text:
KOffice 1.4 Release Candidate Announced
The KDE Project today announced the release of the KOffice 1.4 Release Candidate. If nothing disastrous is found in this release, it will be renamed and become KOffice 1.4. A Live-CD has been created so that you can try out KOffice 1.4 RC without having to commit your hard disc to it. There are currently no binaries available for download of the release candidate. Read the full announcement and the changelog for more details. OSDir has screenshots of the release.
KOffice is an integrated office suite with more components than any other suite in existence. This release specifically introduces the database management application Kexi, the image editor Krita and upgrades the major KOffice components to use the OASIS Open Document format, an industry standard allowing better interoperability across applications and platforms.
First Post
First Post ;)
Btw, Kongratulations (as suggested last time I post here :D ) for the release candidate of KOffce 1.4. Thanks to all KOffice developers :)
By fyanardi at Thu, 2005/06/02 - 5:00am
nice work !! congrats !!
how many developers are working on Koffice now ? are there more now ?
By ch at Thu, 2005/06/02 - 5:00am
Re: curious
I'm not sure how many people are hacking on KOffice right now -- there's some fluctuation. Since I became maintainer of Krita about a dozen developers have contributed to Krita -- some with lots of code, some with one essential patch, others with icons. And then there are the translators (who have a perfect right to clamor for my blood seeing the amount of trouble Krita gave them this time).
Kexi gets reasonable amounts of love. KChart has been picked up, too. There are quite a few people interested in KSpread, but that's the type of application you really need to have about half a dozen dedicated people working on. Kivio is already quite good, but I don't doubt that Peter would welcome someone to help him develop the application further.
Two applications that really need a strong and dedicated push are KWord and Karbon.
KWord is quite good, but a word processor is a central application in an office suite and needs constant development.
Karbon once had the chance to be the first and premier vector graphics application. Neglect has let Sodipodi and now Inkscape grab the lead, but if someone with a bit of stamina gets really enthusiastic he could make great strides. There's also an easy task for someone who wants to dive into Karbon: implement rendering vectors and fills with patterns. It's one of the things that still make Karbon crash.
I'd really love to work together with a Karbon maintainer to make sure Krita and Karbon really fit together -- from basic widgets to sharing a rendering model so you can integrate a karbon layer in a Krita image and vice versa.
I'm determined to stick to Krita, to resist getting distracted by other apps, because I believe I would never achieve my vision if I divide my effort. I'm not going to develop another app besides Krita. But cooperating to make sure that KOffice is also the creative suite that rocks is quite another thing. That's high on my list of priorities.
Re: curious
I just wanted to say how glad I am for your work folks! I installed the beta some time ago, and I was amazed at the quality of krita - it is going to be a great replacement for gimp (at least for certain tasks).
Really really nice work, thank you!
By Csaba Molnar at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Re: curious
> KWord is quite good, but a word processor is a central application in an office suite and needs constant development.
Dont get me wrong - but I consider KWord to be the least important part of KOffice (KSpread is the most important, since in business you more often work with money ehm... numbers than text).
By german User at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Re: curious
Er... I think you're wrong here. Kile is a great application, but I don't think it would see a lot of use for writing business letters, proposals, specifications, reports, or memo's. There's a lot more to business than numbers... And you just don't use a latex frontend in business, you use a word processor.
Re: curious
i disagree. i expect a well-educated to be able to write LaTeX fluently. and so far i have not been disappointed. if not, get a new one.
By Benni at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Re: curious
No doubt KWord and KSpread (with KChart) are the most important K*Office* applications. They are very central to how an office is run. Almost as important, but much less used, would be Kexi, the database application.
In fact (and sorry, Boudewijn), I would hesitate to say that Krita belongs in a pure office suite at all. It would fit better in a DTP suite together with, maybe, Karbon and Scribus and some other programs of the same type or perhaps an artists suite.
That is not to say that I think that Krita should be thrown out of KOffice, only that such programs don't get much use in an office.
And now to something completely different. As part of the KOffice team, I have some plans for the future. One thing I would like to do is to make a survey of how KOffice is used, and which features are missing. We should also look into previous investigations, e.g. from Microsoft, to find out how people do use office suites. And then we should implement *these* missing features, not other features.
With the risk of making me unpopular here, I am going to pick an example. There has been talk on the KOffice developer list about making KSpread use bignums so that virtually unlimited precision could be had. To me, that sounds like a bad idea. Unlimited precision is nice, but it would also mean a much more complicated code base and probably hamper other developments. What we need first is to actually get people to use KOffice before we go out and implement features that only a infinitesimal part of the users want.
Instead, we should implement list handling functions and fix annoying bugs because this is what keeps people from using the programs. Microsoft found out, much to their surprise, that handling lists was the most common use of a spreadsheet, not making elaborate tables with formulas. And KSpread is still lacking in this area! And that a long buglist is making a program less popular is a given.
We need to establish a significant and growing user base that likes the speed of KOffice and that wants the tight integration between KDE and KOffice. And we need to do this *before* we do fringe features. Otherwise KOffice will drown in the upcoming massive deployments of Open Office.
By Inge Wallin at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Re: curious
I have never said that the definite precision values are to be done *now*.
However KSpread used much memory to define a cell, as it used the values one after another instead using something in the idea of a QVariant. So this has/had to be changed (not sure if it was done or not in KOffice 1.4). So I thought that taking care about possibliy extending KSpread in such a direction should be taken care of.
Also when dealing with currency, as far as I know, you need exatcly 4 digits after the decimal. That too can be done with definite precision (just set it to 4).
As for KOffice "drown" in a OOo wave, that is for me exactly a reason to have functions that normal office suites do not offer.
(As for when and who will actually implement define precision, that is a totally other question.)
Have a nice day!
PS.: for real numbers there is no inifinite precision usable on a computer, see for example pi.
By Nicolas Goutte at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Re: curious
Oh, I quite agree with you about Krita -- it's been discussed on our mailing list, too. It's that the KOffice framework makes a lot of features really easy to handle, like filters and templates and so on. But a tighter integration with digikam and Karbon is high on my list of priorities, and that's harder to do from KOffice. And we'd like to do releases more often than KOffice does.
Re: curious
I think you seriously misunderstand common office workflow. The wordprocessor is central to almost everything.
By Derek Kite at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Re: curious
Go away troll, why makes a stupid discussion 'Kile vs KWord'.
The word processor *is* the most important application of an office suite: it is the one that is the most used!
By renox at Sun, 2005/06/05 - 5:00am
Re: curious
> I'd really love to work together with a Karbon maintainer to make sure Krita
Wonderful! :)
By Helder Correia at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Re: curious
And now for an energetic Karbon maintainer :-).
By Boudewijn Rempt at Sat, 2005/06/04 - 5:00am
Krita is truly amazing!!!! I can barely hide my excitement ;-)
By Martin at Thu, 2005/06/02 - 5:00am
Re: Krita
Well... and all that. But insanely great as Krita undoubtedly is -- there's a way to go before we've got the features and precision to beat Photoshop or Corel Painter. CMYK is pretty close indeed, and I had really some hope it would make it into the final release, but apart from the niggling bugs, there are some issues with making it not only usable, but also useful.
The main problem is that I haven't got access to anyone with the requisite domain knowledge. It's an interesting thing to work on, but it's also something I don't need, personally. I'm really pleased when someone tells me they fired up Krita and managed to paint without getting frustrated. That's where my personal thing is.
I'm a linguist, a theologian, ultimately a Java coder for hire -- not a print professional. I haven't got a clue about the workflow from image to press...
Re: Krita
What about contacting the scribus team? They're knowledgeable abot the printing process and since it uses Qt, there may even be some pieces of code to get there?
I really love to see KOffice becoming better and better..
By Dario Massarin at Thu, 2005/06/02 - 5:00am
really thanks for the work. i really depend on Koffice, as its the only office suite i have :D
so i'm very happy to see it get better.
i used ms office today, 2003. well, that's some nice piece of work, i have to admit. not on every front, but it has some nice things, really. but hey, they have many people working on it - and koffice is free!
By superstoned at Thu, 2005/06/02 - 5:00am
Krita is awesome :)
Am not an artist, but tried it the other day and drew some silly stuff with it. (looked like a teched out Worms level...)
(is there any way to use the alpha channel in gradients, eg, have it grade from 100% transparent at one end to 0% at the other?)
By Gábor Lehel at Thu, 2005/06/02 - 5:00am
Re: Krita is awesome :)
Thanks for the compliment!
About the gradients: try the autogradient section in the Tools paintbox. Right-click on the gradient bar to add or remove segments: set the opacity and the color for the endpoints of every segment using the color wells and spinboxes underneath the gradient bar. We don't have a facility for saving custom gradients yet, I'm afraid I have to admit.
The opacity setting in the gradient tool panel is for the gradient as a whole; I guess that's what you tried to use at first.
There are some usability issues with the current division between tool panels and Tools option sheets -- at this very moment I am dithering between reworking the tools/tool options system along a design we completed earlier but didn't have the time to implement, or making the tabs and sheets in the palette windows drag & droppable...
Re: Krita is awesome :)
Ah, thanks, that's what I was looking for :)
By Gábor Lehel at Thu, 2005/06/02 - 5:00am
Re: Krita is awesome :)
I share the growing interest in Krita, especially since the desire seems to have something closer to Painter than Photoshop.
* XCF import is not perfect. There are issues with transparencies, for instance. Do you plan to improve this in the future? Since XCF is an open format, why not using as default format?
Anyway, I'm very looking forward to painting tools like watercolor in Krita. :-)
Best regards,
Re: Krita is awesome :)
Cool work!
We currently use ImageMagick to import xcf files -- improving the imagemagick xcf filter is on the todo list, but hasn't been done yet. I decided to keep Krita's own file format for a couple of reasons, the most important being that we can add any kind of stuff that way. For instance, I'm working on a watercolor simulation. Things like the current state of the cellular automatons for drying the wet paint would have to be saved, too, otherwise images would dry immediately on saving. Basically, we have different needs from the Gimp for our file formats -- but I definitely need to work on the filter.
You're quite right about the pipe brushes. The pipe brushes problem is something I simply forgot to put on the todo list -- it was one of the first things I worked on. The thing is, the Gimp uses a parasite that determines how the brush is used, and I haven't yet implemented a parser for those parasites. And I was wondering whether I hadn't better implement compatibility with Paintshop Pro's pipe brushes. And, of course, you cannot create brushes, let alone pipe brushes with Krita at the moment...
This area needs a little work; I'll put it on the new todo list, and it might also be a good idea if you were to add both items (xcf imp/exp & pipe brushes) as bugs in bugzilla: that way you'll get informed if I get down to doing work on it.
Re: Krita is awesome :)
Thank you for the nice comment. :-)
Anyway, I'll open the bugs (more like enhancements to me) right away.
Best regards,
Re: Krita is awesome :)
Well, the Dimp developers explicitly discourage third party apps to implement or use xcf because they want to be free to change the format whenever they need it. It's not meant for an interchange format.
The current roadmap is at http://websvn.kde.org/trunk/koffice/krita/TODO.
Re: Krita is awesome :)
OK, but they could at least provide a library supporting the various versions of XCF, a bit like libpng, libtiff or libjpg.
Thanks for the links.
Best regards,
How good is KOffice at printing?
With the current KDE, nothing prints as it should.
By KDE User at Thu, 2005/06/02 - 5:00am
Re: Printing
Huh? IME kde printing works perfectly, indeed I use kprinter to print from things like mozilla and acroread. What problems are you having? Anyway, koffice uses the kde print system, so koffice will print as well or badly as it does.
By mikeyd at Thu, 2005/06/02 - 5:00am
Re: Printing
KDE uses the exact same print system that Mac OSX uses.
I have had no problems whatsoever with printing under KDE. KWord (previous versions) has had problems with overlaid graphics, compositing them correctly on screen but printing them incorrectly, but that was an old bug in KWord, not in the print system.
By Evan "JabberWok... at Thu, 2005/06/02 - 5:00am
Re: Printing
If you are referring to the kspread printing issues, I think most of them were fixed.
By Derek Kite at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Re: Printing
Wouldn't the printing quality also depend on the printer driver? For instance, I have an HP Photosmart printer and when I print digital images using the printer's own feature (you can plug the compactflash disk into the printer direct), the quality is fantastic. However, even when using hplip and the latest hp psc driver, I cannot print as good an image using software (KDE or GTk).
By Kanwar at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Re: Printing
... and sorry for posting the above twice. I tried to get the grammar with print quality v/s printing quality right, actually :-)
By Kanwar at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Improve KOffice!!!
by using koffice applications, we the users can improve it by reporting what's not working as expected, and also what's missing which is important to get our work done!
please use and report the problems, instead of just whining that it is just not up to the mark (like ms word or open office).
btw slackware 10.1 package:
By Asif Ali Rizwaan at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
foreign office files
AFAIK, MS Office 12 will use the XML file format. So will KOffice (OASIS). Will that make it easier to support MS Office files in KOffice?
By Claus at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Re: foreign office files
yes. the current .doc files are proprietary, and hard to read properly. the xml files should be easy. unless microsoft insists no certain restrictions. like "you can't use this fileformat for free software" or they embed certain binary, hard-to-read-but-essential parts in the fileformat.
By superstoned at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Re: foreign office files
Easier doesn't depend on XML or not.
Current MS Office formats would be easy to implement, if only they were documented. So, if the new office xml format isn't documented and available for free, then there's still the same problem.
Well, that's what I think.
By Tim Beaulen at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Re: foreign office files
KOffice has always used XMl for its files. It has just changed the XML file format. Using XML is just a base, it does not mean that a programm can read any XML file because it can read one type (similar with writing).
(In comparison, you could tell that using XML is like telling "this language uses Latin letters". With that assumptution you can do a few more things that if you were not sure which kind of letters you can use. For example one could stupidly copy a written text, as one knows the letters, even if one cannot understand the language itself. But you can also see how many languages are based on Latin characters in the world and that people speaking one of these languages cannot understand the other. Similarly with XML.)
And as written by other posters, the main problem for file formats is and remains the documentation.
Have a nice day!
By Nicolas Goutte at Fri, 2005/06/03 - 5:00am
Re: foreign office files
MS Office 12 will be using a (supposedly) open xml (but not OASIS) format. Time will tell how "open" it really is, or how easy it will to interoperate with it.
By Rex Dieter at Sat, 2005/06/04 - 5:00am


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Jump to navigation
The latest international news, analysis and features on the HIV epidemic from Avert. Share your views and expertise with your peers in the comments box below the articles.
The number of adolescents in HIV care in South Africa has increased 10-fold since 2005, and could double again by 2021.
Compared to the only other approved device for TB detection in people living with HIV, the new FujiLAM point-of-care test offers superior diagnostic sensitivity.
The treat-all policy will only succeed if people keep taking their HIV treatment. It is important to motivate people who started treatment while they were still feeling well.
Sustained action is needed now if we are to capitalise on the opportunity to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030.
Epidemics of HIV and HPV are inherently interconnected – and when they meet in the context of weak health systems, their effects are amplifed.
On International Safe Abortion Day (28 September), we give an overview of the link between HIV and abortion and the need for broader sexual reproductive health rights for women.
Getting on top of the tuberculosis epidemic requires renewed attention, and bringing HIV out of isolation.
Opportunities to increase access to the hepatitis C cure exist – but strong political will is needed and many countries are failing to benefit from cheaper generics.
In their first treatment update since 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopts a 'treat all' approach for hepatitis C, guided by the success of the HIV treatment experience.
Despite the huge human and economic toll, research into hepatitis B remains drastically underfunded, and was recently alikened to a neglected tropical disease. But hope for a cure is growing.
Learn the facts about COVID-19 and what it means for people living with HIV.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
In my search for a better HMI, I came across the Ego! Nowadays, just about all of the latest tech gadgets come equipped with an unwavering amount of useful features the likes of which include: music playback, data storage, Internet access, onboard cameras, games, GPS... the list goes on. As technological miniaturization continues to push the boundaries of what an electronic device is capable of, we might ask ourselves what more can the objects we come in contact with every day do for us.
Let's take our good ol' trusty mouse, which keeps us productive and readily in control when we're sitting at our computer. The simple technology doesn't seem to fail. Though improvements have been made to traditional optical sensing mice -- gaming mice with button customization and newfangled, touch-sensitive mice -- what else is a mouse capable of? Much more, apparently. Laura Sapiens, an Italian design firm, is looking to internationally crowdsource their revolutionary take on the mouse that goes by the name Ego! Smartmouse.
Laura Sapiens was founded a year after a group of engineers and software developers started work on the smartmouse. Now, two years into the project, the mouse has seen various improvements to its mechanical design, usability, hardware, and aesthetics.
The Ego! is like any other mouse in the sense that it utilizes optical sensing technology for tracking. But, that's where most of the comparisons end. The Ego! offers users a unique interactive experience by providing 2D and 3D connectivity, hardware identity authentication, data storage and transfer (onboard and to the cloud), and the ability to seamlessly switch from one computer to another with the same mouse. With an onboard version of Linux OS running on a 400 MHz ARM9 microcontroller, the Ego! is offered at Flash memory capacities ranging from 2GB to 8GB. To enable its 3D features, an accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass are also thrown in. That's not all. Add in a few LEDs used for notifications, a VGA camera for authentication, a Bluetooth chip for communication, a touch-sensitive surface for easy scrolling, and a vibration motor for kicks. All of this is powered by a rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery via micro-USB port.
Though loaded with hardware, the folks at Laura Sapiens promise its battery life will last for hours thanks to the device's ultra-low power consumption and energy-saving settings. Some additional software-related features include: quick device-pairing via smartmouse camera and onscreen QR code, automatic login and access to favorite websites, and immediate access to cloud account upon connection. To top it off, the Ego! can be used as a Wiimote-like device for gaming and remote controlled media playback. Now, how well will this work for CAD?
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Liquor stocks are down sharply in China after its military, under new austerity steps, banned banquets where alcohol is served, industry experts say.
Under China's new leadership, headed by Xi Jinping, China's powerful Central Military Commission last Friday issued a number of regulations banning luxury-related activities where liquor is served such as receptions and banquets by high-ranking military officials.
Under these regulations, the official Xinhua News Agency reported there will also be no more welcome banners, red carpets, floral arrangements, soldier formations, performances and souvenirs during visits by military officials.
Xinhua reported Kweichow Moutai, a leading Chinese liquor producer whose product prices had soared in recent years, saw its stock nosedive 5.5 percent Monday, sending its market value down by $2 billion.
Wu Jianhua, secretary of the Shanghai Beverage Association, said the price of the company's Feitian Moutai liquor had risen to 1,519 yuan ($241.57) a bottle last year from 200 yuan ($31.81) 10 years ago.
"Moutai and another two high-level alcohol brands, which are popular with government officials and military officers, account for 20 percent of the total liquor market," said Jian Aihua, a researcher with CIConsulting, a leading industry research institution.
Xinhua said many online users welcomed the military regulations, saying they are needed to crack down on official extravagance.
"Besides the military officers, all government officials should be prohibited from drinking liquor during receptions and meetings," one user was quoted as saying.
Others called for more regulations including disclosing reception expenses and banning TV ads for liquor.
"If there were no alcohol advertisements, extravagant receptions featuring expensive liquor could be better controlled," said Wang Xuming, former spokesman for the Education Ministry.
Xi Jinping, the reform-minded general secretary of the Communist Party and chairman of the Central Military Commission, and the other six members of the Politburo Standing Committee, took over the leadership of the country for the next 10 years following the party's 18th Congress in November.
Immediately after taking charge, Xi, stressing the need to win people's trust and support, pledged to avoid extravagance, save on bureaucratic trips and take strong action against official corruption, a major problem facing China.
The new Central Committee Politburo announced there will be "no welcome banner, no red carpet, no floral arrangement or grand receptions for officials' visits."
The committee said leaders should listen more to the public and solve their problems. It asked that official meetings be made short and to the point "with no empty and rigmarole talks."


text:
Is your Sixaxis feeling left out from all the Wiimote charging stations you've been scoping out? Now you can build one yourself for the PS3.
All you need is some wood, USB cables, cutting blades and the ability to not hack your fingers off while you're working. On second thought, you'd probably be better off waiting for a pre-made one.
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Recreational vessels do not need to comply with GMDSS radio carriage requirements, but will increasingly use the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) VHF radios. Offshore vessels may elect to equip themselves further. Vessels under 300 Gross tonnage (GT) are not subject to GMDSS requirements.
Since the invention of radio at the end of the 19th century, ships at sea have relied on Morse code, invented by Samuel Morse and first used in 1844, for distress and safety telecommunications. The need for ship and coast radio stations to have and use radiotelegraph equipment, and to listen to a common radio frequency for Morse encoded distress calls, was recognized after the sinking of the liner RMS Titanic in the North Atlantic in 1912. The U.S. Congress enacted legislation soon after, requiring U.S. ships to use Morse code radiotelegraph equipment for distress calls. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), now a United Nations agency, followed suit for ships of all nations. Morse encoded distress calling has saved thousands of lives since its inception almost a century ago, but its use requires skilled radio operators spending many hours listening to the radio distress frequency. Its range on the medium frequency (MF) distress band (500 kHz) is limited, and the amount of traffic Morse signals can carry is also limited.
Not all ship-to-shore radio communications were short range. Some radio stations provided long-range radiotelephony services, such as radio telegrams and radio telex calls, on the HF bands (3–30 MHz) enabling worldwide communications with ships. For example, Portishead Radio, which was the world's busiest radiotelephony station, provided HF long-range services.[1] In 1974, it had 154 radio operators who handled over 20 million words per year.[2] Such large radiotelephony stations employed large numbers of people and were expensive to operate. By the end of the 1980s, satellite services had started to take an increasingly large share of the market for ship-to-shore communications.
For these reasons, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a United Nations agency specializing in safety of shipping and preventing ships from polluting the seas, began looking at ways of improving maritime distress and safety communications. In 1979, a group of experts drafted the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, which called for development of a global search and rescue plan. This group also passed a resolution calling for development by IMO of a Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) to provide the communication support needed to implement the search and rescue plan. This new system, which the world's maritime nations are implementing, is based upon a combination of satellite and terrestrial radio services, and has changed international distress communications from being primarily ship-to-ship based to ship-to-shore (Rescue Coordination Center) based. It spelled the end of Morse code communications for all but a few users, such as amateur radio operators. The GMDSS provides for automatic distress alerting and locating in cases where a radio operator doesn't have time to send an SOS or MAYDAY call, and, for the first time, requires ships to receive broadcasts of maritime safety information which could prevent a distress from happening in the first place. In 1988, IMO amended the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention, requiring ships subject to it fit GMDSS equipment. Such ships were required to carry NAVTEX and satellite EPIRBs by August 1, 1993, and had to fit all other GMDSS equipment by February 1, 1999. US ships were allowed to fit GMDSS in lieu of Morse telegraphy equipment by the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Components of GMDSS
The main types of equipment used in GMDSS are:
Emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB)Main article: Emergency position-indicating radio beacon
Cospas-Sarsat is an international satellite-based search and rescue system, established by Canada, France, the United States, and Russia. These four countries jointly helped develop the 406 MHz Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), an element of the GMDSS designed to operate with Cospas-Sarsat system. These automatic-activating EPIRBs, now required on SOLAS ships, commercial fishing vessels, and all passenger ships, are designed to transmit to alert rescue coordination centers via the satellite system from anywhere in the world. The original COSPAS/SARSAT system used polar orbiting satellites but in recent years the system has been expanded to also include 4 geostationary satellites. Newest designs incorporate GPS receivers to transmit highly accurate positions (within about 20 metres) of the distress position. The original COSPAS/SARSAT satellites could calculate EPIRB position to within about 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) by using Doppler techniques. By the end of 2010 EPIRB manufacturers may be offering AIS (automatic identification system) enabled beacons. The serviceability of these items is checked monthly and annually and they have limited battery shelf life, between two and five years using mostly lithium-type batteries. 406 MHz EPIRB's transmit a registration number which is linked to a database of information about the vessel.
NAVTEXMain article: Navtex
Navtex is an international, automated system for instantly distributing maritime safety information (MSI) which includes navigational warnings, weather forecasts and weather warnings, search and rescue notices and similar information to ships. A small, low-cost and self-contained "smart" printing radio receiver is installed on the bridge, or the place from where the ship is navigated, and checks each incoming message to see if it has been received during an earlier transmission, or if it is of a category of no interest to the ship's master. The frequency of transmission of these messages is 518 kHz in English, while 490 kHz is sometime used to broadcast in a local language. The messages are coded with a header code identified by the using single letters of the alphabet to represent broadcasting stations, type of messages, and followed by two figures indicating the serial number of the message. For example: FA56 where F is the ID of the transmitting station, A indicates the message category navigational warning, and 56 is the consecutive message number.
Satellite systems operated by the Inmarsat company, overseen by the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) are also important elements of the GMDSS. The types of Inmarsat ship earth station terminals recognized by the GMDSS are: Inmarsat B, C and F77. Inmarsat B and F77, an updated version of the now redundant Inmarsat A, provide ship/shore, ship/ship and shore/ship telephone, telex and high-speed data services, including a distress priority telephone and telex service to and from rescue coordination centers. Fleet 77 fully supports the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and includes advanced features such as emergency call prioritisation. The Inmarsat C provides ship/shore, shore/ship and ship/ship store-and-forward data and email messaging, the capability for sending preformatted distress messages to a rescue coordination center, and the Inmarsat C SafetyNET service. The Inmarsat C SafetyNET service is a satellite-based worldwide maritime safety information broadcast service of high seas weather warnings, NAVAREA navigational warnings, radionavigation warnings, ice reports and warnings generated by the USCG-conducted International Ice Patrol, and other similar information not provided by NAVTEX. SafetyNET works similarly to NAVTEX in areas outside NAVTEX coverage.
Inmarsat C equipment is relatively small and lightweight, and costs much less than an Inmarsat B or F77 station. Inmarsat B and F77 ship earth stations require relatively large gyro-stabilized unidirectional antennas; the antenna size of the Inmarsat C is much smaller and is omnidirectional.
Under a cooperative agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), combined meteorological observations and AMVER reports can now be sent to both the USCG AMVER Center, and NOAA, using an Inmarsat C ship earth station, at no charge.
SOLAS now requires that Inmarsat C equipment have an integral satellite navigation receiver, or be externally connected to a satellite navigation receiver. That connection will ensure accurate location information to be sent to a rescue coordination center if a distress alert is ever transmitted.
Also the new LRIT long range tracking systems are upgraded via GMDSS Inmarsat C which are also compliant along with inbuilt SSAS, or ship security alert system. SSAS provides a means to covertly transmit a security alert distress message to local authorities in the event of a mutiny, pirate attack, or other hostile action towards the vessel or its crew.
High frequency
A GMDSS system may include high-frequency (HF) radiotelephone and radiotelex (narrow-band direct printing) equipment, with calls initiated by digital selective calling (DSC). Worldwide broadcasts of maritime safety information can also be made on HF narrow-band direct printing channels.
Search and rescue locating deviceMain article: Search and rescue transponder
The GMDSS installation on ships include one (two on vessels over 500 GT) Search and Rescue Locating device(s) called Search and Rescue Radar Transponders (SART) which are used to locate survival craft or distressed vessels by creating a series of twelve dots on a rescuing ship's 3 cm radar display. The detection range between these devices and ships, dependent upon the height of the ship's radar mast and the height of the Search and Rescue Locating device, is normally about 15 km (8 nautical miles). Once detected by radar, the Search and Rescue Locating device will produce a visual and aural indication to the persons in distress.
Digital selective callingMain article: Digital selective calling
The IMO also introduced digital selective calling (DSC) on MF, HF and VHF maritime radios as part of the GMDSS system. DSC is primarily intended to initiate ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship radiotelephone and MF/HF radiotelex calls. DSC calls can also be made to individual stations, groups of stations, or "all stations" in one's radio range. Each DSC-equipped ship, shore station and group is assigned a unique 9-digit Maritime Mobile Service Identity.
DSC distress alerts, which consist of a preformatted distress message, are used to initiate emergency communications with ships and rescue coordination centers. DSC was intended to eliminate the need for persons on a ship's bridge or on shore to continuously guard radio receivers on voice radio channels, including VHF channel 16 (156.8 MHz) and 2182 kHz now used for distress, safety and calling. A listening watch aboard GMDSS-equipped ships on 2182 kHz ended on February 1, 1999. In May 2002, IMO decided to postpone cessation of a VHF listening watch aboard ships. That watchkeeping requirement had been scheduled to end on February 1, 2005.
IMO and ITU both require that the DSC-equipped MF/HF and VHF radios be externally connected to a satellite navigation receiver (GPS). That connection will ensure accurate location information is sent to a rescue coordination center if a distress alert is transmitted. The FCC requires that all new VHF and MF/HF maritime radiotelephones type accepted after June 1999 have at least a basic DSC capability.
VHF digital selective calling also has other capabilities beyond those required for the GMDSS. The US Coast Guard uses this system to track vessels in Prince William Sound, Alaska, Vessel Traffic Service. IMO and the USCG also plan to require ships carry a Universal Shipborne automatic identification system, which will be DSC-compatible. Countries having a GMDSS A1 Area should be able to identify and track AIS-equipped vessels in its waters without any additional radio equipment. A DSC-equipped radio cannot be interrogated and tracked unless that option was included by the manufacturer, and unless the user configures it to allow tracking.
GMDSS telecommunications equipment should not be reserved for emergency use only. The International Maritime Organization encourages mariners to use GMDSS equipment for routine as well as safety telecommunications.
Power supply requirements
GMDSS equipment is required to be powered from three sources of supply:
- ship's normal alternators/generators;
- ship's emergency alternator/generator (if fitted); and
- a dedicated radio battery supply.
The batteries are required to have a capacity to power the equipment for 1 hour on ships with an emergency generator or built prior to February 1995, and 6 hours on ships not fitted with an emergency generator or built after February 1995 in order to comply with SOLAS. The batteries must be charged by an automatic charger, which is also required to be powered from the main and emergency generators. Changeover from AC to battery supply must be automatic, and effected in such a way that any data held by the equipment is not corrupted ("no break").
During Coast Guard inspections, the batteries must be able to go from 100% discharge to fully charged in no longer than 10 hours in order to pass certification. The charger too must be obtainable at all times during vessel operation and should be inspected to make sure it functions properly. When the reserve source of energy consists of batteries, the battery capacity must be checked at intervals not exceeding 12 months. If not completed within past 12 months, this must be done during inspection.
Storage batteries provided as a reserve source of energy must be installed in accordance with applicable electrical codes and good engineering practice. They must be protected from adverse weather and physical damage. They must be readily accessible for maintenance and replacement.
GMDSS sea areas
GMDSS sea areas serve two purposes: to describe areas where GMDSS services are available, and to define what radio equipment GMDSS ships must carry (carriage requirements). Prior to the GMDSS, the number and type of radio safety equipment ships had to carry depended upon its tonnage. With GMDSS, the number and type of radio safety equipment ships have to carry depends upon the GMDSS areas in which they travel.GMDSS sea areas are classified ito four areas :area1,area2,area3 and area 4.
In addition to equipment listed below, all GMDSS-regulated ships must carry a satellite EPIRB, a NAVTEX receiver (if they travel in any areas served by NAVTEX), an Inmarsat-C SafetyNET receiver (if they travel in any areas not served by NAVTEX), a DSC-equipped VHF radiotelephone, two (if between 300 and less than 500 GRT) or three VHF handhelds (if 500 GRT or more), and two 9 GHz search and rescue radar transponders (SART).
Sea Area A1
An area within the radiotelephone coverage of at least one VHF coast station in which continuous digital selective calling (Ch.70/156.525 MHz) alerting and radiotelephony services are available. Such an area could extend typically 30 to 40 nautical miles (56 to 74 km) from the Coast Station.
Sea Area A2
An area, excluding Sea Area A1, within the radiotelephone coverage of at least one MF coast station in which continuous DSC (2187.5 kHz) alerting and radiotelephony services are available. For planning purposes, this area typically extends to up to 180 nautical miles (330 km) offshore during daylight hours, but would exclude any A1 designated areas. In practice, satisfactory coverage may often be achieved out to around 150 nautical miles (280 km) offshore during night time.
Sea Area A3
An area, excluding sea areas A1 and A2, within the coverage of an Inmarsat geostationary satellite. This area lies between about latitude 76 Degrees North and South, but excludes A1 and/or A2 designated areas. Inmarsat guarantees their system will work between 70 South and 70 North though it will often work to 76 degrees South or North.
Sea Area A4
An area outside Sea Areas A1, A2 and A3 is called Sea Area A4. This is essentially the polar regions, north and south of about 76 degrees of latitude, excluding any A1, A2 and A3 areas.[3]
GMDSS radio equipment required for U.S. coastal voyages
Presently, until an A1 or A2 Sea Area is established, GMDSS-mandated ships operating off the U.S. coast must fit to Sea Areas A3 (or A4) regardless of where they operate. U.S. ships whose voyage allows them to always remain within VHF channel 16 coverage of U.S. Coast Guard stations may apply to the Federal Communications Commission for an individual waiver to fit to Sea Area A1 requirements. Similarly, those who remain within 2182 kHz coverage of U.S. Coast Guard stations may apply for a waiver to fit to Sea Area A2 requirements.
As of August 2013, the U.S. Coast Guard provides a Sea Area A1 service through its Rescue 21 system.[4][5]
Licensing of operators
National maritime authorities may issue various classes of licenses. The General Operator's Certificate is required on SOLAS vessels operating also outside GMDSS Sea Area A1, while a Restricted Operator's Certificate is needed on SOLAS vessels operated solely within GMDSS Sea Area A1,
Long Range Certificate may be issued, and is required on non-SOLAS vessels operating outside GMDSS Sea Area A1, while a Short Range Certificate is issued for non-SOLAS vessels operating only inside GMDSS Sea Area A1.
Finally there is a restricted radiotelephone operator's certificate, which is similar to the Short Range Certificate but limited VHF DSC radio operation. Some countries do not consider this adequate for GMDSS qualification.
In the United States four different GMDSS certificates are issued:
- A GMDSS Radio Maintainer's License allows a person to maintain, install, and repair GMDSS equipment at sea.
- A GMDSS Radio Operator's License is necessary for a person to use required GMDSS equipment.
- The holder of both certificates can be issued one GMDSS Radio Operator/Maintainer License.
- Finally, the GMDSS Restricted License is available for VHF operations only within 20 nautical miles (37 km) of the coast.
To obtain any of these licenses a person must be a U.S. citizen or otherwise eligible for work in the country, be able to communicate in English, and take written examinations approved by the Federal Communications Commission. Like the amateur radioexaminations, these are given by private, FCC-approved groups. These are generally not the same agencies who administer the ham tests. Written test elements 1 and 7 are required for the Operator license, and elements 1 and 7R for the Restricted Operator. (Passing element 1 also automatically qualifies the applicant for the Marine Radiotelephone Operator Permit, the MROP.)
For the Maintainer license, written exam element 9 must be passed. However, to obtain this certificate an applicant must also hold a General radiotelephone operator license (GROL), which requires passing commercial written exam elements 1 and 3 (and thus supersedes the MROP). Upon the further passing of optional written exam element 8 the ship radar endorsement will be added to both the GROL and Maintainer licenses. This allows the holder to adjust, maintain, and repair shipboard radar equipment.[6]
Until March 25, 2008 GMDSS operator and maintainer licenses expired after five years but could be renewed upon payment of a fee. On that date all new certificates were issued valid for the lifetimes of their holders. For those still valid but previously issued with expiration dates, the FCC states:
Any GMDSS Radio Operator's License, Restricted GMDSS Radio Operator's License, GMDSS Radio Maintainer's License, GMDSS Radio Operator/Maintainer License, or Marine Radio Operator Permit that was active, i.e., had not expired, as of March 25, 2008, does not have to be renewed.[7]
Since an older certificate does show an expiration date, for crewmembers sailing internationally it may be worth paying the fee (as of 2010 it was $60) to avoid any confusion with local authorities.
Finally, to actually serve as a GMDSS operator on most commercial vessels the United States Coast Guard requires additional classroom training and practical experience beyond just holding a license


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I think this is great news for all those who have followed Meg Bowles during the 90's. At the end of February Meg released on her own Kumatone Records fifth album, "A Quiet Light" CD. Maybe Meg will post more news on this forum, until then feel free to find out more on:http://www.megbowlesmusic.com/Welcome back, Meg, and all the best... Richard
Looks like you lost the beard, Bill.


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Conn. man pleads guilty to sexually assaulting child while he lived in Maine
FARMINGTON, Maine (AP) � A Connecticut man has been sentenced to three years in prison for having sexual contact with a child in 2008 while he lived in Maine.
David Rhoades, of Taftville, Conn., was sentenced Monday in Franklin County Superior Court to serve three years of a 10-year sentence and 12 years of probation after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual contact with a child under 12 years old.
Prosecutors say the 46-year-old Rhoades touched a 4-year-old girl he was caring for when he lived in Eustis.
His lawyer said he pleaded guilty so the child would not have to go through a trial.
Rhoades apologized in court and said alcohol and medication were involved.
Prosecutors say the victim and her family agreed to the sentence.


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Sperry Marine prepares to cut local jobs, again
It appears that employees at Charlottesville-based Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine will be facing another round of layoffs. According to company officials, employees were notified on October 19 of plans to eliminate a total of up to 800 positions at the company's Electronic Systems sector facilities in Maryland and elsewhere across the U.S. by the end of January. The majority of the job eliminations are expected to occur at the company's Maryland locations.
Back in May, 60 local Sperry Marine employees were let go, and another 26 lost their jobs in June. Prior to each wave of layoffs, employees were offered a "voluntary separation" option, i.e. buyouts, ahead of "involuntary separations" by a set deadline. Indeed, the same option is being offered to Sperry employees as part of the October 19 announcement.
"Eligible employees will receive details of the voluntary separation program in the next few days with the voluntary separation program to be completed by the end of the year," says Alleace M. Gibbs, spokesperson at the Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems sector headquarters. "Should these voluntary efforts not fully address the staffing situation, we will initiate an involuntary reduction to ensure our headcount is consistent with our current and anticipated business base. We expect the involuntary reduction to be completed by the end of January 20, 2012."
The layoffs, says Gibbs, are the result of reductions in defense spending that will require the company to become more competitive to secure contracts.
"Every effort will be made to assist impacted individuals in finding new employment," says Gibbs. "Affected employees will receive all separation and other benefits to which they are entitled and the company will also provide outplacement assistance to help those who will be seeking other employment including at other Northrop Grumman facilities."
At the time of a telephone inquiry by the Hook early this year, the company reported having over 800 employees in Charlottesville. Today, Gibbs reports, there are 665 employees working at the Sperry Marine facility. Back in 2006, during the company's celebration of 50 years in Charlottesville, CEO John DeMaso credited Charlottesville's dedicated employees for the company's success.
"Twenty-five percent of our Charlottesville employees have been with the company for over 25 years," DeMaso said. "Thirty percent have 20 plus years, and 50 percent have been with us more than 10 years."Read more on: Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine
25 comments
These sleaze bags are not to be trusted. I was part of the first round back in June of 2010, so this will be round number 4. They lied through their teeth about what we were going to receive in the form of benefits and they will continue to keep doing that. I really believe that this company is not long for this world here in C'ville. It just doesn't make sense for a big plant that is a military contractor and zoned industrial is going to stay put while surrounded by the new shopping, movie theater and hotel complex. That property is going to make a great area parking garage.
Can anyone be surprised? The looming, disastrous impact of Obamacare combined with Congressional ineptitude in budgeting has a put a chokehold on business. Contracts are being canceled or delayed, production grinds to halt, and jobs must repeatedly be cut to weather the storm.
Northrup Grumman/Sperry Marine has been an stalwart in this community for over 50 years. No matter how many name-changes or other changes over the years, it has been one of the most reliable employers we have. What does a third round of layoffs tell you about the seriousness of our economic situation?
STILL, President Obama (hands down the worst president in my lifetime) and the Democrat-controlled Senate (no national budget in nearly 1,000 days - did you know that?) fight all spending cuts, want to raise taxes on job creators, and spend more and more money we don't have on government programs.
You can tax the rich until you bleed them dry of every penny they have and you won't make a shred of significant gain for our economy. IF WE'RE LUCKY, it's not too late and we can send the President back to Chicago in January 2013.
I wonder what share of the 1 trilllion in fraud Nor-Grum is guilty of?
For 50 years they've been guilty of fostering the DoD nanny-state culture like the above post exhibits. This hometown disgrace has produced generations believing themselves patriotic and deserving, but as soon as they face that the "demand" for their services came from decades of fictitious wars, ( gulf war1, the Iraq and Afghan. invasions,) they start upchucking this crap about "taxing job creators," and " chokehold on business," Cut and pasted from the Robert Hurt website.
With any luck, someday we'll reduce the DoD and their legions of leeches to the size where we can drown them all in a bathtub.
Bill Clinton and his defense secretary Les Aspin drastically cut the war machine and it created a better fighting force.
Feet to the Fire - our economic downfall started with your idiotic idol, George W Bush who was never elected BY THE PEOPLE. That is the truth. Instead of this being a "political" issue why don't we try to figure out how to improve the economy without politics? What an amazing thought! For the record the President doesn't do much in the scope of economic conditions - it is Congress and all the Corporations who do that! As there is separation of Church and State - there should be separation of Corporations and Government.
The writing has been on the wall for awhile...like entitlements the defense budget has grown too large for the taxpayers to support. BOTH need a chainsaw taken to them.
Buffet paid 17% in taxes, how much did you pay?
@Feet Sure you don't have your foot in the fire and wondering what the smell is?
You're right in their with the "Keep your Socialism off my Medicare" paradoxicans of the Tea Party. Cut taxes and spending and we spend less on military. This means defense industry jobs go away. You get this right? That's OK Bob McDonnell doesn't either.
If we want a smaller national defense then we need to accept a smaller number of defense related jobs in the economy. Sounds like a nessasary situation to me. They should treat their employees fairly with reasonable severance but if the jobs need to go so be it.
Warren Buffet paid 22 MILLION dollars in taxes. (250 bucks an hour) How much did YOU pay?
Looks like our water use will fall even farther --stop the dam and dredge.
Overbuilding and overspending for new infrastructure and not maintaining what we have is a recipe for higher taxes, higher utility fees, and a less attractive climate for businesses.
The $200 million dollar cost of the dam/pipeline plan is suppose to be paid for by speculative growth. Well what if it doesn't happen then who will pay for this plan ? --Right --us !
Elect Fenwick and Smith and stop the dam.
Warren Buffet lives off of capital gains and pays the taxes associated with that choice.
Buffett and those who legally pay nothing, pay what is/was required by law.
At least those who paid nothing won't be audited by the IRS or chastised by the left, nor will they create an atmosphere for employment like Warren Buffett.
I paid 26% percent. What's your point other than I paid a higher percentage?
I worked in the defense industrial complex for 12 years, military service then GE aircraft engines. I saw the waste first hand and it would really shock you. I only agreed with a few moves Bill Clinton made and cutting defense was one of them.
Another would be Monica.
what's the dam vs dredge argument got to do with defense jobs???????????
You figure it out !!!
sounds like they haven't done much hiring in the last 10 years.
I was in the military, and the waste was unreal. We used to just shoot up ammo at the range, because if we didn't use it all up then we would get cut back the next year. The reserves were the worst, we had officers and senior NCO's who just sat around drinking coffee all day and collecting a pay check until they got their twenty years. I am as patriotic and pro-defense as anyone, but from my own experience you could cut half the defense budget and be just as safe. The only issue is when they cut the budget, they never trim the fat. They cut stuff like the Marine Corps and stuff for the lower enlisted soliders.
Regardless the role Sperry plays in defense contracts its a shame to see people loose their jobs. Having said that I would hope this to be a trend for all DOD contractors. Of course the need to find, or fund other means of labor sources is the problem. Why our president AND congress have a problem finding the answers is beyond me. The solutions are quite simple.
DoD employees, contractors and soon to be former employees- GET OVER IT!
If you have marketable skills and talent, you will another job, probably even better. If not, then let the Government find one for you...........
My father saw layoffs coming and got on with the UVA in the engineering department. That was 1960, 50 years ago.
My dad worked there as well during the 1960's, was laid off but re-hired in the 80's when they made periscopes. A few years into his retirement he was informed that his pension and medical were gone.
They are keeping the dregs of society and making them management. Like their new production manager. The one who wrote up someone for going beyond their usual duties to get a system out for a customer. Instead of thanking the individual, she instead writes them up?? What sleaze bag garbage.
Former employee- I would think that there is more to the incident than you know or have disclosed.
You know you are a schmuck when you hold a job that when a mistake is made you are "written up"
Then this write up is placed in a human resources file.
"Action is the antidote to despair." ~Joan Baez
Instead of fighting, crying, or complaining, funnel that energy into focus and action. Look for a better job. The more job ads you answer, the more calls you make, the more networking you do, the better you'll feel.
Jobs 411- "but there are no jobs, wa, wa, wa - can't the Government do something for me?"


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I'm pleased to welcome a new guest author to Make: Online! David Cranor will be covering projects and people on the maker side of high-tech academic research.
David Cranor is an inventor, adventurer, and pineapple upside down cake enthusiast. He is currently a student at the MIT Media Lab researching human/computer interaction, as well as being deeply involved with developing the tools and pedagogy of the Fab Lab movement.
You can check out a sampling of some of his previous work at davidcranor.com or follow him on the twitternets on @davidcranor.


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GreenThrottle wants to turn your smartphone into a console
Over the last two years smartphones have become dramatically more powerful. We're starting to see phones with quad-core processors and multiple gigabytes of RAM, with a focus on the incredible gaming you can do on the HD screen included in these tiny glass slabs. A game console with a dedicated internet connection and access to all of your social networks is pretty much exactly what Sony and Microsoft have been reaching for recently.
GreenThrottle thinks that the only thing stopping you from using your phone as a console is a good controller and quality gaming titles.
Depending on what Android phone you have, all you really need to play some games on your TV from your phone is an HDMI or MHL cable. Being tethered to the TV is kind of a drag, though. If you have an iOS based product, you can use AirPlay on certain titles and play on your TV, but no matter what OS the list of supported titles is pretty slim. Ideally, you should be able to connect your phone to your TV and then sit back on the couch with a full sized controller, just like you would with an Xbox 360 or PS3. With Android, you can use USB support or Bluetooth to add a controllers to your smartphone or tablet. GreenThrottle's solution is to give you a console quality Bluetooth controller and a store filled with games that will work with the controller natively.
Right now the display cable the GreenThrottle plans to include with the developer kits support four Android devices, and it doesn't make any mention of whether or not the cable charges your phone while you play.
GreenThrottle's controllers are similar in button layout to the Xbox 360 controller, with a few minor tweaks. Charles Huang, the CEO of GreenThrottle, is most recently known for his work as the co-creator of Guitar Hero through Red Octane. This means that gaming peripherals are clearly something he's got a lot of experience with, but GreenThrottle's goal of turning a smartphone into a console requires a lot more than just a nice controller.
Projects like GreenThrottle are exciting because they demonstrate how far smartphones have come in such a short time. Just the idea that these pocket-sized computers can even be perceived as the same thing as a game console speaks volumes to both the advancement of mobile technology and the current state of console hardware. As with most things, the success or failure of GreenThrottle will depend entirely on whether or not developers decide their game needs a cool controller to play. To help tip the scale, GreenThrottle will be developing several titles in house, but the rest will depend on support from the rest of the world.
Developers can pre-order controllers and access to the SDK (for their existing games or to build new titles) now. To get in on the developer program or see more about the product, check out their website.


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Enjoying Madrid's nightlife
Madrid comes alive at night, especially at the weekend. Discos, bars, cafés and fashionable clubs in different leisure areas and districts offer the best nightlife. And when the weather starts to get hot, the best thing is to hang out at one of the numerous and lively summer outdoor bars and cafés that spring up in such profusion on the streets and avenues. Here are a few ideas to guide you when you set out to enjoy a night on the town, from the early evening until the sun comes up.
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Madrid by night, open to everything.
Travel ideas
…Madrid. (Madrid Region) There's a different way to enjoy Madrid's nightlife. Just head for the Chueca area, where all inhibitions have been cast aside to make way for fun and tolerance, and where you'll be find a whole h…
Travel ideas
…Madrid. (Madrid Region) The lively nightlife of Spain's capital is famous all over the world. If there is one city where you know you'll be able to dance all night long to whatever music you like, where you'll come acros…
Travel ideas
…Madrid. (Madrid Region) You can spend tranquil evenings in Madrid enjoying delicious cocktails in designer venues while you indulge in a little quiet conversation, without the need to raise your voice. You'll find places…


text: In the past few weeks, Brian's Toys has sold the Life-Size Darth Vader and Jar Jar Binks. This week they are determined to do it again. The Darth Vader Revealed life-size bust has been reduced by $400! This week's newsletter features plenty of great products that customers have been yearning for. Pre-Order the Vintage Jumbo 12" Death Squad Commander, Kotobukiya Commander Cody, and Female Stormtrooper Statue. Great items that should arrive by the end of this year.


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French military preparing for Syria operation
August 29, 2013
PARIS (AP) — France said openly Thursday for the first time that its military is preparing for a possible operation in Syria — but President Francois Hollande stopped short of announcing armed intervention over a suspected chemical weapons attack.
Expectations have been mounting that the United States, France and Britain are preparing military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime after an apparent poison gas attack in Syria on Aug. 21. U.N. experts are currently in Syria investigating what happened.
Hollande does not need French parliamentary approval to launch military action that lasts less than four months. He appears to have a stronger hand than his U.S. and British counterparts, who are facing some resistance at home to a Syrian intervention amid questions over the attack.
While Hollande has spoken firmly against Assad's regime, the French military has been quiet about its plans. On Thursday, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said: "The Armed Forces have been put in position to respond" if the president commits French forces to an international intervention in Syria.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that France and its allies are preparing an "indispensable" response and that it should be "thought-out, proportionate and firm." Hollande on Thursday stressed the importance of a political solution and making the Syrian opposition a stronger alternative, notably with increased firepower.
"We will only achieve this if the international community is capable of bringing a stop to this escalation of violence, of which the chemical massacre is just one illustration," Hollande said after meeting Syrian opposition leader Ahmad al-Jarba.
France has a dozen cruise missile-capable fighter aircraft at military bases in the United Arab Emirates and the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti. France's military was at the forefront of the NATO-led attacks on Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, and led an intervention against extremists in Mali earlier this year.
French military officials confirmed that the frigate Chevalier Paul, which specializes in anti-missile and air-air capabilities, as well as the hulking transport ship Dixmude, had set off Thursday from the Mediterranean port of Toulon as part of normal training and operational preparations — but denied reports that the move was linked to a Syrian intervention.
Elaine Ganley in Paris contributed to this report.


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Teaching Reciprocity - Getting Certified in Other States
Getting certified to teach in Illinois makes it easier to get your teaching certificate in most other states.
The State of Illinois participates in a reciprocal teacher certification agreement with the states listed below via the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Interstate Certification Contract. This agreement makes it easier for teachers certified in one state to become certified teachers in another state.
Some states require teacher certification applicants to take a competency exam and/or fulfill other special requirements such as taking a state history course. The requirements in each state are different and the best course of action for anyone seeking certification is to contact the Department of Education in the appropriate state.
Learn more about the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement
These states participate in the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement:


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By Teachers, For Teachers
You've heard the chatter. iPads have become the go-to literacy tool for authentic learning in the K-8 classroom, the one that says 'Our program is cutting edge, up-to-date, inquiry-driven'. Students want to use iPads in the classroom, want to share and collaborate on them, and will follow almost any rules if it means they get that tablet in their hands.
The problem with the iPads in the classroom as with the Internet is: TMI--too much information. There are tens of thousands of apps, each proclaiming itself to be the solution to all classroom problems, each promising to be the practical strategy for learning math or science or state capitals or whatever their buzz word happens to be.
How do teachers sort truth from marketing?
You evaluate the apps. It won't take long to realize that the best share similar characteristics. They encourage organic conversation, scaffold learning, are student-centered, and inspire risk-taking on the part of student users. What's that look like when it plays out on an iPad? According to the Texas Computer Education Association, apps should:
• be easy to use
• be easy to understand
• have no/few ads
• be subject-intensive
• connect to the classroom units of inquiry
• differentiate for users, accommodating the many ways students learn
• have skills and approaches that are real world
• require higher order thinking--which according to Bloom's includes creating, evaluating, analyzing
• App Title:
• App Publisher/Developer:
• Version:
• Link to App Store:
• Yes/ No – Is it relevant to the curriculum framework?
• Please add any additional comments regarding implementation.
• Yes/ No – Is navigation easy? For example, index, contents, menus, clear icons
• Yes/ No – Is on-screen help and/or tutorial available?
• Yes/ No – Does it have multiple ability levels?
• Yes/ No – How does it respond to errors? For example, incorrect spelling.
• Yes/ No – Are there audio/video options with controls?
• Yes/ No – Can selected material be tagged, copied, pasted, saved, and printed?
• Yes/ No – Does it keep a history of the user's work over a period of time?
• Yes/ No – Features that address special needs? E.g. physical, aural, visual, ESL.
• Yes/ No – What support materials are included? For example, online resources, booklet, lesson plans, student worksheets?
• Yes/ No – Does the material accommodate diverse ways in which students learn?
• Yes/ No – Is it developmentally and age appropriate?
• Yes/ No – Does it provide an opportunity to increase students' understanding?
• Yes/ No – Does it provide an opportunity for higher order thinking?
• Yes/ No – Does it provide an opportunity for engagement and interaction?
• Yes/ No – Does it provide opportunity for collaborative practice & idea sharing?
• Yes/ No – Does it promote creativity and imagination?
• Yes/ No – Does it provide an opportunity for problem solving?
• Yes/ No – Does it provide feedback and assessment?
(For a formalized list, check out Kathy Shrock's Critical Evaluation of an iPad/iPod App.)
In coming up with possible apps, I went to reliable sources (Edudemic, Scholastic, Time Tech), considered where their lists overlapped, and then compared the results to apps students at my school like. Why use my school as the Petri dish? Because that's where I can see students in action with the apps, validate written information or reject it where necessary, even add insight of my own developed by watching the app in the hands of dozens of students.
Drum roll ... Here's the list:
iPads in the Classrom: Top 5 Apps
• Every school iPad should have apps for special needs. There's one called Babakus - Kognitivt Centrum which combines an abacus and calculator to provide math-challenged students with an excellent option for learning math. Here's one that makes it possible for visually-impaired students to see material with other students and another from Jonathan Wylie on reading and writing needs.
• GarageBand - Apple --$4.99. GarageBand turns your iPad into a collection of Touch Instruments and a full-featured recording studio so you can make music anywhere
• Educreations Interactive Whiteboard - Educreations, Inc --turns your iPad into a recordable whiteboard. Creating a great video tutorial is as simple as touching, tapping and talking. Downside: Students must have an online account to share their work. They can't email teachers from within the app. ScreenChomp - TechSmith Corporation allows emailing to teachers, but doesn't have a text tool--it's more geared for drawing. I'd like a hybrid of the two.
•Google Earth - Google, Inc.--Fly around the planet with a swipe of your finger. Go on virtual tours (the White House is amazing).
•Timed Test Arcade for iPhone - FormSoft Group, Ltd. --a full-featured addition math facts timed test simulator where teachers can customize assessments. There are many math apps, but this one stands out in that it avoids the monster-and-mayhem theme, offering the arcade game approach as a prize for a well-done math facts session.
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-8 technology for 15 years. She is the editor of a K-6 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, creator of two technology training books for middle school and six ebooks on technology in education. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blog, Technology in Education featured blogger, a columnist for Examiner.com, and IMS tech expert.


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Those worried about Apple's creative future can rest a little easier.
The man behind the design of the iPhone, the iPad and the MacBook is not going anywhere.
Steve Jobs' handpicked design chief, Jonathan Ive, will have more pressure thrust on him to keep the sleek design and easy functionality that Apple became so known for under the guidance of Jobs.
Los Angeles Times Internet reporter Jessica Guynn says that one longtime Apple analyst tells her that "Ive's industrial design eye is so keen, it's 'even better than Steve Jobs.'"
That could be why Jobs plucked Ive out of relative obscurity and groomed to him to be the Apple of his design eye.
The Englishman known to his friends as "Jony" was hand-chosen by Jobs to lead his design team shortly after the Apple co-founder rejoined the company the first time.
Together the duo has been credited with the design concepts for the MacBook, the iPhone, the iPad, the iPod, the Powerbook G4, the G4 Cube and more.
Recently the 44-year-old's work will become official works of art. Ive's work along with Apple's design innovation in general is the subject of a new art exhibit at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (Arts and Crafts) in Hamburg, Germany.


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STELLAService, a customer service rating company for e-commerce sites, has raised a $15 million Series B round led by Norwest Venture Partners.Existing investors Battery Ventures, DFJ Gotham Ventures, RRE Ventures and Forerunner Ventures all contributed to the financing.
In addition to raising the new round, STELLAService is publicly launching a paid data product that will help partnering e-commerce companies get customer service dirt on their employees, and their competitors.
"At the end of the day, many sites sell the same sort of items, and customer service becomes what makes a shopper pick one site over another," CEO Jordy Leiser tells Business Insider.
STELLAService pays thousands of mystery shoppers daily to buy items from sites like Nordstrom.com and Gilt Groupe, call customer service teams and ask questions, then return products. The mystery shoppers take detailed notes of the entire experience and rate the companies on response time, helpfulness, shipping time, and more.
All of the data they collect gets put into the new subscription data product. Smaller companies pay a few thousand dollars for either annual or semi-annual reports. Larger companies, which are tracked daily by STELLAService's mystery shoppers, pay six-figures annually for monthly customer service reports. Leiser says the data product has been in private beta for a few months, and it already has paying customers.
STELLAService will use the new revenue stream as well as the Series B financing to hire a large research team and make the data product more comprehensive. The company will also be moving its headquarters to lower Manhattan; it's a finalist in Bloomberg's "Take the Helm" initiative, which is granting STELLAService $250,000 to move its office downtown. STELLAService is a New York-based startup that has raised more than $22 million to date.
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Due to the limited existing knowledge pertaining to the factors which govern localization of operations and capabilities in a global supply chain, the purpose of the paper is to find out which factors and how they jointly affect the design of global supply chains. The relevant literature is reviewed and a concept matrix is developed. Five companies were selected in order to illustrate the issues of global supply chain design. Among them, three companies are considered to have efficient supply chain and less complex products, while the two others are considered to have responsive supply chain and more complex products. The issues discussed with the selected companies cover global sourcing, challenges, technological advancement and issues related to management control. The study identifies about fifty factors that affect global supply chain design, and specifically how theses relate to design decisions on location of factories and production, supplier selection and development, distribution of products and organisation of interfaces along the supply chain. The discrepancies between theory and practice as well as the implications for further research are discussed.
This thesis addresses the topic of global supply chain design. One major challenge concerns how to manage the tension between separation and integration pertaining to the localization of business activities. In this regard Ferdows (2008) worked to create two new production network models (rooted production network and footloose production network). Earlier studies have highlighted the choices that are involved in the network of facilities but lack in providing a comprehensive picture in terms of both configurational and coordination factors that govern the design of global supply chain. There is a need for a conceptual model where factors affecting the design process of a global supply chain can be applied. Two main research questions have been addressed in this study. First, exploring and identifying the factors affecting global supply chain design. Second, investigating the factors that influence the position on the spectrum of rooted and footloose supply chain design.
A literature review analysis and multi-case studies have been performed for this study in order to explore the factors. The companies were selected in order to reflect upon the two types of network, i.e., rooted and footloose. The primary data were selected through interviews with the managers.
This study highlighted that there are many factors that affect configurational and coordination decision areas within a global supply chain. This study categorized the factors and the configurational/coordination decision areas with two main competitive priorities, i.e., cost and differentiation in the form of a "conceptual model." The study also highlighted the factors in a matrix, which showed their position on the spectrum of rooted and footloose network configurations. For instance, the coordination factors that drive towards a footloose network include: high orchestration capabilities, need access to new technology and knowledge, proximity to suppliers, etc. The configurational factors that drive towards a rooted network include: economic stability, proximity to market, concerns for sustainability issues, high transportation cost, need for high proximity between key functions, need for intellectual property rights protection, etc.


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There is no better time to show your appreciation for LastPass by going Premium. LastPass Premium has more features that make your life easier and safer.
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Give friends and family the gift of an easy online life with LastPass Premium and help them start 2014 right with secure and convenient password management. With unlimited access to all LastPass features, Premium helps your friends and family get the most out of LastPass.
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