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Product Summary
The Tandberg Data StorageLibrary T40+ is a scalable tape library offering 24 or 40 slots and up to 120TB of compressed storage. The StorageLibrary T40+ combines high capacity and performance in a compact 4U form factor. The Pass-Thru feature allows customers to add additional drives and storage capacities when required, enabling up to five StorageLibrary T40+ units to be stacked together, increasing the number of slots from 40 to 77, 114, 151 or 188 slots. The Pass-Thru feature provides customers with an easy-to-use capacity-on-demand, allowing storage capacity to be increased up to 453TB and performance to be increased up to 16TB/hr.
General Information
|Product Type
|Tape Library
|Manufacturer Part Number
|Manufacturer Website Address
|Tandberg Data Corporation
|Product Model
|Product Name
|StorageLibrary T40+ Tape Library
|Product Line
|Product Series
|Brand Name
|Tandberg Data
Technical Information
|Standard Configuration
|1 x Drive/24 x Slot
|Storage Capacity
|19.20 TB (Native)/38.40 TB (Compressed)
|Recording Method
|Linear Serpentine
|Barcode Reader
|Drive Type
|1 x LTO Ultrium 4 Installed
|3 x LTO Ultrium 5 Supported
|40 x Slot
Storage Media
|Formats Supported
|LTO Ultrium 4 Read/Write
|LTO Ultrium 3 Read/Write
|LTO Ultrium 2 Read
|RJ-45 Ethernet - Network
Physical Characteristics
|7.0" Height x 17.6" Width x 29.0" Depth
|Weight (Approximate)
|83.00 lb
|Form Factor
|4U Rack-mountable
This product is shipped only within Canada and Warranty valid for Canada only.
Computer Valley makes every effort to provide accurate specifications, descriptions, images and price on all products that are found on www.computervalley.ca
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|Read Reviews Write Review


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In the Dark Ages, princesses exfoliated with Fabergé-egg dust and filed fingernails on the edges of gold doubloons. Revel in more modern and luxurious beauty treatments with this Groupon.
Choose from Three Options
- $29 for one Formostar infrared body wrap (a $65 value)
- $79 for three Formostar infrared body wraps (a $195 value)
- $149 for six Formostar infrared body wraps (a $390 value)
A technician wraps clients who are still clothed in silicone pads that emit far-infrared heat, which penetrates deep into the body to heat up the core. This can cause fat tissue to break up and burn excess calories. It may also help with detoxification, pain relief, and skin enhancement. The treatment takes about 50 minutes.
Planet Beach Contempo Spa
A wildly successful alternative to traditional day spas—its more than 300 locations blanket 36 states and half a dozen countries—Planet Beach Contempo Spa is a futuristic relaxation station where state-of-the-art machines administer all the spa and tanning services. These friendly automatons sometimes replace familiar treatments, as in the Luminous facial, a light-based service that delivers blemish-busting results similar to those of a conventional facial. But other equipment maps out new spa territory entirely: the Hydro-Derma Fusion chamber moisturizes the whole body with nutrient-rich steam in order to offset the effects of a dry climate or a rear-end collision with a salt truck. Other machines whiten teeth, spray tan skin, and massage muscles.
Planet Beach operates on a gym-style membership system, meaning that members purchase packages or pay flat monthly rates. As members spend more time at the spa, they get to know the helpful assistants who are always on hand to demonstrate how to use the equipment without activating its ability to cry.

subset: commoncrawl


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Product Description
After more than five years of cruising along Dubai Creek, Bateaux Dubai Luxury Dinner Cruise has established itself as a desirable dining destination for local residents and a must-do excursion for all visitors to Dubai.
Created by Seine Design, France, our Dubai Creek Dinner Cruise seamlessly combines cutting-edge technology and optimal comfort. With an anti-reflective glass enclosure guests are treated to unobstructed views from all seats, and the hi-tech air-conditioning system ensures maximum comfort, while a top-end sound system delivers a superb acoustic experience.
Specifically designed for the flat waters of the creek, the boat's flat bottom design and four independent engines means this air-conditioned luxury dinner cruise vessel glides seamlessly through the water. The smoothness of this luxurious Dubai dinner cruise floating restaurant allows you to freely move around and enjoy your time on board.
In keeping with the JA Resorts & Hotels ongoing environmental program, our Dubai Creek Dinner Cruise also incorporates a host of eco-friendly features that ensure it produces no effluent, while reducing noise and exhaust emissions.


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A Hennepin County jury broke off deliberations Wednesday night in the vehicular homicide trial of Amy Senser without reaching a verdict.
The jury is being sequestered at a hotel. They will resume deliberations Thursday morning.
Senser is accused of leaving the scene after hitting a stalled motorist with her SUV last summer. Anousone Phanthavong, 38, of Roseville was killed.
During the trial, Senser testified she did not know she hit a person, and instead assumed a construction cone caused the jolt she felt while exiting I-94 onto Riverside Ave. in Minneapolis.


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It's never too late to start cycling in Swindon!
Up 'n' Cycling is a six-week course in Swindon helping older people to start or return to cycling. Anna Cipullo, Swindon's Cycling Development Officer, explains: "It's held at the county ground athletics track, which is a good location as it's traffic-free and no pedestrians to negotiate with!". Anna linked up with a colleague at Swindon Council leisure services who was getting older people active through a variety of ways as cycling seemed the perfect activity. Beryl, a 73-year-old on the Up 'n' Cycling course, gained a lot of confidence from going round the track. "She was amazed at herself," says Anna.
Up 'n' Cycling has proven very popular; and quite a number of people who are younger than the 'older people' age category expressed an interest, so Anna has broadened the age range. An 'intermediate' six-week course follows on from the beginner course for those who want to venture out beyond the athletics track, learning skills from Bikeability Level Two.
One participant on the said: "The course has been excellent. To learn to ride a bike for the first time in a few hours at the age of 63 was a wonderful achievement for me, all credit be given to staff for their skills and patience. Everyone on the course was friendly and helpful."
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WINFIELD, W.Va. — A judge on Friday rejected efforts by the Putnam County Board of Education and the city of Hurricane to get out of a lawsuit over a Hurricane teenager killed by a CSX Transportation train in 2012.
Putnam Circuit Judge Phillip Stowers denied motions by the city and school board to dismiss the suit Richard Dwayne Ball filed against them and CSX in January. Ball's son, Jacob Dwayne Ball, was 16 and a junior at Hurricane High School when he was killed by the train.
"I'm hesitant to grant a motion to dismiss on, one, a wrongful death case, and, two, on one in which there may a variety of circumstances that I don't know," Stowers said.
The judge said he felt Guy Bucci, an attorney for Richard Dwayne Ball, was "shoving a very large rock up a very steep hill" in some of his allegations that the city and school board were partly responsible for the teenager's death. Regardless, the judge said, there are too much unknown to dismiss the city and school board from the suit before discovery — the process of attorneys gathering evidence.
Stowers said, for instance, that he didn't know exactly where Jacob Ball was hit or on whose property he walked — state roads, city sidewalks, etc. — before he was killed.
"And all those things are things I have to guess about," the judge said.
The school board argued that it bore no responsibility partly because the incident didn't occur on school property.
The judge said he also needs to see more evidence before deciding what duties the city and school board might have neglected that could've saved Jacob Ball. In one filing, his father alleges the city was negligent because it hired a "certified safety police officer" at Hurricane High who allegedly "did absolutely nothing to warn, instruct or otherwise protect the deceased from known danger."
Richard Ball's suit states his son was walking around CSX's tracks on his way home from school on Jan. 31, 2012, when a train hit him from behind. Jacob Ball couldn't hear the train because he was wearing headphones and CSX failed to give an audible warning, such as a whistle, the suit alleges.
People at the scene of his death, however, reported they heard horns on the train and at least one nearby bus blaring. Students said Ball was known for listening to loud heavy metal music. A neighbor, Tamera Rutledge, told The Charleston Gazette shortly after his death that she believed it was an accident, but she said he was walking home because he was bullied.
CSX attorney Robert Massie told the Gazette a camera on the train recorded Jacob Ball standing on the tracks, not at a crossing, and wearing headphones. Massie said he didn't turn around before it hit him.
The suit states the area Jacob Ball was walking in was the usual path for him, other students and other residents, and it argues that the defendants knew the tracks allowed access to students and other pedestrians.
"Despite the nuisance created by this area of track, there were not adequate warnings or barriers present to deter students/pedestrians," the suit states. It also argues CSX had the responsibility to, among other things, operate the train at a safe speed considering the pedestrians in the area. CSX argued in its answer that Jacob Ball was trespassing and said his alleged negligence contributed to and was perhaps a greater cause of his death.
Richard Ball is seeking compensation, including punitive damages, for the alleged wrongful death. The trial is set for May 2015.
Reach Ryan Quinn at email@example.com, 304-348-1254 or follow @RyanEQuinn on Twitter.


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Topic: It was over so fast
I'm sorry I didn't post this earlier but, my husband passed away on Sunday at 11:20 AM. The night before he was breathing quickly and sounded like there was liquid in his lungs. My family and I prayed beside him. I thought his end would be soon, and it was. At 10:30 he was still breathing so I went upstairs for a nap. Later my son told me his caregiver needed to talk to me. My husband had stopped breathing and had no pulse. Nobody even noticed it when it happened; that's how quickly he passed. I guess we got our prayer for a quick and painless death answered, even though this is still devastating. Friends and family visited us shortly after his body was carried away to the funeral home. I said I wasn't going to cry because I had done much of my grieving before this, but I did cry a lot anyway. I've already made arrangements for his Mass and burial site. I keep telling my family over and over that we will get through this no matter how hard it will be, and we will have our other family and friends to help us. God knows what He's doing, even if we don't understand it right away.


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Jim Stagnitta MLL Conference Call Audio
DENVER – Outlaws Head Coach Jim Stagnitta joined the weekly MLL Conference call on Wednesday, covering Denver's 19-11 win over Long Island in Week 3 and the team's upcoming game against Boston on Saturday.
Stagnitta, who has led the Outlaws to three consecutive wins to start the 2012 season knows that the Outlaws will have to be more disciplined against Boston in Week 4 than they were last week versus Long Island.
"I think we regrouped and I think we got off to a slow start," Stagnitta said about the team's slow start against the Lizards. "We made some poor decisions early on. We were a man up 30 seconds into the game and retaliated to go 5-on-5. I think we were a little unsettled early, maybe a little too excited."
The Outlaws used a 9-1 run to close the first half ahead 10-5 after falling behind 4-1 in the first 10 minutes of the first quarter against the Lizards.
When the undefeated and defending MLL Champion Boston Cannons visit Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Saturday, Stagnitta knows his squad has to step up its level of play.
"I think the key with us is going to be to keep them from going on their runs as we have to continue to improve on what we have been doing, which is to take advantage of every unsettled opportunity that we possibly can," he said. "Then when we're in six-on-six, to be a little bit more precise and take the best shot, not the first shot and do the best we can to minimize their number of possessions."
The Cannons have won eight consecutive games dating back to the 2011 season. All three of their victories have been by at least eight goals to start the 2012 campaign.
"Certainly Boston is talented from to bottom," Stagnitta said. "Watching them on film, there aren't a lot of weaknesses. You have to concentrate on (midfielder Paul) Rabil but they have a couple of other guys too in (midfielder Patrick) Heim and on attack with (Kevin) Buchanan and (Ryan) Boyle and (Matt) Poskay – they are balanced across the board."
The Outlaws have used balance and depth of their own to post a league-leading 55 points in their three wins. During the first two weeks, it was the team's midfielders that packed the punch when it came to getting the ball in the net. Last week, with the return of attackmen Jordan McBride and Brendan Mundorf from the NLL, Stagnitta began to see the balance he'd like the team to strive toward.
"If you look at the numbers at the end of the day, there was some pretty good balance last weekend against Long Island both from the attack and the midfield," he said. "We've had some pretty even contributions across the board there and I think that's really where the offensive explosion has come from, that balance."
Quick Hits
Stagnitta also touched on a few other topics during his 15-minute call:
On faceoff specialist Stephen Robarge
"It was huge – that was unbelievable. We knew coming into the year that (faceoffs) was an area we needed to shore up. We knew that was an area where we had to improve. … We got (three) faceoffs into it and we needed a spark after we lost the first (three). We put him in there and he tied up Gurenlian right away and the rest of the day he was terrific. He's a technician as a faceoff guy and I've been very impressed with that part of it. He certainly was unflappable. And, he can pick up the ball and do some things with it, which is important in this league if you can do more than just faceoff because everybody around you is just going to chase after you if you can't handle the ball. He was composed and poised. I certainly did not have that kind of expectation. We watched him dominate at the college level and heard good things about him, but there's a big difference between that and stepping up to this level."
On other rookies that could contribute
"There are a couple of them out there that we'd love to get, but they are still playing. They will make a difference for us immediately. Robarge was a big one, and we're bringing in (Tom) Celentani, the defenseman from UMass this week to practice with us. Honestly, we had (attackman Kevin) Vaughan in last weekend. He can't make it (this weekend), but he is somebody that is going to make an impact right away. We were very impressed with him from a practice standpoint. I think we're going to continue to get deeper and better here over the next few weeks. You can see these guys on TV and they are pretty talented players and they're certainly going to be able to help our roster right away."
On the Outlaws' offensive success thus far
"You score a lot of points because it's tough to stop guys of this caliber. We put up some numbers, I guess. I'd love to see us be more consistent in how we put them up. We put them up in stretch runs and then we kind of relax a little bit. We have a lot of different guys who have stepped up and contributed at different times and I think that has been a key."


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MILWAUKIE, Ore. — Retail produce workers can receive training about Northwest pears in a new online course offered this fall.
The online training program is geared to produce clerks who talk to consumers, said Kevin Moffitt, president and chief executive officer of the Milwaukie, Ore.-based Pear Bureau Northwest.
"We are trying to train them and (give them) information they can pass on to consumers," he said.
The online training takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete and covers topics including ripening, varieties, usage, nutrition, handling and merchandising.
The training course can also be spread out over several sessions, if needed, Moffitt said.
"There can be three 10-minute sessions," he said.
"We're hoping to sign up large retailers who will get their people to take the program," Moffitt said, adding that there is no charge to the retailer for the online training course.
The Pear Bureau is working to set up incentives for producers and workers to complete the training, such as a fruit knife, cap or shirt, Moffitt said.
Those who complete the program will receive a certificate, Moffitt said.
The retail training program is expected to be ready by September. A link to the program is available on the Pear Bureau's website at http://www.usapears.org/retail.aspx.
The online training program was developed by Fiction Tribe, a Portland, Ore.-area design and marketing company.
Moffitt said the export department started an online course for some of its markets, and the expertise developed there supported the effort for domestic retailers, he said.
Another retail-directed effort is the purchase of loyalty card data to try get more information about pear consumers. In particular, Moffitt said, the loyalty card data from IRI Fresh Look will show how consumers of pears differ in their purchases compared with other consumers at four different holiday occasions of the year.
The bureau will be able to use the data to help retailers compare their performance with other retailers, both in the same market and for the U.S.


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Next productProduct 32 (of 57 products in this category)Previous product
Ledil Reflector 22.2mm for Cree MC-E, 54° 54°
The Ledil company is the expert for the development and production of LED optics. The versatile standard range of products comprises more than 1,000 lenses, reflectors and their combinations. This innovative manufacturer provides the appropriate optics for every lighting application.
Select your optic in due consideration of its radiation parameters and compatibility with LEDs.
- Designed & optimised for the Cree MC-E series
- High UV and temperature resistance
- Very compact size
- Dimensions(DxH): 22,2x13,74mm
Viewing angle
- 60772: Spot, Viewing angle 20°
- 60773: Medium, Viewing angle 36°
- 60774: Wide, Viewing angle 54°
Suited for the following LEDs
- Cree MC-E series
Further technical details can be found in the data sheet.
LUMITRONIX is official Ledil distributor
|Technical details
|Manufacturer item number
|Viewing angle
Any questions?
Downloads from Ledil Reflector 22.2mm for Cree MC-E, 54°
- datasheet Ledil reflector 22.2mm for Cree MC-E
- 788.62 KiB
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Q. What exactly will Danny Granger's role be on the Pacers? It seems as if he could play either forward position, but is favored towards the small forward spot. But the Pacers seem deep from that position with (Ron) Artest, (James) Jones and (Stephen) Jackson. And if (Jonathan) Bender is able to get healthy he may be able to contribute. So would it not be more prudent for Granger to be backup power forward? The Pacers have depth there, but it is questionable. Austin Croshere seemed to struggle much of the season and Bender is injured. Granted, (Jeff) Foster and Dale Davis could move over and cover, but they are needed at center. Or are the Pacers maybe looking to make a trade to fill a hole at power forward, while making room for Granger? Bird did say his draft pick would make an impact. (From Gary in Monrovia, IN)
A. Considering the Pacers had no expectation Granger would be available to them with the No. 17 pick, it's not as if there is some long-term plan already in place. At the moment, they're celebrating the acquisition of a player they had ranked as No. 5 overall on their draft board. They're almost as happy about the selection of Erazem Lorbek in the second round. Even though he will remain in Italy at least one more season, Lorbek is a highly regarded young prospect in Europe and could turn out to be a steal.
Granger fills the team's greatest need, and that is for quality depth at small forward. Behind Artest, the only backup at the moment is James Jones, who is a restricted free agent the team intends to re-sign. Jackson will be starting and playing almost all of his minutes at shooting guard. Bender, if healthy, will be primarily a power forward. That leaves Granger the opportunity to step right into the rotation as a rookie.
Granger appears to be a player similar in profile to Jones 6-8, 225, played inside and outside in college, largely flew under the radar but with a much higher overall skill level. He has drawn comparisons to Scottie Pippen and Tayshaun Prince because of his length, versatility and basketball I.Q. This is a guy who led his team in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots, shot .524 from the field and .433 from the arc. In other words, this is a guy who does everything, and does it in volume.
How his selection affects the team's plans for the summer remains to be seen but be sure his presence will have an impact and only for the positive.


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SECOND-placed Bretforton slumped 4-1 at home to Newent in West Clubs Women's Hockey League Premier Division '2A'.
Tess Lewinton struck as Bret were totally outplayed for their worst result of the season. Sophie Hamilton was player-of-the-match.
They visit Hereford on Saturday looking for improvement.
Chipping Campden won 2-1 at Ross-on-Wye in Severn Division Two despite fielding just 10 players.
Sam Edmunds defended well, while Berni Amphlett, Sue Purcell and Jo Peachey created numerous chances.
The breakthrough came when Sally Beale powered through from central midfield and put away a powerful shot.
A free hit from Amphlett created a great chance for Sarah Green to calmly double their advantage shortly before the interval.
Ross hit back in the second period but were denied by keeper Flo Giles and player-of-the-match Kate Potter in defence until scoring late on.
Campden host Shipton Oliffe on Saturday at Evesham High School (10.30am).


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"Every household requires a proper wiring installations through which the electricity can easily be supplied across the various rooms as well as can pass through the electrical appliances. Sometimes due to the problems of short circuit as well as burning of wires you need a professional to conduct the rewiring process and give adequate grounding. Book house electrical wiring services from Gapoon."
Home Electrical wiring or grounding cannot be done without the help of an expert as open wires can be very life threatening if they are handled by an amateur. Without proper house wiring and electrical connection you might be vulnerable to threats like short-circuit & sudden power trips. Also proper grounding checks helps you save unwanted shocks.
Great service, polite technicians, fast and economical Got the work done within a day of request, the electrician was good at his work and polite, all this in minimum prize. Kudos !!
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|Product Description
The M82 is ideal for use on boats in the 45'-60' range. Continuing the ideas created for Schaefer's M66 series, the M82 has the same features including computer machining. Torlon™ Rollers, Delrin™ Ball Bearings, Hardcoat anodized finish and a smooth, sculpted shape for a light, strong and aye-catching block.
Machined Aluminum construction, Torlon Rollers, Delrin Ball Bearings, Webbing/Lashing NOT included.
Common Specifications:
Cheeks are constructed of machined, harcoat anodized aluminum. Sheaves are machined aluminum with Torlon™ Rollers and Delrin™ Ball Bearings.
Use For:
Boats to 60'.
Part Number: M82-05


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Tropical fruit marketers say economic pressures aren't any harsher on their sales than on any other categories.
In fact, some say there are tropical fruits that outperform other fruits in lean economic times.
"Look at the cost of papaya and mango — they're not terribly expensive," said Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development with Pompano Beach, Fla.-based Southern Specialties.
Some tropical items are tougher to pin down in terms of affordability in lean times, Eagle said.
"When you're talking about rambutan, it really depends on what the retailer wants to charge," he said.
Even then, he said, costs are approachable to retailers and consumers.
"It's up to the customer to decide whether the cost is appealing enough for them to buy it daily or for a special occasion, but I think there is a customer base that is going to continue to generate strong business," Eagle said.
Some tropical fruits, such as pineapples and mangoes, compete strongly with any other fruit for consumer dollars, said Michael Warren, chief executive officer of Pompano Beach-based Central American Produce.
"I think there's always an effect economically because people have choices, but mangoes are an inexpensive item and pineapples go on sale usually once a month in most stores."
Cultural demands are a factor
Papayas can struggle, though, Warren said.
"It's still culturally driven, but I believe demand is going to pick up," he said.
Sometimes, a particular store will sell its inventory of tropical fruit regardless of economic circumstances, but it's up to marketers to figure out which items will sell and where, said Marc Holbik, vice president of business development with Miami-based Ecoripe Tropicals.
"We do work with a lot of small retailers that do an excellent job in understanding the consumer demographic per store, and tailor their product line towards the needs of their customers," he said.
The demographic mix of the U.S. provides some assurance that tropical lines will sell in many places, Holbik said.
"We are a multicultural country, and with many cultures comes many tastes, and as a tropical fruit and vegetable distributor, our mission is to meet the demands of our multicultural population and help retailers to do the same," he said.
That's an important point, said Tristan Simpson, marketing and corporate communications director at Irwindale, Calif.-based Ready Pac Foods Inc.
Hispanic and Asian consumers represent about 20% of the U.S. population and consume fruits at a higher rate than the average American consumer, she said.
Tropicals a treat for budget cutters
Perhaps there are some tradeoffs that don't harm the tropical line during times of nearly 8% unemployment, as been the case in the U.S. consistently over the last several years, some marketers said.
"With consumers wanting to pamper themselves at home — even if they can't afford to travel or dine out as much — trying a new tropical fruit is like a special treat, said Karen Caplan, chief executive officer of Los Alamitos, Calif.-based Frieda's Inc.
Food shows and other media may have helped insulate tropical fruit products from the recession, she said.
Some fruits that may not have gotten as much exposure as others might be more vulnerable, but that doesn't mean they're not cost-friendly, said Mary Ostlund, marketing director at Homestead, Fla.-based Brooks Tropicals Inc.
"Economic downward trends may hinder a consumer's willingness to try new things, but in many cases … the fruit is large and it delivers a lot of bang for the buck," she said.
Gary Clevenger, managing member and co-founder of Oxnard, Calif.-based Freska Produce International LLC, said his company hasn't felt any negative effects of a sluggish economy.
"We have seen sales increases every year since we started Freska in 2004, (even) with the economic forces in effect for the past three years," he said.
He did add, however, that economic factors might have prevented higher profit margins.
Tropical fruit is no worse off than other fruits in down economic times, said Jessie Capote, vice president/owner of Miami-based J&C Tropicals, but "the economy doesn't spare anyone," he said.


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Im addicted....more on the way. takes forever to cut them though.
This is an old champ Coyote that I don't throw. Figured it would be a good disc to start on. I had a lot of bleeds on this one and forgot some of the detail.
The next two are of the same pro Wraith with different lighting.. This was my second attempt. This one had no bleeds which was exciting for me. Added more detail on this one.


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Recently a central Illinois farm sold for $15,375 an acre, setting a new county record and confirming that demand for fertile farmland in the heart of the Corn Belt is still going strong.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the sale of the 173-acre farm in Champaign County, Ill., was sold at an auction earlier this month. The staggering price was even a surprise to experts.
"This is first time in Champaign County we've seen a sale top $15,000 that didn't have some development component associated with it. This was just a farm," Joe Bubon, executive vice president of Murray Wise Associates, a farm auction and real estate company based in Champaign, told the Chicago Tribune.
Though both farmers and investors big on the land, Bubon said that the highest bidder was a farmer, who has not been identified. Read, "U.S. farmland stays hot, Ill. farm sells for $15K an acre."
Indiana farmland values aren't an anomaly for the Corn Belt. The Global Post reported in an article available here that land prices in Iowa have jumped 24 percent in 2012 and gained 63 percent over the last three years. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, "farmland values in Iowa and parts of Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois were up 16 percent since early 2012 - the third largest increase since the late 1970s."Click here to read more.
Farmland values in the nation's midsection are used by federal economists as a gauge for farm economy and to determine the health of the banking system.
Reuters reports that the increase in land values has also stirred banker fears about a farmland bubble.
"Farm prices are high, but so are commodity prices and interest rates are very low. Those are the two biggest determinants of what farm ground should sell for," said Phil Burns, chief executive of F&M Bank in West Point, Nebraska. "The question becomes how sustainable are either or both looking longer term? In the short term everything looks fine.
Last year, a report from the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research said that the farmland market is indeed showing similar pattern as those seen in the market bubble of the 1970s and 1980s. Alex J. Pollock, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, believes that "Federal Reserve's record-low interest rates have contributed to inflation in the market prices of farmland, and he believes when interest rates begin to rise, farmland prices may drop."


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Here's an interesting boutique synthesizer from Denmark called the Anamono. It has digital oscillators, analog and digital filters, a feedback circuit, a granulator delay, a ring mod, overdrive circuit, modulation sources and MIDI. The best thing about it is the sounds:
It's the voice you joy: mp3 various presets: mp3 Glitch: mp3 Ugly Can: mp3
"Fully programable and controllable 16-step step granulator – Delay/granulator times up to 1.5 second. Ring modulator, that can process both internal sounds and sound coming via the external audio input. External audio input lets you process any sound with Anamono's filters, g-RAY feedback circuit, granulator/delay, ringmodulator and analogue overdrive 2 envelopes and 2 step-modulators, all having 2 sets of settings, that can be morphed between, using any modulation source. 2 LFO's with morphable waveforms and key-sync. 256 preset memory locations." – – gotharman.dk
The Anamono is 529 EURO. More more info: gotharman.dk


text: Plymouth State University's efforts on sustainability are anchored in a commitment to educate students about a sustainable lifestyle, to study and care for the environment, and to promote sustainability to the campus community and the world beyond. Sustainability efforts are evident throughout campus; in a program that integrates sustainability across the curriculum, in residential life, and in dining services. For over 25 years, Common Ground, a student environmental and social justice organization, has been focusing on environmental issues through events and service projects. The University's commitment to the environment also encompasses a new courses and majors aimed at preparing graduates for careers in environmental science, stewardship, and policy; a long-standing campus-wide recycling program; and EcoHouse, a "living-learning laboratory" that shows students how even small-scale environmental design features can have important environmental implications.


text:
As a medievalist I read a lot of books which form the basis of fantasy worlds like Tyria: Arthurian romances, tales of chivalry and myths of exquisite beasts which have been told and retold for centuries and have become embedded in our culture. In the present day, people draw upon these legends for inspiration, be it for books, films or videogames, and the world of Guild Wars is no exception.
What I'd like to do today is begin to look at possible sources of inspiration for Tyrian lore, beginning with the pre-history of the world, and what the game creators may have drawn upon in the birth of Tyria.
A brief gloss of Tyrian pre-history is possible through archaeological evidence in-game, however there are little surviving texts from that period which makes it difficult to have a true understanding of the events of that time. The Giganticus Lupicus, or true giants, are believed to have walked Tyria before 10,000 BE (before the Exodus of the Gods), when they went extinct at the hands of the Elder Dragons. They can be seen as the 'true inhabitants' of Tyrian land, having been the original occupants. Far later, around 786 BE, the Six Gods settled in Tyria and brought humanity to the world, who pushed from Orr into Kryta and Ascalon.
A similar situation is recorded in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (published c. 1136), which tells the tale of the original settlers of the British Isles, their battles and struggles, and the stories of the kings who ruled, including Arthur. Brutus, who is exiled from Greece for the accidental murder of his parents, sets sail with the Trojans for a new land free from persecution and attack. In his hunt, he comes across a Goddess in a dream, who tells him the following:
"There is an island […] once inhabited by giants,
But now it is deserted, ready to receive your people.
There kings shall arise from your line, and unto them
Shall all the lands of the Earth be subject."
If we look at what this passage says, we can clearly see the parallel between the message from the Goddess, and the assumed message from the Six Gods of Tyria: humans go to a land which was once dominated by giants but is now empty (in Tyria, this is due to the rampage of the Elder Dragons, from which the land is still recovering), and are sent to rule. The humans in Tyria's eldest age, with the assistance of the Gods, assume power over three kingdoms, and conquer the natives in those areas, such as the Charr in Ascalon.


text:
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text:
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No PS3 games nor free online play is a deal breaker for me.
a deal breaker for next gen?
Last edited by Frostwolf; 11-19-2013 at 07:04 PM.
Pretty much.
i'm in your boat so far, but for slightly different reasons. nothing on next gen so far is compelling enough for me to adopt early, and i have my PC to run all the new non-console titles.
I'm not nearly a big enough gamer to have to buy all new games and pay to play online. There's little benefit in upgrading when I play infrequently at best.
For those that have the PS4, I read an article that there are issues with Netflix cause they are routed through Sony's servers causing lag and wait times to load.
First time in a long time, I've been happy with the team that was constructed, and now they struggle. I blame the coach.
So who got the NBA2k14 patch? Did it fix the game invite issues?
Well since we beat Lego Marvel Superheroes my boy and I have pretty much abandoned the XBox one and have been playing a ton of FIFA for PS4. It's a lot of fun but man he hates to lose lol.
I probably won't have the extra $ to afford it until 2015, but if/when I do, is there any particular reason to get a PS4 is I already have an XB1? Growing up, I had stretches of owning both rivals (SNES and Genesis, N64 and PSX, XBOX and PS2), so I'd be open to doing so again. I suppose mainly it's just for exclusives, but any other reason?
Well, that's the main reason I got both is that I didn't want to miss out on exclusives for either system. I've not done much direct comparisons on games available for both systems. Xbox Live Gold means nothing to me because I don't purchase it and don't enjoy online gaming. In fact I've barely played anything online since I kicked my Team Fortress addiction 10 years ago. The voice control features on XB1 are nice though and I miss those when I switch over to the PS4.
I got one recently, not too excited about Knack or Killzone. Might check out Tomb Raider definitive edition. The streaming and spectating is pretty cool.
This and the Vita I got are AWESOME
Assassins creed is awesome on PS4 btw
Been playing NBA 2K like crazy, but I am just patiently, patiently, patiently waiting for The Show. I made the transition from Xbox 360 to PS4 and I'm happy with it so far.
Ahh the Show. The only league where the Cubs have a chance!
I love PlayStation, but I'm very disappointed with PS4 thus far. A recap of my issues...
1. My charge cord for my DS4 stopped working. I now charge with the same connection that charges my Galaxy (it works!)
2. Sometimes, the PS4 just boots with no sound. It's not the HDMI connection; it's the Sony.
3. The launch strategy was completely bungled. I'm endlessly entertained by FIFA and NBA 2k14 so it doesn't really matter, but it's dumb that it's February and those are still the only two titles which have interested me thus far. Sony just launched the console before developers were even close to ready, hence major delays for Watch Dogs and The Division.
4. Can't stream/play AV files on the PS4, yet anyway. Best thing about my PS3 was it operated as my media center. Could stream/download video files on there.
5. I've only had one issue of the console freezing so far, so I'm not too concerned because that will happen, but it did come after I hadn't saved for 2 hours, so I was consequentially pissed off about it. Good reminder to save all the time if auto-save is disabled, though (I usually disable auto-save in FIFA because the game has an annoying way of simming an absurd amount of red cards and catastrophic injuries).
6. New system update last night reminded me the unending list of system software updates is still a thing with Sony.
Tomb Raider is probably worth it if you didn't play/own the PS3/360 version already. It's the same game, just graphically dressed up. I bought it on PS3 originally, won't buy it again, but it was a pretty fun game. Ending is a bit lame/anticlimactic but gameplay & combat is really fun and smooth, and it was cool just exploring the open world and happening upon tombs in the process (although it would have been more fun if they were a bit less obvious).
And now Thief debuts to entirely mediocre reviews. Sheesh. PS4 launch has been a disaster so far. Naughty Dog, save us!
Gotta disagree. Killzone is great. You have COD Ghosts for an online shooter. NBA2k14 is fantastic. Also there is Assassins Creed. I'm not sure how many games you expected this early on. Could there be more? Yeah. But I don't think its bad. The new Infamous: Second Son game will be out soon and looks quite fun.
People aren't gonna be dropping a ton of money on games right after spending $400 on a console. So there never were going to be a ton of launch titles. Same thing with Xbox One.
It's so strange. For the previous 360/PS3 generation, I played games on the XBox and used the PS3 for movies and streaming. I seriously bought only like 5 or 6 PS3 games and all of them were exclusives. So far in this generation, completely the opposite. I've switched to playing on the PS4 and using the XB1 as a media hub.


text:
Summit Artspace Gallery is once again posing that age-old question -- how to challenge regional artists this year?
This year, the letter Q is the secret ingredient in the art, as the annual exhibition calls on regional artists to stretch their creativity and challenge themselves to include or represent Q in within their artwork: literally, figuratively, covertly, disguised, camouflaged or just plain quirky.
"Artists are invited to interpret the theme in any way their imagination leads them. We encourage graphic designers to enter the juried exhibition this year with interesting approaches to the letter Q as well." said gallery coordinator Joan Colbert.
This is the ninth Summit Artspace Fresh Art juried show, which is open to artists who live, work or attend colleges or universities in Summit, Portage and Medina Counties. It attracts unique works in a wide variety of media by both emerging young artists and established art professionals. Judges for this year's show include: Robert Thurmer, gallery director at Cleveland State University and Jack McWhorter, painter and faculty member in the Art Department at Kent State University. The judges will also select three top winners to be awarded cash prizes of $500, $300 and $200. The Summa Foundation is the Fresh Art prize sponsor for the fifth consecutive year.
Submissions will be accepted Feb. 28 from noon to 7 p.m. at Summit Artspace, 140 E. Market Street in Downtown Akron. Only one entry is allowed per artist, and there is a $10 entry fee. The exhibition opens on March 8 and continues through April 13. More details and an application form are available at www.akronareaarts.org or by calling 330-376-8480.
Prize winners will be announced at a special public reception March 8 from 5 to 8 pm.
Summit Artspace is at 140 E. Market St., one block east of the Akron Art Museum.


text:
I saw my friend Maurie sitting in front of Gary's Deli on Sunday. I hadn't really seen Maurie since we did the Spitler Peak Trail last May.
So, I asked him what he had been up to and he replied that he was there with an 80-year-old Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hiker. It turns out that Maurie is doing a trail angel gig and kind of escorting this south-bounder through our mountains.
The hiker was inside the deli getting food and drink. What else would a PCT hiker be doing?
I went inside and introduced myself. Maurie asked if I would like to hike with them through the Idyllwild area on Tuesday and Wednesday and I just might go along with the two of them. By the way, I think this 80-year-old is the oldest PCT hiker I have ever met or even heard about.
I have a new internet friend who lives in Gillette, Wyo. "Miss Wyoming," as I like to call her, expressed a great deal of interest in the town of Idyllwild. She asked me many questions about what it is like here and I told to go on the Idyllwild Town Crier website. After seeing the Town Crier site she realized that Idyllwild was not one of those urban sprawl, cookie cutter, strip mall kind of towns that most people associate with Southern California.
I began to send Miss Wyoming some of my many photographs of the local scenery, including Lake Hemet, County Park, Tahquitz Rock and Peak, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, wildflowers, hummingbirds and encouraged her to look at the Idyllwild Town Crier videos on youtube.com.
Miss Wyoming asked if there were any campgrounds or hiking trails near my house and how long it would take to walk to town from there. Well, County Park is literally a block away, obviously there are tons of trails here and I can walk to town in 5 minutes, I told her. The bottom line on this story is that looking at Idyllwild through someone else's eyes made me appreciate all it's splendor even more than I already do. If Idyllwild were a sovereign country, I think I would make a good ambassador.
Another thing I am amazed about is the abundance of flora and a fauna I am seeing around Idyllwild. I am seeing wildflowers, cottontail rabbits, chipmunks, bugs and all manner of other plants and animals. With all the rain and thunder showers we have had this month, everything is still looking so green.
I don't remember ever seeing so many California quail before and such large numbers per covey. I saw what may have been 20 quail crossing the road near my house. A couple of weeks ago, when I hiked the Deer Springs Trail, birds were everywhere. This makes me wonder if maybe there was a second breeding season because of the availability of food this late in the summer.


text:
People who are sheltering from a category four cyclone in the Pilbara are likely to be stuck inside for some time as the intense weather system, bringing destructive winds and dangerous flooding with it, makes its way across the region very slowly.
People in the Pilbara from Pardoo to Whim Creek including Port Hedland and South Hedland, are on "red alert" as cyclone Rusty moves towards the area.
It is likely the alert will not be downgraded for some time and they may have to stay sheltered for up to 36 hours.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services is urging people to be patient, saying the weather poses a threat to lives and homes.
The cyclone has brought strong winds to the area, despite still being off the coast, and will slowly move over the area, meaning highly dangerous winds and rain are expected to continue into tomorrow.
By now, people in the area should have their emergency kit together, and should be sheltering either in a welfare centre or in the strongest, safest part of a building.
People are being urged to stay away from doors and windows, and stay indoors until the "all clear" is given by authorities.
The two relocation centres; one in Port Hedland and one in South Hedland are reportedly close to capacity.
More than a dozen schools in the area are closed and, as of Tuesday, almost 300 houses in the area were without power.
People in low lying areas of Port Hedland, including a small section of Pretty Pool, were urged to relocate because of fears of a storm surge in the area.
At 11 am Rusty was estimated to be 125 kilometres north-east of Port Hedland and 190 kilometres north of Marble Bar and moving southeast at 5km/h towards the coast.
The cyclone has started to take a south-easterly track over the past few hours.
During the afternoon it is expected to take a more southerly track as it moves towards the Pilbara coast.
Wind gusts to 120km/h have already been experienced in Port Hedland and conditions there are likely to get slowly worse during the day.
Gales are occurring on the coast between Sandfire Roadhouse and Whim Creek and may extend west to Karratha and inland towards Marble Bar during today.
Very destructive winds with gusts in excess of 230km/h are likely to develop in coastal parts between Whim Creek and Wallal during the day as it approaches the coast.
Widespread very heavy rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday is likely to lead to major flooding in the De Grey catchment.
Significant flooding is also likely in the Fortescue catchment and in Pilbara coastal streams.
A "yellow alert" is current for people in or near the coastal communities of Wallal to Pardoo, extending inland to Marble Bar.
There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a cyclone is approaching the area. People need to take action and get ready to shelter from a cyclone.
A "blue alert" is current for people in or near coastal communities of Bidyadanga to Wallal and Whim Creek to Mardie, including Karratha and extending to inland communities including Nullagine and Millstream.
A "cyclone watch" is current for people in or near adjacent inland communities of the Pilbara including Tom Price, Newman and Telfer.
People should prepare their home inside and out and keep up to date with the development of the cyclone through radio, television or the internet.


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text:
The VoiceJam app for iPad was the centerpiece of my performance at TekServe a few months ago. They recently updated the app. The main new feature is a plug-in architecture and the first available plug-in the C1.
"The version adds In-App purchase of a VoiceTone C1 plug-in for adding the HardTune effects along with a long list of other features, improvements and fixes." – tc-helicon.com
Download the App: itunes.apple.com/us/app/voicejam


text:
Barney trying to be patient at the plate
CHICAGO -- This has not been a good homestand for the Cubs' Darwin Barney. The second baseman is 3-for-21 in seven games, and 0-for-15 in his last five.
"We're not taking advantage of fastballs," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said of Barney's at-bats. "They're getting deep on him and getting underneath him. We have to keep working to get out of it. We need him to do something, get on base, and do something in that part of the order."
On Friday against the Reds, he popped up to end the sixth and strand runners at first and third in a 6-5 loss. On Sunday, he flew out to right to end the fourth and leave the bases loaded, and the Cubs lost, 7-4. This season, he's 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
"It's not fun coming up in big situations and not coming through," Barney said. "When you have runners in scoring position, things just aren't falling. I put some good swings on balls in those situations, and they end up right at guys. I just haven't been executing my plan very much."
He was on the disabled list the first two weeks of the season after injuring his left knee in the Cubs' last spring game on March 30, but Barney wouldn't use that as an excuse.
"It's unfortunate when your team isn't winning games, and you're doing what I'm doing at the plate. You kind of wear it a little harder than you normally would, just because if you win a game, you can look at your day positively, and you helped the team defensively and maybe a situational hit," he said. "We haven't won a game these past few days, and when you're [personally] struggling, it's not a good feeling."
Barney said he's trying to see more pitches each at-bat.
"When you're not getting your hits, you better see some pitches and find a way to get on base," he said. "It's just one of those things where you have to get away from seeking results and just try to have good at-bats. Besides the last couple days, a few days before that, I felt I was doing that. I just have no hits to show for it."
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings, and you can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Kombucha Beauty
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GRAMMYs On The Road With Bush's Gavin Rossdale And Alvin Youngblood Hart
The Recording Academy Memphis Chapter played host for GRAMMYs On The Road At The Beale Street Music Festival, held May 4–6 as part of the Memphis in May International Festival. The Chapter conducted exclusive backstage interviews with artists performing at the festival, including GRAMMY-nominated Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and GRAMMY-nominated blues singer/songwriter Alvin Youngblood Hart.
Rossdale discussed recent changes in the music industry, musical inspirations, songwriting, and recording Bush's most recent release, 2011's The Sea Of Memories.
"Going into a studio every day to work is what really does it for me," said Rossdale. "Putting yourself in a chair to do something is sometimes the hardest part about [songwriting]."
Formed in 1992 by Rossdale and guitarist/violinist Nigel Pulsford, Bush was one of the first post-Nirvana British bands to garner a successful following in the United States. Their debut album, 1994's Sixteen Stone, peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Top 40 hits "Comedown" and "Glycerine" as well as "Machinehead" — the latter climbing to No. 43 in May 1996 after appearing on the soundtrack to the film Fear. For 1996's Razorblade Suitcase, the band recruited producer Steve Albini (PJ Harvey, Nirvana, Pixies) and the album shot to the top of the Billboard 200, with "Greedy Fly" and "Swallowed" cracking the Top 10 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart; the latter also garnered the band their first GRAMMY nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. Two studio albums followed, The Science Of Things (1999) and Golden State (2001), but the band officially disbanded in 2002. Rossdale reemerged in 2005 with his new project, Institute, and three years later released his debut solo album, Wanderlust, which peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard 200. Bush reunited in September 2010 with a new lineup featuring Corey Britz (bass), Chris Traynor (guitar) and original drummer Robin Goodridge. In September 2011 Bush released The Sea Of Memories, which peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard 200.
Hart discussed the differences between the business and creative sides of the music industry, music education and artists he'd like to perform with, among other topics.
"The hardware influences me creatively," said Hart. "Just getting my hands on the instruments … I never would have guessed when I was 14 [or] 15 years old that I was going to get so deep into the inner workings of the instruments."
Hailing from Oakland, Calif., Hart's passion for acoustic blues was first sparked while visiting his musician grandparents in northern Mississippi. Hart began playing guitar in his early teens, inspired by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, the Rolling Stones, and Jimmy Reed, among others. While stationed in Natchez, Miss., after joining the U.S. Coast Guard in 1986, Hart began playing at local bars. His first career break came in 1995 when he opened for Taj Mahal at a jazz club in Oakland. In 1996 Hart released his debut album, Big Mama's Door, followed by 1998's Territory, the latter of which peaked at No. 13 on Billboard's Blues Albums chart. Start With The Soul was released in 2000, followed by 2002's Down In The Alley. The latter album garnered Hart his first GRAMMY nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album. Hart's most recent album, Motivational Speaker, was released in 2005.
Come back to GRAMMY.com tomorrow for more exclusive backstage interviews from GRAMMYs On The Road At The Beale Street Music Festival.


text:
65 — By Capt. Bill Pike —
September 2004
Lovely Lady
Oviatt's 65-foot Alaskan Flushdeck abounds with classic good looks and top-shelf joinery.
I was at the helm of a midrange motoryacht, idling into St. Augustine Inlet some while back, when a rather large vessel dead ahead spoke to me. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying the vessel came right out and said, "Hey Bill, how ya' doin'?'" What I'm talking about is the ability of certain watercraft, irrespective of size, type, or age, to arrest one's attention, in the same way a piece of fine art does.
"What kinda boat's that?" my copilot wondered. I shrugged noncommittally. The appearance of the yacht in question was classic, and given her distinctive lines and length—I estimated she was a 60-some-footer—there were only a few builders I could think of who might have created her, among them Grand Banks, Marlow Marine, and perhaps Ocean Alexander.
The truth revealed itself as we got closer. The boat was a 65-foot Alaskan Flushdeck called Lady Java—by strange and synergistic coincidence, the very same vessel I was scheduled to test just a few days hence. I backed off on my throttles and watched her pass, wholly charmed by the subtle S-shape sheerline, sweetly proportioned brow, teak-capped bulwarks on the Portuguese bridge, and the proud, clipper bow—a design element undoubtedly inspired by the pen of Arthur DeFever, who over the years has drawn his fair share of classic cruisers for Oviatt Marine, the folks who oversee the construction of the 65 in Taiwan, as well as a whole series of other Alaskan motoryachts, and sell them stateside.
Sure enough, later that week, I returned to St. Augustine to sea trial Lady Java, a happenstance made no less exhilarating by the brief passage of time. As I walked down the long dock behind the Conch House Restaurant towards the boat, she was just as arresting as when I'd first seen her. Standing in one of the pilothouse doors, Capt. Kaylon Green waved a welcoming hand. The boat's twin 800-hp Caterpillar 3406E diesel inboards were ready to go, he told me. "Then let's hit the trail," I replied.
Offshore conditions were calm. I ran the boat from the upper helm station as well as the lower one in the open Atlantic and found sightlines from both locations to be excellent. Thanks to Stidd helm chairs, each spot was comfy and set up for real-world coastal voyaging. All serious cruising boats should have dedicated pilothouses, in my opinion, with a place for a relief skipper to sack out during the nighttime watches. Not only was Lady Java configured this way, with a fully bulkheaded nav area and a convertible lounge for sleeping therein, she was also outfitted with a raft of state-of-the-art electronics, much of them standard.
Steering was smooth, thanks to Hynautic hydraulics—six turns lock to lock. Despite the fact that she was loaded down with a couple tons of Asian artwork, including a wonderful sculpture of a female Buddha in the saloon, Lady Java's 19-mph top speed was typical of motoryachts in this size range with the same sort of big-time engine package and displacement. Operating efficiencies at and below theoretical hull speed (10.4 knots, or 11.9 mph) were good, with ample range figures in the offing. Running angles were exceptionally low, and sound levels I recorded in the pilothouse were quite low as well, a maximum of 73 dB-A (65 is the level of normal conversation). Moreover, with big props, torquey powerplants, and an optional 25-hp Sidepower bow thruster, dockside maneuvering went smoothly, except for a little snafu that occurred just as we were returning to our berth behind the restaurant.
Next page > Part 2: "She's a big, comfortable, classic cruiser, finished to the nines." > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
This article originally appeared in the August 2004 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.


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Energy economics 101
Oil company engineer Ed Bullerdieck takes aim at CONTROL columnist Béla Lipták's recent column on the country's Global Energy Policy and makes the case for dealing with the issue much differently.
global strategy begins with control," says Béla Lipták in his Lessons Learned column from the September issue of CONTROL magazine. Not so fast, Béla. It begins by accurately defining the problem to be solved, which, in this case, is multifaceted and cannot be adequately described by such a simple statement. Nor will the solution to our nations energy issues have a single dimension. It will be multidimensional and as diverse as our current energy industry.
Control has a role
As industry and society grapple with the many facets of the problem, it will remain true that the role of control is to make sure the many parts of the solution operate safely and efficiently. And for the control engineers behind this effort, it is certainly a noble calling. As an educated part of the public, control engineers will also participate in the public debate and likely be notable agents of change speeding the evolution of the energy industry to whatever form it may take.
Perceiving the problem
"We all know that oil will run out by the end of this century." The problem is not really one of supply, or in other words, a scarcity of recourses. The problem is how to supply and distribute energy we have.
There are multiple sources of energy and energy, like money, is fungible. Substitution between sources can, does and will occur based on price and production costs. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) oil represents only 39% of U.S. energy consumption (Annual Energy Outlook 2004, 2002 actual consumption). If oil becomes disproportionately more expensive than other sources its contribution to the overall energy mix will decline.
Initial steps in this economic process would include direct substitution, where oil does not have a technical advantage. Presumably, this would include fixed power generation where coal, gas, nuclear, or fixed-position renewables (hydroelectric, wind, tidal, solar cells, etc.) could substitute without generating costs higher than the oil such alternatives would replace. But a factor that may sustain oils key role in the energy mix is its inherent transportability because it is a liquid. Transportation is a major cost issue and liquid fuels have a distinct cost advantage because of their ease of handling and high energy density. Energy source substitutions will occur here also, but for a price. The most viable substitutes to oil will most likely continue to be liquid fuels.
Nonetheless, there is a report by the EIA that postulates rapid declines in conventional oil reserves starting anywhere from ~20252075 and eventual production decline to below 1 billion bbls/year by 20752125. The problem with the projection is the fact that the report ignores non-conventional reserves (tar sands, oil shales, etc.) which exist in large quantities around the globe. It also makes no reference to outer continental shelf production potential. Heres what the World Energy Council has to say about that: Today, the potential represented by deep offshore resources has not yet been clearly determined. Sedimentary areas lying in over 200 m of water represent nearly 55 million km² of sedimentary basins, or four times the conventional offshore surface area.
An unfinished oil portrait
One needs to consider all energy sources and how energy is, and will be used when postulating the character our energy future. To focus on one source (oil, coal, etc.), especially without considering where, how, and how much energy will be used, or how existing infrastructure might be reused or adapted, will only paint a very incomplete picture. Any conclusions drawn from that will be erroneous.
The oil picture is still very incomplete. It would seem that we have a good picture of probable conventional oil reserves based on current technology, but have a very incomplete image when one considers non-conventional sources, the ultimate recovery from conventional sources via technical advances, and our ability to take advantage of potential reserves in deep water out on the continental shelf.
The probable final outcome will be determined by relative cost between the sources. Depending on how much one wants to spend most of the oil out there is probably recoverable. Whether we eventually recover 30% or 70% depends on relative costs. If renewable energy costs drop oil may eventually cease to be important not because it is scarce but because it isn't cost effective.
When will we run out of non-renewable energy sources like oil? Still unknown. We will run out of fossil resources (by definition), but when is still largely conjectural and is probably much farther out than the end of this century.
Big idea, questionable economics
Lipták proposes renewables on a grand scale might provide for our future energy needs: Start by building gigantic, floating islands covered with solar collectors and positioning them around the equator, he offers. But before we judge the merits of such a proposal, consider the following:
Worldwide energy demand: Assuming a world population of 15 billion in 2100 with per-capita consumption at the current U.S. level (97.72 Quad/yr (EIA) for 300 million (U.S. Census Bureau) world energy demand would be about 4,900 Quads/year.
Surface area required to support solar cells: Assuming 100% energy supply from solar cells (a very poor assumption, but necessary to put a scope on the problem) we can calculate the required area that must be dedicated to energy collection. Solar energy density (per Lessons Learned, sidebar) is 500,000 BTU's/ft2/year at the equator, less as we move away from the equator (13% reduction at 30° latitude, 50% at 60° latitude). Solar cells are around 15% efficient. Taking additional discounts for bad weather, maintenance, stranded sources, etc. we could arrive at 2% (or less). Assuming 2% efficiency we need to cover about 17,500 square miles of the earth's surface with solar cells to meet 100% of our energy needs. This is a miniscule percentage of the Earth's 197 million square- mile surface area, so the proposition is not unreasonable.
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Jumanji (1995)
75 mistakes
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Starring: Bonnie Hunt, Bradley Pierce, Jonathan Hyde, Kirsten Dunst, Robin Williams
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Romance, Thriller
Continuity mistake: When the insect sits on the windowshield of the car Robin Williams says that the insects can't make a hole, they are safe, then the insect makes a hole, the car drives away creating havoc on the road because of extreme bad driving. The car stops, they get out, then there is no hole in the windowshield.
Continuity mistake: When the Aunt flags down the cop car, the cop has his seat belt on, as the plant starts coming in the car to grab him and the car. He jumps out of the car without ever undoing his seat belt.
Factual error: When it's 1969 we see a boy (I'm not sure which one so you'll have to look) riding a Shwinn Sting-Ray Krate Grey. That bike didn't come out until 1971 and they only made them that one year.
Continuity mistake: Carl's cop car has the licence plate "G2298" which is printed thinly on the licence plate. Then, when the vine wraps around his car, and bends it in two, the licence plate is now "CFJB95", printed very boldly on the plate. The words "POLICE 004" also differ, as does the bumper and the lights. Totally new car, methinks...
Continuity mistake: When Alan is trapped on the floor, and the game is placed over his head, Sarah rolls the dice which fall on the lower left corner. When the angle changes they've moved further to the right.
Revealing mistake: When Alan's merged with the floor and the first huge spider shows up, there's a thin wire coming out of its rear to make the animatronic move.
Continuity mistake: When Judy is talking with Carl outside the front of their house as Alan examines the police car, Judy's pigtails are alternatively in front of, or behind her shoulders during shots.
Revealing mistake: During the monsoon scene, everyone is on a table trying to climb on the chandelier. Peter has been turned into a monkey, and his face is covered in hair and has the characterists of a monkeys face, yet in shots when they are on the table, like when the crocodile snaps at them on the table, just before Alan lifts Peter onto the chandelier, you can see the plain face of his stunt double, with no monkey features! Robin William's and Bonnie Hunt's doubles are rather obvious in these same shots too.
Visible crew/equipment: In the scene with the big tarantulas, many times you can see the strings attached behind them, especially the one Peter swings the axe at.
Continuity mistake: When Alan confronts the lion with a knife, the blade is either facing flat or sideways depending on the angle.
Continuity mistake: During the stampede, when the four are watching the animals pass by the hall, Sarah is randomly next to Alan or behind him. Also, when the stampede ends, the four swap from being separate to firmly together in a mere frame.
Continuity mistake: When Peter runs out of the attic to the woodshed to get the axe, to the left of the attic door is a large filing cabinet, with nothing in front of it or beside it. Yet later when Peter is swinging the axe at the spiders, and following shots, a green suitcase has appeared in front if it.
Visible crew/equipment: In the scene when the pods and vines start growing all over the lounge, there is one shot of a green vine crawling towards a carpet, and then slithering under. Watch closely, near the carpet, and you can see the wire attached to, and controlling the vine, because the light shines on it, exposing it rather well for a second.
Continuity mistake: When Van Pelt comes out of Jumanji, he starts shooting at Alan. Alan then runs through the brown doors, and Van Pelt shoots, misses, and blows a large hole into the door. Yet when they all return to the room, the hole in the door is smaller.
Continuity mistake: When Alan is trying to get Jumanji back from the pelican, he grabs a fish from the water, and his sleeve becomes soaking wet. In the next shot his sleeve is bone dry.
Continuity mistake: When Sarah, Judy and Peter are in the store, where the riot is going on, they spot the Jumanji Board Game sitting on the till counter. To the right of the till is a very large "Sand and Water Activity Table" box. In one shot the box it facing so you can see the upper part/top of the box. It then cuts, and the box has mysteriously rotated 180°, so that you can now see the lower part/bottom of the box! In the same shots, there is a trolley by the till, with some items and a box in it. Cut back to the trolley and there's now two boxes in it! It then cuts, and the box is back to it's original position, and the box in the trolley disappears! If you look more closely, the entire shelf unit behind the counter is completely different!!!
Continuity mistake: When Peter rolls the dice prior to letting the monkeys loose, whilst him and Judy are in the attic, he rolls both "1"'s. The sides of the dice which are visible read "3" on one die and "4" on the other. Then when it cuts to a closeup of the boardpiece moving, the "4" now reads a "2", and the dice have also moved position.
Visible crew/equipment: When grown up Alan is running around shouting "I'm Home!" after just arriving back from the jungle, the camera pans past a grandfather clock, and you can clearly see the legs of a crewmember reflected in the glass panel of the clock, moving in time with the camera.
Continuity mistake: When the monkeys are causing chaos in the kitchen, a monkey throws three knives at the kids. Two of them stay in the door, but one bounces off and only makes a nick in the wood. Later in the film, when Robin Williams is in the kitchen, and he blocks the door, you can see that the two knives that were stuck in the door are still there, but the nick in the wood has gone.
Continuity mistake: When the pelican grabs the game, there's a wide shot of Alan running behind the bird. The damage on the side of the arch behind is bigger than it was in the immediate previous shot.


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The audit log information can grow quickly and considerably depending on the type of information written to the audit log files and the activity of the MySQL server. Therefore, it might be a good idea to copy the audit log files to a different location and free some storage on the server.
The mysqlauditadmin utility also provides this useful functionality.


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Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Back Soon (I Hope)
I've had very limited internet access all week due to problems with my computer. After spending many hours at the Apple Store with some great Geniuses at the Genius Bar, we've come to the conclusion that the only option left is to erase the hard drive on my beloved MacBook and re-install the system from scratch (the likely cause is some corrupted files that are now affecting the system). I'm in the process of backing up all my files which is taking forever because of the problems. I'm writing this from my ancient e-Mac desktop (11 years and still going!), but I'm a bit limited here.
Just wanted to let you know why I'm not posting or visiting much. Hopefully, I'll be back in shape before too long!
Just wanted to let you know why I'm not posting or visiting much. Hopefully, I'll be back in shape before too long!
3 comments:
Good luck! For future reference when your computer is fixed - I've used carbonite automatic back up for about four years and through 3 computers. There are others too but carbonite has worked great for me. I get mine for $50 a year. It's easy to restore backed up files. And you don't have to worry about back up yourself -- it's automatic twice daily.ReplyDelete
See you soon! Good luck with the computer.
Ouch. Hope everything works out. I had that happen to my older Mac (passed down to Jessie) and after some investigating, bought a new hard drive myself and reinstalled it (thanks to a you tube tutorial) pretty easily and for less money.ReplyDelete
Hope you're back up and running soon.
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Tote Bag
Ferret 1by Rob Art | Patterns
Our quality crafted Tote Bags are hand sewn in America using durable, yet lightweight, poly poplin fabric. All seams and stress points are double stitched for durability. Available in 13" x 13", 16" x 16" and 18" x 18" variations, the tote bags are washable, feature original artwork on both sides and a sturdy 1" wide cotton webbing strap for comfortably carrying over your shoulder.
One of the elements of the Creative Pet Project pattern. Stop ferreting around!
The Creative Pet Project is a group of talented artists working to publish a charity book to help donate to a chosen animal cause.
Over 70 artists from around the world, with unique and different styles all blending together in one volume, because the love they have for their pets and nature.


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Flags of the world: Indonesia
Flags of the world are often taught to our children in middle primary school. They learn briefly about the history of the country and what the flag and its colours represent. Learn a little bit about Indonesia and its flag with this colouring printable flag for kids.
What you need:
- computer with internet access
- printer
- paper
- coloured pencils or markers
Indonesian flag
Became official: 1945
Description: The Indonesian flag is commonly referred to as the sacred red and white. The colours on the flag of Indonesia represent courage (red) and purity (white). The flag became official when Indonesia gained independence from the Netherlands.
Print your own Indonesian flag to colour in. See the colours you need to use below.
Please note: The black outline on the printable is to represent the outline of the flag. The Indonesian flag is red and white only.
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Coming into the 2012-2013 NBA season, I was both excited and cautiously optimistic about the team. I considered their 2nd-round debut after being out of the post season a number of years refreshing and couldn't wait to see how the team improved themselves this season. Like many other fans, I expected there would be some changes to the roster, but little did I suspect that one of those players no longer on the roster would be Darren Collison! And here is where the focus of this thread takes shape.
While I expected team chemistry and cohensiveness would be problematic since so many new faces have been added to the roster, I did not expect to see this team struggle as much as it has since the season began. And like many fans, I've struggled to make sense of it all. However, I think George Hill provides the answer per this article from Pacers.com:
Did you catch that last part? If not, I think all Pacers fans, as well as Coach Vogel himself, needs to read that last paragraph again![George]Hill, who led all scorers Tuesday with 18 points, but missed all four three-point attempts and had one more turnover (three) than assists, attempted to shoulder the blame.
"As a point guard I have to figure a way to get everyone involved and in sync," he said. "I put that on my shoulders. I have to find a way to get Roy going, and Paul and D. West.
"Right now I'm still learning as a point guard. I really never was a point guard growing up, so I'm learning every day. I have to take it like a man and figure out a way to do it."
I'm not calling for Hill to be benched nor do I believe he should be. IMO, he performed admirably last year both as the backup PG behind DC and as the starting PG when DC went down due to injury. So, I give him credit where credit is due. However, even Hill would tell you he's more of a Shooting Guard than a Point Guard. And that's part of the team's problem right now. Another is the fact that while Hill, by his own admission, is still in a learning phase so is our new backup PG, DJ Augustine.
IMO, the Pacers made a huge mistake in trading away DC AND AJ Price. This left the team without a true PG! CORRECTION...a true veteran PG. As hard as this team is struggling to manufacture points while also addressing chemistry issues, they're also trying to bend the learning curve with their PGs - something that's extremely difficult to do for a team that IS expected to compete after that outstanding performance from last season. But as the team continues to struggle, it's becoming more and more apparant that Coach Vogel needs to make a line-up change (soon). I would suggest the following:
C - Hibbert/Mahanmi
PF - DWest/T Hansborough
SF - PGeorge/Sam Young*
SG - Stephenson/Green
PG - GHill/B Hansborough/Augustin
*Only while Granger is out due to injury.
Once Granger returns, I would suggest going with:
C - Hibbert/Mahanmi
PF - DWest/T Hansborough
SF - Granger/Sam Young
SG - PGeorge/Stephenson/Green
PG - GHill/B Hansborough/Augustin
Why Sam Young at backup SF? DEFENSE, of course!
Why start PGeorge at SG ahead of Stephenson particularly since Stephenson seems to have developed some confidence in his newfound role at the position? Chemistry among the starters! Remember: We retained our STARTING CORE for a reason - this group performed very well together last year. There's no reason to think they couldn't pick up where they left off once Granger returns (and he's able to get his legs back under him [re: "game shape"]). However, I do believe it would be tempting to keep Stephenson at his starting SG position and bring PGeorge off the bench ONLY because you want someone with expericne, the ability to score and take charge of the 2nd-Unit w/the reserve players. Vogel may have to go this route if he can't get more productivity from the bench.
Why move Ben Hansborough ahead of Augustin? Not only is Augustin struggling to find his offense, he also appears to be struggling w/how to run the offense particularly when working against Zone defenses. I've watched Lil Ben [Hansborough] perform over the summer and in his brief stints of playing time not only does he seem to have better court vision, he also has the ability to create shots for himself. In other words, he has exhibited confidence in his game and his teammates seem to enjoy playing alongside him. Give it four more games and if Augustin hasn't improved his game play, I'd say it's time to yank him and play Ben Hansborough in his place.
I really don't think there's anything else that can be done to improve team performance beyond coach accepting a dose of reality and making some minor lineup changes. If the team continues on its current trejectory, the former 2nd round contenders who nearly took the Miami Heat the distance may find themselves out of the playoff hunt this year. And that would be a damned shame.
Make the adjustments, coach! Do it quickly before things get so far out of hand the team can't recover.


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Pinta is a pretty pink and white sweetie that is ready to meet a responsible new owner. She's been through a lot and has come out of it steady and eager to bond with a new family. She is bold and ready for adventures. She does seem interested in chasing cats, but she's smart and probably can overcome her desire with training. What Pinta needs is a caring owner. You can meet Nubby, Pinta, Smokey and Wyatt at the Mendocino Coast Humane Society at 19691 Summers Lane, Fort Bragg. Call 964-SPAY. The shelter's open Monday-Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. Also check for Coast adoptables on petfinder.com.
Gerri Sorkin photo


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For On The Floor: 2010 — More Sweet Than Sour (With Good Fortunes Ahead?)
EP Editorial Staff | December 9, 2010
Despite the perennial challenges of budget cuts and worker shortages, our Maintenance Technology Reader Panelists' view of 2010 is modestly upbeat: not a record-breaker, but better than expected for many.
What's more, they have high hopes for 2011. Responding to questions about the good and bad of 2010, and what they expect for next year, the group's overall optimism for the next 12 months is higher than it's been in the two years this column has run. Here's what they had to say.
This year's balancing act
Many Panelists describe 2010 as a balancing act that required them to operate with lean-era shortcomings (of people, parts, PM programs, etc.) while meeting the production demands of rebounding sales. Learning how to do this was both frustrating and instructional.
"I believe 2010 made a better professional out of me," says a reliability manager for a services provider in the lower Midwest. "Having spent a better part of my management life in an upswing economy, a slimming budget will put one in a position where they have to think more creatively." He acknowledges that there's nothing like trial by fire. "My company had to readjust its long- and short-term strategies, but I believe we came out of 2010 none the worse for wear."
Similarly, a maintenance coordinator at a New England manufacturer names his biggest 2010 maintenance challenge as getting replacement parts when needed, due to past practices that collided with a production upswing. "Until last year," he explains, "we had a reasonably safe inventory stock. Then we were asked to limit spending, which meant not replacing inventory needed to keep machines running." When production took off in 2010, he recalls, "we were caught short many times and have fallen into the waiting trap for delivery while a machine sits." On the positive side, the production upswing also brought new training opportunities that this Panelist calls "very beneficial."
At another location in New England, a corporate engineer tells us his biggest challenge in 2010 was keeping costs down while maintaining equipment. "We had to work very smart and pick our less expensive battles," he reports, adding that it was a busy year for him with regard to projects. "The company also did a little better in sales," he says, "so we are in recovery mode."
More ado about workers
Regardless of the questions posed to Panelists, responses inevitably—and increasingly—involved this era's top industrial story: worker shortages. Whether or not a company is doing well at the moment almost seems irrelevant. The worker-shortage problem has become endemic to manufacturing, its impact widely detectable and gaining strength.
"Maintenance at our plant has been a real challenge this year," says a PM leader in the upper Midwest who blames his PM struggles on a lack of trades availability. "We've been able to do our day-to-day tasks," he says, "but with the extra work that has come our way, we have stumbled."
In the South, worker-related issues challenged a maintenance supervisor in August when production targets began to ramp up. "At that time," he notes, "the budget began to loosen up and our biggest challenge was to fill maintenance positions that had been frozen for a year or so." While the positions were eventually filled, he observes that the pool of available candidates was small, considering the economy and layoffs. "Now," he says, "we are trying to play catch-up on neglected work and preventive maintenance."
For a maintenance manager in New England, it's the training side of the worker-shortage issue that bothers him. His plant has enough staff, he says, but they're not up to speed on what the company wants to do. "We are trying to deploy engineered standards to become more efficient," he explains, "but this will be a major undertaking as most people in the company have never worked under those specifications." Accustomed to working with the standards during his 45-year career, this Panelist is surprised that such knowledge is not being passed on. "Hopefully, we'll be successful," he says, "but it could be painful for some of the management team as they have a hard time understanding."
In the same boat, a maintenance manager at a repair service in the Midwest simply says, "I could have done better with a more experienced staff of any kind."
Hope springs
In contrast to their tepid expectations for 2010, and despite ongoing challenges, Panelists' hopes for 2011 are high. Learning from this year's bumps in the road, many feel better-positioned to take advantage of opportunities ahead.
"I think we learned a lot this year," states the maintenance supervisor in the South. "We learned that we can trim budgets and overtime goals and still survive. We also learned that putting off some preventive maintenance and projects can cost more in the long run. In 2011, we need to keep this in mind as we continue to strive to find the happy medium between cutting costs and maximum uptime for our facility. Next year," he says, "I would like to add some predictive maintenance as well as extend/modify our current PM program."
The reliability manager in the lower Midwest believes that indications for a strong 2011 are present. His group is prepared, he tells us, "to keep up with any influx in 2011 through preparation and planning."
And with new machinery on his list of 2011 expectations, the corporate engineer in New England believes next year will be the time to "do some fine-tuning with my maintenance departments." According to him, more funding should be available, which will allow him to "do all the big projects that need to be done in order for the company to run more efficiently."
Improved efficiency is a common 2011 goal for Panelists. That maintenance coordinator in New England, for example, plans to "jump-start" what he refers to as an "all-but-dead predictive maintenance program." He's looking to receive certificates in ultrasonic testing, level-3 infrared and possibly vibration analysis. "My expectation," he explains, "is that each technician will be competent in one or more of the predictive maintenance tools we have available at our site."
Another Panelist will "keep moving forward with plans we established this year," which include improving CMMS usage with new requirements and training for supervisors, maintenance techs and purchasing. "I know this is remedial stuff," he admits, "but it needs to be done to help us drive continuous improvements and keep costs under control."
Finally, the PM leader in the upper Midwest says he hopes to "complete our transformation next year, get all of our programs up and running, put on more tradespeople and get our apprentice program up to speed." As he sees it, "If we can maintain our current production level and get our new programs going, our future looks very promising." MT
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