text:
RNC doubling down in Tinseltown?
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Rob Portman changed his mind and many GOP leaders would just as soon change the subject. But socially conservative Republican National Committee members gathering in one of the most gay-friendly places in the country are pushing the party to redouble its opposition to gay marriage.
They may well succeed.
Story Continued Below
Republican National Committee members here for their spring meeting are set to vote Friday on a resolution reaffirming the party's official position that marriage should be solely between one man and one woman. It is expected to pass overwhelmingly.
( PHOTOS: 25 gay-rights milestones)
It would be an emphatic statement by evangelicals that they're still a force that must be reckoned with on the RNC's 168-member governing body — even as many establishment leaders would prefer to focus on party mechanics and avoid hot-button social issues.
The opposition to gay marriage was included in the platform that passed at last summer's national convention, but those pressing for a vote say it's a response to the so-called "autopsy" report released last month by a task force appointed by RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.
That report said some voters see this as "the civil rights issue of our time."
"For many younger voters, these [social] issues are a gateway into whether the party is a place they want to be," the report said. "If our party is not welcoming and inclusive, young people and increasingly other voters will continue to tune us out."
Iowa Republican committeeman Steve Scheffler, a prominent social conservative activist, told POLITICO he was "disgusted" that this language was included in the repot.
"There was no need to put it in there," he said. "I'm for being inclusive, and if people want to support our party based on our platform and our principles, that's fine and dandy. But … the perception that has become reality is that we are weakening on the position and that we're about ready to embrace so-called homosexual marriage. It's caused a whole bunch of fury in Iowa."
Scheffler warned that gay-rights activists are planning to infiltrate the 2016 Iowa caucuses to try changing his party's platform. He criticized former Mitt Romney consultant David Kochel, who has been advocating gay rights and recently declared that "the culture wars are kind of over." Scheffler also singled out former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman, who came out as gay after using the issue to the party's advantage in 2004, for coming to his state in January to argue the party should change its stand on gay marriage.
Texas Republican national committeeman Robin Armstrong said the party can't afford to turn its back on social issues, which matter greatly to the base.
"I'm a physician. I practice with homosexuals. They see my patients and take care of them and do a good job," he said. "I'm not in opposition to anybody. We're just in favor of protecting an institution that has existed for 6,000 years."
Armstrong, who is African-American, said he's campaigned in black churches and rallied support for the Republican cause over the issue.
"Our base has perceived that we're compromising, so it's important to make a statement that says, 'Listen, we have not gone anywhere on this issue. We stand with you,'" he said. "But at the same time we don't demonize other people."
Michigan committeeman Dave Agema, who has faced criticism for a Facebook post last month that highlighted dubious statistics about gays, sponsored the resolution. He reportedly compared being gay to being an alcoholic in a Wednesday radio interview.


text:
Obama notifies Congress on new round of Iraq airstrikes
The White House said Monday that its latest airstrikes in Iraq are "consistent" with prior military missions the White House has authorized to date in Iraq -- "to protect U.S. personnel and facilities and to address the humanitarian situation on the ground."
In his latest War Powers Resolution sent to Congress, President Barack Obama said he had authorized U.S. Armed Forces to conduct targeted airstrikes in support of an operation to deliver humanitarian assistance to the town of Amirli, where thousands of Shia Turkomen have been cut off from receiving food, water, and medical supplies for two months by the Islamic State.
The U.S. Air Force delivered aid to the town, alongside aircraft from Australia, France and the United Kingdom, which also dropped supplies.
The operation to support the enclave of Amirli, represents a major expansion of U.S. military involvement in the Iraqi crisis that began when the militants overran much of northern and central Iraq in early June.
These White House said the operations are "limited in their nature, duration, and scope" and are being undertaken in coordination with and at the request of Iraq's government.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
if my local education authority in my country ask for enrolling into or using accredited homeschool program, are there really such thing as accredited homeschool program ?
How can i explain to them i can choose my own learning resources and no need to concern or bothering about accredited ?
Thanks for help.
accredited homeschool program
Find or post information on the legal aspects of homeschooling in your state.
Moderators: Theodore, elliemaejune
3 posts • Page 1 of 1
- elliemaejune
- User
- Posts: 693
- Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:37 pm
- Location: The Fireswamp
3 posts • Page 1 of 1
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


text:
TURNBERRY, Scotland (AP) – Tom Watson unveiled a plaque to commemorate his famous Duel in the Sun with Jack Nicklaus 35 years ago upon his return Wednesday to Turnberry on the eve of the Senior British Open.
In 1977, Watson hit a 7-iron approach within 2 feet of the 18th hole in beating Nicklaus in a head-to-head battle to seal the second of his five British Open titles. The weather was remarkably similar 35 years later for the ceremony on the right side of the final fairway.
"This is a very special place for me,'' Watson said. "Obviously, the premier of many of my memories is the Duel in the Sun, when I just edged out the greatest player who ever played the game. I believed in myself after that.
"Unveiling the plaque is very special. I remember hitting the shot, which meant so much to me and so many other people.''
Watson is a three-time winner of the British Senior Open, notably at Turnberry in 2003, and heads a stellar field this week that includes seven former champions, 33 major winners with 85 titles between them and nine former Ryder Cup captains.
Watson will tee off Thursday alongside another former British Open champion at Turnberry, Greg Norman and Roger Chapman of England, who has won the first two senior majors on the Champions Tour this year.
"It's a huge privilege for me playing alongside Tom Watson,'' Chapman said. "I played alongside him in the pro-am yesterday, and I have to say it was a pleasure to play with an absolute gentleman. Tom was a hero of mine, in fact I named my second son after him.
"Playing with Tom and Greg on a championship course is nothing short of spectacular.''
Returning to action after a long-term shoulder injury, Norman is also pleased to be back at Turnberry.
"My win here in `86 is definitely one of the highlights of my career, and being made an honorary member of Turnberry tonight will be very special,'' Norman said.
Making his Senior British Open debut is another former major winner Fred Couples, who plays the first two rounds alongside fellow American Mark Calcavecchia, Open champion at Royal Troon in 1989, and England's Barry Lane, twice a winner on the European Senior Tour last year when finishing second in the money list to Peter Fowler of Australia.
"Turnberry is a beautiful place and I can't wait to get started in my first British Senior Open tomorrow,'' Couples said. "I feel like I will be one of the guys up there this week, but you have to play really good golf. You can't screw around and miss shots or you'll be bogeying a lot of holes.''
Calcavecchia, who finished in a share of ninth in the British Open at Royal Lytham last weekend, was also happy to be back.
"It's a beautiful course, a great course,'' he said. "I played pretty well in the two Opens I played here in `94 and 2009, so I've been looking forward to this for quite a while.''
Other American major winners in the field include 2010 Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin, Tom Lehman, Larry Mize, Tim Kite and Craig Stadler as well as Bernhard Langer, a prolific winner of titles around the world.
Throw into the mix British former major winners Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam and Tony Jacklin, and Turnberry should provide plenty of exciting play in the next four days.


text:
Can Your CMS Handle Success? A Practical Guide to Selecting a CMS
To be successful today, an organization must keep up with web-savvy digital natives who switch seamlessly between devices, channels, as well as their work and home personas. The objectives of cost efficiency and innovation might appear to be at odds, but the right choice of CMS can mean that your organization can have its cake and eat it too. This eBook provides some insights and recommendations into how to select a CMS that meets your needs.
Sponsored by Acquia


text:
September 09, 2004
As Bruce Willison's tenure as dean winds down, he wanted to leave a lasting legacy and ensure UCLA Anderson's status as one of the premiere business schools in the nation. To do this, he and his wife, Gretchen, established the Bruce G. Willison Student and Faculty Endowment with a gift of $250,000.
"Strong faculty are the key to attracting the best applicant pool of students. Faculty research and practical expertise elevate the school's reputation, thereby ensuring the most qualified pool of candidates," Willison says. "However, without fellowship dollars to support renowned faculty and top students, we will lose both to our competitor business schools."
In response to Willison's pacesetting gift, the Campaign Anderson Committee is initiating a $1 million campaign to support the Bruce G. Willison Student and Faculty Endowment. The endowment will provide fellowship funds for faculty research, student recruitment and tuition assistance.
Willison's leadership has been a source of great value to UCLA Anderson. His background as a business executive helped the school operate within declining budgets; and this cost discipline created funds to pay back debt as well as position the enterprise for growth. In addition, his efforts with employers, alumni, and students have contributed measurably toward improving the school's national and international rankings.
The Bruce G. Willison Student and Faculty Endowment is a perfect way to cap off these accomplishments and honor Dean Willison's legacy. With significant gifts from the Board of Visitors and others, the campaign has raised over $700,000 towards its million dollar goal. If you wish to contribute to this special fellowship, please visit https://giving.ucla.edu/Anderson/ or contact Tim Kawahara at 310-206-6798.


text:
Next Episode of My Classic Car with Dennis Gage is
Host Dennis Gage upholds his "honor the timeless classics'' catchphrase in this series, as he travels across North America to visit prestigious auto shows and events, spotlighting everything from muscle cars to museum pieces on My Classic Car with Dennis Gage.
Dennis Gage(Host)
Looks like something went completely wrong!
But don't worry - it can happen to the best of us,
- and it just happened to you.
Please try again later or contact us.


text:
Welcome to the Biology Department at John Carroll University.
Throughout the curriculum, our faculty emphasize the importance of evolution in biological phenomena, the role of the environment in biological interactions, and ethical behavior in scientific endeavors.
Undergraduate students can choose from majors in Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Environmental Science to prepare for graduate and professional school, a wide range of careers, and civic and social involvement. Students learn through not only their classes, but also hands-on research and internship experiences.
For students interested in post-graduate education, the department offers Master of Science and Master of Arts degrees in Biology.


text:
A pro-business petition
A petition proposing interim zoning measures to cap big-box stores at 50,000-square-feet in Middlebury has one primary purpose: to maintain the intent of the current town plan and zoning statutes. Doing nothing leaves the town open to costly lawsuits by applicants who could easily fight the nebulous wording in the town's current  plan.    In Middlebury, the issue centers on the clear intent within the town plan to limit any large-scale development that would cause "undue adverse economic impact on the downtown." The town fathers' intent, clearly, was to put into place measures that would maintain the vibrancy and vitality of the downtown retail district, and promote the growth of locally-owned, independent businesses throughout the community.     But the measure leaves the door ajar for interpretation. How, for example, can it be determined that a big-box store would have an adverse economic impact? History would show that Wal-Marts have devastated thousands of small downtown retail districts throughout the nation. On the other hand, a theoretical economic argument can be made suggesting that big-box stores draw commerce to communities that then benefits surrounding stores. Like economic arguments that call for tax cuts to boost the national economy and the rich, which will eventually trickle down to the poor, such arguments are difficult to prove wrong until history determines that, indeed, the poor got poorer while the rich got richer. But, even then, there are those who deny such evidence.     Leaving the town vulnerable to such circular economic arguments is not in the community's best interest.The petition, which was signed by 1,100 people -- most of whom are from the greater Middlebury area -- urges the selectboard to adopt the interim measure until tighter language can be drafted into the upcoming town plan update due this summer. It is important to understand that the petition does not change the intent of current zoning. On the contrary, allowing a big-box store to locate in Middlebury under current language would clearly violate the intent of past zoning measures and the clear intent of previous selectboards.    One must wonder, therefore, why any town board would resist an interim measure whose intent is to invigorate language that is already in the town plan. This is particularly true when the measure is an effort to avoid the type of costly lawsuits that often result from language that is less than specific.     Selectboard chairman John Tenny is right to recently suggest (see story Page 1) that there is no immediate "crisis" that needs to be met. But that is precisely the point of the interim measure: to avoid a crisis, not wait for one to develop and then have to face the costly litigation -- and community upheaval -- that might entail. Enacting the interim measure is exactly the type of pro-active thinking that keeps communities strong, vibrant and united in spirit and purpose. Or would the selectboard prefer to wait until a big-box store files a permit and, consequently, drag the community into conflict?  ********** Are there legitimate reasons for the 50,000-square-foot cap? Plenty. The most frequently heard recount the historical facts of downtowns that have been ravaged by Wal-Mart's predatory practices: 84 percent of its customers come from area businesses; when Wal-Mart comes to town it typically creates 140 jobs, but an average of 230 jobs are lost; studies show wages decline and poverty increases after a Wal-Mart has entered the market; and the scale of big box stores is often overwhelming, including the typical Wal-Mart supercenter which averages 150,000-square-feet -- about a third of what is currently downtown. Detrimental change usually follows: downtowns become less vibrant, commercial property in the area is devalued. That's not speculation, that's fact based on what has happened over the past 30 years.  But there are other reasons, not so frequently discussed, that apply more specifically to Middlebury. Consider how even the threat of a big-box store moving into the Middlebury area can stifle the will of others to develop here. If a potential entrepreneur had an inclination to start an independently-owned department store in town, does one think it likely if Wal-Mart loomed on the horizon? Or if an existing paint store, hardware store, or five-and-dime had an inkling to expand into other markets, would they willingly invest a bundle if they thought a big box store would soon move in and challenge that investment?  On the other hand, if the town's zoning language positively established a level playing field within the community -- where no single business was allowed to dominate others by an overwhelming scale -- then other entrepreneurs would more likely be willing to invest with confidence. Allowing big-box stores into a community like Middlebury, Bristol, Brandon or Vergennes is, in itself, anti-business. Firming up the town's existing language would encourage more independently owned businesses to invest here; it is, in short, pro-business.     Another important reason to place a cap on the size of retail stores is that other big-box stores come after one gets established. Home Depot likes to piggyback next door to Wal-Mart; Best Buys are also a frequent neighbor; and if the location is big enough, another gas station, fast food places, a drive-in bank, and car wash will be there if at all possible -- leaving vacant the current sites they occupy. (These are not usually new businesses, but relocations of existing businesses often moving away from the town center.)If any Middlebury resident or selectboard member doubts that Wal-Mart alone would hurt the downtown's economic vitality, there is no question that a host of big-box stores on the edge of town would seriously harm the downtown.     The interim measure, which will be presented at the selectboard's meeting Tuesday night, would allow the community an opportunity to consider such questions without being in the throes of a crisis. It would avoid pitting one group against another because there is no urgent battle to wage -- just thoughtful consideration of how town residents would like the community to grow. For all these reasons, the interim measure should garner the selectboard's enthusiastic support.


text:
Guardian Analytics
We offer industry-leading behavioral analytics solutions for preventing fraud, information and IP loss, and identity theft. Hundreds of companies use FraudMAP to detect unauthorized access to customer portals, internal employee systems, payment systems, and online and mobile banking. Expand online services, protect sensitive information, and improve compliance by monitoring portal behavior for unauthorized access.


text:
Events Calendar
This Week in Penang
Sports & Activities
Social Dancing – Salsa, Tango, Kizomba
A Day at the Races: Penang Turf Club
Social Workouts
Penang Water Sports
Where to go Swimming in Penang
Family-Friendly Adventure Activities
Calming the Mind, Invigorating the Body: Tai Chi, Qi Gong and Yoga
Eating in the Jungle
Best for Brunch
Eating and Drinking in the Sky
Eating on the Beach
To Do & To Visit
The Habitat, Penang Hill
The Penang War Museum
George Town Walkabout Tours, Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
A Tale of Three Temples – The Temples of Pulau Tikus
Markets – Pop Up, Flea, Night and Organic
The Temple of Fine Arts
Entopia, formerly Penang Butterfly Farm
George Town Night Trail
Francis Light Cemetery Tour, Sunday of the Last Weekend of the Month
Massage, Meditation and Floating in Penang
Live Music Venues in Penang
Penang House of Music
The Best Art Galleries in Penang
Visit the Farms of Balik Pulau
The Birds, the Bees and the Orangutans!
History of Penang Catholicism, the Catholic Diocese Museum
Open Mic and Jamming Nights – a 2019 Update!
Folklore by the Sea, Our Clan Jetties – Now Closed
Evening of Lights at Khoo Kong Si
Submit An Event
Select Page
remains penang
Jan 25, 2016


text:
Geoengineering the Planet to Solve Global Warming: Conceivable but Controversial
Perhaps the most surprising and, depending on your point of view, either hopeful or terrifying session at the Techonomy conference this morning dealt with the concept of reflecting sunlight away from the earth's surface to reduce global warming. While this sounds like a hard engineering problem, the participants on the panel are convinced that the technology is relatively easy, but the political issues are hard.
The panel was moderated by Rolling Stone's Jeff Goodell, and featured David Keith of Harvard University and Andrew Parker of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, who have both written recent reports on the topic.
Keith said the technology involved is "frighteningly easy," although he thinks there are still more issues to be studied. If we want to cut the rate of global warming by half in 2020, we'd just need two or three military aircrafts, putting 20,000 tons of sulfur in the upper atmosphere every year (much less than is polluted every year), and add more every year to offset the carbon being added.
In 2030, the amount of carbon in the air will go up, so we'd need about 10 aircraft, and this would cost about $100 to $150 million. "This is a horrifying tiny number," he said, noting that $270 billion was spent on clean tech last year.
This approach isn't perfect and may create its own issues, but it's easy to do. In the long run, he said, the only way to have a stable situation is to stop emitting carbon. But, if we want to reduce the near-term climate risks from global warming to people who will be impacted by global warming, this is the only thing you can do, Keith said.
He doesn't think we're ready to do this now, but pretty close. Nature does similar things, such as through volcanic explosions that occasionally produce tens of millions of tons of sulfur in a single year.
Parker said this is a new idea that is only being discussed in a few circles in developed societies. Still, it is more likely that some Pacific islands or African countries will push for this, as they'll feel the results of global warming more intensely.
What worries him are the "terrifying possibilities" of this, especially the geopolitical impacts. What would happen if China and the African Union did this, and then the monsoon failed in India? he asked.
We don't have models of how this might happen, he said, though both noted that there is a treaty banning weather change for warfare.
There is little room for private companies in this, both panelists greed. Keith said we need "bottoms-up" entrepreneurship to create alternatives to emitting carbon, but the legal and liability issues make this a public issue, and he pushed for a very public, transparent process of discussing the issues around it.
We have not even begun drafting any international treaty that would deal with doing this for climate change, Keith said. Parker agreed there weren't any laws but said there are some UN agreements dealing with geo-engineering not impacting biodiversity.
This is ultimately an ethical question, Keith said, and Parker noted that some people think that any intentional change in the atmosphere is unethical. Goodell said we are already interfering with the atmosphere, and Parker wondered about the ethics of not mitigating the damages that people pay because of global warming.
While people in the audience might think the U.S. would lead this, so far, they said European nations are investing more in investigating this.
This idea is an old idea, Keith said; it was in a report President Johnson received on climate change in 1965. Still, he said we lack the institutions to do the research and explore the governance of these technologies. The panel talked about a group set up by the Royal Academy in Britain to start the conversation, but said governments weren't talking about it enough.
If one country begins to do this in a good way, Keith said, other countries will probably decry the actions but might privately like it. Parker is more worried about what would happen if different countries wanted the global thermostat at different levels. Countries like Russia and Canada would want it warmer than tropical nations might, for instance.
Goodell said when he first heard the idea, he thought it was crazy, but now he is convinced that it could happen. The economic impacts are huge, and said he could see companies like big coal might want this to happen so people could continue to mine and use coal and not worry about the emissions.
Keith's biggest fear about implementing this idea is that it diminishes the incentive for doing other things to control emissions.
I found this whole discussion very enlightening, though I'm still both skeptical and a bit frightened by the concept.


text:
We believe in a scientific guidance in the form of advisors. We are inviting members with senior positions and experience to be part of our advisory committee. Advisory members will be part of programme designing and sessions building. Any suggestions from our advisory members in conducting meetings in a better manner will be given utmost importance. Advisory members attending conferences are acknowledged and recognized in the conference programme and also on the official conference website. Interested members will be honored as chair; co-chair and also keynote could be provided.
For further details, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Welcome to DjangoCon
DjangoCon 2008 opened this morning with a keynote speech on the Google App Engine given by Python creator, Guido van Rossum. Google has leveraged bits of Django directly and indirectly in their App Engine service and appears to be furthering that trend now that the Django project has hit 1.0.
Guido gave an overview of the App Engine architecture, how this differs from running a pure Django environment and how these parts apply to Google internal architecture. He also talked about a method to use large parts of Django 1.0 within your App Engine applications.
Subjects also touched upon:
- Additional language implementations: Guido indicated that, yes, additional language implementations are being actively worked on but that the most difficult barrier to getting these deployed is their hardening against exploit and security issues. He also indicated that you could probably guess what the next languages would be by looking at the popular web languages in use today.
- Timelines: There are no time lines for new App Engine features—the team is a big proponent of Agile development practices.
- Upcoming features: That being said, there are a number of new features in the pipeline:
- Additional languages
- Batch processing (background processes that need more than 10 seconds to run—App Engine stipulates that all requests must not last longer than 10 seconds.) These would run at a lower priority and would almost definitely be a service that would incur charges on a CPU-time basis.
- APIs for uploading and downloading large files—think video. It wasn't stated explicitly, but its sane to guess that Google will probably be providing video processing APIs similar to their image processing APIs.
- Templating language is currently stuck at the version shipped with Django 0.96—using the templates from the 1.0 version of Django is possible but more complex. Unfortunately, Google can't switch out templates completely, as it would break too many existing applications. A new version of the API will be eventually released that will allow developers to decide which they want to use.
- Finally, Guido touched on a 3rd-party called Google App Engine Django Helpers that allow you to use many parts
of 1.0—request and response objects, forms and validation, templating,
and a bit more.


text:
Caboolture Family History Research Group Inc. (CFHRG)
- Caboolture Historical Village, 280 Beerburrum road, Caboolture Qld 4510 (PO Box 837, Caboolture Qld 4510)
- 07 5428 2018
Library Charges
- $10 daily if not a member
Research Costs
- $15 per hour (by researcher)
Open Hours
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9.30am to 2.30pm (Not open Public Holidays)
Approximate Membership
- 75
Membership Cost
- 12 molnths membership: $40 single, $50 dual from same household, $15 Junior, plus $10 initial joining fee
- "Hindsight" Journal produced quarterly as part of membership
- "Monthly Newsletter" to members
- CFHRG was formed over 30 years ago and we still have members 1 and 2. Friendly guidance and help are always on hand from our wonderful volunteers.
- In late 2010 we moved to the Caboolture Historical Village where we interact with the school and coach tours that visit by supplying help, displays and Family History starter packs made up especially for children.
- CFHRG has lots of Local, Australian and International Resources in its Library in excess of 3000 books, 800 + Cemetery records; Shipping; BMD's; Obits; Local Newspapers, Magazines from other clubs and commercial, A large micro-fiche collection, micro-films and CD's. Our Library continues to grow with our commitment to assisting you in your research.
- We are lucky enough to have four new dedicated computers for researching via the internet. We currently have access to Ancestry, and will have access to Find My Past in 2013.
- Publications for sale include various cemetery and newspaper cd's, books and charts. A new website will be up andc running in 2013.
- All visitors and prospective members are welcome to visit our rooms and find out what a friendly, crazy lot we at CFHRG are. A visitor's pass at entry to Caboolture Village is all that is needed to visit our building. No entry fee applicable.
- Monthly meetings occur on the second Saturday of each month, commencing at 1pm in our rooms.
- Guest speakers, information days and workshops are held throughout the year.
- For more details, please contact CFHRG.
Currently offering one hour of assisted FREE Research to new visitors to CFHRG rooms to help prospective members understand what needs to be done to trace their family history
- Location:


text: /* crypto/mem_clr.c -*- mode:C; c-file-style: "eay" -*- */ /* Written by Geoff Thorpe (email@example.com) for the OpenSSL * project 2002. */ /* ==================================================================== * Copyright (c) 2001 The OpenSSL Project. All rights reserved. * * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions * are met: * * 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright * notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer. * * 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright * notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in * the documentation and/or other materials provided with the * distribution. * * 3. All advertising materials mentioning features or use of this * software must display the following acknowledgment: * "This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project * for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit. (http://www.openssl.org/)" * * 4. The names "OpenSSL Toolkit" and "OpenSSL Project" must not be used to * endorse or promote products derived from this software without * prior written permission. For written permission, please contact * firstname.lastname@example.com. * * 5. Products derived from this software may not be called "OpenSSL" * nor may "OpenSSL" appear in their names without prior written * permission of the OpenSSL Project. * * 6. Redistributions of any form whatsoever must retain the following * acknowledgment: * "This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project * for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit (http://www.openssl.org/)" * * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE OpenSSL PROJECT ``AS IS'' AND ANY * EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE * IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR * PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE OpenSSL PROJECT OR * ITS CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, * SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT * NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; * LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) * HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, * STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) * ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED * OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. * ==================================================================== * * This product includes cryptographic software written by Eric Young * (firstname.lastname@example.com). This product includes software written by Tim * Hudson (email@example.com). * */ #include <string.h> #include <openssl/crypto.h> unsigned char cleanse_ctr = 0; void OPENSSL_cleanse(void *ptr, size_t len) { unsigned char *p = ptr; size_t loop = len; while(loop--) { *(p++) = cleanse_ctr; cleanse_ctr += (17 + (unsigned char)((int)p & 0xF)); } if(memchr(ptr, cleanse_ctr, len)) cleanse_ctr += 63; }


text:
OGDEN — An elusive man photographed earlier this month in a fur-covered goat suit crawling on his hands and knees close to wild goats near Ben Lomond Peak has been unmasked.
The individual, who has been dubbed "Goat Man" by the media and has drawn comparisons to the legendary Big Foot creature, is apparently a 57-year-old hunter from Southern California, Phil Douglass, conservation outreach manager for the Division of Wildlife Resources, told the Standard-Examiner on Monday.
On the advice of a friend from Utah, the man phoned Douglass and provided information Monday that substantiates he was the person in the goat suit photographed by Coty Creighton on July 15.
"He gave me details that convinced me it was him," said Douglass, who did not ask the man's name. "I'm satisfied that this was a person preparing for a hunt and did it with knowledge and experience."
Creighton said Monday he enjoyed the suspense that surrounded Goat Man's identity.
"I thought I wanted answers, but I was naive. I should have left well enough alone. Now I just want the mystery back," he said in an email to the Standard-Examiner.
The man said he traveled to the Ben Lomond Peak area to test out a goat suit in preparation for an archery hunt of mountain goats in Canada in 2013, Douglass said.
"He found out about Utah and that it was fairly easy to get close to the goats to (train) to get a clean harvest shot with archery equipment," Douglass said.
The man told Douglass he has hunted in several foreign countries, including Mongolia.
The man said the goat costume was made out of a hooded painter's suit, the kind that is readily available for purchase in home repair stores. He outfitted the suit with Polarfleece to give it the appearance of fur and wore a hat backward, pulling the brim down to his chin to look like a billy goat's beard, Douglass said.
The man mentioned that there are small groups of hunters who also wear goat suits to get close to herds.
"Hunters do some amazingly creative things to be successful," Douglass said.
The man said he had no idea that he was being watched or photographed. He told Douglass that he shot video of himself near the goat herd, frequently had to adjust the hood of his costume and had to take breaks from crawling on all fours.
The man's activities have drawn international media attention, and Douglass has been interviewed by news outlets in Chicago, New York, Phoenix and Toronto.
Douglass said from the outset that his main concern was the possibility of injury — by the goats themselves or by hunters — inflicted on someone hanging out with a herd of wild goats.
"I was concerned that this person understood the risks and that someone else might see it (in the media) and try it," he said. "I didn't want someone who did not know the risks to try it and get hurt."


text:
How to get a Game Started
Basically, in the discussion thread is where you put the game ideas. Make sure you have a short description, a name, and whether it will be a closed or open setup (more on this later). Once you start gathering interest, OOTD (or whoever) puts you on the "Games to Start" - if you want to start it soon you go in the numbered slots, if it's an idea for "whenever and you don't know when" you just get put on the list. Once you are first in the queue you make a thread for your game with official signups. Then, when a suitable amount of current games have ended your game can start, just so we don't have roughly a bajillion games going on at once.
How to Make a Game
First off, decide whether your game is a closed or open setup.
Closed Setup
The players do not know the roles beforehand. The role list is "closed" to them. This can allow you, though you don't necessarily have to, to have everyone have a cool role. If you were to have everyone as a cool role in an open setup, it would be easy for a Mass Roleclaim to occur and it changes it from a game of skill into a game of numbers, and that is not cool.
Open Setup
The players know the roles and numbers before the game begins. For this to work, a large majority of the players have to be vanilla roles, to prevent Mass Roleclaim.
Semi-Open Setup
There are several variations on this. In OOTD's Surprise Game, he gave an enormous list of roles, for the players to pick. In Sungura's Wascally Wabbits, clues were given to the roles, but not numbers. In Mega's Vanilla Game, the roles were given, but not numbers. Finally, in several games, such as this one, several options for the setup have been given. The mod will have to use their own discretion as to the roles.
Now that you've chosen which of these it shall be, it will be easier to make your game balanced.
The amount of players truly depends on the mod and the setup. However, in our community here at xkcd, some things have become apparent. Try not to have more than, say, 30 players - it gets bulky and annoying. Conversely, don't run the game if you have less than 7 players, unless it is Assassins in the Palace. Optimum is about 20-25, depending on the game. After you've gauged interest, but before you make proper signups, you should make the roles. The actual game shouldn't deviate too much from the interest gauged.
Roles and Balance and Stuff
A good rule of thumb for a game with one Mafia family and a couple of pro-town roles is 1/4 of the population. Bear in mind this page, and try to keep the percentage change of a town win closer to about 30-35%, because it gets easier for town to win, generally, especially as power roles are added. It's probably a bad idea to have both a doctor and a cop in your game.
Of course, as you add power roles to a side, you need to increase the power of the other side to compensate. Try adding Millers or Godfathers if the town is too powerful. You may want to introduce more factions if the scum are too powerful, as an increase in factions actually hurts the Mafia, logistically.
Assign roles randomly, unless you tell the players that you are not. It's still a good idea to assign the roles randomly, though.
Once you've worked out the roles, it is a good idea for you to create the role PMs before they go out. Your role PM should include the following:
1) Role Name
2) Role Description
3) Alignment
4) Flavour Text (Optional, but it makes it more fun)
5) Win Conditions
That way, when it comes time for you to send them out, it's ready.
You should also have a look at potential combinations of abilities. Do you know what would happen if a paranoid cop investigates a godfather? What about if a Witch Doctor uses their power on a Witch Doctor? Decide what will happen.
Then the game is ready to start. You may want to have made some default flavour text, though, for lynchings and new days.
Your role now is manifold. You must keep track of votes during the day. At night, you have to make sure everyone's abilities work. Please PM your players so that they know you have received their PM. It makes it a lot easier for them. You also may have to work out what inventions do.
Potential Problems
No matter how amazing your game is, some people will get bored. You will want to replace them. Put a notice in the Discussion Thread for a replacement. If you game has gone on for an extremely long time, or you don't want to replace them, modkill without prejudice.
Furthermore, some people might forget about the game. The same applies - PM them once to kick them into gear, if that doesn't work, modkill them.
If night drags on, PM once, if they don't respond, they lose their action.
If people start losing interest, don't be afraid to put a deadline on the day.
Some more random stuff
1) Don't lie to the players unless you have expressly made it clear you might. It's still probably a bad idea.
2) Please be clear in PMs and in the thread. The last thing you want is an inundation of rule clarification PMs.
3) If a Doctor protects someone, don't tell everyone who they've protected. Just no. As a matter of fact:
Excerpt from Mafiawiki wrote:When posting Death Scenes or the results of Night Choices, the Game Moderator should always be keep in mind whether or not the information being given out is reasonably available (or should be available) by any other method already. If not, consider strongly the impact on the game of revealing information about players who are still alive.
Even information such as who was saved from death or prevented from acting overnight can offer much more information than expected to either the ProTown or Scum factions. When more than one player dies during the Night, it can be easier to reveal their information for an interesting narrative; for example, a Vigilante who kills a member of the Mafia just before being shot themselves.
4) Try and put control more into the hands of the players than outside forces. The last thing we want is a repeat of the ALICE incident.
Many thanks to Amy, CF, Gojoe and OOTD for their help.
Don't hesitate to tell me to add or change stuff. This is just general stuff for people who want to mod but haven't yet.


text:
So I've split up with my Mrs, sold our house, I'm fed up with being a slave to concrete and the monotony of work so I'm thinking of quitting my job and going on a round the world kite surfing trip.
Has anyone else done this? If so where are the must kite places that I should go to?
I guess Western Australia (I'll get a 12 month working visa), Cape Town and Brazil are a must.
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


text:
Operating system having external media layer, workflow layer, internal media layer, and knowledge base for routing media events between transactions
A customer-interaction network operating system for managing interactions in a multimedia communication center has an external media layer for managing media contact between customers and the communication center, a workflow layer for processing customer interactions and routing events to enterprise agents and knowledge workers; and an internal media layer for managing media contact with the agents and knowledge workers. The workflow layer captures each transaction, prepares a text version of at least a portion of each non-text transaction, and extracts knowledge from the text transaction or text version of a non-text transaction to be stored in a knowledge base for later use in routing and other management functions. All transactions, text versions, and extracted knowledge is related in storage for future analysis and use.
Latest Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. Patents:
The present invention is in the field of telecommunication encompassing all existing sorts of interaction multimedia technology, and pertains more particularly to methods and apparatus for providing a seamless customer/agent interaction network based on existing enterprise rules.
In the field of telephony communication, there have been many improvements in technology over the years that have contributed to more efficient use of telephone communication within hosted call-center environments. Most of these improvements involve integrating the telephones and switching systems in such call centers with computer hardware and software adapted for, among other things, better routing of telephone calls, faster delivery of telephone calls and associated information, and improved service with regard to client satisfaction. Such computer-enhanced telephony is known in the art as computer-telephony integration (CTI).
Generally speaking, CTI implementations of various design and purpose are implemented both within individual call-centers and, in some cases, at the telephone network level. For example, processors running CTI software applications may be linked to telephone switches, service control points (SCPs), and network entry points within a public or private telephone network. At the call-center level, CTI-enhanced processors, data servers, transaction servers, and the like, are linked to telephone switches and, in some cases, to similar CTI hardware at the network level, often by a dedicated digital link. CTI processors and other hardware within a call-center is commonly referred to as customer premises equipment (CPE). It is the CTI processor and application software is such centers that provides computer enhancement to a call center.
In a CTI-enhanced call center, telephones at agent stations are connected to a central telephony switching apparatus, such as an automatic call distributor (ACD) switch or a private branch exchange (PBX). The agent stations may also be equipped with computer terminals such as personal computer/video display unit's (PCNVDU's) so that agents manning such stations may have access to stored data as well as being linked to incoming callers by telephone equipment. Such stations may be interconnected through the PCNVDUs by a local area network (LAN). One or more data or transaction servers may also be connected to the LAN that interconnects agent stations. The LAN is, in turn, typically connected to the CTI processor, which is connected to the call switching apparatus of the call center.
When a call arrives at a call center, whether or not the call has been pre-processed at an SCP, typically at least the telephone number of the calling line is made available to the receiving switch at the call center by the network provider. This service is available by most networks as caller-ID information in one of several formats such as Automatic Number Identification (ANI). Typically the number called is also available through a service such as Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS). If the call center is computer-enhanced (CTI), the phone number of the calling party may be used as a key to access additional information from a customer information system (CIS) database at a server on the network that connects the agent workstations. In this manner information pertinent to a call may be provided to an agent, often as a screen pop on the agent's PCNVDU.
In recent years, advances in computer technology, telephony equipment, and infrastructure have provided many opportunities for improving telephone service in publicly-switched and private telephone intelligent networks. Similarly, development of a separate information and data network known as the Internet, together with advances in computer hardware and software have led to a new multimedia telephone system known in the art by several names. In this new systemology, telephone calls are simulated by multimedia computer equipment, and data, such as audio data, is transmitted over data networks as data packets. In this system the broad term used to describe such computer-simulated telephony is Data Network Telephony (DNT).
For purposes of nomenclature and definition, the inventors wish to distinguish clearly between what might be called conventional telephony, which is the telephone service enjoyed by nearly all citizens through local telephone a companies and several long-distance telephone network providers, and what has been described herein as computer-simulated telephony or data-network telephony. The conventional systems are referred to herein as Connection-Oriented Switched-Telephony (COST) systems, CTI enhanced or not.
The computer-simulated, or DNT systems are familiar to those who use and understand computers and data-network systems. Perhaps the best example of DNT is telephone service provided over the Internet, which will be referred to herein as Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT), by far the most extensive, but still a subset of DNT.
Both systems use signals transmitted over network links. In fact, connection to data networks for DNT such as IPNT is typically accomplished over local telephone lines, used to reach points in the network such as an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The definitive difference is that COST telephony may be considered to be connection-oriented telephony. In the COST system, calls are placed and connected by a specific dedicated path, and the connection path is maintained over the time of the call. Bandwidth is basically assured. Other calls and data do not share a connected channel path in a COST system. A DNT system, on the other hand, is not dedicated or connection-oriented. That is, data, including audio data, is prepared, sent, and received as data packets over a data-network. The data packets share network links, and may travel by varied and variable paths.
Recent improvements to available technologies associated with the transmission and reception of data packets during real-time DNT communication have enabled companies to successfully add DNT, principally IPNT, capabilities to existing CTI call centers. Such improvements, as described herein and known-to the inventor, include methods for guaranteeing available bandwidth or quality of service (QOS) for a transaction, improved mechanisms for organizing, coding, compressing, and carrying data more efficiently using less bandwidth, and methods and apparatus for intelligently replacing lost data via using voice supplementation methods and enhanced buffering capabilities.
In addition to Internet protocol (IPNT) calls, a DNT center may also share other forms of media with customers accessing the system through their computers. E-mails, Video mails, fax, file share, file transfer, video calls, and so forth are some of the other forms of media which may be used. This capability of handling varied media leads to the term multimedia communications center. A multimedia communications center may be a combination CTI and DNT center, or may be a DNT center capable of receiving COST calls and converting them to a digital DNT format. The term communication center will replace the term call center hereinafter in this specification when referring to multi-media capabilities.
In typical communication centers, DNT is accomplished by Internet connection and IPNT calls. For this reason, IPNT and the Internet will be used in examples to follow. IT should be understood, however, that this usage is exemplary, and not limiting.
In systems known to the inventors, incoming IPNT calls are processed and routed within an IPNT-capable communication center in much the same way as COST calls are routed in a CTI-enhanced call-center, using similar or identical routing rules, waiting queues, and so on, aside from the fact that there are two separate networks involved. Communication centers having both CTI and IPNT capability utilize LAN-connected agent-stations with each station having a telephony-switch-connected headset or phone, and a PC connected, in most cases via LAN, to the network carrying the IPNT calls. Therefore, in most cases, IPNT calls are routed to the agent's PC while conventional telephony calls are routed to the agent's conventional telephone or headset. Typically separate lines and equipment must be implemented for each type of call weather COST or IPNT.
Due in part to added costs associated with additional equipment, lines, and data ports that are needed to add IPNT capability to a CTI-enhanced call-center, companies are currently experimenting with various forms of integration between the older COST system and the newer IPNT system. For example, by enhancing data servers, interactive voice response units (IVR's), agent-connecting networks, and so on, with the capability of conforming to Internet protocol, call data arriving from either network may be integrated requiring less equipment and lines to facilitate processing, storage, and transfer of data.
With many new communication products supporting various media types available to businesses and customers, a communication center must add significant application software to accommodate the diversity. For example, e-mail programs have differing parameters than do IP applications. IP applications are different regarding protocol than COST calls, and so on. Separate routing systems and/or software components are needed for routing e-mails, IP calls, COST calls, file sharing, etc. Agents must then be trained in the use of a variety of applications supporting the different types of media.
Keeping contact histories, reporting statistics, creating routing rules and the like becomes more complex as newer types of media are added to communication center capability. Additional hardware implementations such as servers, processors, etc. are generally required to aid full multimedia communication and reporting. Therefore, it is desirable that interactions of all multimedia sorts be analyzed, recorded, and routed according to enterprise (business) rules in a manner that provides seamless integration between media types and application types, thereby allowing agents to respond intelligently and efficiently to customer queries and problems.
What is clearly needed for managing a modern multimedia communication center is a Customer/Enterprise Interaction-Network Operating-System that provides a complete set of seamless customer interaction services that support virtually any planned application and media type. Such a system would improve overall efficiency of a communication center and improve customer satisfaction.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention an operating system for managing transactions between transaction partners, including customers, business partners, agents, and knowledge workers, in a multimedia communication center is provided, comprising an external media layer for managing media contact between the customers and business partners and the communication center; a workflow layer for processing transactions and routing media events between the transaction partners; an internal media layer for managing media contact with the agents and knowledge workers; and a knowledge base for storing extracted knowledge from transactions and relationships between transactions. The workflow layer captures each transaction as a multimedia file, prepares and stores a text version of at least a portion of the transaction, associates the text version with the transaction, mines the text versions for knowledge, which is stored in the knowledge base, and uses the extracted knowledge at least for routing media events between transaction partners. Recorded transactions are threaded chronologically.
In another aspect of the invention a multimedia communication center hosted by an enterprise, the center for managing transactions between transaction partners is provided, comprising a CTI-enhanced, connection-oriented switched-telephony (COST) call switching apparatus connected to an incoming trunk line and to telephones at internal agent stations; at least one data network telephony (DNT)-capable router connected by a data link to a wide area network available to the customers of the enterprise, and by internal local-area network (LAN) to personal computers having video display units (PCNVDUs) at the internal agent stations, the DNT-capable router also adapted to receive and send digital multimedia documents; and a managing server hosting an interaction operating system. The interaction operating system comprises an external media layer for managing media contact between the customers and business partners and the communication center; a workflow layer for processing transactions and routing media events between the transaction partners; an internal media layer for managing media contact with the agents and knowledge workers; and a knowledge base for storing extracted knowledge from transactions and relationships between transactions. The workflow layer captures each transaction as a multimedia file, prepares and stores a text version of at least a portion of the transaction, associates the text version with the transaction, mines the text versions for knowledge, which is stored in the knowledge base, and uses the extracted knowledge at least for routing media events between transaction partners. Again, recorded transactions and associated data are threaded chronologically.
In yet another aspect a method is provided for managing interactions between transaction partners of an enterprise at a multimedia transaction center, comprising steps of (a) identifying customer contacts by customer and media type; (b) recording all transactions as they occur; (c) extracting knowledge from each transaction and storing the extracted knowledge in a knowledge base; and (d) using the extracted knowledge in routing and managing transactions. In this method, in step (b), recorded transactions may be threaded chronologically. Also, in step (c) knowledge may be extracted from non-text transactions by preparing a text version of at least a portion of the transaction recorded in step (b) and employing a data-mining application to extract data from the text version.
The unique operating system builds an ever-expanding and more useful knowledge base that continues to refine and improve interactions with customers and business partners.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a multimedia communications center enhanced with a network operating system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating basic layers of a customer interaction operating system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating basic steps performed by the network operating system of FIG. 2 related to completing interactive transactions between business partners.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating agent-desktop function according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a multimedia communications center enhanced with a network operating system according to an embodiment of the present invention. A telephony-network architecture 11 comprises an enterprise-hosted communication center 17 that is linked to, in this example, both a publicly-switched telephone network (PSTN) 13, and a wide area network (WAN) 15, which may be the public Internet or other digital network, such as a company Intranet.
In this particular embodiment communication center 17 handles both conventional telephone calls, which may be categorized as connection oriented switched telephony (COST) calls, and data network telephony (DNT) calls, which may be DNT calls over a private digital network or calls according to a protocol such as the well-known Internet protocol. DNT calls are characterized in that data is transmitted as addressed data packets as opposed to dedicated connections in COST calls. As indicated, PSTN 13 may be a private rather than a public network. WAN 15 may be a company Intranet, the Internet, or another type of WAN known in the art. The particular method of call delivery and call center integration is not particularly relevant for the purposes of this invention. There are many ways known both to the inventor as well as known in the art. Particular issues discussed in the disclosure between the telephones and the computers might be implemented differently depending on the actual system, but shall be deemed equivalent for all purposes of this invention.
Incoming COST calls arrive at a network-level telephony switching apparatus 19 in network cloud 13 and are connected over trunk 23 to a central telephony switching apparatus 27 within communication center 17. From switching apparatus 27, calls are routed according to existing routing rules over internal wiring 56 to agents' telephones 47, 49, 51, and 53 residing at agents' workstations 31, 33, 35, and 37 respectively.
Incoming DNT calls, and other communication events such as email, file transfers and the like, arrive at a routing node 21 in WAN 15 and are passed on over digital connection 25 to a routing server 29 within communication center 17. Once calls arrive at server 29, they may, in some embodiments, be routed directly over LAN 55 according to existing routing rules to personal computer/video display units (PCVDU) such as PCNVDU 39, 41, 43, or 45 located at agent's workstations 31, 33, 35, and 37 respectively.
In this embodiment, switch-connected telephones 47-53 are also connected to PCNVDU's 39-45 via a headset to computer sound-card according to technique known to the inventor and accomplished via an I/O cable. Thus connected, agents may respond to incoming COST and DNT calls with the same headset.
In the exemplary system and communication center shown, the equipment and applications are adapted to provide for multimedia operation at each of the agent stations, so the agents can interact with clients in many different ways, as are known in the multimedia arts.
Computer telephony integration (CTI) enhancement is, in this embodiment, provided both at communication center 17 and in PSTN 13. For example, in PSTN 13, a processor 61 running instances of a CTI application known as a T-server (TS) to the inventors, and a statistics server (Stat) is connected to telephony switch 19 via CTI link 65. An intelligent peripheral 59 of the form of an interactive voice response unit (IVR) is connected to processor 61 via data connection 63. Similar CTI equipment is illustrated within communication center 17. Namely, a processor 67 running instances of TS and Stat and connected to telephony switch 27 via CTI link 71, and an IVR 69 connected to processor 67 via a data connection 73, with processor 67 further connected to a local area network (LAN) 55 within communication center 17.
In alternative embodiments there may also be a CTI processor 22 in WAN 15 connected to server 21 by a CTI link 24. Also in some embodiments a separate data network 66 connects these CTI processors. In this way, intelligent routing may be performed at the network level with negotiation and direction from within communication center 17.
It will be appreciated by those with skill in the art that the CTI enhancements, as immediately described above, may be hosted on one processor at PSTN 13 and on one processor at communication center 17 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The inventor has chosen to show separate processors having separate functions for exemplary purposes only. It will also be appreciated by the skilled artisan that there may be many more or fewer than the four agent stations shown in communications center 17, and hardware and software arrangements may be made in a variety of ways. Also, home agents might be connected in a variety of ways to the call center.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a customer-interaction network operating system, hereinafter termed (CINOS), is provided for the purpose of managing communications center 17, and optimizing and recording all agent/customer interactions received at communication center 17 from networks 13 and 15. CINOS is unique in the fact that it is a multi-tiered object-and process-orientated system wherein logic regarding the various aspects of it's functionality is achieved via knowledge-based architecture and object modeling. Various functions of CINOS, more fully described below, include capturing (recording), analyzing, routing, and, in many instances, responding via automated process to customers engaged in interactions with the enterprise (company hosting the communication center). CINOS is adapted to support all planned communication mediums such as multimedia DNT applications including e-mail, video mail, file transfers, chat sessions, IP calls, and CTI COST transactions such as voice calls, voice mails, faxes, and so on.
Referring back to FIG. 1, CINOS utilizes various LAN-connected machines in order to perform various operations. Among these various hardware implementations are a multimedia server (MIS) 79 adapted to physically store and serve all multimedia transactions, and a customer-information-system server (CIS) 57 adapted to physically store and serve information relevant to customers such as purchase history, financial status, product preferences, contact information, etc. A central server (COS) 77 acts as a host location for a CINOS manager application (noted in text balloon) which is, in effect, the parent application that controls all of the operation and functionality of the system.
In addition to the above-mentioned machines hosting CINOS routines, each PCNVDU such as PCNVDU 39, for example, has a CINOS-agent desktop interface or client application (not shown) adapted to interact with the parent application. Also, each machine that provides particular dedicated function to communication center 17 such as switch-connected CTI processors, IVR'S, and other related equipment host instances of CINOS application-program interfaces (API's) to enable seamless integration of differing parameters and/or protocols that are used with various planned application and media types utilized within communication center 17. Such programs may also co-reside or be in any combination or hosted by themselves. Additionally, for performance purposes, additional dedicated network links may exist between those servers, but essentially they are only performance boosters, and hence for clarity purposes, only a simple network is shown.
As previously described, CINOS comprises a multi-tiered architecture. This unique architecture comprises an external media layer for interfacing with the customer or business contact, a workflow layer for making routing decisions, organizing automated responses, recording transactions, and so on, and an internal media layer for interfacing and presenting interactions to an agent or knowledge worker. An innovative concept associated with CINOS involves the use of tooled process models, knowledge bases, and other object models as base instruction for it's various functions. These modular conventions may be inter-bound with each other, and are easily editable providing a customizable framework that may conform to virtually any existing business logic.
In simple operation, and after any network level routing, COST calls and DNT calls including other media events arrive at communication center 17 to telephony switch 27, and routing server 29 respectively. Network level routing, as defined herein, includes any intelligent implementation that may be in place and aided via processors 59, 61, and 22. Load balancing to multiple communication centers, and transferring customer data obtained at network-level over data-network connection 66 would be examples of such network-level routing.
Once a call or other communication event registers at either switch 27 or routing server 29, CINOS immediately identifies the media type associated with the call and begins it's processes depending on enterprise rules. For example, a live COST call may first be routed to IVR 69 whereby the customer can be presented with varying choices such as leaving a voice message, waiting in queue, receiving a call back, or perhaps an e-mail, and so on. Interaction by IVR 69, in this instance, will preferably be via voice recognition technique such as is known in the art, but may also be via touch tone response or other known method. As previously described, the caller may elect from a number of options, such as to hold for a next available agent, select an automated response such as a fax back, or perhaps a later agent-initiated response such as an e-mail or call back. In all cases, CINOS seamlessly processes and executes the logic required to accomplish the goal of the caller in a media and application-independent fashion.
DNT events are handled much the same way as described above for live callers. For example, an IP call may be routed to a digital equivalent of an IVR for interaction or queued for a next available agent, and so on. In one embodiment, IVR 69 may be adapted to handle both COST and DNT interaction.
All interactions with live external media, including actual text-based events whether live or not, are recorded and stored in MIS 79 with an associated text version of the media stored as well, and becoming part of an overall threaded contact history. This is accomplished in varying ways according to existing parameters such as media type, whether the event is a live call, and so on. For example, CINOS may execute a command directing IVR 69 to digitally record an incoming COST call during customer interaction and then store the voice recording of the transaction in MIS 79. A text version of the recording either created simultaneously from the voice recording via voice-to-text techniques (known in the art), or created by a live attendant via manual annotation may be sent to and stored in DB 79. An IPNT call arriving at routing server 29 may be similarly recorded and stored in MIS 79 with an associated text version of the interaction stored in DB 79. E-mails, video calls, voice mails and so on are similarly handled. For example, an incoming e-mail is stored in MIS server 79 while text from the e-mail may be extracted and stored associated with the e-mail.
The purpose of the text version of the event is twofold. Firstly, a complete text-based transaction history of communication center 17 may be compiled and reserved for later access and audit. Secondly, an agent or knowledge worker may, in some instances, see the text version of the event at the same time that he receives routed notification of the event. In this way, an agent may begin mental preparation before taking a call. The text version of an event must be machine-readable and human readable at times displayed. Interactive media-independent viewers, part of the agent's client application, may be used to disseminate information which may initially not be human readable.
It is important to note here that the text-based version of an event may or may not be a complete and verbatim rendition of an actual media event. For example, an e-mail may contain many documents each having many pages of text. Therefore, the text-based version of a particular e-mail event may simply contain the name and particulars regarding the author, a purchase order, and a list of the enclosed documents by title, and basic content or memo as well as a possible manual annotation. The attachments to the e-mail may be stored separately, and be also cross-indexed and retrievable. Seeing the purchase order when the event is routed to an agent desktop tells the agent that this e-mail is important.
A fax, stored originally as a bit-mapped document, may be converted to text in the system via optical recognition (OCR) technique wherein sometimes only certain content such as the authors contact information, basic intent of the fax, and perhaps special numbers or codes contained in the original fax are recorded in a text version 79, sometimes the whole text is OCR'd, while the original fax is stored in it's entirety in DB 79. Such codes or numbers that are specifically parsed from actual media may be part of a unique coding system set up by the enterprise whereby customers are directed to include such codes or numbers with their orders, service requests, and so on.
Parsing text messages is accomplished via a text-analyzer known to the inventor. In other non-text media types, such as video or graphics, descriptive notes may be taken via live attendant and stored in DB 79 as previously mentioned. Voice recognition technology may also be used in a case of recorded sound or video with sound. All transactions regardless of media type are thus recorded and stored according to enterprise rules with at least a meaningful part of the content if not all of the content of such transactions converted to text and stored in DB 79 associated with the recording of the event. Again, the importance of the text version is that the extracted knowledge of the transaction therein is in machine-operable code, allowing search and cross-referencing functions that may otherwise not be possible.
After incoming events are analyzed and processed with regards to queuing, recording, storing, etc. CINOS decides the disposition paths of each event. For example, live calls in queue are routed to live agents if available, if this is the priority action in the enterprise rules. E-mails are either routed to next available agents using a push technology, or simply stored in MIS server 79 where they may be retrieved by agents after receiving notification. Recorded events such as IVR voice requests are stored in MIS server 79 where they may be retrieved by agents, and so on.
By the use of routing and routing notification events, any media may be routed to an appropriate agent based on skill, or any other rule-based routing method over LAN 55. Actual multimedia events may be accessed from MIS server 79 at the agent's discretion, or by rule, and text-based versions of those events stored in DB 79 may be mirrored and routed to the agent along with notification of the incoming event.
Other services may be performed by CINOS such as responding to media requests without agent participation via initiating automated fax responses, out-bound dialing campaigns wherein recorded information is given to a customer perhaps concerning an order placed by the customer, and so on. Networking via business or chat applications between several business partners, customers, agents, and so on, is possible wherein each entry may be stored in DB 79 as part of a discussion thread including responses of another media type, perhaps initiated by a communication-center agent to one of the participants during the discussion.
As a general rule, fall multimedia storage is done in a mass storage server, and linked by cross-indexing to the database. Depending on the business model, full text or only partial annotation is stored in the database, or a mix therof, e.g by media type.
In addition to supporting a wide variety of applications and protocol, CINOS is provided with the tools for building media-independent self-help wizards that are adapted for problem solving and reduction. Similarly, external and internal interaction media viewers are provided and adapted to support any media of choice.
CINOS uses object modeling and linking techniques that are known in the art to effect much of it's goal of presenting a seamless customer interaction with an enterprise agent or knowledge worker operating in a communication center such as center 17. For example, an interaction object model (IOM) represents a transcript of all interaction history stored in DB 79 and provides an audit trail of the state of transactions of all interactions. An interaction process model (IPM) controls how events are handled within the operating system.
An additional set of models handle how agents receive their routed media such as via traditional push model, blended push model, publish and subscribe model, or interrupt model. Prioritizing interaction events may also be accomplished through varying the push theme or scheme. For example, traditional push technology for e-mail means that only e-mail (media type) is being worked on by an agent. By blending the push model with a publish and subscribe model, the interrupt model is created wherein the agent may subscribe to various routed media such as answering phones, and responding to faxes, but may be interrupted for an important interaction of another media type such as e-mail and so on. In this way an agent's time may be utilized according to enterprise rules within an automated environment.
Outbound campaigns may be configured according to enterprise rules and media preference using a single rule-set knowledge-base. This single set of outbound tools can be used to initiate customer dialog via predictive dialing, e-mail push, automated recorded messages, and so on.
It will be apparent to those with skill in the art that common object modeling (COM) can be used to create virtually any type of model for any type of enterprise situation. It is the intention of the inventor to provide the applicable control codes known in the art for building process and object models and enabling the linking and interaction between the models. As previously described, it is partly the fact that CINOS uses these various models and knowledge bases to achieve desired interaction that sets it above current-art systems. The inventor knows of no such network interfacing operating system that is based on the above described technology.
CINOS may be implemented in a number of different topologies. For example, CINOS may be implemented as a centralized topology with one communication center as shown here in FIG. 1, a distributed topology wherein a single communication center may span multiple physical locations, a segmented communication center wherein a single pool of agents services more than one company or customer base, or a wide communication network wherein a plurality of communication centers such as center 17 cooperatively service a common pool of customers or a customer base. Enterprises involved in commerce such as large financial institutions hosting many geographically separate communication centers may build their entire networking system using CINOS architecture in standardized and distributed fashion. There is no limitation to the type of enterprise that may use CINOS as it may be tooled to accommodate virtually any network architecture linked to a communication center having DNT capability.
It will also be apparent to one with skill in the art that CINOS routines according to various embodiments of the present invention may be included and implemented at the network level without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention such as in processor 61, and IVR 59 in PSTN 13, or in routing node 21 in WAN 11.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating basic layers of the network operating system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As previously described with reference to FIG. 1, CINOS comprises three basic operating layers. They are an external media layer 83, a workflow layer 85, and an internal media layer 87. External media layer 83 interfaces directly with the customers or business contacts or partners as illustrated via customers a and b, and business contact c. The bidirectional arrows beneath each of the above mentioned participants illustrate interactive participation with CINOS on the customer side.
External media layer 83 may, in one embodiment, be a multifaceted, web-based self-help interface providing news information and a host of other services that may be personalized by the customer. In many respects, external media layer 83 in this embodiment is similar to a web browser.
Workflow layer 85 comprises 3 basic function categories beginning with a content analysis category 89 wherein textual analysis, voice analysis, IVR interaction, recording and storing takes place. A next category is context resolution 91. Context resolution involves customer identification, business process binding, preparation for routing, and so on. A third category termed interaction routing 93 comprises various processes associated with the presentation of the interaction to agents, service persons, knowledge workers, business partners, customers and the like, that is, all transaction partners. Category 93 covers queuing, skill-based routing, automated treatment, workflow models, and so on.
Internal media layer 87 comprises an agent desktop interface not shown in FIG. 1, but described in more detail below. Both external layer 83 and internal layer 87 contain the required tools for enabling media and application-independent interfacing such as previously mentioned self-help wizards, media viewers, and other controls as prescribed via enterprise rules.
Internal media layer 87 provides an agent with, among other options, information about the customer or contact, information about current or historical business processes, information about current interactions and their relationship to business processes, and a knowledge-base to guide the agent or knowledge worker with interaction response and workflow. An agent a, and agent b, and a knowledge worker c are shown herein interacting with the system as illustrated via bi-directional arrows. The skilled artisan will recognize these are merely examples, and there may be many more such persons, and interactions in some instances may be routed to machines for response.
It will be apparent to one with skill in the art that the multi-tiered architecture of CINOS such as is illustrated herein may comprise many more or differing steps or processes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating basic steps performed by the interaction operating system of FIG. 2 related to completing a transaction between a customer and an agent, wherein the transaction is initiated by the customer. Similar steps may be accomplished in the opposite direction for communications initiated by an agent, as the system is bi-directional, but the present example will serve to teach the inventive aspects of the system. In step 95, an incoming transaction, such as a live call, an e-mail, etc., is received at the appropriate CTI switch (COST) or routing server (DNT) in a CINOS communication center such as center 17. In step 97, customer and media type are identified and interaction proceeds.
All transactions, whether live calls, such as video calls, DNT calls, COST calls, e-mails and other text-based documents, real time media like chat relay, as well as chat relay, multimedia forms such as voice mail and video mail, and other future and present real-time media, are recorded and stored in one or more mass storage devices handled by one or more database applications. This may be taken as server 79 of FIG. 1, although the diagram of FIG. 1 is exemplary.
A principle object of the invention is to extract maximum information from every transaction for building a knowledge base that can be used for dynamic management and future analysis and development. This is done primarily by data mining, which is applicable to machine-operable code, that is typically text. Because of the nature of the extraction, there is a difference in the way live calls and interactions that are other than live calls, which we may term store-and-forward media, is handled.
Discrimination as to the text nature of the media is made at step 99. If the media chosen by the customer is already text-based, then the transaction is recorded as received (101), and a data mining application extracts important information in step 103 and stores it in the knowledge base. In some cases distinct portions and versions of the transaction, such as the originally recorded version and any extracted data are related to one another and to other knowledge previously stored, and become part of a threaded interaction history associated with an ongoing interaction and ultimately of an overall contact history. In others only the annotations, or only the full text are used.
if the media chosen by the customer is determined in step 99 to be a real-time interaction request such as a COST or IPNT call, then the existing knowledge base is accessed at step 107, and the call is routed to the best fit. This may, of course, be done in a number of ways, such as an ACD, skill-based routing as known to the inventors, transfer to an IVR for automatic processing, and so on, as may be dictated by enterprise rules. If routing is to an agent, customer information may be retrieved from CIS server 57 (FIG. 1) and sent to the agent's PC, and appropriate scripts may be provided to guide an agent in interacting with the caller.
In step 109 the actual transaction is recorded as it takes place, which, in the case of live calls, may be a video or an audio recording or a combination of both. Preferably the recording is digitized.
In step 111 , a maximal text version is prepared from the actual transaction. The ability to do so depends to a degree on the sophistication of the system. This process may be as simple as a person adding notes for annotation or as sophisticated as a voice-to-text application preparing a full text version as the transaction transpires.
In step 113 the text version is mined for data and resulting knowledge is stored in the appropriate knowledge base for future use, and added to overall record with appropriate cross-referencing.
It will be apparent to one with skill in the art that there will be many routines comprising various steps for performing different processes as may be determined by enterprise rules which may likewise vary depending on, among other considerations, company type, product and or service type, communication center architecture, whether or not the system architecture is centralized or distributed, and so on. The embodiment taught herein is meant only as a basic example of process functionality related to CINOS processing of an incoming event.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating agent-desktop function according to an embodiment of the present invention. An agent-desktop client 115, part of the CINOS overall architecture, enables an agent or knowledge worker to configure and control his or her interface to the rest of the system and to external media. Client 115 may be personalized according to a particular agents parameters. A desktop interface 117 may appear and function much like a personalized web-browser containing many similar attributes related to network capabilities including full multimedia function, software tool kits, linking and embedding capability, and so on.
An HTML client application 119 oversees all of the network capability previously mentioned. In this embodiment for example, HTML client 119 communicates with an Internet information server 121 using HTTP protocol which is standard. Client 119, if provided minimally, may be used in conjunction with an Internet browser for full multimedia function. In some embodiments, it may be maximally provided to be a fully featured client with full web browser function. For example, an agent may create and edit web forms, web pages, embed controls into such web-based forms or pages to provide certain customer interaction mechanisms in addition to having a fully functional navigation tool at his disposal.
In another embodiment, Server 121 may be a server on a private network or corporate WAN instead of an Internet server. In a preferred embodiment, however, any number of servers on the Internet and/or linked to a WAN other than the Internet may communicate with client 119 as it intended to support all existing and known communication protocols.
A windows client 123 is provided to seamlessly integrate existing applications on the agent's PC to network applications and processes. This may be implemented via a desktop tool-kit 125 that contains all of the required controls for building, integrating and customizing the interface.
A business-logic layer comprises business object models 129, hereinafter termed business objects 129, representing contacts, interactions, knowledge-bases, events, routing processes, and other system routines. Integration and interaction of the various described desktop components with these logic layers is accomplished via common object modeling (COM) which is known in the art and available to the inventor. Desktop to CTI integration is accomplished via controls provided or created with a CTI set of tools or tool kit (not shown). For example, if the enterprise desires to blend voice and e-mail, the CTI tool kit would be used to build and integrate the interface.
Existing network applications such as CIS, enterprise resource planning (ERP), Commerce, and the like interact with various business objects using COM and may also interact with a physical database using ODBC and SQL.
It will be apparent to one with skill in the art that CINOS may be implemented in a single communication center, or in a plurality of communication centers linked via WAN without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It will also be apparent to one with skill in the art that rules may be created which govern access to CINOS without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, customers may be required to subscribe to CINOS, and may also be provided with a customer application enabling such access. In another embodiment, access may be given to the general public according to established security rules governing commerce, financial transactions, and other processes.
There are many existing and future implementation opportunities for an interaction operating system such as CINOS many of which have already been stated. The spirit and scope of the present invention is limited only by the claim that follow.
1. An operating system for managing transactions between transaction partners, including customers, business partners, agents, and knowledge workers, in a multimedia communication center, comprising;
- an external media layer for managing media contact between the customers and business partners and the communication center;
- a workflow layer for processing transactions and routing media events between the transaction partners;
- an internal media layer for managing media contact with the agents and knowledge workers; and
- a knowledge base for storing extracted knowledge from transactions and relationships between transactions;
- wherein the workflow layer captures each transaction as a multimedia file, prepares and stores a text version of at least a portion of the transaction, associates the text version with the transaction, mines the text versions for knowledge, which is stored in the knowledge base, and uses the extracted knowledge at least for routing media events between transaction partners.
2. The operating system of claim 1 wherein recorded transactions are threaded chronologically.
3. A multimedia communication center hosted by an enterprise, the center for managing transactions between transaction partners, comprising:
- a CTI-enhanced, connection-oriented switched-telephony (COST) call switching apparatus connected to an incoming trunk line and to telephones at internal agent stations;
- at least one data network telephony (DNT)-capable router connected by a data link to a wide area network available to the customers of the enterprise, and by internal local-area network (LAN) to personal computers having video display units (PCNVDUs) at the internal agent stations, the DNT-capable router also adapted to receive and send digital multimedia documents; and
- a managing server hosting an interaction operating system;
- wherein the interaction operating system comprises:
- an external media layer for managing media contact between the customers and business partners and the communication center;
- a workflow layer for processing transactions and routing media events between the transaction partners;
- an internal media layer for managing media contact with the agents and knowledge workers; and
- a knowledge base for storing extracted knowledge from transactions and relationships between transactions;
- wherein the workflow layer captures each transaction as a multimedia file, prepares and stores a text version of at least a portion of the transaction, associates the text version with the transaction, mines the text versions for knowledge, which is stored in the knowledge base, and uses the extracted knowledge at least for routing media events between transaction partners.
4. The communication center of claim 3 wherein recorded transactions and associated data are threaded chronologically.
Referenced Cited
Patent History
Type: Grant
Filed: Sep 11, 1998
Date of Patent: Aug 22, 2000
Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. (San Francisco, CA)
Inventors: Christopher Clemmett Macleod Beck (Oceanside, CA), Jonathan Michael Berke (San Diego, CA), Joel A. Johnstone (San Diego, CA), Robin Marie Mitchell (Cardiff, CA), James Karl Powers (Carlsbad, CA), Mark Franklin Sidell (Chapel Hill, NC), Charles Dazler Knuff (Carlsbad, CA)
Primary Examiner: Le Hien Luu
Attorney: Donald R. Central Coast Patent Agency Boys
Application Number: 9/151,564
International Classification: G06F 15173;


text:
Red blood cells grown in a laboratory are to be tested in patients for the first time by pioneering British scientists.
The first volunteers are expected to be treated by late 2016. If successful, the trial could pave the way to the wide-scale use of artificial blood derived from stem cells.
Blood cells freshly made in the laboratory are likely to have a longer life span than those taken from donors, which typically last no more than 120 days.
They would also be free from infectious agents such as viruses or the rogue prion proteins that cause Creuzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).
Professor Marc Turner, medical director at the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS), who is leading the £5 million project at the University of Edinburgh, said: "Producing a cellular therapy which is of the scale, quality and safety required for human clinical trials is a very significant challenge.
"But if we can achieve success with this first-in-man clinical study it will be an important step forward to enable populations all over the world to benefit from blood transfusions.
"These developments will also provide information of value to other researchers working on the development of cellular therapies."
The pilot study will involve no more than about three patients, who may be healthy volunteers or individuals suffering from a red blood cell disorder such as thalassaemia.
They will receive a small, five millilitre dose of laboratory-made blood to see how it behaves and survives in their bodies.
The blood cells will be created from ordinary donated skin cells called fibroblasts which are genetically reprogrammed into a stem cell-like state.
The resulting induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have the same ability as embryonic stem cells to develop into virtually any kind of body tissue.
Chemicals will be used to coax the iPS cells to mature into red blood cells suitable for injection into a living person.
The aim is to produce relatively rare O rhesus negative blood that can safely be given to 95% of the population, and the skin cell donors will have to belong to this blood group.
A £5 million strategic award from the Wellcome Trust charity is funding the research being carried out by a consortium that includes blood donation services in Scotland, England, and Ireland.
Dr Joanne Mountford, from the University of Glasgow, who is head of cell therapy research & development at the SNBTS, said: "This is very much about blood services looking to their future. Our vision is to start replacing donor blood over the next 20 years."
Dr Ted Bianco, director of technology transfer at the Wellcome Trust, said: "Harnessing the power of stem cell biology to contribute to healthcare is one of the most exciting opportunities we can expect to see reach fruition in the coming years. But one should not underestimate the challenge of translating the science into routine procedures for the clinic.
"Nowhere is this more apparent than in the challenge Professor Turner and colleagues have set out to address, which is to replace the human blood donor as the source of supply for life-saving transfusions, knowing that each unit of blood contains no less than a trillion red cells."


text:
SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - Dec 27, 2012) - Jim Sherrill has joined the Chassis Plans team as Regional Business Development Manager for Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Sherrill is a seasoned professional in the high performance computing and storage space with more than 15 years in sales, market development, and business development.
Jim Sherrill's background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and a Masters of Business Administration with experience in signals intelligence, image intelligence, ground station, and secure telecommunications switching systems market segments for the department of defense and other national and civil agencies.
He has worked at Dot Hill Systems for two years managing federal channel resellers as well as direct sales of data storage systems to the federal government. Sherrill has also ten years experience as an Account Manager for Mercury Computer Systems selling into the defense integrator community with a focus on high performance embedded signal processing, data acquisition, and storage systems.
Prior to Mercury Computer Systems, Sherrill served as Federal Manager, Business Development for Silicon Graphics, Inc. / Cray Research, Inc. for four years where he was responsible for new business capture in the high performance computing and storage space within the defense and intelligence markets.
Before Silicon Graphics, Inc. / Cray Research, Sherrill served as Program Manager for Electrospace Systems, Inc., where he managed the development of secure telecommunication switching systems and signal intelligence systems for government agency customers.
Sherrill also served as Electronic Systems Engineer for E-Systems where he was responsible for the development of Man-Machine Interface systems for various government programs.
About Chassis Plans
Chassis Plans designs, fabricates and integrates standard and custom high-performance computing platforms and LCD displays for the military and heavy industry. Using COTS components, Chassis Plans provides solutions for customers who need reliable industrial computers that will operate in a variety of harsh conditions and who require revision control and hardware consistency for multi-year programs. With an in-house engineering department, Chassis Plans can also design and build rapid prototypes. Chassis Plans is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company that produces products domestically and has been in business in Southern California for over a decade.