text:
The Black Dahlia Murder
On July 28th, Metal Blade Records will release The Black Dahlia Murder's classic album, Nocturnal, on black and blue split-colored vinyl (limited to 1000 copies!), to commemorate the record's 10th anniversary.Read More
On July 14th, Norwegian death metallers Execration will release their upcoming full-length, 'Return to the Void,' via Metal Blade Records. Today the band premieres a new album track, 'Eternal Recurrence.'Read More
Evergreen Terrace
On July 14th, Metal Blade Records will release the Evergreen Terrace magnum opus 'Wolfbiker' for the first time ever on vinyl! It has been exactly ten years since its initial release, and it's just in time for their upcoming European summer tour!Read More
New Releases
Upcoming Releases
Latest News
Necromancing the Stone premieres guitar play-through for "Crusher" via GearGods.net
- July 20th, 2016 – If flaccid, identikit, breakdown-laden...Read More
Revocation streams new album, 'Great Is Our Sin', via BrooklynVegan.com / InvisibleOranges.com
- July 19th, 2016 – Announces Reddit AMA today This Friday (July 22nd),...Read More
Poison Headache announces their first live shows; set to join Rotten Sound in August for select dates
- July 19th, 2016 – After releasing their self-titled debut last month,...Read More
Whitechapel reveals first round of confirmed dates for co-headlining USA tour with Suicide Silence this fall
- July 18th, 2016 – As previously announced, Whitechapel will...Read More
Amon Amarth announces USA tour with Megadeth, Suicidal Tendencies, Metal Church, Havok
- July 18th, 2016 – This September/October, Swedish metal kings Amon...Read More
Allegaeon releases new track, "Gray Matter Mechanics", via Bandcamp – the first recording to feature new vocalist Riley McShane!
- July 14th, 2016 – As previously announced, melodic death metal outfit...Read More
Metal Blade Records launches Summer edition of "6 Bands in 60 Seconds"
- July 13th, 2016 – In conjunction with RED Music, Metal Blade Records...Read More
Necromancing the Stone premieres new track, "Ritualistic Demise", via MetalSucks.net
- July 13th, 2016 – If flaccid, identikit, breakdown-laden...Read More


text:
- Take the Tummy Trouble Quiz
- Boost Digestive Health
- Digestive Distress Slideshow: Problem Foods to Avoid
- Find a local Family Physician in your town
- Why should travelers see a physician before they leave on a trip?
- What diseases occur in travelers, and how can disease be prevented?
- Traveler's diarrhea
- Malaria
- Meningitis and encephalitis
- Yellow fever
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid fever
- Polio
- Cholera
- What about diseases for which there is no vaccine or preventive medication?
- What is safe to eat and drink while traveling?
- What can I do to avoid insect bites?
- What should be in my travel first-aid kit or medicine kit?
- What are the medical concerns with jet lag?
- What if I have a medical condition or a chronic disease?
- What if I'm traveling while pregnant?
- What about traveling with children?
- Travel health insurance & medical evacuation insurance
- Travel safety and health alerts
- Where can I find additional information?
Quick Guide25 Ways to Stay Well Abroad in Pictures
What should be in my travel first-aid kit or medicine kit?
- Your kit should be packed in your carry-on luggage.
- Prescription medications that you take at home
- Medications that your doctor recommended to prevent travel-related illness, including malaria medications, if indicated
- Over-the-counter medicines to treat minor illnesses (heartburn, headache, head cold, mild diarrhea, motion sickness, travel sickness)
- Sunscreen, lotion to use to treat sunburn
- Insect repellents
- Alcohol based sanitizer with over 60% ethanol content
- Bandages, tape, thermometer, and tweezers
- Other items according to your itinerary. Adventure travelers who are far from medical help will need to consider additional items such as water purification tablets, commercial suture/syringe kits to be used by local health-care provider (ask your doctor for a letter on letterhead stationary prescribing its use), and other necessities.
- Condoms, especially if there is a chance you may have sex with new partners
- Women who get vaginal yeast infections should consider carrying along a treatment course (pills or vaginal products)
What are the medical concerns with jet lag?
Jet lag happens when travelers cross several time zones and disrupt their normal sleep-wake cycle.
To reduce the duration and the symptoms of jet lag, try to be outside when the sun is up. It may make for a very long (or short) first day, but it will help you adjust more quickly. Some travelers also try to change their sleep-wake habits before they leave.
Medicines are available that can promote sleep, but there are few studies on how well they work with jet lag. Zolpidem (Ambien) is a prescription sedative that promotes sleep. Another group of prescription drugs known as benzodiazepines also promotes sleep, but they may have more side effects, including temporary amnesia. Melatonin is a natural hormone available as an herbal preparation in the United States. Doses of approximately 5 mg have been shown to induce sleep. Melatonin is available over the counter.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Find the best Garages and Car Repairs in Yeovil with Who Can Fix My Car.
Enter your registration to compare prices and reviews and find a great garage today.
Find the best Garages and Car Repairs in Yeovil with Who Can Fix My Car.
Good services!!
Nice friendly service, excellent
Brilliant no fuss service that we definitely be using again. The quote came through quickly and everytime I rang the garage the phone was picked up straight away. My car was repaired within two days and I paid the same as I was quoted. I cannot fault this garage in any way... well done.
Did a good job, changing the wheel bearing. THey did a really good job and I'd recommend them to anyone!
Nice people and did the job quickly.
Great job!
Very Good
Really happy to use this garage again
Brilliant trustworthy garage
Quick, helpful and good quality service provided. Will definitely use again and highly recommend.
The relationship with our customers does not end in the sale of a car; in fact that is just the beginning. Our service and parts departments are dedicated to striving for the highest level of after sales care. We recognise that regardless of whether you are a private, business, fleet or trade customer, you require an attentive service, keen response and competitive price. We can provide all of that and more. We use the very latest technology in our workshop, which is designed to keep labour times and costs down. Our parts team is dedicated to providing a fast and efficient response to your enquiry. We recognise that after sales is a customer driven market place and pride ourselves at being number one by catering for your every motoring need.
DCB Autos offers a range of services utilizing the latest diagnostic equipment and genuine or equivalent quality parts in order to keep your vehicle running smoothly at a price that you will find competitive!
We will always keep you fully informed as to costs involved and always discuss with you any additional work that maybe necessary.
Lynx Garage


text:
Your Cart Is Empty!
The pace of change in the North American metals and minerals industry is faster compared to a couple of years ago. As one of the world's biggest regions for the consumption and production of many metals and minerals, the North American market is more important than ever to the global industry.
The new edition of the North American Metals & Minerals Directory has been comprehensively researched and prepared, to bring you a fully up-to-date guide to America's rapidly growing metals and non-metallic industries. This Directory will be extremely useful to businesses that deal specifically with companies in the iron and steel, ferro-alloys, non-ferrous metals and industrial minerals.
The North American Metals & Minerals Directory is one of the most comprehensive and accurate Directory of North American metals, mineral and steel companies that have ever been published. This powerful new Directory is your connection to the entire North American metals, minerals and steel industries sector.
Whether you are a product manager, in charge of marketing or simply interested to remain in touch with the latest developments in the North American metals, mineral or steel industries, this Directory will save you time and effort in finding the information you need.
This Directory will enable you to:
Profile a market
Build new business prospects
Generate new customers
Discover who your competitors are
Make vital contacts
Save the time, money and effort of doing your own research
Identify alternative suppliers and manufacturers
Source up-to-date company information
Access a wealth of quality information on companies and key personnel.
Why spend hundreds of hours searching for new contacts? For just US$300.00 the North American Metals & Minerals Directory gives you instant access to a wealth of accurate information on thousands of North American metals, minerals and steel enterprises.
Look at the information you'll get in the North American Metals & Minerals Directory:
Company Name
Phone Number
Fax Number
Email & Website
Contact Person
Products & Services
This exciting new Directory covers everything you need to know about North American non-ferrous, ferrous, and mineral industries.
Benefit also from being able to:
Target New Leads and watch them quickly turn into sales
Obtain current contact details and put together a complete and accurate profile of your customers and prospects
Identify coverage and gaps in the market and stay ahead of your competitors
Find new and alternative suppliers and manufacturers and assess cost-saving opportunities for your company
Copy all contact data from the CD-Rom as many times as you want.
This Directory has been especially compiled to assist with market research, strategic planning, as well as contacting prospective clients or suppliers. It is also an indispensable guide to America's metals, minerals and steel industries.
Whether you are buying or selling metals, minerals or steel products, this new Directory will make an extremely worthwhile investment.
Report Format
Following are different modes of Licenses.
a. Single User License:
This license allows only one person to use the report. This person can use the report on any computer and may take print outs of the report but must take care of not sharing the report (or any information contained therein) with any other individual or people. Unless you purchase a Site License or a Global Site License, a Single User License must be purchased for every single person that wishes to use the report within the same enterprise.
b. Single Site License:
This license allows unlimited users to use the report within one company location, e.g. a regional office. These users can use the report on any computer and may take print outs of the report but must take care of not sharing the report (or any information contained therein) with any other individual or people.
c. Global Site License:
A Global Site License (or Enterprise wide Site License or Global License) is a license granted to original purchaser, who can share a report with other employees and authorized Users of the same organization.
Quick Help
1. How do you deliver the reports?
The delivery of reports is depends on format & mode of license of report(s). Following are different kinds of formats of report(s) and their delivery options :
a. Electronic Format – Through email from Publisher
Report will be sent to your username email address in PDF, Excel, PowerPoint or any other electronic / softcopy format by publisher.
Delivery Time: 12 to 48 hours [depending on time difference or occurrences of national holidays]
b. Hard Copy or Printed Format or CD-Rom – Through Mail or Courier from Publisher
Report will be sent through mail / courier delivery to your shipping address by publisher.
Delivery Time: Less than, few weeks [depending on time difference or occurrences of national holidays]
2. How can I make payment for publications I purchase?
You could be able to make the payment, in following ways:
a. Online Secure Payment through Credit Card Payment : We accept Visa, Master, AMEX Cards & CCAvenue
b. Transfer of fund to our bank account via Bank transfer or Wire transfer
c. Payment via DD or Cheque
d. Paypal
3. Is it safe to use my credit card on MarketinfoResearch?
Your personal information and online tranaction on Marketinfo Research is secure, private, and tamper-proof. All credit card payments are processed through secure and trusted payment gateways.
If you have a more question about our publications please see our FAQs section or contact us now at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Asia Pacific Infoserv Pty Ltd
Chemical & Material


text:
About Us
In the iAge where an Apple has ceased to represent only a fruit, there is no guarantee that the Apple keeps the doctor away.
From restoring dysfunctional iPods to repairing damaged iPhones, iPads and MacBooks too, iRepair is your one stop solution for all Apple related services in India.
Given that Apple's policy is replacement and not repair of their products, iRepair, the brainchild of two young gadget freaks, was born out of the desire to help fellow countrymen fix their damaged iDevices.
It is only natural that people are apprehensive about entrusting expensive gizmos in the hands of a run-of-the-mill repair shop, and that's where iRepair comes trotting briskly into the equation, changing the way consumers perceive "repair", by providing services that are at par with those provided by renowned business houses.
Our main interface with customers is online through an efficient problem ticket system. With a growing clientele of over 5,000 satisfied customers, the wind beneath iRepair's wings is its team of experts- Harsha PJ, Ajay Hegde and Suneil Gupta.
When Apple says: "We can't", iRepair says: "We can". Whether your iPod has been physically damaged by water, your iPad seems beyond repair, or if damaged LCDs, batteries, casing and motherboards necessitate replacement, at iRepair, the experts get your Apple device back in apple-pie order!


text:
Size: 220 sq ft.; Balcony: 30 sq ft.
Location: Verandah
Cabin Category: WP
Amenities: A private balcony with obstructed views two twin beds that convert to a king size bed sitting area with sofa (single sofa-bed) chair and coffee table private bathroom with shower telephone refrigerator (un-stocked) individual climate control closet wall safe and a 20" flat-screen TV with first-run movies.
Please Note: Smoking is prohibited in all guests staterooms. Guests will be permitted to smoke outside on the balcony.
Verandah features staterooms in categories:


text:
jonmok1989 wrote:Are these Mac compatible? Can I plant apples with these?
Oh yes....just stick your ipod inside with losts of dirt...feed it ripped up dollar bills every week for several weeks...sprinkle it with toilet water...and around July you'll have an ipad!
grtgrfx wrote:Everybody knows Tomato is Linux. Duh! Why even ask the question?
Do Penguins eat tomatoes?
Results will very - but these bags dry rot so it is a one time use.
Greshmahg wrote:
I live in Seattle, Washington. The lushest, greenest state in the entire country.
You don't travel much do you? Washington is almost 1/3 barren still. I mean come on, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Hawaii...to name a few!! Even Michigan (my home state) is easily twice as lush as Washington! (And yes I've been there, to visit my aunt).
piskami wrote:Results will very - but these bags dry rot so it is a one time use.
mmmmm....dry rot
theres nothing like fresh tomatos, but based on what I've read about these you'll get no tomatos. I'll grow mine the old fashoned way.
I've had these for about 4 years now and I can honestly say that it didn't do a bit of good toward making my tomatoes grow, and I have one heck of a green thumb! I had much better luck with just planting them in the ground like they're SUPPOSED to be planted. It's good if you don't have a yard, I suppose.
Greshmahg wrote:I bought a strawberry one and a tomato one at Fry's last year.
I followed all the instructions
I put 2 tomato plants in the tomato one, and about 25 in the strawberry one
I watered them as scheduled
I fed them plant food.
I got ONE strawberry out of those 25 plants, about the size of an M&M.
I got 2 tomatoes, each about the size of a golf ball before they went bad and moldy.
Which means that these things either suck, that my thumb is blacker than Flavor Flav's, or else someone was feeding the plants rat poison at night.
I'm going with a combination of the first 2, since these things are ass-ugly. They're essentially nothing but nylon sacks with a hole cut in the bottom.
My wife bought some as well. Last year -
it was very sad - all My tomatoes in the actual garden were laughing atthe ones being tortured in these contraptions.
no yeild - the sprouted and grew well - the plants looked good but not any fruit at all - weird since my garden ( right side up) produced so many that i was giving them away - dehydrating - cannong and eating them as fast as we could get it all done.
the upside down pots will stay in the shed this year -
might be that some other plant would do better in these? although I do not know why they would advertise them this way if they would grow something else better.
wootalyzer wrote:Wootalyzer's Pricing Post! - The price of today's woot item is saved here for future reference
Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter - 2 Pack
$6.99 + $5 Shipping
Condition: New
*DISCLAIMER* Wootalyzer! is in no way affiliated with Woot!, and this post may not always be here!
I've tried these for 2 years in a row. Followed directions to the letter. Killed the poor plants 2 years in a row. But then again, Texas sun can be brutal.
My Grandmother has used these two years in a row and have worked quite well.
zephalis wrote:You don't travel much do you? Washington is almost 1/3 barren still. I mean come on, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Hawaii...to name a few!! Even Michigan (my home state) is easily twice as lush as Washington! (And yes I've been there, to visit my aunt).
I've lived in a number of those states. There is no way Michigan, Tennessee, Georgia or Hawaii can match the colour and vegetation of what we have west of the Cascades.
Greshmahg wrote:I've lived in a number of those states. There is no way Michigan, Tennessee, Georgia or Hawaii can match the colour and vegetation of what we have west of the Cascades.
Georgia, no.
Michigan's upper pennisula is amazing
Tennessee, year round makes up for quality
Hawaii has the most diversity (and all 4 major climate zones year round)
Kentucky kicks WA's butt though (even though it's waaay too humid).
Frankly I prefer the area around Quetico Provincial park although we're talking the US so that only counts if you include Canada as a state (the kind state 8o)
Oh wait...I forgot about the Appalachians!
Big Lots has an unbranded version of these in their ad this week for $5 each.
dliidlii wrote:the tomato slicer doesn't look very sharp and would probably be better for turning your tomato into juice.
I believe that the tomato-slicing gadget simply holds the tomato securely and you slide your own knife between the slots to cut the tomato into nice, even slices.
If I buy these and order some grow lights will I have a knock at my door in the middle of the night by guys wearing tactical gear with German shepherds?
Had two of these last year, was happy with them.
The reason we had them was critters: the groundhogs living out back couldn't get to them. Other tomatoes we planted weren't so lucky.
It helps if you have kids the right age. Daily chores for summer were scoop the litterbox, feed the fish, water the tomatoes...
As much as I LOVE these, and the pricing is GREAT, I found last year that the "generic" ones from Big Lots were better constructed and cheaper. This 2fer is really a bargain!
acanarelli wrote:You've not lived until you try them with watermellons.
LOL!! Since I've "tried" them for about 3 years, using the tomato one and strawberry one, I can just imagine watermelons trying to hang from them. :-)
Supposed to last for years, but I'm lucky to make it through 1 season. Live in Central Ca., and it averages between 95-110 during the summer. The strawberry one actually fell to the ground after it disintegrated. Not that it mattered, as someone else stated, they were about the size of M&M's. The Only luck I've had so far, were some cherry tomatoes that my son had started from seeds. The plants went nuts for some reason, and produced numerous beautiful and awesome tasting tomatoes.
Could I put one of these in my cubicle at work?
We used one last year to grow cucumbers. It worked but the Topsy Turvy bag got really heavy and bent the shepherd's hook we had used to hang it. It's good for container gardening in small spaces.
a slicer is included??
....but no plant?
These things don't work that well. Had ONE tomato grow from one last year. Plant looked sickly and the tomato had no taste. Will go the old-fasioned way this year and (gasp) put the tomato plants in the ground!
If you want to grow tomatoes in a small space, you can grow them in a bucket, a large window box, or best of all, An Earth Box(tm)
Just add lime and fertilizer to some potting mix (actual dirt will get dry and hard in a pot), bury a tomato seedling deep (it can grow more roots from the stem) and plant a "determinate" variety like "patio", so you don't have to stake.
And they need a lot of light. As much as they can get.
Do these work with Apples?
scottman54 wrote:Big Lots has an unbranded version of these in their ad this week for $5 each.
The the Big Lots one is far superior in quality and construction to these.
I bet these don't suck as bad as people say they do. I do bet that most people hear don't know much about tomatoes. If you want good yield out of one of these, you are going to have to grow a tomato that puts out a lot of yield without growing too big. there a loads of hybrid tomatoes out there that can do this.
Also, if this thing gets too much sun, it will cook the roots.
Almost same price at wal-mart but you dont have to wait for shipping..
Never had any luck with these, or the strawberry kind. Plants still try to grow "up" & break off when they get top-heavy. Never again
I've grown tomatoes plenty of times over the years with great success. Until I got these things. Actually, even worse, I got the Jatravartid tomato trees. Same thing but bigger. Here's the problem. Tomato soil must be kept moist. But these things hemmorage water. Supposedly to prevent you from iverwatering, what happens is that only some of the soil is moistened, and that dries quickly. By the time I realized what was happening, I gas to water then three times a day but it was too late. At least with a normal planter, you can put a plate underneath, and the soil will slowly remousten. But this does not give them the option. Your tomatoes will die unless you keep watering them through the day. But if you have a job, then you're screwed. These things are infamous for blossom end rot. That said I haven't tried growing herbs in them, so it might be okay.
Biggest problem is they are heavy and need something very sturdy to hang from.
I have a covered porch facing southern sky. if I had these near the screen to get sun, could the tomatoes grow?
Last year's fad.
jknuts2 wrote:Could I put one of these in my cubicle at work?
I think rather than asking "Could I..", you should be asking "Should I"?
I fashion myself quite the above average vegetable gardener (because you cannot refute this self-indulging claim). I tried one of these last year because my fabulous kids (that enjoy not playing soccer and mock others that do) gave it to me for my birthday. It blows. Unless you have a desire to be watering the piece of crap several times a day, forget it. The nylon bag creates a super hot cooking chamber and dries out the soil and roots. Not to mention, these things are heavy once you fill them with contaminated soil. (Perhaps I should have used organic soil.) I can't imagine how heavy they would be if they actually yielded some sweet, delicious heirlooms, or perhaps a peck of prickly pears. Wait....those grow on trees. Maybe these are to used to grow upside down fruit trees? Ahhh Woot, you silly minx!
Don't bother with these in hot places like Texas. It dries out too quickly and the tomatoes just can't handle the water stress.
My neighbor has green peppers in one. It produced about half the normal number of peppers but it did work.
wlarson wrote:I believe that the tomato-slicing gadget simply holds the tomato securely and you slide your own knife between the slots to cut the tomato into nice, even slices.
Because slicing tomatoes on a cutting board is so hard. Not bashing your reply, just the general stupidness of these things. As much a waste of plastic as the planters themselves. The steel hooks look decent, and I guess the box/packaging not so bad. Your chances are better of growing a healthier plant in that.
I have tried these two years with 2 planters each year. If plants even grow once transplated into these planters they either do not produce fruit or are puny. Would not waste my money. Planters do not make it more then one year and have to buy new. For the price I could go to the store. Better yet, plant in the ground or in pots!
troller11 wrote:NightGhost got whitewashed with phosporous paint and is now a DaySaint. So say the rosary instead, and pray for a decent WOOT. I have these upside down planters and they SUCK. If DAYSAINT was here, he'd tell you to plant your tomatoes in a bed and get a decent yield. I think the roots COOK in these upside down planters.
Not recommended
I've used these and I didn't think they were too bad. It grew some tomatoes, so I don't know what else I could ask for.
Works okay in Hot climate. Works okay with cherry tomatoes. Starts to break apart after the second year.
I have had little success with this planter. It takes a lot of soil and tons of water. In my experience, the plants were fragile and yielded little. Have not tried the strawberry one though. Something lighter might work. I have had more luck with a potted tomato.
View All →


text:
Jim H
I did a search here for it, but didn't find this exact problem. I was driving the X5 in pouring rain the other day on the highway, and my wipers stopped working when I went to change the setting. It happened twice. The first time, the wipers came back on in a few seconds, after changing the settings a few times. The second time, they were off much longer, and didn't come back on even when I stopped and restarted the car and changed the setting, etc. Finally, after about 10 minutes, I tried to turn them on again and they came on. Any ideas? Is this a known problem? The car is only 2200 miles out of warranty...argh.


text:
Try LA POLICE GEAR, they have all brands, and quick shipping
Can anyone recommend a "standard brand" of casual pants with nice big pockets for my CM9? I know there is expensive "tactical gear" out there.....but I'm looking for more practical stuff.
Try LA POLICE GEAR, they have all brands, and quick shipping
Somebody sells men's pants with special breakaway, holster-equipped pockets...but I don't remember the name.
He just came out with a line of jeans, to complement his pleated-front, office-casual line.
It's been in the recent gun magazines. A little research will find it.
Later: I found it!
It's CCW Breakaways. Click on: http://ccwbreakaways.com/
Walmart carries Wrangler cargo pants. They cost about $12.00 to $14.00 a pair. If you press them (or have them dry cleaned) they look quite presentable (except for the cammo fabric ones). They accept a 1-3/4" wide belt and you have two extra pockets on the legs.
I drop my keys in the lower pockets so that the front pocket is for my revolver exclusively.
Botach tatical on clearance...free shipping.....JJ
The NRA shop sells pants.


text:
CableTV.com Recommends DIRECTV for your TV service
Are you looking for a quick way to find and evaluate all of the cable companies and other paid television services available in your area? Independent consumer surveys collect the information necessary for these comparisons. For example, among satellite TV and cable companies in Prattsburgh, NY, independent consumer survey data has ranked DIRECTV as the best TV service provider.
Typically, you can access major networks regardless of where you live. However, the availability of smaller channels can differ from city to city, meaning TV packages in Prattsburgh may be slightly different from similar packages in other areas. If you want to be sure to catch all of your favorite shows and never miss a New York Giants or game, you need to find a premier TV package that offers the channels you care about. With the best cable company in Prattsburgh, NY, you should be able to get the channels that fit your needs and a price that fits your budget. We offer side-by-side comparisons of the highest rated providers in Prattsburgh, making it easy to check everything from the number of channels available to any additional features offered.
Looking for a cable company in Prattsburgh, NY that offers both reliable service and superior customer support? CableTV.com makes it easy! We take these important factors into consideration when evaluating TV providers, thereby reducing the chance you'll have problems with your service and ensuring you'll have the support of knowledgeable professionals if you ever do.


text:
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Where: Harris Hall, #108, 1881 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 map it
Audience: Faculty/Staff - Student - Public
Krzysztof M Kozubski
Group: Buffett Institute for Global Studies
Program of African Studies
Category: Lectures & Meetings
As online and mobile connectivity increases, new ways to collect conflict data, connect people and build social cohesion are emerging. This talk will discuss the main questions that emerge in the use of new technologies for conflict prevention. Questions will be presented in the context of four case studies that the speaker has been directly involved with: two-way communications in Sudan, early warning in Iraq, protection mapping in Libya and a digital space for peacebuilders in Cyprus.
Helena Puig Larrauri is a freelance peacebuilding practitioner. Her work focuses on the use of technology for conflict transformation and social cohesion. She is currently working on projects in Sudan, Iraq, Libya, Cyprus, Macedonia and Romania. Helena advises the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on the use of innovative technology for conflict prevention. She is also on the Board of Advisors of the Standby Task Force, an online volunteer technical community for crisis response that she co-founded in 2010. She holds a Master in Public Affairs (Economics) from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School and a Bachelor's degree from Oxford University. She blogs at http://letthemtalk.org.
Co-sponsored by: Center for Forced Migration Studies (CFMS), Center for Global Engagement (CGE), Northwestern University Conference on Human Rights (NUCHR), Middle East and North Africa Program (MENA) & Program of African Studies (PAS).


text: OK, so they found a few bad apples. That is not good, of course, but one wonders what the percentages would have been when CCW holders as a group are compared to the population as a whole. I would guess the percentages would be much higher for the population as a whole.


text: Ameren Corporation, based in St. Louis, Missouri provides energy services to 2.2 million customers in Missouri and Illinois. Approximately 95 percent of the company's $3 billion revenues flow from electric sales, with the remainder from sales of natural gas. Formerly Union Electric Company and CIPSCO Incorporated, Ameren prides itself on a long, successful tradition of financial strength, cost containment, low rates and continuous customer service improvements, as well as nine decades of uninterrupted cash dividend payments to stockholders.


text:
Language Translation Software Information
Language translation software is used to translate documents from one human language to another. There are three basic types of products: automatic, on-the-fly, and hybrid. Automatic translation software or global translation software is designed to translate an entire document at one time. These machine translation (MT) applications are used mainly with longer documents and may provide multi-language translation. On-the-fly translation software is used to transfer individual words or phrases, typically in shorter documents such as Web pages or email. Hybrid products are not pure translation programs, but provide translation-related tools such as a verb conjugator, dictionary, and spell checker.
Selecting language translation software requires an analysis of system requirements. Most applications are designed to run on personal computers (PC), personal digital assistants (PDA), or cellular phones. For PC-based applications, specifications include operating system (OS), processor speed, random access memory (RAM) and hard disk space. Language translation software that uses a proprietary operating system such as Microsoft? Windows? or Palm OS? may include plug-ins for word processors, web browsers, and email clients. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Palm OS? is a registered trademark of Palm Trademark Holding Company, LLC.
Language translation software differs in term of features such as language, inputs, and outputs. Most suppliers provide programs that can translate English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, or Arabic into one or more languages. Products that can account for variations in American English and British English are also available. Some language translation software is designed to translate written documents into spoken words. Speech-to-speech translators are also available. Custom dictionaries, voice recognition, and pronunciation guides may also be available.
Language translation software is used by localization and internationalization services, business travelers, and corporate communication departments. Localization services and internationalization services provide software and web site localization, multilingual content management, and electronic publishing services. Business travelers who use language translation software often select products that can run on handheld devices. Corporate communications departments can use language translation programs to translate marketing materials, annual reports, and other publications.


text:
Note: Whitney is on vacation until July 12. Pop Candy readers are contributing to the blog while she's away.
By Zack Smith (aka Zack)
For every TV show that makes it on the air, there are literally thousands of others that never got a shot. Some never got beyond the script stage, while others were cast and shot as pilot episodes that weren't picked up to series.
Thanks to the Internet, it's easier than ever to lean about unsold TV pilots, whether it's series that never made it past the first episode, scripts that were never shot, or just alternate versions of shows that did make it to the air.
And while many unsold pilots deserve to be consigned to the trash heap, there are a few gems out there ... and I have some links to videos and PDFs to let you enjoy them.
One of the most famous unsold pilots is Lookwell! (1991), co-written by none other than Conan O'Brien and Robert Smigel. Adam West himself stars as a former TV detective who ... tries to help the police. Perhaps the premise was too insider-y for TV executives, though it's worth wondering what Lookwell! would be like in today's age of CSI:
Another famous unsold pilot is Heat Vision and Jack, which was produced and directed by Ben Stiller. In this parody of low-budget genre TV shows, Jack Black plays an astronaut who gets superhuman intelligence from sunlight, on the run from an evil NASA employee (personified by Ron Silver as himself) with a talking motorcycle voiced by Owen Wilson.
All this talent proved too expensive for Fox to pick up, but rumors persist of a film version – and everyone involved has gone on to bigger things. Co-creators Rob Schrab and Dan Harmon co-created The Sarah Silverman Program and last season, Harmon created Community on NBC. But Stiller might have made out the best – he met his wife Christine Taylor while making the show. You can watch the pilot in three parts starting here.
Another great pilot that never became a series is What's Alan Watching? (1989), starring a pre-Parker LewisCorin Nemec as a TV-obsessed teen with a large, dysfunctional family (Fran Drescher plays his sister, and Pauly Shore his romantic rival). A number of celebrities, including show producer Eddie Murphy, appear on the programs Alan watches, including a hilarious "What Ever Happened to ...?" with Mister Ed.
Though the pilot never got picked up to series, it did influence one viewer who saw it, TV critic Alan Sepinwall, who named his blog after it. You can watch What's Alan Watching? in five parts starting here.
Some pilots are mostly interesting for the weird combination of talents in front of and behind the camera. Take Steel Collar Man (1985). Written by SCTV's Dave Thomas, it stars Charles Rocket as a lifelike android on the run from the government with help from a trucker ... played by country music star and Gremlins dad Hoyt Axton. And the government baddie is former Rifleman Chuck Conners, who pays tribute to his most famous role. Oh, and the monster truck Bigfoot cameos. Did the Heat Vision and Jack creators ever see this?
Though the result doesn't quite come together as a great TV show, it's worth watching for the weirdness., You can watch the pilot's opening credits here, and the show in five parts starting here.
And some pilots are ... just weird, period. Take Poochinski (1990), where slain cop Peter Boyle gets reincarnated as a crotch-biting talking dog. Watch the full pilot here, if you dare.
Or Shangri-La Plaza (1990), a musical set at a mini-mall with Melora Hardin, Broadway's Terrence Mann and others, including a young Savion Glover and Allison Mack from Smallville. The Pee-wee Herman-esque opening credits must be seen to be disbelieved, though the song The Donut Hole is kind of catchy. Rock out to Shangri-La Plaza starting here.
Plenty of unsold pilots are early versions of shows that later went on to become hits. When ABC executive Lloyd Braun (yes, the namesake for the Seinfeld character) had the idea for a show about people stuck on a desert island, a script was commissioned from writer Jeffrey Lieber, who went on to create Miami Medical.
Leiber's script for Aaron Spelling's production company, Nowhere, went, well, nowhere ... but the next writers attached to the project, J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, fared better, and Lost was born. Just enough character elements between the two projects were similar that Lieber was credited as a co-creator of Lost, even though he never worked on that show!
You can read what might have been in Nowhere's pilot script here and read the story of this strange saga in a Chicago magazine article here.
Another example of an unshot pilot script that still became a hit series is Bruce Wayne, a Batman prequel written by The Iron Giant screenwriter Tim McCanlies. Warner Brothers was already gearing up for a young Batman film, which eventually became Batman Begins ... but the idea was strong enough that a Superman prequel went into development, and Smallville was born.
According to several websites, McCanlies still receives royalties for each new episode of Smallville produced. You can read the script here, and an extensive article on the history of the script (and where the series would have gone) here.
There are plenty of pilots that were unsuccessful remakes of previously successful shows. A twist of fate, and we could have seen Adrianne Padlicki with The Robinsons: Lost in Space instead of the more realistic Friday Night Lights. Directed by John Woo, this unsold WB pilot is more realistic than the campy TV series, and not as much fun. They don't even have the robot or Dr. Zachary Smith! As a Zack Smith, that offends me.
But you can watch The Robinsons here, or a remake of The Time Tunnel with Ghost Whisperer's David Conrad and Rescue Me's Andrea Roth here. It was rejected by Fox in favor of Firefly.
There's one pilot I've never been able to find a full video of: Jake's Journey (1988), which was the last project of both Monty Python's Graham Chapman and director Hal Ashby.
Chapman wrote and starred as a medieval knight who pulls a modern-day teenager back to act as his squire on an adventure involving, among other things, giant lobsters playing poker and Peter Cook as King Arthur. Though unavailable online or on DVD, the script is available as part of the collection Ojril: The Completely Incomplete Graham Chapman. Here's some footage:
So that's just a small fraction of some of the shows that never made it to series. While there are some diamonds in the rough, just remember, most shows don't make it to the air for a reason. And if they do, just think of how many don't make it to Season Two.
I'd like to thank Lee Goldberg for making me aware of many of these shows through his great book Unsold TV Pilots: The Greatest Shows You Never Saw, and the TV specials based on them. Let's just be thankful we never saw Steel Justice, which ... oh, see for yourself:
Zack Smith is a freelance writer who regularly contributes to the comic site Newsarama.com and anywhere else that'll put up with him. He currently claims to be finishing his first novel. Visit his website at www.zswriter.com.
Whitney has been writing about pop culture for USA TODAY since 1999, when Pop Candy began as a weekly column. Her interests include music festivals, mustaches, Lost, comic books and Andy Warhol. She lives in New York City. More about Whitney | E-mail Whitney


text:
>>>Outtakes for Challenge#170 SHATTERED<<<
This first photo is my last of 10 tester balloons that I got David to pop so i could get used to my new Sound Trigger. It took some time to adjust the distance it needed to be from the balloon. A couple of inches made all the difference.
My first glass shot was 2/3rds full of simulated wine (food colouring and water). It made rather more of a splash than I anticipated and covered the inside of the box. I'm so glad I waterproofed the box now . I only had three glasses and this one turned out more SPLATTERED than SHATTERED! I entered the last glass shot in the Open.
The is one of my first test bauble shots. I filled up 12 glass baubles with 4 different thicknesses of geletine. As this was the runniest type and I left the shot a little late, it ended up rather more exploded than I'd planned!
I tried a few biscuit shots of which this was my favourite. I almost entered this photo instead of the glass in the Open. Which do you prefer?
I'm looking forward too seeing some of your outtakes too :-).
|Post (hide subjects)
|Posted by
|Mar 19, 2013
|Mar 20, 2013
|Rocks at Dawn by phucthang
from The Rock
|Sarlat, France by poppyjk
from Your City - Dinertime!
|Double Eagle by herbymel
from Flight
|Great White Egret vs Lizard by jose garcia
from Strong - Weak


text:
Ever wanted to feel like James Bond and have some of Q's gadgets in your own hands? Well now could be your time as a Japanese company has placed on the market a digital camera that is small enough to fit into the palm of your hand – even if you have really small hands.
Japanese Trust Technology (JTT), already known for its micro camera series, has put on sale in its home country the CHOBICAM1, which it claims it is the world's lightest SLR snapper. On sale for $120 in Japan, the CHOBICAM1 weighs just 12g and comes in a small form factor of only 25 x 25 x 26mm - which will easily fit into the palm of your hand or your pocket for easy spying should that be your thing. While obviously this little camera doesn't take top-notch images it does shoot stills and video at resolutions of 1600x1200 and 640x480 respectively.
To save those sneakily obtained videos and images, you can store them on a microSD/SDHC card up to 32GB before transferring them to your PC via a USB cable. In what is a most interesting aspect of this device, the CHOBICAM1 has interchangeable lenses and JTT plan on offering a range of lenses and other accessories in the near future.
The JTT is obviously of limited appeal and you may have to look to an importer to get this item if you live outside of Japan. What it does show however, is what can be done in relation to reducing the size of technology and shows we are now in an era when those gadgets we saw Sean Connery using as 007 are now a reality - and that can only be a good thing. Now we're just waiting for someone to come out those mini-rocket cigarettes we saw in You Only Live Twice.


text:
From 3D-touting dual-lens behemoths to enthusiast-friendly models, here's our pick of the best camcorders on the market.
Latest Panasonic Camcorder reviews.
25 April 2013
A waterproof, dustproof and freezeproof camcorder that takes great footage
25 April 2012
A pocket-friendly camcorder with many features than a Flip for just a bit more money.
24 August 2011
Panasonic's HX-WA10 provides a welcome return to the upright camcorder format, and it's waterproof, too!
Get TrustedReviews' award-winning reviews, opinions and advice delivered to your inbox for free!
By submitting your details, you'll also receive emails from Time Inc. UK, publisher of Trusted Reviews and
other iconic brands about its goods and services, and those of its carefully selected third parties.
Please tick here if you'd prefer not to hear about:
More information -
Trusted Reviews is part of the Time Inc. (UK) Ltd Technology Network
Get TrustedReviews' award-winning reviews and advice delivered to your inbox for free!


text:
Mine arrived undamaged - hooked it up to my PC via VGA cable - and it can only display 1024x768 correctly - using the recommended 1920x1080 displays, but it only displays the upper right quadrant of a(n apparent virtual) desktop that now makes the start/task bar and left side of the screen inaccessible (and it also appears a small portion of the right side as well). Also note - @ 1024x768 images are distorted (squashed)
Do I need to use DVI (or HDMI) to get the full resolution? I've got a DVI vid card on the way.... In other words - is anyone running this as a PC monitor via VGA @ the recommended res?
If this set can't run over 1024x768 correctly I'm going to be mighty pissed... This was a deal, but it wasn't that good a deal if it means c r a p resolution...
To the first post on page 10 - the XBOX can't do 1080p via component, so it's a moot point...
BLARG - it's got to be my PeeCee - I just hooked up my laptop and it is working at 1920x1080 just fine. Well, good news is the new vid card is on the way....
I need to do some tweaking - text looks TERRIBLE on this thing. Eeesh.
Edit again:
Holy c r a p - I used the "auto adjust" feature and AGAIN the display is WAY off and cannot be brought back to center. It's no shock that this thing has "1.0" firmware, because it clearly was not tested at all.....
I think I am officially hating this purchase.....
3rd edit:
AWESOME - it makes noise when I resize a window! zzzZZT! zzzZZZT!!! If I resize a window constantly and say "ByYourCommand" it sounds like there's a Cylon in the room. Hooray for me!
Total shyte.
Looks like my first woot was my worst woot....
Pufferfishy wrote:Holy c r a p - I used the "auto adjust" feature and AGAIN the display is WAY off and cannot be brought back to center. It's no shock that this thing has "1.0" firmware, because it clearly was not tested at all.....
You probably already tried this, but have you made sure the picture isn't being stretched by the TV? Default behavior, to the best of my knowledge, is for the picture to be stretched, or what they call "fill", on almost every input, including VGA. Parts of the Xbox 360's dashboard were being cropped off when I set it to 1920x1080, but it wasn't getting cropped at all when it was set to 1280x720, and i couldn't figure out why until I noticed the TV was stretching the pic. Turned it to standard in the menu (with the current input set to VGA), and it looks fine now.
Just confirming now that mine was definitely DOA. I'm waiting for a response from Woot. Westinghouse--at least to this point---has not been too bad---at least they answer the phone and seem to have a clear protocol for the steps I have to follow. However, I could just kick myself now for not just driving 5 miles north of my house to our Crutchfield box store and buying an HDTV from them.
dj_leisure wrote:Mine arrived DOA on Friday. Sent email to woot about a replacement TV and woots policy is... talk to Westinghouse! ...and Westinghouses policy is... pay to ship it to us and we'll replace it! Thanks f**kers! I've bought a lot of things from woot in the past, but never realized how terrible their customer service is. Will never purchase from woot again. Thanks again, richard heads!
**EDIT** Okay, so I received a quick response from woot (see below) and they did indeed take care of the shipping problem, so I won't have to pay to ship my monitor back to Westinghouse. Thanks woot! that's the kind of customer service I expected from you! I'm back to wooting!
i contacted westinghouse and recieved my RMA number, but they are requiring me to pay for the monitor to be shipped to them.
i contacted firstname.lastname@example.com and they said i have to pay for shipping? i feel there were only 2 DOA tvs in this batch and i recieved the other one, yet i have to pay for shipping when it was worked out with westinghose that the other person didn't have to?
someone please let me know because if i knew this "new" tv was going to be doa i could have paid 70 bucks more and just got the tv today and got a better tv. i'm not trying to attack woot, i just don't want to have to pay for this shipping charges when none of this is my fault. and yes i know it's not really woot's fault either. but i just feel i shouldn't pay for this. let me know, i've been waiting so long for this situation to be solved
Atran wrote:You probably already tried this, but have you made sure the picture isn't being stretched by the TV?
Hrmm... I /thought/ I looked for all that stuff - but I will decidedly revisit it if the new vid card (and dual-link DVI cable) are of no help.
I feel for you guys that got DOAs - really vacuums the bargain out of this bargain...
I guess I am stupid, This is certainly not a TV, it is just a monitor, have to add a cable box & with Comcast it is $14.00 per month. This was for a bedroom. WOOT is certainly not the place to buy a TV, $575.00 WAS A HARD LESSON LEARNED.
SKAEL wrote:I guess I am stupid, This is certainly not a TV, it is just a monitor, have to add a cable box & with Comcast it is $14.00 per month. This was for a bedroom. WOOT is certainly not the place to buy a TV, $575.00 WAS A HARD LESSON LEARNED.
Especially since every other post during the time this was up for sale was saying it had no tuner and it was listed as a monitor. So yeah, sorry.
So, you can't single woot as not being the place to buy a TV...since monitors like this, are sold everywhere and are advertised the same exact way. ;)
Ok, so I'm part of the DOA club. Now how did someone (dj_leisure) get Woot to pay for shipping their monitor back? I would like Woot to take care of my shipping too. I have a back injury--so I have to pack up this 62 lb. DOA, lug it to Fed EX, and pay for shipping to El Paso, TX?? Come on Woot. Show some compassion and play fair.
Yet another member of the DOA club.
Out of the box I had no picture.
Had to pay out the *** to ship it to Westinghouse for the RMA and like others have been told by woot that I must pay the shipping. This is the first company in ten years that did not include shipping in the RMA.
Give the number of DOA on this and other product (been reading past discussing on woot) I plan on taking woot off the list of sites I check and will not buy off woot again.
yea, looks like i'm tired of waiting for anyone to respond to me, i guess i'll pay the extra money to get it fixed or replaced or something. i would have rather just waited till black friday if i knew i wasn't going to be able to use the monitor till around then anyway. but i'm not going to lie, i'll stil check woot, but i'll be checking the company's (product manufacturer) return policies before buying again.
looks like maybe 5 DOA's on this lot. anyone get there replacement yet? i wonder if we are going to get the 42" or if they are able to fix this one.
Someone had mentioned bad ghosting effects. I've been playing around with mine, hooked up through HDMI to cable and VGA to my 360 and the ghosting is terrible, to the point of unplayability at some points. Fable II looks beautiful, but whenever the camera pans around it's like a streak of white on the screen.
Any suggestions or other people with this problem?
I've contacted woot and they've been great about helping me out, but it may also require shipping from NY to Texas. Anyone know of a good way to ship that won't cost me $150 to do?
i just shipped mine (doa) via fedex from rochester and it was 65.80.... not happy about paying an extra 66 dollars to get a working tv. but i guess it's less then the 100+ i thought it was going to be.
so yea, fedex ground takes 5 days to get there, i'd go with that if you have to ship it back. i hope you can work it out so you don't have to spend more money to make it work like i had to do.
good luck
So they say only 5 are DOA speaking as one of the 5 (I think the number is higher) I want to know as stated by dj_leisure on page 10 why woot paid for their shipping when they gave the rest of us the shaft.
Come on woot why pay for one person and tell the rest of us where to get off?
I bought one of these and it arrived with a dark line down the center of the panel. Now I can't a response from Woot - going on three weeks. Any ideas on what I can do?
scauditman wrote:I bought one of these and it arrived with a dark line down the center of the panel. Now I can't a response from Woot - going on three weeks. Any ideas on what I can do?
We only show you have emailed in today regarding the issue you are having with your monitor. We have sent a response to you with the details on handling the defective unit. Please check your emails for the response.
$109.00 to return ship a defective product. Super ouch. Only buying locally from now on.
Had to pay $110 to ship mine. Tracking by FedEx shows Westinghouse got it today. So the big question now is when I could not even get the menu to show how long will they make me wait until a replacement is sent. Yes, it would have been better to buy local since I had to get a friend to come by to help me get it to FedEx .
tell me about it, i had to remove the back seat of my car to get it to fed ex. but for some reason it was only 66 dollars to ship, from rochester ny to tx. hope they don't destroy it on the way down there. and i hope they give us all something awesome in return for these DOA ones.
called westinghouse yesterday, they said 5-10 business days they will ship out my "new" tv... the girl didn't know if it was going to be fixed or a new one shipped. i'm going to call back tomorrow and see how much more time they need and if i can get any info about what model i'm getting in return for my troubles and broken 37in.
anyone happen to get a replacement yet?
FedEx says that my unit got to Westinghouse on Nov. 3, yet every time I call they can not give me a status. Westinghouse has had the 37" for 10 days and still nothing. If you returned your unit God only knows when they will fix or send a new one.
This is the worst handle problem that I have ever seen. First, woot sells a unit that is DOA, then I have to pay an additional $110.00 to try to get the problem fix Now I can not even get information about a status.
They have the product and a large stack of my cash. I feel like I was taken by CON artist.
Mine is DOA as well guys. I jsut hooked it up today and it doesnt effing work. i'm pissed.
seriously? WE have to pay shipping on this? thats just f**king stupid. worst customer service i've ever seen. I bought a TV off of here because i dont have the extra money to throw down at a store and adding another 110 bucks onto this makes it way less of a deal than it was. hopefully my email wont sit in the queue too long. thanks for not working weekends woot!
another doa....I am furious about the added cost of shipping.......this is so uncool woot.........bad bad bad business!!!!!! I have raved about how great woot was...not anymore........
Called Westinghouse on Friday and still can not get a status. They told me the shipping warehouse is being moved from CA to TX. While my RMA has been moved up to the shipping manager it will be the middle of next week before I can get a status.
Westinghouse does not like woot. It appears that for all other sells of Westinghouse product handles the RMA where woot expects us to deal with Westinghouse directly. So getting the monitor from woot I think puts us in a lower status.
If you where force to do an RMA due to a DOA unit I would suggest check on the status every few days like I do. Maybe 2 months after I bought the monitor I will have a working unit, but then again it maybe the new year.
Has anyone been able to get the RMA status or have received a replacement for the DOA?
Does anyone know why Westinghouse hates woot?
I got an RMA from woot and will be getting a refund. this is by far the worst purchase i've made in a long time, and i bought vista (not on purpose)
I bought a 37" LCD monitor from Westinghouse. Just shy of two years old, it stops working and, in fact, begins to smoke whenever I turn it on. Customer service says that, since it is a discontinued model that they no longer make parts for, they will replace it if I ship it to them.
Packaging and shipping to California from Tennessee is nearly $200. So far, it has been five weeks since UPS shows they received the monitor. I've been promised all kinds of things, including a bigger monitor for a replacement, call backs from supervisors and shipping dates that keep getting moved back week after week.
Yesterday, after being told it would be another week before it would ship, I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission and the Attorney General of California.
I WILL get their attention.
Anyone got their exchange yet? Westinghouse said 5 days, then 10 days to ship. Now at 15 and waiting....
i sent my DOA back and it arrived there the 7th. waited a week before calling, status was in processing, was like that till last tuesday when one of the ppl i talked to filled out some other sheet to speed things up. friday i found out i'm getting the 42in upgrade. but monday they really gave me no info.
today they filled out a status request form, so by "next week" i'll either have a email with tracking information, or i'll get a call from them telling me what they are doing to send it out.... well i'm guessing i'll be getting it around mid december. probably not till january at this rate.
Did anyone else recieve info about their tv? i'd say keep calling, some of the ppl there seem to help more then others. but i still don't have the monitor, so maybe they are just pulling my leg.
you're all better off just getting a refund and going to circuit city and spending the same money on a better TV.
Monitor in route from cali, only took then 28 days after they recieved it to send one out. if this one doesn't work i don't know what i'll do. it should get here( NY) thursday, anyone else have anymore info? or has everyone else just taken the hit and bought from a reputable company? i'm not buying from/dealing with westinghouse ever again that's for sure.
Give me a break.
got my new tv replacement, and it's actually a tv. The 42" LCD HDTV SK-42H240S. I feel like this tv isn't really better then the monitor. it's bigger by 5 inches, but it's only 1080i. what's everyones feelings on 1080p vs 1080i? it does look good with regular cable which is nice. i like the auto switching feature, and the computer does look pretty good on there. but it only shows at 1024 by 768. is that the standard resolution for 1080 tv's? i kinda thought it would be 1900 by 1080 like it is described as. oh well i don't want to wait another month so i guess i'm stuck with this one. next time i'll be paying extra and buying a sony.
i just got ym refund from woot today. that only took a month to get done. at least this ordeal is behind me. good luck guys.
mine died a week ago, only 2 years and a few months after buying on woot.
View All →


text:
At beginning of this 2013 lockout shortened NHL campaign, the Canucks were short-handed due to a couple of injuries to their best two-way forwards Ryan Kesler and David Booth.
Now Ryan Kesler is a Selke winner well known for his defensive prowess, but few observers tend to think of David Booth as a two-way ace. But he is. Booth doesn't kill penalties generally speaking, and isn't a guy who often appears to be doing the hard work in his own end. Largely that's because he doesn't have to: Booth dominates the puck and is excellent in puck battles along the boards. Sometimes the best defense, is a good offense and while David Booth's finishing ability may be below average (and he's pointless through four games) his ability to tilt the ice towards the opponent's net makes that the case here.
In his four games this season, David Booth appears to be none the worse for wear as a result of the groin injury he suffered at the very first day of fitness training. Playing primarily alongside Jordan Schroeder and Mason Raymond, Booth is posting some completely ridiculous possession numbers and arguably that third line has been Vancouver's best since Booth's return. These numbers are inflated by the small sample of games that Booth has appeared in and are probably unsustainable, but the Canucks have controlled 70% of all on-ice events (goals, shots, missed shots and blocked shots) with Booth on the ice over the course of nearly fifty minutes.
The goals haven't been there for Booth yet and that's a concern, I suppose, mostly because the evidence is mounting that he's a shooting percentage outlier. But it's worth remembering that Booth's 0.0% on-ice shooting percentage is, uh, completely unsustainable and he hasn't had much of any power-play time to start the season. That's especially baffling considering that Booth is Vancouver's third most efficient power-play scorer over the past four seasons (behind only Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler). The goals will come for Booth – especially if Vancouver dominates their games with him on the ice, as they've done in his first four contests.
Ryan Kesler meanwhile is a more interesting case in that unlike Booth who has returned and been gangbusters right off of the bat – Kesler appears to still be labouring from his pair of offseason surgeries. He's been reasonably productive through seven games, recording five points in those contests and reinvigorating the Canucks' moribund power-play. But to the eyes, and by the numbers: Kesler hasn't been himself in his seven games so far and that has to be a matter of some concern for the Canucks.
Playing primarily with Chris Higgins and Jannik Hansen, Ryan Kesler is under-water by the underlying data with his line "losing" more shifts than they're winning. They've had some good moments – a stellar shift late in the first period in Detroit, a dominant shift in the second frame in Nashville, but those moments have been few and far between so far. Maybe we're just spoiled and expect Kesler to kick his opponent's teeth in regardless of his matchups or deployment (as he's done since 2008 at least) and in fairness his line is facing more difficult competition and playing bigger minutes than the Schroeder-Booth-Raymond line. All qualifications aside, Kesler hasn't looked or performed like Vancouver's best even-strength forward so far.
In Kesler's case it's likely that his form will return as his strength and conditioning get back to normal levels. Until that happens, however, Vancouver will remain only a "very good team" and not an "elite" one.
One thing that might be worth trying out, if only to give Kesler's line a jump-start, could be to see how he performs with David Booth. While many observed that Kesler and Booth appeared to "lack chemistry" a season ago, in truth, they were actually one of Vancouver's most reliable lines. Booth is crushing it from a puck possession standpoint early on in his return, while Kesler is struggling in this regard. I tend to think the Canucks would prefer Booth to offset the lack of size that Raymond and Schroeder possess – especially since Zack Kassian hasn't performed like a top-9 forward since January. But with Kesler struggling to find his groove, perhaps it might be worth it to let Kesler ride Booth like a backpack for the time being.
Coming off of two straight uninspired losses at the hands of the Red Wings and the Coyotes, I think we can safely expect Alain Vigneault to juggle his lines a bit ahead of this weekend's double header against the Kings and the Flames. Reuniting Booth and Kesler, and getting Booth some power-play minutes should be priority number one and two.


text:
Changing weed eater spool
I bought a cheap weed eater from Walmart called a Featherlite FL25. It is a gas trimmer with a .065 spool on it. Got it basically for 2 reasons. #1 it was super lite for my wife and #2 if she tears it up (which she will) I am not out a bunch of money. Now my problem is that it uses .065 string. I want to be able to use .095 string. Is there a universal bump knob or bump cap, what ever you prefer to call it, that I can buy to run the .095 line on it ?? Is it as easy as taking the bump cap into Home Depot or Lowe's and match one up ??
I'd suggest you drill the hole in the head just a little larger. Depending on how the spool is made, you made need to drill a larger hole or two in that.
Maybe not quite that large a string: http://www.weedeaterfeatherlite.com/trimmer-line
If drilling out for larger, remember the metal grommet (if used) may be useless and the plastic left will elongate from use because the string is bent-back on itself through normal use.
|All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:40 PM.
vBulletin Security provided by vBSecurity v2.2.2 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2017 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2017 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.


text:
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
TIO #65 - Make a Statement
I would like you to create a tag to make a statement, so the words will be most important, but the embellishments need to echo what is said... I made this one to go into my new inspirations book, which is coming along nicely... the saying is from a Non Sequitur plate, 59 Kimonos and Cranes, from the Stampman. The birds are from a Kodomo set, which I use very frequently!! I have used the blues distress inks and the field of sky stamp from Stamp Addicts - it's so useful when distressing...and brown corduroy. There we have it then... please use at least one real rubber or clear stamp and ENJOY!!!
Love and light
PS I am getting sunshined as you read!!
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
TIO #65 Fabricate it... Use words...
Lovely dreams last week, everyone. Now it's time for another challenge. I have made my tag with Claudine Hellmuth sticky back canvas and some ribbon. My banner is stamped from a wonderful plate from Elusive Images, called Artist Affirmations. So I would love you to dream a tag with at least one real stamp, using fabric and some words...
Most of all... ENJOY!!
Love and Light
Labels: TIO challenge
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
TIO #65 - Face the Music
So, please make a dream this time with the theme face the music, to have those two elements on it somehow... face and music... At least one real stamp as always please and ENJOY!!!
Love and Light
Posted by Dragon at 12:59 17 comments
Thursday, 6 January 2011
TIO #64 - Impress it On
So, Happy New Year to you all, and I hope we will have a good year at TIO... I shall be asking your advice about how we go forward from here and timings, etc... but for now, let's get on with this first tag of the new year. I would like you to dream in impressions this time... so you could use friendly plastic, like my example, here, or you could use UTEE, or Angelina fibres, or wax... lots of things to impress with your stamp. So please impress it on somehow, using at least one real stamp.
Thanks for looking and ENJOY
love and light
Posted by Dragon at 16:34 13 comments
Labels: TIO challenge
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
The EFPIA Disclosure Code: What needs to be disclosed?
Across Europe, by the end of June 2016, EFPIA member companies will disclose payments made to health professionals, such as sponsorship to attend meetings, speaker fees, consultancy and advisory boards. How this data will be disclosed will vary according to country; disclosures could be made on company websites or, where available, on a central platform for disclosure. In each case the type of activities subject to the provisions of the EFPIA disclosure code is the same.
The EFPIA Disclosure code requires member companies to document and disclose the transfers of value it makes, directly or indirectly, to healthcare professionals (HCPs) and healthcare organisations (HCOs).
By transfers of value we mean payments such as donations and grants made to healthcare organisations and in the case of HCPs, fees for services or sponsorship to attend educational events such as medical congresses.
When the disclosures are published they will include the name of the HCP or HCO, and the total amounts of value received by that individual or organisation in the previous calendar year. This figure will be broken down in to categories of activity. For HCOs specifically, there are two categories; donations & grants and contribution to costs related to Events (sponsorship agreements). For HCPs and HCOs the categories will be; contributions to costs related to events such as registration fees, travel and accommodation for attending medical congresses, etc.) and fees for services and consultancy (for example, agreement for delivering clinical trials, speaker fees, consultancy).
We have stipulate direct and indirect transfers must be disclosed to ensure maximum transparency. For example payments made either directly to an HCP registration fees or indirectly via a service provider (as congress organizer) must both be disclosed.
European Data Protection Regulation requires health professionals to give their consent to publish disclosure payment information. Where an HCP does not grant consent, the payments will be disclosed in aggregate. Companies are required to publish the number of HCPs that did not give their consent and total amount paid to them. However, our hope is that HCPs will give their consent to publish the data. Bringing greater transparency to this, already well-regulated, vital relationship is about strengthening the basis for collaboration in the future. Industry is being proactive, based on its commitment to this relationship. Society has increasingly high expectations for transparency, none more so than in healthcare. We want to ensure we meet those expectations going forward.
Payments made for R&D non-clinical studies, clinical trials and non- interventional studies prospective in nature will also be disclosed in aggregate. Companies are required the total spent on these activities by country.
The first disclosures of transfers of value made in 2015, will be published by member companies before the end of June 2016.5


text:
Upwardly mobile: Tennis player Sam Groff belts serves at up to 263km/h in Kia's phone app tennis serve competition.
22 January 2014
By RON HAMMERTON
MORE than 100,000 tennis fans are volleying and back-handing their way through
the Kia-sponsored Australian Open tennis tournament from their lounge rooms,
courtesy of Kia's world-first Game On phone app.
The app, for both Apple and Android mobile phones, turns the phone into a
virtual racquet, using internal sensors to judge a successful serve return from
a series of TV commercials featuring the world's fastest server, Australian
professional player Sam Groth.
Successful returns are registered in a data base, with the phone's owners
entered into draw to win a Kia Cerato Koup Turbo at the end of the championship.
According to Kia, 110,217 of the apps had been downloaded from its corporate
web site by half-way through the tournament.
For Kia, the marketing program is designed to raise awareness of Kia's
association with the annual tennis championship at Melbourne Park.
Kia Australia general manager of marketing Steve Watt told GoAuto that the
involvement of fans during TV commercial breaks helped to imprint the Kia
sponsorship on the minds of viewers in a fun way.
"Instead of people going off to make a cup of tea or whatever, we have people
swinging their phones, trying to return a 263km/h serve, with the chance of
winning a car," he said.
Kia Motors Corporation reputedly spends $10 million a year on the Australian
Open in sponsorship and loan cars as part of its global marketing program,
having replaced Ford as major sponsor of the Open in 2002.
According to research company Roy Morgan Research, 6.7 million Australians tune
in to the tennis at some point during the tournament, but only 2.8 million
currently associate Kia with the event.
Roy Morgan says its survey of TV views shows that recognition rises among
intending new-car buyers – especially intending Kia buyers – with
three-quarters of the latter associating Kia with tennis and the Open.
Roy Morgan Research automotive group account director Jordan Pakes said a
commitment by Kia to extend its sponsorship through to 2018 would make it the
event's longest-running sponsor.
"When it comes to association with the Australian Open, Kia is the only brand
to hit double figures (in the surveys), with Adidas and Nike the next most
often associated brands," he said.
"Although neither sports brand is a 'direct' event sponsor, their logos appear
on most centre-court (and televised) players including Roger Federer, Rafael
Nadal and Andy Murray.
"The five-fold boost between the proportion of all Aussies who associate Kia
with the event and the proportion of Kia new car intenders suggests the
car-maker is doing an excellent job at leveraging their involvement with
prospective buyers.
"Twelve years on, previous major sponsor Ford still manages to generate event
association with almost 700,000 Australians."
Mr Watt said he believed the Kia Game On phone app competition would further
link Kia with the tournament, especially among tech-savvy young car buyers
which Kia was targeting.
The app was developed in Australia by Kia and partners Mnet, Initiative and
Innocean Worldwide.
According to Mnet, the app uses an "audio fingerprint" from the broadcast TV
commercial to sync with the phone, and then uses the phone's accelerometer to
determine the accuracy of the user's swing.
Once the phone app is switched on ahead of an ad break, the home player grips
the phone like a tennis racquet, watches an on-screen count-down and then
swings when the on-screen Sam Groth serves.
Six ads are being screened, featuring a variety of serves – flat, kicker,
slice, slider, slow and bomb.
The successful swingers go into a draw for the car after the tournament
finishes with the men's final on Australia Day.
Fiat Professional - Take a test drive today
Bespoke double-wishbone platform to sit under Kia's hot-shot Stinger sports coupe
Kia's Camry-fighting Optima gets a nip and tuck – and price increases – for 2014
Alfa Romeo Giuletta - Take a test drive today
Get the best price from a Kia dealer
Why you should upgrade your headlight globes (Advertisement)
GoAutoNews is Australia's number one automotive industry journal covering the latest news, future and new model releases, market trends, industry personnel movements, and international events.
A complete list of Kia models. Past, present and future models as well as concept vehicles.
Select from this list of mainstream companies; the latest news, a list of models and recent car reviews (scroll down for more brands)
Select from other worldwide brands as well as some niche companies
Find the rest of the news here...


text:
Malachi 1
This week's haftorah warns us to cherish our relationship with Hashem and never take advantage of it. Although the Jewish people enjoy a special closeness with Hashem, they are reminded to approach Him with reverence. The prophet Malachi addressed them shortly after their return from Babylonia and admonished them for their lack of respect in the Bais Hamikdash. He said in Hashem's name, "I love you…but if I am your father where is My honor? The kohanim disgrace My name by referring to My altar with disrespect." (1:2,6) Rashi explains that the kohanim failed to appreciate their privilege of sacrificing in Hashem's sanctuary. Although they had recently returned to Eretz Yisroel and the Bais Hamikdash it did not take long for them to forget this. They quickly acclimated themselves to their sacred surroundings and viewed their sacrificial portions like ordinary meals. When there was an abundance of kohanim and each one received a small portion he responded with disrespect. (ad loc) Even the sacrificial order was treated lightly and kohanim would offer, at times, lame or sick animals displaying total disrespect to their sacred privileges.
Malachi reprimanded them for their inexcusable behavior and reminded them of the illustrious eras preceding them. The kohanim in those generations had the proper attitude towards Hashem's service and conducted themselves with true reverence. Hashem said about such kohanim, " My treaty of life and peace was with him, and I gave him (reason for) reverence. He revered Me and before My name he was humbled." (2:5) These verses particularly refer to Aharon Hakohain, the earliest High Priest to serve in the Sanctuary. They speak of a man so holy that he was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies. Yet, he always maintained true humility and displayed proper reverence when entering Hashem's private quarters. The Gaon of Vilna reveals that Aharon's relationship extended beyond that of any other High Priest. He records that Aharon was the only person in history allowed access to the Holy of Holies throughout the year, given specific sacrificial conditions. But, this privilege never yielded content and never caused Aharon to become overly comfortable in Hashem's presence.
Parenthetically, Malachi draws special attention to the stark contrast between the Jewish nation's relationship with Hashem and that of other nations. Their relationship with their Creator is one of formal respect and reverence. Malachi says in Hashem's name, "From the east to the west My name is exalted amongst the nations….But you (the Jewish people) profane it by referring to Hashem's altar with disgrace." Radak (ad loc.) explains the nations exalt Hashem's name by recognizing Him as the supreme being and respectfully calling Him the G-d of the gods. (1:12) They afford Him the highest title and honor and never bring disgrace to His name. This is because they direct all their energies towards foreign powers and false deities and never approach Hashem directly. Their approach allows for formal respect and reverence resulting in Hashem's remaining exalted in their eyes. The upshot of this is because their relationship with Him is so distant that it leaves no room for familiarity or disgrace.
The Jewish people, on the other hand, enjoy a close relationship with Hashem. We are His beloved children and the focus of His eye. We are permitted to enter His sacred chamber and sense His warmth therein. This special relationship leaves room for familiarity and content, and can lead, at times, to insensitivity and disrespect. During the early years of the second Bais Hamikdash this warmth was to tangible that the kohanim lost sight of their necessary reverence and respect. This explains Malachi's message, "Hashem's says, 'I love you … but where is My honor?'" The Jewish people are always entitled to His warm close relationship but are never to abuse it. Malachi therefore reminded them to be careful and maintain proper respect and reverence for the Master of the universe.
This contrast between the Jewish and gentile approach to Hashem finds its origins in their predecessors' relationship to their venerable father. The Midrash quotes the illustrious sage, Rabban Shimon Ben Gamliel bemoaning the fact that he never served his father to the same degree that the wicked Eisav served his father, Yitzchok. Rabban Shimon explained, "Eisav wore kingly robes when doing menial chores for his father, but I perform these chores in ordinary garments." (Breishis Rabba 65:12) This proclamation truly expresses Eisav's deep respect and reverence for his father. However, there is a second side to this. This week's sedra depicts their relationship as one of formality and distance. We can deduce this from the Torah's narrative of Eisav's mode of speech when addressing his father in pursuit of his coveted bracha. The Torah quotes Eisav saying, "Let my father rise and eat from the provisions of his son." (Breishis 27:31) Eisav always addressed his father like a king in a formal and distant- albeit respectful- third person. Yaakov, on the other hand, did not serve his father with such extraordinary reverence. He undoubtedly showed his father utmost respect but related to him with closeness and warmth. His association was too internal to allow for formal speech. The Torah therefore quotes Yaakov's words to his father during his bracha, "Please rise and eat from my preparations…" (27:19) Even when attempting to impersonate Eisav, Yaakov could not bring himself to speak to his father in any other tone than warm and love. (comment of R' Avrohom ben HaRambam ad loc.)
We, the Jewish people follow the footsteps of our Patriarch Yaakov and relate to our Heavenly father with warmth and closeness rather than coldness and distance. Although Yaakov never reached Eisav's ultimate levels of reverence he showed his father true respect through love, warmth and deep appreciation. We approach Hashem in a similar manner and relate to Him with our warmth and love and deep appreciation. The nations of the world follow their predecessor and approach the Master of the universe in a very different way. They maintain their distance and relate to Him in a formal and cold – albeit respectful and reverent way.
This dimension expresses itself in our approach towards our miniature Bais Hamikdash, the synagogue. Although it is truly Hashem's home wherein His sacred presence resides a sense of warmth and love permeates its atmosphere. We, the Jewish people are privileged to feel this closeness and enjoy His warmth and acceptance. However, we must always remember Malachi's stern warning, "Hashem says, 'I love you like a father does his son, but if I am your father where is My honor?'" We must always follow in our forefather Yaakov's footsteps and maintain proper balance in our relationship with our Heavenly father. We should always approach Him out of warmth and love, yet never forget to show Him proper respect and reverence.
Our turbulent and troubling times reflect Hashem's resounding wake up call. They suggest that Hashem seeks to intensify His relationship with His people. Hashem is calling us to turn to Him and realize that all existence depends on Him. Let us respond to His call and show our loyalty to this relationship. Let us show Him our true appreciation by affording Him proper respect and reverence in his sacred abode. Let it be Hashem's will that we merit through this to intensify our relationship with Him and ultimately bring the world to the exclusive recognition of Hashem.
Text Copyright © 2001 Rabbi Dovid Siegel and Project Genesis, Inc.
The author is Rosh Kollel (Dean) of Kollel Toras Chaim, Kiryat Sefer, Israel.
Kollel Toras Chaim
Kiryat Sefer


text:
The complete guide to 1st gen CTS Navigation unit installation.
I have put together a definitive list of all the information we have on installing a double-din nav unit in the 2003-2007 Cadillac CTS while retaining the factory DIC. Included in this list are my own contributions along with the works of several other brave men who sacrificed time, expensive electronic components, and blood (from sharp metal edges) to bring you a complete integration procedure.
Physical fabrication for in-dash mounting:
Darkwingfrog Write-up: http://www.cadillacfaq.com/faq/answe...dic/index.html
Cadillac CTS Sound System wiring schematics:
DIC and Base Amp: http://www.cadillacfaq.com/faq/answers/pdf/wiring.pdf
Bose Amp: http://www.cadillacfaq.com/faq/answers/pdf/bose.pdf
DIC Connector Pinout: http://www.cadillacfaq.com/faq/answers/pdf/wiring.pdf
Wiring Procedure (quick method):
I have decided to list MJS's writeup first, and separate from my own because it occurred to me that there may be users out there who would like to make their install as simple as possible, foregoing all the extra work necessary to make every little detail work. If you are one of these people, the following method is exactly what you want. It's the quickest, easiest way to get a nav unit installed and working in the CTS.
Installing your own aftermarket head unit is VERY easy and it's not worth paying anyone else more than $100 to do the wiring IMO. If anyone is interested here is how you install and wire a Pioneer F-Series:
1 – Splice the new head to the factory live or wire a new live if you prefer.
2 – Ground the New head.
3 – ACC (ignition) wire on the new head to brown(on mine) wire on the air-con controls.
4 – Audio – Strip the factory audio harness back a little. Cut the factory audio wires about 3 inches from the plug, this leaves plenty of wire to rewire the factory head later if required. Take a good quality shielded RCA cable (monster or equivalent) cut about 18" off each end and strip back the wire until you have +/- wires. Take the RCA wires and carefully splice them to the harness end of the factory audio wire ( green, green, dark green and tan). It is important to get a really clean and shielded join because the RCA/audio cables pick up the old factory radio if the connections aren't really good. Now plug the RCA cable to your new head.
Now re-install everything but don't plug the old audio plug into the factory head. Your audio now has two gains, the factory controls and the new heads volume control. I leave my Pioneer on maximum and control the volume with the steering wheel dial.
Still works:
OnStar (all controls)
Both factory volume controls (dash and steering wheel)
Steering wheel buttons.
Factory AMP, speakers and SUB.
You Lose:
XM (an aftermarket add-on is only $75)
New head goes off with ignition NOT by opening the door. Not a problem for me because we rarely sit in a car without the engine on in Florida. You can probably get the RAP working but it is not an issue for me so I am not going to try.
I would like to add that although the factory steering wheel controls do work, it is important to note that only the volume knob and mute button actually control the new nav unit. The "1, 2, 3, 4" buttons will now only control the HVAC and DIC functions.
Wiring Procedure (complete method):
This is my own write-up, however to get to this point I had lots of help. MJS, Kingoftypos, and Gaetano all contributed in some way to the information contained in this procedure.
For this method, you will need the following items:
- PAC steering wheel control adapter (ex: SWI-PS for Pioneer and Sony units)
- PAC OS-2CTS integration adapter (you can omit this if you want to use the ACC key position to signal the unit instead of having Retained Accessory Power)
- 2006-07 CTS-V steering wheel control set (harness not needed)
- 18AWG stranded wire (red, black, yellow)
- 22AWG stranded wire (orange, purple)
- Precision soldering iron
You have two options for giving your unit a turn-on signal (the wire usually marked ACC on aftermarket unit harnesses): The PAC OS-2CTS integration adapter, or the ACC (brown) wire in the CTS ignition harness.
PAC Integration Adapter
This device interfaces with the GM CANbus to facilitate Retained Accesory Power (unit will remain on with all car electronics for up to ten minutes after the ignition is turned off, or driver/passenger door is opened).
STEP 1: take the RAD-18 harness from the OS-2CTS and the harness(es) from your aftermarket unit and attach wires color-for-color. The RAD-18 is industry standard color-coded, so this part couldn't be simpler. Make sure you wire all four speakers, antenna, amp turn on, illumination, +12v constant, +12v ACC, and ground.
STEP 2: take the OS-CTS harness (has two plastic connectors on the vehicle side, one black, one red), and cut off both the red and black connectors. Wire according to the diagram on the following page.
With this adapter wired, you will be able to plug in your aftermarket unit and power it up.
Alternate Option - Omitting PAC OS-2CTS adapter
If you do not care to have functioning RAP or OnStar, you may omit the OS-2CTS adapter altogether.
Wire according to below diagram:
Turn on (ACC) power - In this case you will use the ACC wire off the CTS ignition harness (found under the steering column inside the driver's lower-dash kick panel. The panel is removed with three screws all the way at the bottom and three metal/plastic clips at the top. You can simply tap into the brown wire coming off the ignition harness (TAP, DO NOT CUT!) to supply turn-on power to your unit. The picture below shows (a blurry version of) this wire.
Illumination - There are several places to get the illumination signal from. The orange wire coming off the turn signal stalk harness is one. If anyone knows of a better wire, let me know and I will add it here.
Steering wheel controls
The simplest way to do the install is to leave the factory steering wheel controls connected as they come, to the DIC. However this means that you cannot program the 1,2,3,4 buttons as track/folder/disc advance. Basically you only have volume and mute. You can purchase a PAC translator and use it with the factory controls, but then you can't use the volume knob. You would have to program two of the 1,2,3,4 buttons as volume, and the other two as track advance. Then you have a dead volume knob and mute button. The solution? CTS-V controls. Swap a set of CTS-V steering wheel controls onto the steering wheel. To do this you will have to completely rewire the factory steering wheel harness (wires behind airbag in wheel).
Use the below wiring diagram for rewiring the stock CTS harness for the CTS-V controls.
Re: The complete guide to 1st gen CTS Navigation unit installation.
Tweaks and fixes
Eliminating interference in the low-voltage lines to the amp
Even if you very carefully wire your connections to the factory amp wires from the DIC to attempt to maintain shielding, you will sometimes still encounter static or clicking in the speakers. There is at least one way to completely remedy this situation once and for all. This is what I like to call "old school".
Get yourself a good set of brand-name pre-amp RCA cables in a size long enough to make it to your trunk-mounted amp (16-20ft is generally the accepted average). I also recommend obtaining some pre-wired female RCA tails so you don't have to lop the plugs off your high-end set. If you have stereo crap laying around, you could also find a cheaper RCA cable to cut in half (even if it's a single cable, you would end up with two pre-wired plugs. If you go this route, you will need a two-channel coupler (see Radio Shack for this one) to join the wires to the tails.
Plug the good cables directly into your aftermarket nav unit, and run them to the trunk. You can run through the center console and under the rear footwell center hump, under the back seat and into the trunk. You can also run to either side of the car and use the factory harness channels under your door sill trim. Whatever you prefer. Once you get to the trunk, you will need to cut into the factory harness at the amp to attach your RCA tails. Below is a pic of the factory amp harness.
From left to right, the bright green is R-, the dark green is L-, the brown is L+, and the last bright green is R+.
LED Button lighting not working after install.
I was warned that this could be a problem after my install, so I paid careful attention to where I cut the DIC
board, and noticed that when cutting the lower part of the board off (per the Cadillacfaq.com how-to), you would be cutting off the trace that feeds the right-side button LEDs (specifically the LCD right-side toggle programmable button, the clr/info button, and the swish above the selector knob), and a dropping resistor. I tried to find a way to cut the board so as to avoid this problem, but there was no way I could cut the board to preserve the circuit and still fit my nav unit in the enclosure. So I reluctantly cut, and ended up with the dead lights that others had warned me about. This really bothered me, so I decided to fix the problem. Here is the process.
This pic shows the non-functioning LEDs...notice the right side of the LCD (two LEDs not working), and the right side daughtercard (four LEDs not working).
Upon dissasembly, I traced out the circuit that feeds these LEDs. The red lines in this pic denote the traces that normally exist to feed the affected LEDs. The yellow box denotes the location of the dropping resistor for the lower
LEDs on this circuit. You can clearly see how cutting where we need to cut to fit double-din units affects this circuit.
The grey line in this pic shows the dead part of the circuit, the red represents the live parts. The orange shows my proposed jumper solution. It simply jumps supply power across the gap in the circuit, using two conveniently placed transfer holes already in the board.
I used a jumper of 18AWG stranded wire, of which I cut off about half the strands to fit the holes (22-24AWG would be ideal and require no cutting). I then inserted the wire in the holes and soldered from the other side of the board. Be very careful with the soldering part...it is very easy to accidentally short out this trace because the common plate runs within 0.5mm of it. A precision low-wattage soldering iron and light-guage solder is a must.
Not the greatest pic, but you can see the lights are back on. Mission accomplished.
Re: The complete guide to 1st gen CTS Navigation unit installation.
I started this two months ago, and i'm tired of looking at it on my desktop, so I posted it up, even though i'm not positive I covered everything. So let me know if I missed something and i'll add it in there.
Re: The complete guide to 1st gen CTS Navigation unit installation.
jimmy...please add this to our sticky
Re: The complete guide to 1st gen CTS Navigation unit installation.
Wow, nice guide.
I have a little question about the Navi Unit.
I confounded the plus and minus wire on my car and connected the battery wrong, so plus to minus and vice versa.
Since that my Navi Unit isn't working anymore, it seems there is no electricity. So I think there is a blown fuse somewhere.
Do you know where all the fuses for the Navi Units are?
Is there a fuse on the Unit itself?
- 07-27-11 04:57 PM #6Cadillac Owners 10000+ Posts
- Join Date
- Dec 2006
- Age
- 42
- Posts
- 37,299
- 02-29-12 03:14 PM #7Cadillac Owners Member
- Join Date
- Feb 2012
- Posts
- 26
Re: The complete guide to 1st gen CTS Navigation unit installation.
So before starting this project I had found most of these and decided to go through with it. I started today and let me just say thank you for putting all this in one place. Saving me a ton of time.
- 08-31-13 02:27 AM #9Cadillac Owners Member
- Automobile(s): none
- Join Date
- Jan 2010
- Age
- 45
- Posts
- 15
- 11-03-13 01:34 PM #10Cadillac Owners Member
- Automobile(s): 2006 cts 1985 eldo 1956 coupe
- Join Date
- Oct 2013
- Posts
- 12
Re: The complete guide to 1st gen CTS Navigation unit installation.
OK, I'm confused. Can I get a factory GPS/radio/disc changer ... pull the old cd/radio head and "plug and play" in the factory "new'
- 06-30-14 08:41 AM #11Cadillac Owners Member
- Automobile(s): CTS
- Join Date
- Feb 2014
- Age
- 56
- Posts
- 5
Re: The complete guide to 1st gen CTS Navigation unit installation.
All the links to the schematics are broken