text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|May 27, 2008
|Filing date
|Apr 30, 1997
|Priority date
|Apr 30, 1997
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Shinya Matsuoka
|Original Assignee
|Computer Associates Think, Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (11), Non-Patent Citations (12), Referenced by (11), Classifications (10), Legal Events (5)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to audio conferencing, and more particularly to spatial audio in a computer-based scene.
2. Related Art
An audio conference consists of an environment shared by viewers using the same application over an interactive TV network. In a typical application, viewers move graphic representations (sometimes referred to as personas or avatars) on the screen interactively using a remote control or game pad. Viewers use their set-top microphones and TV speakers to talk and listen to other viewers and to hear sounds that are intended to appear to come from specific locations on the screen.
Conferencing software that supports real-time voice communications over a network is becoming very common in today's society. A distinguishing feature between different conferencing software programs is an ability to support spatialized audio, i.e., the ability to hear sounds relative to the location of the listener—the same way one does in the real world. Many non-spatialized audio conferencing software products, such as NetMeeting, manufactured by Microsoft Corp., Redmond, Wash. and Intel Corp., North Bend, Wash.; CoolTalk, manufactured by Netscape Communications Corp., Mountain View, Calif.; and TeleVox, manufactured by Voxware Inc., Princeton, N.J., are rigid. They do not provide distance-based attenuation (i.e., sounds are not heard relative to the distance between persona locations on the TV screen during the conference). Non-spatialized audio conferencing software does not address certain issues necessary for performing communications in computer scenery. Such issues include: (1) efficient means for joining and leaving a conference; and (2) provision for distance attenuation and other mechanisms to provide the illusion of sounds in real space.
Spatialized audio conference software does exist. An example is Traveler, manufactured by OnLive! Technologies, Cupertino, Calif., but such software packages exist mainly to navigate 3D space. Although they attempt to spatialize the audio with reference to human representatives in the scene, a sound's real world behavior is not achieved.
As users navigate through a computer-based scene such as a Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) "world", they should be able to hear (and to broadcast to other users) audio sounds emanating from sources within the scene. Current systems typically do not do a very good job of realistically modeling sounds. As a result, the sounds not are heard relative to the user's current location as in the real world.
What is needed is a system and method for providing audio conferencing that provides realistic sounds that appear to emanate from positions in the scene relative to the location of the user's avatar on the TV screen.
Briefly stated, the present invention is directed to a system and method for enabling an audio conference server (ACS) to provide an application program with multi-point, weight controllable audio conferencing functions. The present invention achieves realistic sound by providing distance-based attenuation. The present invention associates an energy level with the sound (e.g., weak, medium, strong, etc.) to define the sound within the scene according to the sound's real world behavior.
The ACS manages a plurality of audio conferences, receives audio data from a plurality of audio clients, mixes the audio data to provide distance-based attenuation and decay characteristics of sounds, and delivers the mixed audio data to a plurality of audio clients. Audio clients include set-top box audio clients and point source audio (PSA) audio clients. Set-top box audio clients can be set-top boxes, computer workstations, and/or personal computers (PCs). PSA audio clients include audio files and audio input lines.
The ACS mixes the audio data by identifying a decay factor. Pre-defined decay factors include an audio big decay factor, an audio small decay factor, an audio medium decay factor, and a constant decay factor. One can also develop a customized decay factor. A weighted value for a source audio client based on the identified decay factor and the distance between the source audio client and a target audio client is determined. A mix table is generated using the weighted values for each source/target audio client pair. Then, an actual mix value for each target audio client is calculated using the weighted values from the mix table. The present invention also includes means for refining the actual mix value.
The ACS manages the audio conferences using an ACS shell. The ACS shell is a user interface that provides interactive program access to the ACS using high level methods for creating and managing a proxy audio conference and for creating and managing point source audios. The ACS shell also provides program access to the ACS via low level methods for creating and managing audio conferences.
The ACS also checks the status of a registered owner of each audio conference using a resource audit service (RAS). The RAS informs the ACS when the registered conference owner stops running. Then, the ACS closes the conference.
Further features and advantages of the invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the digit(s) to the left of the two rightmost digits in the corresponding reference number.
The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is discussed in detail below. While specific configurations are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Overview of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a system and method for enabling an audio conference server (ACS) to provide multi-point, weight controllable audio conferencing functions to application programs. The present invention allows application programs to incorporate audio conference features without being concerned with the details of audio processing, audio delivery, and audio data mixing. The present invention allows multiple applications to share one conference. Applications can also use a conference created by another application. The present invention allows viewers in an audio conference to hear sounds and talk to other viewers across an interactive TV network.
In an application service that incorporate the ACS, the ACS enables the application service to have audio clients. Audio clients are displayed as points on a TV screen from which sound appears to emanate. Approaching a source of sound makes the sound grow louder. Moving away from the source of sound makes the sound grow fainter. Audio clients can be point sources of sound, referred to as point source audios (PSAs), from audio files or an audio input line. Viewers having conversations with others on a network using a set-top box (STB) microphone and TV speaker are another type of audio client, often referred to as a set-top box (STB) audio client. The STB audio client includes a set-top application for controlling an audio stream of data emanating from the STB microphone or the TV speaker.
The set-top application, application service, and the ACS typically reside on separate systems, thus requiring a network communications' set-up among them. The ACS manages the data exchange and audio mixing among clients and servers. The ACS uses a COBRA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) Interface Definition Language (IDL) interface for setting up an audio conference, and a User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol (UDP/IP) interface for transmitting and receiving audio streams of data. Both COBRA IDL and UDP/IP interfaces are well known to persons skilled in the relevant art(s).
The ACS receives audio streams of data from STB and PSA audio clients, mixes the audio streams of data to enable distance-based attenuation of sounds as well as decay characteristics according to the sound's behavior, and delivers the mixed audio streams to the designated STB audio clients. Audio mixing adjusts the volume of a persona's voice (from a STB) or sound emanating from a PSA relative to the distance between the location of the sound and the audio client's persona on the TV screen: the greater the distance, the fainter the audio. Also, if the sound is a low-energy sound, such as a wind chime, the sound will decay quickly. If the sound is a high energy sound, such as a waterfall, the sound will decay slowly.
A user can interactively interface with the ACS using an ACS shell. The ACS shell, written in TCL (a tool command language developed by John Ousterhout of the University of California, Berkeley), is an IDL-based client that connects to the ACS. The ACS shell enables developers to prototype applications, and operators to monitor and control audio conferences.
The headend server 102 houses an audio conference server (ACS) 104, an application service 106, and an ACS shell 110. The headend server 102 may also contain PSAs 108. The application service 106 is an application that incorporates the ACS 104. PSAs 108 can be audio files or analog input lines. The ACS 104 enables the application service 106 to incorporate audio conference features without being concerned with the details of audio processing, audio delivery, and audio data mixing. The ACS shell 110 is an IDL client that connects to the ACS 104 to provide a user interactive interface to monitor and control the full range of ACS functions.
Each workstation 120 contains a set-top box (STB) 112 and a TV 122. The TV 122 includes a TV screen 125 and a speaker 126. The TV screen 125 displays the audio clients (PSAs 108 and/or STBs 112) that are included in the audio conference while the sounds emanating from the displayed audio clients (PSAs 108 and/or STBs 112) are heard by a viewer 124 via the TV speaker 126. The STB 112 contains a set-top application 114, an ACS client library 116, and a microphone 118. The ACS client library 116 contains application program interfaces (APIs) that are exported to the set-top application 114. The APIs enable the set-top application 114 to control an audio stream of data emanating from the microphone 118 or the TV speaker 126. An ACAudioClient class contains the API interface between the set-top application 114 and the ACS client library 116. The ACAudioClient class contains methods that enable set-top applications 114 to join or leave an audio conference, start and stop audio conferencing ability for STB 112 audio clients, and to control and monitor audio talking.
The ACS 104 enables the application server 106 to have audio clients. The functionality of the ACS 104 is two-fold. First, the ACS 104 manages the audio stream of data. For example, audio sounds emanating from each STB 112 are interfaced to the ACS 104 over the communication bus using a UDP/IP interface 128. When a viewer 124 speaks into the microphone 118, the viewer's voice is imported from the microphone 118 to the set-top box 112 in a digitized pulse code modulation (PCM) format. PCM is a digital transmission technique by which a continuous signal is periodically sampled, quantized, and transmitted in digital binary code. PCM is well known to persons skilled in the relevant art(s). (Note that when a viewer is not speaking, silence suppression is provided to avoid flooding the network.) The ACS client library 116 sends the PCM audio data stream as UDP/IP data packets 128 over the communication bus to the ACS 104 in the headend server 102. UDP/IP protocol is used for real-time audio data delivery. The ACS 104 mixes the audio data stream accordingly, and sends the mixed audio data stream to each designated viewer's set-top TV speaker 126 via UDP/IP over the communication bus through the appropriate STBs 112. Each designated viewer hears the sound relative to that viewer's position to the sound on the TV screen 125 according to the real life characteristics of the sound. If the set-top application 114 has turned on the local echo feature, the viewer's voice is also sent locally to the viewer's set-top speaker 126. The echo is in real time; there is no network delay.
Second, the ACS 104 manages the audio conference. Conference management is performed using IDL. The application service 106 communicates with the ACS 104 over the communication bus using an IDL interface 130. The set-top application 114 communicates with the application service 106 over the communication bus using an IDL interface 131. Communications from the set-top application 114 that are relevant to audio conference management are translated by the application service 106 into a conference management command and passed to the ACS 104 via IDL interface 130. The ACS 104 handles IDL requests from the application service 106. The IDL interface 130 comprises software methods that when executed, perform various ACS functions. These methods, when called by the application service 106 are executed transparently. The methods perform such functions as creating and deleting a conference, adding and removing participants to and from the conference, respectively, changing the volume mix balance between participants in the conference, etc. Although IDL is relatively slow, IDL was chosen for its reliability.
Implementation of the Invention
The headend server 102 is preferably implemented using a computer system, such as exemplary computer system 200 shown in
The computer system 200 includes one or more processors, such as processor 202. The processor 202 is connected to a communication bus 204. The computer system 200 also includes a main memory 206, preferably random access memory (RAM), and a secondary memory 208. The secondary memory 208 includes, for example, a hard disk drive 210 and/or a removable storage drive 212, representing a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, a compact disk drive, etc. The removable storage drive 212 reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit 214 in a well known manner.
Removable storage unit 214, also called a program storage device or a computer program product, represents a floppy disk, magnetic tape, compact disk, etc. The removable storage unit 214 includes a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computer software and/or data, such as an object's methods and data.
The computer system 200 can communicate with other computer systems via network interface 215. The network interface 215 is a network interface circuit card that connects computer system 200 to other computer systems via network 216. The other computer systems can be computer systems such as computer system 200, set-top box audio clients 112, or PCs and/or workstations. The network 216 can be one of fiber optics, coaxial, or 10 BaseT.
Computer programs (also called computer control logic), including object-oriented computer programs, are stored in main memory 206 and/or the secondary memory 208. Such computer programs, when executed, enable the computer system 200 to perform the features of the present invention as discussed herein. In particular, the computer programs, when executed, enable the processor 202 to perform the features of the present invention. Accordingly, such computer programs represent controllers of the computer system 200.
In another embodiment, the invention is directed to a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having control logic (computer software) stored therein. The control logic, when executed by the processor 202, causes the processor 202 to perform the functions of the invention as described herein.
In yet another embodiment, the invention is implemented primarily in hardware using, for example, one or more state machines. Implementation of these state machines to perform the functions described herein will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s).
ACS Threads
The ACS 104 is a multi-threaded process having multiple threads, each thread executing a separate audio conference function. The ACS 104 contains a thread for managing audio conferences, a thread for monitoring the system, a thread for keeping track of conference ownership, a thread for receiving audio data from audio clients, and a thread for mixing and delivering audio data.
Users interactively interface with the ACS 104 via the ACS shell. The ACS shell enables program access to low level IDL methods. The conference manager thread 302 handles all incoming IDL method calls from the application service 106. The low level IDL methods that are handled by the conference manager thread 302 are discussed below (under ACS Shell).
The ACS 104 needs to know if the application that created an audio conference is still running. When the audio conference is generated and used by the same application, the application reports that it is alive by pinging the ACS 104. The conference recycler thread 304 monitors the pinging. When the pinging stops, the conference recycler thread 304 terminates the audio conference.
When the audio conference is generated by one application and used by a different application, the above method of pinging the conference recycler thread 304 is not applicable. For example, a game launcher application generates a conference that is used by a game. To accommodate this situation, the RAS pinger thread 306 is used. The RAS pinger thread 306 is responsible for pinging a resource audit service (RAS) to obtain information about the existence of the registered owner of a conference. Conference ownerships are registered with the RAS via a registered owner interface. Using the RAS pinger thread 306, the RAS informs the ACS 104 when the registered conference owner stops running. The incorporation of the RAS pinger thread 306 enables an application claiming ownership of an audio conference to pass audio conference ownership to another application using the registered owner interface.
An audio conference ownership transfer will now be discussed with reference to
The ACS 104 keeps a lookup table 406 in which each audio conference has a matching entry 408. The matching entry 408 is the registered owner of the conference. When the theatre application 404 terminates, the ACS 104 detects the termination and closes the conference.
The RAS 410 keeps track of a registered application. The RAS 410 pings the registered application using IDL and also checks for its existence via the operating system. When the registered application ceases to exist, the RAS 410 notifies the ACS 104. If the application was the registered owner of the conference, then ACS 104 closes the conference and cleans up. In the above example, when the viewers leave the theatre and the theatre application 404 ceases to exist, the RAS 410 reports it to the ACS 104. The ACS 104 looks at the table, sees that the registered owner is gone, and closes the conference.
In decision step 507, it is determined whether the first application wants to move the conference. If the first application does not want to move the conference, control stays with decision step 507. If the first application wants to move the conference, control passes to step 508.
In step 508, the first application moves the conference ownership to a second application (shown as arrow 418 in
Referring to
In decision step 515, it is determined whether the second application has ceased. If the second application is still running, control remains in step 515. When the second application ceases, control passes to step 516.
In step 516, the RAS 410 reports the loss of the second application to the ACS 104 (shown as arrow 426 in
In decision step 517, it is determined whether the second application is registered as the owner of the conference in the lookup table. If the second application is not registered as the owner of the conference in the lookup table, control remains in step 517. If the second application is registered as the owner of the conference in the lookup table, control passes to step 518. In step 518, the ACS 104 closes the conference.
Returning to
The net listener thread 308 receives upstream audio data packets that are sent from the STB 112. The net listener thread 308 listens to the network. Whenever STBs 112 send data over the network via UDP/IP 128, the net listener thread 308 gathers the audio data packets and passes them to the mixer thread 310 via a shared buffer (not shown) located between the net listener thread 308 and the mixer thread 310.
A PSA can be played from the application service 106 or from within the ACS 104.
As previously stated, an application can play a PSA 108 in the ACS 104. When an application plays the PSA 108 in the ACS 104, the net listener thread 308 directly fetches the audio data from the file (i.e., PSA 108). This reduces the network traffic of the audio stream.
Audio Mixing and Delivery
As previously stated, the mixer thread 310 performs actual audio mixing and delivers the mixed audio data to the audio clients 112 through the network via UDP/IP 128. The present invention provides audio mixing with distance-based attenuation. When an audio client (PSAs 108 or STBs 112) moves closer to another audio client (PSAs 108 or STBs 112), the sound gets louder, and when the audio client (PSAs 108 or STB 112) retreats, the sound gets quieter. A PSA 108 might be, for example, the sound of a snoring dragon. When an audio client represented by a STB 112 moves closer to the dragon, the snoring sounds louder, and when the STB 112 retreats, the snoring sound is quieter.
The ACS 104 accomplishes this by implementing decay characteristics for categories of sounds.
The first pre-defined decay factor represents a sound of constant volume regardless of distance. This plot is identified as audioConstant 702. AudioConstant sounds are heard at the same volume from anywhere on the TV screen 126. The second predefined decay factor represents a sound of loud volume. This plot is identified as audioBig 704. AudioBig sounds can be heard by an audio client (PSA 108 or STB 112) anywhere on the TV screen 126 (shown on TV screen 706), and even several screens away. The third pre-defined decay factor represents a sound of low volume. This plot is identified as audioSmall 712. AudioSmall sounds can only be heard by audio clients (PSAs 108 and STBs 112) who are near the sound source on the TV screen 126 (shown on TV screen 714). The small sound (audioSmall 712) decays to zero inversely and more quickly than the big sound (audioBig 704). The last pre-defined decay factor represents a medium sound, i.e., a sound that falls between audioBig 704 and audioSmall 712. This plot is identified as audioMedium 708. AudioMedium sounds can be heard on approximately half of the TV screen 126, but not beyond the TV screen 126 (shown on TV screen 710). Medium sounds decay linearly, in between the small and big sounds. Developers can also customize decay factor values. A plot of an exemplary custom decay factor 716 is also shown in graph 700.
When audio clients (PSAs 108 and STBs 112) are added to the conference, the application specifies the decay factor for that audio client (PSA 108 or STB 112). As previously stated, audio data received from audio clients (STBs 112) is received via the net listener thread 308. The mixer thread 310 performs the actual audio mixing and delivers the mixed audio data to the audio clients (STBs 112) through the network via UDP/IP 128. The actual audio mixing is accomplished by generating an audio mix table. An exemplary audio mix table 800 is shown in
The mix table 800 shows that the weight of a target audio client (STB 112) to itself is 0.0. Thus the target audio client (STB 112) will not be able to hear its own echo.
The audio mix to be delivered to target audio client audio1 802 is 0.0 for audio client audio1 802, 1.0 for audio client audio2 804, and 0.7 for audio client audio3 806. This indicates that audio client audio1 802 will hear audio client audio2 804 at maximum volume and audio client audio3 806 at 70% of the maximum volume. Equation 808 represents the audio mix for target audio client audio1 802. Equations 810 and 812 represent the audio mix for target audio clients audio2 804 and audio3 806, respectively.
The mixer thread 310 also refines the mixed audio using the following functions: gain control, fading in/fading out, floating point operation elimination, mixing adaption, mixing cut-off and stream audio. The gain control function controls the gain to avoid transmitting excess energy audio data after calculating the weighted sum. The fading in/fading out function avoids the delivery of audio data in a step-wise manner to the speaker output (which results in discontinuity on the user side) by smoothing the audio data on fading in and fading out. The floating point operation elimination function avoids floating point operation by using pre-calculated weight functions instead of performing actual floating point multiplication. The mixing adaption function is used to adapt an actual mix calculation for a source audio client to the available CPU resources. The mixing cut-off function provides better scalability by allowing a mixing cut-off of three, in which the three nearest talking audio clients are selected for the actual mix. The stream audio function prepares stream audio for two purposes: (1) playing ambient background music, such as radio in cyber-space; and (2) using it as an audio source forwarded from another conference. An example of refining an audio mix using both the mixing adaption and mixing cut-off functions follows.
After the mixer thread 310 mixes the audio data, the mixed PCM audio data packet is sent over the network via UDP/IP 128 to the corresponding audio clients (STBs 112). Whether the full active mix for each audio client (STBs 112) is sent depends on the availability of CPU resources. If the CPU resources are busy, the active mix for any one audio client (STB 112) will be reduced. For example, if an audio client's active mix is equivalent to:
and adequate CPU resources were available, the entire active mix could be delivered to audioX. Alternatively, if CPU resources were busy, then the active mix would be reduced. The reduction might be to delete audio1 and audio2 since they are only heard by audioX at 10% and 30% of the maximum volume, respectively.
In step 904, audio mixing is performed for each source audio client in the conference to provide spatialized audio. Control then passes to step 906 where delivery of the actual audio mix to the target audio clients (STBs 112) is performed.
In step 914, the distance between the target audio client and each source audio client is determined. Using the distances determined in step 914, a weighted value is extracted using the identified decay factors from step 912 for each source audio client in step 916. Control then passes to step 918.
In step 918, the weighted values determined in step 916 are entered into a mix table for each source/target audio client pair. The actual mix values are calculated in step 920 for each target audio client. The resultant audio mix values are refined in step 922.
ACS Shell
The ACS shell 110, written in TCL (a tool command language developed by John Ousterhout of the University of California, Berkeley), is an IDL client that connects to the ACS 104 and provides an interactive interface to monitor and control the full range of ACS functions. The ACS shell 110 enables developers to quickly prototype an application and operators to monitor and control audio conferences. The ACS shell 110 provides an ACS shell command prompt for prompting a user to enter ACS shell commands. The ACS shell prompt identifies the shell, time, and history, for example, acsshell <10:09 am>[1]%. ACS shell commands enable the user to examine the execution of and interact with audio conferences and audio clients (PSAs 108 and STBs 112).
ACS shell commands that provide audio conferencing functionality are divided into four distinct classes.
The easiest way to use the ACS 104 is through the ACProxy class 1002. The ACProxy class provides a higher level of functionality than the lower level AudioConference and AudioConferenceService classes 1006. The ACProxy class 1002 provides most, but not all, of the functionality implemented by the lower level classes 1006. The ACProxy class 1002 also calculates sound relationships (mixed audio) automatically when audio clients change position.
Methods 1100 contained in the ACProxy class 1002 are shown in
The ACProxy() 1102 and ˜ACProxy() 1104 methods allow the opening and closing of a proxy audio conference, respectively. Methods AddClient() 1106 and AddPSA() 1108 add STB 112 and PSA 108 audio clients to the proxy audio conference, respectively. Audio clients (PSAs 108 and STBs 112) are identified using client IDs. The method Audios() 1110 lists the audio client ID numbers of all audio clients (PSAs 108 and STBs 112) in the proxy audio conference. The audio of a PSA 108 is enabled and disabled using methods DemuteAudio() 1112 and MuteAudio() 1120, respectively.
A proxy audio conference registers ownership of the application to the ACS 104. The ACS 104 then pings the RAS 410 to see if the application continues to exist. To transfer conference ownership to another application, methods RegisterOwner() 1122 and RegisterOwnerByName() 1124 are invoked. The RegisterOwner() method 1122 transfers ownership of the proxy audio conference using an object reference. The RegisterOwnerByName() method 1124 transfers ownership of the audio conference using the name of the application. The UnregisterOwner() method 1128 removes the previous ownership of the audio conference.
The ACProxy class 1002 allows one to specify a TV screen location for an audio client (PSA 108 or set-top box 112) and calculates the changes in sound automatically when audio clients (PSAs 108 and STBs 112) move. This is accomplished by invoking the MoveAudio() method 1118. The X, Y coordinate location of an audio client (PSA 108 or STB 112) is displayed when the GetAudioLocation() method 1114 is invoked.
To remove audio clients (PSAs 108 or STBs 112), the RemoveAudio() method 1126 is invoked. Audio conference information is displayed by invoking the GetConfInfo() method 1116.
An example of how to add audio clients to a proxy conference by invoking methods from the ACProxy class 1002 is shown in
In step 1504, the audio client is located onscreen by invoking the MoveAudio() method 1118. If the audio client is a STB 112, the character representing the audio client is located onscreen. If the audio client is a PSA 108, the sound source representation of the audio client is located onscreen. When locating an audio client onscreen, the audio client ID and the X, Y coordinates of the audio client must be specified in the parenthetical. The origin, (0,0), is the lower left corner of the TV screen.
Referring back to
The PointSourceAudio class methods 1200 are shown in
The PointSourceAudio() method 1202 instantiates a PSA object. To play the audio source, the Play() method 1206 is invoked. To stop playing the audio source, the Stop() method 1208 is invoked. To resume playing the audio source, the Resume() method 1212 is invoked. The Pause() method 1210 pauses the playing of the audio source. To clean up resources and close the device used by the PSA 108, the ˜PointSourceAudio() method 1204 is invoked.
Referring back to
The AudioConferenceService methods 1300 are shown in
The OpenConference() 1302 and CloseConference() 1304 methods create and close an audio conference. An audio conference is identified by a ticket number. To locate a conference name by ticket number, the GetConferenceByTicket() method 1306 is invoked. One can also obtain a listing of the online conferences by invoking the ListConference() method 1308. Information about STB 112 audio clients can be obtained by invoking the HctAudioStat() method 1310. The data provided for STB 112 audio clients includes such information as:
The methods for the AudioConference class 1400 are shown in
The methods in the AudioConferenceService and AudioConference class 1300 and 1400, respectively, provide greater control over the audio conference than the ACProxy class methods 1100. As one can see from the lists of methods, one can open and close audio conferences, create and delete audio clients, set an automatic timeout, and set the volume levels between clients.
The RegisterOwner() method 1406, the RegisterOwnerByName() method 1408, and the UnregisterOwner() method 1410 are similar to the ACProxy methods 1122, 1124, and 1128. For descriptions of these methods (1406, 1408, and 1410) refer to the discussion of the ACProxy methods (1122, 1124, and 1128) given above.
Methods NewAudio() 1402 and DeleteAudio() 1404 create an audio client for a given STB 112 and delete an audio client, respectively. The methods SetMixOne() 1412 and GetMixOne() 1416 set the volume and return the volume setting of the conversations between two audio clients (PSAs 108 and STBs 112), respectively. The SetMix() method 1414 and the GetMix() method 1418 set the volume and return the volume setting between many audio client pairs. The SetTimeOut() method 1420 sets a number of seconds of inactivity, after which the conference is closed automatically. A conference can be set to never close, if desired. The GetTimeOut() method 1422 finds the length in seconds of the timeout. The Ping() method 1432 pings a given audio conference and returns an exception if the conference does not exist.
The remaining methods (1424-1430) all deal with providing information about the conference. The AudioIds() method 1424 returns a list of audio IDs in a conference. The AudioStat() method 1426 returns information about an audio client, given the audio ID. The ConfStat() method 1428 returns information about an audio conference, and the HctAudioStat() method 1430 returns information about an audio client, given the STB ID.
Flow diagram 1600 begins in step 1602. In step 1602 an audio conference in an application is opened by invoking the OpenConference() method 1302. The ticket number identifying the audio conference or audio conference ID is returned. Control then passes to step 1604.
In step 1604, a set-top box audio client 112 is added to the conference by invoking the NewAudio() method 1402. The NewAudio() method 1402 returns an audio ID representative of the set-top box 112. Additional audio clients can be created by invoking the NewAudio() method 1402 or the PointSourceAudio() method 1202. Control then passes to step 1606.
In step 1606, the volume between audio clients is set by invoking the SetMixOne() method 1412. The audio ID of both the receiver and the sender, as well as the mix (i.e., the weighted factor) must be included in the parenthetical of the SetMixOne() method 1412. If one needed to set up the relative volumes between many viewers, the SetMix() method 1414 would be invoked. The SetMix() method 1414 combines multiple IDL calls into one call. Control then passes to step 1608.
In step 1608, the audio client is removed by invoking the DeleteAudio() method 1404. To delete an audio client, the audio ID of the audio client to be deleted must be specified in the parenthetical of the DeleteAudio() method 1404. Control then passes to step 1610, where the audio conference in the application is closed by invoking the CloseConference() method 1304.
While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
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|Cohen et al, Multidimensional audio window management, International Journal Studies, 319-336, 1991.
|Cohen et al, Virtual gain for windows, Human interface lab, Japan, 85-91, Oct. 1993.
|CoolTalk Features (1996) <http://search.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/3.0/relnotes/CoolTalk/CoolTalk-screenshots.html>.
|CoolTalk Product Communicator (1997) <http://search.netscape.com/comprod/products/navigator/version<SUB>-</SUB>3.0/communication/cooltalk/index.html>.
|CoolTalk Productor Information (1996) <http://search.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/3.0relnotes/cooltalk/index.html>.
|Luwig et al, Extending the notion of a window system to audio, Computer, 66-72, Aug. 1990.
|Microsoft NetMeeting 2.1 Resource Kit, pp. i-xiii; 1-12; 105-111 (1996-1997) <http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting/reskit/>.
|On-Live! Technologies, "SDK Programmer's Guide", (Dec. 1996) pp. 1-18.
|VoxPhone Features (1997) <http://www.voxware.com>.
|Voxware Conferencing Platform (1997) <http://www.voxware.com>.
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
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|Dec 19, 2008
|Feb 28, 2012
|Cisco Technology, Inc.
|System and method for providing a trunked radio and gateway
|Mar 11, 2010
|Jul 23, 2013
|Cisco Technology, Inc.
|System and method for providing data channel management in a network environment
|Aug 16, 2011
|Sep 9, 2014
|Cisco Technology, Inc.
|System and method for providing channel configurations in a communications environment
|Dec 19, 2013
|Jun 14, 2016
|Rabbit, Inc.
|Audio video streaming system and method
|Dec 19, 2013
|Sep 5, 2017
|Rabbit, Inc.
|Method and system for sharing and discovery
|Dec 19, 2008
|Jun 24, 2010
|Cisco Technology, Inc.
|System and Method for Providing a Trunked Radio and Gateway
|Dec 19, 2008
|Jun 24, 2010
|Cisco Technology, Inc.
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|Mar 11, 2010
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|Cisco Technology, Inc.
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|Method and device for processing voice signals and server
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|Apr 6, 2017
|Sound-mixing processing method, apparatus and device, and storage medium
|U.S. Classification
|709/203, 709/227, 709/224
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Jun 24, 1998
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text:
Renee Zellweger's directorial debut was never planned
The Bridget Jones's Diary star admits her directorial debut was never planned, and she had initially envisaged producing and starring in the script by writer Anthony Tambakis.
But after the project failed to draw investors and directors to the movie, Zellweger decided to step up to the role, and she is delighted with the project's progress.
She tells The Hollywood Reporter, "Anthony sent the script to me last year, asking thoughts and whether I'd partner with him to produce it. I'm such a fan of his writing… he has an ability to capture worlds with remarkable compassion, humour and intimacy and the truth of his characters' humanity is felt in every line.
"I asked him if he'd consider my producing and playing PJ. By the new year, the effort to get the film financed had fizzled. I couldn't get the script out of my head, but we didn't have a director and weren't making any headway.
"During a work session for (new TV drama) Cinnamon Girl in early 2012, I brought up 4 1/2 Minutes again, Anthony suggested I direct, and it all started rolling from there."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Download full-length 35min 40sec movie now!
Siri's patient is upset, because he can barely move his legs. She decides to give him some moments of pleasure. So she offered him her huge pair of boobs and by seeing them he stands, grabs them and starts sucking them like hell. It makes her so horny, that she can't stop herself from sucking his dick.
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Style Challenges
Styling Services
February 22, 2012
It's Getting Crafty Up in Here
I saw
this tutorial
I Spy DIY
's blog, after discovering her blog through Pinterest. I loved the idea of making this bracelet. I've really re-discovered a creative, crafty side of myself. And though it was a lot harder than I expected, as well as a bit more expensive than I thought it would be, it was really fun and I am so happy that I figured it out. I'm looking forward to making my next one!
Materials - Michael's and JoAnn Fabrics
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text:
Philip Pullman: His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass)
Some children's stories are not children's stories. (****)
Hilary Mantel: Wolf Hall: A Novel
Tough sledding to get through, but brilliant in spots.
Anthony Bourdain: Kitchen Confidential Updated Edition: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.)
If Hunter Thompson was a foodie. (*****)
Elizabeth Moon: Command Decision (Vatta's War, Book 4)
Good basic space opera (***)
Orson Scott Card: Ender in Exile
Boring in spots, but sprinkled with diamonds of writing. (***)
Timothy Ferriss: The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
Tim's a little crazy, but there's lots to chew on here in the area of questioning your basic assumptions. Good for that if nothing else. (****)
James Ishmael Ford: Zen Master Who?: A Guide to the People and Stories of Zen
Middle section reminds me of Genesis (begat, begat, begat) but the best up-to-date (2001) explanation of how all those Zennies got here. (****)
Soko Morinaga: Novice to Master: An Ongoing Lesson in the Extent of My Own Stupidity
Delightful book about a Zen master's progression. (*****)
Linda Greenlaw: The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain's Journey
Nuts and bolts of swordfishing from the world's only female captain. More fish than polemic. (***)
Natalie Goldberg: Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
Best book on interior of writing I've read in quite some time. Great advice for we the writing afflicted. (*****)
March 10, 2017 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
It get's dark very early in Roslindale at this time of year and, somehow, especially this particular year. There's an air of disappointment, disorientation, and an underlying fear of the future that makes the dark seem more suffocating. And what makes life worse is seeing an assault on the 21st Century coming and the helplessness of not being able to do anything about it. Things have got to get better after the turn of the Solstice.
This is the nadir of the year and the light must return. At the very least, the light will allow us to see what we are going and what we have to deal with. It has been very difficult year. The light will be welcomed.
For those of us at 35 Amherst, it has been a year of adjustment and, for Denise, accomplishment.
After six years of work and many classes, Denise received her Master's of Fine Arts degree from Boston University in May. This conferring concluded weeks of twelve-hour days where she completed literal masterworks in support of her development of a costume craft curriculum. And she looked very cute in her red robe at Commencement.
This year d. also received the Dr. Adrian Tinsley Award for Achievement in the Arts from her alma mater Bridgewater State University for her 30 years of working in the Boston theatre. This recognition was long in coming, but was very much appreciated.
This all happened in the context of big changes about to happen at the Huntington Theater where she has spent the bulk of those years. In November of last year, Boston University announced that they were selling the physical theater in which the Huntington had been producing shows in for the past 33 years and the University was also ending it's association with the HTC. The sale of the theater was accomplished later in the spring with the buyers being a private group of real estate investors and a final separation between Boston University and the Huntngton to be concluded on June 31st of next year.
With some significant arm twisting, the new owners of the building were "encouraged" to provide the HTC with a lease for the theater proper (adjacent buildings to be torn down and condos will be built) which they did. That's the good news. The bad news is that the HTC will be responsible for raising money for the very much needed renovation of the theater space and this will cost many millions of dollars. As to exactly this renovation will happen is anyone's guess. It may take a while to fill up the piggy bank.
For Denise, all these organizational negotiations have been particularly uncomfortable since, for the past 25 years, she has worked for both organizations, teaching in the BU Theater Department at night while working for the HTC as their Chief Crafts Artisan during the day. She expects to be able to continue to do this, but it may take a while for the relations between the two organizations to heal and things to sort themselves out, creating a complex environment for anyone associated with both.
As for me, after two years of not being able to find "work" as the culture currently defines it, I'm still trying to deal with the disorientation of being "retired" and what that means for someone who has worked and supported himself and others since he was 18. After not being able to convince anyone to hire a 65 year old for computer support work for a year and a half, I finally declared myself "retired" on my 66th birthday this past June. Thankfully, two days later, old friend Dr. Rick Wetzler came out of the woodwork to hire me to be a part-time Teaching Assistant at Harvard Extension's Sustainability Program, partially solving my existential problems. As in many times in my life, I wasn't particularly seeking this out but it just sort of happened, which is a bit spooky, but I am very thankful to whatever cosmic forces allowed this to happen .
Rick teaches the "Capstone" course for the Master's Program in Sustainability at Harvard Extension (among other things) and this means that we try to teach our "mid-career" students (out kids have an average age of 34) how to think clearly while doing action-oriented environmental research. Rick has had a long and distinguished career as a teacher and environmental scientist and me, well, I've been around and I've put many words on paper. We make a good team and I very much enjoy working with the students, who are all bright and want to save the planet in one way or another. Being back at Harvard after ten years is a bit strange, but I did get my old carrel in the Weidner Library back and this covers many qualms I might have.
Health, and the lack of it, has been the second main theme of the year.
Denise, who has been prone to migraine headaches for years, started to get into a headache cycle with a vengeance as she finished the Master's work in May, with a result of her being debilitated by them every other day throughout the summer. This pretty much ate up her time away from the HTC for the summer season and finally, come fall, they started to back off. Currently, she's having a headache about once every week to week and a half and is mostly managing to go into prevention mode as they approach - no picnic, but not debilitating like they were this summer. We're both quite thankful for this.
In the late fall, I received good news on the cancer front - my PSA number is at the "undetectable" level, meaning that there is a very, very small chance of recurrence of my prostate cancer. One more year and I will be officially be pronounced "cured" and I can go on to other more interesting diseases.
Unfortunately, one of those diseases has already shown up. During the summer, I had the feeling that something wasn't quite right. By the fall, I was starting to get tremors in my hands and didn't have the physical energy that I was used to having. Just old age? Possibly. But I wanted to know if there was something worse going on, so I checked in with the docs. After ruling out Parkinson's, some blood tests revealed that my thyroid had somehow kicked into overdrive - I had what is called "Graves Disease." And this was something that was starting to land me on the couch with pretty extreme exhaustion. There have been a bunch of other wonderful symptoms for the past three months as well (muscle cramps, sleepless nights, hot flashes, etc), but the main one was that I always wanted to take a nap. And that's after getting up from a nap.
The good news here is that after two months of treatment, I'm starting to get my energy level back and my thyroid levels are getting back to normal. I've got over a year of treatment left and that means more pills but, heh, I'm an old guy - pills are part of the territory.
One thing that I've observed is that the older that you get, the more time and energy has to be put into keeping yourself healthy if you're to have any chance of staying functional. Though this is a pain in the butt, this seems to be the price for having an extended time to be complaining about how you aren't what you used to be.
D.has started painting again since she took another painting class during the summer. She's progressed to the level of trying to figure out different materials work as well as what to put on the canvas. I like her stuff. If you haven't already, you should check out her Facebook page to see what pops up.
In terms of my study of the Japanese sword, I seem to have gotten to the point where, most of the time, I can get the sword back in the scabbard after I draw the blade. So I guess that after 4 years I'm no longer a beginner in the art. Now I'm on that long, long plateau of learning that an art like this demands, and I'm looking forward to years of very, very slow progress. Luckily, my teacher, Sensei Don Laliberty is a very patient man and puts up with my struggles week after week.
As far as my art career, D. has been the (non-martial) artist in the family for this past year. I've been either too sick or too busy (yeah, I know - too busy while retired?) to keep up with drawing (something other than the sword). This may change with the new year though as things settle and I have more time being conscious.
This piece of the Annual Report has been rewritten in my head multiple times as we've gone through the loony election cycle over the last year. This process has been like trying to get a grip on a fistful of Jello. No norms of political behavior were left untrampled this year and this made it difficult to see where we are going. If what is below seems a bit jumbled, I plead a jumbled situation that I'm analyzing. I sincerely hope that this will not effect my career goal to replace David Brooks at the New York Times.
As Robert Reich has written, the American public is about to be on the receiving end of the Largest Bait and Switch in US History. Somewhat less than twenty-five percent of the American electorate wanted change and they picked Trump to give it to them. They are certainly going to get it (as are the rest of us), though it is probably not going to be the change that they thought they were going to get. No one along the way seemed to remind these folks that, no matter how bad things are for you, not all change is good and they could have been a bit more discerning in their selection of a Change Agent.
Currently we are presented with a struggle for control of the Republican Party (Conservative elites vs. Trumpistas) and a large fight within the Democratic Party, who have their own corporate masters to worry about. Factions of the Repubs will eventually control the government (which one is unclear) and it is also unclear if the Democrats will be able to mount an effective resistance to a standard or wonky Republican repressive agenda. Domestic governmental resistance will undoubtedly come from further down the governmental ladder in some states, cities, and issue-based communities and this will slow down the process of Kansasifcation of the country as a whole. Limiting the damage will be the hallmark of politics on the Left for the next four years as it was during the St. Reagan Administration.
On the Presidential agenda side, things continue to be murky since Trump still has not given specifics about any program that he will install (and if he does, he has no compunction about contradicting himself in the next breath), but now, with the start of the appointments process, things are starting to take shape. Looks like what we will have is Billionaires and Generals - both of which have a propensity to authoritarianism though of different flavors.
Since Billionaires have all that money, they obviously know what's good for all of us and Trump as loaded his cabinet with them. Here he is cutting out the middlemen of those the political class. With the election of Trump, the Billionaires probably feel that they don't need these politicians anymore, they will run the country themselves. However the Trump Assumption that if everyone gets a certain amount of money, everything will be okay may be a necessary, but not sufficient state to cure what's wrong with the country. I doubt if the Billionaire Buddies agree with me, but we will see who is right soon enough.
America's quest for simple answers to complex problems brought on by corporate America's 30 year denigration of government through their primary political arm, the Republican Party, and Right Wing talk radio is now bearing fruit. We will see how well the Corporates work together in the federal bureaucracy environment. My guess is that it's not going to be a happy arrangement.
The Corporates may find that things are not as easily manipulated in the public sector as they are used to in the private. People in the Federal bureaucracy are not so easy to command as those that you control by holding their jobs over their heads like the sword of Damocles. And there are many more factions with more interests involved than they are used to and the all Holy Pursuit of Profit is not the only metric by which you measure success. I expect that many of these people will not last for very long and will be replaced by other economic acolytes. Large-scale turnover at the highest levels will not make for the most calm policy formation environment.
The doctrinaire Cultural Conservatives also seem to be carving out a large slice of the Cabinet and this will create havoc in the country as they will no problem with jamming retrograde policies through the Congress since God is on their side. The Billionaire wing generally won't care about the cultural aspects of America, only their ability to make more and more money and will not object until it starts of effect the bottom line. This will take a while.
Unfortunately, I'm afraid that nothing can probably be done to stop the damage to the country internationally, where Trump will have a free hand approaching delicate negotiations with a sledgehammer. We can only hope to be able to pick up the pieces once he's gone. Let's hope that some of these pieces are not whole European countries that have been turned over to the Russians.
So it looks like we are going to have a rough four years as the Repubs battle each other, the Democrats, and us while trying to turn back to the clock to a 1953 that never existed. Resistance to this process is going to be necessary to limit the damage to our environment and our lives. The cultural progress of the Obama era is not going away. Women are not going back into the kitchen, gays are not going back into the closet, and black lives will continue to matter. The world has changed for the better over the past decade, and this part of the genie is not going back in the bottle. That's at least some good news.
Then there's The Donald himself. He may think that he can break all the rules, but he will eventually find that there are some rules that have legal backing, not just norms and tradition that he can flout at will. This will not be a happy time for him. He may think that, as President of the United States, he can do whatever he wants as he always has but, I'm afraid, he will learn that he is sadly mistaken. Eventually he will piss off people who have the serious ability to fight back, probably many people, and with his famous thin skin and his whining Twitter account he's going to be spending more and more time on defense. I doubt that he will like this.
At the very least, Trump will probably eventually lose the support of the people who put him into office, simply because he won't be able to deliver what he promised them. What happens when all those "poorly educated" people figure out that they've been conned and how long does it take for them to wake up to this fact? He will undoubtedly blame everyone else for this fact when it does happen, but this tactic will not also not hold up for long. He will discover that Harry Truman was right - the buck really does stop at his desk. At some point, he will be accountable to his base, the only question is how long it will take. You can't tap dance forever.
In a larger sense, the plain fact is that you can not hold out against history forever. His constituency may want to go back to a mythical 1950's that they have imagined, but they will ultimately be unsuccessful. The flow of history will not allow this. The only question is how much damage they will be able to do before they are despondently swept back into a 21st Century that they despise with the rest of us and it is not clear what they will do as a result. What happens when you're parallel universe deflates?
Can you run or even live in a country based solely on anger? If so, for how long? We seem to be poised to find out. For us who would oppose the Repub agenda, our biggest challenge over the long run may be finding something to be for rather than just so much to be against. Can we avoid the contagion?
My Magic 8 Ball says: Don't know. Try again later.
It is true that we don't usually know what's in store, but we all don't know even more than usual given the political situation in the country. This can be disconcerting in the extreme. I try to remind myself that it doesn't make sense to get upset about stuff that hasn't happened as yet. Not only is it a waste of energy, but it may very well get in the way of an actual effective response. Besides, I have a feeling that there will be enough to be upset about fairly soon.
And so the wheel of the wyrd turns again and the light returns even after this disaster of a year. And, though without a doubt, the wyrd is going to get weird and we are reminded by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson that" When the going get's weird, the weird turn pro."
Time to buckle up, boys and girls. I have the feeling that the next couple of years are going to make 2016, as grisly as it was politically, look like a Sunday school picnic.
Harry Blackstone Copperfield Wallace-Spriggs, the goofball cat, also reminds me that there are many times during the day where it is appropriate to take a nap.
And before I close, I would like mention that, besides tough times politically, this was a year where we lost a number of people important to us and this is also the year that we in the martial arts community lost Tom Putnam from the Iaido mat. A kind and gentle person, Tom and I were the senior members of the class. Not that we were particularly skilled in our swordwork, but Tom, who trained hard at an advanced age, was an inspiration to us all. He went unexpectedly and, mercifully for him, quickly. We miss him. I miss him. The mat is and will not be the same without him.
As always, a heartfelt thanks for helping us getting us through yet another Winter Solstice. We couldn't have done it without you. The light always returns. It is good to remember this at the nadir of the year.
Much love,
December 21, 2016 in Life | Permalink | Comments (0)
As we come into the first debate tomorrow, the polls show a razor thin advantage to Hillary Clinton. Since the opinions on who should be our next President are so polarized this season, this must mean that the final deciders of the race will probably be those who are, as yet, undecided who to vote for. This begs the simple question:
How the hell, if you're paying attention, can you be undecided with the emotional, dirty, in-your-face, campaigns that the candidates have run?
Over the past year, anyone who has had half an civic ear has been inundated by charges and counter-charges both in the primaries and the general election. Sure, there have been a huge collection of lies and false charges that citizens have had to cut their way through in order to make a choice, but things have been set up pretty well for a while now - most politically aware citizens are either for Crooked Hillary or Temperamentally Unqualified Donald.
Unless, of course, you're not paying attention.
Americans, by and large, don't like government (even those who receive government assistance either don't believe that the help comes from the government or it somehow is their "right" to receive it and therefore is not tainted by politicians). And as a result, Americans generally have the election participation of some third world countries. But this campaign has been the equivalent of ignoring the riot that's been going on in front of your house. I have a hard time understanding how you can do it.
So now the choice for the Presidency is up to the confused and the disengaged? I find this fact scarier than the choices that we have in front of us.
September 25, 2016 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
There's been this thing on the Internet asking people to post their first seven jobs. This set me to thinking: how many jobs have I actually had? A fairly complete listing is below. I guess that I've been around.
|• Grease monkey in a garage - Attleboro Massachusetts
|• Machinist in a diamond needle factory - Attleboro, MA
|• Floor boy in a plastics factory - Central Falls, RI
|• Mail Clerk - Providence Journal, Providence, RI
|• Handler - Lecture Notes Program - Umass Amherst
|• Library Assistant - Umass Amherst
• Chair - Academic Affairs, Student Senate - Umass Amherst
|• Cab Driver - Boston, MA
|• Regional Organizer for an education project - New England
|• Assistant Director - Teacher Evaluation Project - Umass Amherst
|• Assistant to Chancellor - Umass Amherst
|• Reading Teacher - NYC Schools
|• Cab Driver - Boston
|• Regional Organizer - Mass Office for Children, Milford, MA
|• President - Vocations for Social Change, Boston, MA
|• Managing Editor - Boston People's Yellow Pages, Boston, MA
|• Publisher - Mass Poverty Law Center
|MPLC - Acquistions Editor
|MPLC - Book Designer
|MPLC - Book Production Manager
|• Freelance Editor/ Graphic Designer - Commercial Books
|• Technical Editor - Textbooks
|• Operatiions Manager - International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, Canbridge, MA
|• Director - Environmental Information Project - Tufts University
|• Director of Information Services - ICLEI, Toronto, ON
|• Project Manager - Local Communication Initiative - Fredrikstad, Norway
|• Computer Support Engineer - Harvard Business School, Boston, MA
|• Computer Support Engineer - Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, MA
|• IT Operations Director - Harvard University
|• Computer Systems Administrator - Boston University Med School
|• Computer Support Engineer - MIT
|• Independent Businessman/Bookseller
|• Uber Driver
|• Teaching Assistant - Harvard University
|• Yoga Studio Janitor
August 30, 2016 in Life | Permalink | Comments (0)
(These are my rough notes from Day #4, which include my editorial comments. My reaction to the speech was wanting to immediately wanting to hide under the couch because of all the violence which DT will be saving me from. The strong man speaks - don't look for detail.)
• "The Donald" - a film about a boy from Queens who started in just a million dollars and the ability of his father to extort millions of dollars of loans from bankers. Then he helped New York City rediscover its soul by getting tax abatements from the City to build his very first building. Then he got his children involved in building stuff. Now he's rebuilding the United States, sacrificing the making millions of dollars for political power. DT is a leader, not a politician. Standing up for everyone (except, of course, Hillary and Ted).
• Lady Ivanka - Number One Daughter (#1) and Power Behind the Throne (PBT): DT is the people's nominee (sounding vaguely Communist). She, like many millennials, is not Republican or Democrat, but she knows who she's voting for. Donnie is a fighter (though not in the military). What daddy taught us kids: {insert working class values}. He's empathetic, he's strong, he's kind, he's compassionate, he's fair, he's a meritocrat, he supports women, he's colorblind and gender neutral, he's a builder, he's a listener, he pays women equally, he's pro child care, (she will fight for this too), he will turn the economy around, he makes things happen, he will make America great again, he will set lofty goals, he will not let you down, he is the only person to say "I'll fight for you." Judge him by what he does (Don the Builder). He's your CHAMPION.
And now, here's Donnie ……
• Donnie entrance stage right (no blue smoke this time). Crowd goes wild. He "humbly" accepts the nomination for President. He then leads a chant of "USA, USA" Who would have believed how successful we've been? Safety, Prosperity, Peace! (And Law and Order - shades of Nixon). There's a crisis - our way of life is threatened. (He's running against Hillary and Black Lives Matter). Violence will come to an end. On January 20th, safety will be restored. (Law and Order)
Here's the facts: we can't be politically correct anymore (there will be no lies at our Convention), there's an outbreak of homicides in large cities, police officer's killed have increased 50% this year, illegal immigrants are being released into our communities by the tens of thousands, (Law and Order) (Now a story about a young girl in Nebraska being killed by an immigrant - who has not been caught, one more child sacrificed …), 58% of African American youth are not employed, 14 million people have left the workforce entirely, trade deficit is $800 billion dollars last year, budget - national debt has doubled, roads and bridges are falling apart, 43 million on Food Stamps. Foreign policy: national humiliations one after another, iran deal gave them $150 billion and we got another, Syrian policy, Libya. World is now more unsafe because Obama made Clinton SofS. "Let's defeat her in November."
All the stuff that's happened internationally in the past 8 years are the result of Hillary being Sec of State. Death, destruction, and WEAKNESS.
All this crap requires a change in leadership (to guess who?). The Plan: Puts America first. (Crowd goes wild). Americanism, not globalism. We deserve respect! Plan begins with safety at home (Law and Order!). Economy: Millions of new jobs. These policies will upset the special interests (who support Hillary - she is their puppet). Things have to change - right now. Unfair trade deals. I am the voice of the forgotten American worker! (Interruption as security deals with a protester and the crowd shouts at her). How great are our police (who reinforce our values)? No patience with injustice. Hit's Hillary on the email server (she puts our country at risk) shows that corruption of the system. She hid her terrible, terrible, crimes. The time for action (what action?) has come. (Law and Order)
Nobody knows the system better than me - so that's why I alone can fix it. The system is rigged (it was rigged against Bernie Sanders too). Millions of Democrats will join us because we will fix the system.
Introduces Mike Pence. We will bring that same success to America that he's brought to Indiana. Mike sits down.
Pivot to all the current violence against police officers. An attack on law enforcement is an attack on all Americans. He will restore (Law and Order) to the country when he's in charge. He's talk to prosecutors. I am the (Law and Order) candidate. Obama has used the Presidency to divide us by race. He has fail America's inner cities. All of our kids will be protected equally.
Threats from Outside the Country: We're going to defeat ISIS. (Law and Order International). Litany of islamic attacks in America. Highlights Orlando - we're going to stop it. Will protect LGBQ's from violence. (Thanks for cheering for that.)
Focus on three things: best intelligence, abandon nation building and regime change, work with allies to stamp out Islamic terrorism. Fast! Includes working with Israel (bit applause). NATO: we are picking up the cost - not fair. Finally, we must suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism. No refugee increase over the massive flow of refugees come in already. They have to "love our people." We will have an immigration system that works for the American people.
Example of three representatives of people who have been murdered by immigrants. I have to solve the violence spilling across our borders. (Law and Order). We will save countless families from having to go through this - we will build a Great Border Wall. He's got the endorsement of Border Patrol Agents. Illegal crossing and peace will be restored (Law and Order).
January 20th - laws are enforced. We will be considerate and compassionate to everyone, but the greatest compassion will be for our own citizens (leads a short USA chant). Hillary wants mass lawlessness (Law and Order). Economic policy begins with a new fair trade policy. I'm going to make our country rich again - using the greatest business people in the world to renegotiate trade deals. Bill Clinton signed NAFTA - never ever again. Hillary supports all of the trade deals. He will make individual deals with individual countries. We will enforce all trade violations (Law and Order) including China's currency manipulation. We're going to start building and making things again.
Reform of taxes - I've proposed the largest tax reduction of any candidate. Taxes will be simplified. Will make economic development. Regulation is costing us $2 trillion a year. Energy: go back to steel and mining. Makes for trillion and trillion of dollars will come into the country and we'll use it to repair infrastructure.
Schools: supports "choice." Hillary protects bureaucrats. Replace Obamacare. Fix TSA at the airports. Work with students drowning in debt. Completely rebuild the depleted military - countries that we are protecting will be asked to pay their fair share. We'll take care of veterans (like they've never been taken care of before). They will be able to visit the doctor or hospital or their choice.
Eliminate wasteful spending in the first 100 days.
Appoint Supreme Court Justices like Scalia. Hillary wants to abolish the 2nd amendment, but I have the endorsement of the NRA.
Thanks the Evangelicals for their support (not sure that he deserves it). Should be able to have political views without jeopardizing their non-profit status.
We can do all this, we just have to believe. Time to tell the world that America is back.
So lucky to have my wife and family! (And did Melania and Ivanka do a job?)
Fred Trump was that smartest and hardest working man I ever know - it's because of him that I learned to respect the dignity of work and working people. Mother Mary - strong, warm, and fair minded. A great judge of character. His sisters and brothers.
Sole and exclusive mission is to deliver a victory for the American people. We are going to start winning again. To do this, we must break away from the past. Love defeating the people who said that we didn't have a chance. They will do anything to keep the rigged system in place.
"I'm with you" the American people. I am your voice. I will win for you.
We will make America safe again (Law and Order).
We will make America proud again.
We will make America strong again.
We will make America great again.
God bless you.
July 21, 2016 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Normally the Vice Presidential pick for a presidential election doesn't mean much. The last VP to "balance a ticket" was Lyndon Johnson (who did bring Texas into the fold for JFK), but in the past few cycles just who was selected to be the second banana hasn't been important Of course, you could argue that Cheney as an important pick since Bush let him run a large part of the government, but generally the job consists of going to State Funerals and that's about it.
Of course, in this particular election season you could also say that, like everything else about modern politics this time, things have changed. In particular, who Donald Trump picks to be Vice President is particularly important.
If Trump wins, I think that there's at least a 50/50 chance that he will be impeached - not only because he's probably going to do some crazy stuff if he is elected, but this will be a neat way for the Empire, er, the Republican establishment to strike back and re-establish control while keeping their hands clean. And then there's the stuff that Donald has managed to duck for the past 30 years as a business man that he won't be able to stiff arm if he's president. Yes, Donald, there are different standards for politicians and there are large bureaucracies (some of which you won't control) that uphold them.
So that makes his selection of a Vice Presidential nominee particularly important, because that person may be running the country at some point.
President Pence?
Just when you thought that a Trump presidency could just about be the scariest thing that you could imagine ...
July 15, 2016 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
I used to be a Blue Bombardier and then I was for a short time a Bobcat. Then I was a Redman which evolved into being a Minuteman. Then there was a pause until I became a Beacon and then a Jumbo. This was followed by being a Johnny for a number of years and now I'm a Terrier, which was what I almost was before I became a Bobcat.
Sometimes I have the feeling that I go around in big, long, wide circles.
June 03, 2016 in Life | Permalink | Comments (0)
Executive Summary:
Art is good. Let's get some.
May 22, 2016 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Downside: No one under 40 listens to anything you say.
Upside: You therefore can pretty much say anything you like.
April 01, 2016 in Life | Permalink | Comments (0)
March 21, 2016 in Further | Permalink | Comments (1)


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Red Hat Bugzilla – Bug 876192
Broker object is not deleted when Spout is used
Last modified: 2013-03-19 12:41:49 EDT
Description of problem:
It is unable to remove broker object with Spout client using 'delete' action in the address string (please see Steps to Reproduce below).
This issue is very similar to Bug 672534 with just only one difference that the bug is related to Drain, not Spout. The difference here is also that the object was removed in the past (using Spout), but starting from qpid-java-*-0.18-4 it is not. Therefore this bug contains the keyword regression.
There is an existing workaround for Bug 672534, that workaround can also be applied to this issue. (When the producer/consumer is closed before the session is closed the object is removed as expected).
It is possible that the change is intended, and some next commit will solve both the issues, but at this moment neither Spout nor Drain(Bug 672534) do not remove the broker object when action 'delete' is used in the address string.
Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
qpid-java-*-0.18-4 and later
How reproducible:
Steps to Reproduce:
1. java -cp ${CLASSPATH} org.apache.qpid.example.Spout "q;{create:sender}"
2. java -cp ${CLASSPATH} org.apache.qpid.example.Spout "q;{delete:sender}"
3. qpid-stat -q (queue 'q' wasn't removed)
Actual results:
The broker object is not deleted even if delete is requested in the address string
Expected results:
The broker object is deleted if delete is requested in the address string
I will add a consumer.close() and a producer.close() for Drain and Spout respectiely, which should fix the issue mentioned in the BZ.
However this will merely fix Drain and Spout, not the issue real underlying issue.
As explained in bz 672534, unfortunately there is no resonable fix for this problem. This is a more general issue with the client.
The workaround given is actually very reasonable and good practise to follow. That is closing your consumers and producers explicitly.
I have added fix for the specific issue mentioned in the BZ
This issue has been fixed.
Verified on rhel5.9rc and rhel6.3 (x86_64, i386)
packages used for testing:


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After I finished the side mission where Watch Dogs 2 did its Pharmabro impression, I looked up the next main mission and realized that the game wasn't done with its not-so-subtle social commentary.
In 'Watch Dogs 2's rendition of San Francisco there's a church called "New Dawn," who's members include celebrities and other people of great influence and wealth. To advance in the church, you have to give increasingly large donations, and wear these really weird devices over your head during meetings.
Oh right, that sounds exactly like the Church of Scientology, who's status as a religious institution has been constantly called into question by governments and activists around the world.
So what did Watch Dogs 2 have in store for America's most questionable church? It was quite a trip.
'Watch Dogs 2', Like 'South Park': No Celebrity Is Safe
You start off events targeting Jimmy Siska, a washed up actor who made a bunch of classics in his earlier years, but now has seemed to lose a lot of his luster after joining the church. I couldn't honestly tell if this was more directed at Tom Cruise or John Travola, both of whom sort of fit the bill. Jimmy Siska looks sort of if you mashed John Travolta and Tom Cruise's faces together in a Face/Off sequel, so it might be fair to say no one is safe.
While your initial inclination is to embarrass Siska to cause an issue for the church, you quickly realize that Siska is actually being audited by the church (not just his money) because of potential disloyalty.
Quick on the uptake, Marcus replaces the auditor and talks to Siska himself where he learns of Siska's fear of New Dawn (who has been doing KGB-style disappearing of people), and hears about the "Red Room," where these disappeared people are supposedly disposed of.
Spooky! I wonder what happens to all of these people? The investigation continues...
In 'Watch Dogs 2' Churches Kidnap People
After talking with your friend and San Francisco councilwoman Miranda, you learn that the Red Room is a re-education center guarded by New Dawn's security detail. This is of course poking fun at the Church of Scientology's Gold Base, stationed in Riverside, California that is protected by armed guards and 24 hour surveillance.
You arrive at the Red Room re-education center and find a kidnapped Siska before rescuing him from the church and arranging to help him if he'll denounce them in public.
Redemption In The Third Act
Siska then tells you about the New Dawn headquarters where there are supposedly Sumerian Tablets in the basement that show the founding principles of the church. Yeah, it sounds absurd, but it's not that far from what the Church of Scientology actually preaches.
This was a serious "awww" moment for me. And despite the ridiculousness of the situation, it really made me nostalgic for 1990s John Travolta. What happened to that guy? Oh right... this is what happened.
From there you infiltrate the main church, find the Sumerian Tablets, and reveal them as fake to the world in a hilarious video starring Jimmy Siska himself, who finally redeems himself in the eyes of his DedSec fans.
So let's recap:
- Church of high profile celebrities and influencers
- Spying, kidnapping, and brainwashing
- Secret bases with 24 hour security
- Advancement in church tied to financial contributions
- Obscure beliefs with questionable founding
Yeah that sounds about right. This one hits pretty close to home—maybe even too close. Part of me worries for Ubisoft since followers of Scientology have been pretty outspoken about its legitimacy, despite regular teasing from comedians and satirists, and often respond to criticism.
But chances are Travolta and Cruise will never play Watch Dogs 2, and likely will never hear about this. Good thing too, I'm not sure how they'd take it. But hey, it's never too late for a come back.
See also:
- If You're A Millennial Who Loves The Internet And The Lulz, You'll Love 'Watch Dogs 2'
- 'Watch Dogs 2' Parodies Pharmabro Martin Shkreli And Kanye West In Hilarious Side Mission
- Best 'Watch Dogs 2' Research Skills and Abilities
- How Driving Missions Work In 'Watch Dogs 2'
Regardless of any real world impact (cause, who cares right?), this storyline was yet another reason Watch Dogs 2 has enthralled me and why I think any child of the Internet would love to play it.


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