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Good place to take windsurfing lessons at Gorge?
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Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Posts: 1
Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:40 am
Post subject: Good place to take windsurfing lessons at Gorge?
I've never been to Columbia river. I sail in SF Bay Area -- Berkeley and 3rd. I also have a 14 year old who just can do some basic on a longboard.
I want her to take a few days of lessons, and to learn as much as possible in the most enjoyable way.
I'd take some lessons myself, to learn to complete jibes, and just to improve what needs to be improved.
Can you recommend a shop?
I found Brian's Windurf --
and Hood River Waterplay
There must me more...
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Joined: 28 Aug 2005
Posts: 5
Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:43 am
Post subject: Windsurfing Teachers
Try WindWing the have a shop in H.R. and a location at the Event Site. Go by the shop to make arrangments.
They also have gear
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Joined: 06 Oct 2015
Posts: 1
Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 7:14 pm
Post subject: Big Winds is great
BigWinds is probably one of the most stable shops in town, with great lessons for kids. Rentals too. The owners really downplay the "attitude" thing too. My 12 year-old daughter just had a great session last weekend with Lizzie of Big Winds. Call the shop - info here:
- James A.
Portland, OR
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Joined: 27 Dec 1999
Posts: 69
Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:00 pm
Post subject: ABK Lessons
ABK is doing lessons down at the Hook. You can arrange for lessons by calling Isthmus Sailboards at 541 386-5552 and set up appointments. You can check out the Isthmus website to get more information on ABK. They are also doing a clinic here in Hood River. Can't go wrong with Andy Brandt and his crew.
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Joined: 19 Sep 2004
Posts: 256
Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 12:22 am
Post subject:
One thing I notice about lessons in the Gorge, they seem to be very expensive for what you pay for. Brian's a great guy, but he doesn't get into the water with you, and tends to do a lot of talking on the beach.
In my opinion, and it is just that, I think windsurfing is learned much more by doing than by listening to instruction. Instruction is great, but you only can digest a couple of things at a time.
What really helps is a wide board, but not with a dagger board (center fin) and enough of a sail to get you powered but not out of control.
I saw Big Winds staff at Viento on Saturday, teaching a group of kids. It might have been an advanced clinic, they knew how to sail. The Big Winds Staff seemed very attentive, though again, I didn't see anyone going out on the water with the group, but I don't know what was actually going on. Are you bringing your own gear? If so, what is it?
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Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 1
Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 11:56 am
Post subject:
Big Winds is a great spot for lessons. They have several great instructors. Call them at 541-386-6086 or find the 800 number on the add that pops up at the top of this page.
They can do lessons for both of you, just be sure to make reservations.
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Joined: 27 Apr 1998
Posts: 109
Location: San Carlos, CA
Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 12:33 pm
Post subject: Jibe lessons
What/who is the best school/instructor in HR for learning to jibe?
My wife can w/s, get in straps/harness and rip across river in 4.0 conditions, but needs to learn to stay dry after a reach.
We have an infant so I can't get in water with her. I'm thinking of coaching her at Mosier, where she might hear me from the beach, but this may be impracticle and strain our marriage to boot.
Any of above schools or particular instructors here in HR you'd recommend?
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Joined: 06 Oct 2015
Posts: 38
Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 8:27 pm
Post subject:
I don't want to say who, but one of the two before-mentioned is acting the total kook these days, perhaps as his business is getting harder. He was the best before, even two years ago, now he's just trying to hit on young female students.
Not advised!
I would strongly recommend the other. You will know which one.
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Joined: 29 May 2002
Posts: 2
Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:36 am
Post subject: lessons in hood river
Ben at ABK is an absolutely fantastic instructor. Patient, knowledgable, and extremely experienced. He has taught my wife, son, and countless friends who have visited us at the Gorge and always gets rave reviews.
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Joined: 19 Sep 2004
Posts: 256
Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:19 am
Post subject:
I'm not down on lessons at all, if you can afford instruction, its great, but it is pricey. My wife can do sub-planing jibes on her 103 liter board, doesn't make all of them but is getting better every time out. This is her 3rd season. Footstraps/harness issues were conquered 1st season. Here's my two cents worth on becoming a better windsurfer/learning to carve jibes or stay dry jibes:
Harness: new to using a harness? You should be wearing and using your harness from day 1, your board was not designed to be arm sailed. Get the long harness lines that have the knot at one end, when you keep slipping out, undo the knot and shorten the line.
Footstraps: if its an option, put your footstraps in a well in-board position. Make your footstraps large so they are very easy to get in and out of (they should be opened wide so that your foot will slip out in a fall). When your ready, move your footstraps farther out, and tighten them down so basically just your toes poke past the strap.
Jibes: buy Jibing with Alan Cadiz on Maui DVD. This is a great video, that teaches all the steps for planing and non-planing jibes. Practice with a bigger, wide board doing clew first sailing. This really helps a lot, and its where most people go wrong. They just want to have fun on the water doing reaches, and don't take the time to develop a skill set that will help them jibe. Remember: a planing jibe attempt takes all of 3 or 4 seconds, so even if you try 10 jibes, that's 30 seconds of practice for the day. Not hard to see why it takes some people a decade to learn how to jibe. Finally, while planing jibes are really fun to pull off, its the "stay dry" jibe that's most important. Turning around up on your board saves you so much energy, you'll see a very rapid improvement to your sailing once you can do any kind of jibe at all consistently.
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Dessert First in Columbus
October 31, 2012
When you're on vacation, you tend not to worry too much about being unconventional. Is there really a good reason not to start your meal off with dessert? Or have two desserts? Or just skip the meal altogether and feast on some of the best sweet… Continue Reading >>

subset: commoncrawl


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By Shannon Carlin, Radio.com
A longtime fan showed that he really will always love Whitney Houston by purchasing the late singer's New Jersey mansion for over a million dollars.
According to Zillow (via Billboard), an emergency room physician and investor named Matthew Krauthamer bought Whitney's 5-bed, 6-bath, 13,607-square-foot home, which was built in 1987, but has been vacant since 2009, for a cool $1.5 million.
Krauthamer, who was only in second grade when the house was built, told the real estate blog, he does not plan to turn it into a museum, but will live there. He wants to give it a new paint job and add some new appliances so he can help return the home to "its original '80s glory."
"The house in and of itself is absolutely stunning," he said. "Wooded acres, gated property, two-floor poolhouse, two Jacuzzis. The house is really an incredible home."


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All News Releases By Date
EPA releases 2006 Guam Toxics Release Inventory numbers
Release Date: 02/21/2008
Contact Information: Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711, firstname.lastname@example.com
Guam reports overall decreases, among the lowest in total releases
(02/21/08) HONOLULU – Seven facilities in Guam reported a 13 percent decrease in toxic chemicals released into the air, land and water in 2006 according to new data released today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The data comes from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, an annual measure of toxic chemical releases and waste generated by facilities in the United States. Total releases include toxic chemicals discharged to air, water, underground injection, land - -including landfills -- and the amount transferred off-site for disposal. Data provided does not mean that facilities with elevated levels are out of compliance with state, local or federal environmental regulations.
The Guam facilities reported a decrease of 32,000 pounds in overall releases of all chemicals. Air releases decreased by two percent, with facilities reporting a total of 125,000 pounds. Land releases were down 93 percent to 111 pounds. Water releases decreased 27 percent to a total of 76,000 pounds. Overall, Guam ranks among the lowest, 53 out of 56 states and territories, in total releases.
"TRI helps regulators, emergency responders, businesses and communities to better understand the types and amounts of chemicals released in our communities," said Wayne Nastri, EPA administrator for the Pacific Southwest region. "We are pleased to report an overall decrease in the amount of toxic chemicals released in Guam in 2006."
Some of the findings of interest nationally in 2006: Total disposal and other releases are down 2 percent from last year. Combined air releases of TRI chemicals are down seven percent. Total disposal and other releases of mercury to all media combined increased 17 percent. However, air releases of mercury are down four percent. From 2001-2006, total releases reported to TRI decreased by 24 percent.
The reporting of data to the Toxics Release Inventory is required under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, passed in 1986. This program has been credited with arming communities with valuable knowledge and encouraging facilities to reduce their releases of toxic chemicals into the environment through source reduction, or pollution prevention measures.
Guam Facilities
Guam Power Authority
Hawaiian Rock Products Guam
Mobil Oil Guam Inc. (Cabras Island Terminal)
Shell Guam Inc.
South Pacific Petroleum Corp.
Tanguisson Power Plant
US Navy COMNAVMARIANAS Guam Main Base – Apra Harbor WWTP
These web sites provide useful information on TRI: https://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/ and https://www.epa.gov/enviro. For state fact sheets: https://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/statefactsheet.htm.
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.


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Story highlights
- In a novel, a character proposes that a social network should take on government functions
- "The Circle" is proposed as a venue for voter registration, and every government service
- Author Dave Eggers paints dark picture of corporations using digital networks to erase privacy
- Does Eggers' vision resemble the kind of totalitarianism depicted in "1984"?
An ambitious employee of "The Circle," an all-seeing, all-knowing tech company at the heart of the new novel by Dave Eggers, raises her hand to pitch an idea to her bosses: Use the firm's social network to register virtually everyone in America to vote.
Then she takes it further. "Our interfaces are infinitely easier to use than, say the patchwork of DMV sites around the country," she says. "What if you could renew your license through us? What if every government service could be facilitated through our network? People would leap at the chance. Instead of visiting a hundred different sites for a hundred different government services, it could all be done through the Circle."
The idea of substituting a frictionless private network for clunky government sites might seem an appealing one, given the much-publicized woes of Obamacare's HealthCare.gov.
It's just one of the ways Eggers is fortunate in the timing of his book, which seems ripped from recent headlines about privacy, technology and social media.
"The Circle" will send many readers hunting for the paperback copies of "1984" they haven't opened since high school. But does its portrait of a digital totalitarian future inspire the same kind of foreboding that George Orwell's dystopian novel did at a time when many people believed dictatorships were destined to control the world?
Are Google, Facebook and Twitter taking us to, as a Joe Nocera column in The New York Times suggested, "a world without privacy"?
Eggers builds his story around Mae Holland, a naive employee of her hometown's public utility, who escapes the boredom of her life in a cubicle by landing a job at The Circle, the most desirable tech company around.
Through a friend, rising Circle star Annie, Mae is installed in a "customer experience" post where she is dazzled by the company's feature-rich 400-acre campus, full of benefits for workers ranging from tennis courts to gyms to theaters to a cafeteria where famous singer-songwriters show up to entertain. Powerful politicians are always visiting the campus. Company parties offer primo food and drink. Employees are encouraged to help themselves to the merchandise at a company store stocked with cutting-edge products that haven't yet been publicly released.
Mae's father, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and who, with her mother, is locked in constant battle with his health insurer for the care he needs, is soon put on The Circle's generous health plan, at Annie's behest.
Yet Mae's work, a grueling round of interaction with The Circle's customers, is at odds with the paradise of benefits the company touts. Everything she does is instantly measured and rated and she's encouraged to keep going back to the customers to persuade them to give her higher scores. She goes to absurd lengths to win favorable ratings.
And those parties aren't only a reward for her hard work; attendance is mandatory for those who want to be seen as embracing The Circle's values and suitable for promotion. Officials blithely talk about the importance of "work-life balance" when what they really mean is that people should be using their "off hours" to be furthering The Circle's agenda through social media.
Eventually, Mae will graduate from "customer experience" and gain fame as she wears a camera that makes her life almost totally transparent. She only has to look at her wrist device to see the "zings," Twitter-like bursts of comments her millions of followers send as they react to every conversation she has and every letter she reads.
Mae's ties to Annie, her parents and an old boyfriend and to her passion for kayaking are steadily weakened as she falls afoul of The Circle's imperatives to share and to reveal all. Rather than rebel and quit her job at the prestigious company, though, she becomes the fiercest adherent of its values.
At The Circle, employees are encouraged to think big, to hatch ideas for new services relying on the power of big data, measurement and intrusiveness. And those ideas are breathtaking in their ambition -- and scary in that they don't seem as far from realization as they should in Eggers' fantasy world.
A book that begins as a lighthearted cautionary tale grows into a claustrophobic portrait of relentless effort to achieve the culmination of "closing the Circle," erasing privacy and anonymity to the point where anyone anywhere can be located with precision within minutes and tracked by The Circle's "SeeChange" cameras or by fleets of drones.
How much of "The Circle" is tongue-in-cheek? There are parts where Eggers surely is having fun with Mae's innocence and her bosses' laughable rhetoric and overweening ambition. None of the characters is fully formed enough to seem real.
Still, he seems to be searching also for a way to prod people to ask whether the cost of surrendering privacy is always an acceptable price to pay for the newest service or the coolest device. In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Eggers was asked: "What is the greatest threat to our freedom today?" His answer: "Our feeling that we're entitled to know anything we want about anyone we want."
In this respect, "The Circle" isn't all that far away from "1984" in its ability to sound an alarm.
Yet Orwell's vision, from the vantage point of the late 1940s, was guided by the actual horrors of the Soviet Union's totalitarian regime.
Eggers, as much as his narrative evokes the events of today from the NSA surveillance controversy to the Obamacare website troubles, imagines a horrific future that hasn't arrived and likely will never come.


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Meeting a need: Lessons are just the beginning
To an inspired hand, a piano represents hope, possibility, and passion. But sometimes it's just a big piece of unused furniture.
Enter Abigail Needham. The Juilliard-educated rehearsal pianist moved to Charlottesville several years ago to focus on teaching lessons, but soon found that she was getting more than she had bargained for– she claims to have a 600-person waiting list.
On top of that, she came to discover that she had turned into a general purpose piano resource, in part due to notoriety from the popular recital she hosts each spring at the UVA Art Museum." I sold two or three pianos to people... unofficially," she says of her uncanny ability to match buyers and sellers. When asked to help dispose of unused instruments once a student's interest waned, however, she wasn't quite sure what to do.
"Everyone has their grandmother's piano– an upright worth $500. But it's big, it's heavy, no one has a truck, no one is insured..." she says.
Needham's initial lack of interest in this common problem hit a turning point once she realized that promising students don't always have access to an instrument.
"They take lessons at school, they practice hard, and then they go home and– I'm not kidding about this– they practice the piano on a piece of paper," she says.
Clearly, she's still marveling at the thought of fingers silently dancing across a black and white drawing.
"I remember thinking to myself, 'That thing is not making sound, and that kid is an awesome player,'" she says. "I will never forget those kids playing on construction paper."
Needham wants to make sure that her first paper Beethoven is also her last. Having rounded up a truck and a militia of muscle, she now spends her weekends gathering up and distributing entry-level instruments to underprivileged musicians.
"We took 41 pianos to families that need them, and it's so awesome!" she exclaims, shouting in her excitement. "I have cried as we're delivering these pianos. It's amazing. These kids are going nuts."
And it's not over– she has leads on hundreds more, and all she needs is a place to put them.
News of her efforts has been gradually spreading since she began last summer, but now she's going on the offensive. In a striking display of courage, Needham asked the Hook to print her contact information so that she can find the people who need her services.
Anybody in financial need who wants a free piano should email her at email@example.com. She cautions that the instruments might need tuning as much as the students might need teaching.
With that 600-strong backlog, she's not able to provide either, but she's still thrilled to be able to offer free keys. Until then, keep practicing with the construction paper, guys. It won't be long now.
Abigail Needham


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So check out yesterday's post for more information on the virtual 5k. It's a great way to be able to enjoy a Valentines Dinner with your loved one if you wanted to burn some extra calories before hand! Even if you have to run more than 3.1 miles that day, you can still participate in the 5k, just keep running after you've completed the virtual 5k! I will be running six miles that day, but will be running the first 3.1 in honor of Non-Runner Nancy!
Today is the LAST day to sign up for my Giveaway! Don't forget to comment on that post to be entered!
So as many of you know, this weekend I ran the first race of the OC Chili Trail Run Winter Series. I had never run on trails before and have yet to do so, because the race was somewhat rained out this weekend. We had to stay on paved roads, but I still ran through a small river. It took me out of my comfort zone for many reasons.
1. I don't run in the rain. I despise being wet, especially for long periods of time, therefore rain running is not for me.
2. I don't like being muddy or dirty, especially when I run.
3. I went all by myself, and knew absolutely not one other person
4. I didn't run with my ipod
The race was well put on, and they had some great provisions, but it was kind of a different crowd that was at this race. I'm a very friendly and outgoing person, and trying to talk to these people was really hard for me. Well, I tried to make conversation with them and they stared at me like I was growing another leg. It was kind of bizarre and not the normal running community that I have become used too.
The race actually was pretty interesting. I saw everyone getting out of their cars and just kept telling myself that I was going to be okay. I was going to do this. It was okay to get wet, it was okay to get dirty. We finally lined up and off we went. It rained the entire time, and after we rounded a small bend in the paved road trail, I saw it. This river. I was going to have to run through a river. In my head I kept saying, just do it, you can do this, and then splish, splash, splish, splash I was through it. I told myself the entire race that it was okay that people were passing me and that I was just running this race at my own pace and not to worry about others around me.
I finished the race, went over and grabbed some free bars and muffins and left. I checked the results yesterday and realized that I got first in my age group, (24 and under) DOY! How does this happen! I wasn't running fast at all and my time was 33.50.xx. I was 9th overall. So random.
It was a good race to just enjoy the scenery, though it wasn't actually on the trails, it was still really pretty and different than what I'm used to and it was good to just run to run and not to race and get all worked up about time/place etc.
My knee has been giving me some problems though and yesterday around mile 6 on my 10 mile run I started having a lot of pain. Today is an off day so we'll see how that pans out. I've been putting on some bengay and using my new stick to rub out my sore muscles. Besides the knee yesterday my 10 mile run was great and it felt good to be putting in some nice miles again. I'm excited for the marathon still, so we'll see what I say when I have to put in 20 miles… Hope everyone had a great weekend.
Tomorrow I'll announce the winner of the giveaway! Thursday I'll have another deal day, with stuff for guys and gals, and who knows what else this great week will bring. Remember to sign up for the 5k!
I leave you with this amazing picture, proof that I too can run in the rain. Not the best picture of me… this proves that I don't always look great! :) ( I so wish they got one of me running across the river!)


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Welcome to Elbert County, Colorado!
Hello, my name is Pauline Drobny, volunteer coordinator for Elbert County. My roots go back a little over 100 years when two sets of great-grandparents settled in the eastern part of the county. As a child, I lived on my grandfather's farm near Matheson, which he built when he married my grandmother in 1916. I now live about an hour away at the base of Pikes Peak so am not quite "local" but do travel to Elbert County, although not quite as much as when I still had close relatives there.
Named after Samuel Hitt Elbert, Governor of the Territory of Colorado, Elbert County was created in 1874 from eastern portions of Douglas County and part of the former Greenwood County. It originally stretched all the way to the Kansas state line. In 1889 the eastern portion of Elbert County became Lincoln, Kit Carson and Cheyenne counties. See Colorado County Evolution for a history of county formation. Shortly after the county's creation, on August 1, 1876, Colorado, "The Centennial State", attained statehood. The photo above shows the central part of the county facing west-southwest. Pikes Peak, inspiration for Katherine Lee Bates' "America the Beautiful" in 1893, is the mountain on the horizon. The dark portion below the mountain is Black Forest which straddles El Paso, Douglas and Elbert counties. This is part of the Palmer Ridge which juts out from the front range of the Rockies. Far northern, eastern and southern portions of the county are similar to the foreground and supports farming.
The Smoky Hill Trail, operated by the Butterfield Overland Despatch from 1859 until 1871, passed through east central Colorado on its route from Missouri to Denver. It skirted the Arapahoe and Cheyenne reservation which once occupied the south-eastern corner of present-day Elbert County generally from the Big Sandy south to the Arkansas River. Branches of the trail broke off at Big Sandy near Limon, and at Cedar Point now in the county, to serve early-day settlers. So far I haven't observed any "BOD" posts which marked the route as there are in Kansas. The service ended in 1871 when the railroad reached Denver.
Elbert's neighbors are Lincoln County, El Paso County, Douglas County and Arapahoe County. If you don't find your ancestors here take a look in our neighboring counties. While not quite "next door", Washington County may also contain data on your ancestors. Further research sites for the state of Colorado can be found on the Resources page.
All images on these pages were obtained from sources permitting free distribution and are subject to the same restrictions and permissions. Any person contributing material for posting on these pages does so in recognition of their free, non-commercial distribution. The contributor is responsible to assure that no copyright is violated by their submission. Contributions to these pages may be unsourced, unverified, hearsay and/or inaccurate, and are not represented in any way as primary evidence.
This is a not-for profit website and may be freely linked to. Requests to this website add a link to sites offering materials or services for a fee, whether relating to genealogy research or not, will be cheerfully ignored. This site is affiliated in NO way with USGenWeb, Inc., USGenNet, USGenNet.Org, USGN, USGNI, or United States Genealogy Network, Inc.


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ELECTROMAGNETIC MODELING OF PLASMONIC NANOSTRUCTURES by Prathamesh Pavaskar A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING) May 2013 Copyright 2013 Prathamesh Pavaskar
Object Description
|Electromagnetic modeling of plasmonic nanostructures
|Pavaskar, Prathamesh
|Author email
|Doctor of Philosophy
|Document type
|Degree program
|Electrical Engineering
|Viterbi School of Engineering
|Date defended/completed
|Date submitted
|Date approved
|Restricted until
|Date published
|Advisor (committee chair)
|Cronin, Stephen B.
|Advisor (committee member)
Wu, Wei
Benderskii, Alexander V.
|In this thesis, plasmonic properties of metal nanostructures are investigated by electromagnetic simulations using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. Chapter 1 covers the background knowledge required to read this thesis. It talks about the fundamentals of the FDTD method, the physics of plasmonics and a brief description of photocatalysis. In chapters 2 to 6, I am going to present the work our research group has done in the field of plasmonics that has already been published. Chapter 7 contains work that we can derive from our past research. ❧ In chapter 2, we perform optimization of plasmonic nanoparticle geometries. An iterative optimization algorithm is used to determine the configuration of the nanoparticles that gives the maximum electric field intensity at the center of the cluster. We observe that the optimum configurations of these clusters have mirror symmetry about the axis of planewave propagation, but are otherwise non-symmetric and non-intuitive. The maximum field intensity is found to increase monotonically with the number nanoparticles in the cluster, producing intensities that are 2500 times larger than the incident electromagnetic field. ❧ In chapter 3, I will talk about the optical properties of thin metallic discontinuous films of Au and Ag, which are known to exhibit a strong plasmonic response under visible illumination. In this work, evaporated thin films are imaged with high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), to reveal the structure of the semicontinuous metal island film with sub-nm resolution. The electric field distributions and the absorption spectra of these semicontinuous island film geometries are calculated using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method and compared with the experimentally measured absorption spectra. In addition to that, we calculate the SERS enhancement factors and photocatalytic enhancement factors of these films. We also study the effect of annealing on these films, which results in a large reduction in electric field strength due to increased nanoparticle spacing. ❧ In chapter 4, we study the effects of surrounding nanoparticles on a plasmonic hot spot. From our simulations, we show that the surrounding film contributes significantly to the electric field intensity at the hot spot by focusing energy to it. Widening of the gap size causes a decrease in the intensity at the hot spot. However, these island-like nanoparticle hot spots are shown to be robust to gap size than nanoparticle dimer geometries, studied previously. In fact, the main factor in determining the hot spot intensity is the focusing effect of the surrounding nano-islands. ❧ In chapter 5, I will talk about electromagnetic simulations of plasmonic enhancement of photocatalytic chemical reactions. By integrating strongly plasmonic Au nanoparticles with strongly catalytic TiO₂, we demonstrate plasmon-enhanced photocatalytic water splitting, and reduction of CO₂ with H₂O to form hydrocarbon fuels. Under visible illumination, we observe enhancements of up to 66X in the photocatalytic splitting of water in TiO₂ with the addition of Au nanoparticles. We also perform a systematic study of the mechanisms of Au nanoparticle/TiO₂-catalyzed photoreduction of CO₂ and water vapor over a wide range of wavelengths. In this case, under visible light illumination, we observe a 24-fold enhancement in the photocatalytic activity due to the intense local electromagnetic fields created by the surface plasmons of the Au nanoparticles. Above the plasmon resonance, under ultraviolet radiation we observe a reduction in the photocatalytic activity. Electromagnetic simulations indicate that the improvement of photocatalytic activity in the visible range is caused by the local electric field enhancement near the TiO₂ surface, rather than by the direct transfer of charge between the two materials. Here, the near-field optical enhancement increases the electron-hole pair generation rate at the surface of the TiO₂, thus increasing the amount of photogenerated charge contributing to catalysis. This mechanism of enhancement is particularly effective because of the relatively short exciton diffusion length (or minority carrier diffusion length), which otherwise limits the photocatalytic performance. Our results suggest that enhancement factors many times larger than this are possible if this mechanism can be optimized. ❧ In chapter 6, I will talk about a method for fabricating arrays of plasmonic nanoparticles with separations on the order of 1nm using an angle evaporation technique. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) is used to resolve the small separations achieved between nanoparticles fabricated on thin SiN membranes. These nearly touching metal nanoparticles produce extremely high electric field intensities when irradiated with laser light. We perform surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) a non-resonant dye molecule (p-ATP) deposited on the nanoparticle arrays using confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy. Our results show significant enhancement when the incident laser is polarized parallel to the axis of the nanoparticle pairs, whereas no enhancement is observed for the perpendicular polarization. These results demonstrate proof-of-principle of this fabrication technique. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations based on HRTEM images predict an electric field intensity enhancement of 82,400 at the center of the nanoparticle pair, and an electromagnetic SERS enhancement factor of 10⁹-10¹⁰.
|plasmonics; electromagnetic simulations; numerical optimization; photocatalysis; SERS
|Format (imt)
|Part of collection
|University of Southern California dissertations and theses
|Publisher (of the original version)
|University of Southern California
|Place of publication (of the original version)
|Los Angeles, California
|Publisher (of the digital version)
|University of Southern California. Libraries
|Electronically uploaded by the author
|Legacy record ID
|Contributing entity
|University of Southern California
|Pavaskar, Prathamesh
|Physical access
|The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given.
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|University of Southern California Digital Library
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|USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 7002, 106 University Village, Los Angeles, California 90089-7002, USA
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|University of Southern California
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|Full text
|ELECTROMAGNETIC MODELING OF PLASMONIC NANOSTRUCTURES by Prathamesh Pavaskar A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING) May 2013 Copyright 2013 Prathamesh Pavaskar


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In celebration of the 90th annual Academy Awards, the Crested Butte Film Festival presents all three categories of best short films: Documentary, Animated and Live Action. For the third year in a row, earn your short film trifecta through the Crested Butte Film Festival with shorts that are inspiring, gripping, intelligent and funny. Each of these films will vie for the coveted Academy Award on live television on Sunday, March 4. See them all and decide for yourself which should win. Film running times are TBD and have not been rated. 7:00 p.m. $10
MON FEB 12 Documentary
SAT FEB 17 Animated
SAT MAR 15 Live Action


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Django Unchained
Woooot, new Tarantino flick—and damn does it look good! November can't come soon enough.
How They Shot the Hulk's Avengers Fight Scenes
Mr. Piccolo, is that you?
New Hampshire Sends MMJ Bill to Veto-Inclined Governor
New Hampshire's Senate Bill 409 finally passed both houses yesterday and is now sitting on Governor John Lynch's desk for his approval. Which may or may not come.
"Most senators now agree we have a moral obligation to protect seriously ill patients from being arrested in our state," said Sen. Jim Forsyther (R-Stafford). "There is no excuse for maintaining criminal penalties against patients in our state when Vermont, Maine, and 15 other states have created exceptions under state law for medical use. New Hampshire truly deserves better, and if there's any way to get SB 409 passed into law, I will continue doing my best to make that happen."
The House has already voted overwhelmingly in favor of the bill earlier this year but the Senate has been unable to gather the 16 necessary votes to override a gubernatorial veto (they only got 13) so the decision still rests ultimately with Lynch—at least until the Senate can rustle up three more votes. [Stop the Drug War - Image: Alex]
Why Your Outdoor Garden Needs Pruning Too
Two words: camouflage.
Too. Fucking. Cute.
Until it gets big enough to eat you, of course.


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Ken Penland
In Memory of Hanshi Ken Penland:
We all will miss you
Mr.Penland is founder of Shorinji Ryu Jujitsu.
Plus he will be keeping a list of all belt ranks of Shorinji Ryu Jujitsu students.
It was 1980 that things looked up again. Vic LeRoux, who had been a student of mine from the time he was fourteen years old and later a co-worker and fellow instructor at Mr. Parker's West L.A. school, came to me and said he'd like to get the "Old Gang" back together and open a dojo on his side of town. I told him he'd never get the "Old Gang" back together but chances are he'd create a "New Gang." He asked me to be the Head Instructor It felt good to have a steady teaching thing again, instead of just an occasional get together with old friends. And I was right about the Old and New Gangs. But the New Gang of the Karate Connection School is now the Old Gang and the Old Gang from the Crenshaw school is now the Over The Hill Gang. If that's too hard to follow, don't worry about it. It just means we're all getting' old.
In 1962, Sensei Penland met Ed Parker and started training in Kempo Karate. About this same time he struck up a friendship with Harley S. Reagan and began training under his direction in Judo and Jujitsu. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army and was an Airborne Ranger serving in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968.
Later, in the mid 1970s Sensei Penland trained under Grand Master Fusei Kise in Kenshinkan Shorin Ryu Karate and Kobudo. He eventually served as a regional director for this organization. He then became affiliated with Grand Master Yuichi Kuda of the Shorin Ryu Matsumura Kempo Karate Association and served as a director of this organization as well.
He has also been an advisor for many other martial arts organizations. Currently, he is the Chairman of the International Shorinji Ryu Jujitsu Federation and a director of the International Shorin Ryu Karate Kobudo Federation.
He has also been featured in a series of videotapes on Shorinji Ryu Jujitsu. Through his efforts in his martial arts career, he has attained the rank of Hanshi 10th Dan, the highest rank in Jujitsu and 9th Dan in Shorin Ryu Karate and Kobudo, 5th Dan in Kendo and 6th Dan in Judo. He is currently the chief martial arts instructor for the Los Angeles Police Department's Jujitsu and defensive tactics dojo.
Black Belts
David Tice Renshi 7th Dan, 2006 (California)
Christa Jacobson 2nd Dan, 2003 (Kansas)
Troye Blackmon 2nd Dan, 2007 (kansas)
Matt Pollnow 1st Dan, 2004 (Canada)
Sonny Hughes
Santos Flaniken
Chuck Sullivan & Vic LeRoux


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*Discontinued but still in stock.
The MVP Neutron Tangent is a slightly understable midrange driver. Low power throwers will find this disc golf driver to be great for easy neutral lines and effortless glide. The Tangent features a smooth profile that offers a sleek, modern feel, and it will fit your hand like a glove.
Tangent Specs:
Class: 12mm Midrange Driver
Weights: 170g - 178g
Diameter: 21.5cm
Rim width: 12mm
PDGA max weight: 178.5g
Neutron plastic - a polymer blend that offers a premium look and feel while maintaining the excellent durability of Proton plastic. This unique blend offers a wide variety of bright opaque fluorescent colors that are easy-to- spot in any terrain and provides reliable performance in all conditions.
About Color and Weight Availability - This model may not be available in all colors. Likewise, each weight range may not be available in all colors. Therefore we ask you to list and prioritize your color preferences and to give us guidance if the color or weight range you want happens to not be available. Feel free to contact us if you need more specific info.
- Stock: In Stock
- Model: MVP Neutron Tangent
- Weight: 0.51lb


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Identify theft is the unauthorized use of another person's personal identifying information to commit financial fraud. Upon obtaining such personal identifiers, identity thieves have the ability to commit financial crimes such as opening phony bank accounts, getting unauthorized credit cards, applying for car or house loans and leasing apartments with a false name. Identity thieves may even develop a criminal record or file bankruptcy in their victim's name. Please find below identity theft prevention tips, as well as steps to take if you become an identity theft victim. For more information, please contact the Police Department at 815-462-6100.Identity Theft Prevention Tips:
If you become a victim of identity theft:
How criminals get your personal information:
Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
Changing Your Address. They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form.
Old-Fashioned Stealing. They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records, or bribe employees who have access.
Pretexting. They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources. For more information about pretexting, click here.
Information to guard from identity thieves:
Below is a list of security tips to consider when you and your family are away from home for an extended period of time. For additional questions or for more information, please contact the Village of New Lenox's Police Department at 815-462-6100.
The following tips help prevent vehicle break-ins, which could lead to theft of the vehicle itself or of property items from the vehicle.


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Consider the following scenario:
In this scenario, you see only the colored tile instead of the expected program icon on the Modern UI tiles.
- You have a computer that's running Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2.
- You or an administrator apply the Turn off the display of thumbnails and only display icons on network folders policy on the computer.
- You install a new program.
In this scenario, you see only the colored tile instead of the expected program icon on the Modern UI tiles.
Hotfix informationA supported hotfix is available from Microsoft Support. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the problem described in this article. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.
If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.
Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, go to the following Microsoft website: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.
PrerequisitesTo apply this update, you must first have update 2919355 installed on a computer that's running Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2.
Restart requirementYou may have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.
Hotfix replacement informationThis hotfix does not replace any previously released hotfix.
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.


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Watch Donald Cerrone vs Conor McGregor Live
Stream Donald Cerrone vs Conor McGregor live. Watch from anywhere online and free. No sign-up or credit card required. We offer you the best live streams to watch UFC in HD. Enjoy the fight between Donald Cerrone and Conor McGregor, taking place at Worldwide on January 18th, 2020, 10:00 pm.
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Here you will find mutiple links to access the Donald Cerrone fight live at different qualities. This Conor McGregor live stream is available on all mobile devices, tablet, smart tv, PC or Mac.
Donald Cerrone fight today. On this site you'll able to watch Conor McGregor streams easy and lag-free. It doesn't matter where you are, our Mixed Martial Arts streams are available worldwide. Never miss a UFC fight anymore!
- Start time: January 18th, 2020, 10:00 pm -
- Location: Worldwide
- Competition: UFC
- Sport: Mixed Martial Arts


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addition to a shiny new belt, Dan Henderson took home a pretty nice
chunk of change for his knockout of Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com)
today requested and received the list of paydays from the Ohio State
Athletic Commission for "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson," which took
place this past Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The
event's main card aired live on Showtime.
The total disclosed payroll for the event was $439,500.
capped an exciting evening of fights when he defeated Cavalcante by
third-round TKO to win the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship.
Executive Director Bernie Profato told MMAjunkie.com that final numbers
for the event's attendance and live gate should be available in the
next few days. He added that all competitors have passed initial tests
for drugs of abuse, and the results of tests for performance-enhancing
drugs are forthcoming.
the usual disclaimer: The figures do not include deductions for items
such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not
include money paid by sponsors, which can oftentimes be a substantial
portion of a fighter's income.
In other words, these are simply base salaries reported to the commission
and do not represent the total amounts earned by each fighter.
For complete coverage of "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson," check out the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: Dan Henderson)


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Improved gallium nitride recipe could spark space communication revolution
Gallium nitride is a semiconductor tipped for a bright future. Already widely employed as a light source – being used to illuminate London's Buckingham Palace and other European landmarks – its high power capacity could spark a space-based communications revolution, promising a five- to ten-fold improvement in satellite signal strength and data rates.
Generally regarded as the most promising semiconductor since silicon, gallium nitride (GaN) works better at much higher voltages and temperatures than silicon or the widely-used gallium arsenide (GaAs). Significantly for space, GaN is also inherently radiation-resistant.
ESA has identified GaN as a 'key enabling technology' for space, and has established the 'GaN Reliability Enhancement and Technology Transfer Initiative' (GREAT2), bringing together leading research institutes and manufacturing industry to set up an independent European supply chain to manufacture high-quality GaN devices for space applications.
"We want to develop this capability in Europe in order to control our own technological destiny and ensure the competitiveness of European space industry," explains Andrew Barnes of GREAT2. "The aim is to improve state-of-the-art products and to develop new applications for wide-band gap semiconductors. Sourcing from overseas is not always feasible because GaN technology is restricted by the US International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) or subject to end-user license agreements, meaning its procurement cannot be guaranteed."
GREAT2 is initially focused on developing space-compatible production processes for fabricating GaN microwave power transistors and Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs). These processes can then be used to design and fabricate high-performance power amplifiers, which would immediately bolster the competitiveness of the European telecommunications industry – the single largest and most commercial space sector. Other areas would also benefit, such as Earth observation from improved radar and altimeters, and navigation from the increased performance of next-generation Galileo satellites. Further down the line, GaN solar cells, power converters and advanced sensors are important prospects for exploiting this technology.
More information
Andrew.Barnes @ esa int


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Psycho-Economics: Managed Care in Mental Health in the New Millennium, 1 was published 2000 under ISBN 9780789007803 and ISBN 0789007800.[read more]
You can find lots of answers to common customer questions in our FAQs
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text:
Press quotes from Recorded Delivery's first show Come Out Eli
"This is astonishing documentary theatre
...at times breathtaking...
Absolutely riveting."
The Daily Telegraph
"It's like the fast show on acid.
It leaves some spectators threatening
to die laughing."
Time Out
"disconcerting and highly comic
...It's like nothing you've heard before."
The Observer


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Time to take some assessments. Do I know what I'm doing to continue to build an increasingly better, varied, diverse blog or not? I suppose it depends on your standards. As I always say: I only deal in love & hate. I have no tolerance for indifference. Indifference is death.
Are people indifferent to your blog, to your actions, to your ideas? Do they give you no passion, no outbursts of love & adoration, or hate & scorn? If not, then you have a problem. You're not making a mark in anyone's life; and in the final dusty, worm & maggot ridden-analysis, you'll only ever be remembered for the passion, the emotions you caused in the lives of others. …Y'know, like endlessly detailing the results of randomized controlled medical trials—shit like that: get's 'em every time. Right there.
~ Robb Wolf is my Hero today. Check this out. In the midst of all the scorn heaped upon him for…what was it, again…? Oh, yea, saying a bad word to a girl on Twitter who said it first. Anyway, in the midst of all that, did Robb cower down, run & hide, take aims to conceal what he was going to do next? Uh, hardly. He went and did a Paleo presentation at the famous Nevada brothel, Bunny Ranch—"Sexy Girls, Great Drinks & Fine Cigars since 1955."
…'Can we get some help over here, guys? Robb seems to be having a bit of difficulty dragging his enormous balls around.'
Oh, my. When I saw Brooke Taylor's Tweet this morning (19k Twitter followers while only following 300), Retweeted by Robb—"BIG thanks to @robbwolf for coming out to talk to all of us at the #bunnyranch today!! YOU ROCK!!"—I could hear the sound of paleo Panties getting bunched up from coast to coast.
Way to go, Robb. That's the way to look indifference in the eye and kick its ass. I'm hanging my head in shame, today. …Overwhelming feelings of unworthiness.
~ If you saw the update to my offer of detente, yesterday, the offer is off. Not that I had the slightest inclination to seriously think there would even be a negotiation—it was simply to have something of record to point to in the future. Though, the offer was sincere and serious. It's simple, really. Those two miscreants—in the worst sense of the word—operate under two delusions, that 1) my stature in the paleo community is mostly driven by various high profile folks who promote what I do from time to time. Hence, the efforts to publicly shame them into denouncing me, ignoring me, or whatever. And 2) They assume that writing c-word laden rants about them harms me and helps them, and so in the words of McEwen, "He doesn't have anything to negotiate with."
C-word posts and the like are to drive attention and passion, love & hate; and predictably, traffic is up about 100% over the last few days (there's more than one kinda whore, see?). Yea, I could have done posts about the excruciating intricacies of some new randomized, double-blind, controlled medical trial. But I wanted more than three people awake for this one. Let me illustrate the delusions some people harbor about how things really work when dealing with real, live, emotional, excitement and drama-driven, imperfect, lovable human beings. Reddit popped onto the radar screen in the referral logs yesterday.
Can we drop the Richard Nikoley link from the faq?
The guy has completely lost his shit and I feel embarrassed/ashamed that /r/paleo is a potential endorser of him and his site.
This is part of a broader paleo(tm) meltdown, which Nikoley has largely driven himself.
Also this is a throwaway account to avoid the wrath of Nikoley (who lost his shit over /r/paleo some time ago as well)
Didn't really bother to wade through all the "yea, me too" comments, just dropped my own.
That's cool, folks. No wrath. Perhaps a bit of irony, though.
It might interest you to know that reddit has always been a poor traffic source for me and if it wasn't for Fat Bread, barely on the radar. Just checked Google analytics.
For the 225K visits and 440K plus page views since Jan 1, reddit is 13th on the list. 80% of my traffic comes from natural Google search and direct [not referrals from high profile Paleos]. Reddit sent me 1,500 visits in those nearly 3 months.
But, if I drop the date range by a couple of days to exclude this post, reddit goes to 16th on the list, 993 visits.
So thanks for the 50% increase in just a couple of days. I'll be sure and mention it.
Alright, I'll leave you to your cloister of purity with best wishes for a very pure and unadulterated continued existence.
See what happened there? Accidental, to be sure. Look, you either deal in the milieu of the real reality of human beings, or you get all delusional and idealistic, and nobody gives a shit about you, what you do, what you say or what you think.
Moreover, if I did have to make a choice between being loved or hated? I'd pick hate every time, because in the end, it's just a more complex form of love.
~ Huge positive response to my Milk Diet Update yesterday, in newsletter form. It's really cranking up, questions and comments galore, and even a few people interested to naturally reign in their taste for The Devil's Potion as well. Those who subscribe will get an email (takes about an hour, so be patient) with links to the past three weeks of updates, the last being by far the most extensive—and I only covered about half of what I wanted to relate, owing to length constraints. Next week.
…The most important aspect of the love & hate dynamics of passion in which I'm so privileged to deal…calling the shots 100% how I want, 100% of the time—with zero care over how perceived by assholes and morons—is: me, myself & I.
It's just simple honesty about just about everything, and you can never fake it. So whether it's calling some chicks the c-word in a rant, blogging about drinking too much or lighting up now & then, or taking a toke of herb, or celebrating the fact that a guy will openly go help some prostitutes and their clients, or going against all the groupthink to stand against that groupthink in matters of justice for stupid kids, it's all and always only about calling things how I see them for reals and none of the stupid mundane bullshit people engage everyday so people will fake liking them. You think the people who openly proclaim their love or like for a shit stirrer like me are faking it to be nice? Think about that. The love & hate I deal in is genuine.
The root of all human and societal problems is dishonesty. We all exist somewhere on the spectrum and everyone has elements of both. At both extremes, boring. Honesty does not mean you tell everyone every detail about your life, else they become indifferent via desensitization. Nor do you play dishonest, out-of-context bites like Melissa McEwen and Evelyn Kocur do on the far extreme of dishonesty, just like a politician—and they're fooling less and less assholes and morons every day.
It's context.
In the end, it's whatever I can do to preserve the passon, because the passion is what drives the attention and the attention is what drives the improvements in real lives in all facets of the things in which I deal. What drives it all is building trust; not false, faked adoration based on groupthink standards of "popularity." It's fine to be an attention whore. At least do it on your own terms and not terms dictated by the lowest common denominator of assholes and morons in politically correct and acceptable society. Trust is derived from people knowing without a doubt that you're not lying. You're telling the truth as you see and judge it; doing so in an honest, open way without the scheming and manipulating and engineering of context to out-of-context and non-sequitur proportions. The weirdest thing of all?
The people who hate you the most also trust you the most.


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Gray & Beige
ARGANTINAS are a unique and special accessory, one of the identity marks of Guanábana. A garment that combines tradition and new trends, exclusively designed in Madrid and handcrafted using ancestral techniques. The bracelets are hand woven in a hand loom known as Egyptian loom, using 40 or 120 threads, and are finished with an adjustable closure for the wrist. They are available in different sizes and in a great variety of designs so you can wear several and play with the patterns and color. You can also combine them with other Guanábana collections to create your own set and give a boho-chic vibe to your day to day looks. And, so you remember it, the bracelet includes a bronze tag with our mantra: BE POSITIVE.
Material: woven in acrylic
Width: 5 mm (0,19 inch)
Diameter (min-max): 15 cm (5,9 inch) & 26 cm (10,23 inch)
The bag is made entirely by hand, so there may be slight variations in design and measurements.
Basic Bracelet


text:
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text:
"That was a bad move," Bram Cohen tells me. We're huddled over a table in his Bellevue, Washington, house playing a board game called Amazons. Cohen picked it up two weeks ago and has already mastered it. The 29-year-old programmer consumes logic puzzles at the same rate most of us buy magazines. Behind his desk he keeps an enormous plastic bin filled with dozens of Rubik's Cube-style twisting gewgaws that he periodically scrambles and solves throughout the day. Cohen says he loves Amazons, a cross between chess and the Japanese game Go, because it is pure strategy. Players take turns dropping more and more tokens on a grid, trying to box in their opponent. As I ponder my next move, Cohen studies the board, his jet-black hair hanging in front of his face, and tells me his philosophy of the perfect game."The best strategy games are the ones where you put a piece down and it stays there for the whole game," he explains. "You say, OK, I'm staking out this area. But you can't always figure out if that's going to work for you or against you. You just have to wait and see. You might be right, might be wrong." It's only later, when I look over these words in my notes, that I realize he could just as easily be talking about his life.
Bram Cohen is the creator of BitTorrent, one of the most successful peer-to-peer programs ever. BitTorrent lets users quickly upload and download enormous amounts of data, files that are hundreds or thousands of times bigger than a single MP3. Analysts at CacheLogic, an Internet-traffic analysis firm in Cambridge, England, report that BitTorrent traffic accounts for more than one-third of all data sent across the Internet. Cohen showed his code to the world at a hacker conference in 2002, as a free, open source project aimed at geeks who need a cheap way to swap Linux software online. But the real audience turns out to be TV and movie fanatics. It takes hours to download a ripped episode of Alias or Monk off Kazaa, but BitTorrent can do it in minutes. As a result, more than 20 million people have downloaded the BitTorrent application. If any one of them misses their favorite TV show, no worries. Surely someone has posted it as a "torrent." As for movies, if you can find it at Blockbuster, you can probably find it online somewhere - and use BitTorrent to suck it down.
With so much illegal traffic, it's no surprise that a clampdown has started: In November, the Motion Picture Association of America began suing downloaders of movies, in order to, as the MPAA's antipiracy chief John Malcolm put it, "avoid the fate of the music industry."
For Cohen, it's all a little surreal. He gets up in the morning, helps his wife feed their children, and then sits down at his cord-and-computer-choked desk to watch his PayPal account fill up with donations from grateful BitTorrent users - enough to support his family. Then he goes online to see how many more people have downloaded the program: At this rate, it'll be 40 million by 2006.
"I can't even imagine a crowd that big. I try not to think about it," he admits.
So he does what he always does. He narrows his focus to zoom in on the next thorny problem, the next interesting technical challenge. Like our game of Amazons.
He lays down another piece: "I think I've won now."
Like many geeks in the '90s, Cohen coded for a parade of dotcoms that went bust without a product ever seeing daylight. He decided his next project would be something he wrote for himself in his own way, and gave away free. "You get so tired of having your work die," he says. "I just wanted to make something that people would actually use."
Cohen was always interested in file-sharing. His last job was with MojoNation, a project based in Mountain View, California, that tried to create a "distributed data haven." A MojoNation user who wanted to keep a file safe from prying eyes could break it into chunks, encrypt the pieces, and store them on the millions of computers belonging to people who, theoretically, would be running the software worldwide. Too complicated for easy use, it expired like the other startups Cohen was part of. But it gave him an idea: Breaking a big file into tiny pieces might be a terrific way to swap it online.
The problem with P2P file-sharing networks like Kazaa, he reasoned, is that uploading and downloading do not happen at equal speeds. Broadband providers allow their users to download at superfast rates, but let them upload only very slowly, creating a bottleneck: If two peers try to swap a compressed copy of Meet the Fokkers - say, 700 megs - the recipient will receive at a speedy 1.5 megs a second, but the sender will be uploading at maybe one-tenth of that rate. Thus, one-to-one swapping online is inherently inefficient. It's fine for MP3s but doesn't work for huge files.
Cohen realized that chopping up a file and handing out the pieces to several uploaders would really speed things up. He sketched out a protocol: To download that copy of Meet the Fokkers, a user's computer sniffs around for others online who have pieces of the movie. Then it downloads a chunk from several of them simultaneously. Many hands make light work, so the file arrives dozens of times faster than normal.
Paradoxically, BitTorrent's architecture means that the more popular the file is the faster it downloads - because more people are pitching in. Better yet, it's a virtuous cycle. Users download and share at the same time; as soon as someone receives even a single piece of Fokkers, his computer immediately begins offering it to others. The more files you're willing to share, the faster any individual torrent downloads to your computer. This prevents people from leeching, a classic P2P problem in which too many people download files and refuse to upload, creating a drain on the system. "Give and ye shall receive" became Cohen's motto, which he printed on T-shirts and sold to supporters.
In April 2001, Cohen quit his job at MojoNation and entered what he calls his "starving artist" period. He lived off his meager savings and stayed home to work on the software all day. His pals were skeptical. "No one knew if BitTorrent would work. Everyone knew that Bram was smart, but let's face it, a lot of stuff like this fails," says Danny O'Brien, a consultant and the editor of the tech newsletter Need To Know.
What kept Cohen going, say friends and family, was a cartoonishly inflated ego. "I can come off as pretty arrogant, but it's because I know I'm right," he laughs. "I'm very, very good at writing protocols. I've accomplished more working on my own than I ever did as part of a team." While we're having lunch, his wife, Jenna, tells me about the time they were watching Amadeus, where Mozart writes his music so rapidly and perfectly it appears to have been dictated by God. Cohen decided he was kind of like that. Like Mozart? Bram and Jenna nod.
"Bram will just pace around the house all day long, back and forth, in and out of the kitchen. Then he'll suddenly go to his computer and the code just comes pouring out. And you can see by the lines on the screen that it's clean," Jenna says. "It's clean code." She pats her husband affectionately on the head: "My sweet little autistic nerd boy." (Cohen in fact has Asperger's syndrome, a condition on the mild end of the autism spectrum that gives him almost superhuman powers of concentration but can make it difficult for him to relate to other people.)
For the program's first successful public trial, Cohen collected a batch of free porn and used it to lure beta testers. (The gambit worked, as did the code.) He started releasing beta versions of BitTorrent in summer 2001. Linux geeks took to it immediately and began swapping their enormous programs. In 2004, TV-show and movie pirates began showing up on BitTorrent blogs that, like samizdat TV Guides, pointed to long lists of pirated content.
The one person who hasn't joined the plundering is Cohen himself. He says he has never downloaded a single pirated file using BitTorrent. Why? He suspects the MPAA would love to make a legal example of him, and he doesn't want to give them an opening. He's the perfect candidate for downloading, though, since he doesn't care if he sees TV live, doesn't subscribe to basic cable, and already sits at a computer all day long. The only shows he watches are those he buys on DVD. He particularly loved the first season of Paris Hilton's The Simple Life. "You can watch that show for six hours," Cohen says, "and your brain is still empty."
We wander into his garage, where he hops onto a skateboard and begins zipping back and forth. I ask him if he would download television shows if he weren't BitTorrent's creator.
He pauses for a second. "I don't know," he says. "There's upholding the principle. And there's being the only knucklehead left who's upholding the principle."
You could think of BitTorrent as Napster redux - another rumble in the endless copyright wars. But BitTorrent is something deeper and more subtle. It's a technology that is changing the landscape of broadcast media.
"All hell's about to break loose," says Brad Burnham, a venture capitalist with Union Square Ventures in Manhattan, which studies the impact of new technology on traditional media. BitTorrent does not require the wires or airwaves that the cable and network giants have spent billions constructing and buying. And it pounds the final nail into the coffin of must-see, appointment television. BitTorrent transforms the Internet into the world's largest TiVo.
One example of how the world has already changed: Gary Lerhaupt, a graduate student in computer science at Stanford, became fascinated with Outfoxed, the documentary critical of Fox News, and thought more people should see it. So he convinced the film's producer to let him put a chunk of it on his Web site for free, as a 500-Mbyte torrent. Within two months, nearly 1,500 people downloaded it. That's almost 750 gigs of traffic, a heck of a wallop. But to get the ball rolling, Lerhaupt's site needed to serve up only 5 gigs. After that, the peers took over and hosted it themselves. His bill for that bandwidth? $4. There are drinks at Starbucks that cost more. "It's amazing - I'm a movie distributor," he says. "If I had my own content, I'd be a TV station."
During the last century, movie and TV companies had to be massive to afford distribution. Those economies of scale aren't needed anymore. Will the future of broadcasting need networks, or even channels?
"Blogs reduced the newspaper to the post. In TV, it'll go from the network to the show," says Jeff Jarvis, president of the Internet strategy company Advance.net and founder of Entertainment Weekly. (Advance.net is owned by Advance Magazine Group, which also owns Wired's parent company, Condé Nast.) Burnham goes one step further. He thinks TV-viewing habits are becoming even more atomized. People won't watch entire shows; they'll just watch the parts they care about.
Evidence that Burnham's prediction is coming true came a few weeks before the US presidential election in November, when Jon Stewart - host of Comedy Central's irreverent The Daily Show - made a now-famous appearance on CNN's Crossfire. Stewart attacked the hosts, Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson, calling them political puppets. "What you do is partisan hackery," he said, just before he called Carlson "a dick." Amusing enough, but what happened next was more remarkable. Delighted fans immediately ripped the segment and posted it online as a torrent. Word of Stewart's smackdown spread rapidly through the blogs, and within a day at least 4,000 servers were hosting the clip. One host reported having, at any given time, more than a hundred peers swapping and downloading the file. No one knows exactly how many people got the clip through BitTorrent, but this kind of traffic on the very first day suggests a number in the hundreds of thousands - and probably much higher. Another 2.3 million people streamed it from iFilm.com over the next few weeks. By contrast, CNN's audience for Crossfire was only 867,000. Three times as many people saw Stewart's appearance online as on CNN itself.
If enough people start getting their TV online, it will drastically change the nature of the medium. Normally, the buzz for a show builds gradually; it takes a few weeks or even a whole season for a loyal viewership to lock in. But in a BitTorrented broadcast world, things are more volatile. Once a show becomes slightly popular - or once it has a handful of well-connected proselytizers - multiplier effects will take over, and it could become insanely popular overnight. The pass-around effect of blogs, email, and RSS creates a roving, instant audience for a hot show or segment. The whole concept of must-see TV changes from being something you stop and watch every Thursday to something you gotta check out right now, dude. Just click here.
What exactly would a next-generation broadcaster look like? The VCs at Union Square Ventures don't know, though they'd love to invest in one. They suspect the network of the future will resemble Yahoo! or Amazon.com - an aggregator that finds shows, distributes them in P2P video torrents, and sells ads or subscriptions to its portal. The real value of the so-called BitTorrent broadcaster would be in highlighting the good stuff, much as the collaborative filtering of Amazon and TiVo helps people pick good material. Eric Garland, CEO of the P2P analysis firm BigChampagne, says, "the real work isn't acquisition. It's good, reliable filtering. We'll have more video than we'll know what to do with. A next-gen broadcaster will say, 'Look, there are 2,500 shows out there, but here are the few that you're really going to like.' We'll be willing to pay someone to hold back the tide."
Of course, peercasting doesn't change everything. Producing a good show like The Sopranos or E.R. still costs millions. Actors aren't cheap. That's why Jarvis thinks the first creators to thrive in a BitTorrent world will be a fresh crop of how-to and reality shows, where talent is inexpensive and scriptwriters unnecessary. "Trading Spaces is probably $100,000 a half hour. But with a Mac and a digital video camera you can produce a much cheaper version," Jarvis says.
The major networks are watching the situation cautiously. They don't want to ignore the potential of the peercasting model, but they can't endorse it without knowing where their revenue will come from. "We're going to have to be very creative about it," says Channing Dawson, a senior vice president with Scripps Networks, which produces several food and lifestyle shows for on-demand TV. "But eventually the consumer will become the programmer. Content will be accessible anywhere, anytime." The executive vice president for research and planning at CBS, David Poltrack, elaborates: "In our research with consumers, content-on-demand is the killer app. They like the idea of paying only for what they watch." The trick, he figures, is to work out a solution before the audience for illegal downloading becomes truly huge. He figures the networks have 10 years.
The task for broadcasters is clear: Take this new platform and mine it for gold, the way Hollywood, which squawked about VHS, figured out how to make billions off video rentals. BitTorrent isn't the only way to do this. There are more corporate-friendly routes. The P2P technology company Kontiki produces software that, like BitTorrent, creates hyperefficient downloads; its applications also work with Microsoft's digital rights management software to keep content out of pirate hands. The BBC used Kontiki's systems last summer to send TV shows to 1,000 households. And America Online now uses Kontiki's apps to circulate Moviefone trailers. In fact, when users download a trailer, they also download a plug-in that begins swapping the file with others. It's so successful that when you watch a trailer on Moviefone, 80 percent of the time it's being delivered to you by other users in the network. Millions of AOL users have already participated in peercasting - without knowing it.
The Pirate Bay is a BitTorrent tracking site in Sweden with 150,000 users a day. In the fall, it posted a torrent for Shrek 2. Dreamworks sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding the site remove it. One of the site's pseudonymous owners, Anakata, replied: "As you may or may not be aware, Sweden is not a state in the United States of America. Sweden is a country in northern Europe [and] US law does not apply here. … It is the opinion of us and our lawyers that you are fucking morons." Shrek 2 stayed up.
For movie industry insiders, file-sharing seems like all downside. Unlike TV networks, movie studios get no revenue from advertising - getting massive online circulation won't put a penny in their box offices. For them, it seems like an open-and-shut case. They ran advertisements urging users not to download movies illegally; when that didn't work, they started suing.
"We consider it a regrettable but necessary step," says John Malcolm of the MPAA. "We saw the devastating effect that peer-to-peer piracy had on the record industry."
The music industry watched songs get stolen for years, yet as soon as it gave people what they wanted - a reasonably cheap and easy way to pay for individual tracks - customers swarmed to the legal option: the iTunes Music Store. What if the movie industry pursued a similar model? Use peercasting to distribute movies cheaply, and make it so easy and inexpensive that most of people will go the legal route. As BigChampagne's Garland points out, the film industry might even find that it will be easier for them to bring customers to its side than it is for the music industry, because Hollywood doesn't suffer from the problems that plagued the record business. Music buyers had long felt bitter about album prices. Moviegoers generally do not feel that way about films. While music consumers want to own their MP3s forever, movies are usually a one-hit blast - fewer viewers will want to permanently own the movies. That means creating a digital rights management system for downloadable movies is likely to be a lot easier than it is for music. Music lovers hate DRM limits on their MP3s because they expect their music to behave like a piece of property - something they can own forever and transfer from device to device. In contrast, Blockbuster has long proven that people are happy to just rent movies.
Either way, the lawsuits place Cohen in the crosshairs. The record industry sued Napster into oblivion. Could the MPAA do the same thing to him? Legal experts doubt it. The courts have argued in recent years that a file-sharing technology cannot be banned if it has "substantial noninfringing uses" - in other words, if it can be used for legal purposes. BitTorrent passes that test, says Fred von Lohmann, a lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, because Linux groups and videogame companies regularly use it to shuttle software around the Net. "That puts Bram in the same situation as Xerox and its photocopiers," he says.
Cohen knows the havoc he has wrought. In November, he spoke at a Los Angeles awards show and conference organized by Billboard, the weekly paper of the music business. After hobnobbing with "content people" from the record and movie industries, he realized that "the content people have no clue. I mean, no clue. The cost of bandwidth is going down to nothing. And the size of hard drives is getting so big, and they're so cheap, that pretty soon you'll have every song you own on one hard drive. The content distribution industry is going to evaporate." Cohen said as much at the conference's panel discussion on file-sharing. The audience sat in a stunned silence, their mouths agape at Cohen's audacity.
Cohen seems curiously unmoved by the storm raging around him. "With BitTorrent, the cat's out of the bag," he shrugs. He doesn't want to talk about piracy and the future of media, and at first I think he's avoiding the subject because it's so legally sensitive. But after a while, I realize it simply doesn't interest him much.
He'd rather just work on his code. He'd rather buckle down and figure out new ways to make BitTorrent more efficient. He'd rather focus on something that demands crazy, hair-pulling logic. In his office, he roots through his bin of twisting puzzles and pulls out CrossTeaser, an interlocking series of colored x's that you have to orient until their colors line up. "This is one of the hardest I've ever tried, " he says. "It took me, like, a couple of days to solve it."
Cohen has even started sketching out ideas for his own puzzles. He dreams of making enough money to buy a 3-D prototyping machine and retire. Now that, he figures, would be a fun life: Sitting at home and designing stuff so fiendishly hard almost no one can figure it out. We know his philosophy of what makes a good game; he's got a theory of the perfect puzzle, too.
"The ideal," he says, "is that you appear to be near the end - you've got almost all the colors lined up, and you think it's nearly solved. But it isn't. And you realize that to get that last color in place, you're going to have to do something that jumbles it up all over again."
Sounds like the puzzle he's created for the television and film industries.
A Better Way to Share Files
How BitTorrent Works
Bram Cohen's approach is faster and more efficient than traditional P2P networking.
1. A single source file within a group of BitTorrent users, called a swarm, spreads around pieces of a film or videogame or TV show so that everyone has a chunk to share.
2. After the initial downloading, those pieces are then uploaded to other needy users in the swarm. The rules require every downloader to also do some uploading. Thus the more people trying to download, the faster everything is uploaded.
3. Before long, the swarm has shared all the pieces, and everyone has their own complete source.
How Traditional Peer-to-Peer works
Sites like Kazaa and Morpheus are slow because they suffer from supply bottlenecks. Even if many users on the network have the same file, swapping is restricted to one uploader and downloader at a time. And since uploading goes much slower than downloading, even highly compressed media can take many hours to transfer.
Clive Thompson (firstname.lastname@example.com) wrote about rebooting the political system in issue 12.09.
credit Photo by Frank Ockenfels 3; Stylist/Groomer: Amanda Stansfield
éThe cat is out of the bag,é says BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen.-The content people have no clue. I mean, no clue.é


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LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- ABC has renewed its freshman hit "Once Upon a Time" for a second season.
Co-creator Adam Horowitz broke the news via his Twitter feed this afternoon: "It's official -- #OnceUponATime has been picked up for season 2. Thank you all so much for watching, we're beyond thrilled to continue on!"
The show's most recent episode drew a 3.0 rating among adults 18-49, putting it in the top 20 of all programs last week.