text:
Tom Rock's case for why the 49ers will win Super Bowl XLVII
The Ravens have beaten two surefire Hall of Fame quarterbacks and a rookie who looks like he could be in that class in a couple of years to get to the Super Bowl. But they've yet to see anything like what they will see Sunday night.
Unlike Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck -- the last three quarterbacks to fall to the Ravens -- the 49ers have Colin Kaepernick under center. Or at least about four yards behind center.
Kaepernick orchestrates a reflexive, responsive offense from that "pistol" position in which he reads what defenses try to take away and goes in the other direction. Where the other quarterbacks the Ravens faced were predominantly pocket passers, Kaepernick is at his most dangerous when he is outside the tackles, running with his sprinter's speed and long strides, creating plays.
Against an aging Ravens defense that includes five players with 10 or more years in the NFL, Kaepernick's speed should be able to get him to the outside.
He'll also make Frank Gore a more dangerous weapon. While the Ravens usually rely on their wits to anticipate plays and be in the proper place -- middle linebacker Ray Lewis is among the best ever at the chess game that takes place at the line of scrimmage -- against a read-option that anticipation will be neutralized. Kaepernick will be reading the defense and get the last word on where the ball goes. If the defense focuses too much on him, as it should, Gore gets an advantage.
A running back hasn't won Super Bowl MVP since 1997. The award usually goes to the quarterback. Gore has a good chance to stop that trend today, and it's because of the quarterback.
"The league has changed and a lot of guys love throwing the ball," Gore said. "Everyone wants the quarterback to be the MVP. There is a chance for me because they have to respect Kaepernick."
On the other side of the ball, the 49ers defense is just as imposing as the Ravens', but younger and faster. They ranked third in total defense, second in points allowed, and their balance was astounding: they were ranked the fourth best against both the run and the pass. Linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman are dominant players in the middle and should be able to contain the Ravens' biggest offensive treat, Ray Rice.
PREDICTION49ers 17, Ravens 14


text:
Taxing Caloric Sweetened Beverages To Curb Obesity
High U.S. obesity rates have prompted calls for a tax on caloric sweetened beverages. Faced with such a tax, consumers are likely to substitute nontaxed beverages, such as bottled water, juice, and milk. A tax that increases the price of caloric sweetened beverages by 20 percent could cause an average reduction of 3.8 pounds of body weight over a year for adults and 4.5 pounds for children.
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
Volume (Year): (2010)
Issue (Month): (September)
|Contact details of provider:
| Postal: 1400 Independence Ave.,SW, Mail Stop 1800, Washington, DC 20250-1800
Phone: 202-694-5050
Fax: 202-694-5700
Web page: http://ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/
More information through EDIRC
No references listed on IDEAS
You can help add them by filling out this form.
This item is not listed on Wikipedia, on a reading list or among the top items on IDEAS.
When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:uersaw:121894. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (AgEcon Search)
If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.
If references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.
If the full references list an item that is present in RePEc, but the system did not link to it, you can help with this form.
If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.
Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
College Basketball: Michigan State at Ohio State - Buckeyes Favored
Team Page: Michigan State :: Ohio State
52% of Bets Placed on Buckeyes -8.5 | Matchup | CBB Picks
Ohio State has been unbeatable at home - except when Michigan State comes to town.
The fifth-ranked Buckeyes (17-3, 5-1 Big Ten) try for their 22nd consecutive home victory Saturday when they face the Spartans, who have won four in a row at Columbus and dealt Ohio State its last home loss.
Oddsmakers have made Ohio State -8.5 point spread favorites (College Basketball Odds) for todays game,
the over/under has been set at 129.5 total points (View College Basketball Sports Books).
Drew Neitzel's runner and two free throws in the final 45 seconds of the second overtime helped the then-No. 14 Spartans hand the then-No. 19 Buckeyes their only home defeat of last season, 62-59 last Jan. 15.
The Buckeyes haven't beaten the Spartans in Columbus since a 64-55 victory on Jan. 27, 2001.
Ohio State, though, won the most recent meeting 79-68 at East Lansing on Feb. 22. The teams play at Michigan State on Feb. 3.
Both schools come into Saturday's matchup looking to extend four-game winning streaks. Ohio State is a game behind conference leader Wisconsin, while Michigan State (17-4, 4-2) is one game behind the Buckeyes in a three-way tie for third.
"We're looking forward now to what we get to do," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "I told our guys, 'This is why you come to a school like this. You get to play big games on national TV, in front of big crowds with everybody watching.'"
Ohio State had trouble shaking pesky Northwestern in a 59-50 win on Wednesday. Freshman center Greg Oden made sure there would not be an upset by scoring 10 points during the final 10:19 of the game. He finished with 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting and grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds.
"It was a close game," Oden said. "Somebody had to make plays."
Oden, averaging 15.4 points and 10.1 rebounds in 13 games, is averaging 23.0 points and 13.5 boards in his last two contests.
"He really amazes me everyday with some of the things he can do," Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said. "His length. His timing. He's got a great feel for when the ball leaves the shooter's hand. Sometimes you find yourself saying that guy is pretty special to watch."
Michigan State's four consecutive victories have come against conference opponents after it dropped its first two Big Ten games at Iowa and Indiana.
The Spartans had little trouble in Wednesday's 70-46 home win over Minnesota, shooting 50.9 percent - the second straight game they have made more than half their shots.
"I'm trying to look at this like we're 0-0 and let's go see what we can do with the last 10 games," Izzo said.
Neitzel, the star of last season's win over Ohio State, leads Michigan State in scoring with a career-best 18.2 points per game. He struggled against Minnesota, though, scoring just 13 on 5-for-13 shooting.
Michigan State's only game against a ranked opponent this season was a 63-61 win over then-No. 19 Texas on Nov. 16.
by: Marc Young - theSpread.com - Email Us
More NCAA College Basketball Coverage from theSpread.com
- NCAA College Basketball teams
- NCAA College Basketball standings
- NCAA College Basketball schedule
- NCAA College Basketball scoreboard
- NCAA College Basketball injuries
- NCAA College Basketball matchups
- NCAA College Basketball stats
- NCAA College Basketball odds
- NCAA College Basketball public betting chart
- NCAA College Basketball news wire
- NCAA College Basketball top stories
- NCAA College Basketball trends
- AccuScore NCAA College Basketball predictions
- Expert NCAA College Basketball picks
- Comments and discussion
- Signup for theSpread.com daily newsletter
- NCAA College Basketball Home


text:
Kamala Das
Kamala Das (31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009 / Punnayurkulam, Thrissur District in Kerala)
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
The Suicide
Bereft of soul
My body shall be bare.
Bereft of body
My soul shall be bare.
read more >>
- Hits: Number of visitors who read the poem on the given date.
- Posts: Number of visitors who posted the poem to a friend (via e-mail) on the given date.
- Dates that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list.
- Dates, poems and poets that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list. Statistics are generated daily.


text:
Mark Bowen
Mark Bowen was born in Duluth, Minn, on the North Coast of the United States. He obtained a B.A. degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota. After graduation, Bowen worked in the chemical industry and in home health care. He obtained a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry from the University of Illinois under the mentorship of Dr. Peter G. W. Gettins. After receiving his doctorate in 1998, Bowen took a Howard Hughes Medical Institute postdoctoral position at Yale University at the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry with Dr. Axel Brunger working on membrane protein structure and function. Bowen next moved with the Brunger Lab to Stanford University and joined the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology. At Stanford, he worked with Dr. Steven Chu on single-molecule approaches to understanding the molecular mechanism of synaptic transmission. Bowen is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Stony Brook University Medical Center. The Bowen Lab investigates the molecular underpinnings of synaptic transmission and aims to understand how nature harnesses the flexibility of protein disorder to achieve the nuanced regulation of neuronal signaling. Bowen's areas of expertise include single-molecule fluorescence, FRET, protein structural biology, membrane fusion, scaffold proteins, intrinsic disorder, and excitatory neurotransmitter signaling.
Biography Updated on 5 September 2011


text:
TOKYO, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co. plans to raise total annual output capacity at its Dongfeng Motor Co. joint venture to 400,000 to 500,000 vehicles by 2008, the Nihon Keizai business daily reported on Thursday. The company plans to set up a new production line at the venture's Huadu factory in Guangdong province, with an investment estimated at a little over 30 billion yen ($270 million), the newspaper said. Due to brisk demand, the annual capacity of the Huadu factory will ...
Premium Content (PAID Subscription Required)
"Nissan to boost China car output capacity -paper" is part of the paid WardsAuto Premium content. You must log in with Premium credentials in order to access this article. Premium paid subscribers also gain access to:
All of WardsAuto's reliable, in-depth industry reporting and analysis
Hundreds of downloadable data tables including:
• Global sales and production data by country
• U.S. model-line inventory data
• Engine and equipment installation rates
• WardsAuto's North America Plant by Platform forecast
• Product Cycle chart
• Interrelationships among major OEMs
• Medium- and heavy-duty truck volumes
• Historical data and much more!
For WardsAuto.com pricing and subscription information please contact
Lisa Williamson by email: firstname.lastname@example.com or phone: (248) 799-2642
Current subscribers, please login or CLICK for support information.


text:
This product is no longer available.
You can try these similar gifts instead.
Animal Print Galaxy 3 Cell Phone Hardcase
Her Galaxy 3 will look ready for a Parisian runway when you give her this chic case. This sleek phone case is available in three animal print designs and can be personalized with the name and initial of your choice.


text:
Are you heartbroken about your favourite TV series or film franchise ending? Keep your quivering chin up. These days, it's likely you'll see your beloved characters embarking on new adventures - but on a digital service.
Last year, Netflix followed its revival of cult sitcom Arrested Development with the announcement that it was going to give brooding crime series The Killing a proper final season. And in the past week or two, we've witnessed digital resurrections aplenty.
This seems to be the way things are going - if a studio can't continue a story on conventional platforms, it'll turn to the web. Here are some recent revivals:
It's time for another toke. If you're a Trailer Park Boys fan, you've got a whole lot of Sunnyvale Trailer Park content coming your way. Netflix recently picked up two new seasons of the show - with Season 8 hitting the service before the end of 2014 - and three standalone specials. This Netflix deal stems from the fact that the show's three stars, Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay and Mike Smith, purchased the rights to the series last summer.
After a stellar first season, the storylines on this NBC series deteriorated in less-than-heroic subsequent seasons, before the show got cancelled in 2010. Now, we'll be seeing a new story arc, presumably with new characters, hitting television next year. But before that, NBC says that a digital series will introduce the new plot and characters. Since the original show was one of the first adopters of multiplatform storytelling, it makes sense that they'd flesh things out online again.
Netflix recently extended the Clone Wars storyline by 13 episodes when they picked up Season 6, entitled The Lost Missions. Aside from a new story arc that will please Yoda fans, this move is significant because it's the first time Netflix has streamed Star Wars content.
This week, Kristen Bell returns to the character that made her famous, as the Veronica Mars movie simultaneously hits theatres and iTunes on Friday. After the show's cancellation from The CW in 2007, fans played a huge role in bringing their beloved blonde detective back to life with an enormously successful Kickstarter campaign.
This TV retelling of the cult 1996 crime-vampire movie hits Netflix this week, with one important caveat - you won't be able to binge it right away. The service plans to release one new episode a week, like a traditional show. Robert Rodriguez, who directed the original movie, returns to helm four of the show's 10 episodes. While Quentin Tarantino won't be reprising his role as Richie Gecko, the tasty fast food chain from Pulp Fiction (Big Kahuna Burger) reportedly makes an appearance.


text:
Join AARP
Get exclusive member benefits & effect social change. Join Today
Oral cancer is a cancer that develops in the tissues of the mouth or throat. Most develop in the squamous cells found in your mouth, tongue, and lips. Oral cancers are most often discovered after they have spread to the lymph nodes of the neck. Early detection is key to surviving this cancer.
Oral cancers include cancers of the:
Your first line of defense against oral cancers is your dentist. They're often the first healthcare provider to notice signs of oral cancer.
There is no question that certain behaviors can increase your chances of developing oral cancer. One of the biggest risk factors is tobacco use — including smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or the use of chewing tobacco.
People who consume large amounts of alcohol and tobacco are at an even greater risk, especially when both products are used on a regular basis.
Other risk factors include:
The risk for oral cancer increases with age. According to the American Dental Association, adults over the age of 44 are at the greatest risk. The average age of diagnosis is 62. Men are also twice as likely to get oral cancer as compared to women.
The symptoms of oral cancer are similar to other nonthreatening oral problems. However, if you notice any of the below symptoms — especially if you have more than one at a time — you should visit your dentist or doctor as soon as possible.
Symptoms of oral cancer include:
First, your doctor or dentist will give you a physical exam. This includes closely examining the roof and floor of your mouth, back of your throat, tongue, cheeks, and the lymph nodes in your neck. If your doctor cannot determine why you are experiencing your symptoms, you may be referred to an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist.
Your doctor will either perform a brush or tissue biopsy if any tumors or growths are found. A brush biopsy is a painless test that collects cells from the tumor by brushing them onto a slide. A tissue biopsy involves removing a piece of the tissue so it can be checked for cancerous cells.
In addition, your doctor may perform one or more of the following tests:
There are four stages of oral cancer. Stages 1 and 2 usually involve a small tumor. In these stages, cancer cells have not spread to the lymph nodes.
Stages 3 and 4 are considered advanced stages of cancer. In these stages, tumors are large and the cancer cells have usually spread to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the survival rate after one year for all stages of oral cancer is 81 percent. After five years, the survival rate is 56 percent. After 10 years, it is 41 percent. This makes timely diagnosis and treatment all the more important.
Treatment for oral cancer will vary depending on what stage you are in.
Early treatment usually involves surgery to remove the tumor and cancerous lymph nodes. In addition, other tissue around the mouth and neck may be taken out.
Radiation therapy is another option. This involves a doctor aiming radiation at the tumor once or twice a day, five days a week, for two to eight weeks (depending on your tumor size). An advanced course of treatment will usually involve a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy is treatment with drugs that kill cancer cells. The medicine is given to you either orally or through an intravenous (IV) line. A number of people get chemotherapy on an outpatient basis, although some require hospitalization.
Targeted therapy is another form of treatment. It can be effective in both early and advanced stages of cancer. Targeted therapy drugs will bind to cancer cells while interfering with their growth. This form of treatment is usually given through an IV.
Nutrition is an important part of your oral cancer treatment. Make sure you discuss your diet with your doctor. Getting the advice of a nutritionist can help you plan a food menu that will be gentle to your sore mouth and throat and will provide your body with the vitamins and minerals you need.
Finally, keeping your mouth healthy during cancer treatments is a crucial part of treatment. Make sure to keep your mouth moist and your teeth and gums clean.
The recovery from each type of treatment will vary. Recovery from surgery can involve pain and swelling, but removing small tumors usually has no associated long-term problems. The removal of larger tumors could possibly affect your ability to chew, swallow, or talk as well as you did before the surgery. You might also need reconstructive surgery to rebuild the bones and tissues in the face.
Radiation therapy can have a negative effect on the body. Some of the side effects of radiation include:
Chemotherapy drugs can be toxic to rapidly growing cells that aren't cancerous. Some of the side effects include:
Recovering from targeted therapies can be uncomfortable, but the symptoms are much less severe than other forms of treatment. The side effects of this treatment can include:
Individuals who are diagnosed with advanced oral cancer will likely need reconstructive surgery and some rehabilitation to assist with eating and speaking during recovery.
Reconstruction can involve dental implants or grafts (where skin, muscle, and bone are moved from another area, usually the chest, arm, or leg) to repair the missing bones and tissues in the mouth or face. Artificial palates are used to replace any missing tissue or teeth.
Rehabilitation is also necessary in advanced cancer cases. Speech therapy can be provided from the time you get out of surgery until you reach maximum level of improvement.
The outlook for oral cancers depends on when you're diagnosed, as well as response to treatment. Early diagnosis is critical because it is easier to treat stage 1 and stage 2 cancers. After treatment, your doctor will want you to get frequent checkups to make sure that you are cancer free. Your checkups will usually consist of physical exams, blood tests, X-rays, and/or CT scans. Above all else, follow up with your dentist or oncologist if you notice anything out of the ordinary — doing so could very well save your life.
Written by: Shannon Johnson and Kristeen Cherney
Published on: May 20, 2015on: Aug 08, 2016
Enter your symptoms in our Symptom Checker to find out possible causes of your symptoms. Go.
Enter any list of prescription drugs and see how they interact with each other and with other substances. Go.
Enter its color and shape information, and this tool helps you identify it. Go.
Find information on drug interactions, side effects, and more. Go.
From companies that meet the high standards of service and quality set by AARP.
Members save 10% on the monthly service charge of qualified AT&T wireless plans.
Members pay $9.50 for Regal ePremiere Tickets purchased online.
Members earn points on select Walgreens-brand health and wellness products.
Join or renew today! Members receive exclusive member benefits & affect social change.


text:
Two Jet Skis collide in Niagara River; one teen hurt
No serious injuries were reported when Jet Skis operated by two 16-year-old boys collided in the Niagara River off Grand Island on Monday evening, Erie County sheriff's officials reported.
The operator of one watercraft was ejected after turning his vessel quickly, causing the other vehicle to strike it, at about 6:30 p.m., just south of Buckhorn State Park, authorities said.
The ejected teen was helped by a good samaritan until the Grand Island Fire Marine Unit arrived on the scene. Emergency personnel immobilized the youth, before he was taken to Erie County Medical Center with apparent minor injuries, sheriff's officials said.


text:
|Forum Rules
|Firearms Safety
|Firearms Photos
|Lost Password
|Email Changes
|Today's Posts
|Mark Forums Read
|Thread Tools
|Search this Thread
|October 13, 2002, 06:03 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: June 5, 2002
Location: Bakersfield, Kommiefornia
Posts: 549
Starting out with Cowboy action shooting
I'm looking to start doing some cowboy action shooting, and I'm unsure of how to start, equipment wise.
I've already got a remington new model army cap and ball revolver,
and a H&R topper 20 gauge that i think would be legal for use, as well as a remington rolling block carbine in 45-70 (which owuld be good for the long range rifle side matches)
I don't have a lever gun in a pistol caliber, and I have no leather equipment or other things. What else do I need?
|October 13, 2002, 06:58 PM
Staff Alumnus
Join Date: October 15, 1998
Location: Roswell,GA
Posts: 433
Getting Started in CAS...
Hi Andrew,
CAS matches usually require participants to have two pistols, a pistol caliber rifle, and shotgun (usually a side x side or Winchester '97 pump, but your Topper would be ok). As far as gun leather, at the minimum you would need a holster for each pistol. You could carry shotgun shells in a vest pocket, but slides that hold 6 or 8 rounds are pretty cheap.
A standard setup for for a new shooter shooting cartridges would be 2 Ruger Vaqueros, a Stoeger SxS, and a Winchester or Marlin rifle, plus leather. That outfit, depending on rifle selection, is about $1300 to $1600. Used guns, which are pretty plentiful, would cut that quite a bit. Pretty steep start up costs, but you're talking about a four gun sport.
All that said, at just about any match you go to you'll find that folks are more than willing to loan you any guns and gun leather that you're lacking. Show up with a box of shotgun shells and some .45 or .38 cowboy ammo, and you'll be shooting, I can almost guarantee it. Most CAS participants will fall over backwards to help a new shooter.
If your going to shoot your C&B pistol, make sure your pretty proficient at loading it. Generally, your cylinders can be charged with powder and ball ahead of time, but C&B pistols are only capped at the loading table just before you shoot.
Decent gun leather can be had from Cabela's or Bass Pro Shop for pretty cheap ($30-40 a holster).
Hope that helps! Post any more questions you have.
Bellicose Bill
Range Master- The Cherokee Cowboys & The Shootout at Mulecamp
|October 14, 2002, 02:50 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: June 5, 2002
Location: Bakersfield, Kommiefornia
Posts: 549
is it necessary to have two revolvers or can i get away with just one?
I've found some historically correct leather for my cap and ball from fall creek sutlery, and i'm planning on using just one pistol, one rifle and one shotgun if i can get away with it.
|October 14, 2002, 04:52 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 14,215
Some places run a Traditional Cowboy class which only requires one sixgun. I don't know what they do about the other five targets - skip them or reload on the clock. But don't worry about it. Go, show interest, and you will have spare guns to pick from.
|October 14, 2002, 05:57 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 7, 1999
Posts: 964
I just went to a shoot yesterday, and they discussed just that. There will be a vote on it next month I think, and the people at the club I was at wanted it to be a one gun reload on the clock catagory.
I think it would be more interesting to have reloading on the clock, but I guess the saftey issue prevents a lot of that.
No you don't need to own two guns, I am sure they would loan you one if you went with one, and if you call ahead, someone will show with an extra holster for you too.
|October 14, 2002, 06:55 PM
Staff Alumnus
Join Date: October 15, 1998
Location: Roswell,GA
Posts: 433
A reload on the clock for a C&B shooter involves staging a second charged pistol and then capping it on the clock. So Andrew Wyatt would need two pistols anyway.
Allowing a class that reloads a pistol on every stage just isn't feasible at a large match. It just takes too much time to reload a pistol. You'd be amazed at how long it takes some people to reload one round.
Bellicose Bill
Range Master- The Cherokee Cowboys & The Shootout at Mulecamp
|October 14, 2002, 08:18 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: June 5, 2002
Location: Bakersfield, Kommiefornia
Posts: 549
I thought it was staging a cylinder and then capping it on the clock.
anyway, I've got a line on a colt SAA in .357 that my uncle might let me use.
|October 14, 2002, 09:03 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: August 6, 2002
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 230
Hello, Andrew...
These guys are right, go to a match with what you have for now, people will be glad to loan you a spare pistol, esp. if you can bring some appropriate fact. ammo to shoot in it. Of course, if you want to shoot 2 cap and ball pistols you could bring spare loading supplies for the loaner. But by all means,GO to a match and see for yourself, don't hang out in front of the keyboard and wonder about it, cause you'll find Cowboy action shooters some of the most helpful and unselfish folks you'll EVER encounter.Good luck, good shooting! "Hans M. Stranger", SASS Life #5360.
"...give me a Rohrbaugh." --Jeff OTMG, 6/22/04. Hmm, that's probably the only way I'd get one, at least until CDNN has a closeout sale like on those Autauga .32s..
|October 15, 2002, 06:24 AM
Staff Alumnus
Join Date: October 15, 1998
Location: Roswell,GA
Posts: 433
Hi Andrew,
Since you have a Remington New Army, you could stage a charged cylinder and swap them out on the clock. I have a Remington and two cylinders, and a cylinder pouch that I think I got from Cabela's.
Anyhow, do like ol' Hans M. said and get to a SASS match-you won't regret it!
Bellicose Bill
Range Master- The Cherokee Cowboys & The Shootout at Mulecamp
|October 15, 2002, 09:47 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: June 23, 2002
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 615
What they said.
Jack Whitesides, Scout
The plural of anecdote is NOT "data."
|Thread Tools
|Search this Thread


text:
|Close Window
Oil, gas drilling unlikely to return to normal
Dan Juneau - Jan 27, 2011
Left entirely to the whims of the Obama administration, there is little hope that oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico will remotely resemble the pre-moratorium activity levels any time soon. The regulatory agencies that oversee energy production are expanding faster than a bad fungus in a rain forest, but none of the expansion is fostering a return to energy exploration and production in the Gulf. In fact, it appears to be having just the opposite impact.
The best hope for a resumption of drilling likely rests on a seemingly contradictory end game: helping Obama pass something that he can call a clean energy bill.
Read More Stories at HeraldGuide.com!
|heraldguide.com is a supplement to St. Charles Herald Guide.
Copyright © 2001 - 2017 St. Charles Herald Guide, Inc. All rights reserved.
Please contact our WebMaster if you experience problems with the website.


text:
Develop apps for SmartWatch 2
This project is no longer being supported and will not get any further updates.
It's easy to get started. Install the Sony's Add-on SDK, and check out the code examples, tutorials, guides and API references.
Extend your Android app to SmartWatch 2 and create new use cases
SmartWatch 2 is a wireless, waterproof accessory for any Android device running Android 4.0 or later, and serves as a multi-function watch, notifier, remote control, and most importantly, an Android app interface. Through a framework called the Smart Extension APIs, your app can access the SmartWatch 2 display, show notifications on it, and access the sensor data. This makes it easier for your app users to interact with your app via SmartWatch 2, without having to use their phones. Get started right away!
App on the phone – display and controls on SmartWatch 2
To use a SmartWatch 2 app, the app is first installed on the smartphone, then the SmartWatch 2 is paired to the smartphone through Bluetooth. Then, tap the SmartWatch 2 app widget displayed on SmartWatch 2 to launch and use the app. Learn more about the architecture of the SmartWatch 2 framework!
300+ apps already available
Hundreds of developers worldwide have already created apps ranging from health and fitness, social networking, imaging, productivity to entertainment. You can for example find:
- Games that are using the SmartWatch 2 display, and sometimes also the sensors. What about controlling your game with the accelerometer?
- Notification apps showing emails, tweets, chat messages, calendar events and more.
- Control apps, such as remote controls for music players, or viewfinder apps for the camera.
- Many apps also combine control and notifications, for example health and fitness apps or map applications, where you can see your data as well as control different functionality in the app.
Check out SmartWatch 2 apps on Google Play!
Popular SmartWatch 2 apps
Check out some examples of SmartWatch 2 apps developed by third party developers below!
Choose from more than 25 clock styles for SmartWatch 2.
Answer calls from your SmartWatch 2.
Mini web browser for SmartWatch 2.
Sends notifications from Gmail, WhatsApp, WeChat and six other messaging apps.
Activate voice commands on your phone or launch an app simply by raising your hand.
Automatically lock & unlock your phone or tablet when SmartWatch is out of Bluetooth range.
Write and send SMS from your SmartWatch.
Customizable clock designer for your SmartWatch 2.
Displays current weather and five day forecast.


text:
At Gemvara, we believe that the jewelry you wear should be one of a kind, like you. That's why we make each piece to order, one at a time, just the way you want it. Choose Rhodolite Garnet and Platinum or Alexandrite and White Gold: it's your choice. Mix and match gems and precious metals for a look that's exactly you. Gemvara uses only the highest quality materials to craft your Rose Gold Three Stone Cushion White Sapphire Jewelry design with meticulous attention to detail. Our precious metals are recycled or responsibly mined. Sapphire is the gem of truth and white sapphire's pure transparency is a lovely symbol for honesty and a pure heart. Gemvara's fine white sapphire is perfectly colorless with very good clarity and cutting.Warm 14 karat rose gold glows with an inner pink hue which flatters skin tones. Gemvara also offers many styles in luxurious 18k rose gold, which has higher gold content.Our wide selection of Rose Gold Three Stone Cushion White Sapphire Jewelry by talented designers means you can find jewelry that's exactly your style. You can also shop by style, choosing our Birthstone, Pastels, or Vintage Style Collections. Three-stone jewelry designs have a timeless appeal that you can update with the addition of colorful gemstones.Gemvara's fine quality Rose Gold Three Stone Cushion White Sapphire Jewelry is designed to be passed down for generations to come, crafted by hand in the United States.
We can help right away. Chat with a jewelry expert now!


text:
Artist description:
No description entered.
Flash Draw Created Jan 31, 2006 470 x 338px Unless noted Copyright 2006 Zaph.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
AuroraSkye Dec 01, 2010
LMAO!!!! Very creative!! 5h
suleyka Feb 11, 2008
eyy it looks tight anyways ...
mozey1994 Feb 01, 2008
this is HYSTARICAL!!!!!
Pom Pom Jul 24, 2007
it must have sucked to have no color.
Page 1


text:
Fragrance Sample Program
Fragrance Sample Program
Shop by Strength
Fragrance Sample Program
Curious about a fragrance that you saw on our website? We offer a Try Before You Buy Program.
You can sample* 3 different fragrances for $15 - USA shipping and handling costs are included along with a $10 coupon good towards a full-size version of one of the sampled items (coupon expires 60 days after issued).
You may request up to 3 specific samples* in the comments area upon checkout. We will do our best to accommodate your request, based upon availability.
Please include at least 1 alternate, in case a requested fragrance sample is not available.
**Please note, fragrance sample vials or mini sprayers do not arrive completely full. Fragrance Oils or Parfum concentrations arrive in a glass vial and are filled 1/2 way due to their concentration. Other samples of fragrances may arrive in Mini Glass Sprayers and these are approximately 1/3 full - as the spray container is much larger than the standard vial size of 0.7 ml.
Some countries do not permit the import of Dangerous Goods (products containing alcohol). You will be notified by email if we are unable to ship this set to you. See Shipping Restrictions tab below.
Feel free to phone us with any questions at
*This fragrance sample pack service is considered a final sale. Discounts do not apply to this item.


text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|May 12, 1998
|Filing date
|Apr 18, 1995
|Priority date
|Apr 18, 1995
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Kenneth Charles Cox, Stephen Gregory Eick
|Original Assignee
|Lucent Technologies Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (2), Non-Patent Citations (21), Referenced by (82), Classifications (9), Legal Events (12)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The present invention relates generally to graphical displays in computer systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to graphically representing information using a three dimensional display representation.
A network is a collection of nodes which are pairwise connected by edges. A network display tool is a device which depicts a network as an image composed of graphical glyphs, typically by placing each node at a particular position and then connecting nodes with lines to show the edges. The display tool may use graphical characteristics of the glyphs to encode information about the network.
The network displays produced by prior art display tools are often visually crowded because the lines cross one another. This crossing produces a visual "clutter" which makes the display difficult to interpret. Techniques for reducing this clutter are desirable, in that they produce displays which are more readily understood by users of the tool.
One technique for reducing clutter is disclosed in the copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/141,885, filed Oct. 22, 1993, entitled Graphical Display of Relationships, which describes node positioning techniques in which the node positions are selected so that related nodes are grouped together in the display. However, this technique does not completely solve the problem of crossing links. In addition, it cannot be readily applied to geographic networks, where the placement of the nodes is determined by the geography.
Other techniques for reducing clutter involve interactions whereby the user of the display tool can manipulate the displayed image. One prior art display tool which depicts time-series network data and provides such user interactions is shown in FIG. 20. The network is represented by a graph consisting of nodes and links between the nodes. The nodes are drawn as rectangular glyphs, and the links between nodes are drawn as lines connecting the nodes. The graphical parameters of the glyphs and lines are determined by certain data attributes, i.e., the time-series network data. For example, the size of a glyph in the X dimension may be determined by one node attribute and the size of a glyph in the Y dimension by another. Similarly, the thickness and color of lines may be determined from a link attribute. The graph may be superimposed on a map, which supplies geographic context.
For references to such prior art display tools see for example, Becker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,690, Dynamic Graphical Analysis of Network Data; and Richard A. Becker and Stephen G. Eick, "Visualizing Network Data", IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Graphics, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1995, pages 16-28.
For illustration, FIG. 20 could be considered a graph which represents AT&T's long-distance telephone network. The nodes of the graph could represent switches, and the links connections between the switches. The operation of the network generates many different time-series statistics which can be used as attributes. In this figure, the attributes being displayed are traffic overloads in and between the switches during the 1989 California earthquake.
The rectangles show the number of blocked calls, with the size of the rectangle in the X dimension encoding the number of blocked incoming calls and the size in the Y dimension encoding the number of blocked outgoing calls. The extremely wide rectangles in the west coast area show how those switches are being overloaded by the vast number of people trying to call the area. The lines show the number of blocked calls between the switches. As might be expected, almost all the blocking is from switches outside the earthquake area to switches in the area.
A number of interactive controls are shown in FIG. 20. The buttons 2001 and sliders 2002 to the left of the image change the way in which the glyphs and lines are drawn. The colorslider thresholding mechanism 2003 below the image allows the user to filter links based on the current link attribute. In the figure, the slider 2003 is set so that only links which have between 1443 and 9241 blocked calls will be shown. The timeslider 2004 below the colorslider 2003 allows the user to choose which frame of the time-series data will be displayed. The all on button 2005 and the all off button 2006 also provide mechanisms whereby the user can reduce visual crowding. Although such interaction mechanisms are effective in reducing crowding, they can only help to a certain extent.
FIG. 21 shows a prior art display showing world Internet traffic between countries on a two-dimensional map. Note that links from North America to eastern Asia cross over Europe, obscuring the North America to Europe, Europe to eastern Asia, and intra-Europe links. Also note that the space used by the Pacific Ocean is largely wasted since few links pass over this space. One solution to this problem is to route the North America to east Asia links across the Pacific (which is, in reality, the shortest route between the two areas). This could be done by having the links end at one edge of the map and resume at the other. However, experiments have shown that this break in the lines is not effective, as the user has difficulty matching up the lines on opposite sides of the display.
Thus, there is a need for a graphical display tool which can convey information in a manner which allows the encoded data to be more readily interpreted by users.
The present invention provides a three-dimensional display of information which solves the problems of the prior art. The addition of the third dimension provides a means for displaying any number of arcs and allows the user, via interactive control of the viewpoint, to separate the arcs so they do not appear to cross in the display. In addition, the move to a three dimensional display allows for novel methods of encoding information attributes in the third dimension, and for novel user interactions with the display. For example, the height of an arc or node relative to some surface may encode some data attribute related to the link represented by that arc, or the data attribute of the node, respectively.
The addition of the third dimension also allows for novel thresholding techniques as well. A clipping surface may be introduced into the three dimensional space which obscures those arcs and nodes which do not meet some threshold value. Users may interactively manipulate the clipping surface and/or the glyphs in any of the three dimensions to vary such thresholding functions.
These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic of the components of a computer system which can be configured to implement the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows the contents of a portion of the memory unit of the computer system.
FIG. 3 illustrates the object-oriented design of the application code.
FIG. 4 shows a schematic of the Nodes table data structure.
FIG. 5 shows a schematic of the Linkdata table data structure.
FIG. 6 shows a schematic of the Nodedata table data structure.
FIG. 7 illustrates the spherical coordinate system of the present invention.
FIG. 8 shows a display image in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 9 illustrates the drawing of arcs.
FIG. 10A illustrates arc paths based on the rectangular coordinate system of projection.
FIG. 10B illustrates arc paths based on the Mercator coordinate system of projection.
FIG. 10C illustrates arc paths based on the polar system (also referred to as the great circle system) of projection.
FIG. 11 shows a display image in accordance with the polar system of projection.
FIG. 12 shows a display image with arcs taking paths below the surface of a translucent globe.
FIGS. 13A-13D illustrate the use of the globe as a clipping surface to perform thresholding operations.
FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of the overall flow of control for the application program code and libraries.
FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of the time-out function.
FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of the OnWindowCreate callback function.
FIG. 17 is a flow diagram of the DoExpose callback function.
FIG. 18 is a flow diagram of DoMouse callback function.
FIG. 19 illustrates the use of the third dimension to allow multiple glyphs to be associated with each node and link.
FIG. 20 shows a prior art display of network information.
FIG. 21 shows a prior art display of network information.
In the embodiment described herein, the present invention is configured to display time-series data for a global network. The images shown in FIGS. 8, 11 and 12 (discussed in further detail below) represent Internet traffic between countries. The time-series data represents a one-week period in February of 1993. The nodes in the network are thus the countries, and the links connect the pairs of countries with traffic. The network contains 50 nodes and 50�50 or 2500 links. The source data is a link statistic which gives the number of packets between each pair of countries for each two-hour interval during the week, i.e., 84 frames of time-series data, for a total of 50�50�84 or 210,000 values. This link statistic is used to derive a node statistic, where the value for each node is the sum of the traffic between that node and all other nodes. This again consists of 84 frames of time-series data, or 50*84=4200 values. The data is displayed in a three dimensional representation on a display screen. The globe is illuminated by a light which is positioned to reflect the angle of the sun for the frame of the time-series data that is displayed. The node statistics are represented by glyphs positioned in relation to the globe, with the characteristics of the glyph encoding various node statistics. The links are represented by arcs which connect the node glyphs, with the characteristics of the arc encoding various link statistics. The user may interact with the display through the use of a graphical pointing device. These, and other aspects of the present invention are described in further detail below.
As used herein, the term computer includes any device or machine capable of accepting information, applying prescribed processes to the information, and supplying the results of the processes.
The functions of the present invention are preferably performed by a programmed digital computer as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows a computer system 100 which comprises a display monitor 102, a textual input device such as a computer keyboard 104, a graphical input device such as a mouse 106, a computer processor 108, a memory unit 110, and a non-volatile storage device such as a disk drive 120. The mouse 106 has a left mouse button 107, a center mouse button 108 and a right mouse button 109, which allow for user interaction. The memory unit 110 includes a storage area 112 for the storage of, for example, application code and library code, and a storage area 114 for the storage of data. The computer processor 108 is connected to the display monitor 102, the memory unit 110, the non-volatile storage device 120, the keyboard 104, and the mouse 106. The external storage device 120 and the memory unit 110 may be used for the storage of data and computer program code. The computer processor 108 executes the application program code and library code which is stored in the memory unit 110 in storage area 112. During execution, the processor may access data in storage space 114 in the memory unit 110, and may access data stored in the non-volatile storage device 120. The computer system 100 may suitably be any one of the types which are well known in the art such as a mainframe computer, a minicomputer, a workstation, or a personal computer.
The storage area 112 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2 as containing application code 202 and windowing system code 210. In one embodiment, the present invention is implemented using a windowing system 210 which supplies an interface to a graphics library, such as OpenGL. (OpenGL is a trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc.) The OpenGL graphics library is a hardware-independent library for three-dimensional graphics. It provides functions for drawing lines and filled polygons, for creating "display lists" of commands, and for manipulating viewpoint, color, and lighting. The OpenGL graphics library is available from Silicon Graphics, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. For additional information on Open GL see, Jackie Neider, Tom Davis and Mason Woo, "Open GL Reference Manual", Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., 1992; and Jackie Neider, Tom Davis and Mason Woo, "Open GL Programming Guide", Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., 1992. Examples of windowing systems which are suitable for implementation of the present invention include the X Windowing System and Windows NT. (X Windowing System is copyrighted by The Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Windows NT is a trademark of the Microsoft Corporation). For further information on these windowing systems see, "X Window System User's Guide", by Valerie Quercia and Tim O'Reilly, published by O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., Sebastopol Calif., 1989, Volume 3 of "The X Window System Series"; and "Inside Windows NT (TM)", by Helen Custer, published by Microsoft Press (A Division of Microsoft Corporation), Redmond Wash., 1993.
The application code 202 consists of initialization code 204 and a number of callback functions 206. The program performs the initialization and then turns control over to the windowing system 210. The windowing system 210 reacts to user inputs by invoking the callback functions 206 of the application code 202.
In the preferred embodiment, the application code 202 has an object-oriented design, as shown in FIG. 3 . Three object classes, GlobeViewer, GlobeDrawer, and Scale, are used in the code. One object of each of these types is created by the code during initialization. As shown in FIG. 3, a GlobeViewer object 302, a GlobeDrawer object 308, and a Scale object 306 are created. These objects are arranged in a parent-child tree as shown by the solid lines connecting the objects. Such an organization is commonly used by windowing systems, such as the X Windowing System. FIG .3 also shows the display monitor 102, and the images displayed. The dashed arrows connect each object with the corresponding portion of the image.
The GlobeViewer object 302 is created first and represents the program as a whole and is based on the top-level object (e.g., a MainWindow object in the X Windowing System) provided by the windowing system 210. The GlobeViewer object 302 thus appears on the display monitor 102 as the window 310 containing the image. A Layout Manager object 304 which is provided by the windowing system 210, is created next, as a child of the GlobeViewer object 302. The function of the Layout Manager object 304 is to position its child objects within the window 310 created by the GlobeViewer object 302. The two children of the Layout Manager object 304 are a Scale object 306 and a GlobeDrawer object 308. The Scale object 306 draws a color scale 312, and the GlobeDrawer object 308 draws a globe 314 and a network representation (described in further detail below) on the globe 314.
As described above, in one embodiment, the invention is implemented to display time-series data for a global network. The data in this exemplary embodiment is for Internet traffic between countries in a one week period. The nodes in the network are countries, and the links are the pairs of countries with traffic.
Three table data structures are stored in the data space 114 of memory unit 110. These tables are described in conjunction with FIGS. 4-6. The sizes of these data structures are determined by two parameters represented by the symbolic constants NNODES (the number of nodes in the network) and NFRAMES (the number of frames of time-series data).
The first table, Nodes, is shown in FIG. 4 as table 400. This table 400 contains NNODES records. Each record contains 4 fields. The first field 402 is a string containing the abbreviation for a country; the second field 404 is a string containing the fall name of the country; the third field 406 contains a number representing the latitude of the country's capital; and the fourth field 408 contains a number representing the longitude of the country's capital. Each node is represented by a node number. These node numbers, shown in the Figure as 410, are used as indices into the table to obtain the latitude and longitude of the capital of a given country. These node numbers are not actually stored in the table 400, but are implicit in the structure of the table in a manner well known in the art. The latitude and longitude obtained from the table 400 are used to calculate the position of the nodes in the display.
The second table, Linkdata, is shown in FIG. 5 as table 500. This table 500 is a three-dimensional array of numbers which contains the time-series link data. The size of the array is NFRAMES�NNODES�NNODES. The frame number, f, is used as the first index into the table and chooses a frame, such as frame 502. Each frame 502, 504, 506, . . . 508, represents the link data between each pair of countries at a particular time. For example, frame 502 may represent the link data for Feb. 1, 1993 at 0:00 hours, while frame 504 represents the link data for Feb. 1, 1993 at 2:00 hours. In the present example, the data consists of data for a one week period so that frame 508 would represent the link data for Febuary 6 at 22:00 hours. Node numbers are used as the second and third indices such that in frame f of the time-series, the traffic between nodes i and j is represented by Linkdata f! i! j!. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the network traffic between the United States and Japan on Feb. 1, 1993 at 0:00 hours is located at location 510 of frame 502.
The third table, Nodedata, is shown in FIG. 6. This table 600 is a two-dimensional array of numbers which contains the time-series node attribute data. The size of the array is NFRAMES by NNODES. In the present embodiment, the node attribute data is computed by summing over the link attributes of the Linkdata table 500. The table is set up so that in frame f of the time-series, the total traffic between node i and all other nodes is Nodedata f! i!. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the total node traffic for the United States in time frame Feb. 1, 1993 at 0:00 is stored at location 602 The contents of the table are normalized such that all values are scaled to lie between 0 and 1.
When the invention is used to depict a geographic network, as in the presently described embodiment, the incorporation of a map into the image is useful in that it allows the user to determine the geographic location of each of the nodes. This can be readily done by converting the sphere into a globe by placing a map on the surface of the sphere. In the present embodiment, this is done by drawing the outlines of the continents onto the sphere. The outlines are obtained from a geographic database of the type well known in the art.
Other techniques can be used to produce a globe. One is to tessellate the surface of the sphere using the continental outlines and color each polygon produced by the tessellation green or blue according to whether the area is land or water, respectively. A second technique is to use texture-mapping to wrap an image of the world over the surface of the sphere.
Many of the calculations used to implement the present embodiment use a spherical coordinate system to specify points in three dimensional space. These coordinates are based on a sphere whose center is the origin of the coordinate system. FIG. 7 superimposes the spherical system on an XYZ system with the same origin O to show how the spherical coordinates of a point P are determined.
Point P is located at spherical coordinates (ρ,θ,φ). ρ is the distance of P from the center O of the sphere. The line PT through P perpendicular to the X-Y plane intersects that plane at a point T. θ is the angle that the line OT makes with the positive X-axis. φ is the angle that the line OP makes with the X-Y plane, so points with Z >0 have φ>0 and points with Z <0 have φ<0. Note that the measurement of φ herein differs somewhat from the usual convention in spherical coordinates, where φ is the angle OP makes with the positive Z axis. This is because the present embodiment makes extensive use of latitude and longitude, and it is somewhat simpler to handle them in this system: latitude is φ (north latitudes being positive angles) and longitude is θ.
Although the present embodiment performs many calculations using spherical coordinates, all OpenGL graphics library computations are in XYZ coordinates. The following equations are used to convert between (ρ,θ,φ) and (x, y, z) coordinates:
FIG. 8 shows an example image 800 which would be displayed in window 310 of the display monitor 102. Two graphical components are used in drawing the globe 802, the blue sphere 804 and the continental outlines 806. The blue sphere 804 is a sphere with radius 0.995*sphereRad (where sphereRad is a constant) centered at the origin 0 of the spherical coordinate system. This sphere is created in the GlobeDrawer objects 308 OnWindowCreate function (described in further detail below) using an OpenGL Utility Library function and stored in an OpenGL display list.
The continental outlines 806 are obtained from a database which holds the outlines as a collection of line segments. The endpoints of the segments are given in latitude-longitude coordinates. Each of these latitude-longitude coordinates is used to produce a spherical coordinate (sphereRad, lon, lat) which lies on the surface of the globe sphere. This coordinate is then converted to OpenGL XYZ coordinates as described above.
The above factor of 0.995 is used to ensure that the blue sphere 804 lies slightly within the sphere defined by the continent outlines 806 and thus does not obscure the continental outlines 806.
Various modifications could readily be made to the appearance of the globe 802. The geographical information displayed consists of continental outlines 806 displayed on a blue sphere 804. The appearance of the globe 802 could be altered by filling in the continental outlines 806 with a color. This may be achieved by applying three-dimensional polygon tessellation (i.e., breaking down the polygons into a mesh of triangles that cover the globe) to the continental outline database. Further steps toward realism, such as using texture mapping to display the globe with terrain coloration, could also be done. However, this additional detail might obscure the network information.
The globe 802 is illuminated by a light, which is located in the same direction as the sun for the particular frame of time-series data that is being shown. This light can be seen in FIG. 8 as originating generally from the left side of the image. This lighting effect is accomplished in the OpenGL graphics library by positioning the light in spherical coordinates with φ=0 and θ determined from the frame time. For example, θ=0 when the frame time is 12:00 UTC (Greenwich time); i.e., at noon Greenwich time the light is positioned above the equator on the Greenwich meridian. When the frame time is 6:00 UTC, θ=90 degrees, and the sun is positioned above the equator on the 90 W meridian.
It is possible to make additional use of the frame time to calculate the correct φ coordinate of the sun. φ=0 near March 21 and September 21, φ=23.5 degrees on June 21, and φ=-23.5 degrees on December 21. This would incorporate seasonal information into the display.
The illumination of the globe provides the user with a visual indication of the time of day for the data being shown. This effect is preferably used in conjunction with a color display. On a greyscale display, the smooth shading of the globe will interfere with the perception of the network, since for certain positions of the light some of the glyphs and arcs will be of approximately the same color as the sphere underlying them and will fade into the background. With the use of color, this effect can be avoided by selecting one or two hues for coloring the globe and selecting the glyph and arc colors from a range that does not include those hues.
The viewing model of the present embodiment uses spherical coordinates. The image is drawn as if the user's eye were located in space at a ρ coordinate (distance from the center of the globe 802) of 1.2*sphereRad, looking toward the center of the globe 802. The user may vary the φ and θ coordinates of the viewpoint by dragging the mouse 106 while pressing the left mouse button 107. Dragging the mouse 106 to the right or left increases or decreases θ, while dragging the mouse 106 up and down increases or decreases φ. The effect produced by this mousing action is that mouse motions rotate the globe 802, allowing it to be viewed from any angle. A modification of this polar-viewing model which would allow users to zoom in on portions of the globe could be readily implemented.
As shown in FIG. 8, the node glyphs are represented on the globe 802 as pyramids, such as glyph 808. Other glyphs, such as cubes, cylinders, cones, or spheres, could also be used. The latitude and longitude of the node will usually be fixed by the network geography. A display list is used to hold the commands necessary to draw a basic pyramid. In order to draw the node glyphs, OpenGL model-transformation commands are used to modify the coordinate system so that the pyramid will be placed at the correct location, for example at the location of the country's capital. The remaining characteristics of the glyph are free to encode information. A non-exhaustive list of such characteristics would include the size (up to three parameters because of the three dimensions), radial distance from the center of the globe, color, texture, reflectivity and other lighting effects, and shape. However, certain combinations may be more effective for encoding information than others. For example, although the size could encode three data attributes, the typical viewer may not be able to interpret them, particularly when the glyphs are viewed from various angles.
In the embodiment described herein, and shown in FIG. 8, each node is represented by a pyramid whose height and color characteristics are determined by, and encode, the node statistic attribute. The value of the node statistic for the current frame being displayed is extracted from the Nodedata table 600 and used to compute the pyramid's size and color, which are set with further OpenGL library commands. The display list is then executed to produce the pyramid. This is repeated for each node. Thus, in the present embodiment, the color and height of the nodes are used to encode information about the node, in particular, the attributes of the Nodedata related to that node. Thus, in FIG. 8, node 808 is shown generally in red and at a particular height. A color scale, similar to color scale 812 used for link data, could be provided to relate the node's color to the data attribute being encoded by the color. In this example, the height of the node 808 encodes the same attribute of the data as the color. This visual representation of node data facilitates the comparison of nodes in the display. For example, node 810 is shown as generally green in color with a height smaller than that of node 808. This indicates that node 810 has less traffic than node 808 during the time frame being displayed. Thus, encoding the node data using the color and size characteristics of the pyramid allows a user to easily compare the node statistics.
In an alternate embodiment, the positions of nodes may be determined by non-geographic means, and thus position may be a characteristic by which node data is encoded. Consider, for example, a display which shows data for international calls made from the USA. This data may be reduced to a network where the nodes are foreign countries and U.S. telephone numbers (possibly aggregated, e.g. by area code). The nodes for the countries would be placed on the surface of the globe 802 in their correct geographic position. The nodes for the U.S. numbers can then be positioned in a manner which reflects their calling patterns. For example, the location of a node representing a telephone number could be determined by minimizing the weighted link distance to the countries that the user called, using a positioning technique such as that described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/141,885, AT&T Docket No. Eick-Wills 10-2, filed Oct. 22, 1993, Graphical Display of Relationships. See also, Stephen G. Eick and Graham J. Wills, "Navigating Large Networks With Hierarchies", Visualization '93Conference Proceedings, San Jose, Calif., Oct. 25-29, 1993, pages 204-210.
The use of the third dimension also allows multiple glyphs to be associated with each node and link. As shown in FIG. 19, several node glyphs 1902 can be "stacked" at one geographic location (latitude and longitude) by placing them at different radial distances from the surface 1904 of the globe. Each of these node glyphs 1902 may encode different node statistics. Similarly, several arcs 1906 can connect two nodes, with the third dimension serving to separate them.
As shown in FIG. 8, in one embodiment the link statistics are represented by arcs, such as arc 814, which connect the capitals of the countries. The arcs touch the globe 802 at each end and reach maximal height in the center. This height is used to encode the link statistic, with greater heights representing larger values. The width of the line used to draw the arc and the color of the arc are also used to encode this statistic. The color scale 812 indicates the color encoding of the links. The links are drawn as follows.
Spherical coordinates are used in the creation of the arcs that encode the link statistics. With reference to FIG. 9, each arc is made up of a series of line segments connecting some number N of points. The number of points will be determined by the total length of the arc, so as to create a smooth-appearing curve. Two independent calculations are performed. The first calculation determines the θ and φ coordinates of the points, and the second determines the ρ coordinate. These results are combined and converted into XYZ coordinates for use with the OpenGL graphics library.
The θ and φ calculation defines the arc's path over the surface of the globe. In FIG. 9, the surface of the globe is represented as the shaded area 910. Various types of these paths are shown on two-dimensional maps in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C. Each of these three maps illustrates one path-calculation method by showing paths from Britain to the United States, Australia, India, and South Africa. The maps use a rectangular coordinate system, that is, one in which the X- coordinate of the point is the longitude and the Y-coordinate is the latitude.
FIG. 10A shows paths based on the rectangular coordinate system used to draw the maps. The paths are, of course, straight lines on the two-dimensional map. The coordinates of points on these paths are particularly easy to generate given the coordinates of the endpoints. This rectangular coordinate system of projection produces the type of display shown in FIG. 8.
The map in FIG. 10B shows paths based on the Mercator coordinate system, which is commonly used for wall maps. The X-coordinate of a point is proportional to the longitude, while the Y-coordinate is proportional to log(tan(45�+φ/2)) These paths would be straight lines on the Mercator projection. They are very nearly straight lines on the projection shown in FIG. 10B.
The map in FIG. 10C shows paths based on a polar projection centered on one of the path's endpoints. The lines correspond to great circles on the globe. Thus, each arc takes the shortest route to the other endpoint. This great circle system of projection produces the type of display shown in FIG. 11. 9.2 ρ Calculation
The ρ calculation determines the distance of each point on the arc from the center of the globe, and thus indirectly determines the height of each point above the surface of the globe. As with the θ and φ calculation, ρ can be computed in various ways. One method of calculating ρ that encodes a link attribute is as follows.
As discussed above, the link attributes in one embodiment are stored in the Linkdata table 500. When the system draws the link between nodes i and j during time frame f, the link attribute at Linkdata f! i! j! is read. This attribute is then normalized to lie between 0.0 and 1.0. This is accomplished by a linear scaling such that the minimum link attribute (i.e. the minimum value appearing anywhere in Linkdata) is scaled to 0.0 and the maximum link attribute to 1.0. This link attribute is converted into the desired maximum height H by multiplying it by an appropriate constant.
Referring again to FIG. 9, each arc has N+1 points, numbered 0 through N. Points 0 and N have ρ=sphereRad; point N/2 has ρ=sphereRad+H; and the ρ coordinate for the other points smoothly vary between these two values. This can be done by calculating ρ i! (ρ of the i'th point) by a formula such as:
ρ i!=sphereRad+H*f(i)
where f is a function that is 0 at 0 and N, 1 at N/2, and varies as desired. Many functions can be used for f. In the current embodiment the function f is sin (pi*i/N). This is the function used to create the arcs shown in FIGS. 8 and 11. An equivalent method of calculating the ρ coordinates is to define a radial height parameter ht, which is a height relative to the sphere's radius, rather than the parameter H which is an absolute height above the surface of the sphere. The use of this radial height parameter ht changes the above equation to:
ρ i!=sphereRad*(1.0+ht*sin (pi*i/N))
The use of the relative height ht simplifies some aspects of the design. For example, bounding the relative height ensures that the arcs never go outside the volume of space that is visible in the image.
It is possible to display arcs below the surface of the globe by allowing the above calculations to produce ρ values less than the sphere's radius. In such a case, the arcs will lie partly or wholly inside the globe. This can be effectively used to encode negative attribute values. In either equation for ρ i! above, a value of H or of ht less than 0 results in an arc that lies below the surface of the globe. If arcs are to be displayed below the surface, then the globe must be translucent so that the arcs will still be visible. FIG. 12 shows such a display with the links as straight lines taking a path below the surface of the globe with a translucent globe. In addition, the arcs which are located further from the viewer are dimmed using fog effects. This is a depth-cueing effect that makes more distant objects appear dimmer and thus makes the three-dimensional structure more apparent.
It is also possible to modify the lengths of the arcs by using a line shortening slider as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,690, entitled Dynamic Graphical analysis of Network Data.
Arc characteristics other than color, height, and width can be used to encode link data. For example, the particular path chosen could be used to encode data. A rectangular, Mercator, or great-circle path may be chosen depending on the link data. Continuous variables could be encoded by deflections to the side of the basic path. An additional technique would be to use a different function f depending on some link attribute. Further, the endpoints of the arcs can be displayed at a height above the surface of the globe. Other arc characteristics which can encode data are shape, texture, reflectivity, and other lighting techniques. However, as discussed above in connection with node characteristics, users may not be able to effectively perceive data that is encoded using some of these techniques, particularly with many paths and possible orientations.
Thresholding refers to techniques for simplifying the display by removing some glyphs, usually under the user's control. The three-dimensional display allows for novel types of thresholding. One thresholding effect is obtained by the use of a clipping surface. This is a graphical object which is moved through the three-dimensional image and obscures portions of the graphics. The clipping surface may be opaque or translucent. The user may be able to control the surface's translucency.
If the sphere used to draw the globe is opaque, it will obscure any arcs or other glyphs that lie within it. When coupled with interactive controls that allow the user to modify the manner in which the arc paths are generated, this allows the globe sphere to be used as a clipping surface. This use of the globe as a clipping surface is illustrated in FIGS. 13A-13D. The shaded area 1302 in FIGS. 13A-13C represents a slice through the globe. Two nodes, node 1304 and node 1306 are shown. In FIGS. 13A-13C, the arcs 1310 through 1315 are shown connecting node 1304 to node 1306, with the height above the surface encoding some attribute value. Assume that the attribute values are normalized to contain values between 0 and 1; the highest arc 1315 corresponds to an encoded attribute value of 1.0; the lowest arc 1310 corresponds to an encoded attribute value of 0.0; and the other arcs 1311, 1312, 1313 and 1314 are distributed between these values.
FIGS. 13A-13C also show a user configurable interactive slider 1320, with a slider indicator 1322, through which the user can manipulate the generation of the arcs. The slider 1320 controls the way in which the attribute values are transformed into the maximum height of the arcs. The slider determines the range of output heights to which the input attribute values (lying between 0 and 1) are transformed. The output heights fall between two values: MINH and MAXH. This is shown in FIG. 13D. The horizontal axis of the graph represents the slider position, while the vertical axis is the output height value. The solid line 1350 shows the output height value that an input attribute value of 0.0 produces, while the broken line 1352 shows the output height value that an input attribute value of 1.0 produces.
At the leftmost position 1354 of the slider, the minimum and maximum output heights are both MINH. As the slider is moved to the right, the minimum output height remains at MINH and the maximum output height increases steadily, until at the center slider position 1356 the minimum output height is MINH and the maximum output height is MAXH. Further rightward movement of the slider causes the minimum output height to increase while the maximum output height remains at MAXH. At the rightmost position 1358 of the slider the minimum and maximum output heights are both MAXH.
As an example of this calculation, assume the slider position is set as indicated by line 1360. The slider setting is slightly to the right of the center position 1356. An input value of 0.0 will produce an output height somewhat above MINH, as indicated by the intersection of the line 1350 and line 1360 at point 1362. An output value of 1.0 will produce an output height of MAXH, as indicated by the intersection lines 1352 and line 1360 at point 1364. Intermediate input values map linearly to the range of output values.
Thus, as an example, in FIG. 13A the slider indicator 1322 is located about one-fourth of the way along its range. Only one of the six arcs, arc 1315, lies above the shaded area 1302, illustrating that only arc 1315 would be visible above the surface of the globe. In FIG. 13B, the slider indicator 1322 is located near the midpoint of its range, and three of the six arcs, 1315, 1314, and 1313 lie above the shaded area 1302 and thus would be visible above the surface of the globe. In FIG. 13C, the slider indicator 1322 is further to the right and all the arcs, 1310 through 1315 lie above the shaded area 1302 and thus would be visible above the surface of the globe. To the user, the effect of manipulating the slider 1320 is that the arcs move up and down, becoming visible or obscured.
Another type of clipping surface is a clipping plane which the user could orient arbitrarily (e.g., along particular lines of latitude or longitude). The plane would obscure anything behind it. It is desirable to construct such a clipping surface so that it does not obscure the globe.
Other thresholding techniques may also be incorporated into the three dimensional display. For example, both links and nodes can be selected on the basis of the link attribute by using the thresholding techniques described in Becker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,690, Dynamic Graphical Analysis of Network Data; and Richard A. Becker and Stephen G. Eick, "Visualizing Network Data", IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Graphics, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1995, pages 16-28.
FIG. 14 shows the overall flow of control for the application program code and libraries. In step 1402 data files are read and the network tables Nodes 400, Linkdata 500, and Nodedata 600 are initialized. In step 1404 the GlobeViewer object 302, GlobeDrawer object 308, and Scale object 306 are created. The application code then calls the windowing system's event loop function in step 1406, turning over control to the windowing system 210. This function never returns. The only way control returns to the application code 202 is via the callback functions associated with the objects.
The first of these callbacks to be performed occurs when the windowing system main loop function does its own initialization, which causes the windowing system objects to be initialized and the window 310 to appear on the display monitor 102. This in turn causes the OnWindowCreate callback function of each application code object to be called as represented by step 1408. The only object with an OnWindowCreate function is the GlobeDrawer object 308. Its actions are described below.
When window 310 appears, the windowing system 210 enters its event loop in step 1410. In this loop it receives and processes user input in the form of events. Four events are of interest in the present embodiment. In step 1412 the user input event is received. In step 1414 it is determined if the event is a window-kill event, which is triggered when the user closes the window 310. If the event is a window-kill, then the program exits in step 1422. In step 1416 it is determined if the event is an area expose event. An area-expose event is one which requires that the image be redrawn. If the event is an area-expose event, then an application object's DoExpose callback function is called in step 1424. In step 1418 it is determined if the event is a mouse action. If the event is a mouse action, then an application object's DoMouse callback function is called in step 1426. In step 1420 it is determined if the event is a time-out. If the event is a time-out, then a time-out function is called in step 1428.
The time-out function is shown in FIG. 15 and is used in conjunction with the animation aspect of the present embodiment. The display may be animated to sequentially display data relating to different time frames. The time-out function is entered in step 1502. When it is called, the current frame number (i.e., which slice of the time-series data is to be displayed) is incremented in step 1504. This changes the displayed image, so the GlobeDrawer's DoExpose function is called in step 1506 to cause the redraw. In step 1508 it is determined if the program is in play mode. This is determined by checking a flag which indicates whether animation is being done. If the program is in play mode, then a new time-out is scheduled in step 1510. Control is returned in step 1512.
FIG. 16 shows the OnWindowCreate callback function. The function is entered in step 1602. This function first initializes a number of OpenGL parameters in step 1604. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, these are the clearing color, the z-buffer configuration, and the lighting configuration. (The z-buffer, also called the depth buffer, is an OpenGL method of performing hidden surface removal.) In step 1606, one or more display lists are created that cause the map to be drawn on the globe sphere. In the present embodiment, where the map is rendered as a series of lines showing the continents, these lists are created by the MakeLists function, which accesses a geographic database containing the coordinates of the lines. A display list containing a sphere (i.e., commands that cause a sphere to be drawn) and another list containing a pyramid are created in step 1608. The function returns in step 1610.
FIG. 17 shows the DoExpose callback function. The function is entered in step 1702. This function first clears the framebuffer (the image) by setting it to black in step 1704. In step 1706 the viewing projection and lighting is set up by using OpenGL commands to initialize several matrices that transform points in three-dimensional space to the GlobeDrawer object's 308 area of the screen 314. The sphere and continental outlines are then drawn by calling the display lists in step 1708. In step 1710 the nodes are drawn by placing an appropriately scaled and colored pyramid at each node location. The arcs are then drawn in step 1712. Steps 1704 through 1712 are carried out in double-buffered mode. In double-buffered mode there are actually two images in the system. The user is seeing one of the images while the other is being created. In step 1714 the buffers are swapped to reveal the new image. The function returns in step 1716.
FIG. 18 shows the DoMouse callback function. The function is entered in step 1802. In step 1804 it is determined whether the user has clicked the right mouse button 109. The right mouse button 109 turns play mode on or off. If the right mouse button 109 was clicked, then it is determined in step 1810 whether the system is currently in play mode. If not, then play mode is turned on in step 1812, a time-out is scheduled in step 1820, and the function returns in step 1808. If the system was in play mode, then play mode is turned off in step 1818 and the function returns in step 1808. If it was determined in step 1804 that the right mouse button 109 was not clicked, then it is determined in step 1806 whether the user has clicked the left mouse button 107. Actions with the left mouse button 107 held down are used to calculate a new viewpoint. If the left mouse button 107 is down, then a new viewpoint θ and φ are calculated in step 1814 and the display is updated by calling the GlobeDrawer DoExpose function in step 1816. The function returns in step 1808.
The foregoing Detailed Description is to be understood as being in every respect illustrative and exemplary, but not restrictive, and the scope of the invention disclosed herein is not to be determined from the Detailed Description, but rather from the claims as interpreted according to the full breadth permitted by the patent laws. It is to be understood that the embodiments shown and described herein are only illustrative of the principles of the present invention and that various modifications may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, the invention has been described as using a globe as the basis for displaying network data. However, other three-dimensional structures can be used to display networks. For example, a Mercator or other planar projection can be used to display the Earth in a plane, and the network glyphs can be arranged in the space above this plane; or such a projection can be displayed on the surface of a cylinder, and the glyphs arranged in the space outside the cylinder. In addition, other techniques can be incorporated into the three dimensional display which result in novel information display techniques. For example, controls to modify the link and node colors; to select links and nodes on the basis of the link attribute; to change the way in which links and nodes are drawn, such as using a line-shortening slider; to choose a particular data frame to examine; and to select or deselect nodes and links, thereby causing them to be displayed or not displayed respectively. Such modifications could be readily implemented by one skilled in the art.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Feb 28, 1994
|Aug 29, 1995
|Apple Computer, Inc.
|Textured sphere and spherical environment map rendering using texture map double indirection
|Jul 27, 1990
|Feb 13, 1991
|AT&T Corp.
|Dynamic graphical analysis of network data
|"Atlante Turistico Italiano," 1983, Touring Club Italiano, Milano, Italia, p. 5.
|Atlante Turistico Italiano, 1983, Touring Club Italiano, Milano, Italia, p. 5.
|E. R. Gansner et al., "A Technique for Drawing Directed Graphs," IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, vol. 19, No. 3, 214-230 (Mar. 1993).
|E. R. Gansner et al., A Technique for Drawing Directed Graphs, IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering , vol. 19, No. 3, 214 230 (Mar. 1993).
|K. C. Cox et al., "Case Study: 3D Displays of Internet Traffic," Proc. Information Visualization Conference, Oct. 1995, Atlanta, GA, IEEE Computer Soc. Press, Los Alamitosk CA 1995, pp. 129-131, 152.
|K. C. Cox et al., Case Study: 3D Displays of Internet Traffic, Proc. Information Visualization Conference , Oct. 1995, Atlanta, GA, IEEE Computer Soc. Press , Los Alamitosk CA 1995, pp. 129 131, 152.
|K. M Fairchild et al., "Sem Net: Three-dimensional Graphic Representations of Large Knowledge Bases," Cognitive Science and Its Applications for Human Computer Interaction, 201-233 (1988).
|K. M Fairchild et al., Sem Net: Three dimensional Graphic Representations of Large Knowledge Bases, Cognitive Science and Its Applications for Human Computer Interaction , 201 233 (1988).
|M. Sarkar et al., "Graphical Fisheye Views," Communications of the ACM, vol. 37, No. 12, 73-84 (Dec. 1994).
|M. Sarkar et al., Graphical Fisheye Views, Communications of the ACM , vol. 37, No. 12, 73 84 (Dec. 1994).
|Patent No. 5,136,690, filed on Mar. 21, 1991 and issued on Aug. 4, 1992 to Becker et al. Class: 395/161.
|R. A. Becker et al., "Visualizing Network Data," IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Graphics, vol. 1, No. 1, 16-28 (Mar. 1995).
|R. A. Becker et al., Visualizing Network Data, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Graphics , vol. 1, No. 1, 16 28 (Mar. 1995).
|S. G. Eick et al., "Navigating Large Networks with Hierarchies," Visualization '93 Conference Proceedings, 204-210 (San Jose, CA, 25-29 Oct. 1993).
|S. G. Eick et al., Navigating Large Networks with Hierarchies, Visualization 93 Conference Proceedings , 204 210 (San Jose, CA, 25 29 Oct. 1993).
|S. Mukherjea et al., "Visualizing The World-Wide Web With The Navigational View Builder," Computer Networks And ISDN Systems, vol. 27, No. 6, Apr. 1995, Netherlands, pp. 1075-1087.
|S. Mukherjea et al., Visualizing The World Wide Web With The Navigational View Builder, Computer Networks And ISDN Systems , vol. 27, No. 6, Apr. 1995, Netherlands, pp. 1075 1087.
|T. A. Foley et al., "Visualizing Functions Over A Sphere," IEEE Computer Graphics And Applications, vol. 10, No. 1, Jan. 1990, pp. 32-40.
|T. A. Foley et al., Visualizing Functions Over A Sphere, IEEE Computer Graphics And Applications , vol. 10, No. 1, Jan. 1990, pp. 32 40.
|U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 08/141,885, "Graphical Display of Relationships," filed Oct. 22, 1993.
|U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 08/141,885, Graphical Display of Relationships, filed Oct. 22, 1993.
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Nov 3, 1997
|Jun 15, 1999
|Magarshak; Yuri
|System and method for visual representation of large collections of data by two-dimensional maps created from planar graphs
|Jan 31, 1997
|Oct 19, 1999
|International Business Machines Corporation
|Method and system for navigating through opaque structures on a display
|Jan 27, 1997
|Oct 26, 1999
|International Business Machines Corporation
|Method and system for providing preferred face views of objects in a three-dimensional (3D) environment in a display in a computer system
|Jun 19, 1997
|Mar 28, 2000
|The United States Of America As Represented By The National Security Agency
|Method of displaying 3D networks in 2D with out false crossings
|May 7, 1997
|Jul 4, 2000
|Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
|Information retrieval apparatus
|Jan 27, 1997
|Aug 29, 2000
|International Business Machines Corporation
|Method and system for classifying user objects in a three-dimensional (3D) environment on a display in a computer system
|Nov 6, 1997
|Nov 28, 2000
|Lucent Technologies Inc.
|Method and apparatus for constructing network interfaces
|Feb 7, 1997
|Apr 24, 2001
|California Institute Of Technology
|Monitoring and analysis of data in cyberspace
|May 22, 1997
|May 15, 2001
|Lucent Technologies, Inc.
|Data visualization system
|Dec 17, 1997
|Mar 12, 2002
|Lucent Technologies, Inc
|System for visually representing modification information about an characteristic-dependent information processing system
|Apr 23, 1999
|Apr 9, 2002
|Spatial Technology, Inc.
|Deformable modeling using generalized curve constraints
|Jan 25, 2000
|Oct 8, 2002
|I2 Technologies Us, Inc.
|System and method providing a three-Dimensional display of values relative to comparison values
|May 3, 1999
|Oct 29, 2002
|Autodesk, Inc.
|Depicting hierarchically related graphical components
|Aug 5, 1999
|Dec 17, 2002
|Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
|Status display unit using icons and method therefor
|May 28, 1999
|Dec 17, 2002
|Survol Interactive Technologies
|Navigating heirarchically organized information
|Jun 7, 1999
|Jun 3, 2003
|Microsoft Corporation
|Compression of animated geometry using geometric transform coding
|Jun 7, 1999
|Sep 2, 2003
|Microsoft Corporation
|Compression of animated geometry using a hierarchical level of detail coder
|Jan 12, 2000
|Jan 27, 2004
|International Business Machines Corporation
|Methods and apparatus for transmission and rendering of complex 3D models over networks using mixed representations
|Dec 18, 1998
|Mar 30, 2004
|Sprint Communication Company, L.P.
|System and method for providing a graphical user interface to, for building, and/or for monitoring a telecommunication network
|May 21, 1999
|May 17, 2005
|Sprint Communications Company L.P.
|System and method for controlling a call processing system
|Jul 30, 1999
|May 24, 2005
|Battelle Memorial Institute
|Method and apparatus for entity relationship visualization
|Feb 28, 2002
|Aug 9, 2005
|Ilog Sa
|Interactive generation of graphical visualizations of large data structures
|Mar 31, 2001
|Sep 5, 2006
|Intel Corporation
|Spatial patches for graphics rendering
|Feb 16, 2000
|Sep 19, 2006
|Harris Scott C
|Enhancing touch and feel on the internet
|Jan 3, 2001
|Nov 28, 2006
|California Institute Of Technology
|Monitoring and analysis of data in cyberspace
|Oct 21, 2002
|Mar 27, 2007
|Sap Aktiengesellschaft
|Management of hierarchies
|Apr 10, 2003
|Jul 31, 2007
|Peter Hurley
|System and method for visualizing data
|Jan 20, 2005
|Nov 6, 2007
|Sensitron, Inc.
|Method and apparatus for time series graph display
|Jan 19, 2001
|Apr 29, 2008
|C-Sam, Inc.
|Method and system for managing user activities and information using a customized computer interface
|May 20, 2004
|May 5, 2009
|Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
|Geometry and view assisted transmission of graphics image streams
|May 7, 2004
|Oct 13, 2009
|University Of Utah Research Foundation
|Method and apparatus for monitoring dynamic systems using n-dimensional representations of critical functions
|Apr 17, 2006
|Nov 10, 2009
|Illinois Computer Research, Llc
|Enhancing touch and feel on the internet
|Oct 11, 2002
|Feb 2, 2010
|University Of Utah Research Foundation
|Method and apparatus for monitoring dynamic cardiovascular function using n-dimensional representatives of critical functions
|Oct 11, 2002
|Apr 6, 2010
|University Of Utah Research Foundation
|Anesthesia drug monitor
|Sep 30, 2004
|May 31, 2011
|Microsoft Corporation
|System and method for visualization of categories
|Mar 26, 2004
|Sep 13, 2011
|Nevin Iii Rocky Harry W
|Method and apparatus for displaying data stored in linked nodes
|Aug 20, 2007
|Dec 27, 2011
|Illinois Computer Research, Llc
|Enhancing touch and feel on the internet
|Jun 9, 2006
|Jan 24, 2012
|Illinois Computer Research, Llc
|Enhancing touch and feel on the internet
|Mar 7, 2011
|Jun 25, 2013
|Sony Corporation
|Fast depth map generation for 2D to 3D conversion
|Sep 30, 2008
|Aug 20, 2013
|Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc.
|Methods and systems of graphically conveying a strength of communication between users
|Feb 12, 2001
|Dec 10, 2013
|Microsoft Corporation
|Data visualization using association networks
|Aug 20, 2007
|May 27, 2014
|Scott C. Harris
|Enhancing touch and feel on the internet
|Aug 4, 2011
|Aug 5, 2014
|Google Inc.
|Method and apparatus for displaying data stored in linked nodes
|Mar 15, 2012
|Sep 9, 2014
|Microsoft Corporation
|Interactive control of the curvature of links
|Apr 12, 2011
|Sep 16, 2014
|Russell John Bolden
|Generating a graphic for application to a surface to produce a plaque
|Mar 21, 2006
|Sep 30, 2014
|Scott C Harris
|Enhancing touch and feel on the internet
|Sep 30, 2004
|Nov 15, 2016
|Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc
|System and method for visualization of categories
|Jul 19, 2013
|Dec 6, 2016
|Nippon Telegraph And Telephone Corporation
|Screen display device, system, and screen generation method displaying the state of a network
|Feb 15, 2012
|Dec 27, 2016
|Google Inc.
|Methods for generating visual data from nodes containing identity data for persons from a set point of view
|Sep 14, 2012
|Jan 17, 2017
|Google Inc.
|Methods for generating visual data from nodes containing identify data for individuals from a set view point
|Sep 28, 2014
|Feb 28, 2017
|Scott C. Harris
|Enhancing touch and feel on the Internet
|Jan 19, 2001
|Jul 25, 2002
|Pitroda Satyan G.
|Method and system for managing user activities and information using a customized computer interface
|Jun 5, 2001
|Nov 14, 2002
|Ali Kutay
|System and method for accessing, organizing, and presenting data
|Oct 21, 2002
|Apr 24, 2003
|Christoph Hofmann
|Management of hierarchies
|Feb 22, 2002
|May 1, 2003
|Ali Kutay
|System and method to facilitate analysis and removal of errors from an application
|Oct 11, 2002
|Aug 21, 2003
|University Of Utah
|Anesthesia drug monitor
|Feb 28, 2002
|Sep 4, 2003
|Thomas Baudel
|Interactive generation of graphical visualizations of large data structures
|Oct 11, 2002
|Dec 11, 2003
|University Of Utah
|Method and apparatus for monitoring dynamic cardiovascular function using n-dimensional representations of critical functions
|Apr 10, 2003
|Mar 4, 2004
|Peter Hurley
|System and method for visualizing data
|May 7, 2004
|Oct 21, 2004
|University Of Utah
|Method and apparatus for monitoring dynamic systems using n-dimensional representations of critical functions
|Mar 26, 2004
|Apr 21, 2005
|Nevin Rocky Harry W.Iii
|Method and apparatus for displaying data stored in linked nodes
|Sep 30, 2004
|May 19, 2005
|Microsoft Corporation
|System and method for visualization of categories
|Sep 30, 2004
|May 19, 2005
|Microsoft Corporation
|System and method for visualization of categories
|Jan 20, 2005
|Jul 28, 2005
|Goggin David E.
|Method and apparatus for time series graph display
|Feb 11, 2004
|Aug 11, 2005
|Yuh-Jye Chang
|Method and apparatus for large-scale two-dimensional mapping
|May 20, 2004
|Nov 24, 2005
|Goss Michael E
|Geometry and view assisted transmission of graphics image streams
|Aug 4, 2005
|Feb 9, 2006
|Advizor Solutions, Inc.
|Systems and methods for enterprise-wide visualization of multi-dimensional data
|Mar 21, 2006
|Aug 10, 2006
|Harris Scott C
|Enhancing Touch and Feel on the Internet
|Jun 9, 2006
|Sep 28, 2006
|Harris Scott C
|Enhancing Touch and Feel on the Internet
|Apr 17, 2006
|Oct 12, 2006
|Harris Scott C
|Enhancing Touch and Feel on the Internet
|Aug 20, 2007
|Feb 26, 2009
|Harris Scott C
|Enhancing Touch and Feel on the Internet
|Aug 20, 2007
|Feb 26, 2009
|Harris Scott C
|Enhancing Touch and Feel on the Internet
|Sep 30, 2008
|Apr 1, 2010
|Verizon Data Services, Llc
|Methods and systems of graphically conveying a strength of communication between users
|Oct 8, 2009
|May 6, 2010
|Ronald Aaron Mickaels
|Extended classification space and color model for the classification and display of multi-parameter data sets
|Mar 7, 2011
|Aug 4, 2011
|Jianing Wei
|Fast Depth Map Generation for 2D to 3D Conversion
|Feb 13, 2010
|Aug 18, 2011
|Robin Dziama
|Spherical Electronic LCD Display
|Apr 12, 2011
|Oct 13, 2011
|Russell John Bolden
|Generating a graphic for application to a surface to produce a plaque
|Feb 13, 2012
|Aug 15, 2013
|Anil Babu Ankisettipalli
|Visualization of data clusters
|Mar 15, 2012
|Sep 19, 2013
|Microsoft Corporation
|Interactive control of the curvature of links
|Jul 26, 2014
|Nov 13, 2014
|Microsoft Corporation
|Interactive control of the curvature of links
|Jun 7, 1999
|Mar 23, 2000
|Microsoft Corp
|Compression of time-dependent geometry
|Apr 10, 2003
|Oct 23, 2003
|Imagine Xd, Inc.
|System and method for visualizing data
|U.S. Classification
|345/440, 345/419, 345/420
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Jun 1, 1995
Owner name: AT&T IPM CORP., FLORIDA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:COX, KENNETH CHARLES;EICK, STEPHEN GREGORY;REEL/FRAME:007539/0833
Effective date: 19950524
|Aug 28, 1997
Owner name: LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES INC., NEW JERSEY
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:AT&T CORP.;REEL/FRAME:008697/0789
Effective date: 19960329
|Mar 28, 2001
Owner name: LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC., NEW JERSEY
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:AT&T CORP.;REEL/FRAME:011658/0857
Effective date: 19960329
|Apr 5, 2001
Owner name: THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, AS COLLATERAL AGENT, TEX
Free format text: CONDITIONAL ASSIGNMENT OF AND SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENT RIGHTS;ASSIGNOR:LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES INC. (DE CORPORATION);REEL/FRAME:011722/0048
Effective date: 20010222
|Sep 11, 2001
Owner name: SILICON VALLEY BANK, CALIFORNIA
Free format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:VISUAL INSIGHTS, INC;REEL/FRAME:012145/0931
Effective date: 20010816
|Sep 26, 2001
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Apr 10, 2002
Owner name: VISUAL INSIGHTS, INC., ILLINOIS
Free format text: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY;ASSIGNOR:SILICON VALLEY BANK;REEL/FRAME:012795/0517
Effective date: 20020326
|Oct 24, 2005
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Dec 6, 2006
Owner name: LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES INC., NEW JERSEY
Free format text: TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENT RIGHTS;ASSIGNOR:JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. (FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK), AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT;REEL/FRAME:018584/0446
Effective date: 20061130
Owner name: LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES INC., NEW JERSEY
Free format text: TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENT RIGHTS;ASSIGNOR:JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. (FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK), AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT;REEL/FRAME:018590/0287
Effective date: 20061130
|Nov 9, 2009
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12
|Mar 7, 2013
Owner name: CREDIT SUISSE AG, NEW YORK
Free format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC.;REEL/FRAME:030510/0627
Effective date: 20130130
|Oct 9, 2014
Owner name: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC., NEW JERSEY
Free format text: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY;ASSIGNOR:CREDIT SUISSE AG;REEL/FRAME:033950/0001
Effective date: 20140819