text:
Reports of Suicide in China Linked to Missing iPhone
From the WSJ's Digits blog:
News media in China are reporting that a 25-year-old employee of Foxconn, which manufactures products for Apple there, committed suicide last week after being interrogated about a missing prototype for a new iPhone.
According to publications that include the Shanghai Daily, Sun Danyong, a recent engineering graduate, jumped out of the window of his apartment last Thursday. The reports said Sun, who had been tasked with sending iPhone prototypes to Apple, had been under suspicion for stealing after one of the handsets went missing. Some publications reported that, in the days prior to his suicide, Sun had been detained and beaten by a senior official in the security department of the Taiwan-based electronics manufacturing giant.
Foxconn could not be reached for comment. But some reports quoted a statement from Foxconn general manager Li Jinming, who apologized for what happened and attributed the incident to a lack of management. He added that the official who had questioned Sun has been suspended and is under investigation by the police.
A spokesman for Apple said, "We are saddened by the tragic loss of this young employee and we are awaiting results of the investigations into his death. We require that our suppliers treat all workers with dignity and respect."
Some English-language blogs, including Gizmodo and Apple Insider, were critical of Foxconn's handling of the situation, pointing out that the manufacturer has run into accusations of harsh working conditions before. Others, such as VentureBeat, pointed to the pressure that Foxconn and other contract manufacturers face to adhere to Apple's secrecy over its products.
Apple is known for requiring suppliers to sign contracts that impose hefty financial penalties if they are found to have leaked sensitive information. One Western expat in China says that the accusation of stealing alone would have been severely damaging for the employee, who was likely on an elite track working in a career job for one of Asia's premier firms.
Update: Foxconn Wednesday confirmed the reports that quoted its general manager and said it is cooperating with a police investigation.
–Yukari Iwatani Kane with contributions from Juliet Ye


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Docket Management
Docket: 95N-0304 - Dietary Supplements Containing Ephedrine Alkaloids
Comment Number: EC -1219
Accepted - Volume 326
Comment Record
Mr. Edward McGinnis
2003-04-02 15:10:40
Contract Packaging Resources
Dietary Supplement Industry
Comments for FDA General
1. General Comments
The FDA has recently taken a strong stand on two issues which are extremely important to the health and safety of American consumers and the future of the dietary supplement business. These issues, the proposed increased regulation of ephedra and the institution of Good Manufacturing Practices in the industry, are simultaneously sensible and threatening to an industry unfamiliar with these actions. I am taking this opportunity, as one involved in several FDA regulated businesses over the last 25 years, to support your position and, hopefully, reduce unfounded fears, within the industry. It has been my experience that businesses directly involved in the health and safety of consumers need a "roadmap' to maximize the probability that the products or services they provide meet predetermined criteria. The Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP's) are, to coin a phrase, "disciplined common sense". Unfortunately, as the author Mark Twain once stated "common sense is an uncommon virtue". The cGMP's are the building blocks by which manufacturers institute, maintain, and develop their operations in a precise, controlled and quality conscious manner. The goals are clear: safety, purity, potency, and quality. They are met through a comprehensive, broad based program which: o Assures that only proper constituents are used o Provides clear labeling standards to enable proper product use o Prevents contamination o Assures that process capability matches intended use o Ensures the traceability of constituents and finished product should there be a problem o Ensures proper employee training o Mandates rigorous investigation of both production problems and customer complaints In conclusion, I wholeheartedly support the institution of cGMP's in the dietary supplement industry and the establishment of consumer safety standards for ephedrine alkaloid based products. I sincerely hope that these can be instituted without delay.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Victor's cold! Free
by: Slim Cricket • 122
All Android applications categories
by: Slim Cricket • 122
♥ "Victor's cold" is an artful blend of story and games for pre-primary school kids ♥
In this version, you can read and play the first 4 pages of this highly interactive story.
If you enjoy it, buy the full version in one click.
✪ TeacherWithApps.com : "Victor's cold!" takes your child back into the story to an array of fun and learning".
✪ Gamefiends.com : "Developer Slim Cricket has done some amazingly enjoyable things with Victor's Cold!"
✪ SuperMommyToTheRescue.com : "We absolutely thought this story was adorable. The interaction is fun and the graphics I thought were sweet fighting to the story."
"Victor's cold!" is the touching story of a little penguin who's always cold.
You may know that, in the world of penguins, the Mommy lays the egg and then goes away...
Neither his father nor the numerous animals he meets on the ice can find a solution to help him get warm.
Will he manage to warm up again?
Your child is active in the story:
✪ Putting together a puzzle
✪ Recognizing musical instruments
✪ Associating shapes
✪ Developing his/her reflexes
✪ Playing with words and the text of the e-book
✪ Drawing, scratching, rubbing and many others ways of actively participating...
"Victor's cold!" was created especially for children from 2 to 5 years old.
After "The Witch With No Name", Slim Cricket has adapted a live show designed for the very young children where the temporary absence of the mother and the discovery of the other are real issued.
Share this moment of tenderness with your child on your tablet or your Smartphone.
Features :
✪ 20 interactive pages in 3D
✪ 9 different games
✪ 2 levels of difficulty according to age
✪ Voices and text both in English and French
✪ 20 minutes to share and enjoy with the family
✪ 2 reading modes : "Read To Me" or "Read By Myself"
✪ 4 challenges to help unlock a « surprise » game
✪ Marvelously illustrated, with funny and colorful characters.
✪ Extended Reading with the discovery of numerous interactive elements
✪ Original scores for your listening pleasure
Bonus: download games, paper cut-outs and coloring pages from our site :
Discover our applications on: www.slimcricket.com
✪ Website : www.slimcricket.com
✪ Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/SlimCricketBook
✪ Twitter : @SlimCricketBook
from 122 reviews
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Free - V4.0.2 - 104M
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text:
Free UK delivery for orders over £20
Erotic cupless teddy with sheer floral silver lace tattoo pattern bodice, flirty bows, open crotch with ruffle front and a sheer cutout back.
GWorld clothing UK measurements in inches.
One Size: 8-12 dress, 30-36 bust, 24-29 waist, 34-39 hip.
Colour:Black / Silver
Size:One Size
Erotic Cupless Lace Teddy
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Lace Cupless Pearl Strand Teddy by Coquette
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text:
by: Chris Taylor • 22
All Android applications categories
by: Chris Taylor • 22
A quick and easy way to import your Witopia settings into OpenVPN Connect for Android, all from your Android phone or tablet.
How to Use:
All you have to do is:
- Download your Witopia configuration .zip file from the Customer Dashboard.
- Run w/ovpn and tell it where your .zip file is.
- Select a VPN server.
- Import into OpenVPN.
- Rinse and repeat to import profiles for different servers.
Quick and simple.
Well, a lot simpler than Witopia's official process ( see: https://www.witopia.net/support/setting-up-and-using-your-vpn/android/ice-cream-sandwich-jellybean-openvpn-ssl/ ).
- Android 4.0.3+
- OpenVPN Connect
- A file explorer program (e.g. Explorer, or Solid Explorer)
For your convenience, both required apps can be installed from the menu in w/ovpn.
w/ovpn requires the following permissions:
``modify and delete the contents of your USB storage''
- To allow w/ovpn to read your Witopia configuration zip and create an .ovpn file.
``test access to protected storage''
- Automatically included for any app that requires the permission above.
Tags: free client ovpn config , all ovpn zip , .ovpn file , ovpn config , free config .ovpn
from 22 reviews
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text:
Boris Johnson, that accidental subversive, has been bemoaning the lack of "counterculture" in London, but it's hard to guess exactly what he would like to see going on that isn't already out there.
My initial reaction to the mayor's complaint, voiced on a radio programme about the modern city, was to assume he was having a semi-political dig at New Labour's funding of more marginal artists and art forms.
Perhaps Boris was obliquely suggesting that there is now so much avant-garde work going on, and so very many outreach schemes supported by our national cultural institutions, that the creative fringe no longer has anything left to kick against. Or perhaps he just feels there could be bigger outbursts of dissent, both political and creative. I don't know.
But then, against my will, I began to wonder if the mayor was on to something. London now is so culturally confident that everything creative is efficiently branded and sold to the public, no matter how offensive it aims to be. So possibly the city has developed a deaf ear to, say, provincial talent and trends. Do people who live in the regions think there is a counterculture in London? Or just one vast, liberal, metropolitan project?
Barry Miles's book London Calling made the point earlier this year that, even in the capital, countercultural explosions are always highly localised. In the 60s, the outburst of samizdat activity only really took hold in corners of Soho and Chelsea. Listing some of the stars of the "scene" back then, Miles comments: "Naturally there was a strong old Etonian contingent." So probably alumni of Johnson's old school have always liked to get down and dirty with a few radicals in their spare time.
Moving from one politician seamlessly on to another I should point out, further to my last blogpost, that the Daily Mail is now suggesting Blair's publishers tried to stop a broadcast of extracts from Mandelson's new book on Radio 4. (Though Blair's office assures me that any current suggestion that the former prime minister himself tried to delay the publication of Mandy's rival book is "unfounded".)
In my list of forthcoming political memoirs I forgot one, by the way. Giles Radice, an old timer who knew Blair, Mandy and Gordon Brown long before they came to power, is bringing out a book too, which the publishers promise will be reliable because it has no axe to grind.


text:
Value stewardship over showmanship
From Softarch 97Things
When an architect enters a project, there is an understandable desire to prove one's worth. Being assigned the role of software architect typically indicates implicit trust on the part of the company in architect's technical leadership, and it only follows that the architect would desire to make good on that expectation as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there are those who labor under the misapprehension that proving one's worth consists of showmanship; bedazzling if not baffling the team with one's technical brilliance.
Showmanship, the act of appealing to your audience, is important in marketing, but it's counter productive to leading a software development project. Architects must win the respect of their team by providing solid leadership and by truly understanding the technical and business domain in which they are expected to operate.
Stewardship, taking responsibility and care of another's property, is the appropriate role of an architect. An architect must act in the best interests of their customer and not pander to the needs of their own ego.
Software architecture is about serving the needs of one's customers, typically through direction from those with domain expertise that surpasses one's own. Pursuing successful software development will lead one to create solutions of compromise, balancing the cost and complexity of implementation against the time and effort available to a project. That time and effort are the resources of the company, which the software architect must steward without self-serving undercurrents. Unduly complex systems that sport the latest hot framework or technology buzzword seldom do so without some sacrifice at the company's expense. Much like an investment broker, the architect is being allowed to play with their client's money, based on the premise that their activity will yield an acceptable return on investment.
Value stewardship over showmanship; never forget that you are playing with other peoples' money.
By Barry Hawkins
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3
Exported (poorly) from http://97-things.near-time.net


text:
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
|This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information
Publication Number: FHWA-RD-99-194
Date: June 2000
Development and Field Testing of Multiple Deployment Model Pile (MDMP)
2.1 Definition and Overview
A model pile is a calibrated tool equipped with instrumentation capable of monitoring the pile/soil interaction over the pile history. Monitoring includes the installation, pore pressure dissipation combined with consolidation and soil pressure equalization, and ultimately, the pile behavior under loading up to failure.
The model pile installation and soil-structure interaction simulate the actual field conditions of full-scale piles in a better way than any other possible laboratory or in situ testing. As such, the obtained information can be utilized directly (e.g., skin friction) or extrapolated (e.g., pore pressure dissipation time) to predict the soil's response during full-scale pile installation.
Model piles utilize multiple electronic sensors, including, but not limited to, load cells, pressure transducers, total stress cells, accelerometers, and displacement transducers. These sensors can measure pile stresses, pore pressures, radial soil stresses, accelerations, and displacements. The data collected from the model pile can be used to determine load transfer, pile forces, soil friction values, and time-dependent capacity.
Limited numbers of model piles have been developed and their use is not common in daily practice. This view excludes the cone penetration test (CPT) that partially fulfills the "model pile" concept, though it was developed and widely used for the determination of soil parameters and site investigation. The available model piles consist of different geometries and are used for different purposes. Some model piles simulate open- and closed-ended pipe piles by varying the tip configurations. Other model piles have been used for cyclic loading simulating the conditions experienced by piles for offshore structures under wave action.
Many technical details are associated with the use and implementation of model piles. Their installation can vary between jacking and driving. While jacking advances the model pile at a constant rate of penetration (pseudo-static), driving is a quick dynamic process similar to the most common full-scale pile installation. The average rate in both cases can, however, be very similar (Paikowsky et al., 1989). Drill rods are usually used to advance the model pile. Their limited length requires frequent interruption of the installation process. This arrangement is different from that associated with common pile installation in two ways: (1) it affects the pore pressure dissipation process and (2) the stress wave propagation during driving is affected by the drill rod connections and variable cross-sections.
Pore water pressure measurements are an important aspect of model piles, especially if the effective stress theory is used as the basis for the pile/soil model. Porous stones are used to separate the water in contact with the pressure transducer from the soil and maintain saturation prior to installation. To record accurate pore pressures, the geometry of the porous stones should conform with the model pile shaft, and the porous stone material needs to ensure fast response time of the pressure transducers. The permeability of the porous stone has to be properly balanced between very high permeability that allows a quick response time and low permeability to maintain saturation when the model pile is exposed to air and/or advancing through unsaturated soil. The porous stones and the measuring system need to be properly de-aired since air may fill some of the voids, resulting in decreased permeability and a slower response time. In addition, air can penetrate the duct pipes connecting the pressure transducers and thus affect the accuracy of the measurement.
The following sections review model piles that have been previously developed. These model piles were designed for use in the field and to test the in situ pile/soil interaction. There are other types of pile models (usually small in size) that are used in 1-g laboratory pressure chamber and centrifuge testing (Kurup, 1993). These model piles are not discussed in this chapter as their size, type of instrumentation, and conditions of testing differ substantially from that of the field model piles. Table 1 presents a summary of the reviewed model piles following a literature search performed by Peter J. Connors as presented by Ravindra Mynampaty in his Master's Thesis (Mynampaty, 1993). The table was updated with additional literature and with the features of the model pile developed for the current research and presented in Chapter 3.
2.2 The Cone Penetration Test (CPT) Model
The cone penetrometer has been used to identify soil type, stratigraphy, and variability for more than 60 years. The cone penetrometer has evolved from an original mechanical cone to an electric cone and a piezocone that are currently used for in situ testing (see Figure 1). Electric cones are capable of continuously monitoring tip resistance and skin resistance. When equipped with a piezometric element, they can monitor pore pressure (DeRuiter, 1982; Schaap and Zuiberg, 1982; and Chen and Mayne, 1994).
The cone penetrometer has been standardized throughout the many years of use. The ASTM Standard Test Method for Deep, Quasi-Static, Cone, and Friction-Cone Penetration Tests of Soil (ASTM D 3441-86) states that the standard cone has a 60º point angle and a base diameter of 35.7 mm (1.406 in) resulting in a projected area of 10 cm2 (1.55 in2). The standard friction sleeve has the same diameter as the cone and has a surface area of 150 cm2 (23.2 in2). Non-standard cones have been developed with projected areas varying from 5 to 15 cm2 as well as different size friction sleeves.
The instrumentation of the penetrometer consists of one or more axial load cells and, often, pore pressure transducers. All cone penetrometers have a load cell to measure the resistance at the tip, while new versions that are capable of measuring skin friction have an additional load measurement. A common method to measure skin resistance is the subtraction method, which requires an additional axial load cell that measures the combined load at the tip and friction sleeve. The skin resistance is then determined by subtracting the tip resistance as measured by the axial load cell at the tip from the combined resistance as measured by the axial load cell located in the shaft. Pore pressure measurements are measured with pressure transducers mounted in the tool.
Figure 1. The Dual Piezo Friction Cone Penetrometer(De Ruiter, 1982).
The location of the pore pressure transducer is not yet standardized and is often in one or more of the following locations: at the tip, behind the tip, and/or above the friction sleeve (Figure 2). For an effective tool to investigate pile/soil interaction, pore pressure needs to be measured on the shaft, well above the friction sleeve (Paikowsky et al., 1995). Pore pressure measures at positions u1 and u2 are useful when determining soil stratigraphy. Cone penetrometer with pore pressure measurements are referred to as piezocone penetrometers.
Some variations of the cone may include other sensors such as an omni-directional inclinometer (a slope-sensing device), nuclear density probe, and acoustic probe. Nuclear density probes are able to detect changes in density of the soil by emitting and receiving radioactive isotope rays. The inclinometer can detect if the cone penetrates in the vertical direction. This verifies the depth of the model and is useful for the recovery of probes before they deviate too far off course.
Figure 2. Typical Locations of Pore Pressure Measurements for Piezocone Penetrometers.
The loading system for penetrometers is often contained in a portable vehicle that can be ballasted to provide the full reaction for the testing. The system includes either a hydraulic ram or a hydraulic clamping system to insert the model. The clamping system is very useful because it enables the addition of drilling rods without interrupting the advancement of the model. The cone is advanced at a constant rate of 20 mm/s.
Disadvantages that may hinder the ability of the cone to simulate pile installation are: (1) the device requires the use of drill rods to advance the cone into the soil (this delay, caused by the addition of drill rods, enables the soil surrounding the pile to set up and pore pressure to dissipate), (2) the friction sleeve is behind the tip, hence it does not represent typical shaft conditions, and (3) the non-standardized placement of the pore pressure filter along the surface of the cone and/or at its base where the measured pore pressure is not representative of the pile shaft conditions.
2.3 The Piezo-Lateral Stress (PLS) Cell
The 38.4-mm- (1.51-in-) diameter Piezo-Lateral Stress Cell (PLS) (see Figure 3) was originally developed by Wissa et al. (1975). The device was introduced in 1978 to provide essential fundamental data on pile behavior in clay in order to expand the knowledge of long piles behavior, especially the skin friction component of long piles total capacity (Azzouz, 1985b; Azzouz and Lutz, 1986; and Azzouz and Morrison, 1988). In addition, the device can be utilized as an exploratory tool to directly estimate the shaft resistance of cylindrical piles (Morrison, 1984). The PLS cell has been used successfully in cohesive soils at three Boston Clay sites and at the Empire, Louisiana clay site. At the Empire site, a direct comparison could be made with full-scale piles that were previously tested at the site.
The PLS cell has three components that provide a simultaneous measurement of total lateral stress, pore pressure, and axial load throughout the various stages of the life of the model pile. The total lateral (horizontal) stress and pore pressure measurements are used to determine the horizontal effective stress acting on the pile, a dominant parameter for calculating skin friction when evaluating pile behavior in cohesive soils based on effective shear strength theory.
The lateral stress cell is made of a thin steel shell that covers a thin water-filled pressure chamber (Figure 4). The lateral stress experienced by the shell is transferred to the water in the pressure chamber where the water pressure is measured with a pressure transducer. The ideal lateral stress cell would have an infinitely thin, long steel shell with a large diameter and a minute amount of water in the pressure chamber while being insensitive to axial load. The final design incorporated these ideas as well as practical concerns such as durability and machineability. Sensitivity of the lateral stress cell is expressed as a ratio of the internal water pressure to the external horizontal stress. The constructed element has a sensitivity of 93.5%, with the steel shell being 0.038 cm (0.015 in) thick, 4.70 cm (1.85 in) long, diameter of 3.84 cm (1.51 in), and pressure chamber volume of 2.13 cm3 (0.13 in3). The rated range of the lateral stress cell is 0 to 689.5 kPa (0 to 100 psi). The PLS cell also includes a thermoresistor monitoring temperature. This measurement is essential for achieving a high degree of accuracy in horizontal stress readings when using very stiff, temperature-sensitive devices such as the PLS's lateral cell. Improvement of such devices can be made when using liquid in the pressure chamber with an expansion coefficient more compatible to steel than water (for example, mercury).
A high-entry, stainless-steel porous disk allows the pore water pressure to be measured by an internal pressure transducer. The rated range of the pore pressure transducers is 0 to 1379 kPa (0 to 200 psi). Improper de-airing of the porous disk causes the system to have a slow response time to externally applied changes in pressure and is a common cause of misleading data.
Figure 3. The Piezo-Lateral Stress (PLS) Cell(Morrison, 1984).
Figure 4. Detailed Cross-Section of the Piezo-Lateral Stress (PLS) Cell (Morrison, 1984).
The load cell measures the axial load required to overcome the tip resistance and shear stresses acting on the length of the shaft bounded by the load cell. Figure 5 provides a detail of the load cell assembly. The PLS has only one axial load cell and utilizes the measurement of tip resistance from an additional piezocone test to determine the skin resistance along the tip extension.
The PLS is pushed at a constant rate of 20 mm/s. Like the piezocone and CPT, the data collected with the PLS cell can be analyzed to identify soil stratigraphy. The PLS is comparable in size with AW drill rods; therefore, the cell may be pushed to significant depths without the need for casing the borehole. A disadvantage of the PLS cell is the drilling rods used need to be added at intervals of 1.524 m (5 ft) of advancement. The time needed to add a new rod allows excess pore pressure dissipation, and this must be taken into account when analyzing the pore pressure data. Care must be taken to identify virgin penetration or non-virgin penetration. The non-virgin records are significantly affected by the degree of consolidation.
An advantage of the PLS is the ability to vary the length of the tip extension. The length of the tip extension may be changed to minimize the tip effects in a particular soil. This enables a more sensitive measurement of the sleeve resistance and allows the model to simulate the shaft of a long flexible pile.
2.4 The Grosch and Reese (G&R) Model Pile
The Grosch and Reese (G&R) model pile (see Figure 6) was developed at the University of Texas for the American Petroleum Institute. The model was developed to provide insight into the mechanics of cyclic reduction in load transfer of long flexible piles utilized for offshore platforms (Grosch and Reese, 1980). The model pile is a 2.54-cm- (1.0-in-) diameter closed-ended tube, 88.9 cm (35 in) in length. The model pile is made of 6061 aluminum and is connected to a 5.08-cm- (2-in-) diameter galvanized pipe to advance the instrumented section to the desired test depth.
The G&R model pile measures the load transfer over a 25.4-cm (10-in) section with four strain gauges arranged in a Wheatstone bridge formation. This formation cancels any bending forces and measures only the axial load. A pore pressure transducer was located at the mid-point of the section that measures the load transfer. The instrumentation wires are routed through a flexible hose that was pressurized with 82.7 kPa (12 psi) of nitrogen to prevent moisture from entering the system.
The system was designed for simulating cyclic environmental loading often experienced by offshore structures. The loading system consists of a screw jack with a reversible variable-speed motor connected to the model via the 5.08-cm (2-in) galvanized steel pipe. The screw jack enabled the simulation of the environmental loading by cyclic penetration in the bottom of the shallow borehole in a soft, normally consolidated clay deposit in Sabine, Texas. The G&R model pile does not require pre-drilling to insert it to the testing depth. The compactness of the model makes the device relatively mobile.
Figure 5. Details of the Axial Load Cell in the Piezo-Lateral Stress (PLS) Cell(Morrison, 1984).
Figure 6. The Grosch and Reese (G&R) Instrumented Model Pile(Grosch and Reese, 1980).
The model pile is not designed to measure tip resistance observed by the pile. It appears that G&R's model would be less accurate than others due to its small surface area, along which load transfer is measured, and its unsophisticated monitoring capabilities. Other model pile designs allow for redundant measurement of skin resistance, while the G&R model pile does not. Also, the drill rods used to advance the model are not compatible with its diameter. This difference in size would require more force to push the model down, a force different from what the model might experience.
2.5 The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) Model Pile
The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) developed a testing instrument to investigate the effects of tension loading on pile anchors used for tension-leg type offshore platforms. The NGI model pile is not capable of measuring tip resistance and, therefore, represents model segments of long flexible piles used in practice. The 15.24-cm- (6-in-) diameter pile is about 5.0 m (16.4 ft) long as shown in Figure 7. The model pile is closed-ended to model large displacement piles (Karlsrud and Haugen, 1981, 1985a, and 1985b).
Figure 7. The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) Instrumented Test Pile (after Karlsrud and Haugen, 1985).
The model pile has six groups of vibrating wire stain gauges distributed at different levels along the length of the pile. These strain gauges are used to determine the skin friction that develops along the pile. The effective stresses can be calculated at four different locations using measurements of earth and pore pressure cells. A displacement transducer and a load cell are positioned on top of the model pile. The instrumentation enables the measurement of the effective stresses and skin resistance during pile installation and consolidation.
The NGI model pile has been field tested extensively under a variety of loadings in overconsolidated clay at a site in Haga, outside of Oslo, Norway. Sixteen installations of the model pile were successfully conducted in the overconsolidated clay. An additional section (dummy pile) was attached to the top to advance the model pile to the testing depth. A 6.0-m-diameter concrete ring beam enabled multiple installations of the pile. A jack was used to push the model pile at a rate of 4 to 15 cm/min any place along the ring. Approximately 30 kN (3.37 tons) of force was required to advance the NGI model pile 5 m into the overconsolidated clay. Once inserted, static, rapid, and cyclic loading tests may be performed by a loading rig that travels around the ring beam used for the installations.
The disadvantage of the NGI model pile when compared to other similar models is its large diameter and length. As a result, the model pile and its installation and loading rigs cannot be transported easily, making it inappropriate as a standard multiple deployment in situ device.
2.6 The X-Probe And The 3-Inch Model Piles
The Earth Technology Corporation developed two in situ testing tools (the 7.62 cm (3.0 in) and the X-probe) to improve the understanding of axial soil/pile load-transfer behavior for long flexible piles of offshore platforms (Bogard et al., 1985; and Bogard and Matlock, 1990a, 1990b, and 1990c). Both the tools simulate a short pile segment and yield a direct in situ measurement of load transfer along the pile segment. The 7.62-cm (3.0-in) model pile (see Figure 8) has successfully been driven and jacked into a variety of soil types. The X-probe model pile segment tool was designed and built to be used on more routine site investigations. Unfortunately, the X-probe (see Figure 9) did not prove to be rugged enough for repeated testing.
The 7.62-cm (3-in) model pile is an in situ testing device with dimensions of 7.62 cm (3 in) diameter and a total tool length of approximately 4.9 m (16 ft). Different cutting shoes, with any wall thickness, can be used to model an open-ended pile, or a closed-ended configuration can be used. Test depths have been as deep as 75 m (250 ft), utilizing N-rods to advance the tool to the desired depth. The 7.62-cm (3-in) model pile is equipped with two load cells that are used to calculate the shear transfer over a section of the pile. Strain gauges (Figure 10) are mounted in a Wheatstone bridge formation to measure only axial loads. In Figure 10, a load cell cover slides over the instrumented section of the load cell to protect the strain gauges and prevent soil and moisture intrusion. Also, mounted in the load cell are two accelerometers (Figure 10). In Figure 11, a total pressure transducer and a pore pressure transducer are located between the two load cells that provide continuous measures of effective stresses at the location where the load transfer is measured. A direct current, linear variable displacement transducer (DC-LVDT) is used to measure local displacement between the cutting shoe and the instrumented portion of the pile. During tension and compression load tests, the cutting shoe acts as an anchor to allow for accurate displacement measurements.
Figure 8 The 7.62-cm (3.0-in) Instrumented Model Pile(Bogard and Matlock, 1985).
Figure 9. The X-Probe(Bogard and Matlock, 1985).
The X-probe with a diameter of 4.37 cm (1.72 in) and 143.5 cm (56.5 in) long was designed and built to be used on routine site investigations. The X-probe simulates a plugged pile and has instrumentation that enables the measurement of pile/soil interaction behavior. The pile has a load cell that measures the shear transfer over a 200-cm2 (31-in2) shaft area. Below the load cell are the total lateral pressure transducer and a pore pressure transducer that measure the effective stresses during all stages of pile history. The tip of the pile has a cone with a similar geometry to that of a cone penetrometer. The tip section acts as the reference anchor for local displacement measurements by a displacement transducer. The main advantage of the model is its compatibility with the standard CPT and, therefore, it can be deployed with conventional cone penetrometer equipment. However, the X-probe does not have the capability to measure tip responses.
The models have been extensively tested at six onshore sites along the U.S. Gulf coast, West coast, and Canada; a site offshore Louisiana from a fixed platform; and in the laboratory in a pressurized soil drum. The soil types at these locations are composed of stiff silty clay, silts, soft clay, overconsolidated Beaumont clay, and calcareous soil. At some of the sites, full-scale pile static load tests were carried out as well, which enables the comparison of axial behavior between full-scale pile load test results and model pile segment tool results.
Figure 10. Details of 7.62-cm (3-in) Model Pile Axial Load Cells(after Patent Number 5,259,240).
The model piles are driven or pushed using N-rods to advance the pile to the desired depth. The instrumentation is monitored during installation and through the duration of the test. Upon the completion of installation and consolidation, a variety of load tests were performed. These loading tests included static monotonic, one-way cyclic (compression or tension only) with or without load bias, and two-way cyclic loading under tension and compression. The loading system consisted of a hydraulic ram, with a 30.48-cm (12-in) stroke, that was able to apply tension or compression loading to the models. Screw anchors are used as a reaction for compressive loadings when testing was conducted onshore.
Figure 11. Details of 7.62-cm (3-in) Model Pile Pressure Instruments(after Patent Number 5,259,240).
2.7 The In Situ Model Pile (IMP)
The IMP or In Situ Model Pile (see Figure 12) was developed at Oxford University (Coop and Wroth, 1989; and Lehane, 1992) to explore the fundamental behavior of piles in clay. Both stiff overconsolidated and normally consolidated estuarine clays were successfully tested. The model is 80 mm (3.15 in) in diameter and 1135 mm (44.7 in) long. The model pile consists of two concentric cylinders attached to a common pile head, with the inner cylinder rigidly connected to the tip assembly and the outer brass cylinder comprised of a combination of interchangeable instrumented sections. The rigid connection allows for a more sensitive measurement of shaft friction. End bearing forces are transmitted directly to the pile head through the inner cylinder and are not measured.
The IMP has two instrumentation clusters, with each section having two pore pressure transducers, two radial stress transducers, and a load cell. There is an additional pore pressure transducer located at the tip of the pile and a third load cell located in the leading cluster. Figure 12 presents the location of the sensors, as well as diagrams of two types of pore pressure sensors and radial stress sensor. The Druck semi-conductor transducer is a brand name pressure transducer that was installed into the IMP while the strain-gauged diaphragm was constructed specifically for the IMP. The three load cells measure axial load, enabling the skin friction to be calculated as the difference in axial load between any two load cells. In each instrumented section, two total radial stress and pore pressure transducers were installed opposite of each other to check for variation in stresses around the IMP shaft.
Figure 12. Configuration and Instrumentation of the In Situ Model Pile (IMP)(after Lehane, 1992).
A plunger that may be held in position or allowed to move is located within the inner cylinder. This facilitates both closed-ended and open-ended installation. The jacking system for the IMP consists of hydraulic jacking rig powered by a portable gasoline engine. The reaction for the system is provided by screw pickets. Due to the size of the loading system, NWY drill rods are used to advance the model into the soil. The NWY rods have a smaller diameter than the model pile. No load due to friction along the sides of the rods is developed and, therefore, less force is required to advance the model pile into the soil.
The IMP has been successfully employed in various sites in England. The four sites located at Madingley included two sites having normally consolidated estuarine clays and two having heavily overconsolidated clays. An additional site at Huntspill contained soft silty, normally consolidated clay. Most of the experiments were carried out closed-ended, and the jack stroke length was approximately 350 mm (13.78 in), with a jacking rate of 230 mm/min (9.06 in/min). In several tests, the progression of the model pile was halted to measure pore pressure dissipation and to conduct undrained load tests.
The entire system, inclusive of the model pile and the monitoring and jacking system, is self-contained and facilitates transportation by a typical off-road vehicle, enabling installation in inaccessible places with only a two-person crew.
2.8 The Imperial College Pile (ICP)
The Imperial College instrumented model pile (see Figure 13) is a closed-ended steel model pile designed to investigate the following (Bond and Jardine, 1995; Bond et al., 1991; Bond and Jardine, 1991; Jardine et al., 1992; and Lehane and Jardine, 1994):
By studying the above effects, the objective of ICP model pile tests is to develop a theory to explain the behavior of displacement piles that is based on effective stresses.
The model pile is 10.2 cm (4.02 in) in diameter and 7 m (22.97 ft) long, with a solid 60º cone fitted at the pile tip. The model pile has three clusters of sensors spaced 1 m apart. Each cluster (see Figure 14) contains a high-capacity axial load cell, a surface stress transducer (SST), a pore pressure unit, and a temperature sensor inside the stress transducer. In addition, three displacement transducers and another axial load cell are positioned at the top of the model pile during testing. The load cell at the top verifies the measurements of the SSTs. The SSTs (Figure 15) are capable of measuring the radial total stress and shear stress acting on the pile. For an axial web strain of 0.2%, the radial and shear stress capacities of the SSTs are 870 kPa (126.2 psi) and 262 kPa (38.0 psi), respectively. The pore pressure unit consists of two quick-response pore pressure probes that enable the model pile to monitor pore pressure and the effective stresses to be calculated. The temperature sensor located in each SST is required to achieve the necessary accuracy of measuring the radial stress acting on the pile. The high-capacity axial load cell (Figure 16) located in each cluster consists of a short, thin-walled section where strain gauges are mounted in a Poisson bridge to measure axial loads acting on the pile. This thin-walled section is designed so that it will yield rather than buckle, and at 0.2% axial strain, the nominal capacity is 209 kN (23.5 tons).
Figure 13. The Imperial College Instrumented Model Pile(Bond and Jardine, 1991).
Figure 14. Typical Imperial College Model Pile Instrument Cluster(Bond et al., 1991).
Figure 15. The Surface Stress Transducer(Bond et al., 1991).
The ICP model pile has been used in a variety of soil types, including heavily overconsolidated London clays, medium dense sand, stiff glacial till, and sensitive soft clays. Some of the sites tested included soft, sensitive marine clay at Bothkennar, Scotland; highly overconsolidated London Clay at Cannons Park, north London; and sub-rounded dune sand at Labenne, France. The model has been proven to yield highly consistent and repeatable data in all soil types that were tested. The test procedure the model underwent entailed jacking the model through a cased borehole in a series of pushes, approximately 226 mm, at variable penetration rates. There were short pauses when the jack was reset. The piles were jacked rather than driven to prevent damage to the instrumentation.
The Imperial model pile's main advantage is the incorporation of duplicate sensors at each instrument cluster to provide redundancy of measurements. Some disadvantages of the Imperial Model Pile are no instrumentation at the pile tip to monitor point resistance and a large size that might present difficulty in transportation.
Figure 16. The Combined Axial Load Cell and Pore Pressure Unit(Bond et al., 1991).


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Why do the statists in the education establishment oppose it? Control. Power.
Saying yes to liberty.
24 August 2010
Why School Choice Is Important
Posted by Richard G. Williams, Jr. at 7:30 AM
4 comments:
- msimons said...
I support Parental School Choice because even as a public school teacher I realize not all kids fit the cookie cutter approach of College Prep that 90% of all public HS have gone too.
- 24 August, 2010 13:43
- Richard G. Williams, Jr. said...
It's about power and control, as well as the NEA protecting jobs. Follow the money trail.
- 24 August, 2010 13:49
- Dick Stanley said...
Also the teacher unions, unions being the mainstay of the Democrat Party, the principal opponents of vouchers.
- 24 August, 2010 14:13
- Richard G. Williams, Jr. said...
Dick - precisely. As I said, follow the money trail.
- 24 August, 2010 14:31
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Join the fox hunt
Page Tools
Firefox 1.0
From: www.mozilla.org
Price: Free
Not everyone realises it, but there are alternatives to Internet Explorer. If you're still using this browser, your surfing is not only hamstrung but you're also leaving yourself open to security problems.
A good alternative is Firefox so, in honour of the release of its version 1.0, we're featuring an all-Firefox special.
It's a thing of beauty. Fast and cleanly designed, Firefox offers tabbed browsing and pop-up blocking, provides quick searching via an integrated Google search and a nifty find-on-the-page feature.
If you find anything lacking in the browser, chances are someone has already written an extension that will add the feature you seek with a couple of clicks.
Some people prefer Firefox's big sister, Mozilla. It adds integrated email, chat, an HTML editor and its own neat twists to a great browsing design. It's free, too, so take your pick.
Foxy Tunes
From: update.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?application=firefox&id=219
Price: Free
Like a little music with your surfing? Add the Foxy Tunes extension to Firefox or Mozilla, and control your favourite media player directly from within the browser.
Foxy Tunes adds an unobtrusive set of media player controls to the status bar at the bottom of the browser window. The program works with all the most popular media players.
Click the teensy main menu icon, featuring a pair of quavers, to pick your player and adjust the settings.
A volume icon lets you quickly mute the sound, while clicking the arrow beside the icon lets you drag a volume slider up and down. A visibility toggle lets you snap the controls shut so they occupy even less space.
All the other controls are pretty much self-explanatory, with pop-up tips to help you out.
As with all extensions, when you install Foxy Tunes, you'll need to close your browser and then reopen it to activate the extension.
IE View
From: update.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?application=firefox&id=35
Price: Free
Some sites are written so they work only in Internet Explorer. This is particularly true of Microsoft sites, including the Windows Update site where the latest patches and fixes to Windows are located.
Other sites appear to load properly in Firefox but you may find buttons fail to work or a form won't fill in correctly.
To sidestep in Firefox just install the IE View extension. Right-click any page displayed in Firefox and choose View This Page In IE to open Explorer and view the site.
Once you've finished with the problem page, close Explorer and continue on your way with Firefox.
Tabbrowser Extensions
From: piro.sakura.ne.jp/xul/_tabextensions.html.en#download
Price: Free
If you like browsing with tabs, just wait until you install Tabbrowser Extensions (TBE).
It boosts Firefox's tab handling into turbo mode. There are plenty of other tab-oriented extensions available but none so complete as TBE.
It lets you drag and drop tabs to reorder them; close tabs with a double-click; organise tabs into colour-coded groups; save tab groups when you close the browser; resurrect accidentally closed tabs; choose whether to load links and bookmarks in tabs or windows in the foreground or background; and more.
TBE adds a Tab menu to Firefox where you can get centralised control of all its features. Make sure you use Tabbrowser Extensions Preferences first to set the base options.
Note that when you click the download link to install TBE, Firefox may prevent the installation window popping up. If it does, click Edit Options near the top right of the browser window, click Allow and OK, and then try clicking the Download link once more.
If Tabbrowser Extensions seems like overkill, visit forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=47192 where you'll find a list of mini tab extensions.


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Home Donate New Search Gallery Reviews How-To Books Links Workshops About Contact
Dirac Live
Dirac Live Calibration screen, desktop speakers with dual 12" subwoofers in the corners of my office. enlarge. Blue is the measured response of my complete unequalized desktop system, orange is the target flat response (you can set it anywhere you like), and green shows what the software calculates my system's response will be after using the correction filter it generates.
This free website's biggest source of support is when you use any of these links when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thank you! Ken.
September 2013 Dirac reviews audio reviews all reviews
Dirac Live is a suite of two programs that allows fast, easy and accurate calibration of room acoustics and amplifier and speaker characteristics. It very quickly makes huge improvements in any and all computer audio playback systems, especially desktop Hi-Fi for which I've used it.
I use this on my desktop system in my office; of course it works for any kind of large or small Hi-Fi or multichannel home theater if you drive them from a computer.
This software, in less than a day, has made my desktop system sound better than I've been able to make it sound after years of traditional optimization! Suddenly all the unwanted coloration has gone away and I can hear straight through to my music exactly as I want it. What's left is the smooth, clean, clear, deep and detailed sound I've been trying to get for years on my desktop.
Dirac Live has two pieces: the Dirac Live Calibration Tool program that lets us use a USB microphone to measure our system and easily make correction filters that will make our system sound exactly as we want it. The other program, the Dirac Audio Processor, lets us transparently play everything in our computer — iTunes, movies, Internet Audio, Digital Audio Workstation software and anything else that comes out of a computer — through the correction filters.
It works on Windows and of course on Mac. I'm using it on a MacPro desktop system on OS 10.6.8 played-out thorough a Benchmark DAC1-HDR, and it ought to work on most computers. It doesn't work for playing your analog tuner, LPs or cassettes, unless you play them through your computer.
It's easy to download (only 16 MB), install and run, at least for me who understands this process. All you do is download and install it, then run the calibration program to create a correction filter, save the filter, then select that filter in the player and you're good to go.
My desktop system is a Benchmark DAC1-HDR which feeds a Heathkit AD-1702 active subwoofer crossover, which feeds an ADCOM GFA-535 II and B&W CDM 2 two-way 6.5" speakers sitting on two pairs of Audioengine stands. The crossover's subwoofer output feeds two M&K V-75 MKIII 12" powered subwoofers in stereo. I crossover at 40 Hz at 18 dB/octave.
This is decent hardware for a desktop system, but even the best gear would sound bad in my office because, like most offices, it's plagued by the usual peaks around 160 Hz caused by reflections between my desk and the ceiling, and huge peaks at 55 Hz reinforced by my cube-shaped office. There are also huge suck-outs at 65 Hz and more huge peaks at 100 Hz, all of which haven't responded to the past few years of trying to rearrange speakers, office furniture and trying parametric and third-octave equalizers. These analog EQs aren't precise enough to fix all the peaks and dips.
Worse, in my office, no matter what I do to move subwoofers around, there is always a huge bass suck-out right where my head sits. Arrgh!
Well, one quick application of this software, and Bingo!, it's all fixed.
It's easy and seamless to use. The Dirac Audio Processor makes it easy to click between 4 different filters, or just turn it off. There is no audible delay added by the filter, at least as far as responding to playback controls online or in iTunes. Watching video, I can't see any significant lip-sync error, and if I did, there's a low-latency option I haven't tried.
With my pretty good speakers, it does a great job of getting my bass response flat and tight and deep, and removes the few extra resonances that help me hear the music that used to be hidden behind other peaks. Heck, I can lose my subwoofers, and Dirac does a decent job of putting the bass back into my little speakers on my desk — but with subwoofers, too much is never enough.
With my B&Ws on my desk, it cleans away the big peaks at 160 Hz and lets the music shine through far more clearly, and retains the smooth sound I've worked so long to get on my desk. It also smoothes out the subwoofer placement and crossover problems that I've spent years trying to work around.
I've finally got even smoother, cleaner and deeper sound on my desk for a whole lot less fiddling than just trying a new pair of speakers. It sounds so much better with all the unwanted coloration removed, and it was so easy to make happen. I've been waiting decades for this ability, and Dirac finally makes it easy, Of course it only works with sound coming from a computer, not from my analog sources, but tough; this is a huge step forwards. Whoo hoo!
The Dirac Mic is calibrated from 10-20,000 Hz and the software works over this same wide range, so I easily can calibrate my systems to 16 Hz as I require. Too many other optimization systems stop at 20 Hz, so why bother?
With junkier speakers needing more help, it should do an even more astounding job.
You can try a free trial, so your only gamble is that you do need a calibration mic in order to measure your system. You can't do anything with this software unless you have that microphone.
How to do it
Get the Software
Get the software and install it. It's free to try, so no worries.
Get a Calibration Mic
Get a USB calibration mic.
I got one direct from Dirac, and you can use others if you already have one.
I prefer the USB mic sold by Dirac because it has calibration data down to 10 Hz; the analog calibration mic I already own only provided data only down to 20 Hz, and I'd have to find a flat phantom-powered analog preamp with a USB output to use it.
The mic from Dirac includes a tiny stand, but I don't see how that will help you get the mic where your head will be.
I bought this $20 boom mic stand which is the perfect size to get the mic where it needs to be, and folds when not in use.
Whichever mic you use, go get its calibration file (usually online from whoever sold it to you) and put that .TXT file (on Mac) in Home > Library > Application Support > Dirac.
Run Dirac Live Calibration Tool
Select the computer's output you use, otherwise it defaults to the built-in speaker — which you also can calibrate if you want! Hit Proceed ->.
Select the correct calibration mic. My system defaults to using the mic in my iSight camera, which works, but only up to about 5,000 Hz and since my iSight web camera sits looking out my window, gives horrible results for my desk. Be sure to select the correct mic.
Every time you run the calibration software you need to reselect all these, otherwise it defaults back to its defaults, which confused me at first. It's also fairly strict, and if you try to go back and change things, often won't let you. Just quit and start from scratch if you get stuck.
Once you select the mic, select the calibration file, and if you put it where it belongs, you'll now find it and be AOK. Hit Proceed ->.
Now set the levels. Hit Proceed ->.
Now select chair or sofa. We are going to make 9 sets of sweep measurements.
The only hard part is now trying to figure out where it wants me to put the microphone for each sweep. The good news is that only the first "sweet spot" reading cares about mic position. The other positions make little sense looking at the pictures on my screen trying to figure what goes where, in 3D space it wants my mics, and the good news is that for the other 8 sweeps, it doesn't really care. Just put the mic in a different spot somewhere in the listening area for each, and you're good to go. It doesn't care if you have the mic on the wrong side or whatever.
When all the sweeps are done, hit Proceed -> and you'll see a big graph like this, but with no green trace yet:
Dirac Live Calibration screen. enlarge. Blue is the measured response of my unequalized desktop system, orange is the default Target Curve, and green shows the predicted system response the software calculates after I press OPTIMIZE.
Hit the OPTIMIZE button, it will compute for a while, and draw a green trace of what your system's response will be when using the filter you generate next by pressing SAVE FILTER.
You're done with the Calibration program — for now.
Feel free to measure again with different room settings, for instance, my room's bass response changes when my doors and windows are open or closed. No problem; I measure and save a filter for each, and they are one click to select in Dirac Audio Processor.
Run Dirac Audio Processor
Start the Dirac Audio Processor program, hit "Click to Load," and select the filter you just saved.
You should be hearing the corrected sound. Love it? You're done. Enjoy.
Refining your Target Curves
Here's where the fun starts. Want a different sound? Move the Target Curve in Dirac Live Calibration Tool, save a new correction filter, and select it in Dirac Audio Processor!
Fine-tuning a Target Curve may take a while. It defines exactly how your system will sound, so you want to get this right.
Since I usually listen at low levels, I prefer jacked-up low bass to compensate for the ear's response, also called a "loudness" curve. Here's the curve I've been using for my desktop system:
Dirac Live Calibration screen. Target Curve in orange.
Season to taste, and when you find a Target Curve you love, hit SAVE TARGET so you can recall it the next time you change something. Also hit Save Project to save your measurements on your system so you won't have to redo the measurements next time you want to change the target curve.
Here's my own target curve file, which you can download and copy to the right place in your computer to LOAD into your calibration program. Cool, eh? You can swap Target Curve files with friends. Heck, if you're a courteous host, friends can send their curves to you and you can create filters to make your system match theirs for when they visit. It's as trivial as clicking on the other filter in Dirac Audio Processor to change your system's sound.
Here's the actual measured filter (not system) response for the filter calculated above:
Dirac Audio Processor Response with filter generated above.
It looks zig-zaggy on the low end due to the limited number of points I was able to measure and plot; the actual response isn't so jagged.
What's great is how precisely everything is corrected. No traditional EQ could do all this. Look at the huge peaks and dips in the filter at the low end. It's +10 dB at 65 Hz to fill-in my huge suck-out, and down 8 dB at 45, 95 and 160 Hz removing the nasty peaks — and it smoothes everything else, and measured and calculated all this in a few clicks after making the measurements. Each channel is optimized separately for even better stereo imaging.
It gets better. Once you find a Target Curve you love, you can change speakers, placement, furniture, rooms, amplifiers or whatever, and make a new set of measurements (restart the Calibration program from scratch to make new measurements), hit LOAD TARGET and select your favorite, and the new system will be optimized as you loved the last system!
Most of us have already spent a lot of time optimizing what we have, which is why we care enough to be reading this. By default, whatever subtle sonic characteristics to which we've carefully tweaked our system will be "tuned out" by this software. I prefer a big warm sound, with boosted low bass to compensate for low playback levels. No worries, all I did was look at the blue lines that show my system's response as it stands, and move the orange target curve to follow the overall slope of the blue curve. It was pretty quick, and then this software removed all the unwanted local resonances and dips, and left my carefully developed personal "sound" in my system.
The software will only generate a certain maximum boost (about 8 dB) to fill-in holes or replace deep bass. If you need more boost if the green results curve has dips, bring the entire Target Curve down 5 or 10 dB, and you can get flatter sound — but you'll have to turn the volume up more on playback (digital filters will only cut, never boost, so the more correction you get, the more you'll need to turn up your volume to get the same level. This is normal.)
In the OFF position of the Dirac Audio Processor, the system gain is -8.000 dB, and when ON, gain is similar. This allows boosts not to clip, no big deal, you'll move your volume control up a bit. If you compare Dirac Audio Processor's level to the level without Dirac Audio Processor, Dirac player sounds softer — 8 dB softer. This is how digital EQ works, you can't go above full scale.
I have not yet tried to see if I can substitute cheaper or better speakers and retain the same sonic character it took me so long to get. For instance, I hated the B&W Matrix 805 on my desk because they were too harsh and bright. I liked the B&W CDM 1, but they were too big. My B&W 705 should have sounded great, but I always took them off my desk because they always sounded so thin and boring. The cheap CDM 2 just have the character I like, and now I can try the better speakers and use this program to imprint the warmth I prefer on the better speakers. Likewise, I need to try some crappier speakers, like my wife's Dell computer speakers, and see if this program will turn decent $15 speakers into something great.
In all honesty, remember I mentioned that you can calibrate the 3" speaker built into your computer? It didn't sound great, but the program tuned-out all the peaks and it sounded a lot better!
You probably have no idea how awful the cheap raw speakers used in your premium BMW or Bentley or Rolls-Royce system sound, because these speakers are also driven by similar software to make them sound a zillion times better! Those car brands also use different Dirac programs.
By default, the calibration software adjusts your system to work over it's most useful frequency range. It makes no corrections above or below what it thinks is the useful range of your system because that would result in boosting levels at frequency extremes too much and adding speaker distortion — or blowing your speakers.
With small speakers like the B&W Matrix 805 or the B&W CDM 2, they usually have little useful response below 100 Hz, and you'll see the calibration software suggests a target curve like this, rolling off below 100 Hz and giving up below 40 Hz:
Desktop speakers without subwoofers. Blue is the measured response of my unequalized desktop speakers without subwoofers, orange is the default target response suggested by the software, and green shows what the software calculates my system's response will be after using the correction filter it generates.
When used at low volume levels or close to your head so that the speakers require little power, we can cheat and trick the software into adding much more deep bass boost to extend the low bass performance of a system.
This is easy to do: simply drag the gray area further to the left, and then pull-down the target curve at 10 Hz and above so that the overall levels are reduced, allowing relatively much more boost in the bass below 100 Hz compared to the rest of the range.
Here's what a target curve looks like after I pulled most of it it down 20 dB:
Target curve pulled-down above 100 Hz. Blue is the measured response of my unequalized desktop speakers without subwoofers, orange is the new target curve I entered, and green shows what the software calculates my system's response will be after using the correction filter it generates.
Aha! Instead of rolling off below 100 Hz, we now have my personally desired response of the system boosting output below 100 Hz, and doing this all the way down to 25 Hz — with 6.5" mini speakers!
This really works; they sound better and have deeper bass on my desk now than do most full-size systems.
The two caveats here are:
1.) Don't go crazy and play bas-heavy recordings too loud. Look at your woofers; they will be flying all over the place and it's easy to damage them with this foolishness, and
2.) The overall gain (volume) of the filter is -20dB, or much quieter. No big deal, but you will have to turn your system's volume control much further up for the same level as before. This is where we get the low bass boost.
In simple language, we're letting the software smooth and optimize everything, but having it cut the levels of everything quite a bit except in the bass. When we turn up our playback volume, we now get optimized sound over the entire range, and boost the lowest bass by as we much as we have to increase our playback volume — all under careful optimization of the software.
What this sounds like is amazing: it replaces al the typical mid-bass boominess with deep, rich bass that you've never heard out of small speakers. Just don't get carried away and play it too loud.
I love this software; I've been looking for something this good and simple for decades.
It's easy to use, runs well, and makes a huge improvement in my sound. It gets no better than this. If you don't love what you hear it doing, it's because you still need to create a Target Curve more to your taste, or did something stupid (like I did) and made your measurements with the wrong microphone.
It only works for signals coming from your computer. Of course it works driving external DACs, and it also works even if you're using your computer's analog outputs — or its built-in speaker or crappy desktop speakers.
If you're recording, mixing or mastering on your Mac, fantastic: it's optimizing your computer's output feeding your monitors from any of your professional software and not altering your music files.
It also works for traditional hi-fi systems, but only if you're using your computer as a source.
I use the less expensive Stereo version of the software. It comes in a more expensive multichannel version if you prefer.
If you want to optimize other signals, like analog inputs from a tuner, turntable or 8-track player, you'll have to get these signals into your computer first, or get a far more complex stand-alone system like the Trinnov.
Help me help you top
I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.
The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.
If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!
If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.
As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!
Thanks for reading!
Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.
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server admitted there was cross contamination in GF Pizzas. pulled pork has gluten too
Got the gluten-free pizza twice now. Was gluten both times. Each time I try to explain my needs to staff there and they seem ambivalent to it all. Cannot recommend going here if you are celiac, I believe they have massive cross contamination issues.
Best gf pizza crust is called MyBread.
Best gluten free pizza I've had. Salads are great. I've eaten here several times and I'm always happy. I have never had a problem eating the pizza and salad. I always follow the GF menu
Best gluten free pizza I have tried in the valley, and I never feel sick afterwards.
I have never had a full on episode after eating the gf pizzas but I always get a stomach ache. So I would not eat here if you have celiac.
We went here because my sons girlfriend has celiacs and we heard they had GF options. I acquired about the GF choices and they told us they could not guarantee no cross contamination. They do not make their GF pizza in a separate area. They were very rude, and we were very disappointed. We got up and left. We went to Abby's pizza since they make their GF pizza in a separate area. If you have GF needs do not go to Kaleidoscope!!!!
Horrible!! I ordered a salad without croutons and it had croutons, I asked if they could remake it instead of pulling the croutons off because if a severe allergy. They brought it back with a crouton still in it! I do not trust them and they could have put me in the hospital!
Excellent,! So glad we found out on the Gluten free app.
I have eaten at Kaleidoscope many times since moving to Medford 8 years ago, and LOVED it then.... Was excited when I saw they had GF Pizza added to menu, and did not see that the fact that they could not GUARANTEE no-gluten contact would be a huge problem since I was Gluten intolerant only, and assumed any 'gluten contact' would be very minimal,if at all, or why have something called Gluten FREE at all??? After my first GF pizza there, I was sick for three days with severe 'glutened' symptoms. Avoided it, and ALL restaurant food for nearly a year, and then got talked into trying it again last week. On day three of severe 'glutened' symptoms again, so won't be back. Not sure if other ingredients beyond the crust were gluten laden items, or what?? But wouldn't the order taker have questioned my choice of toppings if they were not GF and I was specific about GF crust???? If you are going to tout your restaurant as selling a GF product, it should BE GLUTEN FREE. This 'GF' product is not even GLUTEN SENSITIVE friendly.
Good eats! GF pizza without eggs added to the crust!! Or garlic! And great salads! Staff is amazing @ helping to coordinate a meal dealing w/ multiple food allergies. Can't say enough good things!
One of the best pizzas I have ever had. The pizza had so many toppings.
Really good pizza :-)
amazing pizza. huge veritey
11 am - 9:30 pm
11 am - 9:30 pm
11 am - 9:30 pm
11 am - 9:30 pm
11 am - 10:30 pm
11 am - 10:30 pm
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Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Details of Disappearance
Negrete was a freshman at UCLA in 1999. He lived on the sixth floor of Dykstra Hall dormitory on campus, which is located near the intersection of Gayley Avenue and Strathmore Boulevard. Negrete had been playing a computer game with a friend for several hours. The game ended at approximately 4:00 a.m. on December 10, 1999 and he logged off of his computer at that time.
Negrete's roommate awoke at 9:00 a.m.
and discovered Negrete had disappeared. Authorities believe he left his room between
4:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. that day. All of Negrete's personal belongings were left behind
in his residence. Investigators found his wallet, his keys and his shoes in the dorm room.
Search dogs tracked Negrete's scent to Sunset Boulevard and Bellagio Street in Los Angeles, but no other evidence was located. Authorities released a sketch of a possible witness in Negrete's case in 2000. The unidentified white man was seen inside Dykstra Hall at 4:35 a.m. on December 10. Investigators do not know if the individual is connected to Negrete's case or if he did indeed witness anything, but they would like to question him. A sketch of the man is posted below. He is described as being approximately 35 years old in 1999 and 5'8 with a heavy build. The man was wearing a shiny gray jacket with a turquoise-colored design.
Negrete did not have a car at UCLA. His family said they could not uncover any hidden secrets he may have had at the time which would have lead to his disappearance. Police suspect foul play.
Above: Sketch of possible witness
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
UCLA Police Department
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Source Information
Michael Negrete's Family's Web Site
Charley Project
California Dept. Of Justice


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...... rapper T.I was arrested and jailed just hours before he was to receive the award for Album of the Year and perform at the BET Awards today.
Clifford Harris, best known as TI, was arrested earlier today on the corner of North Ave and Piedmont Rd in the Walgreens shopping center in Atlanta ... Early speculation is that an undercover sting at his home that same day was set up by the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm) Department in an effort to apprehend Clifford for attempting to purchase illegal firearms. Firearms were found on the scene, which triggered the arrest on charges of parole violation...
T.I Arrested After Police Raid, BET Awards Honor & Performance Interrupted
Current Status: Blessed (1)
Seeded on Sat Oct 13, 2007 8:26 PM
keyboard shortcuts: V vote up article J next comment K previous comment


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Soups are always outstanding and almost always GF. She is very knowledgeable of food allergies and has many menu items including deserts that are GF.
Wow! Absolutely amazing. So many GF options!!! I'm enjoying a GF crustless blueberry cheesecake right now.
Food was amazing. The menu is clearly marked with a big selection of GF options. Staff very friendly and knowledgeable. Will defiantly go back!!
Have eaten here MANY times and it is always delicious. Menu items are marked GF as the owner is GF!!! Portions are small.
I've been here many times, and its absolutely delicious. the straccato pie is my favorite thing on the menu, followed by the chicken tikka masala. I've always eaten off their lunch menu thigh as I'm not a fan of tapas.
The food was good but a little over priced for the portion size. I would visit again though:-)
It just wasn't my cup of tea. They have a gluten free menu but nothing really sounded good to me. It might be because I don't care for soups. But it's a very high end "edgy" restaurant that will charge you way too much for cheese and crackers.
Great selections and delicious food.


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Friday morning on-site update from Harbour Town
Prior to the second round of the 2014 RBC Heritage, Doug Bell and John Maginnes from PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM describe the deteriorating weather conditions and how it has affected play.
© 1995-2017 PGA TOUR, Inc | All Rights Reserved.
PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, and the Swinging Golfer design are registered trademarks.
Web.com is also a registered trademark used here with permission, and used in the Web.com Tour logo with permission.


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While Barack Obama managed to keep his job as President of the United States for the next four years, 22 workers in Las Vegas are losing their jobs as a result.
A caller to a Las Vegas radio show identified himself as a CEO who warned his employees that if Obama was re-elected, he would have to fire employees to protect his business' future. Obama won, and the CEO immediately made good on this threat, firing 22 of his 114 employees.
He blamed the firing on the fact that he needed to save money to prepare for future taxes, regulations, and the affects of Obamacare on his bottom line. He also said he thought things were going to get worse. "There's a tsunami coming and if you didn't think this election had consequences, just wait."
Several CEOS of larger companies, including Westgate Resorts, uniform maker Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS), loading dock manufacturer Rite Hite, and car-parts manufacturer Lacks Enterprises all suggested in one way or another that their employees not vote for Barack Obama in the presidential election.
Right now, though, if it turn out to be true, this Las Vegas CEO of an unidentified company appears to be the first to have directly fired employees over Obama's reelection.
— Benjamin Nanamaker, InvestorPolitics Editor
The opinions contained in this column are solely those of the writer.
Want to share your own views on money, politics and the 2012 elections? Drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.com and we might reprint your views in our InvestorPolitics blog! Please include your name, city and state of residence. All letters submitted to this address will be considered for publication.


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Willing to gain weight for this procedure just have to know how much weight I will have to gain.
I Am 5'3 Want a BBL, How Much Weight is Best to Be for That Procedure?
Doctor Answers 3
Weight Gain & BBL
Learn more: http://www.bitarinstitute.com/brazilian-butt-lift-good-candidate/
I am 5'3'' and want a BBL. How much weight do I need to gain?
You stated that you are 5'3'' but didn't specify your weight, nor did you include pictures.It is, therefore, not possible to suggest whether or not you need togain weight. In any case the best way of knowing for certain if you have sufficient donor fat or if you have to gain weight is by going for a consultation to a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon with extensive experience performing the BBL.
I Am 5'3 Want a BBL, How Much Weight is Best to Be for That Procedure?
I do not typically recommend weight gain prior to the Brazilian buttlift. I can usually find enough fat on almost anyone to perform the procedure. I perform about 500 Brazilian buttlifts each year, and this procedure is the most surgeon dependent plastic surgery procedure. Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of Brazilian buttlifts each year. Then look at the plastic surgeon's website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can deliver the results.
Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA
Learn more: http://www.hughesplasticsurgery.com/brazilian-buttlift-photo-galleries.php
You might also like...
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.


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As a mother to three daughters, Catharina-Amalia, alexia, and Ariane, Máxima has passed her style down to the next generation.
"What was discovered in Daraya is horrible," says a Damascus activist who goes by the name alexia Jade.
Yes, and didn't alexia make an awful blunder with her paper of rice!
Polly had her arms around alexia and was hugging her tightly.
"Good for you, Pickering," cried alexia, while the laugh went around.
But suppose he had children," cried Polly, "just suppose it, alexia.
"Oh, I never saw such perfectly dreadful creatures," cried alexia, tossing back her long light braids impatiently.
In the midst of them, Polly saw the face of the doctor who had just fixed alexia's arm.
She didn't even smile, and alexia could feel that the arm was slipping away from her.
Yes, alexia, I'm tired sometimes; but I'm their mother, you see.
alexia a·lex·i·a (ə-lěk'sē-ə)
Loss of the ability to comprehend the meaning of written or printed words and sentences, usually caused by brain lesions. Also called text blindness, visual aphasia, word blindness.


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I recently built a second PC for myself, and decided to try out Vista on it. It installed flawlessly, but there's one problem. Vista does not seem to be recognizing my LAN connection. I tried hard-wiring it from my modem, to my router, to the Ethernet port on the back of my computer with no success. From there, I tried plugging it straight from my modem to the port on the back of the computer. No success there either. I know that it's not a problem with the motherboard because I installed this program that came with the mobo called 'Expressgate'; and when I run that before my computer loads the OS, the internet works perfectly.
Any help / suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Edit: Forgot to say that my other computers (including the one I'm currently posting on), which are XP, are able to connect via an Ethernet cable or wireless adapter.


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Workout Routine:
Burpee 10 Reps
Box Jump 10 Reps
Walking Lunge 10 Reps
Jump Squat 15 Reps
Hip Raise 20 Reps
Bicycle Crunch 20 Reps
Complete a Total of 5 sets.
Workout Routine:
Burpee 10 Reps
Box Jump 10 Reps
Walking Lunge 10 Reps
Jump Squat 15 Reps
Hip Raise 20 Reps
Bicycle Crunch 20 Reps
Complete a Total of 5 sets.
Awesome workout.I can't wait to try this:)
I was tired after watching it!! I'm going to start at 3 and work up to 5! But I am EXITED to try it!!!
EXCITED, sorry
so awesome… AND YOU Are LOOKING AMAZING Girl 😉 Keep these type of workouts coming PLEASE… And seeing that you are now One BUSY MOMMA wanting to stay and get in INCREDIBLE shape… Do you think maybe u could maybe start filming a 20 minute kickass workout for us busy moms who want to get our kickass workouts in get incredble results?? That would be AMAZING!! I saw someone comment on this yesterday and thought it was such an AWESOME Idea… Thanks For Everything you do Flavia!! Love you girl!!
Any suggestions for alternate to burpies and other exercises that hurt my knee. I played tennis from Jr high to university. I haven't had surgery and don't need it but right knee hurts with certain exercises. I work critical care and lots of heavy lifting and always on my feet. Please advice. Your workouts rock!!
I know most will tell me to wait but I've spent two years stopping my workout regime because of this. I've had four c sections in four and a half years, the last was two years ago. I've tried workouts and was good to go until I got to abs or anything that really engages them. I finally decided that it was more than just weak an muscles and went to the doctor. She found a lump and I have an ultrasound appt and waiting on my mri appt. Is there any exercises I can do that will allow me to workout the rest of my body with minimal stress to my lower abdomen area? Please I really would like to continue working out, when I have to stop its discouraging and extremely hard for me to start again. All I can think is what's the point, I'm just going to have to stop again.
Can I modify burpee without pushups just doing 5 to start and work up to 10 with pushups? They kill my legs Fab workout great website. This is great to do instead of running which I do at present. Keep it up Flavia.
Is there any way to do pushups without hurting the neck and shoulder (old injury) I want to ork myself up to many more pushups but it hurts, for now I did the burpees without pushup – any rest between sets?
This workout was a lot harder than I thought. It took all of my effort to complete the 5th set. Dripping in sweat, but feeling great!
Did this workout as part of my cardio day today. Great workout. Hard, but grear. Thanks.
Appearance brilliant. They already have truly done their focus on zygor then made design important. It is the first-time I possibly could truly see by myself making use of Glass windows once again. Operating system, for the other-hand is a clusterf*ck regarding garbage.
AFAIK Grooveshark furthermore is not going to suggest you actually anything at all. My partner and i have not located this sort of feature anyhow, along with I've been using it greatly going back month or so. IMO Grooveshark is better than Spotify while you can easily pay attention to an infinite quantity of audio with out (audio) advertising as well as for no cost. If you may have an account you can also make your unique playlists. My partner and i didn't imagination learning the reason Spotify offers this sort of massive following basically (most of this myspace pals are usually located in Norwegian as well as the Netherlands, which is fairly massive there).
Remorseful, My partner and i has not been very clear. I am wanting to figure out typically the MILLISECONDS target iSCSI tax'? Many have directed towards the MILLISECONDS target SW along with suggested that has inadequately (usually VMware forums). Previously, I've truly carried out a little bit benchmarking for Starwind along with HP's VSA simply by looking at efficiency from the 2 .
Fine time! could you please help me to enjoy a ym detector scanner? Anyone made use of my very own acct and will detector scanner diagnose if the cyber-terrorist likewise looking at my very own wife's surveillance cams while jooxie is chattering? thanks!
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Apple inc wants releasing the products with out particular attributes blatantly. To be able to start being active . of people attributes within subsequent discharge the ones can find the new model. . -= Nabeel's continue blog site… Tips on how to management logon within self applied managed blogger blog site =-.


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Which mythical creature has more of a chance against eachother?
This guy?
or This guy?
Some notes I'll put on to make this a little more interesting
-The phoenix in the photo uses a entirely different flame from normal flames
-Phoenix's are known to have keen vision to find weak spots of opponents
-The dragon has keen vision as well but is a little buffed on speed.
Location: Volcano with some ocean behind.
I say that the phoenix wins this one, Phoenix's are known to have keen vision and to be very fast when facing opponents. All the phoenix has to do is, use it's keen sight to find the dragons weak spot, apply flames, and end the battle.
What do you guys think?


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> From: Chris Buechler [mailto:cbuechler at gmail dot com]
> Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 6:41 PM
> Subject: Re: [m0n0wall] reboot scripting
> I'm not a big cygwin fan, I don't think it's currently installed on
> any of my machines, but as primarily a Windows desktop user, this is a
> must have on all my machines.
I agree, Cgywin is great, but can often be overkill. And it's sometimes
too much of a mutant for me, being not-quite-Unix but not really Windows
either. In the right environment, with the right mindset, Cgywin is
essential (and just plain cool), but there are simpler alternatives for
many cases.
> http://getgnuwin32.sourceforge.net/
> includes everything you need to run those scripts on Windows (though
> they may need minor modifications).
Yeah, that stuff is awesome. But see also:
http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/. It's not as comprehensive as the
"real" GNU Win32, but all the EXEs are Windows native stand-alone. *No*
extra DLLs or files required, grab the EXE and/or ZIP and just use them.
(Rename date.exe to udate.exe or something so you don't collide with
the cmd.exe builtin.) And gclip/pclip, which allow reading and writing
the clipboard from the command line are great:
pclip | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | gclip
See also this post I made recently on this topic, from which I just
stole most of my comments above:
[PLUG] Unix-like tools for Windows
JP Vossen, CISSP |:::======| jp{at}jpsdomain{dot}org
My Account, My Opinions |=========| http://www.jpsdomain.org/
Microsoft has single-handedly nullified Moore's Law.
Innate design flaws of Windows make a personal firewall, anti-virus
and anti-malware software mandatory. The resulting software arms race
has effectively flattened Moore's Law on hardware running Windows.


text:
Browse Database by Type or Subject
The Chemistry Library is located at 1526 Chemistry Building and serves the Departments of Biology; Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (CBMG); Chemistry and Biochemistry; and Entomology.
Contact us:
University of Maryland
Charles E. White Memorial Chemistry Library
1526 Chemistry Building
8051 Regents Drive
College Park, MD 20742-7011
Tel.: 301-405-9078
© 2017 University Libraries, University of Maryland.
Privacy Policy | Give Now | Website Feedback | Web Accessibility


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The Nov. 19 news article "Wildlife refuges among areas dealt a blow by Sandy" highlighted the high cost of repairing the damage done by Hurricane Sandy. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is struggling to manage its refuges on a limited budget in the face of a serious and long-term threat: climate change.
It is vital that our national wildlife refuges are sufficiently funded. But preparing for storms and other climate-change impacts and making these special places more resilient is just as important. As our planet warms, glaciers melt and sea levels rise, storms like Sandy could cause even more damage. Our refuges are a haven for our wildlife, but they also help protect human communities from extreme weather. Protecting and restoring our wetlands, barrier islands and other types of wildlife habitat is a sound investment for people and wildlife alike.
Noah Matson, Takoma Park
The writer is vice president for climate change and natural resources adaptation at Defenders of Wildlife.


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Because October has a fifth Thursday, we have a double challenge for you this week! You'll need to use the following colors:
and you'll need to combine them with this sketch:
As with all of our color challenges, the Stampin' Up color names are simply a reference point. If you don't have these colors, please use whatever you already own that is close to them. You are welcome to turn the sketch on its side, and you can also choose to tweak it into a square if you'd prefer.
Here is what the Design Team has created this week:
At the risk of making a goofy Halloween joke - we hope the thought of the double challenge doesn't scare you! We'd love to see what you create! You have until 1:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, November 6 to share your card with us by linking it below.
Please remember our challenge rules:
- You must create a Clean and Simple styled card - sorry, but no scrapbook pages, tags, 3D projects, etc.
- You must use stamping on your card.
- Submit your entry using the linky tool provided below.
- Do not link up your whole blog, only the specific post that includes your submission.
- Please include a link to this challenge blog in your post.
- Your card should be new - do not link to a card that is older than this post.
- You are free to upload to any other challenges.
- You may enter this challenge as many times as you'd like - as long as each entry is new.
- To help us comment on your creation, please turn off word verification.
Deadline: Wednesday, November 6, 18.00 GMT


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If you've just spent £269 on an Apple iPhone, the last thing you want is to drop it on the floor and watch it smash like an egg. iSkin's Revo line of iPhone cases could save your new iPod/mobile phone hybrid from an ignominious disaster.
The Revo provides an improved grip that will reduce the likelihood of a drop and a protective covering in case one happens anyway. It comes with antimicrobial protection, a privacy film that prevents others from seeing your screen from an angle and a removable impact-resistant visor.
Available from OddsNPods for £24.99, the Revo is available in a range of colours, from Nighthawk (black to you or me) to Zahra (pink).
More info at the firm's website.
iSkin Revo (Rah)
iSkin Revo (Mojave)
For mobile phone reviews, news and tutorials, see our new Mobile Advisor site, brought to you in association with BlackBerry.
Get the best prices for iSkin cases on PC Advisor's Shopping site.


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Electrabel Nights 2009
Once again ALICE Events and ACT won the bid for this winter's "Electrabel Nights" Christmas Spectacular. A combination of LED strips integrated into the existing Baroque architecture of Brussel's City Hall and more traditional projection and lighting techniques, formed the basis of a 2 x 20 minutes "Son & Lumière" for the world's most beautiful market square. It was estimated that about 1,3 million people came to gaze at this show over a 1 month period.


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After the Track trilogy, one of the most brilliant and audacious works in recent American literature, what a pleasure to discover these earlier poems by Norman Finkelstein. Lyrical, probing, and always finely wrought, there is a tenderness in this book that can break one's heart. — Paul Auster
Praise for TRACK
Norman Finkelstein's Track … is a beautiful, beguiling book of unrest. —Nathaniel Mackey
The cumulative sense and soul of so many passages ventured, so many thresholds crossed, shed a perfect radiance. In Track, the light is solid. —Donald Revell
No contemporary figure's life project more avidly scours the borders between heaven and earth, doctrine and faith, the metaphysical inside the physical spaces of a Word, than poet/ critic's Norman Finkelstein. —Claudia Keelan
Author's Note
Passing Over, written in late 80s-early 90s, includes a set of rhapsodic lyrics in the style of Finkelstein's first book, Restless Messengers, and two serial poems, one dealing with the Shoah, the other based on the Passover Haggadah.
About the Author
Norman Finkelstein is a poet and literary critic. His books of poetry include Restless Messengers (Georgia, 1992) and the three volume serial poem Track: Track (Spuyten Duyvil, 1999), Columns (Spuyten Duyvil, 2002), and Powers (Spuyten Duyvil, 2005). He has written extensively about modern and postmodern poetry, and about Jewish literature. His books of criticism are The Utopian Moment in Contemporary American Literature (Bucknell, 1988, 1993), The Ritual of New Creation: Jewish Tradition and Contemporary Literature (SUNY, 1992), Not One of Them In Place: Modern Poetry and Jewish American Identity (SUNY, 2002) and Lyrical Interference: Essays on Poetics (Spuyten Duyvil, 2004). He is currently writing a study on religious revisionism in contemporary long poems. Finkelstein was born in New York City in 1954. He received his B.A. from Binghamton University and his Ph.D. from Emory University. He is a Professor of English at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he has taught since 1980.
from "Passing Over"
Sound of wind
of wings over the houses
Blood on the door posts
in the temple courtyard
Bone forearm the people
bowed their heads
Could not look
at what was passing over
Knowing only
they were spared
Heard the wailing
before the word came to leave
Thrust from their homes
before the bread could rise
Thrust from their homes
their bitter homes
For which they never
had provisions
Into the unknown
the desert places
A mighty hand
an outstretched arm
So that Gamliel summarizes
conflating assigning
Rabbi I ask you
when can I stop remembering
When can I acknowledge
it was me it was not me
it is mine it is not mine
When have I fulfilled
my Passover duty?