category.
For example, the guide could provide information on movies in many categories, including theatrical, made-for-TV movies, Spanish, French, etc. The guide is capable of informing the user what Clint Eastwood movies are on this week, how many StarTrek episodes this weekend, or whether a favorite basketball team is on TV this Saturday. The on-line viewers may customize their own listings by title, year, actors, director, run themes, critical star rating, MPAA, warning lines, video laser disc, full descriptions, genre, and holidays with themes. In another example, the guide could provide information on shows and series, including network shows, first run, British, PBS, cult favorites, syndicated shows, talk shows, local productions and obscure programs. The user may sort by, for example, title, episode run times, genre, original air date, etc. Data related to these user's selections is utilized in combination with other data to automatically generate a user profile, as described above.
In another aspect of the invention, the system includes a variety of files on the same or different network servers that allow the user to interact with other users, program sponsors, advertisers, etc. For example, the system may have a website that allows viewers to chat about certain programs (each program itself may have its own website). In addition, the system may include a "virtual agent" that searches existing websites and/or Internet broadcast transmitter on the Internet and points to websites and/or internet broadcast transmitters that may interest the viewer based on the automatically generated user profile. The virtual agent also learns from the user choices to customize the television guide.
PCTV 402 may include a memory and a processor with appropriate software (not shown) for searching and retrieving information including promotional information and advertisements from databases on the Internet 406 based on user profile. Alternatively, this function may be provided through Internet 406, television guide database 408 or through the commercial provider 410 or broadcaster 412. The software may also selectively filter the information directed to the viewer based on the user profile to achieve targeting. In this embodiment, PCTV may access, download, and/or automatically upgrade an application or applet (e.g., a Java™ applet) having the appropriate software to run the television schedule guide on a display, e.g., a computer monitor, television display or other user interface.
In one example, the viewer is watching a sports event, such as a football game. One or more icons or other visual indicators are located on the television screen in a convenient location, such as the top, right corner. One of these icons may be an icon that represents the television schedule guide. The viewer can move a cursor or other visual indicator to the television guide icon and click thereon to open up the television guide as discussed in detail below. Another icon may be provided, for example, by a commercial sponsor targeting the particular viewer based on the user profile. Moving into and activating this icon allows the viewer to link with a database provided by the commercial sponsor, or to a portion of the television schedule guide database that allows the viewer to purchase an advertised product, make a monetary contribution, respond to a survey, answer a question, or participating in contests with other viewers, for example. This type of advertising allows the advertiser to directly target a particular viewer or particular program and it allows the viewer to directly purchase the advertised product during the advertisement.
In another example, the television network that is broadcasting the program may provide an icon that allows the viewer to access a database 412 providing more information about the J football game, previews of upcoming related programs, such as another football game later on in the week, or other products and services based on the user profile.
As shown in
In one embodiment, the Internet site information is placed in a picture-in-picture ("PIP") window on the television screen such that the Internet site information may be viewed simultaneously with the television program. Conversely, the television signal may be placed in a PIP window on the television screen as shown in
It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the illustrated and other embodiments of the invention described above, without departing from the broad inventive scope thereof. It will be understood therefore that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments or arrangements disclosed, but is rather intended to cover any changes, adaptations or modifications which are within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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text:
Astros promote catcher from Lancaster to Hooks
CORPUS CHRISTI - Venezuela native Federico Hernandez was added to the Hooks roster on Thursday by the Houston Astros, taking the place of the suspended Jonathon Fixler.
Hernandez, 22, played in 84 games this season with Lancaster of the High-A California League. He was hitting .267 with eight home runs and 46 runs driven in, and exited Lancaster with a 10-game hitting streak. Hernandez has proven to be fairly adept in the clutch, hitting .293 with two outs and runners in scoring position and .344 with runners on base with two outs. He hit .400 with the bases loaded.
Hernandez also ranked among the California League catching leaders with a .989 fielding percentage. He was signed by Houston as a non-drafted free agent in March 2006.
Fixler was suspended for 50 games on Wednesday for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. He was batting .265 with five home runs and 14 runs batted in.
George Vondracek
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Good news to report amidst the serial bad news that continues to gush from the office chambers of the apostate wing of American Christianity. Bishop David Maxwell a former vocal supporter of homosexual marriage and its rider issues, strongly denounced it and renounced his support of it in an May 19th oped.
Via the Gospel Herald:
One of Lansing, Michigan's most prominent Black pastors, Bishop David Maxwell, had been quoted in the press in May of 2012, as saying that he agreed with homosexuals and lesbians who say that so called gay marriage is a "civil right".
Maxwell, Pastor of Eliezer Temple Church in Lansing, Michigan, has also served as head of Mayor Virg Bernero's Office of Faith-based Initiatives, was quoted as saying:
"Many of my comrades in the faith community have a struggle and cannot separate the theology with the civics of the president executing fairness and equity for all persons, It's a civil right. The sad thing about it is: You would have thought that the African-American pastoral or theological community would have sensitivity when they themselves have struggled civil rights-wise."
Maxwell also praised President Barack Obama for promoting an agenda to redefine marriage as other than between one man and one woman, ""I think the president is to be commended. He did not allow his own Christian philosophy or theology to dominate his presidential responsibility." However, in a recent letter dated May 19, 2014, Bishop Maxwell has clearly changed his mind regarding his support of marriage redefinition and his criticism of predominantly Black churches as being "homophobic".
"After reading statements attributed to me in a recent article, of which did not completely state my position on same sex marriage, and may lead some to view my statements as an endorsement of sort of same sex marriage. I am compelled to set the record straight".
Maxwell also recanted all of his previous accusations against black churches for being "homophobic".
7 Responses to Bishop David Maxwell renounces all support for homosexual marriage
Good for him! Hopefully others will find the courage to speak the truth.
there is but one truth one lord one faith one baptism a bishop must be the husband of one wife marriage is one man one woman in the beginning until the end of time on earth marriage is also a great mystery so is being ONE body one Father God of our Lord Jesus Christ
marriage is not black and white one day this all will not matter for Now souls matter and The Almighty God has them all!!!! Praise His Holy Name
Better late than too late. All across America, black pastors that supported the sin of homosexuality are jumping off the Obama bandwagon because they finally saw or fell the little busted up red wagon sliding down the street with no wheels. Even Hilkary went back to business as usual even though she went to Margha's Vineyard for a party with Obama. But all that has changed. Now black folks gotta watch their backs because round two of homosexuality is about to kick of should Hillary get in. Round two is a wave of lesbian liberalism where angry beards will rise to castrate male authority.
People of God: Contend for the faith! Use bible doctrine when dealing with any sin including homosexualtiy and do not let the person side trapped you with issues of personal freedom. Yes, they have personal freedom to indulge in sin…any sin but for htem to link personal freedoms with being OK with God..that is the turning point in the discussion. God does not endorse any personal freedom that causes one to sin or to be tempted to sin. Remember, keep the discussion on a spiritual level since in the final analysis, when we stand before a holy God, it will not be discussions about your personal freedoms but what decision did you make about God's free gift of grace…Jesus the Christ.
Hold the course saints…we are almost home! The times are getting worse and worse but that is to be expected so do not lose heart. We are seeing an
acceleration of end time events. So, stay focused and
have mercy on the sinner as God did for me and for you and pray for their deliverance in spite of themselves.
I agree with this sister. Amen. 1 Corinthians 11:1; what pattern are you setting for someone to follow? Remember someone other than God is always watching us.
People of God , stand up for righteousness, God had given us his way in which we should serve him and we should forsake all other way and live a operate in his will, the flesh is weak but with the strength and empowerment of the Holy Spirit we can do all things through Christ who strengthen us. Whatever the word of God say is wrong it is wrong and no one can turn a lie into truth, man lying with a man is wrong, take an example of the flood , Noah took a pair of every animal.
God can do all things and bring him out of Darkness and into His Marvellous Light, even before you finish talking about him/her!
God has a problem with all sin, and eveyone that is committing sin. We who are living as Self-proclaimed, Sanctified, and Saved people need to stop tempting God with the Hidden Spiritual Tattoos of our own Immorality, and the covering up of our own sins.
God only knows what evidentiary sins that we bear in our own self righteous behavior as disobedient Children of the Most High!
Let's stop spreading the Devil's Newspaper, and start obeying our God by spreading the Good News of Jesus!
Knowing That God Can Save The Sinner Man, The Self Righteous Man, Even Me My Man, I Know That God Can Save You, Whoever You May Be, Man!
Won't He Do It? Yes He Will!