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Final, Bruins 4-2: That's it, and that's all. The Bruins lead the series for the first time after an impressive 4-2 win here at TD Garden. We'll have plenty more in a little bit.
Third period, 18:30, Bruins 4-2: The Montreal net is still empty.
Third period, 17:31, Bruins 4-2: Shortly after "Subban sucks" rained down from the Garden crowd, P.K. Subban blasted a one-timer from the point that beat Tuukka Rask for the power-play goal. Montreal isn't dead just yet.
Third period, 16:38, Bruins 4-1: Matt Bartkowski is going to the penalty box. He pulled down P.K. Subban and was called for holding.
Third period, 15:51, Bruins 4-1: Michel Therrien is pulling a Patrick Roy by pulling his goalie with a whole bunch of time left. Carey Price went off the ice shortly after the faceoff following the Loui Eriksson goal.
Third period, 14:12, Bruins 4-1: That one might do it.
The Bruins just scored again, and it was a gorgeous play from the third line. Matt Fraser carried the puck into the Montreal end and stopped on a dime. He got around the defenseman and then put the puck on net. Carey Price made a pad save, but Loui Eriksson was there for the rebound. Eriksson waited for Price to go down, and then put the puck around the goalie for the goal.
Third period, 10:07, Bruins 3-1: Montreal still needs a pair of goals, which means they're going to open things up here as it starts to get late. That has led to some chances for the Bruins.
Brad Marchand got a partial breakaway a few minutes ago, but the Canadiens defense got back and got just enough of Marchand to take away his ability to get a real good wrist shot off. A few shifts later, a long stretch pass out of the Boston end sprung Loui Eriksson and Matt Fraser on a 2-on-1. Eriksson carried the puck into the zone and opted to shoot as his shot went just wide of the net.
Third period, 5:16, Bruins 3-1: The Bruins' second line just did a nice job of playing transitional hockey, and it ended with a golden chance for Reilly Smith. The Boston winger was all alone at the left hashmark, but his shot was right into Carey Price's chest.
That transition was started by a really good pad save from Tuukka Rask on an Alexei Emelin shot, as Rask somehow saw the puck through traffic in front of him.
Third period, 0:01, Bruins 3-1: The third period is underway here at the Garden.
End second period, Bruins 3-1: The second period has ended after a good shift from the Patrice Bergeron line. The Bruins will take a 3-1 lead into the dressing room for the second intermission.
Second period, 18:36, Bruins 3-1: It doesn't matter which line he's playing against, Douglas Murray can't get out of his own way. The Bruins are getting opportunities every time the Montreal defenseman is on the ice, and that continued with the Boston fourth line. Gregory Campbell won the puck from Murray and got it to Shawn Thornton who put a close-range backhander on net. Carey Price was able to make the save on a shot that just hit him in the chest.
Second period, 14:39, Bruins 3-1: The Canadiens have broken through.
Brendan Gallagher looked to tip a shot by Tuukka Rask for the Canadiens' first goal since Game 3. Gallagher deflected Tomas Plekanec's shot from the high left wing.
Second period, 13:01, Bruins 3-0: The Canadiens are going back on the power play. Brad Marchand and Lars Eller got tied up along the boards, and it's Marchand who came away with the penalty. He was called for holding, and the B's will try to kill off yet another Montreal power play.
Second period, 11:15, Bruins 3-0: As we mentioned in the first period, this one's been a little chippy. That's continued here in the second period. Milan Lucic and P.K. Subban got tangled up in a pretty good battle along the boards deep in Montreal's end. That ended with some pushing, shoving and a couple of shots up near the head.
Lucic eventually skated off the ice, as the Bruins kept the puck in the Montreal zone. Subban then iced it with an ill-advised pass the length of the rink. As Subban was skating by the Boston bench, someone said something. The two started jawing back and forth, and Lucic ended up flexing his bicep at Subban.
Second period, 8:16, Bruins 3-0: The Canadiens are burning their timeout after P.K. Subban iced the puck.
Second period, 6:56, Bruins 3-0: The Bruins continue to put the pressure on. They're not taking their foot off the gas and they've spent a good majority of the five minutes since the third goal in the Montreal end.
If the Canadiens don't get things together soon, they're going to be run out of the building in this one.
Second period, 1:36, Bruins 3-0: That didn't take long. Right after the offensive face-off, Jarome Iginla ripped a one-timer by Carey Price from the left wing to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead.
Second period, 1:30, Bruins 2-0: Boston is getting another power play. Tomas Plekanec was called for high sticking.
Second period, 1:04, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins have themselves a two-goal lead.
Reilly Smith is going to get credited with the power-play goal after he redirected a Dougie Hamilton shot from the right point, as the puck squirted underneath Carey Price for Boston's second goal of the game.
Second period, 0:01, Bruins 1-0: The second period is underway with the Bruins on the power play for 1:44
First period reaction: All in all, there's not a lot to complain about in that first period for the Bruins. The B's came out with arguably their best start of the series, and they took advantage of a Canadiens team that looked a little sleepy.
Starts have been an issue for the Bruins, so getting that early lead is huge. Carl Soderberg has played well for just about the entire series, and he was finally rewarded for that with the game's only goal so far. That came after a nice play by Loui Eriksson to take a hit from Douglas Murray to move the puck. Even Matt Fraser did his job on the play as he was there to jump on any sort of rebound, and he actually jammed the puck in just to make sure after the puck ricocheted out.
The other really good thing the Bruins have done so far has been their work on the penalty kill. Boston killed off all three Montreal power plays, which is a far cry from where the B's were to start the series. There appears to be two big differences right now. First, the Bruins are doing a much better job of clogging up shooting lanes and closing out on the shooter. The Canadiens got far too many open looks in the first two or three games, and the Bruins have made the necessary adjustments to shut down the Habs. The B's are also doing a better job of slowing the rush at their own blue line and not allowing the Habs to easily carry the puck into the offensive zone. It doesn't hurt that the Canadiens weren't very good to open the game.
End first period, Bruins 1-0: The first period has come to a close, and the Bruins will have 1:44 of power-play time to begin the second.
First period, 19:44, Bruins 1-0: Things are getting a little testy here, and the Bruins are getting a power play to end the period. Tomas Plekanec bowled over Tuukka Rask, and Plekanec gets a penalty for that. After the play, Tuukka Rask took a swing at Plekanec.
First period, 19:50, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins were able to come up with yet another good penalty kill, and they have erased the Tuukka Rask delay of game penalty.
First period, 17:00, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins did a really good job of killing the penalty. They took away shooting lanes, made it difficult for Montreal to establish anything and cleared when they had the chances. Hopefully, for their case, they're up for it again. Tuukka Rask made a save shortly after the power play ended, and he then batted the puck over the glass, which is a delay of game penalty.
First period, 14:46, Bruins 1-0: The Canadiens are going to get another power play. Dougie Hamilton was called for interference, and the Habs get the chance on the man-advantage.
First period, 13:20, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins' third line continues to generate offense, and they have given the Bruins a rare lead.
Loui Eriksson carried the puck behind the net, centered to Carl Soderberg, and the Swedish forward put the wrist shot by Carey Price.
First period, 10:00, 0-0: The Bruins' power play was unsuccessful, and they are fighting it at this point. The first unit, which is comprised of the David Krejci line, was struggling in a big way to control the puck. They just look out of sync right now.
First period, 7:58, 0-0: The Montreal power play is over, and the Bruins are going to have another man-advantage soon. Tomas Plekanec was just called for interference after he set a pick on Daniel Paille in the neutral zone. There will be 14 seconds of 4-on-4 play before 1:46 of Boston power-play time.
First period, 6:12, 0-0: The Bruins failed to convert on the power play. They've now gone 38 consecutive postseason postseason power plays against Montreal without scoring, a stretch that dates all the way back to 2009.
After the TV timeout, the Bruins will have to kill off a penalty. Matt Bartkowski was called for holding after he hauled down Lars Eller deep in the Boston end, so the Habs get their first crack at the power play.
First period, 4:00, 0-0: The Bruins are getting the game's first power play. Max Pacioretty is the guilty party, as he hooked Matt Bartkowski.
First period, 2:43, 0-0: The Bruins came within inches of scoring the first goal of the game. Reilly Smith hit the post — yet another — with a shot from the slot, and the game remains scoreless.
First period, 0:01, 0-0: We're underway here at the Garden with a loud crowd on hand.
6:55 p.m.: It's official. Danny Briere is scratched, and Brandon Prust will replace him in the Montreal lineup for Game 5.
6:36 p.m.: If Daniel Briere is indeed scratched, the Canadiens are doing a good job of hiding that fact. Briere is taking part in the pregame warmups, centering the fourth line. We'll see.
6:35 p.m.: Pregame warmups are underway here at the Garden. No real surprises on either side. Milan Lucic, who opted out of the morning skate, is on for the Bruins. On the other side, Daniel Briere — reportedly scratched for this one — is on the ice, too.
6:10 p.m.: The Canadiens are reportedly making a lineup change. The reported move is that Brandon Prust will come into the lineup, and Danny Briere will be a healthy scratch. We'll find out in about 20 minutes during pregame warmups.
12:30 p.m.: Here's video of the Max Pacioretty media scrum after the Habs' morning skate courtesy of The Montreal Gazette's Dave Stubbs.
12:20 p.m.: Bruins coach Claude Julien made his thoughts clear about the officiating in this series so far. It's been really, really good, the head coach said Saturday morning.
"You can say what you want, I have no complaints about the refereeing. In this series, I think they've done a wonderful job of letting both teams play."
That's quite the departure from Game 2. It was in that game that the Bruins were given an unsportsmanlike conduct bench minor for something Julien said to the officials. After that game, Julien said he was proud of the way his team dealt with some "crap," which seemed to be at least somewhat aimed at the officiating.
So when Montreal head coach Michel Therrien was told about Julien's praise for the officials, the Habs bench boss had a humorous response. Therrien let out a big laugh before also complimenting the officials.
12:05 p.m.: Bruins winger Matt Fraser was a popular guy once again after the Bruins' morning skate finished at the Garden. He spoke about a lot of things — including frozen yogurt — and it's clear that he's got a good head on his shoulders.
Here's a quick post about how Fraser went out of his way to thank his family and friends for support, as well as how he hopes he's made his parents proud.
12 p.m: One of the developing storylines in this series has been the work the Bruins have done in slowing the Canadiens' top line of Max Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Thomas Vanek.
Pacioretty has been especially quiet, as he's registered just one assist through the four games. He's also been quiet off the ice, as he hasn't spoke much at all since the series began. He broke that silence on Saturday following the Canadiens' morning skate here at the Garden.
As you might expect, Pacioretty is vowing to be better. [tweet https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/465158971649560577 align='center'] [tweet https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/465159166110072832 align='center']
My NESN.com colleague Nick Goss will have more on what the Bruins have done to slow down Pacioretty and company a little later on.
11:30 a.m.: The Canadiens are on the ice for morning skate at the Garden, and they're without winger Rene Bourque. It's a "therapy day" for Bourque, according to the Canadiens.
10:40 a.m.: The Bruins have a well-attended morning skate this morning. The only player not on the ice is Milan Lucic, so it looks like he's taking his option. The big forward did take part in the team's optional practice on Friday.
8 a.m.: The Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens have gone back and forth all series long, and they'll play a pivotal Game 5 on Saturday night at TD Garden.
The B's tied the series in dramatic fashion on Thursday night in Game 4. Recently called-up forward Matt Fraser played the hero for a night at least, as he jammed home the game's lone goal in Boston's 1-0 win that evened the series at two games apiece. It's now a best-of-three series with two of those games in Boston, starting on Saturday night.
It can't be overstated how important winning Game 5 is for either team. For the Bruins, a win in Game 5 means they would head back to Montreal for Game 6 with a home game in their back pocket. At best, they win the series. At worst, they come home and try to win it in a Game 7. If the Canadiens win Saturday night, they obviously get to go home and try to wrap up the series in Game 6.
The Bruins know that they've yet to play their best hockey through four games. Boston has been out of sorts all series long, and their dominant regular-season play seems like a long time ago. But it's not like they're playing bad, either.
"We've been better, I think there's no doubt," Bruins coach Claude Julien said Friday afternoon. "I don't think our team is playing badly at all. I know that our team is capable of playing a little better than we have and have show so far. That's not even close to saying we're not playing well. We are playing well, but I think there's some potential in our team to be even better."
One line the Bruins really want to see be better has to be the top line of Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Jarome Iginla. That line has been virtually nonexistent the entire series, and they were virtual non-factors in both games in Montreal. Perhaps a return home will spark them. That line is at its best when the wingers are getting in deep on the forecheck and taking the body. Getting back in a positive environment in front of the Garden crowd might spark them and lead to a better effort.
Any sort of production from that line — or any others — would be huge given the way this series is playing out. Both teams tightened up defensively in Game 4, and while there were plenty of shots, many of those came from the outside. That usually makes work easy for the goalies Tuukka Rask and Carey Price, as evidenced by just the one goal on Thursday night. It probably wouldn't be a huge surprise to see the series continue to head in that direction, which makes cashing in on opportunities even more important.
Puck drop from the Garden is set for 7 p.m. We'll have updates throughout the day with the Bruins live blog brought to you by Berkshire Bank.
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8 Financial Fault Lines Appear In The Euro Experiment!
Tremors were heard across Europe and around the world last week. There was little mistaking the clear fracturing sounds of the European Monetary Union.
Receiving less fanfare than the political hyperbole of EU solidarity, was surfacing evidence of serious fissures that exposed similar financial schemes which took the US to the financial abyss.
Our research has identified eight fault lines now visible in the Euro experiment. Each is serious. As a combination they have the potential to be devastating. They are all now fully in play.
Greek accounting 'irregularities' that have resulted in massive distortions of Greece's actual fiscal imbalances was not the news last week. Manipulated Greek government bookkeeping has been known for some time. What sorcery the Greek government had magically mixed in its hidden brew to accomplish the irregularities however began receiving much higher levels of media attention after the Feb. 1 release of their report commissioned by the Finance Minister in Athens. Currency Swaps it turns out were what the great Merlin - Goldman Sachs had recommended and sold to the hapless Greek politicians with which to hide their spendthrift ways. Goldman Sachs was not initially identified in the Feb 1st report. (1)
Suspicious eye brows were quickly raised when Greece's Finance Minister responded to the new details reported by Reuters:
"The kind of derivatives contracts reported by some newspapers were legal at that time, Greece was not the only country to use them... They were made illegal, [and] we have not used them since then."
The obvious questions that alarmed investors:
It also begged the question of overall supervision of accounting that the EU statistical agency exerts? How transparent are the EU sovereign country books? There are a lot of questions that will be asked of Greece and other countries over the next few weeks. As my grandmother wisely advised me - "There is never only one cockroach!"
Delving into the details as the breaking news on Greece unfolded; I was reminded of my research during the early stages of the Enron scandal. At that time I started discovering the world of SPE's (Special Purpose Entities) that until that time were almost unheard of, but it turned out were being slyly and extensively employed. I remember Enron CFO Andrew Fastow defending his extensive use of such vehicles by referring to the fact GE had over 2400. I was also reminded of the early stages of the financial crisis when I learned about banks using SIV's (Structured Investment Vehicles) to sell CDOs and protect themselves with CDS's - all new instruments and somehow never visible to the light of day. The experience taught me that in today's wild west of global financial gamesmanship to always dig deeper - and fast!
Last week I discovered SPC's (Special Purpose Company) & PPI / PFI's. Not familiar with them? You had better be because they will soon likely be cocktail party chatter. These are financial instruments and arrangements that allow governments to factor 'receivables' and thereby camouflage debt. They are being broadly employed as the standard marketing slide below would indicate.
Public Private Partnership - PPI: An umbrella term for Government schemes involving the private business sector in public sector projects.
Private Finance Initiative - PFI: a form of PPP developed by the Government in which the public and private sectors join to design, build or refurbish, finance and operate (DBFO) new or improved facilities and services to the general public. Under the most common form of PFI, a private sector provider will, through a Special Purpose Company (SPC), hold a DBFO contract for facilities such as hospitals, schools, and roads according to specifications provided by public sector departments. Over a typical period of 25-30 years, the private sector provider is paid an agreed monthly (or unitary) fee by the relevant public body (such as a Local Council or a Health Trust) for the use of the asset(s), which at that time is owned by the PFI provider. This and other income enables the repayment of the senior debt over the concession length. (Senior debt is the major source of funding, typically 90% of the required capital, provided by banks or bond finance). Asset ownership usually returns to the public body at the end of the concession. In this manner, improvements to public services can be made without upfront public sector funds; and while under contract, the risks associated with such huge capital commitments are shared between parties, allocated appropriately to those best able to manage each one (2).
Edward Hugh at Credit Writedowns does a first rate job of laying out how all this works and where the looming exposures are hidden in his February 14th article: Just what is the real level of government debt in Europe? He concludes:
b) They assume growing workforces and working age populations, but both these, as we know, are now likely to start declining in many European countries.
c) They assume unchanging dependency ratios between active and dependent populations, but these assumptions, as we also already know, are no longer valid, as our population pyramids steadily invert.
Given all this, a very real danger exists that what were previously considered as obscure securitisation instruments, so obscure that few politicians really understood their implications, and few citizens actually knew of their existence, can suddenly find themselves converted into little better than a glorified Ponzi scheme.And if you want one very concrete example of how unsustainable debt accumulation can lead to problems, you could try reading this report in the Spanish newspaper La Verdad (Spanish, but Google translate if you are interested), where they recount the problems being faced by many Spanish local authorities who are now running out of money, in this case it the village of San Javier they have until the 24 February to pay a debt of 350,000 euros, or the electricity will simply be cut off! The article also details how many other municipalities are having increasing difficulty in paying their employees. And this is just in one region (Murcia), but the problem is much more general, as Spain's heavily over-indebted local authorities and autonomous communities steadily grind to a halt.
But it gets worse, unfortunately much worse!
TITLOS PLC (SPV) may be to Greece what 'RAPTOR' was to Enron. TITLOS PLC (SPV) may be the real smoking gun in the Greek crisis and unfolding Euro Crisis.
Tyler Durden and Marla Singer at Zero Hedge have done a masterful job of investigation and outlining the murky relationship between the rating agencies and the rating of the underwritten swap agreement securitization SPV called Titlos PLC. All brought to you by Goldman Sachs.
As I mentioned earlier, I feel like I've seen this play before. The script is right out of the pages of Enron and the US Sub-Prime debacle! It even has the same supporting cast member: Goldman Sachs!
Durden and Singer's Feb 15th article is entitled: Is Titlos PLC (Special Purpose Vehicle) The Downgrade Catalyst Trigger Which Will Destroy Greece? It is extensive with supporting Scribd documents of documentation that has now mysteriously been removed from public viewing by Greek officials.
Their conclusions:
Fact: last week Moody's said it could further
downgrade Greece to Baa1.
Fact: the Titlos PLC rating mirrors that of Greece itself.
Fact: according to Moody's "Framework for De-Linking Hedge Counterparty Risks from Global Structured Finance Cashflow Transactions Moody's Methodology" a counterparty can enter into a hedge transaction with an SPV and continue to participate in that transaction without collateralizing its obligations so long as it maintains a long-term senior unsecured rating of at least A2.
When (not if) Titlos is downgraded again, and its rating drops below the A2 collateralization threshold, look for AIG's margin call driven liquidity crisis escalation from the fall of 2008 to spread to Greece. And that's not all.
The Titlos SPV itself may be null and void should the rating of the National Bank of Greece, as the Hedge Provider, drop below a "relevant rating" as defined in the hedge agreement. Should Greece then be forced, at Titlos' option, to unwind the swap agreement, and be forced to cash out to the tune of €5.4 billion (net of the 107.54 issuance price), look for all hell to break loose.Greece has suddenly found itself at the mercy of a Moody's, whose just one additional notch down, would increase the funding needs by almost 40% in addition to near term maturity requirements. Score yet one more for the off-balance sheet securitization puzzle, so prevalent in our day and age, courtesy of Wall Street's "innovation" masters - Goldman Sachs.
Do you have the stomach to go on?
FAULT LINE #4: GREEK CDS's
The Wall Street Journal reports:
German banks are major lenders in Greece, for example, collectively carrying about $43 billion in Greek debt on their books, including loans to private individuals and companies, according to Bank for International Settlements data for the third quarter of 2009. Among EU countries, only France's banks, with $75 billion, carry a larger share of Greece's $303 billion in debt to foreign banks.
In addition, some of Germany's public-sector banks, known as Landesbanken, have issued insurance-like contracts on Greek debt, known as credit default swaps. The total exposure of the country's eight Landesbanken is unclear.Two of the banks, Bayern LB and West LB, described their exposure to Greek credit default swaps as negligible. Hanover-based NordLB and LBBW in Stuttgart declined to comment. Frankfurt-based Helaba and HSH Nordbank in Hamburg didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. SaarLB, in Saarbr ücken, couldn't immediately be reached.
Credit Writedown reports on the CDS exposure of the German Landesbanks to Greece:
If Greece were to default, the Landesbanks, which have already lost tens of billions, would be on the hook for even more. Clearly, the German government is aware of this situation and this is certainly a major part of their political calculus.
The real driver here is not that the private debt problem is becoming a sovereign debt problem, but the opposite - the sovereign debt problem is threatening to renew the private sector banking crisis. Consider the BIS data that is cited in press reports today: German bank exposure to Greece is 43 bln euros, to Portugal 47 bln euros, to Ireland 193 bln euros and to Spain 240 bln euros.
The FT Alphaville reported on December 8th in How do you say vicious circle in Greek?:
The interesting bit is that the Greek banks don't seem to have an immediate funding crisis on their hands since the lion's share of liabilities come from their deposit base. UBS analysts speculate that the banks are merely using the ECB to receive low cost funding with Greek sovereign debt assets as collateral. That makes the Greek sovereign debt crisis a Greek bank crisis then - as this funding source may disappear with sovereign credit downgrades.
Now, if you were a Greek resident, you have to feel a bit panicky about the safety of your hard-earned savings given this scenario (see Guardian article). So, we could easily see the sovereign debt crisis spill over into bank runs. And if Greek banks implode, there is going to be a knock-on effect for other weak banking sectors like the Austrian or Irish. This is how contagion works.
Let's not forget that Greek banks do have some funding needs. How are they going to roll over repo debt if the sovereign is having trouble?Rumors are starting that counterparties are not rolling over repo arrangements; this is exactly how Bear Stearns failed
Credit Writedown reports the following:
According to the Greek newspaper, Elefteros Topos, between the years 2000-2006, Greeks invested almost 263 million USD in their nascent neighbor. That would make Greece the second largest foreign investor in Macedonia. Of the 20 most sizable investments in Macedonia's economy, 17 are financed with Greek capital. More than 20,000 people are employed in Greek-owned enterprises (c. 6% of the active workforce in this unemployment-plagued polity).
Greeks are everywhere: banking (28% of their total investment in the country); energy (25%); telecommunications (17%); industry (15%); and food (10%).
The foundations of the current presence of Greece in all Balkan countries - including EU members, Romania and Bulgaria - were laid in the decade of the 1990s.
A sovereign bankruptcy in Athens would hit the European banking sector with full force. Swiss banks in particular have invested heavily in Greece - for them, the risk is the greatest in Europe. But help is at hand.
The horror deficit of Greece is making the banks concerned. A failure to pay would hit first and foremost European institutions. "50 percent of foreign bank claims against debtors in Greece are to the Greek state. An Athenian bankruptcy would, therefore, hit other European countries and their banks hard, Citigroup strategist Giadi Giani said to the Financial Times Deutschland (FTD)."
In Greece, the fiscal situation is catastrophic. If the country does not find enough buyers for its bonds to reduce the deficit, it could lead to insolvency. Should no help come from EU countries or the IMF then, European banks would be threatened with massive writedowns, write the economists at Commerzbank.
Switzerland particularly affected
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), about two thirds of the debt of Greece is held by foreign creditors - an above average value. European Banks are particularly involved. According to data from the Bank for International Settlements, Swiss institutions, at around 68 billion francs, rank as one of the largest donors. Only the French banks, with 80 billion francs [of exposure] have stashed a bit more money in Greece.
But in relation to GDP, the risk to Switzerland, according to FTD, is the highest by far: According to Morgan Stanley economists [Swiss] commitment in Greece comes to almost twelve percent of Swiss GDP. France follows as the largest country in the eurozone at 2.5 percent.
Bloomberg Reports:
Welcome to "Credit Crunch II." By stuffing billions of dollars of taxpayers' money into the balance-sheet holes of the banking industry, governments have transmogrified private risk into public liabilities. The "too-big-to-fail" label just reattaches itself to governments from financial companies.The sequel, if the European Union or its members are suckered into some kind of Greek rescue package by buying, guaranteeing or even repaying its bonds, could end up featuring Portugal as Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Spain as American International Group Inc.
Warren Buffett is often heard to say - "you find out who was swimming naked when the water goes out."
European lending rates are headed higher. This will place further pressures on sovereign debt loads.
The apparent dithering of the ECB and the EC, along with the tremendous deficiencies in financial controls and audits of member countries, makes European leadership look empty headed. But maybe, just maybe the EU Boy is smarter than we think?
According to Martin Wolf writing in the Financial Times, what ails Europe is DEMAND. Without demand by consequence there emerges fiscal crisis. The Euro's strength over the last 11 months has been the Euro Zones Achilles heel. Many pressured politicians felt a much weaker Euro would assist with increasing demand for European products and potentially alleviate some of the fiscal pressures. The problem needed to be fixed urgently and a weakened Euro was the immediate solution. A 10.3% devaluation of the Euro in 11 weeks is best described as dramatic and exactly what the doctor prescribed!
Is the Euro devaluation a byproduct of inaction or a strategy? Did those in control unwittingly unleash demons they didn't understand were lurking just below the financial surface?
I will leave that debate to the academics and conspiracy buffs. (5)
"What if Greece is Fannie Mae, Portugal is Freddie Mac, Spain is AIG, Argentina
is Wachovia Bank and Ireland is Lehman Brothers?" Bulls are certainly hoping
Greece is more akin to Bear Stearns, whose Fed-engineered fire sale to JPMorgan
in March 2008 sparked a brief but furious "relief" rally that spring".
Todd Harrison, CEO of Minyanville.com.
Yahoo Finance 02-11-10
Dubai World is to Corporate Debt what Sub-Prime was to Consumer Debt
Greece is to Sovereign Debt what Dubai World is to Corporate Debt
FREE Additional Research Reports at Web Site: Tipping Points
(1) 02-15-10 Europe Finance Ministers Face Pressure Over Greece Emma Ross-Thomas Bloomberg
(2) A useful description of what are known as PPI/PFI schemes, from UK building contractor John Laing
(3) 03-13-08 Greece and its Investments in the Balkans: Trojan Horse or Reliable Partner? - Global Politician
(4) 02-10-10 Griechisches Finanzdebakel bedroht Schweizer Banken - Tagesanzeiger
(5) 02-16-10 European Conspiracy Theory WSJ
12-08-09 How do you say vicious circle in Greek? FT Alphaville
02-09-10 Europe needs German consumers Martin Wolf Financial Times
02-10-10 A Greek crisis is coming to America Niall Ferguson Financial Times
02-10-10 Greek financial debacle threatens Swiss banks Credit Writedowns
02-10-10 Chandler: Uncertainty and contagion at work with Greece Credit Writedowns
02-11-10 'PIGS' in Rescue Lipstick Are Uglier Than Default Mark Gilbert Bloomberg
02-11-10 France, Germany Weigh Rescue Plan for Greece Wall Street Journal
02-11-10 Beware "Unintended Consequence" of Gifts for Greece, Todd Harrison Says Yahoo Finance
02-14-10 Just what is the real level of government debt in Europe? Credit Write-down
02-15-10 Is Titlos PLC (Special Purpose Vehicle) The Downgrade Catalyst Trigger Which Will Destroy Greece?
Zero Hedge

subset: commoncrawl


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Location: Whale Beach, NSW, Australia
Ben Player (also known as 'Beeps') was been a staple of the bodyboarding world since the early 90's.
His accolades include WORLD CHAMPION (2005, 2007 & 2013), PEER POLL Winner (TWICE) Riptide Bodyboarder of the Year (2013 & 2014) as well as current director of Movement Magazine.
He has also released two incredible solo movies under the BEN PLAYER PROJECT and FAR N0RTH.
All round Shreddernaut, Ripper extraordinaire and Bodyboard King's longest serving team member.
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text:
STARmeterSEE RANK
Down 20,455 this week
Lester Flatt (1914–1979)
Lester Flatt was born on June 19, 1914 in Overton County, Tennessee, USA as Lester Raymond Flatt. He is known for his work on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), A Prairie Home Companion (2006) and Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964). He was married to Gladys. He died on May 11, 1979 in Nashville, Tennessee. See full bio »
Born:in Overton County, Tennessee, USA
Died:(age 64) in Nashville, Tennessee, USA


text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Mar 11, 2003
|Filing date
|Sep 28, 2000
|Priority date
|Sep 9, 1998
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Robert J. Sidie
|Original Assignee
|At&T Corp.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (17), Non-Patent Citations (3), Referenced by (4), Classifications (9), Legal Events (3)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/150,535, filed Sep. 9, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,056 B1
This invention relates to an automated, non-intrusive process for identifying the exact make and model type of a computer.
With the ever increasing versatility and interchangeability of personal computers, as evidenced by the recent emergence of the plug-and-play standard for peripherals, the actual physical contents of a personal computer (PC) have become increasingly harder to determine. A cursory glance at the outside of a computer will tell you little about the machine's actual contents in this age of microprocessor replacement, upgrades, and accelerator chips. However, as network computing has become the norm in the business world, knowledge of the contents of each computer on the network has become more important than ever to make sure that an upgrade in network software or hardware will not be incompatible or inoperable on any of the machines attached to that network.
A solution to the problem of inventorying computers on a network has become even more imperative as the new millennium approaches. Many software and hardware programs will experience problems because their underlying program code is based on a two digit representation of the year. Hence, as the year goes from 1999 (represented in the computer as '99') to 2000 (represented in the computer as '00'), much computer hardware and associated software applications will give errant results because they calculate the year '00' to correspond to 1900:99 years before 1999. Ultimately, some machines may fail entirely. Because of the vast array of computers attached to most networks, all computers must be properly identified and cataloged to limit the amount and severity of problems that occur as the millennium changes. Any step taken now to avoid a catastrophe in the future is a step well taken.
Obviously, the first step in correcting a potentially wide-spread network problem is to identify the computers that reside on that network. In the past, machines were often inventoried by physical inspection. This process entails forcing the user to log off of their computer for a length of time, physically opening the PC, and identifying the computer by reading the labels on the BIOS, microprocessor, and other added chips and circuitry. Such a process is disruptive and carries with it the possibility that the physical handling of the computer chassis and internal parts will cause an internal part to fail because of, for example, static electricity.
Some software programs have tried to identify personal computer components in a less intrusive way. These programs can perform some rudimentary identification tasks, such as polling the microprocessor for manufacturer information, but these methods fall well short of the complete personal computer inventory that is necessary and prudent before a major network upgrade or in contemplation of fixing any possible year 2000 problems. As software and hardware become more complex, pushing the limits of a computer's capability, some programs or peripherals may distinguish between two computers that have the same make and model number, but were manufactured several months apart and, hence, have different BIOS versions. For example, a second version of a BIOS may be written to facilitate using a large hard drive of multiple gigabyte capacity. Because some components can distinguish between such subtle differences in PC's, the computers on a network must be individually identified at the BIOS level.
One particular prior art system is a graphical system descriptor method and system in U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,437 to Fritze et al. Fritze et al. disclose a method and system for a graphical hardware description and testing interface for use in conjunction with a data system. More specifically, the Fritze method contains a step where the data processing system is polled to determine the configuration—layout of slots, subslots, components, and subcomponents. The process begins with a call to the BIOS to determine model/submodel and the identity of the system. While Fritze et al. may scan the BIOS for basic computer information, Fritze et al. do not contemplate the intensive BIOS scanning of the present invention that is but one element in the larger automatic computer inventorying process disclosed here.
The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) of a computer is the lowest layer of system software between the processor and the user. The BIOS is a collection of routines that control I/O devices and provide basic computer system services. In personal computers, the BIOS is usually resident in a Read Only Memory (ROM) within the computer to alleviate the need to load it from an external source every time the computer is booted.
The BIOS services are accessed through software interrupts that are generally called using assembly language. Many of the software interrupts are standard in the computer industry, which enables portability of programs that use these BIOS software interrupts. Also, many common programming languages, such as the 'C' language, contain preprogrammed functions that can be used to access the BIOS memory area.
One part of the BIOS contains a table of hexadecimal entries that describe the type of computer and BIOS revision date. The manufacturer uses these entries in tandem to uniquely identify a computer. These fields include the computer's model, submodel, BIOS revision number, features, reserved words, and a string representing the BIOS revision date. Taken as a whole, these entries can distinguish between not only different computer manufacturers and model numbers, but between two computers of the exact same manufacturer and model number that contain different versions of BIOS. Although a small change in hardware, a newer BIOS version may correct a problem that causes certain low level software or hardware (large capacity disk drive) to fail, and hence, only a computer containing the newer BIOS version can be used with that particular piece of software or hardware.
Because of the complexity of recent software innovations and the extent to which computers are pushed by the new software, such subtle changes in the BIOS must be identified before deciding on the proper choice of software to be used on a machine, especially in a networked environment. For years, some programs have scanned small areas of the BIOS to get some computer identification information, but there remains a need in the art to scan the complete BIOS identification area and develop an automated process for inventorying a computer to a greater extent.
Towards this end, there is a need in the art for a method to perform BIOS scanning and identification code comparison in an efficient, non-intrusive way that can be used by single users and large companies to inventory their computers and prepare for software upgrades and impending year 2000 issues.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a non-intrusive process for inventorying a personal computer's exact model type. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process for completely inventorying a personal computer by a non-intrusive software application that can scan the computer's BIOS and generate an identification string that can be compared to a table of known identification strings to determine, down to the BIOS revision level, the exact type of personal computer that is being queried.
Towards that end, the exact model type of a personal computer can be established by scanning the BIOS of the computer and copying selected segments thereof. These scanned segments can then be concatenated to form a text string that identifies the computer. Finally, this identification string can be compared to a table of previously identified strings to establish the exact make and model type of a personal computer.
This method is fast, as the method is largely software dependent with no physical tearing apart of the inventoried PC, and this method is much less likely to cause any physical fault in the personal computer because no rough manipulation of the chassis is necessary. Also, this method is more likely to obtain the correct and true identification results because a physical examination of the computer can produce incorrect results because of mislabeled components or a mistake of identification. The BIOS scanning method of the present invention is more complete than any of the previous computer identification methods as it scans the low level BIOS of the computer to find its information. Finally, the present method has complete adaptability. As new, unknown identification strings are obtained from the BIOS, a quick physical inspection of the unknown computer will allow its identification and subsequent entry into the identification table so, from that point on, the previously unknown identification string will be known.
In one aspect of the present invention, the scanning program is integrated into the network login process of users of a computer network. Here, as part of the login process, the computer calls the BIOS scanning program to be executed from the login server. The program uses low level software interrupts to poll the BIOS area of computer memory to obtain the computer identification information. In response to the software interrupt requests, the computer returns hexadecimal values that correspond in our preferred embodiment to a predetermined string including the model, submodel, revision number, features, reserved word 1, reserved word 2, and the BIOS date string. The software program makes a character string that consists of these scanned values separated by hyphens. The string is assembled, for example, as model(hex)-submodel(hex)-revisionnumber(hex)-features(hex)-reservedword1(hex)-reservedword2(hex)-BIOSdatestring. Another order may also be appropriate depending on the application.
This character string identifies the exact computer manufacturer and model type that is being scanned. The string is then passed back to the server to be used as an index to a table that identifies a one-to-one correlation between these BIOS identification strings and an ultimate computer manufacturer and model type. The table reads the input identification string and compares this string to the first known identification string in the table. If the strings match, the corresponding known computer manufacturer and model type are the output of the program, to be used by other programs or means for inventorying the computers of the network.
If the strings do not match, the scanned data string is subsequently compared to the next known identification string in the table. Again, if a match is found, the correctly identified manufacturer name and model number are output. This process continues until either a match is found or the table is exhausted. If no match is found, the unknown, or unresolved, identification string is inserted as the last entry of the table.
Once an unresolved string is entered in the table, the computer that was scanned to produce the unresolved string should be identified by some means. Then, the appropriate corresponding manufacturer name and model type should be input into the table. Now, the unresolved string has been resolved. This identification could be performed by having the data storage computer automatically dial the telephone number associated with the user of the scanned computer or by physical inspection of the machine by the system administrator. In any event, the unresolved, scanned BIOS identification string has now become a known, or resolved, entry in the table for future use.
This expandability is essential to keep pace with the rapidly changing world of computers where upgrades occur often. Because any newly resolved BIOS identification screen is added to the computer manufacturer table or data base, a new BIOS version only needs to be physically identified once. Once a new BIOS identification string has been resolved, all subsequent new users of the same BIOS will be identified by the data table or data base. This automation saves employee time and money that previously would have been spent physically identifying each new computer that entered a specific work environment.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, presented in connection with the following drawings in which like reference numerals identify like elements throughout.
FIG. 1 shows a representation of a typical personal computer.
FIG. 2 shows the basic internal structure of a typical personal computer.
FIG. 3 shows a representation of a typical multi-user network where the user terminals are connected to a server containing login data and network administration information.
FIG. 4 show the general flow chart for the method associated with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a table of the address location of the PC configuration data segments of the BIOS memory area. A brief description of each segment and examples are given for clarity
FIG. 6 shows examples of concatenated data strings assembled from the results of the BIOS scanning procedure and software manipulation of these scanned values. This figure also shows the computer manufacturer and model type that correspond to each identification string.
FIG. 7 is an example of a software program written in the 'C' programming language that polls the BIOS memory to obtain the hexadecimal PC identification information and generates a hyphen-delimited computer identification character string to be used to determine the manufacturer and model type of the polled computer.
Personal computers have become almost ubiquitous for carrying on business these days. The present detailed description will discuss the application of the present invention to a personal computer, but the principles may be applied equally to any networked computer. FIG. 1 shows a picture of a typical personal computer 100. Here, the CPU, memory, and, drives are housed in a chassis 102, and the computer displays typically graphical information to the user by way of a monitor 103. The user can enter commands, run programs, and generally interact with the computer by way of a keyboard 104 and/or a mouse 105. Although not shown, a user may also enter commands verbally through a microphone or the like as is known in the art. While the present invention will be described with specific reference to a personal computer, the present invention may be applied in any intelligent device or processor hardware configuration which may. communicate with another such device over a network. Such digital devices may include and should not be limited to include only the following devices: mainframe computers, intelligent telephones, digital cable television terminals, satellite terminals, Internet terminals, wireless pagers and other digital devices having basic input output system and memory.
FIG. 2 shows a basic outline of the internal structure 200 of a typical personal computer. Here all of the internal and external parts of the computer are electronically connected to each other by way of a bus 205. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) 210 contains a microprocessor 211, or multiple microprocessors 211, 212 working in parallel, along with one or more math coprocessors 213 that perform the computations necessary for the computer to function. There is other logic 214 in the CPU that performs the control and computation operations necessary to move and manipulate information throughout the personal computer system.
Along with the CPU, the computer contains a display interface 215. This includes both the hardware necessary to physically interconnect a video monitor 103 to the computer and the software drivers necessary to allow the CPU and other computer parts to communicate with the monitor 103. The display area of the PC may contain its own memory to lessen the amount of time it takes to manipulate video data.
The program information and instructions are stored in memory 220. Here, the memory may contain Read Only Memory (ROM) 221 to which information cannot be rewritten after the memory is initially programmed. This type of memory is good for holding information that the computer uses early in its boot cycle, before any user interaction. Part of this ROM may be the BIOS memory 222 which contains the necessary programs to interface with the microprocessor 211 and other system components at a very low level. The BIOS contains identification information about different system components, and the BIOS has the ability to initialize the other parts of the computer to get them ready to be used by the person operating the computer. The memory may also contain a Random Access Memory (RAM) 223 to which information is written and rewritten depending upon the particular function that the computer is performing. This area is used by programs when they are operating but could also store the BIOS if programmed that way. Some other types of memory, including flash memory 224, can also be used to store the BIOS information. In this case the ROM might be a flash BIOS, that allows the BIOS to be rewritten, or flashed, by the use of a certain software program.
The actual programs and other information that are too large to be stored in memory 220 when not being used by the computer can be stored in one or more disk drives 225 that can be attached internally or externally to the bus 205 of the computer. Normally, one or more floppy disk drives 227, 228 are attached to the computer's bus 205. These drives allow portable storage of program information and can be a small 3�″ or 5�″ floppy disk, a large capacity removable memory element drive, or some other type of removable storage. Also, a larger capacity removable disk storage may be a Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CDROM) 229 or some type of rewriteable large capacity disk. Finally, a hard disk 226 can hold large amounts of information that can be accessed quickly by the other elements of the computer.
Also, computer 200 may contain some type of communication hardware and software 230 for passing information to and from other computers and digital hardware. For instance, a modem 231 may be connected either externally or internally to the computer for passing information. This modem may be a common modem that transfers data over common phone lines, or it may be connected to an optical fiber, a wireless medium, or some other type of communications channel.
The communications could also take place by way of a network card 232 connected to a wired or wireless network of other terminals, servers, and digital hardware. Here, the card 232 may allow communication to an Etherlink network or any other packetized or nonpacketized network through an almost endless variety of transmission media. Finally, the communications could take place by way of a simple serial or parallel port 233 that is directly connected to one or more other computers or digital hardware. The communications can take place in any way commonly known in the art. The present method is versatile as it can be used on one single machine or along a network of computers and other devices regardless of what transmission path is present.
Finally, the internal personal computer structure shown in FIG. 2 contains other hardware 235. This block represents the keyboard controller, mouse controller, and all other control and data manipulation elements present in the typical personal computer that are not especially relevant to the present device and method. A wide variety of other hardware and software elements may be present here and do not impact the invention in any significant way.
On its own, the above-described computer is a very powerful tool to be used by a person for cataloging and referencing large amounts of data, performing rudimentary and repetitive tasks, and for organizing information in many useful ways. However, additional advantages arise from linking multiple computers together, so that many users can share the processing power, data storage space, and programs associated with one central computer or server. FIG. 3 shows a representation of just such a network 300 where many computers or terminals 305 are connected to a server 306 by way of a wired or wireless local area network (LAN) transmission medium 308.
In the example network 300 of FIG. 3, the users can share the programs and storage space of the central server 306, while maintaining privacy of documents on their own machines 305. This interaction of many computers requires complex software that can manage the information being used by multiple users at once. Any such software existing on the server 306 to be run on the user computers 305 must be compatible with every computer on the network 300. A machine that is too old or slow might not be able to handle the newer, faster software and may end up bringing down the network server 306 when the older computer attempts to run the new software.
Practically speaking, it is not efficient to test each new piece of software on every machine 305 connected to the network 300 each time software is bought or upgraded. Hence, the types of computers 305 that exist on a network 300 must be identified and cataloged to make sure that any new software is operable on that machine 305. Keeping an accurate inventory of the computers 305 on a network 300 is also just good accounting practice as every business should know what property the company owns. Especially with small business, the accounting depreciation practices need to keep a close accounting of what computers are owned by the company. Finally, keeping an accurate inventory of the computers 305 that log into a network 300 can be used as part of a process to warn the network administrators when an 'outsider' has logged in. In today's world of industrial espionage and computer viruses, such security measures are important.
One embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, comprises a method for scanning the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) memory of a computer during the computer's network login process to determine the machine's manufacturer and model type. This information is embedded in the BIOS of a computer and can be interpreted using the method of the present invention.
When a user turns on their networked: personal computer 305, the computer communicates with the central computer or server 306 through a network card 232 or other means to set up a communications channel between the user and the other machines on the network 300. This process is known as "logging on" to the network 300. According to one aspect of the present invention, one of the communications made to the server 306 executes a software program based on the present method that scans the user computer's BIOS for identification information.
First, the program uses low level software interrupts to scan the BIOS identification system. FIG. 5 shows the address locations in the BIOS where the identification elements exist. The BIOS PC configuration data begins at memory address F000:E6FF, where the address is given in hexadecimal Segment:Offset notation as is commonly known in the art. The first word, for example, containing two bytes, of information at this address is a word representing the length of the configuration table. This element can be ignored in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
At a 02h offset from the start of the configuration table, there is a one byte model identification element followed by a one byte submodel element. These two bytes are hexadecimal codes used by manufacturers to distinguish between the BIOS used by different computers. FIG. 5 gives examples of values used by some manufacturers.
The next byte of information in the memory contains the BIOS revision number. This hexadecimal byte is usually set to 00h for the initial release of a particular BIOS Then, as subsequent versions of the specific BIOS are released, this number is incremented by one for each new BIOS version release.
The next byte of information after the BIOS revision number is the feature code byte. This element contains hexadecimally coded information of the various computer features that are supported by the given BIOS. For each feature that is supported, a certain binary bit is asserted to '1,' with 8 bits of information, or features, stored in the one byte element. The feature code bits represent the features found in the Table 1 below.
Bit #
Feature Description
DMA channel 3 used by hard disk BIOS
Second interrupt controller chip installed
Real-time clock installed
Keyboard intercept called by Int. 09h
Wait for external event supported
Extended BIOS data area allocated
PC bus is Micro Channel
So, for example, a BIOS supporting the Micro Channel PC bus might have a BIOS feature code byte of 02h, whereby bit 1 is asserted.
After the feature code byte, there are two consecutive word-long elements that are reserved for the BIOS manufacturer. These two words, or four bytes, of information can be used by the BIOS manufacturer in any way they see fit. It is to be observed that manufacturers can use these words to distinguish among similar BIOS versions.
Finally, the BIOS date string is scanned starting at memory address F 0000:FFF 5. Here, the BIOS date is encoded using ASCII representations of the date. Often, the date is rendered in mm/dd/yy format. Sometimes, however, a manufacturer will change this format and replace one or more of the date string characters with a substitute character or characters. FIG. 5, line 8 shows an example where the date is represented as 12/26*89. This asterisk character substitution might be used to delineate between two similar BIOS versions that were created on or near the same day.
As shown in the FIG. 4 flow chart, after scanning the BIOS PC configuration elements, the next step in one preferred embodiment of the present invention is to generate a character string based on the scanned identification elements. One way to create this string is to simply concatenate the scanned hexadecimal values together, delimiting each element with a positioning character such as a hyphen or dash. FIG. 6 shows examples of character strings that are generated when such a hyphen-delimited approach is taken in forming these character identification strings. FIG. 6 also shows the computer manufacturer and model types that are associated with some example identification strings.
FIG. 7 shows one example of a program used to scan the BIOS data area and generate the hyphen-delimited character string described in the above method. Here, the program is written in the 'C' programming language format. Several pointers are generated corresponding to the memory offsets of the identification elements, and these pointers are used to scan the BIOS PC configuration elements of the memory. Then, these scanned values are assembled into a character string at the end of the 'C' program. FIG. 7 merely shows one simple embodiment of the preferred method for illustrative purposes, but this method is not limited to such a program. The methods of FIG. 7 can be used by those skilled in the art in almost countless ways that are taught by this example.
According to the FIG. 4 embodiment, this identification string is then passed back to the central computer or server 306 that performs the inventorying, system administration, or bookkeeping functions associated with the computer network 300. Here, there is a data table with two columns of information as suggested in FIG. 6. The first column contains a list of all resolved computer identification character strings as generated by the software program in the above description. The second column contains the manufacturer name and model type of the computer that corresponds to each respective resolved BIOS character string. Because the character strings are unique to a specific kind of computer, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the strings and the manufacturer/model labels.
Lines 6-8 of FIG. 6 show one feature of the present invention. Here, three very similar identification strings represent BIOS's actually used in two wholly different computers. Lines 6 and 8 show two different BIOS versions used with the Compaq Deskpro 4000. By distinguishing between these two 'versions' of the same computer make and model, a piece of software that is known to only operate correctly on one specific BIOS version can be replaced before a computing error or network failure occurs. Previous methods of visually identifying the manufacturer from outside the computer chassis cannot distinguish such subtleties, possibly causing preventable errors.
FIG. 6, lines 6-7 show how similar the BIOS identification strings in two different computers can be. Here, the great extent to which the preferred embodiment of the present method scans the BIOS identification areas of memory enables the distinguishing between a Compaq Deskpro 4000 and a Toshiba Tecra 730 CDT. The detection of these slight BIOS variances could prevent a major computer problem before the problem arises.
The next step in the FIG. 4 method is to compare the scanned character string to those in the table of known strings, as shown in FIG. 6, to determine what type of computer was scanned. Here, the string is compared, character-by-character to the first known BIOS identification string to see if they match. If they match, the program returns the name of the computer manufacturer and model number to the user of the program. This value can then be used in an almost limitless number of further applications. Some of these other applications include 1) adding this information to a large database of current computers, 2) using the computer manufacturer's name in an inventory reference to see how many computers were purchased from this company, or 3) any other database or accounting process that could be useful in managing company resources.
If the scanned BIOS string and the first known string do not match, then the unknown string is compared to the second known BIOS identification string in the data table. Again, the strings are compared character-by-character to determine if they match. If a match is found, the computer manufacturer and model type is output to the user, but if no match is found, the indexing to the table continues to the next known BIOS identification String. This comparison continues until either a match is found or all of the known BIOS identification strings are found to not match the scanned BIOS string.
If the scanned BIOS string does not match any of the known strings, the program enters the unknown PC identification string as the final entry in the list of known BIOS identification strings. Then, the program can alert the server that an unknown value has been found. For instance, the program might display a message on the server console that an administrator needs to find what computer this string was scanned from, or the program may automatically dial the user or system administrator's telephone number and ask for a response to this inquiry.
Ultimately, the unknown computer is identified and the computer manufacturer and model type are obtained by inspection of the machine. These values are then entered into the data table on the server corresponding to the previously unknown data string. Hence, from that point on, the previously unknown BIOS string is now known. The next similar computer to log onto the network will be identifiable.
It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments of the device are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention which could be implemented by other types of structures which would be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. In addition, although the BIOS scanning method and device were described in accordance with use as part of the login process on a multiple-user computer network, this method and device can be used to correctly identify one solitary computer or identify the multiple users of a network in some way other than as part of the login process. Also, the output of the identification program may be used to automatically preselect software installation choices to decrease the amount of time it takes to perform a network-wide software upgrade.
The table of BIOS identification strings and computer manufacturers and model types could exist on the server of a network, on a disk on one solitary machine, as part of an Internet download service, or by any other means able to pass this information to the polled computer. Also, the present invention has been described with reference to scanning a personal computer, but the method and device can be expanded to include any digital hardware containing some form of memory including at least some identification information that can be compared to a set of known identification values. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is to be determined in accordance with the appended claims.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
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|Citing Patent
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|Publication date
|Nov 21, 2000
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|Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
|Method and apparatus for providing an automated login process
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|U.S. Classification
|713/1, 713/2
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Aug 23, 2006
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Aug 24, 2010
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Aug 25, 2014
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12


text: Small-town Albert ventures out into the world to become a hot-air-balloon captain. He kidnaps his best friend, wannabe pirate Egon, and the two find themselves involved in the robbery of the worlds biggest diamond. Will their friendship be strong enough to deal with the big time crook Rapallo and to reach their dreams?Check stock and price


text:
Integrated Dual Exercise and Lexiscan Positron Emission Tomography: IDEALPET (IDEALPET)
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Coronary Artery Disease
|Drug: Exercise plus Regadenoson (Lexercise) Drug: Regadenoson (Lexiscan)
|Phase 4
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
|Official Title:
|Integrated Dual Exercise and Lexiscan PET: IDEAL PET
- Safety and tolerability of combined exercise and regadenoson stress [ Time Frame: 1 hour ]
Safety and tolerability of combined standard Bruce exercise stress testing combined with regadenoson infusion will be studied.
- Side effects, ECG changes, blood pressure changes, will be recorded during Lexercise and compared to Lexiscan study.
- Safety blood work will be drawn after the Lexercise PET study.
- Radiation dose to the staff will be measured using personal dosimeters after the Lexiscan as well as the Lexercise PET study.
- Image Quality [ Time Frame: 1 hour ]
Image quality: The following parameters will be measured in the Lexiscan study and compared to the Lexercise study
- Motion artifacts
- Image registration
- Sub diaphragmatic activity (liver heart ratios)
- Defect contrast
- Signal to noise ratio and
- Dynamic image evaluability will be assessed
- Diagnostic Value [ Time Frame: 1 hour ]
- Defect size, severity, extent and contrast with Lexiscan alone will be compared to exercise Lexiscan protocol
- Left ventricular ejection fraction at rest and immediately post stress with Lexiscan alone will be compared to the Lexercise protocol.
- Myocardial blood flow estimates and coronary flow reserve will be compared between the Lexiscan alone and Lexercise protocols.
- Comparison to coronary angiography results when available.
|Study Start Date:
|February 2011
|Study Completion Date:
|June 6, 2017
|Primary Completion Date:
|June 6, 2017 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Active Comparator: Regadenoson (Lexiscan)
Regadenoson Rubidium-82 Positron Emission Tomography
Drug: Regadenoson (Lexiscan)
Regadenoson Rubidium-82 Positron Emission Tomography
Experimental: Exercise + Regadenoson (Lexiscan)
Exercise plus Regadenoson (Lexiscan) Rubidium-82 Positron Emission Tomography
Drug: Exercise plus Regadenoson (Lexercise)
Standard Bruce exercise stress test with regadenoson injection at maximal stress with Rubidium-82 Positron Emission Tomography
Detailed Description:
Regadenoson is stress agent approved by the FDA for use with myocardial perfusion imaging with technetium-99m single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients that are unable to exercise adequately. We would like to study Regadenoson in conjunction with Exercise Rubidium-82 positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (PET MPI). Regadenoson is not approved by FDA for use with Rubidium-82 PET MPI. Also, we would like to study a novel stress protocol of Regadenoson combined with symptom limited exercise stress (not FDA approved).
The objectives of this study are to assess the tolerability and safety of combined symptom limited exercise stress test with Lexiscan (Lexercise PET) compared to Lexiscan alone (Lexiscan PET), to assess image quality of Lexercise compared to Lexiscan PET and to compare relative and absolute myocardial perfusion imaging with Lexercise compared to Lexiscan PET to identify CAD.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 90 Years (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age > 18 years
- Clinically indicated N-13 ammonia PET study or ten healthy volunteers
- Known coronary artery disease (prior percutaneous coronary intervention, prior coronary artery bypass surgery or Q wave MI on ECG) or intermediate to high pretest likelihood of CAD
- Able to exercise on a treadmill
- Able and willing to provide informed consent to participate in the study
Exclusion Criteria:
- Contraindications to exercise stress testing such as, unstable angina, known severe left main coronary artery stenosis, severe heart failure, uncontrolled arrhythmias, symptomatic hypotension or severe hypertension (systolic blood pressure < 90 or > 200 mmHg, respectively), or > 1st degree atrioventricular block in the absence of a functioning pacemaker.
- Subject requires emergent cardiac medical intervention or catheterization after the clinical study.
- Documented myocardial infarction (MI) ≤ 30 days prior to enrollment.
- History of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) ≤ 4weeks prior to enrollment.
- History of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) ≤ 8 weeks prior to enrollment.
- History of heart transplantation.
- Allergy or intolerance to aminophylline or regadenoson
- Known severe or oxygen dependent bronchoconstrictive or bronchospastic lung disease [e.g., asthma, wheezing, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), etc.].
- Severe LV dysfunction, with ejection fraction of < 30%
- Serious non-cardiac medical illness (e.g., disseminated malignancy, severe neurological dysfunction at time of baseline PET study) or a social situation which will preclude research study participation
- History of Seizures.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01109992
|United States, Massachusetts
|Brigham and Womens' Hospital
|Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02421
|Principal Investigator:
|Sharmila Dorbala, MBBS
|Brigham and Women's Hospital
|Responsible Party:
|Sharmila Dorbala, MBBS, Director, Nuclear Cardiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01109992 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|April 16, 2010
|Last Updated:
|July 11, 2017
Keywords provided by Sharmila Dorbala, MBBS, Brigham and Women's Hospital:
coronary artery disease
positron emission tomography
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Coronary Artery Disease
Myocardial Ischemia
Coronary Disease
Heart Diseases
Cardiovascular Diseases
Arterial Occlusive Diseases
Vascular Diseases
Adenosine A2 Receptor Agonists
Purinergic P1 Receptor Agonists
Purinergic Agonists
Purinergic Agents
Neurotransmitter Agents
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Physiological Effects of Drugs
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


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Barca win, Mourinho loses home record
Jose Mourinho suffered his first home defeat as a coach since February 23, 2002 with FC Porto, when Real Madrid fell 1-0 to Sporting Gijon thanks to Miguel de las Cuevas' strike.
Cuevas, a former Atletico Madrid player, netted the only goal of the game in the 79th minute after he broke free on the edge of the area and fired in a right footed shot off the post.
The defeat means Madrid find themselves eight points adrift of Barcelona after the league leaders beat Villarreal, and is a blow to morale ahead of Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Tottenham.
Even the return of Gonzalo Higuain after more than four months out through injury could not help Madrid, who badly missed key players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso.
Mourinho, who conceded that eight points was ''practically impossible'' to overcome, said after the game: ''Our opponents defended, defended and defended. They had one chance and they scored one goal. I praised them because they fought a lot and they fought to try to have luck on their side. We had four, five, six chances to score and we couldn't. That's football and tomorrow's another day.
''We played without the team's most creative players. We lacked creativity. We had to try a different style, more direct with long balls in the air, and we had more opportunities.
''If I had wanted to draw the game 0-0 from the start I would have done so. But a draw was a bad result. Against Tottenham on Tuesday, it won't be. If we draw at home, it would not be a drama because we will have the return to play in London.''
Madrid defender Sergio Ramos added in AS: ''A large part of the league has gone away from us. There are very few points left. We can't reproach the team for anything. Unfortunately the ball did not go in today. It's very sad to lose with so many chances.''
Barcelona were made to work for their win, but they picked up a vital three points with a 1-0 victory at high-flying Villarreal.
Goalkeeper Victor Valdes was tested early on, making some crucial saves, and the Spanish champions were forced to bring Lionel Messi on from the bench after the break. They eventually made the breakthrough from a set-piece as Sergio Busquets' flick-on fell to Gerard Pique in the box and the Spanish defender calmly chested the ball down before hammering it into the net for his second goal of the season.
Villarreal almost snatched a point in the 85th minute, but Santi Cazorla's volley was somehow turned over the bar by Valdes from six yards out.
In the day's other game, Roberto Soldado scored all four goals as Valencia came from 1-0 down to claim an emphatic 4-2 victory at Getafe as they further continued their hunt for an automatic Champions League spot.
Manu gave Getafe a 13th-minute lead and there was little sign of what was to come before Soldado levelled just after half-time. It heralded a spell of four goals in 31 minutes and although Adrian Sardinero grabbed a late consolation, it was Soldado's night.
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Speaking to eWeek, the Entertainment and Devices boss stated: "It's a business that will be profitable next year. We'll make money next year and that will be the first time, which is pretty exciting."
Last week's results saw that despite Microsoft's record-breaking overall revenue of $14.4 billion for the quarter ending March 31st, the operating loss for the Entertainment and Devices Division reached $315 million.
However, this figure did represent a 22 per cent improvement over the same period the year before.
Bach added: "Right now we're doing a pretty good job. We're humming pretty well in the business. Game attach rate is the highest level in history for a game console at this stage in the life cycle. Xbox Live has over six million members. The pieces are in place to drive the proverbial billion dollars."
He then went on to comment on his rival's current market performance:
"I think Nintendo and Microsoft are clearly in the driver's seat on what's happening in this generation. Sony I think has some real challenges. They've got a pricing problem, they have a cost problem, they have a content problem, and they don't have an online service.
"Wii is a very nice product, but it actually has a relatively specific audience and a fairly specific appeal."


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It's a classic case of what's in a name -- and it's the "name" of the game in the $22 billion wine industry.Napa, Sonoma, Willamette Valley, Lodi -- all AVA, or appellations. There are 236 in the United States: federally designated "unique" viticulture regions. If you get one, you put it on your label, and the price on that bottle of Pinot Noir goes up by a couple of bucks.The newest "appellation" in the wine business is the Snake River Valley -- in Idaho!
"Memorial Day..."It was 36 years ago that I covered my first Memorial Day for television: the placing of the individual American flags on the graves of veterans in a National Cemetery in Colorado.
It's the way NASCAR began: dirt roads, fast cars and illegal booze.Running moonshine, 'corn liquor,' to outrun the law was the training ground for most of the early NASCAR drivers: the Richard Petty's, the Junior Johnson's.Now it's all come full circle. Junior Johnson is helping sell legal moonshine.
Chocolate cake. Macaroni and cheese. Crab cakes. Tomato sandwich. And they have in common?My stomach and mayonnaise. Duke's Mayonnaise. Mauldin, South Carolina is the home of Duke's Mayonnaise -- here in the South, it's not mayonnaise if it's not Duke's. It all started 90 years ago in the kitchen of Eugenia Duke in Greenville, South Carolina. Ninety years later, Duke's is one of the signature brands of C.F. Sauer, the spice and food company based in Richmond, Virginia.
You've heard of the coffee wars, but have you noticed the 'revolution' in tea?They have at Revolution Tea in Phoenix Arizona, a company at the nexus of marketing the exploding tea category.Coffee -- what with Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonalds and the like 'slurping' it out in the public markets -- has been the focus, but tea, both hot and cold, has gone through a similar metamorphosis.
It sits there in front of you: a plate filled to the overflow point with chili -- and under it, two cheeseburger patties, fried potatoes and one egg, over easy.What are you about to do?
Watch every level of football or baseball in the U.S. and there's a name you're seeing without likely knowing it: Schutt.One of the oldest facemask and helmet companies in America, they make football helmets, batting helmets for boys and girls and, early in the last century, they invented the facemask for football.They sell to trainers, teams, university and professional leagues -- and they give the product to their players. They've flown under the radar for years, but are making a push now for a little name recognition and a bigger share of the market.Interesting setting -- a small town in rural America -- for an All-American product, worn by All-Americans!!
It's been ten years since you've seen her on television, but now she's back. She plans on taking market share and kicking proverbial 'butt' in the category in which she's best known: syrup. Pancake syrup.
Eight seconds... a two-thousand-pound bull... a 150-pound human... and millions of dollars in a spectacular payoff -- what is it? The PBR, the Professional Bull Riders tour, one of the fastest growing spectator sports in the United States.It's growing so fast that it drew the attention of the Spire private equity firm of New York City, which, just a few weeks ago, bought a majority stake in this 15-year-old sports franchise. The unannounced majority buy-in is worth millions to the original 'stock' holders in the PBR. And that's where the American Dream meets a stadium full of dirt.
There you sit... goop on your head... wrapped in a hot towel and a young lady with electric -- yes, electric -- gloves is massaging your neck... Whoa, what is this?It's the Hair Club for Men salon/treatment center in West Palm Beach -- the last stop on this week's travels with 'Mike On America'.Hair Club is the leading revenue center for the Regis Corporation and is a 30 year old plus company founded on one truism -- men will lose their hair, no matter how many hats they wear. (Women too -- but until recently that was a whole different business.)Since its founder was not only the CEO... 'but a customer too' -- this is a company on a growth pattern (no pun intended) over the last few years in large measure thanks to its new 31 year old CEO and president.


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Snooki's Beauty Secret: Kitty Litter? [VIDEO]
"Jersey Shore." reality star Nicole "Snookie" Polizzi has revealed the secret to her baby soft beautifully smooth skin. It's kitty litter. Really!
"Snookie" recently told Conan O'Brien that the litter — which is clean — exfoliates her skin. She says she has not broken out in pimples since she began using the kitty litter on her face. You have to admit, she has beautiful skin! Would you try it, or not?


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Secret US drone base in Saudi Arabia revealed
The US Central Intelligence Agency has been operating a secret airbase for unmanned drones in Saudi Arabia for the past two years.
The facility was established to hunt for members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is based in Yemen.
The US media had known of its existence, but had not reported it until now.
The BBC's security correspondent Gordon Corera reports.
06 Feb 2013
- From the section Middle East


text:
UPN News & ArticleBy Christian
August 15, 2000 - 9:21 PM
- Several news sources quoted UPN President Dean Valentine, who said UPN would soon start talking with Chris-Craft on a possible new affiliation agreement. "We will be having conversations about our affiliation and hopefully they will be positive." UPN's current affiliation pact with the Chris-Craft stations will expire on the 15th of January, before the News Corp. deal closes, so Chris-Craft will have to decide on its own whether to renew the contract at least for the short term.
- Valentine also said, "No one wants to shut down a broadcast network. [We] will do everything possible to keep it alive." Commenting on what Viacom would decide, he said "Viacom is in the business of building assets rather than shutting them down. [...] They'll be talking over the next few weeks, [but] we're far from feeling the fat lady's sung. We don't think she's gotten onstage yet."
- Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. wouldn't say whether it would have the stations remain affiliated with UPN, if given the choice. However, Murdoch said that the company is assuming Viacom will take away or close UPN. Earlier, company president Peter Chermin said he didn't think News Corp. really cared one way or another about UPN's fate. Though many analysts speculated that News Corp. would want to replace UPN programming with its own sports and news programs as well as Fox TV reruns, Murdoch and Chernin both indicated no such plans have been made and the company has multiple ways to go.
Analysts are in fact in disagreement over who would be responsible for pulling the plug on UPN: News Corp. or Viacom's own Summer Redstone and Mel Karmazin. Karmazin has been threatening for a while to close UPN if it doesn't improve over its large yearly losses, and this would give him a good opportunity to fulfill these plans and make Wall Street happy by improving Viacom's cash flow.
- Analysts, meanwhile, are not very positive about UPN's future. Merril Lynch analist Jessica Reif Cohen was quoted as saying the "easiest answer would be to shut it down", though she also noted there are other options for Viacom. Lowell Paxson, chairman of the PAX TV network, said UPN and its $150 million losses would be too expensive to keep for Viacom. Programming consultant Bill Carroll of the Katz Television Group said the chances were 60-40 against UPN surviving this.
Ad buyer Robert Igiel predicted UPN would last another season as a business entity, but also said it was a loss "because they were beginning to regrow [and] build an identity." Other analysts also pointed to this, and said that it would be a shame to throw hundreds of millions of dollars of investments away, though that could happen. However, they also said that Viacom might want to keep UPN running as a programming outlet for Paramount, and pointed to the 20 Viacom-owned UPN affiliates that would be without programming if the network folded as a reason to keep the network alive.
- A bit more positive is also the news in the Wall Street Journal that UPN would actually be able to find new affiliates in the New York and Los Angeles markets, but these are all small stations, and would have a hard time attracting viewers to UPN. Also still a possibility would be an affiliation with stations owned by Barry Diller's USA Network group, though that would give Diller a bargaining position Viacom might not want to give up.
- Meanwhile, this same Barry Diller is called a "wild card" by some analysts, who noted that the News Corp./Chris-Craft deal lacked a breakup fee, and as a result could lead to a counterbid for Chris-Craft. Many analysts speculated this could come from Diller and his USA Network, who have always been looking for a stronger television station position, though of course Viacom itself could also still reenter the bidding.
- Looking at the stations itself, a Reuters article by Patricia Vowinkel is predicting that the News Corp. deal could lead to Viacom and News Corp. swapping some stations in order to benefit both companies as much as possible. The reason for this is that this swapping could lead to both stations having duopolies (two television stations in one market) in several cities, leading to much higher profits and also keeping the companies in compliance with FCC regulations prohibiting companies from owning stations in more than a certain percentage of the market.
- Michael Hinman at the Trek Nation has written an article on the UPN situation, looking back at the network's troubled past, including the network Paramount was planning to launch with 'Star Trek: Phase II' and the problems between Chris-Craft and Viacom.
- And ending on a positive note, a CNN article has analysts suggesting there is still a good chance for at least a short-term UPN survival, as advertising and other contracts have already been signed for the coming television season. Media analyst Edward Hatch said UPN has at least a 50-50 chance. "Things may move around. But so much of the programming has already been pre-sold for one or two years, that I don't know how much leeway News Corp. has to shut UPN down if they wanted to."
If worst comes to worst, market experts noted that UPN's hit shows, including 'Smackdown', 'Voyager' and 'Moesha', could also end up somewhere on the CBS schedule.
- More on this can be found in this article by the Wall Street Journal's Joe Flint (reprinted by permission at MSNBC), containing quotes from most of the people involved and a look at News Corp.'s benefits and problems with the deal, particularly concerning FCC regulations. Also interesting is this USA Today report, while the aforementioned CNN article contains a look at the personalities behind all this.
- Thanks go out to Jeff 'Koganuts' Koga, Heather Jarman, Michael Hinman and Jose Gonzalez for some of these items!
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Reviews - Park Avenue Baker Street3
173 Gloucester Place, London, NW1 6DX
Customer Reviews
Our reviews are from genuine LateRooms.com customers. We verify that the customer has stayed before leaving a review.
Very Good
93% would recommend it to a friend
Customer service
Food quality
Room quality
Pleasant stay
Very comfortable stay, bathroom was well equipped.
Park Avenue Baker Street
Clean, very modern but rather small scale rooms and staircase.
No lift. Good reception, friendly staff. I would definitely stay there again now that I have found its location.
Read More Less
Poor customer service. electrical problems
Had to stay in a room with no lighting till the next morning.
I understand electrical probs can happen but at the least offer an apology. Really rude.
Read More Less
Park Avenue Baker Street
Good room.
Great location!
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Park Avenue Baker Street
Perfectly adequate for my needs at the time.
Single room was furnished to a high standard. Some noise from adjoining rooms, but nothing too disturbing. Simple band b set up. No other hotel amenities other than room and breakfast/restaurant area.
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Park Avenue Baker Street
Lovely rooms, though a little on the small side.
Staff friendly and helpful. Would stay again.
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City break
Great hotel, friendly staff and close to the tube.
Room was very nice and super clean. Great stay.
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Super base for exploring London
This hotel is a right gem.
The reception staff were very friendly and professional. After booking in , the porter took us across the road to our room. He showed us everything and how it worked. The room was just what you want for a long weekend, for exploring London. My wife and I think that the rooms would be a tad small if you were to stay longer. As I said at the beginning, the staff were so helpful. When we got back to the hotel Saturday night after a night in the city, I went to reception to get more milk and teabags and they told me to go to our room and they would bring the stuff over, which they did. This was at 2 am in the morning. A very good place to stay.
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Nice stay in great location
The hotel is split across two sides of the street but that wasn't a problem.
The hotel is old converted Victorian houses which means lots of stairs. I stayed on the third floor, but a member of staff carried my bags for me so wasn't a problem. Would stay here again.
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Park Avenue Baker Street
small room but ok for one night and in-room amenities were fine.
Didnt like constant humming of aircon / heating with duct just outside the room.
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