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Wednesday, May 12, 2010
king trumpet mushrooms
last weekend kris and i made a trip to rainbow grocery....we don't go too often so when we do it feels like a special treat and we splurge. which is really easy to do in a store with a mind bogglingly large bulk section, vegan treats out the wazoo and a produce section brimming with things i just can't find at our neighborhood stores. things like king trumpet mushrooms*! i've ordered these shrooms out before but this was my first time cooking with them at home and already i am in love. they're just so big and meaty and sturdy and they lend themselves so well to pan frying. they're pretty much begging you to slice 'em up and fry 'em. mmmmmmm. i winged it here and i must say this dish was a huge success....kris and i gobbled them down.
pan fried king trumpet mushrooms
2 large king trumpet mushrooms (more if you got 'em!)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
sesame seeds
for the sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 inch ginger, grated
slice the mushrooms into 1/2ish inch slices. heat a thin layer of oil and cook mushrooms a few minutes on each side until lightly browned.
meanwhile whisk together all sauce ingredients.
when mushrooms are cooked arrange them on a plate and pour sauce on top. sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds and enjoy!
*and fiddleheads which i also cooked for the first time. i thought they were quite tasty but i really didn't do anything much beyond steaming them. however, aren't they cute???
Posted by Erin and Darcy at 7:47 PM 2 comments:
Sunday, May 2, 2010
ginger miso dressing
i love anything ginger and miso and this dressing is no exception. while it won't make your salad stunningly gorgeous to look at (or photograph) it will make it stunningly delicious to eat...and one of these things is more important than the other.
the recipe comes from the cafe flora cookbook, which came to my attention after my jill went to seattle and told me about all the fabulous things she ate at cafe flora. while i have yet to make a visit myself i did acquire the cookbook and this salad is the first thing i made.
the salad here is mixed greens, grapefruit, avocado, daikon and garlicky sweet shiitake mushrooms. it was fantastic. we had a lot of dressing leftover which we used to make anther gigantic dinner salad the next day and then used the remainder to toss into a quinoa bowl (so yes, you will have lots of dressing but you will have no shortage of uses for it. you might even want to drink it it's so yummy). oh and it's only got a handful of ingredients and is super simple to make.
ginger miso dressing
(from cafe flora cookbook)
2 tablespoons light miso
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 water
combine the miso, vinegar, ginger, and garlic in a blender. with blender running, drizzle in the vegetable oil. add 1/4 cup water to thin the mixture, and blend until smooth.
Posted by Erin and Darcy at 3:43 PM No comments:
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Rodney resides in Mount Vernon, New York where he works in law enforcement and is currently a graphic design and media arts student at Southern New Hampshire University.
Most recently, he was a staff member of Emanon Winterguard (2012-2018) and Fusion Drum Core (2016-2018). His marching experience includes organizations such as Alter Ego, The Light Brigade and The Cadets. Rodney Thomas is very excited to enter his fourth year at Fusion with an expanded role as show coordinator.

subset: commoncrawl


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Nikhil Kalro, a former cricket journalist with ESPNcricinfo has started a new digital gaming and sports content company called Altletics Esports Private Limited.
The Bengaluru-based company has announced the launch of its web-based daily fantasy sports portal 'Altletics' (the name being derived from the word 'Alternative Athletics') ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
According to Kalro, Altletics is seeking to encourage more participation from users who prefer to play the free version of the game. The company is also trying to focus on having leagues with smaller number of contest entries (contests with entry sizes of 2, 3 and 5) with much smaller entry fees compared to other fantasy sports portal.
Kalro claims that the company is keen to focus on making the customer experience better and smoother with small and simple initiatives like greater cash bonuses and smaller number of entries, which increases the winning probability for users.
The bootstrapped company currently offers only cricket fantasy games on its web-based portal, but it plans to come out with the iOS and Android versions of its mobile app soon, with contests of other sports also likely to be added.
Altletics has also announced that it will be also foraying in the esports space soon. Besides fantasy sports, the company also operates a sports content and news website called Broken Cricket.
Read more about online betting and gaming in India.


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I was lucky enough to be invited to Bethesda's UK office to get a hands-on session with their and Arkane Studios' upcoming Steampunk-esque first person stealth/action/adventure game, Dishonoured.
For those that haven't heard of Dishonoured, it's a first-person assassination game set in a steampunk setting. You play betrayed palace guard, Corvo Atano on a mission of vengeance. The game allows multiple reactions to different situations and each will build up in to its own consequence-based ending. Using a combination of supernatural abilities, gadgets, stealth or brute force, players can lead Corvo through the game in the manner of their choosing.
There are multiple cinematic and gameplay trailers available online and I will detail these at the end of the article.
I was given a quick run-down of the controls and abilities as well as some critical advice. 'Make sure you look up and down as well as left and right as many solutions are out of the normal frame of view.' More on this later.
The mission I started on was called Kaldwin's Bridge and it takes place after the Golden Cat mission detailed in a previous gameplay walkthrough. All abilities and gadgets were open to me, which is more than would normally be available through a normal play-through at this stage of the game. This was done to allow me a full view of the options available for Dishonoured.
I'm a veteran first person shooter/action roleplaying game player and I went at this level of Dishonoured as I prefer to play most games. Slowly, silently and killing when needed. I began in an alleyway and was told I had to abduct Sokolov, the royal physician.
Using Corvo's short range teleport ability 'Blink', I teleported on to the rooftops for a better view of the building I'm was going to infiltrate. Two guards were engaged in a conversation on a platform above a river at the front door of the building. Using an ability I've seen many times on the gameplay trailer, I blinked near to the guards and quickly selected 'Windblast' from the power wheel. The guards turn to look at me in surprise and I blast them over the railings and into the water. Not a sound is made and I sneak in through the front door unseen.
Inside the house is a different story and to get up the three floors I have to sneak around guards and execute them from behind, put maids to sleep with sleep darts and find items to reverse the settings on Wall's of Light, which are shielded doors that only allow guards to pass. I quickly found Sokolov with minimal fuss and blinked my way to the extraction point.
Afterwards I was shown the many other ways I could have infiltrated the complex, I could have 'possessed' a rat or fish and gained entrance through the sewers or waterways. Once inside I could have possessed a maid in order to walk through the wall of light or simply blinked on to some of the external plumbing and climbed up the inside of the building.
I also missed out a multitude of hidden areas and puzzles that would have allowed me to gain coins to buy further gadgets and upgrade Corvo's arsenal. I finished the playthrough by taking the guards head on. While Corvo can parry and hold his own one-on-one with a guard, without using his supernatural powers against multiple opponents, combat is very sided against him. My personal preference with dealing with multiple guards quickly became 'Time bend', which momentarily freezes time and allows you to shoot several crossbow bolts, set up mines, or rush opponents to slit their throats before time resumes.
It would have been possible to complete the mission without killing once, or letting a single enemy become aware of your presence and while that may appeal to some, just blasted through the level, killing everyone, innocent or not will appeal to others. Both will have their own consequences.
The game itself plays very well. The controls feel natural and you soon get the hang of double jumping and sneaking around. The abilities wheel, accessed using the left bumper button on the Xbox 360's controller and then selected with the left stick, is easy to use and allows quick access to all of Corvo's abilities, some of which can be quick-mapped to the Dpad. If you've watched all the trailers so far, you'll know what to expect abilities wise and after unlocking them during the game, you'll be able to begin exploring your own combination of deadly arts. I wasn't able to test out the free-running blink jumping that I've seen (because I was too busy being sneaky) and the blink ability did take some initial getting used to as I tested out the range of it.
The advice I was given at the start, 'Make sure you look up and down as well as left and right', was extremely appropriate. Most of the secrets and entrances I missed were because I was doing just that. I think as gamers we are so used to our games leading us in to areas that we fail to explore and even when we do, it is in a limited field of view. Dishonoured, as was proven to me in my hands-on, will make games think differently. I would never have thought to throw myself in to the water surrounding the building to look for an underground access, most games punish this kind of recklessness, where in fact, Dishonoured rewards it.
All in, I can't wait to play more and get my hands on the full game. There will be a new playable version of Dishonoured at Gamescon in Germany this month. Finger crossed we will get a new hands-on for Eurogamer in London this September.
Dishonoured is released on PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 12 2012.
The following trailers are available for Dishonoured (NSFW)
The Initial Announcement Cinematic trailer
Dishonoured Gameplay trailer
Golden Cat Mission Walkthrough – Part 1 – Stealth
Golden Cat Mission Walkthrough – Part 2 – Direct
Dishonoured Daring Escapes
Dishonoured Pre-Order Bonus Packs Trailers (NSFW)
Special Edition / Arcane Assassin
Backstreet Butcher
Shadow Rat
Let us know your thoughts below, @NerdFollowing on Twitter or on Facebook


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Old Chinese leisure seal, marbled grey stone, cut by the seal-carver Wu Di'an 吴迪盦.
click image to open
As actual seal 2 characters have been engraved, rui zhi 瑞芝 (auspicious mushroom – lingzhi).
Size: 17 x 17 x 38 mm, good condition.
Side engraving with signature: 迪盦篆
More Chinese Seals HERE


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The Bear Necessity of Human Dimensions
"So wait… you're not a biologist?"
Four. That's how many times that someone had asked me that question that day. Instead of launching into the scripted response, I took a moment to sit quietly and watch a small cub struggle to chase a salmon in front of us as his mother eyed the water patiently further across Frazer River. Splash! The cub dove and missed again, camera shutters clicking in the background.
"Not quite, I study the human side of bear management," I say with a smile that took a bit of effort. We were soon distracted by another splash, and looked up just in time to see the proud cub emerging with his struggling catch. My simulated smile morphed into a genuine one as the two-year old skipped around with his protein-packed lunch.
There was a time when this question offended me, mostly out of irrational insecurity rooted in the fact that social scientists often find ourselves having to justify the validity of our perceived "soft science" against the physical sciences. But I've come to realize that, under the circumstances, this is a perfectly logical question. In the visitors' defense, they have just been on the floatplane ride of their lives. After 45 minutes of flying over jagged peaks, glacial estuaries, and seemingly untouched terrain to land on a remote lake in the dense brown bear habitat of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, it must be a little surprising when a solo female refuge employee appears out of the bushes wearing a can of bear spray under the premise of being a sociologist.
The Kodiak Refuge is collecting social science data to assist management in making well-informed decisions on the type of bear viewing opportunities that should be offered on the refuge. Last summer while the new Xtratufs-clad seasonal employees ran every which way collecting fuel canisters, stream temperature monitoring gear, GPS collars, and a slew of other tools necessary for a summer of rigorous biological research, we conducted interviews with key bear viewing stakeholders resulting in 844 minutes of recorded interviews and 187 pages on transcripts that were objectively coded and re-coded using rigorous scientific methods to examine key themes. As biological data on bears, fish, and berries is under analysis to understand feeding patterns from last summer, our qualitative data informed the creation of a complex survey measurement tool that will be administered to bear viewers this coming summer. This survey will be used to quantify how variables like trip length, bear proximity, and on-site interpretation are associated with self-reported changes in attitudes, behavior, and knowledge about bears and their habitat.
It is exciting as a refuge to be able to make decisions based on data from both the natural and social sciences, especially because the two are so interconnected. While biological data helps us gauge impacts and understand wildlife behavior, the social sciences provide a new window into the home of Kodiak bears: how they are perceived, how we interact with them, and the factors that contribute to behavior that benefits bears. For bears and humans alike, social science is not a luxury, but a necessity in protecting these very special resources.


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The Effect of Triflusal on Peripheral Microcirculation Dysfunction
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01612273
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : June 5, 2012
Last Update Posted : March 5, 2014
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|Vasospastic Syndrome
|Drug: Triflusal Drug: Aspirin
|Phase 4
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|92 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Crossover Assignment
|Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|The Effect of Triflusal on Peripheral Microcirculation Dysfunction: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled, Crossover Study.
|Study Start Date :
|April 2011
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|January 2013
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|June 2013
Experimental: Disgren
Dose: 300mg bid, Mode of administration: oral, Duration: from randomization to 6 week, crossover-design.
Drug: Triflusal
Dose: 300mg bid, Mode of administration: oral, Duration: from randomization to 6 week, crossover-design.
Other Name: Disgren®
Experimental: Aspirin
Dose: 150mg bid, Mode of administration: oral, from randomization to 6weeks, crossover-design.
Drug: Aspirin
Dose: 150mg bid, Mode of administration: oral, from randomization to 6weeks, crossover-design.
Other Name: Astrix
- Primary Outcome - The amount of blood flow measured by finger doppler ultrasonography. The improvement of subjective symptom measured by questionaire. [ Time Frame: 6 weeks ]Comparison of the PSV (peak systolic velocity) and EDV (end diastolic velocity) measured by finger doppler ultrasonography between disgren and aspirin groups after 6 weeks treatment.
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|40 Years to 70 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Between 40 and 70 years of age
- Diagnosed vasospastic syndrome with nailfold capillaroscopy (Fingertip is subjected to carbon dioxide at -15°C for 60 seconds. People found to have a blood-flow standstill of at least 12s in one or more capillaries were defined as having vasospasticity)
- More than seven points in 10-question interview provided by Nagashima et al.
- Written informed consent
Exclusion Criteria:
- Prior documented diabetes
- Overt peripheral artery disease
- Pregnant or nursing
- bleeding tendency
- Any contraindication of antiplatelet agent
- Thrombocytopenia (platelet < 100,000mm3)
- Chronic liver disease (ALT > 100 IU/L or AST > 100 IU/L) or renal dysfunction (creatinine > 4.0 mg/dl)
- Patients who can not stop to take aspirin
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01612273
|Korea, Republic of
|Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, severance hospital
|Seoul, Korea, Republic of, 120-752
|Responsible Party:
|Yonsei University
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|June 5, 2012 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|March 5, 2014
|Last Verified:
|March 2014
Vasospastic syndrome
Vascular dysregulation
Pathologic Processes
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
Analgesics, Non-Narcotic
Sensory System Agents
Peripheral Nervous System Agents
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Anti-Inflammatory Agents
Antirheumatic Agents
Fibrinolytic Agents
Fibrin Modulating Agents
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors
Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors
Enzyme Inhibitors


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Ipex has traditionally been held every four years, with a schedule timed to allow a two-year gap between Ipex and Drupa.
However, this was thrown into disarray when Drupa announced it would switch to a three-year cycle, but then backtracked on that move following unfavourable exhibitor feedback and reverted to a four-year rotation.
Exit graphics saying "see you again in 2019", without a specific date, are on display at Ipex.
Event director Rob Fisher told PrintWeek: "We are going to be consulting with exhibitors and the industry about the frequency for our next event, and the appropriate timing going forward.
"The industry has changed and we want to reflect that change, and there seems to be an appetite to run it on a biennial basis."
He said that Informa would also consult on preferences regarding the time of year the show would take place. In 2006 Ipex took place in April, in 2010 it was in May, and in 2014 it took place in March.
Fisher added that Ipex "wanted to avoid running in a Drupa year".
Ipex 2017 concludes tomorrow, having returned to the NEC following its ill-fated move to the London ExCel exhibition space in 2014. Last time the show was held at the NEC in 2010, it occupied eleven halls around the atrium. This year the much-diminished event occupies part of hall 5.
Informa will not issue visitor figures until after the show, but Fisher was upbeat about the first two days of Ipex 2017.
"We have very happy exhibitors, it was a very busy day yesterday and things are very positive indeed," Fisher said.
Ipex continues to attract a significant number of international attendees, with overseas visitors making up around 30% of attendees in the past. Exhibitor Morgana reported a delegation of 29 Russian visitors on the opening day.
Informa acquired Ipex from Picon in 2006 in a £12.6m deal that included £5.3m of cash on the Ipex balance sheet.


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Situated in the rapidly expanding North West Priority Growth Area, this prominent 5-acre, development opportunity in Vineyard (Stage 1) provides developers with an opportunity to capitalise on R2 Low Density Residential land with parts of Public Recreation for Passive Open Space (park). Conveniently located only minutes' from Windsor Road, the proposed Outer Sydney Orbital and a short commute to Vineyard Rail Station and the future Sydney Metro Northwest.
Location, Density and Subdivision Potential
Adjacent to the fashionable Box Hill Precinct and only a 7-minute drive from Rouse Hill Town Centre, Vineyard (Stage 1) will provide newly rezoned development land for an additional 2,400 homes to accommodate approximately 7,400 residents. This exceptional R2 Low Density site is in within walking distance to the proposed primary school and the future village centre, shops and cafés.
In addition to the attractive location, the residential density yield for the site suggests 15-18 dwellings/hectare with a maximum building height not exceeding 9 metres.
Site Attributes and Characteristics
Providing 94 metres of road frontage to Commercial Road, the site has a depth of 263 metres (right boundary), and a rear boundary of 35 metres providing a total land area of 20,230m2 or 5 acres. With a northerly aspect, the land is slightly undulating falling towards the Killarney Chain of Ponds Creek with the entire site being above the 100:1 year flood line. In addition, the site contains a quality single-storey residence, in-ground pool, fully fenced tennis court, stable facilities and dressage arena. This sought after location has access to current and future services including connection to the Sydney Water Network, Telstra, NBN and single-phase electricity supply.
Development Details
The development upside for this site is impressive and all interested parties are encouraged to act fast to secure this outstanding R2 development opportunity. Possibilities for future residential use are detailed within State Environment Planning Policy (Sydney Region Growth Centres) Appendix 13 – Hawkesbury Growth Centres Precinct Plan and Development Control Plan (2018). Permissible uses detailed in the land-use table are not limited to, but include:
- Dwelling houses
- Group homes
- Neighbourhood shops
- Educational establishments
- Community facilities
- Respite day care centres
- Centre-based child care facilities
- Recreation facilities (indoor & outdoor)
- Exhibition villages
- Tourist & visitor accommodation
Summary of Fast Development Facts
Lot: 1
Municipality/LGA: Hawkesbury City Council
Planning legislation: State Environment Planning Policy (Sydney Region Growth Centres) Appendix 13 – Hawkesbury Growth Centres Precinct Plan and Development Control Plan (2018).
Current land use: R2 Low Density Residential (approx. 12,422m2); RE1 – Passive Open Space (approx. 3,241m2); SP2 – Future Road Acquisition (approx. 4,567m2)
Total land area: 20,230m2 or 5 acres (2.023 hectares)
Net residential density yield: 15-18 dwellings/hectare
Total residential density yield: Subject to lot size, future acquisition of park/road and Hawkesbury City Council approval
Maximum height of buildings: 9 metres
Essential services: Connection to Sydney Water, Telstra, NBN and single phase electricity supply
Proximity to infrastructure: 1.2km Windsor Road, 2km Vineyard Train Station, 5.4km Riverstone Train Station, 8km Rouse Hill Town Centre, 9km Sydney Metro – Cudgegong Station, 15km Norwest Business Park, 18km Castle Hill, 26km Parramatta and 50km Sydney CBD
Section 7.11 Contributions: $65,748/lot
Hawkesbury City Council rates: $5,481 p.a
Sydney Water fixed rates: $90 p.a
Further Information
This outstanding opportunity presents developers with the prospect of securing premium R2 Low Density Residential land within the Vineyard Precinct, while exploring the vast array of possible development opportunities right in the heart of the thriving North West Priority Growth Area.
For more information on this exceptional development prospect, please contact Trent at Urban Greenfield today. Email firstname.lastname@example.com or call 1300 732 587.
Disclaimer: All information contained herein has been obtained from sources that Urban Greenfield believes to be reliable and accurate and is given in good faith. This information is of a general nature only. Therefore, Urban Greenfield gives no warranty as to its correctness, accuracy or suitability for individual circumstances, and any person using the information on this site is recommended to obtain independent expert and or legal advice that is tailored for their circumstances. Urban Greenfield its directors and staff, bear no responsibility to any company or person who relies upon the aforementioned information provided.


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Three Iowa State University graduate students were recently awarded the Worldwide 2018 Food Solutions Challenge. Samuel Kiprotich, food science and human nutrition; Mike Sserunjogi, agricultural and biosystems engineering; and Emmanuel Nsamba, genetics, completed a research challenge on reducing food waste, specifically cassava rot in Nigeria and other sub-Sahara African countries. The complete story can be found on the CALS website.
The three graduate students claim their success not only because of their mentors and resources at Iowa State University, but also because of the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods ISU-Uganda Program (ISU-UP) in the Kamuli District, Uganda. Samuel, Mike and Emmanuel all received their bachelor's degrees from Makerere University in Uganda and first learned about the ISU-UP when they applied to participate in the student service learning program. The service learning program brings together Iowa State University students with Makerere University students to work on real-life issues in rural Uganda. The program allows students from both universities to work side-by-side to become change agents in the developing world while gaining a better understanding of different cultures and ways of life.
All three students credit the ISU-UP for their opportunity to study at Iowa State University, enhancing their academic skills as well as giving them the opportunity to complete a research project for the Worldwide Food Solutions Challenge. Learn more about each student's involvement in the challenge as well as their journey to Iowa State below.
Research Project Start-Up
The idea of submitting a research proposal for the Worldwide Food Solutions Challenge began in spring 2018 when Dr. Tom Brumm, the Mary and Charles Sukup Global Professor in Food Security in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University, approached Mike Sserunjogi with the idea of watching a webinar to learn more about the challenge. After watching the webinar, Mike wanted to submit a case study to the challenge but needed to identify a topic that related to climate change. He also needed to identify 2-3 team members to help him complete his study. Mike decided he would like to find a solution to increase the shelf life of cassava and asked Emmanuel Nsamba to join his team since Emmanuel has a wealth of knowledge around genetics and is familiar with the growing process of the cassava. Once Mike and Emmanuel identified the issue and the solution, they invited Samuel Kiprotich to bring his background in food science and human nutrition to the team. The students worked together on completing their case study to reduce the post-harvest loss of cassava by adding wax to the growing process, in return allowing the cassava to retain more moisture and extend the shelf life from 3 to 14 days. Although Nigeria is one of the largest producers of cassava, other sub-Sahara African countries and South American countries also deal with post-harvest losses. Cassava is a main food and income source for many countries, so post-harvest loss is a problem that affects everyone. Many companies and research organizations have tried to find a solution to reduce the rot of cassava, but no cost-effective solutions for farmers has been identified. The next step for these graduate students is to find suitable partners to help with additional funding and research for testing and implementation of the idea.
Journey to Iowa State University
All three graduate students' journey to Iowa State University began with their involvement in the Iowa State University Uganda Program through the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods. Samuel, Mike and Emmanuel agree that they wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the opportunities available to them through the program. When Mike started working with Dr. Tom Brumm in Uganda, he never imagined that it would bring him to the United States, let alone Iowa State University, to further his education. Mike mentioned, "The program doesn't only impact the locals in Kamuli District, but everyone in Uganda as it provides resources, enhanced educational opportunities and hope for a better tomorrow." All three students also agree that the opportunities available to them through the ISU-UP have made them better people. They hope to take what they have learned through their education at Iowa State and apply it to improve the lives of people in their home countries.
Learn more about the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods or the service learning programs.


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Forgot my password
If you've forgotten the password you chose when you joined your team on Nudge, you can reset it easily from the Sign In page at any time.
Reset your password
- 1
- Open the app from your mobile phone and click Forgot your password?
- 2
- On the Reset Password page, enter the email address that you used when you joined your team on Nudge
- 3
- Confirm that the email address is correct, then click Reset Password
- 4
- Check your email inbox for an email to reset your password from Nudge
You must have access to the email address associated with your Nudge account to reset your password.
Missing email?
You should receive an email from Nudge to reset your password. If you're not getting the email, try the following:
- Check your spam or junk folder, and any tabs in your inbox.
- Check for typos in the email address. If you think the address is incorrect, you can check it by following the steps below.
If you haven't received your email and want to check that you entered the correct email, try creating an account again with the same email. If you signed up with the right email it will not let you create a new account.
You must have access to the email address associated with your Nudge account to reset your password.


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Plant for the Bees, Please
No doubt, you are somewhat familiar with the plight of the pollinators. If you listen carefully, it feels as if so much of our natural world is facing a challenge, and it is, but there is something that all gardeners can do to help. Plant a garden packed with the right plants for these pollinators.
We are placing our focus on bees right now, as bees are the most critical pollinator we have. To refresh your memory, the issues facing bees are simple:
- Loss of flowering plants
- Loss of habitats
- Pests and diseases
- Climate change
We want to think that all of us can affect change, and make a difference, and in this case you can. If we focus on the loss of flowering plants, we can definitely be of service to bees in our world. If the problem is the loss of flower-rich habitats, the solution is to plant the best varieties of plants that provide both pollen and nectar. We grow herbs, and over 60 of our herbs are considered bee friendly. (more…)


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Supported by Lotterywest and Alcohol. Think Again
City of Perth Opera in the Park 2015: The Barber of Seville
What on earth is all this love which makes everyone go mad?
Join us under the stars in Supreme Court Gardens for this beautiful and popular free event, City of Perth's Opera in the Park, to celebrate an evening of wondrous music. For over two decades, the City of Perth has presented Opera in the Park as an annual gift to the residents and visitors of Perth, supported by Lotterywest to connect people in regional centre through a live simulcast. This year we welcome Healthway with the message Alcohol. Think Again. Bring a picnic, your family and friends and enjoy an evening with Rossini's comic opera. Immerse yourself in the outrageous antics of one of opera's favourite characters, Figaro, as he devises one intrigue after another to help Count Almaviva win the heart of the beautiful Rosina.
6 Mar, 2015 - 6 Mar, 2015Watch Trailer
About the show
Seville, at the house of Dr Bartolo.
Act One
Count Almaviva has fallen in love with Rosina, and is determined to woo her without revealing his noble birth. Rosina is effectively kept a prisoner by her elderly guardian Dr Bartolo who wants to marry Rosina himself and claim her dowry. Disguised as a 'poor student', the Count serenades Rosina under her bedroom window, but with no result. He approaches the local barber, Figaro, who agrees to help in exchange for gold. Rosina, who is already enchanted by the attentions of the 'poor student', is told by Figaro to watch for a 'drunken soldier' who will be 'the poor student' in disguise. The Count, now dressed as the 'drunken soldier', forces his way into Dr Bartolo's house where, in the confusion he and Rosina manage to exchange letters.
Act Two
That night, the Count returns to Dr Bartolo's house in his third disguise as 'Don Basilio' who says he is a music teacher called in to replace Rosina's usual teacher who has 'fallen ill'. While the music lesson takes place, Dr Bartolo dozes off, and the Count and Rosina confess their love for each other. When Figaro arrives to give Dr Bartolo his weekly shave he steals the key to Rosina's balcony window. Rosina's real music teacher also arrives but the Count bribes him to leave. The Count and Rosina plot to elope later that night but their plans are overheard by Dr Bartolo. When everyone has left, Dr Bartolo summons a notary so he can marry Rosina immediately. Figaro and the Count return with a ladder and climb up to Rosina's balcony, gaining entrance just as the notary arrives. Dr Bartolo goes outside to see what the disturbance is and removes the ladder. Inside, the Count reveals his true identity and asks the notary to marry him to Rosina. Almost everyone celebrates this happy outcome!
Composer – Gioachino Rossini
Conductor – Richard Mills
Director – Cath Dadd
Production Manager – Mandy Farmer
Figaro – James Clayton
Rosina – Emma Matthews
Count Almaviva – John Longmuir
Dr Bartolo – Douglas McNicol
Basilio – Andrew Collis
Berta – Fiona Campbell
Fiorello – Mark Alderson
West Australian Opera Chorus
West Australian Symphony Orchestra


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KUALA LUMPUR (REUTERS) - Malaysia's central bank tightened corporate governance standards on Wednesday, giving more power to boards of financial institutions.
The changes include a requirement for boards to have a majority of independent directors, and to approve and maintain credible recovery and resolution plans under conditions of stress.
"The revised standards strengthen the conditions for strong and effective boards, with greater emphasis on a sound risk culture and remuneration system in promoting prudent risk-taking," Bank Negara Malaysia said in a statement. "The standards address issues arising from more complex organisational structures and business models of financial institutions that have expanded in size and across borders."
Bank Negara has also asked financial institutions to adopt a code of ethics backed by a transparent whistleblowing policy, expand requirements on remuneration arrangements and stiffen expectations for effective governance.
The changes follow civil lawsuits by the US Justice Department last month alleging that more than US$3.5 billion (S$4.6 billion) was stolen from state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), founded by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and whose advisory board he chaired until recently.


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Detour for Westbound I-90 Exit Ramp to Highway 63 Starts Tuesday
Stewartville, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Minnesota Department of Transportation is warning motorists about a detour that will affect westbound traffic on I-90 in the Stewartville area beginning Tuesday.
The I-90 exit ramp to Highway 63 will be closed for four days, weather permitting. The detour will have motorists continue west on I-90 to the Olmsted County Road 6 interchange then return east on I-90 to Highway 63.
The detour is needed while crews continue with a $2 million dollar
pavement repair project on Highway 63 from the Root River Bridge to Highway 30.
The entire project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the month.
For 24/7 news and sports check KROC AM and follow KROC-AM on Facebook


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Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II Digital Camera - Silver
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The Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II Digital Camera in silver packs a large 20.1-megapixel 1.0" type sensor and a bright f/2.0-4.9, 3x optical zoom lens into a stylish, pocketable camera with DSLR-like control. With its simplistic button layout, Lens Control Ring, and 3.0" touchscreen, users can enjoy more creative control and intuitive operation when capturing stills and recording Full HD 60p ... More
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What types of embedded systems are built with Linux? Why do people choose Linux? What issues are specific to the use of Linux in embedded systems? How many people actually use Linux in their embedded systems? How do they use it? All these questions and many more come to mind when pondering the use of Linux in an embedded system. Finding satisfactory answers to the fundamental questions is an important part of building the system. This isn't just a general statement. These answers will help you convince management, assist you in marketing your product, and most of all, enable you to evaluate whether your initial expectations have been met.
We could use the traditional segments of embedded systems such as aerospace, automotive systems, consumer electronics, telecom, and so on to outline the types of embedded Linux systems, but this would provide no additional information in regard to the systems being designated, because embedded Linux systems may be structured alike regardless of the market segment. Rather, let's classify embedded systems by criteria that will provide actual information about the structure of the system: size, time constraints, networkability, and degree of user interaction.
The size of an embedded linux system is determined by a number of different factors. First, there is physical size. Some systems can be fairly large, like the ones built out of clusters, while others are fairly small, like the Linux watch built by IBM. Most importantly, there are the size attributes of the various electronic components of the system, such as the speed of the CPU, the size of the RAM, and the size of the permanent storage.
In terms of size, I will use three broad categories of systems: small, medium, and large. Small systems are characterized by a low-powered CPU with a minimum of 2 MB of ROM and 4 MB of RAM. This isn't to say Linux won't run in smaller memory spaces, but it will take you some effort to do so. If you plan to run Linux in a smaller space than this, think about starting your work from one of the various distributions that put Linux on a single floppy. If you come from an embedded systems background, you may find that you could do much more using something other than Linux in such a small system. Remember to factor in the speed at which you could deploy Linux, though.
Medium-sized systems are characterized by a medium-powered CPU with around 32 MB or ROM and 64 MB of RAM. Most consumer-oriented devices built with Linux belong to this category. This includes various PDAs, MP3 players, entertainment systems, and network appliances. Some of these devices may include secondary storage in the form of solid-state drives, CompactFlash, or even conventional hard drives. These types of devices have sufficient horsepower and storage to handle a variety of small tasks or can serve a single purpose that requires a lot of resources.
Large systems are characterized by a powerful CPU or collection of CPUs combined with large amounts of RAM and permanent storage. Usually, these systems are used in environments that require large amounts of calculations to carry out certain tasks. Large telecom switches and flight simulators are prime examples of such systems. Typically, such systems are not bound by costs or resources. Their design requirements are primarily based on functionality while cost, size, and complexity remain secondary issues.
In case you were wondering, Linux doesn't run on any processor below 32 bits. This rules out quite a number of processors traditionally used in embedded systems. Actually, according to traditional embedded system standards, all systems running Linux would be classified as large systems. This is very true when compared to an 8051 with 4K of memory. Keep in mind, though, current trends: processors are getting faster, RAM is getting cheaper and larger, systems are as integrated as ever, and prices are going down. With growing processing demands and increasing system requirements, the types of systems Linux runs on are quickly becoming the standard. In some cases, however, it remains that an 8-bit microcontroller might be the best choice.
16-Bit Linux?
Strictly speaking, the above statement regarding Linux's inability to run on any processor below 32 bits is not entirely true. There have been Linux ports to a number of odd processors. The Embeddable Linux Kernel Subset (ELKS) project found at http://elks.sourceforge.net/, for example, aims at running Linux on 16-bit processors such as the Intel 8086 and 286. Nevertheless, it remains that the vast majority of development done on the kernel and on user-space applications is 32-bit-centric. Hence, if you choose to use Linux on a processor lower than 32 bits, you will be on your own.
There are two types of time constraints for embedded systems: stringent and mild. Stringent time constraints require that the system react in a predefined time frame. Otherwise, catastrophic events happen. Take for instance a factory where workers have to handle materials being cut by large equipment. As a safety precaution, optical detectors are placed around the blades to detect the presence of the specially colored gloves used by the workers. When the system is alerted that a worker's hand is in danger, it must stop the blades immediately. It can't wait for some file to get swapped or for some task to relinquish the CPU. This system has stringent time requirements; it is a hard real-time system.
Streaming audio systems would also qualify as having stringent requirements, because any transient lagging is usually perceived as bothersome by the users. Yet, this later example would mostly qualify as a soft real-time system because the failure of the application to perform in a timely fashion all the time isn't catastrophic as it would be for a hard real-time system. In other words, although infrequent failures will be tolerated, the system should be designed to have stringent time requirements.
Mild time constraints vary a lot in requirements, but they generally apply to systems where timely responsiveness isn't necessarily critical. If an automated teller takes 10 more seconds to complete a transaction, it's generally not problematic. The same is true for a PDA that takes a certain number of seconds to start an application. The extra time may make the system seem slow, but it won't affect the end result.
Networkability defines whether a system can be connected to a network. Nowadays, we can expect everything to be accessible through the network, even the refrigerator. This, in turn, places special requirements on the systems being built. One factor pushing people to choose Linux as an embedded OS is its proven networking capabilities. Falling prices and standardization of networking components are accelerating this trend. Most Linux devices have one form or another of network capability. You can attach a wireless network card in the Linux distribution built for the Compaq iPAQ, for instance, simply by inserting the adapter in the PCMCIA jacket. Networking issues will be discussed in detail in Chapter 10.
The degree of user interaction varies greatly from one system to another. Some systems, such as PDAs, are centered around user interaction, while others, such as industrial process control systems, might only have LEDs and buttons for interaction. Some other systems, have no user interface whatsoever. For example, some components of an autopilot system in a plane might take care of wing control but have no direct interaction with the human pilots.
The best way to get an idea of what an embedded Linux system might do is to look at examples of such systems. Trouble is, if you try to look for example embedded systems whose details are publicly available on the Internet, you will mostly find consumer devices. Very few examples of Linux in aerospace, industrial control, telecom, or automotive systems are publicly detailed. Yet, it isn't as if Linux wasn't used in those types of applications. Rather, in contrast to consumer devices, the builders of such devices see little advantage in advertising their designs. For all they know, they may be providing critical information to competitors who may decide to switch to Linux to catch up with them. Consumer device builders, on the other hand, leverage the "hype" factor into promoting their consumer products. And given the different market dynamics between consumer products and industrial products, they can afford to play to the crowd.
Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprising after all), some of the best examples of Linux in critical systems are provided in the pages of Linux Journal magazine. Digging back a few years, I was able to uncover a treasure of non-consumer-oriented embedded applications based on Linux. This, combined with the consumer devices detailed on the Internet and the statistics we shall see below, provide a fair image of Linux's capabilities and future as an embedded operating system. Table 1-1 contains a summary of the example embedded Linux systems discussed below. The first column is a brief description of the system. The second column details the type of the embedded system. The next four columns characterize the system based on the criteria outlined in the previous section.
Time constraints
Degree of user interaction
Accelerator control
Industrial processcontrol
Computer-aided training system
Ericsson "blip"
Very low
SCADA protocolconverter
Industrial processcontrol
Very low
Sharp Zaurus
Consumer electronics
Very high
Space vehicle control
The accelerator control system was built at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and is described in issue 66 of Linux Journal. The accelerator equipment is built of many hardware and software components that control all the aspects of experimentation. While not all software was transferred to Linux, some interesting parts have been. This includes the serial line and stepper motor controllers. Many instances of these devices are employed to control various aspects of the system. Serial lines, for instances, control vacuum devices, power supplies, and programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Stepper motors, on the other hand, are used in positioning goniometers, slits, and translation stages. Serial lines are controlled via serial boards running on PC/104.
The PC/104 single board computer (SBC) controlling the serial boards has a Pentium 90 MHz with 20 MB of RAM and a 24 MB solid-state hard disk. A standard workstation distribution, SuSE 5.3, was trimmed down to fit in the limited permanent storage space. Some stepper motor controllers run on a similar configuration, while others run on VME boards that have 8 to 32 MB of memory and load the operating system from a Unix-type server using BOOTP/TFTP. These boards run a modified version of Richard Hirst's Linux for 680x0-based VME boards. All the equipment is network accessible and controllable through a TCP/IP network. Here, Linux, in the broad sense, was chosen because it is configurable, stable, free, and well supported, contains support for many standards, and its source code is accessible.
The computer-aided training system (CATS) was built at CAE Electronics and is described in issue 64 of Linux Journal. Unlike full flight simulators, which include visual, sound, and motion simulation, CATS provides only a visual representation of the various aircraft panels. A CATS isn't a cheap version of a flight simulator. Instead, it complements a flight simulator by providing entry-level training. Conventional CAE CATS were built on IBM RS/6000 workstations running AIX. A port to Linux was prompted by the low cost of powerful x86 systems and the portability of Linux itself.
The CATS come in three different versions: one-, three-, and seven-screen systems. Development and testing was done on a workstation equipped with a Pentium II 350 MHz processor, 128 MB of RAM, and Evolution4 graphic cards from Color Graphics Systems, which provide for control of four displays each. Xi Graphics' AcceleratedX X server was used to control the Evolution4 and provide adequate multiheaded display. A single-screen version could still run easily on a Linux system equipped with the standard XFree86 X server.
Because of customer requirements, the system was provided on a bootable CD-ROM to avoid local installation. Hence, the complete CATS is run from the CD-ROM using a RAM filesystem. The end system has been found to be reliable, predictable, dependable, stable, and in excess of performance requirements. Work on prototype flight simulators running Linux began in April 2000. Having had very positive results, most full flight simulators currently shipped run Linux.
The Ericsson "blip" is a commercial product. Details of the product can be found on Ericsson's blip web site at http://www.ericsson.com/about/blipnet/ and on LinuxDevices.com. "blip" stands for "Bluetooth Local Infotainment Point" and enables Bluetooth devices to access local information. This product can be used either in public places to provide services or at home for accessing or synchronizing with local information.
The blip houses an Atmel AT91F40816 ARM7TDMI paced at 22.5 MHz with 2 MB of RAM, 1 MB of system flash, and 1 MB of user flash. The Atmel chip runs the uClinux distribution, with kernel 2.0.38 modified for MMU-less ARM, provided by Lineo along with uClibc, the miniature C library, and talks via a serial link to a standalone Bluetooth chip. Access to the device is provided by a proprietary Bluetooth stack, an Ethernet interface, and a serial port. Custom applications can be developed for the blip using an SDK provided by Ericsson and built using customized GNU software. Linux was chosen, because it provided an open and inexpensive development environment both for the host and the target, hence encouraging and stimulating the development of third-party software.
The System Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) protocol converter is detailed in issue 77 of Linux Journal. Here, an existing Digital Control System (DCS) controlling a turbocompressor in an oil extraction plant had to be integrated into a SCADA system to facilitate management of the plant. Converting the complete DCS for better integration would have been expensive, hence the choice was made to build a conversion gateway that interfaced between the existing DCS and the SCADA system.
Linux was chosen because it is easy to tailor, it is well documented, it can run from RAM, and development can be done directly on the target system. An 8 MB DiskOnChip (DOC) from M-Systems provides a solid-state drive for the application. To avoid patching the kernel with the binary drivers provided by M-Systems, the DOC's format is left in its shipped configuration as a DOS filesystem.[2] The kernel and root filesystem are compressed and placed in the DOC along with DOS. Upon bootup, the batch files invoke Loadlin to load Linux and the root filesystem. The system files are therefore read-only and the system is operated using a RAM root filesystem. The root filesystem was built using Red Hat 6.1 following the BootDisk HOWTO instructions. The system is an industrial PC with 32 MB of RAM.
[2] Though this project used M-Systems' binary drivers, there are GPL'd drivers for the DOC, as we'll see in Chapter 7.
The Sharp Zaurus is a commercial product sold by Sharp Electronics. Details on the Zaurus can be found on its web site at http://www.myzaurus.com/ and on LinuxDevices.com. The Zaurus is a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) completely based on Linux. As such, it comes equipped with all the usual PDA applications, such as contacts, to do list, schedule, notes, calculator, email, etc.
The original Zaurus, the SL-5500, was built around an Intel StrongARM 206 MHz processor with 64 MB of RAM and 16 MB of flash. A newer version, the SL-5600, is built around an Intel XScale 400 MHz processor with 32 MB of RAM and 64 MB of flash. The system is based on Lineo's Embedix embedded Linux distribution and uses QT's Palmtop GUI. Independent development of the Zaurus software is encouraged by Sharp who maintains a developer web site at http://developer.sharpsec.com/.
The space vehicle control was built at the European Space Agency (ESA) and is detailed in issue 59 of Linux Journal. The Automatic Transfer Vehicle (ATV) is an unmanned space vehicle used in the refueling and reboosting of the International Space Station (ISS). The docking process between the ATV and the ISS requires the ATV to catch up to the ISS and dock with precision. This process is governed by complex mathematical equations. Given this complexity, monitoring systems are needed to ensure that all operations proceed as planned. This is the role of the Ground Operator Assistant System (GOAS) and the Remote ATV Control at ISS (RACSI).
The GOAS runs on the ground and provides monitoring and intervention capabilities. It used to run on a Sun UltraSPARC 5-based workstation with 64 MB of RAM and 300 MB of disk space. It was ported to a Pentium 233 MHz system with 48 MB of RAM running Linux.
The RACSI runs on the ISS and provides temporary mission interruption and collision avoidance. It runs on an IBM ThinkPad with 64 MB of RAM and uses 40 MB of the available disk space. The system runs the Slackware 3.0 distribution. Moo-Tiff libraries are used to provide Motif-like widgets.
Linux was chosen, because it provides the reliability, portability, performance, and affordability needed by space applications. Despite these benefits, the ESA finally decided to run the RACSI and GOAS on Solaris, using the same equipment, for operational reasons.
As these examples show, Linux can be put to use in many fields in many ways, using different hardware and software configurations. The fastest way to build an embedded system with Linux is often to look at similar projects that have used Linux in their systems. There are many more examples of embedded systems based on Linux that I have not discussed. A search through the various resources listed in Appendix B may yield fruitful leads. Keep in mind, though, that copying other projects may involve copying other people's mistakes. In that case, the best way to guard yourself from chasing down other people's problems is to ensure that you have an understanding of all the aspects of the system or, at least, have a pointer where you can find more information regarding the gray areas of your system.
Since Linux started being used as an embedded operating system, many surveys have been published providing information regarding various aspects of Linux's use in this way. Though the complete results of many of the surveys are part of commercial reports, which are relatively expensive, there are a few interesting facts that have been publicized. Let's look at the findings of some of these surveys.
In 2000, Embedded Systems Programming (ESP) magazine conducted a survey on 547 subscribers. The survey found that, though none considered it in 1998 and 1999, 38% of readers were considering using Linux as the operating system for their next design. This is especially interesting, as Linux came in only second to VxWorks, WindRiver's flagship product. The survey also found that, though none were using it in 1998 and 1999, 12% of respondents were already using Linux in their embedded systems in 2000.
As part of reporting on embedded Linux, LinuxDevices.com set up a web-based survey in 2000 and 2001 that site visitors could fill to provide information regarding their use of Linux in embedded systems. Both years, a few hundred respondents participated in the survey. Though there were no control mechanisms to screen respondents, the results match those of other more formal surveys. Both surveys contained a lot of information. For the sake of simplicity, I will only mention the surveys' most important findings.
In 2000, the LinuxDevices.com survey found that most developers considering the use of Linux in embedded systems were planning to use an x86, ARM, or PPC target with a custom board. The survey shows that most developers plan to boot Linux from a DiskOnChip or from a native flash device, and that the main peripherals included in the system would be Ethernet and data acquisition cards. The most important reasons developers have for choosing Linux are the superiority of open source software over proprietary offerings, the fact that source availability facilitates understanding the operating system, and the elimination of the dependency on a single operating system vendor. Developers reported using Red Hat, Debian, and MontaVista as their main embedded Linux distributions.
In 2001, the LinuxDevices.com survey found that developers plan to use Linux in embedded systems mostly based on x86, ARM, and PPC systems with custom boards. As in the previous survey, most developers plan to boot their system from some form of flash storage. In contrast with the previous survey, this survey provides insight regarding the amount of RAM and persistent storage developers intend to use. The majority of developers seem to want to use Linux with system having more than 8 MB of RAM and 8 MB of persistent storage. In this survey, developers justify their choice of Linux based on source code availability, Linux's reliability and robustness, and its high modularity and configurability. Developers reported that Red Hat and Debian were their main embedded Linux distributions. Combined with the 2000 survey, the results of the 2001 LinuxDevices.com survey confirm a steady interest in Linux.
Another organization that has produced reports on Linux's use in embedded systems is the Venture Development Corporation (VDC). Though mainly aimed at companies selling products to embedded Linux developers, the VDC's reports published in 2001 and 2002 provide some interesting facts. First, the 2001 report states that the market for embedded Linux development tools products was worth $20 million in 2000 and would be worth $306 million by 2005. The 2001 report also finds that the leading vendors are Lineo, MontaVista, and Red Hat. The report finds that the key reasons developers have for selecting Linux are source code availability and the absence of royalties.
The 2002 VDC report included a web-based survey of 11,000 developers. This survey finds that the Linux distributions currently used by developers are Red Hat, Roll-Your-Own, and non-commercial distributions. Developers' key reasons for choosing Linux are source code availability, reduced licensing, reliability, and open source development community support. Interestingly, the report also lists the most important factors inhibiting Linux's use in embedded applications. The most important factor is real-time limitations, followed by doubts about availability and quality of support, and fragmentation concerns. In addition, the report states that respondents consult the open source community for support with technical issues regarding Linux, and that most are satisfied with the answers they get.
The Evans Data Corporation (EDC) has also conducted surveys in 2001 and 2002 regarding Linux's use in embedded systems. The 2001 survey conducted on 500 developers found that Linux is fourth in the list of operating systems currently used in embedded systems, and that Linux was expected to be the most used embedded operating system in the following year. In 2002, the survey conducted on 444 developers found that Linux was still fourth in the list of operating systems currently used in embedded systems, and that Linux is as likely to be used as Windows as the operating system of choice for future designs.
While these results are partial and though it is too early to predict Linux's full impact on the embedded world, it is clear that there is great interest in embedded Linux and that this interest is growing. Moreover, the results show that the interest for Linux isn't purely amateuristic. Rather, Linux is being considered for and used in professional applications and is being preferred to a lot of the traditional embedded OSes. Also, contrary to popular belief and widespread FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) Linux isn't interesting only because it's free. The fact that its source code is available, is highly reliable, and can easily be tailored to the task are other important reasons, if not more important. Interestingly, the Debian distribution is one of the favorite embedded distributions, even though no vendor is pushing this distribution on the market.
Apart from the reasons polled by the various surveys mentioned above, there are various motivations for choosing Linux over a traditional embedded OS.
Quality and reliability are subjective measures of the level of confidence in the code. Although an exact definition of quality code would be hard to obtain, there are properties common programmers come to expect from such code:
Each separate functionality should be found in a separate module, and the file layout of the project should reflect this. Within each module, complex functionality is subdivided in an adequate number of independent functions.
The code should be (more or less) easy to fix for whoever understands its internals.
Adding features to the code should be fairly straightforward. In case structural or logical modifications are needed, they should be easy to identify.
It should be possible to select which features from the code should be part of the final application. This selection should be easy to carry out.
The properties expected from reliable code are:
Upon execution, the program's behavior is supposed to be within a defined framework and should not become erratic.
In case a problematic situation occurs, it is expected that the program will take steps to recover from the problem and alert the proper authorities, usually the system administrator, with a meaningful diagnostic message.
The program will run unassisted for long periods of time and will conserve its integrity regardless of the situations it encounters.
Most programmers agree that the Linux kernel and most projects used in a Linux system fit this description of quality and reliability of their codebase. The reason is the open source development model (see note below), which invites many parties to contribute to projects, identify existing problems, debate possible solutions, and fix problems effectively. You can expect to run Linux for years unattended without problems, and people have effectively done so. You can also select which system components you want to install and which you would like to avoid. With the kernel, too, you can select which features you would like during build configuration. As a testament to the quality of the code making up the various Linux components, you can follow the various mailing lists and see how quickly problems are pointed out by the individuals maintaining the various components of the software or how quickly features are added. Few other OSes provide this level of quality and reliability.
Code availability relates to the fact that Linux's source code and all build tools are available without any access restrictions. The most important Linux components, including the kernel itself, are distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Access to these components' source code is therefore compulsory. Other components are distributed under similar licenses. Some of these licenses, such as the BSD license, for instance, permit redistribution of binaries without the original source code or the redistribution of binaries based on modified sources without requiring publication of the modifications. Nonetheless, the code for the majority of projects that contribute to the makeup of Linux is readily available without restrictions.
When source access problems arise, the open source and free software community seeks to replace the "faulty" software with an open source version providing similar capabilities. This contrasts with traditional embedded OSes, where the source code isn't available or must be purchased for very large sums of money. The advantages of having the code available are the possibility of fixing the code without exterior help and the capability of digging into the code to understand its operation. Fixes for security weaknesses and performance bottlenecks, for example, are often very quickly available once the problem has been publicized. With traditional embedded OSes you have to contact the vendor, alert them of the problem, and await a fix. Most of the time, people simply find workarounds instead of waiting for fixes. For sufficiently large projects, managers even resort to purchasing access to the code to alleviate outside dependencies.
Broad hardware support means that Linux supports different types of hardware platforms and devices. Although a number of vendors still do not provide Linux drivers, considerable progress has been made and more is expected. Because a large number of drivers are maintained by the Linux community itself, you can confidently use hardware components without fear that the vendor may one day discontinue that product line. Broad hardware support also means that Linux runs on dozens of different hardware architectures, at the time of this writing. Again, no other OS provides this level of portability. Given a CPU and a platform, you can reasonably expect that Linux runs on it or that someone else has gone through a similar porting process and can assist you in your efforts. You can also expect that the software you write on one architecture be easily ported to another architecture Linux runs on. There are even device drivers that run on different hardware architectures transparently.
Linux also provides broad communication protocol and software standards support as we'll see throughout this book. This makes it easy to integrate Linux within existing frameworks and to port legacy software to Linux. You can easily integrate a Linux system within an existing Windows network and expect it to serve clients through Samba, while clients see little difference between it and an NT server. You can also use a Linux box to practice amateur radio by building this feature into the kernel. Likewise, Linux is a Unix clone, and you can easily port traditional Unix programs to it. In fact, most applications currently bundled with the various distributions were first built and run on commercial Unixes and were later ported to Linux. This includes all the software provided by the FSF. Most traditional embedded OSes are, in this regard, very limited and often provide support only for a limited subset of the protocols and software standards available.
The variety of tools existing for Linux make it very versatile. If you think of an application you need, chances are others felt the need for this application before you. It is also likely that someone took the time to write the tool and made it available on the Internet. This is what Linus Torvalds did, after all. You can visit Freshmeat (http://www.freshmeat.net) and SourceForge (http://www.sourceforge.net) and browse around to see the variety of tools available.
Community support is perhaps one of the biggest strengths of Linux. This is where the spirit of the free software and open source community can most be felt. As with application needs, it is likely that someone has encountered the same problems as you in similar circumstances. Often, this person will gladly share his solution with you, provided you ask. The development and support mailing lists are the best place to find this community support, and the level of expertise found there often surpasses what can be found over expensive support phone calls with proprietary OS vendors. Usually, when you call a technical support line, you never get to talk to the engineers who built the software you are using. With Linux, an email to the appropriate mailing list will often get you straight to the person who wrote the software. Pointing out a bug and obtaining a fix or suggestions is thereafter a rapid process. As many programmers experience, seldom is a justified plea for help ignored, provided the sender takes the care to search through the archives to ensure that her question hasn't already been answered.
Licensing enables programmers to do with Linux what they could only dream of doing with proprietary software. In essence, you can use, modify, and redistribute the software with only the restriction of providing the same rights to your recepients. This, though, is a simplification of the various licenses used with Linux (GPL, LGPL, BSD, MPL, etc.) and does not imply that you lose control of the copyrights and patents embodied in the software you generate. These considerations will be discussed in Section 1.2.6. Nonetheless, the degree of liberty available is quite large.
Vendor independence, as was demonstrated by the polls presented earlier, means that you do not need to rely on any sole vendor to get Linux or to use it. Furthermore, if you are displeased with a vendor, you can switch, because the licenses under which Linux is distributed provide you the same rights as the vendors. Some vendors, though, provide additional software in their distributions that isn't open source, and you might not be able to receive service for this type of software from other vendors. Such issues must be taken in account when choosing any distribution. Mostly, though, you can do with Linux as you would do with a car. Since the hood isn't welded shut, as with proprietary software, you can decide to get service from a mechanic other than the one provided by the dealership where you purchased it.
The cost of Linux is a result of open source licensing and is different from what can be found with traditional embedded OSes. There are three components of software cost in building a traditional embedded system: initial development setup, additional tools, and runtime royalties. The initial development setup cost comprises the purchase of development licenses from the OS vendor. Often, these licenses are purchased for a given number of "seats," one for each developer. In addition, you may find the tools provided with this basic development package to be insufficient and may want to purchase additional tools from the vendor. This is another cost. Finally, when you deploy your system, the vendor will ask for a per-unit royalty. This may be minimal or large, depending on the type of device you produce and the quantities produced. Some mobile phone manufacturers, for instance, choose to implement their own OSes to avoid paying any royalties. This makes sense for them, given the number of units sold and the associated profit margins.
With Linux, this cost model is turned on its head. All development tools and OS components are available free of charge, and the licenses under which they are distributed prevent the collection of any royalties on these core components. Most developers, though, may not want to go chasing down the various software tools and components and figure out which versions are compatible and which aren't. Most developers prefer to use a packaged distribution. This involves purchasing the distribution or may involve a simple download. In this scenario, vendors provide support for their distribution for a fee and offer services for porting their distributions to new architectures and developing new drivers for a fee. This is where their money is made. They may also charge for additional proprietary software packaged with their distribution. Compared to the traditional embedded software cost model, though, this is relatively inexpensive, depending on the distribution you choose.
Unlike proprietary OSes, Linux is not controlled by a single authority who dictates its future, its philosophy, and its adoption of one technology or another. These issues and others are taken care of by a broad ensemble of players with different but complementary vocations and goals.
The free software and open source community is the basis of all Linux development and is the most important player in the embedded Linux arena. It is made up of all the developers who enhance, maintain, and support the various software components that make up a Linux system. There is no central authority within this group. Rather, there is a loosely tied group of independent individuals, each with his specialty. These folks can be found discussing technical issues on the mailing lists concerning them or at gatherings such as the Ottawa Linux Symposium. It would be hard to characterize these individuals as a homogeneous group, because they come from different backgrounds and have different affiliations. Mostly, though, they care a great deal about the technical quality of the software they produce. The quality and reliability of Linux, as discussed earlier, are a result of this level of care.
Your author is actually part of the free software community and has made a number of contributions. Besides maintaining a presence on some mailing lists and participating in the advancement of free software in various ways, I wrote and maintain the Linux Trace Toolkit, which is a set of components for the tracing of the Linux kernel. I have also contributed to other free software and open source projects, including RTAI and Adeos.
Throughout this book, I will describe quite a few components that are used in Linux systems. Each maintainer of or contributor to the components I will describe is a player in the free software and open source community.
Having recognized the potential of Linux in the embedded market, many companies have moved to embrace and promote Linux in this area. Industry players are important because they are the ones pushing Linux as an end-user product. Often, they are the first to receive feedback from those end users. Although postings on the various mailing lists can tell the developer how the software is being used, not all users participate in those mailing lists. Vendors must therefore strike an equilibrium between assisting their users and helping in the development of the various projects making up Linux without falling in the trap of wanting to divert development to their own ends. In this regard, many vendors have successfully positioned themselves in the embedded Linux market. Here are some of them.
This Linux distribution is one of the most widely used, if not the most widely used. Other distributions have been inspired by this distribution or, at least, had to take it into consideration. Red Hat was one of the first Linux distributions and, as such, has an established name as a leader that has contributed time and again back to the community it took from. Through its acquisition of Cygnus, it procured some of the key developers of the GNU development toolchain. This adds to the list of key Linux contributors already working for Red Hat. Cygnus had already been providing these tools in a shrinkwrapped package to many embedded system developers. Red Hat continued on this trajectory. Although it does not sell an embedded distribution different from its standard distribution, it provides a development package for developing embedded Linux systems using its distribution. Red Hat maintains a web site about the projects it contributes to at http://sources.redhat.com/.
Founded by Jim Ready, an embedded industry veteran, MontaVista has positioned itself as a leader in the embedded Linux market through its products, services, and promotion of Linux in industrial applications. Its main product is MontaVista Linux, which is available in two versions: Professional and Carrier Grade. MontaVista has contributed to some open source projects including the kernel, ViewML, Microwindows, and LTT. Although MontaVista does not maintain a web site for the projects it contributes to, copies of some of its contributions can be found at http://www.mvista.com/developer/sourceforge.html.
This used to be known as Lynx Real-Time Systems and is one of the traditional embedded OS vendors. Contrary to other traditional embedded OS providers, Lynx decided to embrace Linux early and changed its name to reflect its decision. This, combined with the later acquisition of BSDi by WindRiver[3] and QNX's decision to make its OS available for free to download, were signs that open source in general, and Linux in particular, are making serious inroads in the embedded arena. That said, LynuxWorks still develops, distributes, and supports Lynx. In fact, LynuxWorks promotes a twofold solution. According to LynuxWorks, programmers needing hard real-time performance should continue to use Lynx while those wanting open source solutions should use BlueCat, their embedded Linux distribution. LynuxWorks has even modified Lynx to enable unmodified Linux binaries to run as-is. The fact that LynuxWorks was already a successful embedded OS vendor and that it adopted Linux early confirms the importance of the move towards open source OSes in the embedded market.
[3] WindRiver has since changed its mind and its relationship with BSD seems to be a matter of the past.
There are also many small players who provide a variety of services around open source and free software. In fact, many open source and free software contributions are made by individuals who are either independent or work for small-size vendors. As such, the services provided by such small players are often on a par or sometimes surpass those provided by larger players. Here are some individuals and small companies who provide embedded Linux services and are active contributors to the open source and free software community: Alessandro Rubini, Bill Gatliff, CodePoet Consulting, DENX Software Engineering, Opersys, Pengutronix, System Design & Consulting Services, and Zee2.
There are currently three organizational bodies aimed at promoting and encouraging the adoption of Linux in embedded applications: the Embedded Linux Consortium (ELC), Emblix, the Japan Embedded Linux Consortium, and the TV Linux alliance. The ELC was founded by 23 companies as a nonprofit vendor-neutral association and now includes more than 100 member companies. Its current goals include the creation of an embedded Linux platform specification inspired by the Linux Standard Base and the Single Unix Specification. It remains unclear whether the ELC's specification will gain any acceptance from the very open source and free software developers that maintain the software the ELC is trying to standardize, given that the drafting of the standard is not open to the public, which is contrary to the open source and free software traditions. Emblix was founded by 24 Japanese companies with similar aims as the ELC but with particular emphasis on the Japanese market. The TV Linux alliance is a consortium that includes cable, satellite, and telecom technology suppliers and operators who would like to support Linux in set-top boxes and interactive TV applications.
These efforts are noteworthy, but there are other organizational bodies that influence Linux's advancement, in the broad sense, although they do not address embedded systems particularly.
First and foremost, the Free Software Foundation (FSF), launched in 1984 by Richard Stallman, is the maintainer of the GNU project from which most components of a Linux system are based. It is also the central authority on the GPL and LGPL, the licenses most software in a Linux system fall under. Since its foundation, the FSF has promoted the usage of free software[4] in all aspects of computing. The FSF has taken note of the recent rise in the use of GNU and GPL software in embedded systems and is moving to ensure that user and developer rights are preserved.
[4] "Free" as in "free speech," not "free beer." As Richard Stallman notes, the confusion is due to the English language, which makes no difference between what may be differentiated in other languages such as French as "libre" and "gratuit." In effect, "free software" is translated to "logiciel libre" in French.
The OpenGroup maintains the Single Unix Specification (SUS), which describes what should be found in a Unix system. There is also the Linux Standard Base (LSB) effort, which aims at developing and promoting "a set of standards that will increase compatibility among Linux distributions and enable software applications to run on any compliant Linux system," as stated on the LSB web site at http://www.linuxbase.org/. In addition, the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS) maintained by the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard Group specifies the content of a Linux root tree. The Free Standards Group (FSG) maintains the Linux Development Platform Specification (LDPS), which specifies the configuration of a development platform to enable applications developed on conforming platforms to run on most distributions available. Finally, there is the Real-Time Linux Foundation, which aims at promoting and standardizing real-time enhancements and programming in Linux.
Most developers connect to the embedded Linux world through various resource sites and publications. It is through these sites and publications that the Linux development community, industry, and organizations publicize their work and learn about the work of the other players. In essence, the resource sites and publications are the meeting place for all the people concerned with embedded Linux. A list of resources can be found in Appendix B, but there are two resources that stand out, LinuxDevices.com and Linux Journal.
LinuxDevices.com was founded on Halloween day[5] 1999 by Rick Lehrbaum. It has since been acquired by ZDNet and, later still, been purchased by a company owned by Rick. To this day, Rick continues to maintain the site. LinuxDevices.com features news items, articles, polls, forums, and many other links pertaining to embedded Linux. Many key announcements regarding embedded Linux are made on this site. The site contains an archive of actively maintained articles regarding embedded Linux. Though its vocation is clearly commercial, I definitely recommend taking a peek at the site once in a while to keep yourself up to date with the latest in embedded Linux. Among other things, LinuxDevices.com was instrumental in launching the Embedded Linux Consortium.
[5] The date was selected purposely in symbolic commemoration of the infamous Halloween Documents uncovered by Eric Raymond. If you are not familiar with these documents and their meaning, have a look at http://www.opensource.org/halloween/.
As part of the growing interest in the use of Linux in embedded systems, the Embedded Linux Journal (ELJ) was launched by Specialized System Consultants, owners of Linux Journal (LJ), in January 2001 with the aim of serving the embedded Linux community, but was later discontinued. Though ELJ is no longer published as a separate magazine, LJ now contains an "embedded" section every month, which contains articles that otherwise would have been published in ELJ.
You may ask: what about using Linux in my design? Isn't Linux distributed under this weird license that may endanger the copyrights and patents of my company? What are all those licenses anyway? Is there more than one license to take care of? Are we allowed to distribute binary-only kernel modules? What about all these articles I read in the press, some even calling Linux's license a "virus"?
These questions and many more have probably crossed your mind. You probably even discussed some of these issues with some of your coworkers. The issues can be confusing and can come back to haunt you if they aren't dealt with properly. I don't say this to scare you. The issues are real, but there are known ways to use Linux without any fear of any sort of licensing contamination. With all the explanations provided below, it would be important to keep in mind that this isn't legal counsel and I am not a lawyer. If you have any doubts about your specific project, consult your attorney.
OK, now that I've given you ample warning, let us look at what is commonly accepted thought on Linux's licensing and how it applies to Linux systems in general, including embedded systems.
For most components making up a Linux system, there are two licenses involved, the GPL and the LGPL, introduced earlier. Both licenses are available from the FSF's web site at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/, and should be included with any package distributed under the terms of these licenses.[6] The GPL is mainly used for applications, while the LGPL is mainly used for libraries. The kernel, the binary utilities, the gcc compiler, and the gdb debugger are all licensed under the GPL. The C library and the GTK widget toolkit, on the other hand, are licensed under the LGPL.
[6] The licenses are often stored in a file called COPYING, for the GPL, and a file called COPYING.LIB, for the LGPL. Copies of these files are likely to have been installed somewhere on your disk by your distribution.
Some programs may be licensed under BSD, Mozilla, or another license, but the GPL and LGPL are the main licenses used. Regardless of the license being used, common sense should prevail. Make sure you know the licenses under which the components you use fall and understand their implications.
The GPL provides rights and imposes obligations very different from what may be found in typical software licenses. In essence, the GPL is meant to provide a higher degree of freedom to developers and users, enabling them to use, modify, and distribute software with few restrictions. It also makes provisions to ensure that these rights are not abrogated or hijacked in any fashion. To do so, the GPL stipulates the following:
You may make as many copies of the program as you like, as long as you keep the license and copyright intact.
Software licensed under the GPL comes with no warranty whatsoever, unless it is offered by the distributor.
You can charge for the act of copying and for warranty protection.
You can distribute binary copies of the program, as long as you accompany them with the source code used to create the binaries, often referred to as the "original" source code.[7]
[7] The specific wording of the GPL to designate this code is the following: "The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for making modifications to it." Delivering binaries of an obfuscated version of the original source code to try circumventing the GPL is a trick that has been tried before, and it doesn't work.
You cannot place further restrictions on your recipients than what is provided by the GPL and the software's original authors.
You can modify the program and redistribute your modifications, as long as you provide the same rights you received to your recipients. In effect, any code that modifies or includes GPL code, or any portion of a GPL'd program, cannot be distributed outside your organization under any license other than the GPL. This is the clause some PR folks refer to as being "virus"-like. Keep in mind, though, that this restriction concerns source code only. Packaging the unmodified software for the purpose of running it, as we'll see below, is not subject to this provision.
As you can see, the GPL protects authors' copyrights while providing freedom of use. This is fairly well accepted. The application of the modification and distribution clauses, on the other hand, generates a fair amount of confusion. To clear this confusion, two issues must be focused on: running GPL software and modifying GPL software. Running the software is usually the reason why the original authors wrote it. The authors of gcc, for example, wrote it to compile software with. As such, the software compiled by an unmodified gcc is not covered by the GPL, since the person compiling the program is only running gcc. In fact, you can compile proprietary software with gcc, and people have been doing this for years, without any fear of GPL "contamination." Modifying the software, in contrast, creates a derived work that is based on the original software, and is therefore subject to the licensing of that original software. If you take the gcc compiler and modify it to compile a new programming language of your vintage, for example, your new compiler is a derived work and all modifications you make cannot be distributed outside your organization under the terms of any license other than the GPL.
Most anti-GPL speeches or writings play on the confusion between running and modifying GPL software, to give the audience an impression that any software in contact with GPL software is under threat of GPL "contamination." This is not the case.
There is a clear difference between running and modifying software. As a developer, you can safeguard yourself f


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Winter Sangria
Member recipe by becky123
ServingsServes 1 - 10 Glasses
A twist on mulled wine
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- 1 bottle full bodied red wine
- 7 mandarin oranges, 4 sliced, 3 juiced
- 4-6 tbsp spiced berry cordial
- 4-6 tbsp Grand Marnier
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 3 dark red plums, stoned and sliced
- 1 Pomegranate
- 400-510ml chilled cranberry + pomegranate or pomegranate + grape juice
- Pour the wine and mandarin juice into a punch bowl Add 4 tbsp of the spiced berry cordial and Grand Marnier, adjusting the quantities of each to taste
- Add 3 of the sliced mandarins, the sliced lemon and plums. Stir and refrigerate for at least 4 hours
- When ready to serve, halve the pomegranate and remove the seeds, keeping any juice. Add the juice and half the seeds to the sangria along with the fruit juice. Stir and adjust to taste
- Top with the remaining pomegranate seeds and mandarin slices and serve