text:
A group of published UK-based authors and illustrators of picture books, children's and YA.
Ged Adamson
Website, Facebook, Twitter
Ged Adamson is a children's writer and illustrator. His cartoons have been published in magazines, in books and appeared on film and TV. He's been a storyboard artist and a caricaturist. Big influences on his work are Quentin Blake, Ronald Searle and James Gillray. He also works as a music composer. He's a London history enthusiast. He lives in Greenwich with his partner Helen and their son Rex. His first picture book, Elsie Clarke And The Vampire Hairdresser is published by Sky Pony Press. His second, Meet The McKaws, is out in 2014. Continue reading…
Books: ELSIE CLARKE AND THE VAMPIRE HAIRDRESSER | MEET THE MCKAWS | DOUGLAS, YOU NEED GLASSES | I WANT TO GROW | SHARK DOG | SHARK DOG 2
"a wonderful addition to any bookcase." — Kate Louise, author of The Upside-Down Fish for Elsie Clarke and the Vampire Hairdresser
Eve Ainsworth
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Eve Ainsworth's debut YA novel, 7 Days is a contemporary dual narrative novel focused on bullying will be published by Scholastic in Feb 2015. A second contemporary novel will be published in 2016. Eve works in a large secondary school, as a Child Protection Officer, whilst also concentrating on her writing. Eve has had competition success with her short stories, most recently in Prima and Writer's Forum. A short story has also been published in The Weekly News. Continue reading…
Books: 7 DAYS | CRUSH
"A snappy, brilliant look at bullying and the two sides to every tale. Nuanced, tight and entertaining." — Dawn Kurtagich, author of The Dead House for 7 Days
Isabel Atherton
Goodreads, Twitter
ISABEL ATHERTON is an author, literary agent, and director of Creative Authors Ltd. When she is not helping her authors she likes to write illustrated books herself. She is the author of ZOMBIE CAT, an illustrated adult humor book (for Skyhorse Publishing), SMELLY GHOST, THE BAD EASTER BUNNY, SPRINGY CHICKEN and RUBY MOO'S DEEP SEA ADVENTURE, all children's picture books (Sky Pony titles). She lives in downtown Manhattan with her husband and little black pug, Rosie. Continue reading…
Books: THE BAD EASTER BUNNY | SMELLY GHOST | SPRINGY CHICKEN | RUBY MOO'S DEEP SEA ADVENTURE
"Great twist in the conclusion sprinkled with a hint of darkness throughout the storyline. An excellent take on the traditional theme of the Easter Bunny." — Philippa Rae, author of Count the Sheep to Sleep for The Bad Easter Bunny
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Sarah Baker has worked extensively in film, with roles at Aardman Features and the Bermuda Film Festival, and as Story Editor at Celador Films. She has also been a writer and blogger for vintage fashion magazines. Sarah currently lives in London with her son. THROUGH THE MIRROR DOOR is her first book, a time-slip novel for 9+ that's perfect for fans of Emma Carroll, Katherine Rundell and Robin Stevens. Continue Reading…
Books: THROUGH THE MIRROR DOOR
Fox Benwell
Twitter, Goodreads
Fox is a YA author, creative writing mentor, and an advocate for diversity. He runs the Trowbridge Young Writers Squad, is the founder of The Variety Shelves – an upcoming series of events for 2015, highlighting diversity in literature – and one half of the team running DiversifYA.com. He loves jungles and deserts and the dark, still corners where the stories live, but spends most of his time at his tiny desk in Bath, with his trusty feline sidekick. Continue reading…
Books: THE LAST LEAVES FALLING | KALEIDOSCOPE SONG
"Easy to read but hard to forget." — Rhian Ivory, author of The Boy Who Drew the Future for The Last Leaves Falling
Holly Bourne
Website, Facebook, Twitter
Holly spends her days helping young people with their problems. She spends her nights writing YA novels about young people with problems. She's a journalist and relationship expert for TheSite.org, a charity-run advice and information website for 16-25 year-olds, and gets her feminist rant on for The Vagenda too. Her first two books, Soulmates and The Manifesto on How To Be Interesting, have been translated into six languages. Continue reading…
Books: SOULMATES | THE MANIFESTO ON HOW TO BE INTERESTING | AM I NORMAL YET? | HOW HARD CAN LOVE BE?
"A delicious, dark and painfully honest story. Heathers meets The Breakfast Club meets Pretty in Pink meets a whole bunch of awesome." — Melinda Salisbury, author of The Sin Eater's Daughter for The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting
Alex Campbell
Wesbite, Facebook, Twitter
Alex Campbell announced she was going to be an author at the age of eight. But no one took much notice. Which was generally how life developed thereafter. After a nomadic school career in back row daydreaming, and one English degree later, she moved into the world of PR and copywriting where she got other people and products noticed instead. Now, living near Bath with one husband, two children, and many abandoned manuscripts, she can't stop smiling that her eight year old self has finally been heard and the kind people at Hot Key Books are publishing not one but two of her YA fiction novels. Continue reading…
Books: LAND | CLOUD 9
"Packed with twists and dilemmas, the pace never slackens, pulling you towards to its enthralling conclusion. Highly recommended." — Emma Haughton, author of Now You See Me for Land
Perdita & Honor Cargill
Website, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads
Perdita: I used to be the least numerate tax barrister ever to practise at the English bar but now I'm writing at last and it's the best 'job' in the world – not least because I'm writing funny teen books with my daughter.
Honor: I'm 17, I'm in my last year at school doing A levels and yes, weirdly, I'm co-writing funny teen books with my mum and having so much fun with it. Continue reading…
Books: WAITING FOR CALLBACK
"tight, confident, HILARIOUS." — Emma Carroll, author of Frost Hollow Hall for Waiting for Callback
Emma Carroll
Website, Goodreads, Twitter
Emma Carroll writes MG fiction. Her debut 'Frost Hollow Hall', a Victorian ghost story, won the North East Book Award 2013 and was longlisted for the Branford Boase. Her second novel 'The Girl Who Walked On Air' has been nominated for the CILIP medal. Her latest book 'In Darkling Wood' is inspired by the Cottingley Fairies photographs, and publishes with Faber in July 2015. In another life she wishes she'd written 'Rebecca' by Daphne Du Maurier. Emma lives in the Somerset hills with her husband and two terriers. Continue reading…
Books: FROST HOLLOW HALL | THE GIRL WHO WALKED ON AIR | IN DARKLING WOOD | THE SNOW SISTER | STRANGE STAR
"A beautifully-written and atmospheric ghost story with thrills and chills, but with a cast of wonderfully warm and believable characters too." — Nikki Sheehan, author of Who Framed Klaris Cliff? for Frost Hollow Hall
Sarah Crossan
Website, Blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter
Sarah Crossan writes novels for children and teens. Her debut novel in verse, The Weight of Water, was shortlisted for the Carnegie medal in 2013. Breathe was nominated for the Carnegie medal in 2014. Before writing full time, Sarah worked as an English teacher. She grew up in Ireland and England and then moved to New York, where she lived for seven years. She now lives in Hertfordshire with her family where she spends most of her day writing, sipping green tea and eating far too many biscuits. Continue reading…
Books: THE WEIGHT OF WATER | BREATHE | RESIST | APPLE AND RAIN | ONE
"Movingly, ridiculously good." — Robin Stevens, author of Murder Most Unladylike for Apple and Rain
C.J. Daugherty
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Former crime reporter CJ Daugherty is the author of the international best-selling Night School series. After graduating from university in Texas, CJ worked as a newspaper journalist in American cities including Savannah and New Orleans. She won numerous awards for her reporting, particularly her investigative journalism into corruption and crime. After moving to England, she wrote books about travel in Ireland and Paris for publishers including Time Out and Frommers. For a while she also worked as a communications consultant for the Home Office, specialising in counter-terrorism. Her Night School series has been translated into 22 languages, and has been a number one bestseller in multiple countries. She has also co-written a series, The Secret Fire, with French author Carina Rozenfeld. Continue reading…
Books: NIGHT SCHOOL | LEGACY | FRACTURE | RESISTANCE |ENDGAME | THE SECRET FIRE
"A smart, engaging heroine and gripping, suspenseful plot."— Kirkus Reviews for Night School
Bea Davenport
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Bea left journalism to study for a Creative Writing PhD at Newcastle University. The children's novel written as part of that, The Serpent House, was published by Curious Fox in June 2014. It is a historical time-fantasy inspired by the medieval leper hospital once sited in the village where Bea now lives. Before being commissioned by Curious Fox, it was shortlisted for a Times/Chicken House Award. Continue reading…
Books: THE SERPENT HOUSE | MY COUSIN FAUSTINA | THE MISPER
"A chilling time-slip story with a strong sense of the past and full of magic and mystery." –Julia Eccleshare, LoveReading4Kids for The Serpent House
Liz de Jager
Website/Blog, Twitter
Liz grew up in South Africa and is the youngest of six kids. In the year 2000 (AD) she moved to the UK with her husband and they now live in Kent with their Jack Russell, Sparrow. Liz ran My Favourite Books book blog for several years and wrote articles and reviews for other online sites about comics, movies and best writerly coffee shops in London. During the day Liz is an executive assistant in London, but her mind is always busy with writerly thoughts and how to get her characters into deep(er) trouble. Continue reading…
Books: BANISHED | VOWED | JUDGED
"A page-turner that leaves you flustered and anxious by turns but, most importantly, it leaves you craving more." — Lucy Hounsom, author of Starborn for Vowed
Helen Douglas
Website, Blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter
Helen was born and raised in a small beach town in Cornwall, much like the fictional town of Perran that appears in After Eden. As a child her favourite thing to do was hang out at the beach. When it rained, which it did a lot, she read acres of books and wrote stories of her own. After leaving school, Helen lived in London, California, Long Island, and New Jersey before coming full circle and ending up back where she started. When she's not working on her next book, she spends her time reading, stargazing, watching science-fiction and hanging out at the beach. Continue reading…
Books: AFTER EDEN | CHASING STARS
"A cute romance with a science fiction twist that becomes increasingly action-oriented as the narrative progresses–with a wonderfully active heroine whose energy is really refreshing." — Phoebe North, author of Starglass for After Eden
Catherine Doyle
Website, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Goodreads
Catherine Doyle is a 24-year-old writer from the West of Ireland. She holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in English. As a child she was an annoying smarty-pants with an overactive imagination. She feels lucky to have now found a healthy outlet for her tendency to make up stories. Her debut YA novel, VENDETTA, is the first in a trilogy. Inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo & Julietand classic mafia culture, the novel takes place in modern-day Chicago, where Catherine's mother grew up and was published by Chicken House in January 2015. Continue reading…
Books: VENDETTA | INFERNO
"This is a perfect read for somebody looking for a great YA contemp with swoony, sexy (dangerous, mysterious) romance and a dark, gritty twist." — Maggie Hall, author of The Conspiracy of Us for Vendetta
Kerry Drewery
Website, Facebook, Twitter
Like so many authors, for as long as I can remember, I've made stories up in my head. However, it never seemed an attainable career for 'normal' people, so it wasn't until about the year 2000 when my youngest child was about to start school and the prospect of returning to full-time work loomed that I thought it's now or never and started taking it seriously. Twelve years, a lot of hard work and loads of rejections later I had an agent (Carolyn Whitaker, London Independent Books) and my first novel – A Brighter Fear – was published. Continue reading…
Books: A BRIGHTER FEAR | A DREAM OF LIGHTS | CELL 7
"Sensitive, brave and powerful, it examines our common humanity whilst portraying characters that will stay with you long after you've finished reading." — Christina Banach, author of Misty for A Brighter Fear
Janet Edwards
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Janet Edwards lives in England. As a child, she read everything she could get her hands on, including a huge amount of science fiction and fantasy. She studied Maths at Oxford, and went on to suffer years of writing unbearably complicated technical documents before deciding to write something that was fun for a change. She has a husband, a son, a lot of books, and an aversion to housework. Continue reading…
Books: EARTH GIRL | EARTH STAR | EARTH FLIGHT
"A fun, quick science fiction read, with a well-realised world, lots of action, and some fun characters." — Laura Lam, author of Pantomime for Earth Girl
Kat Ellis
Blog, Website, Tumblr, Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram
Kat Ellis is a YA author from North Wales, where she lives with her husband and evil cat. She grew up immersed in ancient myths about dragons and giants, and spent most of her childhood getting into trouble while exploring the local cemetery. Now, you'll usually find her faffing around on social media or out taking photographs of the Welsh wilderness. Blackfin Sky is her debut novel (out now), and Breaker will be released in Spring 2016. Continue reading…
Books: BLACKFIN SKY | BREAKER | PURGE
"A tangled mystery in an atmospheric setting. A real page-turner!" — Kate Ormand, author of Dark Days for Blackfin Sky
Roy Gill
Website, Blog, Goodreads, Twitter, Profile, Tumblr
Roy was born in Edinburgh, grew up in Kirkintilloch and Kirkcaldy, and studied at Stirling, Strathclyde and Glasgow. He is now living in Edinburgh again. In 2008, having completed Glasgow University's Creative Writing MLitt, he was shortlisted for the Sceptre Prize. In 2010 he was the winner of a New Writer's Award from the Scottish Book Trust. The manuscript of his first novel, Daemon Parallel, made the shortlist for 2011 Kelpies Prize. It was then published by Floris Books in 2012. A sequel, Werewolf Parallel – alongside a new edition of Daemon Parallel – will help launch the YA imprint KelpiesTeen in Spring 2014. Continue reading…
Books: DAEMON PARALLEL | WEREWOLF PARALLEL
"An action-packed story with mysteries round every corner… well written, descriptive, humourous, unusual and mysterious. It pulls you in from the very first page." – Charlotte Kinnear, Teen Titles for Daemon Parallel
Helen Grant
Website, Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud
Helen Grant was born in London. In 2001 she and her family moved to Bad Münstereifel in Germany, and it was exploring the history and legends of this beautiful little town that inspired her first YA novel The Vanishing of Katharina Linden. The book was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Booktrust Teenage Award and won an ALA Alex Award in the US. Helen has written two other novels set in the same part of Germany: The Glass Demon and Wish Me Dead. She later moved to Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, and her two most recent novels, Silent Saturday and Demons of Ghent, are set there. Continue reading…
Books: THE VANISHING OF KATHARINA LINDEN | THE GLASS DEMON | WISH ME DEAD | SILENT SATURDAY | DEMONS OF GHENT | URBAN LEGENDS
"Helen Grant combines a spare, elegant writing style with fast-paced action, edgy characters and a compelling setting . . . I absolutely loved this book!" — Emma Pass, author of ACID for Silent Saturday
Martin Griffin
Blog, Goodreads, Twitter
Martin Griffin writes sci-fi and fantasy adventures for young readers. His debut novel, THE POISON BOY, won The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction competition in 2012 and somehow managed to get shortlisted for Staffordshire Young Teen Fiction Award, the North East Book Award, the Leeds Book Award, the Calderdale Children's Book of the Year, the Kent Themed Book Award and the Branford Boase Award, without winning any of them. A teacher at the time, he wrote using the name Fletcher Moss to keep it secret from his students. He returns to his real name for his second novel, LIFERS, a super-dark contemporary prison-break adventure, his first novel for teen readers. Martin lives in Manchester with his wife and child. Continue reading…
Books: THE POISON BOY | LIFERS
"The story is quite grisly and Dickensian, while at the same time being packed with mystery and suspense that keeps the pace moving along swiftly." — Kat Ellis, author of Blackfin Sky for The Poison Boy
Rachel Hamilton
Website, Review Blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
Rachel Hamilton is a graduate of both Oxford University and Cambridge University and has put her education to good use by working in an advertising agency, a comprehensive school, a men's prison and on a building site. She developed a passion for story-telling as a long-suffering English teacher, when she discovered it was the best way to get her students to stop talking and listen to her. Continue reading…
Books: THE CASE OF THE EXPLODING LOO | THE CASE OF THE EXPLODING BRAINS | LOUIE LETS LOOSE
"Rachel Hamilton is a bit too funny for my liking. Please don't let her write any more books." — Jonathan Meres, author of The World of Norm for The Case of the Exploding Loo
C.J. Harper/Candy Harper
Goodreads, Twitter
CJ Harper grew up in a tiny house with a big family. She is the fourth of five sisters, which means she still eats with her arm shielding her plate. There are enough Children's and YA books in CJ's house to build a fort with. But she absolutely hasn't ever skived off work to do that. Continue reading…
Books: THE DISAPPEARED | THE WILDERNESS | HAVE A LITTLE FAITH | KEEP THE FAITH | PERFECTLY ELLA | LEAP OF FAITH
"Unputdownable. Can't wait for the next one." — Sarah Naughton, author of The Hanged Man Rises for The Disappeared
Emma Haughton
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Emma Haughton grew up in Sussex; after a stint au pairing in Paris and some half-hearted attempts to backpack across Europe, she studied English at university and trained as a journalist. She wrote articles for many of the national newspapers, including regular pieces for the Times Travel section. Continue reading…
Books: NOW YOU SEE ME | BETTER LEFT BURIED | CRUEL HEART BROKEN
"This is a thrilling, pacey read that grips you right from the start." — Eve Ainsworth, author of 7 Days for Now You See Me
Donald Hounam
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Donald Hounam grew up just outside Oxford. He toyed with medieval history at St Andrews University, and wrote a PhD thesis on apocalyptic beliefs in the early Crusades. He threw paint around at the Ruskin School of Drawing in Oxford, then found himself in Dublin where he threw more paint around and reviewed films until his flatmate set the building alight one Christmas, whereupon he scuttled back to England and started making up stories.
He is guilty of two novels featuring forensic sorcerer Frank Sampson: Gifted (2015) and Pariah (2016). Continue reading…
Books: GIFTED | PARIAH
"If you want an original magic system, and an intriguing setting, I would highly recommend this book. One of the most unique fantasy books I've read in years." — I Heart Reading for Gifted
Rhian Ivory
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Rhian Ivory was found on the slushpile at Bloomsbury Children's Books. The slightly quirky title of her first novel 'When Isla meets Luke meets Isla' caught the eye of a commissioning editor and 4 book deals followed writing under her maiden name, Rhian Tracey. Rhian's new YA novel The Boy who drew the Future will be published by Firefly Press, September 2015. The Boy who drew the Future is about witches, the workhouse and water. Rhian has always wanted to be a writer but was told to get a proper job, so she trained as a teacher. Rhian currently lectures in Creative Writing and Children's literature but spends as much time as possible on her non-proper job, writing. Rhian is Patron for Reading at Akeley Wood School, Buckinghamshire. Rhian is also Writer in Residence for The National Trust. Rhian is represented by Kirsty McLachlan of David Godwin Associates. Continue reading…
Books: WHEN ISLA MEETS LUKE MEETS ISLA | ISLA AND LUKE: MAKE OR BREAK? |THE BAD GIRLS' CLUB | TRUE COLOURS | THE BOY WHO DREW THE FUTURE
"Rhian Ivory's book is FREAKING MINT. It gave me the feeling I had when I was young reading a book & being so captivated by it I was transported somewhere else." — Rae Earl, author of My Mad Fat Diary for The Boy Who Drew the Future
Lauren James was born in 1992, and graduated in 2014 from the University of Nottingham, UK, where she studied Chemistry and Physics.
She started writing during secondary school English classes, because she couldn't stop thinking about a couple who kept falling in love throughout history. She sold the rights to the novel when she was 21, whilst she was still at university.
The Next Together has been translated into five languages worldwide. It was described by The Bookseller as 'funny, romantic and compulsively readable'. It was longlisted for the Branford Boase Award, a prize given to recognise an outstanding novel by a first time writer.
Her other novels include The Last Beginning, the epic conclusion to The Next Together which was named one of the best LGBT-inclusive works for kids and young adults by the Independent. A short story set in the world of The Next Together series, Another Together, is also available.
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe was inspired by a Physics calculation she was assigned at university. Lauren is a passionate advocate of STEM further education, and all of her books feature scientists in prominent roles.
She lives in the West Midlands and is an Arts Council grant recipient. You can find her on Twitter at @Lauren_E_James, Tumblr at @laurenjames or her website http://www.laurenejames.co.uk.
BOOKS: THE NEXT TOGETHER | THE LAST BEGINNING | ANOTHER TOGETHER (e-novella) | THE LONELIEST GIRL IN THE UNIVERSE
"Funny, romantic and compulsively readable" – The Bookseller for The Next Together
Pip Jones is author of the Squishy McFluff series, which is published by Faber Children's. The first book, Squishy McFluff: The Invisible Cat! won the inaugural Greenhouse Funny Prize in 2012, and was recommended by The Booktrust in its Best Books Guide 2014. The second Squishy title published in August 2014, the third is due to publish in February 2015. In addition, Pip has written a picture book, Daddy's Sandwich, which will also be published by Faber, in May 2015. In a previous life, Pip wrote and edited features about glamorous things, such as fast cars and travel. Continue reading…
Books: SQUISHY MCFLUFF: THE INVISIBLE CAT! | SQUISHY MCFLUFF: SUPERMARKET SWEEP! | SQUISHY MCFLUFF: MEETS MAD NANA DOT! | SQUISHY MCFLUFF: SECRET SANTA | SQUISHY MCFLUFF: SEASIDE RESCUE! | DADDY'S SANDWICH
"Very sweet and funny." — Huffington Post for Daddy's Sandwich
Kate Kelly
Blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter
Kate Kelly is a marine scientist by day but by night she writes SF thrillers for kids. Her love of the sea inspires many of the themes in her writing. Kate's debut novel Red Rock is published by Curious Fox.
Continue reading…
Books: RED ROCK
"Don't miss out on this sensational book!!" — The Guardian for Red Rock
Dawn Kurtagich
Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube
Books: THE DEAD HOUSE | THE CREEPER MAN
"What an evil and original story. You can't stop reading Kaitlyn's diary. But is she real? It's a mystery inside a mystery–and the shocks keep coming. Scary stuff!" — R.L. Stine, best-selling author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series for The Dead House
Laura Lam
Blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter
Laura Lam was raised near San Francisco, California, by two former Haight-Ashbury hippies. Both of them encouraged her to finger-paint to her heart's desire, colour outside of the lines, and consider the library a second home. This led to an overabundance of daydreams. She relocated to Scotland to be with her husband, whom she met on the internet when he insulted her taste in books. She almost blocked him but is glad she didn't. At times she misses the sunshine. Continue reading…
Books: PANTOMIME | SHADOWPLAY | MASQUERADE | FALSE HEARTS | SHATTERED MINDS
"An exotic and detailed world." – Robin Hobb, author of the Farseer trilogy for Pantomime
Kendra Leighton
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Kendra is a YA author represented by Lutyens & Rubinstein Literary Agency. Glimpse, her debut novel, was inspired by Alfred Noyes' poem 'The Highwayman'. It was published in 2014 by Much-in-Little, an imprint of Constable & Robinson. Kendra also runs a chocolate company. When she's not writing, she can usually be found taste-testing chocolate, reading YA, or trying to steal other people's cats. Continue reading…
Books: GLIMPSE
"A beautifully realised setting with a relatable, fun main character and a surprising, twisting narrative." — G.R. Mannering, author of Roses for Glimpse
Sangu Mandanna
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Sangu Mandanna was four years old when she was chased by an elephant and wrote her first story about it and decided that this was what she wanted to do with her life. Seventeen years later, she read Frankenstein. It sent her into a writing frenzy that became The Lost Girl, a novel about death and love and the tie that binds the two together.The Lost Girl is out now from HarperCollins Children's Books (North America), Random House Children's Books (UK and Commonwealth) and in translation. Continue reading…
Books: THE LOST GIRL
"The most honest portrait of grief and loss that I've read in a long time. Filled with heartache, love and things that would stir Mary Shelley's ghost, this is a story not to be missed." – Lauren DeStefano, New York Times bestselling author of the Chemical Garden trilogy for The Lost Girl
Rose Mannering/G.R. Mannering
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Rose Mannering is an author and lifelong book lover. By day she works in publishing and by night she dreams up dragons, unicorns, curses that last hundreds of years, and boys who turn into swans. She writes The Tales Trilogy for YA fantasy and fairy-tale lovers with Roses and Feathers in the series currently being available, and she also writes picture books for little readers with big hearts. When she's not deep in fantastical realms, Rose is uploading videos to her book-based YouTube Channel (Rose Mannering), tweeting about what she's reading (@rose_mannering) or snapping pretty instagram pictures of paperbacks (@rosemannering). Continue reading…
Books: ROSES | FEATHERS | THE SPOTTY DOTTY DAFFODIL | BOO'S BEARD
"A lyrical, remarkably unusual retelling breeds new life into the 'Beauty and the Beast' tale." — Kirkus Reviews for Roses
Zoë Marriott
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YA novelist Zoë Marriott lives on the bleak and windy East coast of Britain, in a house crowded with books, cats, and an eccentric sprocker named Finn (also known as the Devil Hound). Her folklore and fairytale inspired fantasy novels are critically acclaimed and have been nominated for many awards, even winning a few, including a USBBY Outstanding International Book listing for The Swan Kingdom and a Junior Library Guild Selection and the prestigious Sasakawa Prize for Shadows on the Moon. In 2015 the release of Frail Human Heart will complete her epic urban fantasy trilogy, The Name of the Blade, a tale of Kitsune, Kami and katanas. Zoë is proud to be represented by Nancy Miles of the Miles Stott Children's Literacy Agency.Continue reading…
Books: THE SWAN KINDGOM | DAUGHTER OF THE FLAMES | SHADOWS ON THE MOON | FROSTFIRE | THE NIGHT ITSELF | DARKNESS HIDDEN | FRAIL HUMAN HEART | BAREFOOT ON THE WIND
"The prose is beautiful, with such a light touch. . . . I'll definitely be seeking out Mariott's other work." — Laura Lam, author of Pantomime for Shadows on the Moon
Kiran Millwood Hargrave
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Kiran is 27 and writes poetry, plays and novels. Her bestselling debut The Girl of Ink & Stars won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and was voted Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards 2017. Her second, The Island at the End of Everything, was published in April 2017. She lives in Oxford with her husband, Tom, and her cat, Luna. Continue reading…
Books: THE GIRL OF INK AND STARS
Katy Moran
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Katy wrote her first novel at the age of 10 (a fantasy epic, of course), and grew up to work in a bookshop, followed by 2 different publishing houses before ending up as a desk editor at Scholastic Children's Books. She jumped ship in early 2007 and her first novel, Bloodline, was published in 2008. Her latest book, Hidden Among Us, was published in March 2013 with a sequel to follow in 2014. Continue reading…
Books: BLOODLINE | BLOODLINE RISING | SPIRIT HUNTER | DANGEROUS TO KNOW | HIDDEN AMONG US | THE HIDDEN PRINCESS
"Hidden Among Us closes just as the eye of the storm falls upon the characters, trapping them within a temporary peace that they are fully aware cannot last. It offers no easy solutions and no pasted on happily ever afters. It's a wonderful, truly unique book." — Zoe Marriot, author of The Swan Kingdom for Hidden Among Us
Sarah Naughton
Goodreads, Twitter
Sarah Naughton is the author of two books for young adults: Costa shortlisted The Hanged Man Rises, about possession and child murder in Victorian London: and The Blood List, featuring witches and changelings and a very nasty little brother. She lives in London with her husband and two sons. You can find out what she's up to on her blog, or follow her on Twitter and Goodreads. Continue reading…
Books: THE HANGED MAN RISES | THE BLOOD LIST
"Atmospheric and pacy with more than a nod to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. A very fine example of Victorian pastiche. LOVED." — Emma Carroll, author of Frost Hollow Hall for The Hanged Man Rises
Natasha Ngan
Website/Blog, Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram
Natasha is YA author of THE ELITES and THE MEMORY KEEPERS, with a love for all things fantasy and sci-fi. She grew up between the UK and Malaysia, where her mother is from, and went on to study for a degree in Geography at the University of Cambridge. She currently lives in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Alongside writing, she works as a fashion blogger (www.girlinthelens.com) and yoga teacher! She is represented by Taylor Haggerty at Waxman Leavell. Continue reading…
Books: THE ELITES | THE MEMORY KEEPERS
"Astonishing world-building. Neo-Babel came alive before my eyes and I really fell in love with the city." — Laure Eve, author of Fearsome Dreamer for The Elites
Mo O'Hara
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Originally from America, Mo now lives in London with her husband, kids and two mischievous cats. Mo now has six books out in 'My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish' series for 7+, published by Macmillan in the UK and Feiwel and Friends in the US. The latest in the series is 'Jurassic Carp' which came out in July 2015. Her new picture book with Macmillan comes out in August 2016! It's a funny, warm take on melded families called 'More People To Love Me.' She also wrote six books in the Ladybird series "Puddle the Naughtiest Puppy." Mo worked as an actress and as a storyteller, touring theatres and schools all across the UK and Ireland. As well as her stories for children Mo has also written for radio and theatre and has performed her own comedy material in London and Edinburgh. Continue reading…
Books: MY BIG FAT ZOMBIE GOLDFISH series including MY BIG FAT ZOMBIE GOLDFISH, THE SEA-QUEL, FINS OF FURY, ANY FIN IS POSSIBLE, LIVE AND LET SWIM and JURASSIC CARP | THE FIN-TASTIC FISH SITTER | MORE PEOPLE TO LOVE ME
"Complete with brilliant black and white illustrations, even reluctant readers will be desperate for more stories in this hypnotically addictive series." — Ilford Recorder for My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish: The Sea-Quel
Kate Ormand/Kate Louise
Website, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Kate Ormand is YA author of DARK DAYS and shape-shifter circus series, THE WANDERERS and THE PACK. THE WANDERERS was honored as "Winner" in the "Fiction: Young Adult" category of the 2015 USA Best Book Awards. Kate lives in the UK with her family, her partner, and a cocker spaniel called Freddie. She graduated from university with a first class degree in Fine Art Painting. It was during this course that Kate discovered her love of reading YA books, prompting her to try a new creative angle and experiment with writing. She also writes children's picture books under the name Kate Louise. Continue reading…
Books: DARK DAYS | THE WANDERERS | THE PACK | THE UPSIDE-DOWN FISH | PIERRE THE FRENCH BULLDOG RECYCLES | TOUGH COOKIE
"Filled with excitement and whimsy, The Wanderers is an adventure story about shape-shifters, first love, and the endless search for a true home." — Suzanne Young, New York Times bestselling author of The Program for The Wanderers
Emma Pass
Website, Blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter
Emma Pass has been making up stories for as long as she can remember. Her debut novel, dystopian thriller ACID, won the 2014 North East Teenage Book Award, was picked as one of YALSA's Top Ten Amazing Audiobooks for 2015 and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Her second novel, THE FEARLESS, was also nominated for the Carnegie and won the 2016 Concorde Book Award. Emma lives with her artist husband and crazy greyhound G-Dog in the East Midlands, and, when she's not writing, runs writing workshops in schools and community settings and is Patron of Reading at Titus Salt School in Yorkshire. She is also the co-founder of the UKYA and Children's Extravaganza (UKYACX), a regional book event celebrating the huge diversity of children's and YA literature in the UK. Continue reading…
Books: ACID | THE FEARLESS
"Suspensful… excellent characters and gripping action. I would recommend this book to anyone." — Guardian Children's Books for ACID
Bryony Pearce
Website, Blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter
Bryony Pearce lives in the Forest of Dean and is a full time mum to her two children, husband and cat. She is vegetarian and loves chocolate, wine and writing. People are often surprised at how dark her writing is, as she is generally pretty nice.
When the children let her off taxi duty and out of the house she enjoys doing school visits, festivals and events. Continue reading…
Books: ANGEL'S FURY | THE WEIGHT OF SOULS | JUNK PIRATES: PHOENIX RISING | JUNK PIRATES 2: PHOENIX BURNING | THE WINDRUNNER'S DAUGHTER | WAVE FUNCTION
"In one word…powerful." — Sara Grant, author of Dark Parties for Angel's Fury
Non Pratt started her career working on non-fiction activity books at Usborne, before becoming an editor at Catnip Publishing. Her debut novel TROUBLE shortlisted for the YA Book Prize and the Branford Boase Award, with rights sold to the USA, Germany and Brazil. Her second novel, REMIX came out in 2015 and she has written a novella, UNBOXED for Barrington Stoke to come out August 2016. Her third novel with Walker Books, called TRUTH OR DARE will come out in 2017. Continue reading…
Books: TROUBLE | REMIX | UNBOXED | TRUTH OR DARE
"A refreshing take on teenage pregnancy. . . . A witty, irreverent debut novel about sex and friendship, which deserves to reach a large audience." — The Guardian for Trouble
Ellen Renner
Website, Facebook, Twitter
Ellen Renner was born in the USA, in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, but came to England looking for adventure, married here, and now lives in an old house in Devon with her husband and son. Her first book, CASTLE OF SHADOWS, winner of the Cornerstones Wow Factor Competition, was published by Orchard Books in 2010. It was chosen for both The Independent and The Times summer reading lists. Both CASTLE OF SHADOWS and the sequel, CITY OF THIEVES (Orchard, 2010), were included on The Times reviewer Amanda Craig's list of best children's books of 2010. CASTLE OF SHADOWS has won the North East Book Award 2011 and been shortlisted for 4 other awards, including the West Sussex Children's Book Prize 2011. Ellen originally trained as a painter and surrounds herself with sketches of her characters as she writes. She spins wool as well as stories, knits and weaves; and collects teapots and motorbikes. Continue reading…
Books: CASTLE OF SHADOWS | CITY OF THIEVES | TRIBUTE | OUTCASTE
"Having read this book more than once I can say without doubt that it is stunning!" — Sharon Jones, author of Dead Jealous
Grace Sandford
Website, Shop, Twitter
Grace is a freelance illustrator and designer working from the south east of England. She graduated with a degree in Illustration from the University of Lincoln in 2013 and went on to work as an illustrator and designer for children's magazines, board books and picture books.Twice a week Grace also works in the office of a Junior School and teaches art to some of the pupils. Nature and fantasy are often strong themes of Grace's work and she has been inspired by nature ever since she was a child, always choosing to draw from nature in her work or by which book to read! Continue reading…
Books: TOUGH COOKIE | THE EGG
"Sandford's illustrations, done from the cookies' perspectives, help to leaven the story's earnestness. They portray the gingerbread cookies with lots of personality and individuality." — Kirkus Reviews for Tough Cookie
Nikki Sheehan
Website, Facebook, Twitter
Nikki Sheehan is the youngest daughter of a rocket scientist and went to a convent school in Cambridge where she was taught by real nuns in habits. Her writing was first published when she was seven and her teacher sent a poem she had written into a magazine. She always knew she wanted to be a writer, but, for some reason she can't remember she did a degree in linguistics followed by psychology. Nikki's first job was subtitling the Simpsons. She then retrained as a journalist and wrote features about child psychology for parenting magazines and the national press. Continue reading…
Books: WHO FRAMED KLARIS CLIFF? | SWAN BOY
". . . a wonderful, magical tale that will stay with you long after you've finished reading." — Rachel Hamilton, author of The Case of the Exploding Loo for Who Framed Klaris Cliff?
C.J. Skuse, author of PRETTY BAD THINGS, ROCKOHOLIC, DEAD ROMANTIC and MONSTER, was born in 1980 in Weston-super-Mare, England. She has First Class degrees in Creative Writing and Writing for Children and, aside from writing novels, works as a freelance children's fiction consultant and lectures on the MA in Writing for Children at Bath Spa University.
C.J. loves Masterchef, Gummy Bears and murder sites. She hates carnivals, hard-boiled eggs and coughing. The movies Titanic, My Best Friend's Wedding and Ruby Sparks were all probably based on her ideas; she just didn't get to write them down in time. Before she dies, she would like to go to Japan, try clay-pigeon shooting and have Ryan Gosling present her with the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Continue reading…
Books: PRETTY BAD THINGS | ROCKOHOLIC | DEAD ROMANTIC | MONSTER | THE DEVIANTS
"It's so good, I'd even recommend it to people I don't like." — Kevin Brooks, award-winning author of The Bunker Diary for Pretty Bad Things
Dan Smith
Website, Blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter
Growing up, Dan Smith led three lives. In one he survived the day-to-day humdrum of boarding school, while in another he travelled the world, finding adventure in the padi-fields of South East Asia and the jungles of Brazil. But the third life he lived in a world of his own, making up stories . . . which is where some people say he still lives most of the time!
Now settled in Newcastle with his wife and two children, Dan writes his stories to share with both adults and children.
Dan's first book for younger readers, MY FRIEND THE ENEMY, was long-listed for the Branford Boase 2014 and shortlisted for the NE Book Award 2014. It was published in the US in Fall 2014. Continue reading…
Books: MY FRIEND THE ENEMY | MY BROTHER'S SECRET | BIG GAME | BOY X
"One of my favourite wartime reads." — Emma Carroll, author of Frost Hollow Hall for My Friend the Enemy
Robin Stevens
Blog, Goodreads, Twitter
Robin Stevens was born in California and grew up in an Oxford college, across the road from the house where Alice in Wonderland lived. She has been making up stories all her life.
When she was twelve, her father handed her a copy of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and she realised that she wanted to be either Hercule Poirot or Agatha Christie when she grew up. When it occurred to her that she was never going to be able to grow her own spectacular walrus moustache, she decided that Agatha Christie was the more achieveable option. Continue reading…
Books: MURDER MOST UNLADYLIKE | ARSENIC FOR TEA | FIRST CLASS MURDER | JOLLY FOUL PLAY
"Friendship, boarding school and a murder worthy of Agatha Christie." — The Bookseller for Murder Most Unladylike
Bethany Straker
Website, Twitter
BETHANY STRAKER is an illustrator and designer working in Kent and London. She is currently working on 6 picture books for Skyhorse publishing and currently has a book out written by Isabel Atherton, called 'Zombie Cat: The Tale of a Decomposing Kitty'. Her new books include a book she wrote called 'The Funny Bunny Fly', 'A Curious Robot on Mars!' written by James Duffett-Smith and 'Smelly Ghost' by Isabel Atherton. Previously, Bethany has illustrated for magazines for Disney, CMP Information, Bliss magazine, the National Magazine Company and GoGo's Crazy Bones. Continue reading…
Books: SMELLY GHOST | A CURIOUS ROBOT ON MARS! | SPRINGY CHICKEN | THE SPOTTY DOTTY DAFFODIL | STELLA AND STEVE TRAVEL THROUGH SPACE | RUBY MOO'S DEEP SEA ADVENTURE | THE FUNNY BUNNY FLY | PIERRE THE FRENCH BULLDOG RECYCLES | BOO'S BEARD
"A fun, delightful picture book with a strong message!" — Rose Mannering, author of The Spotty Dotty Daffodil for The Funny Bunny Fly
Isabel Thomas
Website, Blog, Twitter
Isabel writes non-fiction for children and teenagers, published by DK, Pearson, Collins, Raintree, Wayland and Bloomsbury. She loves introducing young readers to awe-inspiring science. Before becoming a full-time writer, Isabel studied natural sciences and worked in journalism and children's publishing. She is also zookeeper to three young sons. Continue reading…
Isabel has written more than 100 non-fiction books for children and teenagers. Reference titles include: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW NOW | A TIME TRAVELLER'S GUIDE TO THE FUTURE | DEALING WITH THE FEELING series | FIRST BOOK OF TRUCKS AND TRACTORS | THE MISADVENTURES OF CHARLES DARWIN. Fiction includes: EMMA PEROR'S NEW CLOTHES | HANSEL, GRETEL, AND THE DASTARDLY DINNER LADY
Since the publication of the multi-award-winning Taking Flight in 2010, Sheena Wilkinson has been established as one of Ireland's most acclaimed writers for young people. Grounded won the overall CBI Book of the Year award in 2013, and her new novel Still Falling has been described (Inis Magazine) as 'heartbreaking and heartwarming…an instant classic'. Sheena lives in County Down. Continue reading…
Books: TAKING FLIGHT | GROUNDED | TOO MANY PONIES | STILL FALLING | NAME UPON NAME
"It's a must read. As in you must read it. Preferably now." – Deirdre Sullivan, author of the Prim series and Needlework for Name Upon Name
Elli Woollard
Website, Twitter
At the age of four Elli wrote her first picture book, involving her best friend, a tricycle accident, blood everywhere, and the author emerging as the hero. Several years later she completed an MA in social anthropology, moved out to Thailand, taught herself the language, and has since worked variously as a Thai to English translator, a copywriter for a domestic appliance insurance firm (about as interesting as it sounds) and an assistant editor in academic publishing. Continue reading…
Books: WOOZY THE WIZARD: A SPELL TO GET WELL | WOOZY THE WIZARD: A BROOM TO GO ZOOM | SWASHBUCKLE LIL: THE SECRET PIRATE | THE GIANT OF JUM | THE DRAGON AND THE NIBBLESOME KNIGHT
"A simple and witty rhyming text." — Lovereading for Woozy the Wizard: A Spell to Get Well


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HEPA Vacuum Loan Program
The Ohio Department of Health gave the Health District a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) Vacuum to loan out to homeowners to safely remove lead paint dust from their home. About 75% of homes built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint; however, the older the home the more likely it is to contain lead-based paint. The US EPA banned lead in paint in 1978.
You can live safely in a home that has lead-based paint as long as the paint is maintained in good condition. But removing paint that contains lead is the most hazardous part of a painting or home improvement project in homes built before 1978. Lead paint was used in homes built before 1978 and extensively in homes built before 1960. It was usually applied to windows, doors, stairs, railings, columns, porches, siding and trim. Since these are the places that often need work, many home improvement projects disturb old layers of lead paint and create lead paint dust, chips or fumes. If lead is inhaled or ingested, it may cause lead poisoning. Lead poisoning can result in serious harm to the brain, kidneys, nervous system and red blood cells. Lead is especially dangerous to children and pregnant women. Because a child's brain is still developing, lead is much more hazardous to them than to adults. Pregnant women should also avoid any lead in their environment for the same reasons.
Homeowners working on their own homes are not required to become certified Lead Abatement contractor unless their property is under a Lead Hazard Control Order Issued by ODH. They would then need to hire a licensed lead abatement contractor to do all work in the order. And they are still legally responsible for the safety of their family or children in their care when they can do the lead removal themselves! A HEPA vacuum is a very useful tool that can help clean lead-contaminated surfaces in the home.
A HEPA filter equipped vacuum cleaner is a special type of vacuum cleaner that can remove very small particles from floors, window sills and carpets and has a special filter that can trap these very small dust particles that you cannot see. Regular household or shop vacuum cleaners will not remove the very small dust particles in the home that can poison children. Much of the dust that is picked up is blown back out the exhaust of the vacuum, which lands on toys, furniture, and floors where small children become exposed.
We are loaning the HEPA vacuum to residents through a loan agreement. Please contact Susan Sutherland at (740) 203-2086 if you are interested in using the HEPA vacuum.

subset: commoncrawl


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$ 12.95
My first dog was Peanut, a Dachshund who later became the subject of my first big freelance job: an article about Peanut and our duck, Daisy, in Reader's Digest magazine. I smile when I think of Peanut and when I see these super cute cookie cutters:
The collection is packaged in a ready-to-gift paw print bag. All cutters are tinplate steel and best hand washed. Each cookie cutter is 7/8" deep.
Ten percent of the proceeds from the sale goes to support the week's featured rescue or shelter.
$ 24.95
All pet parents know that the love they have for their furry family members knows no boundaries by species. Show your love in style with this two-piece necklace: an Alpaca heart that swings over a brass heart declaring "All My Children Have Paws." Made by some of Mexico's finest metalsmiths in the city of Taxco.
$ 23.95
Designed for petite wrists, this stylish cuff with subtle paw prints and a declaration of your support for pet adoption shares your dedication to homeless animals.
$ 22.95
The two-tone pendant features a brass heart over an Alpaca heart, stamped with both a paw print and the word "Adopt."


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Jump to navigation
Become a marine conservation volunteer and work on dolphin and whale research projects, helping to understand more about these magnificent species. Marine conservation volunteers will also have the opportunity to assist with community education projects on the South African coastline and aid with maintaining the high coastline quality. Opportunities also exist to volunteer with sea turtle and penguin rescue and monitor river health.
Become a marine conservation volunteer on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean and take part in a coral reef monitoringvolunteer programme. Volunteers will have the opportunity to carry out lagoon monitoring (coral reef and fish), beach cleaning, mangrove planting and monitoring and also working in local community projects on various environmental volunteer projects. Long term internship management positions available for 6 month durations.


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Circle Birth Braga, Portugal
Circle Birth is a Chalon Rock band, from Braga, Portugal, having started the first experiments in 2009. We began exploring various aspects of rock and metal, looking for an experimentalist sound , finding its definition in late 2011. We've released also, in early 2013, our first work, the demo Conception, which may be obtained by free download. Looking to play live as much as possible. ... more
Streaming and Download help


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Fourteen terabytes of underwater clicks, booms, songs and static are revealing what a noisy place Cook Strait is, and how important it is for many species of whales and dolphins.
In the middle of last year, NIWA marine mammal expert Dr Kim Goetz deployed seven acoustic receivers to record underwater sounds in Cook Strait.
She's been back to download the first six months of audio and what she's found has surprised even her.
Dr Goetz is interested in whales and dolphins, because even though nearly half of the world's 80-or-so species have been recorded in New Zealand waters, we know we very little about them. Most of our information comes either from stranded whales, or from sightings at the surface – yet we know that cetaceans spend much of their time underwater.
Beaked whales are a particularly elusive group of whales, and rarely recorded, but Goetz says she definitely has many audio recordings of Cuvier's beaked whales. She was surprised to find they were being recorded throughout the time the hydrophones were in the water, and at all of the listening station sites, including the sheltered waters of Queen Charlotte Sound.
Although Goetz says there are very few recordings to compare with, she is pretty confident that she has also recorded strap-toothed beaked whales and Gray's beaked whale.
Recordings of humpback whales fitted previous observations made by the Cook Strait whale project, which has shown that Cook Strait is an important migration route for whales en route from their feeding grounds in Antarctica to their breeding grounds in the tropics. Humpback whales were common in June and July, but from August onwards - coinciding with the time the whales had moved north - there were no calls.
For some other whale species, Cook Strait appears to be more of a barrier than a migration path. Antarctic blue whales were only ever recorded at the eastern end of the strait, while a recently recognised group of New Zealand blue whales were only recorded in the west, on the Taranaki Coast.
More unusual visitors - Antarctic minke whales - were also heard on several occasions, the first time they've been recorded in New Zealand waters.
Dr Goetz has not yet analysed the many dolphin recordings, although a first look at the data makes it clear that dolphins – which are very abundant in Queen Charlotte Sound, where they are commonly seen by boaties – are very active at night. She suggests this is probably because they are hunting for squid which move up from deeper waters when it is dark.
She says she has also recorded sounds made by large groups of fish communicating with each other, known as fish chorusing. These sounds play an important role in the behaviour of fish species.
A noisy place
Kim Goetz says that Cook Strait is a very noisy environment. A lot of general ambient noise comes from wind, waves and storms, while boat traffic is a significant noise generator.
The underwater hydrophones were also well positioned to record the sounds of the Kaikōura earthquake on 14 November 2016, along with its many aftershocks. However, Dr Goetz points out that the hydrophones are designed with marine mammals and not earthquakes in mind, so the enormous pressure and noise of the quakes overwhelmed the capacity of the recorders, producing just scratchy static, although they did make an impressive visual signature on sonographs of the audio.


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A lesson from the old school
The first casualty of war, they say, is truth; and that is certainly the case with the current round of cyber – skirmishing. A man who can confirm this personally is Mark Jeftovic, CEO of EasyDNS, who found his company being vilified and subjected to cyber attack for something he had nothing to do with. You see, EasyDNS had been named by a number of prominent media outlets, including the Financial Times here in the UK, as the company that had revoked Wikileaks website Domain Name registration, thus making it effectively invisible to any Web Browser.
Every web address has a domain name (like wikileaks.org), but it also has an IP (Internet Protocol) address, roughly equivalent to a telephone number (184.108.40.206 in the case of Wikileaks.org). A DNS (Domain Name Server) performs the lookup that converts the name that you type into your browser to an IP address to make the connection. By deleting an entry from a DNS, you can thus make a website impossible to connect to, unless you happen to know the IP address – it's like your name being removed from the phone book, but the phone number still works if anyone knows it. In fact, the outfit that had deleted Wikileaks' DNS entry was EveryDNS, a not for profit company in the USA that has, since the early days of the net, performed this function by allowing users to register their domain name on the system. Jeftovic, despite what was said about him and his company, is in fact a supporter of Wikileaks and has since offered to host the site through EasyDNS.
It serves however to reveal a simple, but basic, insight into what the internet is. A series of communications protocols between US Government computers in the 1970's that were then applied to any computer in the world that adopted that protocol and was connected to the global phone system – thus creating the internet; and it was there, in the 1990's, that Tim Berners-Lee's little programmatic masterpiece, HTML, gave us the web browser to navigate the new environment and create the world wide web. And so it was that an overnight ftp-by-email request to a NASA server for the image of the day, typed in to a green screen display, became a live video feed from the surface of Mars viewed in Google Chrome. Yet it was obvious from the green screen days that the biggest impact of the net was not just the communication, email, usenet and the like, but also the ability to access functionality and data on much more powerful remote machines.
This extraordinary explosion in functionality of the internet-enabled computer has been driven by the rapid commercialisation of the net as it entered the mainstream. The global internet might seem an odd place to fight a war, since it's all virtual; but in the modern world it connects to an array of assets – government, military, commercial, industrial – that are targets in any war. It also affects something else considered to be fair game by some – civilians, like you and me.
First Manassas
The current round of cyber-skirmishing has broken out following the US Government's attempt to swat back at Julian Assange as a consequence of his deft sleight of hand in receiving an archive of classified US diplomatic correspondence and then giving it to a number of news portals to publish. Not that Assange himself carried out or even sanctioned such attacks, but nonetheless his Edmund Ruffin – like release of the embassy cables inspired some of his supporters, and others simply up for rumble, to get engaged anyway. Principal among them was the group known simply as Anonymous; so named because it formed on the message boards of gaming sites like 4Chan as disparate users commented with the default id – "Anonymous". It first attained cohesion when someone jokingly referred to it as a real person and then it took on a life of its own as an internet meme. Since it formed from a random sample of people who played cyber games in western countries, it became the cyber embodiment of Nigel Bagnall's dictum that "nations are human beings writ large"; in the pure spirit of anarchy targets were agreed and a plan to attack them hatched. An early target, in 2006 was the website of white supremacist talk show host Hal Turner, which cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars and resulted in a lawsuit against 4Chan – and they also participated in setting up a news site in support of the Iranian Green Party during the disputed 2009 election. On the other hand the same group also took music site AllHipHop offline after a spat with some of their members and it was also widely blamed for hacking the Epilepsy Foundation's website and displaying images of bright flashing lights. Their longest running and best known campaign is the ongoing beef with the Scientology movement; although a better insight into their membership's psyche would be its long running tie – in with Pirate Bay, a Swedish website that allows users to locate and download copies of the latest DVD's and CD's without paying for them. Anonymous' dislike of the Swedish government goes back to long before Wikileaks, as Sweden prosecuted Pirate Bay's operators recently. As to who Anonymous really are, that is a matter of some debate. The only arrest made to date, following the pro Wikileaks attack, was a teenage boy in Holland; and given the pattern of actions to date, that might not seem so surprising.
The chosen targets on this occasion were far more mainstream – Visa (for refusing to collect Wikileaks funds), Amazon (for withdrawing hosting services from Wikileaks) and the Swedish Government (for trying to extradite Assange on sexual molestation charges); all considered to be part of a wider front opposing Wikileaks. Their chosen mode of attack was the DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) – any computer, even a virtualised server existing within a cluster of physical servers in a datacentre, or even dispersed among various datacentres across the world (so called Cloud computing) is still just a machine with a finite capacity, it is vulnerable to being swamped. This is done by using a piece of software that simulates the actions of many users logging on to a webpage simultaneously, thus overwhelming the site and causing it to fail; even if the site doesn't crash, it still stops people from accessing the functionality which has much the same outcome.
Ploughshares and Swords
This type of software in fact has legitimate uses, for instance to stress test a new server stack or fine tune the search algorithms of a large and complex database. The same technology applied to Malware (Malicious Software) results in a weapon that can be used to attack computer systems, or the public facing parts of them at least. There have been numerous instances of the technology being used by ad hoc activists, such as the group of Irish students in 2001 who brought down the Finance Department server in Dublin, or by governments, such as the attack launched against Georgian military and government systems during the South Ossetia war. Variants, created for criminal purposes, are now available on the net for download. The variant used by Anonymous is called LOIC (Low Orbit Ion Cannon), and was used by them in a voluntary BotNet (Robotic Network), that is a collection of computers, running into the thousands, all operating a copy of the software in synchronisation to take down the target system. An alternative method of attack is to hide the payload program inside a virus and then distribute it onto hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of computers, then have them all activate simultaneously in an enforced BotNet.
DDoS attacks can seem alarming and dangerous, and indeed they are – buts that's what we thought about viruses when they first appeared on computers. The first true virus, as far as is known, was the Elk Cloner in 1981 which spread via infected floppy disks on Apple II computers; it had been created by Silicon Valley programmer and entrepreneur Rich Skrentka when he was still at high school, it being intended as a practical joke as all it did was display a message a set number of times. Nearly thirty years later viruses have come on somewhat, and we have adapted to defend against them – whether it's those that try to damage our machines, harvest its data, spread spam or launch DDoS attacks.
Modern server installations are protected by a dual firewall system, consisting of outer and inner lines of defence; the area between is known as the DMZ (De-Militarised Zone) – an area of limited functionality and access where the system's public facing functions are located; the core systems lie behind the DMZ. A DDoS attack would initially penetrate the outer wall and, sometimes, overwhelm the hardware running the web server but would be unable to penetrate the inner defence. Just as in the early battles against viruses, the defenders soon learned that because the virus was an identical copy of an original file, it had a signature that could be detected and deleted. Similarly, as a DDoS attack comes in the signature of the incoming requests can be detected and blocked. In the fight against the viruses, the Malware writers then developed strains that altered themselves slightly with every copy, the so called polymorphic viruses – this will now evolve into DDoS attacks that subtly alter each page request to confuse the firewall.
Such attacks, while alarming, mostly affect only the public facing parts of a system. In order to attack the core system a more sophisticated tool is required. Attempting to use brute force to penetrate an inner firewall is unlikely to work so an alternative vector must be found; this type of attack would attempt to introduce a virus from within the network itself, and then let the virus attack critical parts of the system. A classic example of this type of attack was the widely reported use of the STUXNET virus to attack the Iranian uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, by a person or persons unknown earlier this year. Probably inserted onto the network via an infected USB stick, the virus installs itself on a computer; it got around the windows digital certification system that identifies genuine commercial software by using two stolen certificates belonging to technology firms RealTek and JMicron, two companies with no connection except that they both have their HQ's in the same business park in Taiwan.
Having installed itself it then searches the network for a specific type of Siemens industrial control software. When it finds it, it takes over the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller – its control panel) and issues a set of commands to, for instance, make the centrifuges rotate at an erratic speed until they break. So elaborate was this attack that it was described by the IT security firm who analysed it, as the most sophisticated piece of Malware they had ever seen – it is extremely unlikely that this was the work of a disgruntled individual or group. Some observers now believe that it should be linked with the recent targeted assassinations of nuclear scientists in Iran and originates either in Israel or some other Middle Eastern state. This is based on a registry key created by the virus called "19790509", which can be read as 9th May 1979, the date a Jewish businessman was executed in Iran and a file path that includes the word Myrtus, said to be a reference to the plant Myrtus which represents the male force in some branches of Jewish mysticism. On the other hand, you could point out that the registry key is one of hundreds and could be a co-incidence and that MYRTUS could also mean My RTUs (Remote Terminal Units, a common component in computerised industrial machines).
By now it ought to be obvious that cyber war is anything but virtual. An attack by a militant group or a nation state consisting of massed DDoS assaults against online facilities, together with activation of previously planted Malware on computers in critical systems and followed up with a general virus attack to disable personal computers would have a devastating consequences. So forget about lurid tales of hacking the power grid, with everything that we now know about the inter-dependency of the banking system, what do you think would happen if say, a major bank's system were taken down ?
Open and Shut
Whilst evidence of cyber espionage between the major powers is abundant, and concerns about attacks from another country natural enough, the cyber war that none of us saw coming was a western civil war. A conflict between ourselves over something that most of never imagined that we particularly lacked – free speech and transparency. Without wishing to seem complacent, if I look at the world as whole there does not appear to much of a "free speech deficit" in western countries, and certainly not in the USA. But before you offer the thought that there are many other more deserving targets if one wishes to punish lack of free speech, I would caution against such approach. You see we've been here before, in a desert kingdom far away that suddenly found itself catapulted in the super rich league by a huge supply of oil on their land. But no sooner had they started growing the economy and created a viable middle class then the sons of that middle class started complaining that it was lacking in Islamic values. It was of course pointed to them that there were more Islamic values there in the kingdom than any other place on earth, surely the Christian west is a more un-Islamic place ? And whilst it may have seemed a harmless way to let off steam by letting the youth sound off at the west, what they didn't foresee was that it would produce a death cult that spread to the sons of wealthy expats in Europe who would then …. well I'm sure you get the drift.
As for the openness of the internet that is rapidly coming to an end. The fight for net – neutrality, the equal treatment given to all types of internet traffic is set to be lost, as user of hi capacity premium content won't just be paying for the content, they will be paying for bandwidth priority as well. The whole concept of an open net is bogus anyway; this began as a government system, there were always rules of behaviour and there were always places that you couldn't go. If it's just letting off steam in chat rooms then it's no problem, once it tries to take a major ecommerce site offline it becomes something more problematic.
Not everyone wants the chaos of an open web. For many, their primary use for it is social networking, so a better idea of what the future of the web is going to be like is Facebook. This is intended to be more than just a web site; it aims to be an alternative way of accessing web functions, for many people it has become their primary connection to the internet. A range of Facebook apps have appeared, that run only within Facebook and provide you, the user, with just the service stream. This aims to be an alternative environment for computer use, and in hosting its own apps, it is acting in many ways as an alternative operating system. With data and apps hosted in the Cloud, you will require only a basic, low power computer to access it, like an iPad for instance. Expect this trend to spread, with specialised environments growing up to service particular user groups. Also expect such services to go subscription based and to cut deals with ISP's to provide enhanced bandwidth and connectivity to its paying customers. This is more like a Telnet experience was in the old days, i.e. a way of connecting to a server over the net and have your computer act as a terminal of that server.
Paying customers of these services will expect stricter rules of behaviour enforced; the situation where a youth downloading an illegal copy of a DVD from Pirate Bay gets the same priority for bandwidth as his grandmother using Facebook to keep in touch with her other relatives, will no longer exist. It may be impossible to stop Pirate Bay, but the days not far – off when it will have to operate in a low – bandwidth slow lane.
If the intention of Wikileaks was to improve transparency in government, then I regret that it will fail. Diplomats will carry on just as before, they will simply use a more secure system in future. As for free speech, that will survive in the west perfectly well without Julian Assange's help, but the west doesn't own the web – it's a global system with other major powers, with their own conception of what internet freedom means. If this incident has done one thing it is to underline the growing divide between the west and, for instance China, on the subject of an open internet. Some might say that divide has already become unbridgeable, and that in effect the internet has already divided into two distinct segments, where different rules of behaviour apply.
The future of the internet is not openness, but fragmentation – what is also gone is the philosophy that said everything is free and you can say or do whatever you want. As for the World Wide Web, it was, and is, a misnomer. It should have been called the English-Speaking-World Wide Web, a reflection of the mores and opinions of just a fraction of the world's people. With the rise of economies like China that have very different ideas what people should, and should not, be allowed to do online, expect the Web of the future to fragment into different geographical and cultural segments, where different sets of rules apply.
OpenNet, DiplomaticNet, AdultNet, ChildNet, ChinaNet, IslamNet, YouAintSeenNothingYetNet
Copyright ©2010 Savereo John


text: MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS A FULL CIRCLE OF LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP Over the past year, we dedicated each season to the tender emotional ties between mothers and daughters through the generations. In our first 2015 season, THINK, we reflected on a mother's devotion for her precious young child, as she clothes her baby in Vlisco fabric. The second season brought you FEEL, which fondly recalled the special moments mothers share with their little girls. In TELL, we fast-forwarded to mothers and their adolescent daughters, living at times independent and distant lives, yet timelessly connected by love and Vlisco style. This brings us to the final season of this year, where we SEE mother and daughter merging as reflections of each other. The adult daughter inherits her mother's wisdom, heritage, and love of Vlisco fabrics. We are honoured to be part of your cherished traditions, and witness the inseparable bonds that will continue forever between mothers and daughters. Mothers & daughters share their love for super-wax Proud African mothers have passed on their love for the prestige, quality and craftsmanship of true original Super-Wax fabrics. Discover new super-wax fabrics Share


text:
Rinely (GNIS FID: 1204512) is a populated place located within the Township of East Hopewell, a minor civil division (MCD) of York County.
The elevation of Rinely is 951 feet. Rinely appears on the Stewartstown U.S. Geological Survey Map. York County is in the Eastern Time Zone (UTC -5 hours).
York County: Subdivisions (MCDs) | Cities & Towns | ZIP Codes | Features (airports, churches, hospitals, etc.)
BIG Map |
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Data Source - USGS GNIS FID: 1204512
BOUNDARY MAPS: Township of East Hopewell | York County
Cross Roads, PA
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Winterstown, PA (2.7 miles NNW)
Stewartstown, PA (3.4 miles S)
Felton, PA (4.1 miles NNE)
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Tolna, PA (4.1 miles SW)


text:
Cebu councilor slams DepEd for worst Palaro
CEBU City Councilor and assistant Deputy Mayor on Education Joy Augustus Young questioned on how the Department of Education (DepEd) 7 managed the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (Cviraa) delegation in the recently concluded 60th Palarong Pambansa.
Cviraa had a dismal finish in the national sporting conclave held in Antique last April 21 to 29, falling to fourth place to ninth place—the region's lowest ranking in recent memory. The Region 7 squad only hauled 20 gold medals, 18 silver medals and 29 bronze medals.
"I think they (DepEd Region 7) failed management wise. The person in-charge (Luz) Jandayan went to Canada around March 6 after the Cviraa (regional meet) in City of Naga," Young said during the press conference yesterday.
"If you are incharge, your coordination is the Palarong Pambansa. The question is, where was she? She should be preparing the team for Antique," added Young.
Dr. Jandayan, the chief of Education Support Service Division (SSD)-DepEd Region 7, told SunStar Cebu in a separate interview that she facilitated the preparation of the delegation before she left for Canada.
"I filed for a leave of absence and assigned an Officer-in-Charge before I left for Canada. I made sure that things were already facilitated. Before I left, the screening of the athletes was already done and the athletes have already started their training," she said.
Young also pointed out the strict qualification for the team sports, where the winning team in the regional qualifiers had to pick up players from the runner-up team. He said that it's an 'impractical rule.'
"For the National Capital Regional, the whole team that won on their regional qualifier represented the region in the Palarong Pambansa," he stressed.
Jandayan for his part said that it was on the guidelines that a winning team in the regional meet will have the majority of the players but they have to pick up players from the runner-up team.
"This was agreed upon to give chance to the students who have potentials but did not win in the regional meet," said Jandayan.
Young said that he will ask a statement from the regional director of DepEd 7 on how they managed the region's delegation for the 60th Palarong Pambansa.
Region 7 was a constant fourth place finisher in the sporting conclave, except in 2015 where they fell to sixth place in Tagum City. This year, Region 7 had 14 gold medals from the secondary division, but only came up with six gold medals in the elementary class.
Meanwhile, Young said that he plans to write a letter to DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones that will suggest that Palarong Pambansa will be purely for public schools.
"I would like to propose not to include private schools in Palarong Pambasa. The private schools have their Prisaa (Private Schools Athletic Association (Prisaa). They should also make Prisaa for elementary," said Young.
Young plans to give the letter to Deped Secretary Leonor Briones on May 15, on her visit to Cebu for the launching of Brigada Eskewela.
Published in the SunStar Cebu newspaper on May 05, 2017.
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text:
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text:
The Deal
- Funniest Housewives of Orange County
- When: Sunday, May 10, at 7 p.m.
- Where: The Coach House
- Door time: 5 p.m.
- General admission
- Full offer value includes ticketing fees
Ticket Options
- $10 for one ticket (up to $30 value)
- $35 for four tickets (up to $120 value)
This show will be taped live for Showtime, and guests will receive a complimentary goodie bag from the sponsors.
The Coach House requires a two-drink minimum per person, which is not included in this Groupon.
Funniest Housewives of Orange County
The femme fatales of the Funniest Housewives of Orange County comedy troupe skewer stereotypes with a diverse cast of outrageous characters. Reality-show trophy matrons and other suburban types get their comic comeuppance, as embodied by comedians who have appeared on national media such as The View and Oprah. Each character is named for her quirk, such as the astrologically-focused Hippie Housewife and the no-holds-barred Inappropriate Housewife. Anti-Aging Housewife Cindy Burns sizzles in a set lampooning nouveau-riche delusions of youth, and Trailer Trash Housewife Vicki Barbolak garners doublewide guffaws with her brash, leopard-print personality. During this Mother's Day showcase, guests receive several treats: Lindt chocolates, the chance to win $500 gift baskets, and the honor of hearing their laughs on TV—the special doubles as a TV taping for Inappropriate Housewife Kira Soltanovich.


text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Apr 21, 2009
|Filing date
|Jan 29, 2004
|Priority date
|Jan 29, 2004
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Gad Inon
|Original Assignee
|Comverse Ltd.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (12), Referenced by (18), Classifications (8), Legal Events (5)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates a store and forward messaging system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for initiating a session in a store and forward messaging system that saves transcoding resources for the system.
2. Related Art
A conventional video telephony session (e.g., video conferencing) includes a session initiation between two telephony devices. As part of the session initiation, the two telephony devices exchange their capabilities (e.g., via H.245 or SIP) and then utilize one or more algorithms to agree on the codecs and/or video size or colors to be used for that session.
For example, one telephony device may declare that it supports Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) audio codec and video codecs H.263 and MPEG4 while the other telephony device may declare that it supports audio codec AMR but for video codec only supports H.263. In such a situation, the audio codec during the session will be selected as AMR and the video codec will be selected as H.263.
In a store and forward system, such as a Voice/Video Call Answering (VCA) system, the scenario is somewhat different because the session is considered to be "indirect." The session is considered to be indirect because the two telephony devices are never directly connected to one another. In this type of indirect system, the user calling the store and forward system to deposit a message is defined as a "guest" and the user of the store and forward system for whom the message is being deposited is defined as a "subscriber."
Thus, in a VCA system, rather than the guest creating a session directly with the subscriber, the guest creates a session with the VCA system. After the session is created, the VCA system saves the message left by the guest. Then, at a later point in time, the subscriber can dial into the VCA system and retrieve the message.
For example, using the same scenario described above in which the guest telephony device supports video codecs H.263 and MPEG4, and the VCA system also supports video codecs H.263 and MPEG4, the session may utilize MPEG4 for the choice of video codec and thus the VCA system will store the message using MPEG4. However, if the subscriber dials into the VCA system using an H.263 only telephony device, the VCA system must transcode (i.e., convert) the message stored in MPEG4 format to the H.263 format which is required by the subscriber's telephony device (prior to playing the message to the subscriber).
Depending on the network behavior, and the capabilities of the subscriber's telephony device, the amount of transcoding required may be quite significant, thus requiring a great deal of hardware. In addition, the required transcoding may cause a significant degradation of the audio and/or video data being retrieved by the subscriber. Therefore, what is needed is a system and method in a store and forward system for reducing the amount of transcoding required when forwarding stored messages to a subscriber.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a method for initiating a session in a store and forward messaging system is provided. A data storage device stores capability information for subscribers of the store and forward messaging system, wherein the capability information includes data such as video codecs and audio codecs supported by the subscriber's devices. When a session initiation request is received from a guest of the store and forward messaging system, the capability information of the guest's device is compared to the capability information of the subscriber's device for whom the guest wishes to deposit a message.
If the capability information does not match, the messaging system presents to the guest default capability information that is supported by the messaging system. When the subscriber retrieves the message, however, transcoding will be required in order to convert the message to a format supported by the subscriber's device. On the other hand, if the capability information matches, the messaging system presents to the guest only the matching capability information. Therefore, the session continues using the matching capability information, thereby eliminating the need to transcode data when the message is retrieved by the subscriber.
The above and other features of the invention including various and novel details of construction and combination of parts will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular features embodying the invention are shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in varied and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.
Aspects of illustrative, non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
The following description of illustrative non-limiting embodiments of the invention discloses specific configurations, features, and operations. However, the embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, and thus, the specific features described below are merely used to more easily describe such embodiments and to provide an overall understanding of the present invention.
Accordingly, one skilled in the art will readily recognize that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described below. Furthermore, the description of various configurations, features, and operations of the present invention that are known to one skilled in the art are omitted for the sake of clarity and brevity. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
A transcoding unit 20 is provided which is able to transcode codecs and presentation properties (e.g. size and colors) if required. For example, if a receiving device requires data to be in H.263 as the codec while an external video system sends data in MPEG4, transcoding unit 20 will transcode (i.e., convert) the incoming data from MPEG to H.263. The transcoding unit 20 can also be used when a subscriber retrieves data (e.g., when the format that is stored doesn't match the format required by the subscriber's device).
As shown in
Application 30 stores the messages on a storage device and is responsible for receiving a session initiation request from access unit 10 or signaling unit 15. The session initiation request may include session parameters such as CLI/DN from signaling unit 15 and the capabilities of a guest device received from signaling unit 15 or access unit 10, depending on the signaling type being used. Application 30 can be tailored based on the type of operating system that is being utilized and is responsible for the majority of the logic of the present invention.
Application 30 uses a local database 40 to store received messages and to store a profile for subscribers of the store and forward messaging system. The subscriber profile contains data relating to the capabilities of the device that the subscriber uses to access the messaging system. The database 40 may be composed of a single unit for storing the messages and subscriber profile or may be composed of multiple units such as a database server or LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) server for storing the profile and a database server, file server or E-mail server for storing the messages. Also, in certain instances, application 30 may utilize local database 40 for storing some of the information and an external database 50 for storing other parts of information.
Application 30 and local database 40 are logical devices and, therefore, as described above, may be hosted in a variety of ways. For example, they may reside in individual hardware units, may be combined into a single hardware unit or combined in any variation of the above. In some cases, for efficiency, the access unit 10 will directly access local database 40 or external database 50 to perform the actual retrieval of the stored message. For example, if the stored message includes a WAV attachment file, access unit 10 can access the attachment file and read the file itself (based on a file name passed from the application) from database 40.
(1) when a message is received from a guest, transcoding unit 20 converts the message before sending it to either local database 40 or external database 50;
(2) after storing the message in either local database 40 or external database 50, application 30 utilizes transcoding unit 20 to convert the message and returns the message to the appropriate database in the converted form; and
(3) when a message is being retrieved by a subscriber, application 30 retrieves the message, utilizes transcoding unit 20 to convert the message and then either passes the converted message to access unit 10 itself or instructs unit 20 to send the converted message to access unit 10.
The three ways described above in which application 30 may use transcoding unit 20 are merely shown as illustrative examples only and, accordingly, any combination of the above methods could be employed.
Transcoding unit 20 is responsible for converting data between different format types. For example, transcoding unit 20 is able to convert between different audio codes and rates such as different AMR rates or AMR to EVRC. Transcoding unit 20 can convert between different video codecs such as H.263 and MPEG4 and between different rates of video codecs (e.g., 40 Kbits/s and 50 Kbits/sec). Transcoding unit 20 can also convert between different video size and different colors (e.g., QGIF and CIF or 4096 colors and 256 colors). Again, the above types of conversions are merely described as illustrative examples only and are not intended to be limiting in any manner. Transcoding unit 20, although not shown in
In order to save transcoding resources for the system, the VCA system determines the capabilities of the subscriber's device. This can be accomplished in various ways. For example, when the subscriber initially subscribes to the system, the subscriber may provide the VCA system with a device type and device capabilities. This information can then be stored in database 40 or external database 50 such that the information can be retrieved when necessary.
As another example, when a subscriber logs into the VCA system, application 30 can monitor the capabilities of subscriber's device and can save this monitored information in database 40 or external database 50. Such an example is described with reference to
In step 250, based on the subscriber's profile the system checks if this is the first time the subscriber is calling the system or if the subscriber's profile was initialized for some reason. If this is the case, then the session will proceed directly to step 300.
In step 260, the subscriber's current capabilities are compared to the stored profile capabilities and to the class of service requested. In step 280, it is determined whether the capabilities of the subscriber have changed since the last session. If the capabilities have changed, database 40 or external database 50 will be updated in step 300 and the session initiation will proceed to completion in step 320. If it is determined in step 280 that the capabilities have not changed, the session skips step 300 and proceeds directly to the completion of session initiation in step 320.
At step 340, the session continues and the subscriber is able to review stored messages. If a message was stored using the subscriber's capabilities as defined by the system then no transcoding will have to be performed. On the other hand, if there was not a match between the capabilities of the guest and the capabilities of the subscriber, then the system will need to transcode the data. When the subscriber is finished retrieving stored messages, the session will end as shown by step 360.
The capabilities that are presented to a guest will normally be the last capabilities presented to the VCA system by the subscriber. However, it is possible for the system to be configured such that if the subscriber changes capabilities, the new capabilities are only presented to a guest after the same new capabilities are presented to the VCA system for a certain number of consecutive times. The subscriber can configure the VCA system so as to select the number of consecutive times required before the old capabilities are replaced.
If the subscriber's device supports multiple capabilities (e.g., MPEG4 and H.263 video codec), application 30 of the VCA system is able to choose one of the formats that it determines is the most appropriate. Further, a subscriber may maintain multiple accounts on a single store and forward system, wherein each of the subscriber's accounts maintains a different set of capabilities.
In step 160, the capabilities presented by the guest device are compared to the capabilities of the subscriber's device and to the VCA system preferences. As shown in step 200, if the system determines that the capabilities of the guest device match the subscriber's device capabilities, then the VCA system will present itself to the guest as supporting only those capabilities. Thus, the system will continue using those capabilities and the guest will leave a message for the subscriber at the VCA system using the matching capabilities.
On the other hand, if the guest system cannot support the capabilities of the subscriber's device, the VCA system presents its preferred default capabilities to the guest at step 220. The system may maintain multiple sets of default capability information that can be selectively presented to the guest device when the capability information does not match. The system will select the appropriate capability set by a rule such as subscriber's class of service (COS) or the combination of the guest's capability and the subscriber's capability. Next, in step 240, the session initiation ends. At some point during the session, at step 260, the guest, after listening to the subscriber's/system's greeting, leaves a message for the subscriber and the VCA system stores the message in the agreed upon format. After the guest has finished leaving a message for the subscriber, the session ends at step 280.
At some point later in time, the subscriber can dial into the VCA system and retrieve any stored messages. If the guest and subscriber supported similar formats, then the message will not have to undergo any transcoding before being retrieved by the subscriber. Thus, because the VCA system according to the present invention is able to present the subscriber's capabilities to a guest, rather than only being able to present the VCA system capabilities, the amount of transcoding resources required when a subscriber retrieves messages will be substantially reduced as compared to conventional store and forward systems.
While the illustrative embodiments above have been described with reference to a voice and/or video answering system, the features of the present invention can be applied to any store and forward messaging system that negotiates capabilities before sending data.
The previous description of embodiments is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the present invention. Moreover, various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles and specific examples defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without the use of inventive faculty. For example, some or all of the features of the different embodiments discussed above may be combined into a single embodiment. Conversely, some of the features of a single embodiment discussed above may be deleted from the embodiment. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope as defined by the limitations of the claims and equivalents.
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|U.S. Classification
|379/88.26, 379/88.18, 455/412.1
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Jan 29, 2004
Owner name: COMVERSE LTD., ISRAEL
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