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The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday said it was giving itself more time to review Verizon Wireless' bid to buy spectrum from a group of cable companies.
The commission said it was stopping the 180-day "shot clock" it uses for reviewing such transactions for three weeks because of delays in getting documents it has requested from the companies involved in the transaction.
"The applicants' untimely productions have delayed staff's review of the proposed transactions by at least three weeks," FCC Wireless Bureau Chief Rick Kaplan wrote in a letter Tuesday to the companies involved in the deal. "Assuming the adequacy of the current productions in response to the requests, we do not anticipate further extension of the 180-day period on account of the matters discussed above."
Verizon is seeking approval from the FCC to buy 20 megahertz of spectrum from a joint venture among Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks and from Cox Communications as part of a separate deal. Verizon and the cable firms also are seeking a green light from the Justice Department for a separate joint marketing agreement to sell each other's services. Verizon says it will use the cable firms' spectrum and additional airwaves it owns now to deploy next-generation 4G LTE wireless service.
Public interest groups and other critics of the deal praised the FCC's move. "At the end of the day, protecting the public interest in a transaction that could well reshape the communications industry in this country is more important than meeting an arbitrary deadline for reviewing a transaction," Public Knowledge Legal Director Harold Feld said in a statement.
The Communications Workers of America argued that the FCC's decision to stop the shot clock highlights the growing concerns with the deal. "Today's FCC decision simply shows that as federal regulators look more closely at this proposal, the more they are seeing the potential problems," CWA Telecommunications Policy Director Debbie Goldman said in a statement.
The union is opposing the deal because it claims it will harm competition in the wireless market and cost U.S. jobs.
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Thank you for visiting my web site!
I'm excited to be a member of the growing number of Indy writers. There are many new and wonderful writers that have joined the ranks and I urge you to check out their work.
Indy writers now have a place to have works available through the exciting world of eBooks. Whether you are a fan of the Kindle, Nook, iPad or others - know that there is a whole new world of authors out there with countless works you might be interested in reading for a reasonable price.
Independent Book Review
Natasha Jackson for Reader's Review
4 Stars
When world famous movie star Griffin Carter drops into his home town to speak at Career Day he meets Annie Beal again and his entire life changes. Although rude to him initially, she is attracted to him and put off that he doesn't remember her. Both Griffin and his best friend and manager, Cory, have fallen under annie's spell and their friendship begins to pay the price.
Barbara Romines tells a story of love, friendship and nefarious plans in I'm So Glad it Was You. This love triangle between old friends is your classic 'two boys both want the same girl and it breaks up their friendship,' but told in a totally unique way that is packed full of drama and action.
When Griffin's father Jasper receives an early release from prison, things really get interesting. Jasper is operating under the mistaken belief that his son owes him something and he's willing to go to unspeakable lengths to get retribution. Ms. Romines paints a spectacular picture of Annie, Cory, Griffin, and Jasper, and even the supporting characters.
The differences between the personalities of Annie and Griffin are clear but so are the reasons they fit so well together. She does a fantastic job of showing the power of friendship and hate, but most of all the powerful ties of love, whether platonic or romantic. Her portrait of the callous yet somehow reflective Jasper shos her talent for character deveolopmen and took I'm So Glad it Was You beyond your basic romance!
Natasha Jackson
Reader's Review
Check our review and author's info at readersreview.com
Falling in Love
Isabel Starr
Savannah's Gift
I'm So Glad it Was You
Amazon Kindle and Kindle Fire
Nook - Barnes and Noble
Baker & Taylor
Gardners Books

subset: commoncrawl


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Why don't we just go ahead and declare this Rebel Wilson Week here at VH1 Celebrity. The opportunities to gush about the Pitch Perfect star just keep falling into our laps. The latest: her appearance on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno, which not only featured her singing Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory" (beginning with an a cappella version, exploding into a full-on accompanied version complete with shoe-kicking-off and couch-jumping), but also revealed some amazing stories about what inspired Rebel to spread joy in our lives.
Rebel describes her family as the Australian version of Honey Boo Boo's clan, only they happened to be in the show dog rather than the pageant biz. "One time we bought a house because it came with a free donkey," she told Jay Leno. "The donkey was really annoying and one day we just let it loose on the road. … It was an a–hole." At first, she seemed to be straying from this "feral" clan and studied law in college. But while she was working as a Youth Ambassador for Australia in South Africa, she got malaria.
"I was in hospital for two weeks getting rid of the malaria and they gave me a lot of drugs to help with that process," she explained. "And I actually hallucinated that I was an actress and I was really good. And I won an Oscar and instead of giving an acceptance speech, I gave an acceptance rap, and the crowd really appreciated it. When I came out of the hospital, I said, 'Yeah, I'm going to become an actress now.' " Please, gods of entertainment, let her win an Oscar one day and get a chance to make all of this dream come true!


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laptop keyboards
Brand new laptop keyboards for Dell...US $26.60 / piece
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About Shipping: First, China post and HK post are cheap and even in some lins are free shipping, but the will take longer time than other Express shipping term.(if buyers can not wait and are urgent, we suggest that buyers choose EXPRESS!). If you still choose this normal post shipping term, hope you can understand and be patient enough to wait for these goods. One more, recently, according to aliexpress and forwarders' information, the EMS and normal post shipping term can not be deliveried to Peru. Hope Peru buyers choose EXpress way, not EMS and Normal post.
Second, to Russia and Brazil buyers,We only accept EMS and normal post to russia and brazil. Don't accept DHL Fedex UPS etc. express shipping way. Thanks.
About Buying tips: Before making orders, buyers if are confused for some informations, pls do contact us. We will do best to help you solve your problems and remove your confusion.


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We make no judgments on Grub Street. We got this e-mail earlier today and read it with raised eyebrows and no great credulousness:
My husband and I were at the New York restaurant, Maze @ the London Hotel tonight 12-18-07. We were so upset. He had four clients he was taking out. At one point one of the clients noticed that there were two prostitutes at the bar, trying to pick up men. When my husband's guest complained to the staff, they became hostile and asked us to leave. When we talked to the hotel staff, they informed us that, "This happens all the time, You need to talk to the management of Gordon Ramsey." We were very upset — how could they let that go on? It's almost like they were getting a cut of their action. We will never dine at a Gordon Ramsey Rest. We spend $800, and had to watch a common prostitute pick up her johns. It was very ugly, shame on Gordon Ramsey and Shame on the London.
Shame indeed! But we have no idea if it was even true. We can never tell prostitutes in hotel bars even when we're talking to them, let alone from at a table faraway. So we asked the restaurant's PR agency, who got back to us with this response.
There was a party of six people in last night, and they were very loud and obnoxious, yelling things at ladies at the bar — who were just ladies at the bar! People started complaining, and they became very nasty, so that's when the restaurant asked them to leave. They were very intoxicated.
So there you have it: Rashômon at the Maze. It's a shame they never had this one on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.


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A Dewhurst-Cruz debate en Espanol? Hórale!
CORPUS CHRISTI - Unleash the inner Hispanic in David Dewhurst and Ted Cruz. Let the Republican senatorial candidates debate in Spanish, as has been suggested. Here's betting that such a debate would be cathartic for the GOP and for the candidates.
I've got to admit that it would be rich watching the top candidates for the party that wants English as the official language carry on a debate in Spanish, aimed at a Hispanic audience that might wonder what message "Taking back our country," the state party motto, is meant to send.
Such a debate is highly unlikely. Neither candidate says he is pushing for it. But perhaps the debate ought to happen precisely because it breaks all molds. If a GOP candidate can persuade an audience that looks more like Texas' future – one in six people in the United States is Latino - instead of its past, that the party's issues are relevant to them, then it has a chance of continuing its success. If not, then the GOP is just watching the demographic game clock run against it.
Dewhurst, the state's lieutenant governor, and Cruz, the Texas solicitor general, are engaged in one of the hottest political races in many years on any ballot. Either one would still face a Democrat in November, but who are we kidding? No Democrat has won statewide office in nearly two decades.
Just who advanced the Spanish-language debate idea is murky. Some news stories say Dewhurst challenged Cruz to the debate. But the original idea may have come from Univision, the Spanish-language television network. In any case, Cruz, the Tea Party darling, dismissed the Spanish-language debate as so much political chaff from Dewhurst. Besides, as Cruz admitted, like a lot of second-generation Hispanic immigrants – his parents are Cuban — he is less than fluent in Spanish. Dewhurst is fluent in Spanish from his days with the CIA in Bolivia. (Say something in CIA, Mr. Dewhurst .)
That Cruz is less than simpatico in Spanish probably drew a lot of chortles in the Dewhurst camp, but Cruz's lack of fluency is fairly typical for a lot of Hispanic family histories. It's only to be expected that English becomes the lingua franca of the second and third generations, with only smatterings of the old tongue sprinkled in the conversation. By the third or fourth generation, those kids named Rodriguez and Jimenez who we nurtured on English are angling to go off to Madrid for a summer to learn Spanish. Yes, it's a long time since grandma came from Nuevo Laredo.
There's another reason for a debate: shame on us for our stubborn monolingualism. We boast that we know only one language. When did ignorance become a point of pride? Americans have critical foreign policy issues in the Middle East. We do business in Latin America. The Chinese own most of our national debt. And if you have trouble with your computer, you wind up talking to a nice person in India. Doesn't this say we need to increase the number of people who speak Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish? Understanding a second language complements our understanding of ideas as expressed in several languages. Heck, have Cruz and Dewhurst go at each other in German, if they can.
There was a surprising result out of the May 29 primary that the debate would underscore: Spanish-surnamed Republican candidates have held off, for the moment at least, the notion that Spanish-surnamed candidates don't win on GOP ballots. J.M. Lozano is in a runoff with Bill Wilson for the nomination to be the Republican District 43 state representative candidate. Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina is in a runoff to keep his seat. In the 15th Congressional District, which includes Alice and Beeville, Eddie Zamora and Dale Brueggemann are in a runoff for the GOP nod. Hispanics shouldn't win just because they are Hispanic, but they shouldn't lose just because of their name, either.
And then there is this. A Dallas-area pizza chain recently offered free pizzas to anyone who would order one in Spanish during a certain time period. Soon, throngs were lined up for a free pizza. I'm no political expert, but those sound like voters to me.
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Hold down Control (PC) or Command (Mac) key + mouseclick to select more than one option
|Avg. Dinner Entrée
|Greater than $25
|$18.01 - $25
|$12.01 - $18
|$7.01 - $12
|Less than $7
Posted by Al on 02/11/2009
Found this place by accident...and I am so glad I did! The fish taste great, it is fresh, clean and healthy. I think the only fast food all fish outlet in LA. Staff is nice and friendly. Great pricing offers good value. Their mixed seafood cocktail is impressive. The rice is good texture and delicious. I have become a regular customer. Highly recommend it for at least a try.
Posted by Liseth on 01/28/2009
They have the best camarones ala diabla and the best rice!!! I love this place. It's not a fancy place but I love it and they have ice cold beer!!
Posted by Jenny on 11/15/2008
Their spanish rice and the shrimp are the best. I love it. I ordered beef one time and it's dry and hard. One small plate will be around $10. A little pricy for a small plate.
Posted by KRyan on 03/02/2007
Okay, but not great.


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Symphony Concert at Willamette Features Joshua Bell
Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell joined the Oregon Symphony for a classical concert Tuesday, May 19, in Smith Auditorium.
Conducted by Carlos Kalmar, the symphony and Bell performed Mendelssohn's "Violin Concerto" and Bruckner's "Symphony No. 7."
Bell came to national attention at the age of 14 in his orchestral debut with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra. A Carnegie Hall debut, the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and a recording contract are part of what led to him earning the title "classical music superstar."
He has collaborated with numerous artists inside and outside the classical arena, including Josh Groban, James Taylor and Sting. Bell has made critically acclaimed recordings for Sony Classical of the concertos of Beethoven and Mendelssohn, as well as the Grammy Award-winning Nicholas Maw concerto. He plays the 1713 Gibson ex Huberman Stradivarius violin, made during what is known as Antonio Stradivari's "Golden Era."
Since 1955 the Oregon Symphony, based in Portland, has partnered with Willamette to bring the symphony's classical concerts to the Salem community. Pops concerts were added to the series in 1975. Today the Oregon Symphony in Salem presents a season of nine to ten concerts annually on the Willamette campus.
For more about the concert, visit www.oregonsymphony.org/salem.


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Even a tea partyer knows you don't get re-elected by denying your hometown money to build roads and bridges.
And so, tea party freshmen are screaming for a government shut down if they don't see "major cuts," while seeking to keep those cuts away from their own districts.
From the New York Times:
WASHINGTON — As a candidate, Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler denounced stimulus spending and voted for a Republican budget bill that would make $61 billion in cuts to a vast array of programs this year.
Government overspending is out of control, she said recently in the weekly Republican address, and must be stopped. But perhaps not in her home state, Washington.
There, the Port of Vancouver had been waiting for a $10 million grant, one modeled on a popular program in the stimulus bill. But the money was rescinded in the Republican spending bill, known as H.R. 1, that passed the House in February but was later defeated in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Port officials appealed to Ms. Herrera Beutler, one of 87 freshman Republicans in the House. She agreed to work on the port's behalf to make sure it got its money before any cuts to the grant program went into effect. The outcome remains unknown.
"We were very concerned," said Theresa Wagner, a spokeswoman for the port, which is set to use the money for a rail project. "Our rail project is incredibly important to us and is our link to additional private investment."
Ms. Herrera Beutler, Ms. Wagner said, has been "incredibly receptive" to their concerns.
Ms. Herrera Beutler's spokesman said the project in her district was small relative to total government spending.
"We're talking about $10 million out of a more than $1 trillion bill," said the spokesman, Casey Bowman. "There are likely other small cuts made in H.R. 1 that she didn't fully agree with but she voted to cut spending over all because, as economists have said, cutting federal spending will help economic recovery."
While scores of congressmen and women are singing an ode to spending reductions with their Republican choir in Washington, back home, the tune sometimes changes.
In town-hall-style meetings and in interviews with local news media in recent weeks, some Republican members have been backing away from the cuts made in various spending bills passed by the House. In some cases, they are trying to circumvent the very cuts they voted for. …
Well I'll be damned. Steve Israel? Your witness:
"You cannot vote to cut veterans' benefits in Washington and then go pose for pictures with veterans back in the district," said Representative Steve Israel, who runs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "There is a pattern of duplicity here, and we're going to make sure it comes back to haunt them."
"Pattern" may be an overstatement, but there are several examples of members' voting for cuts that they then deplore. Representative Bobby Schilling voted against rail financing for his district in Illinois, and later said that he did so only because he knew that the Senate would not sign off on the cut.
The Republican spending bill made large cuts to the Department of Energy, "regardless of mission," and including the National Nuclear Security Administration. Several Republicans, including Representative Michael R. Turner of Ohio, wrote to Representative Paul D. Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin and chairman of the House Budget Committee, seeking to restore money for the agency.
"Congressman Turner voted in favor of H.R. 1 as it was the beginning of a longer conversation on how our nation is to proceed with its finances," said his spokesman, Thomas Crosson. "In the time since, Congressman Turner has spoken with Chairman Ryan and leadership to stress the importance of N.N.S.A. funding, and its implications for our national security."
There's more where that came from. Read it here.
Meanwhile, despite Democratic defections, the Senate beats back GOP attempts to block the EPA from trying to limit climate change.
Nick Kristoff says if the government is shut down, Congress shouldn't get paid (since members of the military, federal prison wardens and perhaps 800,000 government employees wouldn't get their checks.)
President Obama says a shutdown would be inexcusable.
And John Boehner must might be the weakest House speaker in history. He is also a man serving two masters, as is his party. The right wing Washington Examiner's senior political columnist Tim Carney explains:
the Left's storyline leaves out a crucial player in the fight: the business lobby. Business is so dependent on government that it has been reassuring Democrats that it wants to avert a shutdown and fiercely lobbying Republicans to strike a compromise.
Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donahue twisted the arms of GOP lawmakers this week and then met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Dow Jones Newswires quoted Reid saying that Donahue "told more than 100 Republicans yesterday at an event that they were making a huge mistake shutting down the government." Business Roundtable head John Engler personally lectured Boehner on keeping government running for the sake of government contractors.
It's yet another battle in the bailout-sparked war for the soul of the GOP. Tea Party groups are pulling Republicans toward austerity, while the business lobby is either ambivalent or opposed to spending cuts.
The chamber's role as a counterpoint to the Tea Party has always presented a potential rhetorical problem for Democrats. The White House tried to make the 2010 elections about Republican coziness to the chamber and other corporate lobbyists, while today business interests are aligned with the White House.
The contradiction stems from the divergent agendas of the Tea Partiers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The chamber supported Troubled Asset Relief Program, stimulus, cash for clunkers, green subsidies, and Obama's proposed new infrastructure spending — all of which The Tea Part opposed.
Government contractors have been vocal in their fear of a shutdown. An executive at Army contractor Belzon in Huntsville, Ala., told a local reporter, "We will start losing money on day one" of a shutdown. While federal workers are compensated for wages lost during a shutdown, contractors' employees are not. Back in February, the Professional Services Council gathered hundreds of government contractors to come up with a strategy to deal with a shutdown.
These worries resonate with Boehner, who said last week, "Let's all be honest, if you shut the government down, it'll end up costing more than you save, because you interrupt contracts." Also, some pending contracts have been delayed amid recent uncertainty about shutdowns.
But a shutdown could hurt even those businesses for whom government isn't the customer. Commerce Department trade missions, Energy Department loan guarantee programs, and all sorts of other business subsidies could be foiled if appropriations expire this weekend.
Republicans also know they are likely to lose the public relations battle. Even though this debate is about passing appropriations bills that Democrats simply shirked when they controlled the whole process before January, the media and the public are likely to blame a shutdown on the GOP. The PR fears combine with business pressure to weaken the hand of the spending cutters.
This demonstrates two points that should trouble anyone who shares the Republicans' professed belief in limited government. First, there is no powerful Washington constituency for serious spending cuts. Tax cuts and deregulation have their powerful champions, but federal frugality offers no concentrated benefits. This is part of why the GOP managed to cut taxes last decade while boosting spending. …
As Carney puts it, the Republican Party is caught between two masters — one who has money, and the other who has votes. Corporations pump money into the tea party movement and whips them into an increasingly tiny frenzy periodically to keep up the ruse that masses of Americans want their lungs filled with coal dust and their shores blackened by oil, and because let's face it — they're convenient at election time. But they don't really want them in the room making decisions, because they understand that many of them are nuts (or underinformed zealots who have no clue what their "ideas" would actually do to real people.) And John Boehner is running out of time to man up and explain to the baggies which master is the one he ultimately puts first. Spoiler alert: it's gonna be big business.
More fun with Gopers: Darrell Issa says his staff is essential! Can't let them go in a shutdown!
And the new NBC/WSJ poll says independent voters want compromise. And most voters would indeed blame the GOP for a shutdown (though I still think one won't happen, because the politics for Republicans are way too toxic.)


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Fall trends: moccasins
Whatever the season or terrain, moccasins always win hands down for both men and women. They come in intricate designs and colors that make a definite fashion statement.
The Minnetonka Moccasins that have been inspired by the Native Americans have an entire range in children's (even baby moccasins), women's and men's. I'm not surprised since they've been in the business for almost 50 years. The children's moccasins and boots, especially the beaded moccasins in the thunderbird design and the Pocahontas moccasins (college girls love them) are hot favorites. The moccasin boots for children come with a zip at the back that can be matched with suede boots for moms. The suede used for these moccasins are soft and rich and come in natural leathers and soft soles that are so comfortable for the feet. They are a must-have (I love the fringed ones that look great with jeans) when you're on the go the whole day.
Frye moccasins have many takers because of their durability and style. They are manufactured with high quality suede and cow-hide leather. If maintained well and regularly cleaned according to their instructions, Frye moccasins can last you almost an entire lifetime.
Suede moccasins that come trimmed with fur, stalking moccasins or tracker moccasins, ankle length with fancy fringes, ballet styled ones, classic shearling-lined slip-ons that come with stitched toes and rawhide bows are just some of the various designs on offer this fall. Or go with the Timberland moccasins that can be worn with trousers and dresses and manage to look elegant and casual at the same time. They are unique because of their detailing and the rubber soles that are meant for traction and hand-crafted to last longer.
Don't compromise. Settle for both comfort and style with a pair of moccasins this festive season and perk up your fashion quotient.


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European Tour -- Wrap-up Blog
June 4, 2012
After looking back over our Europe tour, I just wanted to say how appreciative we are as a team. We were given the unbelievable chance to learn about ourselves and each other while being immersed in different cultures.
Not every team has the opportunity to travel through amazing countries together, which made us feel even more fortunate. Exploring four different countries brought us closer as friends and as a team.
The once-in-a-lifetime experiences and the great memories we enjoyed made this a trip that none of us will ever forget. So thank you to Lafayette, the coaching staff, Lea Vandegrift, our trainer, Dr. Goldstein, Phil LaBella and everyone who made this trip possible.
Lafayette Athletics, as a partner in the mission of the College, provides an incredibly effective learning experience for student-athletes through competitive NCAA Division I athletics. Lafayette sponsors 23 varsity sports with more than 600 student-athletes.Mission Statement | Leopard Tradition | Staff Directory | Feedback
The Lafayette Sports Network (LSN) handles all multimedia elements and advertising sales for athletics at Lafayette College. LSN is the Patriot League leader in delivering high-quality programming worldwide via television, radio, streaming video and satellite.Advertising and Sponsorships | Digital Media | LSN TV


text: Spring's glorious blooms will be here soon. Find fresh ideas and fun by exploring Longwood Gardens, a lush place like no other. Pages9 of 9 View Slideshow Enjoy your visit For Families Winding Pathways For Couples For the Home Another Visitor Favorite See Spring in all its Glory The Perfect Take-alongs Pages9 of 9 View Slideshow Related Links Spring - Charleston's Best Season Welcome to Miss Eudora's A Spring Afternoon at Biltmore


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Posted to our facebook page by artist Jacek Kolodziejczyk are these beautiful renders of a BMW F82 M3/M4 coupe. Although the F82 M3/M4 coupe won't receive the same front fascia as the F80 M3 sedan (as depicted in these renders), this is nonetheless a fun and imaginative look at what the next M3 coupe could somewhat resemble, at least in size and proportioning.
Exciting news! After several sets of spy shots, we're happy to finally share the very first spy video of the 2014 M3 Sedan, internally dubbed the F80. As usual, this video provides a much more dynamic impression of the car than photos. No surprise that the new M3 looks very planted as it's sitting fairly low and shows no body roll in these (admittedly) urban driving scenes. Overall, the M3 with its M bumpers and bulging wheel arches looks pugnacious and much more aggressive than the … CONTINUED
Now that the F80 M3 sedan has been given the greenlight, our spies have spotted the F80 M3 continuing its public road testing. While the camouflage on the F80 prototype remains the same as before, we've got some more angles to share with you – a slightly higher-down look than before. The F80 M3 continues to show off its attractive proportions and shape, while looking more aggressive and 'beefier' than the standard F30 3 series due to its widened wheel arches, M styled front and rear … CONTINUED
Rumors of BMW considering V6 engines have been floating around for quite some while now. One possible future application often mentioned when talking about such an engine is the upcoming F80 M3 (F82 M4). As we reported earlier, BMW was studying no less than four potential engine choices for the next M3.
To add to the speculation, we've just discovered that BMW has filed a patent for a unique twin-turbo V6 engine last year. Have a look at this schematic BMW submitted to the German … CONTINUED
We're happy to bring exciting news on the next generation M3. The next generation M3 sedan / M4 coupe will be designated the "F80 M3″. Along with this news comes word that the F80 M3 will indeed return in sedan form (already spied in testing)! The BMW F80 M3 Sedan will likely have its market launch in summer 2013, uncharacteristically before the F82 M4 coupe.
As things look to us, the M3 sedan will be the only model called M3. M3 coupe and convertible versions … CONTINUED
The next generation F30/F32 M3 continues its testing and we've now spotted it for the second time, in much higher detail (click on photos below for hi-res versions).
As before, the signature M3 cues are all clearly seen – quad exhaust, flared fenders, wider track, drilled rotors, and beefier front end. The brakes feature 4 piston calipers.
We believe we may be looking at a different front end on this M3 than on the regular F30 3-series sedan. The clearest clue is the shape of the kidney grilles, … CONTINUED
Exciting moment folks! We bring you the very first spyshots of the next generation F30 M3 / F32 M3. These photos show an F30 3-series sedan with several trademark M3 features such as quad-exhaust, flared fenders and drilled brake discs.
Scott26 claims that these photos are no indication of an M3 sedan making it to production. Rather, BMW had only an F30 prototype to use for testing the M3 parts and components. Don't count the F30 M3 sedan out yet however, as it's been … CONTINUED
Musical chairs for the next generation M3′s powerplant continues. If Autoexpress' latest rumor is accurate, the F30/F32 M3 is expected to feature a tri-turbo 3.3L 6-cylinder motor. One of the turbos would be powered by electricity (not exhaust gases as with traditional setups). The motor is speculated to produce 450bhp.
The F30/F32 M3′s body would make use of CFRP to keep its weight down. Dr. Friedrich Nitschke, BMW M's new managing director also revealed the following to Autoexpress regarding the next gen M3: "There will … CONTINUED
Info on the next generation M3 lineup comes courtesy of insider SCOTT26. Expected in the M3 lineup will again be the M3 coupe and cabrio, but the M3 sedan will supposedly be replaced by the M3 Gran coupe (a 4 door version of the F32 M3 coupe). Also for the first time there will be an M3 touring wagon. Finally, the X3M and an X4M (based on a future X4 SAV model) are speculated. Full details inside.
The next generation M3 is still at least 3 years from its debut, but it's never too early for speculation, particularly about its powerplant. While the current E9x M3 is powered by the marvelous high-revving V8 engine (S65), it's been widely speculated that that the next generation M3 will return to using a 6-cylinder engine. Emissions regulations have forced the move, much like the new upcoming F10 M5 getting the more efficient S63 V8 Twin-turbo engine instead of continuing to use the iconic V10.
So far so … CONTINUED
Here is a new rumor regarding the next generation F30/F32 M3′s powerplant – that a 3.3L V6 tri-turbo motor is a possibility! One turbo would power the motor generally, and the other two turbos would each be dedicated to 3-cylinders each.
We have put together these educated speculations on the next generation F30/F32 M3, including potential power output (450hp), displacement (3.5l) and its turbo layout, paired to a seven speed DCT transmission. Details inside.


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Grandma Ruth's Country Store
A trip to Carter Mountain is not complete without a stop in our Country Store! Grandma Ruth loves to find unique, local items for your shopping pleasure. Our shelves are full of country favorites – find apple butter (our top-selling item!), jams and jellies, fruit syrups and pancake mixes, Pennsylvania Dutch candies, and flavored coffees, among many items.
Lots of folks love to do their holiday shopping with us – choose from local crafts, beautiful baskets, specialty foods, harvest decorations, Christmas ornaments, American-made toys, and more. Don't forget to pick up Carter Mountain t-shirts for the kids – a great remembrance of your trip!
Wish you had taken home more apple butter? Love that jam and need more? No problem, check out our online store and let us send it right to you!


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Taking A Closer Look At Windows Resource Monitor
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 56,692
Taking A Closer Look At Windows Resource Monitor
What is your computer
in there? On the exterior it is a mass of plastics and metals, roughly pressed together to provide your PC with a protective case. But is it protecting your PC from the outside, or is it protecting
from the strange and arcane things happening inside your PC?
Perhaps it is time to find out exactly what your computer is up to ' particularly if your computer is behaving badly. There are many third-party tools that can clean, scrub, and protect your PC, but none of those will help you better understand what's going on. A program that can help you understand what is going on ships with every Windows PC. It's called Windows Resource Monitor. Let's take a look at what it can tell us.
Opening Windows Resource Monitor
Of course, we need to open Windows Resource Monitor before we can do anything. Windows Resource Monitor is a feature that was added in Vista and carries over to Windows 7. As far as I can gather, the only way to open it is through the
Windows Task Manager
- so press CTRL-ALT-DEL and open it.
Once Task Manager is open, go to the
tab. In the lower right hand corner is a button labeled
Resource Monitor
. Click it, and you're ready to go!
The Basics
Windows Resource Monitor will, by default, open up to the
tab. This provides general, but useful, information about your computer. The best way to start becoming acquainted with Windows Resource Monitor is probably the graphs on the right side of the
tab. There are graphs here for your processor, hard disk, network and memory. These graphs will tell you how much of each is being used.
A computer at idle should display each graph as nearly flat. There may be minor spikes in usage, typically due to background processes, but these spikes should be few and they shouldn't significantly consume system resources.
Other usage scenarios will result in distinct patterns. For example, it is normal to see high disk activity and high network usage when you are
downloading a file
. It is also normal to see high disk activity while your virus scanning software is operating.
Sudden (or not-so-sudden), unexplained spikes are not normal. They may be the result of bloatware (unwanted programs that come pre-installed in your system),an inefficent antivirus program, a program that did not close correctly or even malware.
A Deeper Look At CPU Usage
Open the
tab of Windows Resource Monitor. When you do so, the graphs on the right will change. You'll now be shown a graph for each core Windows detects (or two graphs for each core if you have an Intel processor with Hyper-Threading enabled). The total CPU usage graph remains, as well.
But the most important informaton here is not the graphs. What you'll need to take acloser look at is the text information under the labels of
. A process is an active application, while a service is a background application that conforms to special rules (it can run automatically on boot, it can run when no user is logged on, etc).
When it comes to checking out processor usage, however, you'll organize both using the same tactic. Simply organize the processes or services by the average CPU value. Tada! You now know what programs are taking up your processor's power. Please note that common processes and services can sometimes appear under odd names in Windows Resource Monitor. Be sure to Google an unknown program and identify it before you close it.
Analyzing Memory Usage
The way your computer uses its
short-term memory (RAM)
is important to overall performance. If you're running low on available memory you'll find that your computer's performance becomes sluggish.
RAM usage can be found under the
tab. A new, useful line graph appears at the bottom of Windows Resource Monitor. This graph shows you how much memory is in use, how much is on stand-by (containing active data, but not actively in use) and how much is completely free.
Ideally you'll want to see some free memory on this graph. The real problem, however, comes when your in-use memory fills up most of the graph. This means you simply don't have any RAM left to use! You can free up memory by organzing processes by their
memory share and shutting down memory hogs. If your system has limited memory, however, you may simply need to add more memory to your PC.
Hard Disk & Network Usage
Most users underestimate the effect their hard drive can have on overall system performance. The speed with which you can download files, install programs, transfer information, and open programs can all be affected by your hard drive's performance. Sometimes a program, such an
anti-virus scanner
, will bombard your hard disk with requests for information.
Opening up the
tab will show you the
Disk Activity
display. This shows you all the active processes that are consuming your hard disk's time. You'll usually see a few common Windows processors, like
, listed here. But you may also see other programs. This may clue you in as to why programs are loading slowly.
Finally, take a look at the
tab. You will again see a
Processes with Network Activity
display, which is very useful for tracking down programs that are making unwanted network connections (although nasty malware is often programmed to dodge Windows Resource Monitor or disguise itself as a more innocent process). You can also analyze your active network connections using the TCP connections display.
Familiarzing yourself with Windows Resource Monitor is a great idea. It is a very effective program that can tell you a lot about why your computer is behaving well or poorly. You can track down runaway programs and close them, and you can also see if a hardware upgrade is necessary to use the programs you prefer.
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New Art Sleeves Now Available
Sleeve your favorite cards in style with six new limited edition Art Sleeves
Six stunning new limited edition Art Sleeves are now available at your local retailer. Each features art from one of our most popular board or card games and offers you an attractive way to protect your LCG, CCG, and other standard-sized cards (card size: 2 1/2" x 3 1/2").
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Click any of the above images to enlarge
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in our forums!


text:
This is a document preview
THIS SUBLEASE is made and entered into by and between Cohen Brothers of Lexington, Inc., a Kentucky corporation, located at 740 Rockcastle Avenue, Lexington, Kentucky 40505 (the "Sublessee") and Industrial Services of America, Inc., a Florida corporation, located at 7100 Grade Lane, Building 1, Louisville, KY 40213 (the "Sublessor").
1. TERM - The Term of the Sublease shall commence on March 1, 2007 and continue
through January 31, 2012 (the "Term").
2. DESCRIPTION OF PREMISES - The premises subject to this Sublease consists of the premises generally described as "1 1/2 acres of 1-2 zoned land" located at 1400 Cahill Drive, located in Lexington Kentucky as outlined on Exhibit "A" attached hereto and by reference made a part hereof (hereinafter referred to as the "Premises")
3. [Intentionally Deleted] .
4. USE OF PREMISES - The Premises shall be used and occupied by Sublessee as a scrap metal processing facility, as well as any and all lawful uses related thereto. Sublessee agrees to abide by all applicable zoning regulations and not to commit or suffer waste; to operate in a safe/sound manner and abide by all EPA and OSHA laws, not to assign this lease, sublet or underlet the Premises or any part thereof, or permit the sale of the interest therein by legal process, without the written consent of the Sublessor. Any licenses or permits necessary for Sublessee to operate its business on the Premises will be procured at the Sublessee's expense. The Sublessee may not occupy or use the Premises for any other purpose without the written consent of the Sublessor. Sublessee shall obey, observe and promptly comply with all valid present and future laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, orders and requirements of the United States of America, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the City of Lexington, Kentucky, and of any or all governmental authorities or agencies having authority over said Premises and the occupancy thereof. Sublessee shall not use the Premises or permit same to be used for any unlawful or illegal purpose. Sublessee will not do, nor permit anything to be done, in, upon, or about the subleased Premises that increases the fire hazard beyond that which will exist by reason of the ordinary use or occupancy of the Premises set forth above. Sublessee will not do or permit to be done anything in, about or upon the subleased Premises that interferes with the rights of, or tends to annoy, other Sublessees of Sublessor; that conflict with the regulations of the Fire Department or Board of Health; that creates a nuisance; or that is dangerous to persons or property. Sublessee shall not use nor permit to be used on the Premises anything that will invalidate any policies of insurance which may now or hereafter be carried on said Premises or increase the rate of insurance thereon; and any increase in insurance premiums on said Premises which may be caused by the use made thereof by Sublessee shall be paid by Sublessee.
5. ACCESS TO PREMISES - During the Term, access to the property by the Sublessee shall be limited to the regular hours of operation of the Sublessor unless Sublessor otherwise expressly grants approval. Sublessor and its duly authorized agents, employees, officers and independent contractors shall have access to the Premises during normal business hours for the purposes of ascertaining that Sublessee is carrying out the terms, conditions and provisions hereof, and to properly make any necessary repairs, improvements and alterations by reason of Sublessee's default under the terms of this Lease or otherwise.
The rent for use of the Premises during the Term shall be four thousand five hundred ($4,500) dollars per month.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained elsewhere in this Agreement, the Sublessor hereby waives the payment of rent for the first month of this sub-lease (i.e. March 1st, 2007 through March 31st, 2007).
Monthly rental payments shall be due and payable on the first day of each and every month. In the event a monthly rent payment is paid after the fifth day of a month, such payment shall be deemed late and shall be subject to a 5% late fee (i.e., 5% of the monthly rent payment) payable along with such payment.
7. SECURITY DEPOSIT - Intentionally Deleted.
8. SUBJECT TO OVERLEASE - This Sublease is subject to an Overlease (the "Overlease") entered into on February 15, 2005 between the Sublessor and the Landlord, C & R Asphalt ("Landlord"). The Sublessee hereby acknowledges that it has read and agrees to be bound by the terms of the Overlease. Sublessee acknowledges that this Sublease is contingent on the continuation of the Overlease.
9. OVERTENANT'S DUTIES - The Overlease describes the Landlord's duties. The Sublessee, as a third party beneficiary of the Overlease, shall have right to enforce the terms of the Overlease in the event the Sublessor fails to enforce its rights under the Overlease. Such right shall be subject to Sublessee providing notice to the Sublessor of the default specifying the particulars of such default; and further subject to a thirty (30) day period for the Sublessor to cure such default.
10. QUIET ENJOYMENT AND TITLE - The Sublessor covenants, warrants and represents that it has full right and power to execute and perform the Sublease and this agreement and to grant the estate demised herein, and covenants that the Sublessee, on paying the rent herein and performing the covenants and agreements hereof, shall peaceably and quietly have, hold and enjoy the Premises and all rights, easements, appurtenances and privileges belonging or in anyway appertaining thereto, during the term of the Sublease and any extension or renewal thereof.
11. IMPROVEMENTS - Sublessee acknowledges that it is renting the Premises in an "as is" condition and shall provide all improvements that it deems necessary or desirable, provided, however, that no material improvements shall be made to the Premises without Sublessor's prior written consent. In the event Sublessee desires to make a material improvement, Sublessee shall submit a plan to Sublessor outlining such proposed change at least thirty (30) days prior to any proposed construction. If said plans are acceptable to the Sublessor, written consent will be given to the Sublessee. Any permission given by the Sublessor to make structural changes or alterations shall be on the condition that the work shall be at Sublessee's expense, unless otherwise agreed in writing, and shall be in accordance with the building code and zoning laws of the Lexington Metro. All necessary approvals, consents, and licenses necessary to perform the proposed improvements shall be the responsibility of the Sublessee, performed at the co


text:
Global and China Aluminum Heat Transfer Composites Industry Report, 2012-2015
Aluminum heat transfer composites are mainly used in automobiles, home appliances, heat exchange systems of machinery and equipment, and air-cooling systems of thermal power station. On a global basis, the aluminum heat transfer composites industry has been mature, and several large corporations from the United States, Europe, Japan, Canada and other countries have monopolized the global market, which maintains a balance between supply and demand. To further expand their growth room, these giants have carried out cross-border investments successively. China has become an investment hotspot with huge development potentials and a tremendous market size.In recent years, with the fast-growing do... Click here for more details


text:
Seattle Real Estate
Seattle Real Estate covers the goings-on of the local real estate market including residential news, commercial happenings, and property management trends.
Posts filtered on Tag
Home Sales and Prices Down Again in February
Syndicated from the Seattle and Real Estate Blog. The Seattle area saw median home prices and number of home sales fall for the second consecutive month in February, according to new data from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. The price of single-family homes in King County fell from $410,000 to $405,400 in February, and that […] [Read More]


text:
Reginald Marsh to Lloyd Goodrich, 1926 July 28
Physical Details: Postcard : 1 item : handwritten ; 14 x 09 cm.
Sender: Reginald Marsh (1898-1954)
Recipient: Lloyd Goodrich (1897-1987)
Description: "This is an oil (fresco according to me!) and not very large. We are contemplating a walking trip. ?? Are the skies good in Sakonnet? I am interested in skies, England has marvelous skies. R.M."
Forms part of: Lloyd Goodrich papers, 1884-1987, bulk 1927-1987
Rights Statement: Current copyright status is undetermined
Citation: Reginald Marsh to Lloyd Goodrich, 1926 July 28
Digital ID: 5600
- Goodrich, Lloyd
- London, England
- Marsh, Reginald
- Vacations


text:
By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2004 Marines have families, too, and family programs are in place for both recruits and training cadre at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, S.C.
For example, the Red Cross typically notifies base authorities when a member of a recruit's family has died or other type of family emergency, noted Capt. Jamie R. Nott, Parris Island's deputy public affairs officer.
"We'll have a chaplain deliver that message to the recruit," Nott explained, "and then the chaplain and the recruit training regiment work to get that recruit wherever they need to go" to attend the funeral.
Twelve consecutive weeks of boot camp, Nott noted, are designed to challenge recruits seeking to become Marines. The intense training regimen, he added, can also put strain on drill instructors and their families.
In recognition that the drill instructors and other training cadre at Parris Island have extremely demanding jobs, there are numerous family-support programs available, including officer and enlisted spouses' networks, the captain said.
Such organizations "are helpful, and they give the wives and spouses a way to connect," Nott said, noting Parris Island drill instructors "are out here working 100 to 140 hours a week."
In fact, Staff Sgt. Matthew M. James said, he and his fellow drill instructors spend more time with recruits than they do with their families during a training cycle.
Drill instructors, James said, routinely use teamwork to fill in for an instructor who must address immediate family concerns. It's also important for spouses of drill instructors to support each other and be knowledgeable of other available family-support programs, he said.
Compared to the recruits' daily regimen, James noted, drill instructors perform their jobs "with less sleep, less food, and still not seeing our families, as much as we'd like to."
James said he tells discouraged recruits that if the drill instructors didn't want the recruits to succeed, "then we wouldn't be here."
Related Articles:Parris Island Instructors Mold Recruits Into Marines


text:
The Master of Arts in Holistic Health Studies is an interdisciplinary program that is intended for those who wish to pursue advanced studies related to the whole person and mind-body-spirit integration.
This program is based on the philosophy of the interconnectedness of all nature and grounded in the principles, strategies, and concepts related to optimizing the quality of life through mind-body-spirit integration.
This 36-credit program (27-credit core course requirement and 9 elective credits) provides professionals with the educational framework necessary to explore the role of holistic health as an integration of Western conventional (allopathic) and Eastern traditional approaches to health, spiritual, and psychological meaning and our relationship with the environment.
The program focuses on the study of principles and techniques that ensure mastery of content and competence in mind-body-spirit integration, quality of life, and complementary (traditional) health care. Course work is based on a scientific foundation and a philosophical paradigm that includes both Eastern and Western approaches to health. The program provides the framework for students to develop a personal philosophy based on holistic principles related to physical, social, mental, spiritual, and emotional well being. Opportunities are provided to explore choices within holistic health that affect human connectedness and encourage respect and cooperation with others and with the environment.
HH500 Anatomy and Physiology: A Holistic Approach (Classroom or Online)HH501 Foundations of Holistic Health (Classroom or Online)HH502 Advanced Healing Methods (Online)HH515 Holistic Stress Management (Online)HH520 Energy Medicine (Classroom or Online)HH525 Holistic Perspectives: Counseling Techniques (Classroom or Online)HH530 Research Methods (Classroom or Online)HH555 Holistic Spirituality (Classroom or Online)HH599 Project in Holistic Health (Classroom or Online)
HH535 Eastern Approach to Nutrition (Online)HH540 Humor and Healing (Classroom or Online)HH545 Ayurvedic Approach to Mind-Body Healing (Classroom)HH550 Healing Arts: Music, Movement, Journaling (Studio)HH560 Native American Medicine (Classroom)HH565 Homeopathy (Classroom)HH570 Special Topics in Holistic Health: Foundations of Healing Plants (Classroom), Environmental Health (Online), Kundalini Yoga (Classroom/Studio), Meditation (Online), Women's Health (Classroom)
Course Descriptions
This program is for students who wish to pursue knowledge related to holistic health, but do not wish to complete a master's degree. A minimum of 18 credits is required for the certificate. HH500 and HH501 are required courses. Other courses should be chosen in consultation with an adviser. Students who wish to change their status from the certificate program to the M.A. program must have at least a B average in the certificate program, adhere to the admission criteria stated above, and file an application with the admissions committee. You have an option to complete this certificate in 100% online format.
18 credits of graduate-level holistic health courses, including HH500 (Anatomy and Physiology: A Holistic Approach) and HH501 (Foundations of Holistic Health). Electives chosen upon advisement.
Last edited by SK on 10/9/12
Tuesday, Aug 4Graduate Information Sessions
Wednesday, Aug 12Summer Visit Days
Monday – Friday and selected Saturdays throughout the year
Campus Tours


text:
A method of presenting data regarding products. Feature categories are assigned to each product category based on available data. A weighted importance is assigned to each feature category of each product category based on the available data. The items in the product category are ranked according to the weighted importance of the feature categories of each item, and the evaluation metrics of each feature category.
1. A system for generating a customized listing of items comprising:
a database having a plurality of data records stored therein, at least one of the plurality of data records assigned to one of a plurality of product categories, at least one of the plurality of product categories comprising a plurality of features, at least one of the plurality of features assigned an initial weighting;
a processor that receives a request to retrieve a plurality of data records from said database from a user and a selection of at least one of the plurality of features, retrieves a plurality of data records from said database, generates a listing of at least a portion of said plurality of data records retrieved based on said selection of the at least one of the plurality of features and the initial weightings, displays the listing to the user, and receives a request to retrieve one of the data records in the listing.
2. The system of
3. The system of
4. The system of
5. The system of
6. The system of
7. The system of
8. The system of
9. The system of
10. The system of
11. The system of
12. The system of
13. The system of
14. The system of
a numerical property type assigned to a feature category if the features in the feature category are measured in a quantitative way;
an enumerated property type assigned to a feature category if the features in the feature category have a fixed number of specified values; and
a property type of text property assigned to the feature category if the features in the feature category are represented by free form text.
15. The system of
a sub-property type of discrete if one feature in a feature category is not inherently more valuable than another;
a sub-property type of scalar if one feature in a feature category is inherently more valuable than another;
a sub-property type of Boolean if the features in a feature category may have a valuation of only yes or no; and
a sub-property type of qualified Boolean if the feature in a feature category may have a valuation of yes, no, or optional.
16. The system of
an evaluative tag of forward metric assigned to a feature category if a value of an item in a product category increases as a numerical valuation of features within the feature category increases;
an evaluative tag of backward metric assigned to a feature category if the value of an item in a product category decreases as numerical valuation of features within the feature category increases; and
an evaluative tag of non applicable assigned to a feature category if the value of an item in a product category does not change with numerical valuation of features within a feature category;
wherein the evaluative tag is used to rank items in a product category by said processor.
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/579,859 filed May 25, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates generally to the field of e-commerce and, more specifically, to knowledge representation and decision support regarding multiple items for users of a network-based transaction facility such as, for example, an Internet-based comparison shopping facility.
An advantage offered by network-based transaction facilities (e.g., business-to-business, business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer Internet marketplaces and retailers) and on-line communities is that by using such facilities or communities, users may shop from a variety of merchants.
The merchants may offer a variety of products or specialize in one type of product. Some users buy products after searching through the offerings of the various merchants and comparing the products and the prices.
Recently comparison shopping facilities have developed that list various merchant offerings on one site to aid users in choosing from which merchant they should buy an item. These comparison shopping facilities present items by listing the price and name of the merchant offering the item.
The user may choose items from the listing and go to each merchant's site to learn more about each item or buy the item. Each available item from each manufacturer is listed separately. Thus, a user has to go to the comparison shopping facility either knowing what product to buy beforehand, and compare merchants and prices at the facility, or look at each item separately, by following a link to each merchant's site, to determine if the item is appropriate. Most comparisons performed by comparison shopping sites are based on the merchant's offer price. That is, the result of the comparison shopping is a list of items listed according to price.
A method of presenting data regarding products is described. In one embodiment, feature categories are assigned to each product category based on available data. A weighted importance is assigned to each feature category of each product category based on the available data. The items in the product category are ranked according to the weighted importance of the feature categories of each item.
The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings of various embodiments of the invention, which, however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiments, but are for explanation and understanding only.
A product feature and relation comparison system is disclosed. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth such as configurations, media, etc., in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that these specific details need not be employed to practice the present invention. In other instances, well known media or methods have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.
Some portions of the detailed descriptions which follow are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.
It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as "processing" or "computing" or "calculating" or "determining" or "displaying" or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
The present invention also relates to apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise a general purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus.
The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general purpose systems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will appear from the description below. In addition, the present invention is not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the invention as described herein.
Referring to
Initially, a user, using a computer, which may be coupled to a network or stand alone, displays a first screen, or top page, 101 showing general categories for selection. The network may be a wide area network such as, for example, the Internet, or a proprietary network such as America Online�, CompuServe�, Microsoft Network�, or Prodigy�.
At processing block 102, a user selects a general category. Optionally, the computer then displays drilldown pages 103 showing more specific categories. At processing block 104, the user selects a specific category. In response to selection of the specific category, the computer shows a product list window 120 with a dashboard control 110 at processing block 105. The user may have to select a certain number of specific categories at processing block 103 before the computer displays the product list window 120.
The dashboard control 110 may be used to filter the product list 120 by allowing the user to choose price, brand and features the user wants to see and/or believes to be important. In processing block 111, the screen shows typical price range intervals for the product category chosen. At processing block 112, the user may select one of the price range intervals shown. In response to the price range selected by a user, the system 100 then filters the product list at processing block 121 to show at window 120 only products within the specified price range.
At processing block 113, the screen shows brands that make products in the product category chosen. At processing block 114, the user may select one or more of the brands shown on dashboard control 110. In response to a brand selection, the system 100 filters the product list at processing block 123 to show window 120, it only products made by the specified brands.
At processing block 115 of the dashboard control 110, the system shows product feature categories ranked by importance. At processing block 117, which may comprise a pop-up window, the system allows the user to define feature category constraints. In other words, the user is able to specify those product features that are important to him. In response to selection of these specific product features, the dashboard control 110 shows active feature category constraints at processing block 116, if any. At processing block 126, the system 100 filters the product list to show in the product list window 120 only products with the specified feature categories.
The dashboard control 110 may also include pop-up windows 118 and 119. Pop-up window 118 shows a user buyer's guides for the product category chosen. Pop-up window 119 may show a user explanations of individual feature categories if the user wishes to see such explanations.
The product list window 120 may also include pop-up windows 122 and 124. Pop-up window 122 may show a review on a specific item in the product list window 120, while pop-up window 124 may show the context for one feature of one item in the product list window against the competitive field, or other products in the product category chosen. The feature contextualization described with reference to pop-up window 124 will be discussed further below, with respect to
At processing block 125, from the product list window, a user may select a specific product item to examine. In response to a selection, the system 100 expands the line item to shown more details of the selected product item in processing block 126. The product list window may also be reorganized by selecting sort keys to re-sort the list. At processing block 127, a user may select sort keys such as, for example, price, memory size, or any other product features(s) that the user chooses. In response to the selection, at processing block 128, the system 100 re-sorts the list according to the users chosen sort method.
At processing block 202, a system 100 assigns weighted importance to each feature category based on the available data. The available data may include, for example, the number of times the feature is mentioned in product literature. The weighted importance may include assigning a numerical value between 0 and 100, for example. Alternatively, the weighted importance may include a different numerical scale or assigning a letter value to each feature category within a product category, or any other way of signifying a weighted importance.
The feature categories and weighted importance of each feature category are stored in a database (not shown) for each product category. It will be understood that the processes performed in processing blocks 201 and 202, and similar processes described below, may be edited by an editor. Such editing may, for example, ensure that the representation of the data in the database is correct (e.g., that a product category includes all of the correct feature categories with those categories weighted correctly).
At processing block 203, the items in the product category are ranked according to the weighted importance of the feature categories. Thus, for a category such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA), the feature categories may include screen type, memory, upgradability, and functions, etc. If the available data indicates that the screen type and memory are more important for PDA's than upgradability or a number of functions, then screen type and memory will be given higher ratings than upgradability and functions available. Thus, PDA's may be ranked according to the average price first, then screen type, then memory, etc. In one embodiment, the ranking is stored in the database. In an alternate embodiment, the ranking is dynamically generated every time a person chooses a product category.
In response to the user selection, at processing block 205, the system ranks the items within the product category based on the chosen categories and the weighted importance. In the example above, where the category is PDAs, the system re-sorts the items within the product category to give more importance to the feature category of number of functions.
In the embodiment illustrated in
In one embodiment, at processing block 307, the product category counter is set to 0 so that product_category (n)=product_category (0). At processing block 308, system 100 looks at product_category (n) to determine whether product_category (n) has all of the essential_feature categories of at least one other product category plus at least one other feature category that is not included in the other product category.
If all the essential_feature categories plus one other feature category is included in product_category (n), a relation type of is_a_kind_of is assigned to product_category (n) at processing block 309. A relation type of is_a_kind_of represents that the product category is a subset of another product category. For example, Organizers & Notetakers is a subset of PDAs and PDAs are a subset of electronics. Thus, the category Organizers & Notetakers would be assigned a relation type of is_a_kind_of PDA and the category PDA would be assigned a relation type of is_a_kind_of Electronics.
At processing block 310, a link is created between product_category (n) and each related product category. Then, at processing block 311, n is compared to End to see if the product category just examined was the last product category in the database. If n equals the value of End, in block 311, the product category was the last product category.
If the product category is the last product category, then the system 100 creates hierarchical product category trees based on is_a_kind_of links, at processing block 313. At processing block 312, if the product_category (n) is not the last product category, product_category (n) is incremented by one and the next product category is examined at processing block 308.
When the links have been created, when a user chooses to look at the category Electronics, a is_a_kind_of link between Electronics and other categories will prompt the system 100 to show the user a screen showing different branches of the Electronics category. Thus, in the example above, the user will see a screen that includes PDAs as a subcategory of Electronics. If the user chooses PDAs, the user will see a screen that includes Organizers & Notetakers as a subcategory of PDAs.
Relation types other than "is_a_kind_of" may be assigned to product categories. Other relation types include "is_a_part_of;" "is_an_accessory for," and "is_a_resource_for." A relation type of is_a_part_of may be assigned to a product category if the items in the product category are used only by inclusion in items of a second product category. For example, with respect to PDAs, this may include replacement memory chips, replacement screens, etc.
A relation type of is_an_accessory_for may be assigned to a first product category if the items in the product category are used only in conjunction with a second product category although the items in the second product category may be used without the items in the first product category. An example of this is Palm for the Palm V PDA with the external keyboard for Palm V being in the second product category.
A relation type of is_a_resource_for may be assigned to a product category if the items in the product category are used only in conjunction with items in a second product category and is something that is consumable or exhaustible or has a fixed-limit life-span. The product categories that are assigned a relation type of is_a_resource_for may or may not be necessary for the base product. For example, printer cartridges are a resource for printers.
Links may be created within each product category to reflect each assigned relation type. Thus, when a product list is displayed on product list window 120, a link may be included in the display to reflect that other items related to the items listed are available. Thus, the product list window 120 may include links indicating that "parts for", "accessories for", or "resources for" the items displayed in the product list window 120 are available. The links may be used to go directly to the product list window 120 of the related product category.
In one embodiment, numerical property types represent properties that are measured in a quantitative way. For example, numerical property types may include two sub-types: integer and decimal. Integer values are represented as −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3, etc. Decimal properties are represented as real numbers such as, for example, 36.1 or 0.125, etc. For example, on a VCR, the number of audio input jacks is an integer value, e.g., 4, while the width is in inches represented as a decimal number, e.g., 19.75″.
Enumerated property types are property types that have a fixed number of specified values. There are four sub-types of enumerated property types, including discrete, scalar, Boolean property types, and qualified Boolean property types. Discrete properties are values that do not admit of any evaluative scale, such as red, blue, yellow, etc., for example, where none of these values is inherently more valuable to a user than another. For example, the colors of a GameBoy Device (e.g., yellow, blue, etc.) are enumerated property types.
Scalar values are enumerated values that do admit of an ordered scale, such as, for example, black-and-white, gray-scale, color, etc., where each value in the list does have an inherently greater or lesser value than each other value in the list. Boolean properties have a simple yes/no or a true/false valuation. Qualified Boolean properties have a yes/no/optional enumeration indicating either that the property exists (yes), it does not exist (no), or that it is an optional add-on to the product (optional). For example, some cameras have flash capability, some no flash capability, some can add a flash capability.
Text properties are those properties that are represented by free form text. Text properties may or may not admit of a value. For example, an item having no text in a feature category may be of lesser value than an item having text in the same category. For example, football jerseys may have an "autographed by" field which would be represented in free form text.
Meta properties are families of either Boolean or qualified Boolean properties that are grouped under a common label of which they are all instances. In the product category of television sets, for example, a Meta property grouping may be "special display functions." A "special display functions" grouping may include, for example, picture-in-picture, closed caption, Spanish language menus, etc. In this example, "special display functions" is a meta property that groups together numerous Boolean properties (the television has it or it does not have it).
All of the assignments of property type to feature categories may be reviewable and overrideable by editors.
At processing block 422, evaluative metrics are assigned to each feature category based on the property type. Thus, any property type that may be compared may be assigned evaluative metrics describing how the properties or features in a feature category should be compared to distinguish between items in a property category.
For example, if the property type is a numerical property type, then the features in each feature category are compared with respect to the numerical value for each item. Numerical properties may also be given a tag of "forward" or "backward" or "non-applicable" to indicate what numerical order is preferable from a user's point of view. If a larger number is more preferable from a user's point of view, a forward metric should be assigned; if a smaller number is preferable from a user's point of view, a backward metric should be assigned; or if a numerical property does not inherently indicate a preference from a user's point of view, a non-applicable metric may be assigned. A non-applicable metric may be applied to a piece of furniture such as a chair, for example, where the height of the chair does not matter. The property types and evaluative metrics are assigned based on available data. In one embodiment, the enumerated and Boolean types also have metrics.
All of the assignments of evaluative metrics and forward/backward/non-applicable metrics may be overridden by editors.
At processing block 423, the system checks to see if a user has chosen at least one feature category of importance to the user. If the user has chosen a category of importance to the user, the system 100 ranks each product category according to the user's chosen feature categories, the weighted importance of each feature category and the evaluative metric of each feature category. Thus, items ranked in product list window 120 would rank items giving priority to the user's chosen feature categories using the evaluative metric to order the items. Although the user chosen feature categories are given priority, the weighted importance of each feature category is also used in the ranking. In one embodiment, an algorithm to perform the ranking involves diverse factors including what this user has selected, what other users most frequently select, what is more frequently and prominently mentioned in product literature and reviews as measured statistically.
If the user has not chosen at least one feature category of importance to the user at processing block 423, the system 100 proceeds to processing block 425. At processing block 425, the system 100 ranks the items in each product category according to the weighted importance of each feature category and the evaluated metrics of each feature category of the product category.
The selected model 503 is compared to other models 510-516 which are priced in the price range of $200-$399. Thus, a user may see where the chosen model 503 stands with regard to the amount of memory available in the user's chosen price range of a field of products. This context sensitive presentation is possible because of the inclusion of the evaluative metrics and delineation of the property values throughout an entire category. Any feature category may be used to show the chosen product item against the competitive field.
The merchant offers shown at processing block 605 may include buyer information data retrieved from available data. The buyer information data may also be organized into buyer information categories. The buyer information categories may include the price offered by the merchant, the shipping costs, the shipping method and availability of the item. The user may also choose the type of shipping method to determine the shipping costs and the amount of time needed for shipping.
Each of the buyer information categories may also be ranked according to available data to show the merchant offers in a list. The ranking of the merchant offers may be based on weighted importance and evaluative metrics assigned to the buying information categories based on available data, as described with respect to the feature categories above.
At processing block 607, the system 100 confirms that the item is in stock and available with the merchant chosen. If the item is confirmed to be in stock and available, the system 100 proceeds to the purchase process at processing block 608.
If the item is not available with the chosen merchant or is not in stock, the system will search for the most similar offer from other merchants at processing block 613. If additional merchant offers are found, at processing block 614, the system 100 returns to processing block 607 to confirm whether the item is in stock and available. If the additional merchant offers are not found at processing block 615, the system looks for other models with the same features and proceeds to processing block 602 to determine whether the desired features are in the database.
If at processing block 602, the desired features are not found, then at processing block 609, the constraints on the less important features are relaxed. At processing block 610, the system 100 determines if a near match is found. If a near match is found, the system proceeds to processing block 603 and lists the products found. If a near match is not found, then the system determines whether the constraints can be further relaxed and still have an acceptable match at processing block 611. For example, if a User wants a Sony TV 27″ w/PIP price $369 and it is not available, one embodiment of the system may provide the following list of products that match the relaxed constraints.
If the constraints can be further relaxed, then the system 100 proceeds to processing block 609 to further relax the constraints on less important features. If the constraints cannot be further relaxed, the system displays a "sorry" message at processing block 612. The system may ask the user to specify other feature category constraints after displaying the "sorry" message at processing block 612.
It will be appreciated that all of the components described are not necessary for this invention, and components may be added or deleted depending on the system requests. It will also be appreciated that all of the above processes for classifying or weighting or evaluating data that is performed by automated means, such as software or hardware, may be overridden by editors.
Whereas many alterations and modifications of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art after having read the foregoing description, it is to be understood that the various embodiments shown and described by way of illustration are in no way intended to be considered limiting. Therefore, references to details of various embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claims which in themselves recite only those features regarded as essential to the invention.
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