Siacoin - Reminder: Upcoming Sia Hardfork

As most of you know, we sent out a quick reminder of the upcoming Sia hardfork on Saturday. We put together this blog post to clear up any confusion and answer some frequently asked questions. If you have any further questions, let us know on Discord.

The hardfork is expected to take place on December 6.

Why does Sia require a hardfork?

Sia, like many other tokens, uses a PoW (Proof-of-Work) algorithm to secure the network and to prevent double spending. PoW requires a DAA (Difficulty Adjustment Algorithm) to adjust the mining difficulty on a regular basis to ensure that blocks are mined every 10 minutes on average. This is especially important for Sia since file contracts use the blockheight as a measure of time.

While Sia’s DAA has done a good job so far, it’s not without its flaws. Currently this is not a problem, but it might become a threat to the network’s security once ASICs are released, causing an enormous spike in hashrate. For that reason, we introduced a new DAA in Sia v1.3.0 which is triggered at block 135,000. The new DAA adjusts the difficulty every block and will be able to keep the network stable during sudden spikes in hashrate.

Frequently asked question
Were there any other changes? e.g. block reward or number of Siacoins/Siafunds?

No, only the DAA was upgraded. We didn’t change any other consensus rules, move tokens, change the amount of tokens, change the inflation rate of the tokens or create or redistribute Siafunds. This means absolutely nothing changed except for the DAA.

Will there be a new token? Do my coins double like in the Bitcoin or Ethereum hardforks?

No, there won’t be a new token.

Chain splits only take place during contentious hardforks. This hardfork is not contentious in nature.

When does the hardfork trigger?

The hardfork triggers at block 135,000 which is estimated to be mined on Wednesday the 6th of December.

What does that mean for existing Siacoin holders? What do I need to do?

If you are holding the coins in the Sia-UI wallet, we recommend updating to the latest version before the hardfork. If you have all your coins in a paper wallet or on exchanges, you don’t need to do anything.

How do I update Sia-UI?

Just download the latest version from our website and follow the guide on our wiki.

What happens if I can’t update in time?

Don’t worry. Just update Sia to the latest version.

Will my coins cease to exist? Will I lose coins?

No, update your wallet and you will still have all your coins on the new chain.

Does the new DAA increase difficulty?

Not right away. The difficulty will stay the same for now. It will only increase if the network hashrate increases.

Is GPU mining still possible?

Yes, GPU mining is still possible, but will probably not be profitable anymore once ASICs start mining.


Bastien Lecouffe Deharme
Bastien Lecouffe Deharme
Illustrator and Instructor
Retrocity, United States of America

Bastien Lecouffe Deharme was born on the shores of Brittany (France) at the beginning of the eighties.
His artwork evolves at the crossroad of modern and ancient myths and legends, forgotten tales and tragedies.
Bastien creates dark and symbolic pictures, blending a contrast of beauty and decadence.

He lives and work in the US since 2010.

Clients include:
Magic: the Gathering, Adobe, DAW Books, Random House, Tor Books, National Geographic, Riot Games, Penguin, Harper Collins, Orbit Books, Del Rey, Spectrum, SFX Magazine, Imagine FX, 3D Total (Digital Art Masters, Sketching from the Imagination), Applibot (Legend of the Cryptids), Popular Science, Miami New Times, Gallimard, Pocket, Bragelonne, Mnemos, Les Ecuries d’Augias Edition du Riez, Elegy, Carta Capital (The Economist), Mad Movies, Metaluna Production, Malpertuis …

Represented by Shannon Associates (NYC).


Restored Family Photos - Art

Restored family photos ready for printing. Note the unusual shapes of most of these vintage photos. They don't line up with standard 5x7, 8x10, etc. One of the reasons I love my printer is that every print is custom, so they will print odd sizes rather than making you crop to fit. Also, note that for family members who'd like, I will gladly send you the image files, just drop me a message with an email address to contact you.

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Reshoring: Manufacturers Re-Evaluate Their Supply Chains
It's true that U.S. companies' returning operations from offshore spurs U.S. job growth, but what are the risks these companies face?
John Morris, SIOR, Industrial Services Lead for the Americas, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. (Fall 2012)

{{RELATEDLINKS}}In the face of rising domestic labor costs, many companies, over the years, moved their manufacturing and assembly operations to low-labor-cost countries, especially to China. Now, local wage inflation and other factors abroad are eroding that advantage.

Long lead times, inventory issues, higher fuel costs, and a diminished customization or innovation capability all help highlight the fragility of long-distance supply chains and are beginning to impact sourcing decisions. Natural disasters like the one in Japan, political instability, rapidly rising foreign wages coupled with U.S. currency depreciation, high oil prices, quality concerns, the loss of intellectual property, and the lack of legal protections offshore are all also part of the equation. Even such factors as emergency airfreight, travel costs, and time zone and language problems are back under a lens of scrutiny.

Many companies are now re-evaluating their supply chains and moving their manufacturing and assembly operations either to new, lower-cost locations such as Vietnam and Indonesia, or closer to their key markets in developed economies such as Mexico, and even back to the United States. For the latter, a new term has been coined in the economic development community - reshoring.

Indeed, a new nationwide initiative is under way to convince companies that it is worth bringing manufacturing back to the United States. Illinois was the first state to launch a "Reshoring Initiative" aimed at convincing large original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to re-open factories in America. Its backers are working to create similar chapters in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and California.

Reacting to a Changing Industrial World
According to the Reshoring Initiative, reasons to consider moving back are obvious - ranging from reducing the total cost of ownership, to improving the quality of inputs, cutting surge impact on just-in-time operations, and the ability to cluster manufacturing near R&D centers to enhance product innovation, among others. Countering potential offshore instability, political or otherwise, is not the least of those factors.

Any manufacturer considering reshoring as an option must balance those positives with potential strategic risks that can be associated with reshoring, prior to making that important decision. The risks include the impact on supply chain cost structure and the potential loss of local market service, the challenge of setting up trusted supply networks to service a new facility, and the possibility that pending U.S. policy and regulation decisions may make that decision look less favorable later on.

Planning and changing systems and people, training new staff, business disruption related to reshoring, and the potential issue of protecting intellectual property all factor into the reshoring equation. Coupling those issues with the speed of change that defines the modern industrial world means that risk factors must be evaluated and monitored constantly. Ideally, a manufacturer has a process for tracking location variables and keeping themselves informed. At the same time, their supply chain footprint must be as flexible as possible, such that it can quickly be reconfigured to remain optimal when tides shift and opportunity arises.

Examining Impacts on Cost, Inventory, Suppliers
One source of frustration for manufacturers and distributors in the past five years has been the lack of stability and pace of change in such supply chain cost variables as labor, transportation, and utilities. Companies should be aware of the current dynamic nature of supply chain cost structures. Supply chain networks are increasingly exposed to a wide range of risks that could increase costs, cause delivery delays, or prevent access to plants. Most agree that this instability is greater than it has ever been before, and analyzing the risk associated with a decision of reshoring is, therefore, just that much more difficult.

To assist in the decision-making process in terms of cost, the Reshoring Initiative has developed the Total Cost of Ownership Estimator™, a complimentary online tool that enables companies considering reshoring as an alternative to aggregate all cost and risk factors together. According to the Reshoring Initiative, companies making sourcing decisions based on price alone frequently experience a 20-30 percent miscalculation.

Next on the agenda for companies considering reshoring is the need to examine the extended supply chain and the impact on inventory. For example, the risk of order disruption and resulting high inventories will continue if components continue to be sourced, including from second- and third-tier suppliers, from near the original offshore location.

Of course we are not talking about easily adaptable warehouses - we're talking primarily about manufacturing plants. It is difficult to respond to supply chain risks when it comes to manufacturing plants, which have to be fitted out, at substantial cost, to a specific product group. Therefore, reshoring can mean an inherent loss of flexibility, and the potential downstream risks associated with that loss have to be considered carefully.

In reshoring there are also supply risks. If new tiers of suppliers are recruited at the new location, there is significant supply and quality risk associated. When a manufacturer sets up offshore operations, that company goes through a long process of identifying who will do the manufacturing for them. In reshoring, that process will have to be done all over again.

Protecting Intellectual Property
Another issue is intellectual property. To be clear, when a plant is closed offshore, or a process moves, and an empty building or an unemployed worker is left behind, someone is going to find something valuable. Intellectual property risk offshore is associated with everything from set up, to operations, to even the shut-down itself - knowledge can be transferred from anything or anyone you might have left behind.

People are the bigger risk than technology in this discussion. As a manufacturer, you train people how to do a job and how to build something for you in that market. You let them go, you leave - and someone else can hire them to do what you were doing and perhaps become your direct competitor. You leave behind your secrets, your people, your suppliers, even your machinery, and the vacuum left behind can easily be filled in an unregulated offshore environment.

Next: Considering Operational and Financial Risks

{{RELATEDLINKS}}Conversely, when it comes to planning the transfer, reshoring requires changing systems and training new staff, all of which present operational and financial risks. Jeff Immelt, General Electric's chief executive, concedes that the decision to put $1billion into the appliance giant's domestic business is "as risky an investment as we have ever made."

He may be right. The decision by GE to bring hundreds of jobs back to Louisville, Kentucky, that had been outsourced to Mexico and China is emblematic of his strategy for GE. If it fails, it will impact his company for a very long time.

To be sure, more companies like GE are analyzing all of the factors and are indeed deciding to "come home." Fueled in part by reshoring, the United States has added 429,000 factory jobs in the past two years, replacing almost one fifth of the losses during the recession.

For GE, the balance of employment had been shifting away from America, largely as a result of investment overseas. Since 2009, however, the company has announced plans to create 13,500 new U.S. jobs, 11,000 of them in manufacturing.

If the objective is to move closer to markets, the reality is that costs will generally be higher than for competitors who remain offshore. There is also the probability that offshore locations in emerging economies will themselves become important markets in the long term, and importing from a distance could be difficult compared with local manufacturing.

Essentially, the risks in reshoring can be as great as the risks associated with offshoring in the first place, and the balance between offshoring, near-shoring, and reshoring will change continuously. Companies considering reshoring should start by reviewing the drivers and assumptions that caused them to offshore in the first place.

More regionalization of manufacturing, which is basically a matter of keeping manufacturing in "both" places, is worth considering. Regionalization certainly minimizes transportation costs, while increasing market responsiveness or the ability to sell into the market in which a company is manufacturing.

Weighing All the Pros and Cons
Indeed, when all the factors are considered and the decision is made, reshoring can benefit the economy by reducing imports, increasing exports, and bringing jobs back to the United States to reduce the unemployment rate, help balance state and local budgets, and even motivate young people to choose skilled manufacturing as a career - thereby strengthening the country's industrial base.

The bottom line is that there are significant forces driving investment, and the significance of these factors will not be changing. It is incumbent upon today's manufacturers to consider all of the pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, and risks prior to making what could be a game-changing decision for their companies.


cg9 banner

Project Spotlight

The Coast Guard is responsible for establishing, maintaining and operating aids to navigation (ATON) in the nation's waterways. Recent strategic reviews have identified a need to evolve the nation's ATON system towards greater reliance on electronic-based navigation systems, and away from physical aids and their supporting infrastructure. The current ATON system is comprised of numerous buoys, lights, cans, channel markers and other physical navigation aids. The number of visual aids has remained relatively constant over the past 30 years, without much consideration being paid to the technological advances of today’s state-of-the-market navigation equipment. Maintaining the current ATON system is a labor-intensive and costly expense for the Coast Guard and nation. Technology advances may also increase safety, with a corresponding reduction of accidents, by providing for even more accurate ship navigation.

The outcome of this project is the prototype Comparative Deep Draft Maintained Waterway Transit Risk Model. It compares ATON related collision, allision and grounding (CAG) and the risk of delaying ATON system alternatives. In addition, an approach is presented for using these risk results to compare the benefits of various ATON systems for a defined set of decision factors which include: CAG risk, delay risk and operational and safety costs. The model was vetted by Coast Guard, industry and government stakeholders, and discussions were held with operators from the Ambrose Channel, the main shipping channel for the Ports of New York and New Jersey.

In the initial exercising of the model with the Ambrose Channel, substantial differences in CAG risk were indicated between the current design and recommended updates. ATON evaluators determined the differences as being worthwhile in discerning meaningful comparisons between a waterway’s current design and modernization alternatives.

Before broadly applying the model to deep draft maintained waterways, it will need to undergo review, validation and benchmark development for selected waterway types. This will help to ensure the model is useful in predicting CAG and delay risk levels, and efficient in application to a specific waterway. As the model is applied to more ATON systems in deep draft maintained waterways, the results and conclusions are likely to become increasingly predictable.


How To Make Chicken Provencal

How To Make Chicken Provencal Chicken Provençal is a native French recipe, which is very famous in the Provence region of France. The delicious recipe is prepared by cooking the chicken in wine and by accompanying olives and other traditional French spices like thyme, rosemary and marjoram with it.

Difficulty Level: Easy
Servings Per Recipe: 2
Estimated Time Required For Preparation: 10-15 Minutes
Estimated Time Required For Cooking: 1 Hour 10 Minutes- 1 ½ Hours

Utensils Required

1 non-stick skillet
1 wooden spatula
1 plate
1 sharp knife

Ingredients Required

1 ½ pounds of skinless boneless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4th cup of red wine
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4th cup of black olives, pitted and cut in halves
1 teaspoon of cooking oil
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/4th teaspoon of dried rosemary
2 cups of low-sodium chicken stock
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1/4th teaspoon of dried marjoram
1/3rd teaspoon of salt
3/4th cup of crushed tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4th teaspoon of dried thyme

Method Of Cooking

1. Chop the vegetables with a sharp knife as stated in the ingredients list. Then take the chicken pieces in a bowl or plate and season them nicely with salt and pepper. Allow the chicken to sit with the seasoning for 5 minutes. This will allow the flavors to penetrate into the chicken and will give you a rounded taste.

2. In the meantime, take a clean and dry non-stick skillet and oil it with the stated amount of oil. Place the skillet on high heat and let the oil heat up for a few seconds. Once hot, add the chicken pieces to the oil and fry them until they turn into a rich brown color. Flip the chicken pieces and fry the other side as well for about 5-6 minutes more. Once the chickens are fried, transfer them to a plate and reserve for later use.

3. Then reduce the flame to low and toss-in the onions and the garlic. Stir and sauté the onions and garlic for 3-4 minutes, or until the onions are quite soft and aromatic. Next, add the red wine to the onions and garlic and cook it on low heat, until it gets reduced to half of its original quantity. Stir the mixture occasionally and scrape off any brown bits that may have stuck to the base of the pan. Once that happens, add the tomatoes with their juices, dried thyme, dried marjoram, dried rosemary and the pitted black olives to the rest of the things in the skillet. Season the dish with a pinch of salt and pepper and then allow the vegetables and spices to simmer for 2 minutes.

4. Once the time elapses, dissolve the flour in the chicken stock and pour the mixture into the skillet. Simmer uncovered for another 5-7 minutes and then tip-in the fried chicken pieces. Now turn up the heat to maximum and let the stock come to boil. Let the chicken and the vegetables boil in the stock for 50-60 minutes, or until the chicken is fork tender. Once done, divide the chicken in bowls and serve by sprinkling fresh chopped parsley on top.

Photo Credit :


Tag: instagram dondurma

How To Grow Your Small Business Using Instagram

Small Business marketing using Instagram

Why are businesses turning to Instagram?

There are more than 300 million Instagram users worldwide.
Approximately 70 million photos are uploaded per day.
What sort of success have businesses achieved using Instagram?
To increase awareness of their products and services.
To increase brand recognition.
Run successful promotions, competitions and giveaways.
Small Business marketing success with Instagram

Influencer marketing

Bloggers, social media stars and media personalities have amassed a loyal following online with hundreds and sometimes thousands of people following their Instagram accounts. This ‘influencer’ group means that there are several eyeballs there ready to see your product or service. The audience has already been built for you. The engagement has already been formed and tapping into this by getting your product uploaded onto their Instagram feed or featured by a blogger or popular Instagram account holder will help you to grow your audience more quickly. Therefore taking the time to identify key ‘influencers’ in your industry and how you can tap into this is important.

Hashtags – What are they?

How can they be used to increase business exposure?

I suggest that if you are interested in getting onto Instagram you spend some time up front doing your Hashtag research. Hashtags are tags that you can add in a caption of a photo that you upload. To create a hashtag you need to use the # symbol at the front of the tag and then add a keyword or several keywords without spaces after the hash symbol. For example, you might post a product image of pair of jeans. Your hashtags could be: #fashion #style #jeans #lovethatstyle. You may already be familiar with hashtags as they are also popular on Twitter but if you are not take a look online to see some examples of how they are being used. The purpose of the hashtag is to tag your photo to a subject or topic category that is ‘searchable’ or ‘popular’ on Instagram.

No spaces in your hashtags
No special characters can be used in your hashtags [email protected]$&
Instagram includes a powerful search feature so if posts are set to ‘public’ you can use hashtags to tag your photos and videos so that the content becomes easier to search and becomes more accessible to the public. That means when someone runs a search and is exploring that ‘search term’ your content may be discovered which leads to more people finding out about your business or brand.

Some hashtags are very popular so it’s important to identify the ones that are most relevant to your industry. The aim of the game is really to get people talking, liking, following and sharing your content. Hashtags help to get the word out if used effectively so take some time to find out how to use these to get the best out of your content.


Test 44    (pharmacology)
1. The following are true with regard to lignocaine:
a. it lowers the threshold of patients for convulsion

b. it can augment bradycardia by augmenting vagal tone

c. it may cause hypotension

d. it slows the heart by producing beta-adrenoceptor blockade

e. it is effective in the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias

2. With regard to gentamicin:

a. it is metabolized and excreted mainly by the liver

b. it is well absorbed by the small intestine

c. it can produce permanent vestibular nerve damage

d. it is toxic to the retina

e. topical application is associated with punctate keratitis

3. The following give rise to non-depolarising blockade of the neuromuscular
     junction during anaesthesia:

a. succinylcholine

b. physostigmine

c. pancuronium

d. tubocurarine

e. atropine

4. The following are true with regard to drug metabolism:

a. lipid-soluble beta-antagonists cause bad dreams more often
    than water-soluble beta-antagonists

b. a highly plasma protein bound drugs have a very large
    volume of distribution

c. hepatic drug metabolism often involves conversion of a
    water-soluble into a more lipid-soluble drug

d. gastrointestinal absorption of lipid soluble drugs occurs
    more readily than water soluble drugs

e. renal failure significantly increases the plasma
    protein binding of drugs

5. The administration of histamine in man can produce:

a. bronchodilatation

b. increased gastric acid secretion

c. vasodilation

d. negative chronotropic action

e. reduced secretion of intrinsic factors

More MCQs


Weekly Notes from the Yohkoh Soft X-Ray Telescope

(Week 40, 2002)

Science Nugget: October 4, 2002

Possible Solar Signatures of SEP Events

Solar energetic particle (SEP) events, especially those with high-energy ions, present a major space weather threat. For example, an alert is issued when the flux of protons > 10 MeV as measured by the GOES satellite (at geosynchronous) exceeds 10 particle flux unit (PFU, particles/s/cm/sr). We solar physicists want to know what observable solar signatures lead to major SEP events. But this is not straightforward, because an SEP event requires not just particle acceleration but also some conditions that allow the particles to get out to the interplanetary space.

For long time the flare had been the top suspect for an obvious reason. Before the spacecraft age, ground level events (GLEs) as observed with neutron monitors gave a primary source of information on the particles reaching the Earth. These GLEs, produced by protons in the GeV range, almost always followed intense flares. Several lines of theory were proposed so that particles could escape (or diffuse) from the flare site to the well-connected longitudes, from where they would propagate along the magnetic field in the form of the Parker spiral. This spiral field results from the solar rotation and the solar wind that brings the magnetic field out in the radial direction. It is easy to understand how the longitude of the field lines connecting the Sun and the Earth changes with the solar wind speed, as shown in this plot.. For fast solar wind, the well-connected longitudes move eastward from ~W60, corresponding to ~400 km/s, and the length of the spiral between the Sun and the Earth gets shorter.

The paradigm changed as a result of studies since the 1980s which established a better association of SEP events with CMEs. As shown in a cartoon taken from a review paper by Reames (1999), many researchers on SEPs seem to agree that intense and gradual SEP events are due to interplanetary shock waves driven by CMEs, and that particles accelerated in the flare (which are characterized by, for example, a high 3He/4He ratio) are observed only as a small and impulsive event (only when the flare is located at the well-connected longitude). Indeed, it would probably be impossible to understand the following example (from August 15-16 2001) without introducing wide shocks.

However, this change of view does not help us since many fast CMEs (e.g., > 1500 km/s, as observed by LASCO) have nothing to do with SEP events, and more importantly we still cannot isolate the solar signatures of shock-associated CMEs. Actually, CME initiation in general is still an open issue. It is our belief that a CME can be directly observed in X-ray/EUV images when there is enough temporal/spatial/temperature coverage, unless it is launched at very high altitudes. This nugget tries to associate those outward motions seen in the early phase of flares with the onset of fast CMEs and CME-driven shocks that are responsible for SEP events.

SEP events with quick onset

When we discuss the solar connection of SEP events, it is probably better to concentrate on those that do not take too long to start after the flare/CME, since the delayed onset implies acceleration/propagation away from the Sun, where the solar effect may be largely lost. It is known that such delayed events are often associated with activity in the eastern hemisphere.

We first pick up all the major SEP events during 1997-2001 that are included in the NOAA list (as maintained by Joe Kunches and others at ftp://ftp.ngdc.noaa.gov/STP/SOLAR_DATA/SAT_ENVIRONMENT/PARTICLES/p_events.lst), and then rearrange the events in the order of the peak flux of > 10 MeV protons. We plot their time profiles with respect to GOES X-ray light curves. The following plot shows all the SEP events that started within two hours from the flare associated with the SEP-producing CME.

The association of the SEP events with the flares/CMEs is somewhat uncertain as we go to less intense events. For example, in the last event (7-May-2001), the C3 flare around 12:00 seems to have nothing to do with the CME/SEP, but there was a CME preceded by loop expansions from the backside around the time of the flare. This tells us that the CME-flare association without using coronal images could be erroneous.

An interesting thing from this plot is that some of those events whose peaks of proton flux come much later (e.g., with the shock arrival) have a component that indicates acceleration close to the Sun (e.g., 4-Nov-2001, 14-Jul-2000, 30-Sep-98, etc.) and that they are not always located at the well-connected longitudes, sometimes even in the eastern hemisphere. Conversely, several major events closer to the well-connected longitudes are missing from the plot (22-Nov-2001, 2-Apr-2001, etc.)

Flare ejections and SEP events

SXT data show many flares with ejections, and these flares are known to be associated with CMEs. Indeed, these ejections may be among the few things in imaging data that directly capture CMEs in the low corona -- other signatures are indirect and we have to wait longer to see them (dimming, arcade formation, etc.) Then we may ask if the properties of flare ejections can be used to predict SEP events, because they may give information on the shocks driven by fast motions. In order to observe fast motions, high time resolution is very important. SXT large field-of-view data in flare mode were often taken with the cadence of 10-30 seconds. Now we can also include TRACE data that have not only high spatial resolution but also high temporal resolution.

A preliminary survey of data for flare ejections indicates that they may usually represent coronal shocks (as manifested by metric type II bursts) and not necessarily SEP-producing CME shocks. For example, the following movie for the 2-Mar-2000 flare (click the thumbnail) shows fast ejections (up to 2000 km/s) near the well-connected longitude, and yet the associated CME was rather narrow (63 degrees) and there was no SEP event. This suggests that the possible shock driven by the flare ejections did not propagate large distances.

But there seem to be other cases where ejections in the early phase of the flare may indicate the relation with CME shocks. Look at the following movie for the Bastille Day 2000 event in the TRACE UV channel. We see a moving front ahead of the eruptive filament as early as 10:08 UT, with their legs appearing brighter. This front seems to be the earliest manifestation of the CME shock, and by moving westward from W07 as it accelerated particles it may have intersected the field lines connecting to the Earth at an early stage of the CME propagation. This example indicates that some of our flare ejections may represent the early manifestation of CME shocks and that their directions may be important in predicting the rising phase of SEP events.

Concluding remarks

By looking at flare ejections in many events in movie form, we tentatively conclude that those appearing as smooth curves tend to have close links with CME shocks and that those appearing as plasmoids or bullets tend to be confined in the corona. The 2-Mar-2000 event seems to belong to the second category, but there are many cases where the ejections do not go beyond certain distances, as shown in the following movie for another X-class flare.

This is an example of "confined ejection" and there was no associated CME or decametric type II burst. An interesting thing is that this event showed a metric type II burst between 12:13 and 12:18 UT in the range of 150-45 MHz (thanks to Dr. A. Klassen @ Potsdam), although it was not documented in the Solar Geophysical Data. These are essentially different from ejections that may have influence on CME shocks. Although some researchers keep explaining flare ejections in a unified manner (e.g., the often quoted cartoon), we should go beyond that and try to extract more information from the wealth of data.

[Topical index] -o- [Chronological index]

October 4, 2002

N. Nitta (NVN) (nitta@lmsal.com)


Kommet her zu mir alle, die ihr mühselig und beladen seid

Instrumentation: bass, 2 violins, 3 viols (ATB) + continuo

This sheet contains the following parts:

Sheet Title Download
Complete score

Matthias Weckmann

Matthias Weckmann was a German musician and composer of the Baroque period. He was born inNiederdorla (Thuringia) and died in Hamburg. His ...


Sen. James Inhofe Proud to Be a Climate Change Denier

| by Alex Groberman

As liberals continue to disparage their conservative counterparts for ignoring the effects of climate change, one Republican has decided to wear the attacks as a badge of honor.

In a new documentary entitled Greedy Lying Bastards, Sen. James Inhofe is one of several politicians being accused of muddying up the climate change debate in a way that benefits the fossil fuels industry. His position isn’t painted as simply one that is based off a different interpretation of existing evidence, but rather as a purposeful misrepresentation being made in order to bury the true impact of climate change.

"I was not surprised to see myself front and center on the promotional material for this climate change movie," he told the Tulsa World (by way of the Huffington Post), "and quite frankly, I'm proud of it."

Inhofe is one of many Republicans who often refers to climate change as a hoax, and maintains that the weather changes cyclically regardless of what humans do.

"Ever since my first speech on this topic, I have found it astonishing how organizations have credited me capable of single-handedly bringing about the end of the world," Inhofe said in a statement.

Greedy Lying Bastards, executive produced by Daryl Hannah, was shown this past Friday to a small audience.

Sources: Huffington Post, Tulsa World


Measuring and Modeling Mobile Phone Charger Energy Consumption and Environmental Impact

This paper studies the electricity consumption of mobile phone chargers. The charger's electricity consumption varies depending on its state. The authors measured the electricity consumption of various phone and charger models in different states. They also did panel studies on the recharging behavior of Smartphone users. Based on these and other sources, they are able to estimate mobile phone recharging electricity consumption, cost, and CO2 emissions both in Europe and in the USA. Their analysis shows that the actual recharging of batteries consumes only 40% of the total energy; the rest is wasted mainly by unnecessarily plugged-in chargers consuming 55% of the total energy.

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Long term effects of the crusades

Quote Summary of Primary Source. are those who have associated long with the Muslims. The Effects of the Crusades.In the feudal society of the late medieval, most of the churches belonged to the lords who had built them.Medieval politics were transformed under the pressure of shifting alliances and a politically active papacy.As if the lucrative trade in luxuries was not enough, the Italian city-states enjoyed another huge windfall from the Crusades.Many groups and nations find their memory awkward, even distressing.

Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.With the Byzantines out of the way, the Italians, and especially the Venetians, enjoyed unchallenged power over the Mediterranean Sea.The concerns were relieved when Alexius I (1081-1118) sit on the throne and restored the fortunes and the glory of Byzantium.

Order From Chaos: Establishing Stability through Feudal Ties and Manors.At the simplest level, the constant, devastating failure of each subsequent crusade led to a steady decrease in papal prestige.

Arab Muslim traders dominated the rich trade in spices, silk, porcelain, and jewels that flowed between China, the area that is now Indonesia, India and points west.The feudal patrons offered their full help and support to their church and expected to see a heavenly shelter to attract the congregation.

Because they started making profits from them, they managed to buy more and send the price up for their customers.

Significance of the Magna Carta - The Crusades

Objective: To identify and explain significant effects of the Crusades on Western Europe. In Europe, a long-term effect of the Crusades was. the strengthening of th.

To meet this demand, the Italian city-states had to overcome several obstacles.

Crusades - encyclopedia article - Citizendium

This managed to buy more then send the price up again which made them more money and us a more richer diet.They needed to build huge castles to defend their colonies, and they needed to keep their forces supplied with arms and provisions.

On the economic front, the Italian city-states, especially Venice, had cornered Mediterranean trade just as Westerners were acquiring a taste for Eastern luxuries and ideas.Christianity did not come to dominate the Roman Empire through strength in arms, but through the strength of their example.Add important lessons to your Custom Course, track your progress, and achieve your study goals faster.

Historiography of the Crusades - Wikipedia

The Crusades - Home

Papal decisions have the force of law, and councils are only the means for carrying out papal decrees.But just a couple of centuries past and the situation changed dramatically.Registered office: Venture House, Cross Street, Arnold, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG5 7PJ.Visit the History 101: Western Civilization I page to learn more.

Rather than feeling guilty about murdering people, Crusaders came to expect heavenly rewards for murdering people.The short term effect was that Europe and the Byzantine Empire lasted longer than was expect.Compared to the ancient and advanced civilizations of Constantinople and the Middle East, Western Europeans must have felt rather primitive.They have killed and captured many, and have destroyed the churches and devastated the empire.You better consult: 1.Wikipedia 2.Encyclopedia Brittanica 3.Crusades and after effects.The aristocrats, on the other hand, could lose their faith and cut their supports to the church.

The Impact of the Crusades on the West | The Late Middle

Europeans returned from the Crusade full of new desires and ambitions.

What Are Some Of The Crusades Important Long Term Effects


In a perfect world, you'd hit the pillow, close your eyes, and doze off into an eight-hour stretch of rejuvenating, uninterrupted slumber every night. In reality, according to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control, just one in three Americans feels like she gets enough sleep, and 50 million to 70 million suffer from chronic sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea (see “What is Sleep Apnea?” below) and restless legs syndrome (an irresistible urge to move the legs, which jolts people awake). About 30 percent of us have occasional insomnia, meaning we have trouble falling or staying asleep. And as a nation we annually fill more than 53 million prescriptions for sleep aids.

The impact tossing and turning has on your overall health is profound, new research shows. For one thing, a lack of sleep may contribute to weight issues. It boosts levels of the hormone ghrelin, a hunger trigger, and decreases levels of the hormone leptin, which signals fullness; you end up hungrier, crave calorie-dense foods, and don't feel full as quickly. Sleep deprivation also boosts levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can drive up blood pressure and strain the heart. In fact, studies on sleep deprivation have found a higher risk of death from cardiovascular causes in people who sleep less. All the more reason to safeguard your Z's. And that doesn't just mean turning off Leno and going to bed at a reasonable hour, say experts. “Almost everything you do during the day affects the way you sleep,” says Michael Breus, PhD, author of Beauty Sleep (Plume, 2008).

Did you know?

A recent University of Michigan study found that people who have personality conflicts with bosses or coworkers are nearly twice as likely to develop sleep problems. And according to the most recent National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America Poll, part-time workers report the highest sleep satisfaction, while those who work multiple jobs or more than 50 hours per week sleep the worst.

Wake up at the same time every day, says Herbert Ross, DC, author of the Definitive Guide to Sleep Disorders (Celestial Arts, 2007). Yes, that includes weekends. Scientists believe your biological sleep clock is controlled by two things: your circadian rhythm (an innate 24-hour cycle orchestrated by the hypothalamus and influenced by external factors such as light) and a sleep homeostasis (a hunger for sleep that builds up throughout the day). Waking up — and going to bed — at the same time reinforces that cycle. By getting up at the same time every day, your “sleep hunger” maxes out at the same time every night.

Let in natural light. The hormone melatonin is a powerful sleep inducer, regulated largely by exposure to light. When natural light hits the optic nerve in the morning, it signals the pineal gland to slow melatonin production, allowing you to wake up faster. In contrast, when it gets dark, melatonin production ramps up. Yet studies have shown that people who aren't exposed to enough natural light during the day have trouble producing melatonin at night. Breus recommends opening the blinds first thing upon waking to take in more natural light. Or, better yet, take the dog for a morning walk.

What is sleep apnea?

Little known but widespread (an estimated 9 percent of women and 12 percent of men in the United States suffer from it), sleep apnea is a condition that causes breathing to stop five to 30 times per hour.

Fuel early, fuel well. A good breakfast sets the stage for sustained energy through-out the day, influencing whether or not you reach for that afternoon coffee that will keep you up at night, Ross says. Start the day with a balance of protein and slow-burning or low-glycemic carbohydrates, such as whole-grain toast and a poached egg. Sticking with that protein-carb mixture, staying away from stimulants, and eating small meals consistently throughout the day help keep energy on an even keel. And beware that caffeine has a half-life of 12 hours, Breus says. An energy drink, chocolate bar, or tea or coffee consumed at noon still has some effect at midnight.

Get outside in the early afternoon. Centuries of evolutionary programming have, for reasons not completely known, prompted your innate biological clock to make you sleepy in the afternoon (siesta anyone?). “Your body has a small temperature dip between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., which signals your brain to produce melatonin,” explains Breus. Instead of succumbing to the nap, which can exacerbate insomnia later, he suggests stepping outside into sunlight. You'll perk up, delaying that melatonin surge until you really need it.

Exercise in the late afternoon. It's true: People who get regular aerobic exercise sleep better. One Stanford University study of 29 women and 14 men age 50 to 76 found that those who did aerobics or took brisk 30- to 40-minute walks four times per week for 16 weeks fell asleep faster and slept more deeply and longer than the control group. Body temperature rises during exercise (particularly aerobic exercise) and then drops roughly five hours later, signaling drowsiness. So if your bedtime is 10 p.m., plan to work out around 5 p.m.

Dine for sleep. Breus recommends eating dinner about four hours before bedtime. Include plenty of complex carbohydrates, which enhance the transportation of L-tryptophan into the brain, where it can be made into sleep-inducing serotonin. Although a glass of wine may make you fall asleep faster, you'll sleep lighter. And if you must have a bedtime snack, limit it to less than 200 calories, no closer than one hour before bedtime. Include complex carbs and calcium, such as whole grain toast with cheese, or a bowl of cereal and milk, says Breus.

Power down. Instead of using your alarm solely to wake up, set it to go off one hour before bedtime, to remind you to settle in and prepare for tomorrow. Ross recommends journaling your thoughts “out of the brain and onto paper” so they don't race through your head as you're trying to sleep. Be sure your sleep space is as dark as possible and has no electronics nearby. Mounting research suggests that even minute amounts of light (such as from a glowing alarm clock) and exposure to electromagnetic or radio frequency fields (from laptops or cell phones) can interfere with melatonin production. One recent study of 71 people found that those exposed to wireless communication signals up to one hour before bedtime took significantly longer to fall asleep and didn't sleep as deeply. So turn off cell phones and laptops before you turn in for the night.

3 sleep supplements

How it works Dose
Valerian Shortens the time it takes to fall asleep and improves sleep quality. Research suggests it works by binding to the same receptors in the brain as the sedative Valium. 300-400 mg of extract or capsules, one hour before bedtime.
Kava Calms the mind to reduce anxiety-driven insomnia. Note: In 2002, the FDA issued a warning after several people suffered severe liver toxicity after taking kava. Brigitte Mars, author of the Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine (Basic Health, 2007), says those people took leaf and vine extracts instead of the safer root. Follow directions on bottle; potency may vary. Not recommended for pregnant women, children, or people with liver disorders.
Melatonin Helps regulate sleep cycles. Commonly prescribed for people whose sleep-wake cycle is out of sync due to light deprivation, such as those who suffer jet lag or work the night shift. Also recommended for those who fall asleep too early and wake up in the middle of the night. Note: Prolonged use may interfere with natural melatonin production. Amount and timing vary widely, depending on reason for use.
Consult your health care practitioner for advice before taking any sleep supplement.


Konso tribe & village

The Konso live in an isolated region of the basalt hills of Lower Omo Valley in Sourthern Nations province of Ethiopia. The area is made up of hard rocky slopes. A Konso village maybe fortified by a stone wall used as a defensive measure. Their village is located on hilltops and is split up into communities, with each community having a main hut. In order to enter a Konso village, you must pass through a gate and a series of alleys. These paths are part of it's security system, keeping the village difficult to access.

Konso Cultural Lanscape has been registered as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.

Konso Cultural Landscape

Brief Synthesis

The boundaries of the Konso Cultural Landscape coincide with natural features, like rivers or edges of densely terraced landscape, and are demarcated by the cultural and socio-economic history of the Konso people. All components relevant to the understanding of the traditional system have been included, such as the key tangible attributes of terraces, walled settlements, sacred forests, shrines and burial sites. The clear distinctive character of the landscape is vulnerable to dispersal of the fortified settlements, in case houses are built outside the town walls.

The Konso Cultural Landscape still largely retains its original form and design. The materials used for the construction of the terraces and the town walls are original and their conservation continues following traditional practices, executed by the community members. The terraces continue in their original arrangements, use and function. The walled towns are still inhabited by the communities and remain organized following the traditional system. The traditionally protected forests are still protected and used for ritual and burial and the water reservoirs remain in use and are periodically conserved. Associated traditions, which continue shaping the landscape, such as the ritual erection of generation and man-hood stones and generation trees continues to be actively practiced. The same applies for the use of the moras and the erection of wakas on the graves. The communities nurture the traditional code of respect to the culture and adherence to the age group (hela) and the ward (kanta), which is responsible for the protection and conservation of the attributes and continues the traditional guardianship.


Differential Equations: Their Solution Using Symmetries by Hans Stephani

By Hans Stephani

In lots of branches of physics, arithmetic, and engineering, fixing an issue capacity fixing a collection of standard or partial differential equations. approximately all tools of creating closed shape suggestions depend on symmetries. The emphasis during this textual content is on how to define and use the symmetries; this is often supported by way of many examples and greater than a hundred workouts. This booklet will shape an advent available to starting graduate scholars in physics, utilized arithmetic, and engineering. complex graduate scholars and researchers in those disciplines will locate the ebook a priceless reference.

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Additional info for Differential Equations: Their Solution Using Symmetries

Sample text

31) of the generator X without specifying the functions rj(i). 38)] would then give us the correct expressions for these functions! 35) includes the rule for extending point transformations to the derivatives; in this respect it is more general than the condition XH = 0 (mod H = 0). When generalizing the class of transformations and generators, we shall therefore always start from the form [X, A] = ÀA of the symmetry condition. 45) holds. ,«, of an nth order differential equation. How can you obtain from it n independent solutions (pa of A/ = 0?

Perhaps the reader wondered why we always used only one symmetry even if the existence of more symmetries was known. Is it possible, for 5 How to use a symmetry 45 example, to use two symmetries and reduce the order of the differential equation by two? To answer this question, we need some more knowledge about multiple-parameter groups and their generators, which will be provided in the following chapter. We shall then come back to this problem in Chapters 7-9. 7) by using their respective symmetries.

13) ) Can this symmetry be used in an integration procedure, perhaps in a way similar to that used for a first order differential equation? 2). , s{n~1}). 16) 40 / Ordinary differential equations s = const. 1. 1). 17): a transformation s = s + so(t) is always possible, that is, the origin of s can be chosen arbitrarily on each orbit. 18); a gauge change i = f(t) is always possible. 19) holds. 20). The solution, for example, in the form y = y(x, t), gives the orbits, each orbit labelled by its value of t, and by inversion we obtain t = t(x, y).

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Tally Certification: Students during 5th Semester gets trained on Tally Software which is widely used in accounting all over the world. This will enable them to understand practically how accounts are being maintained by all the firms.

 Filling Income Tax Return: During 4th Semester every students gets trained on how to fill an E Return. They compulsorily have to file a return during the semester. The purpose is to enable them to learn how returns are filed so that in future they can file their returns by themselves.

Industrial Visit: Every class goes on Visit in the local industry once a semester for full day. They get hands on experience of how big industrial units work and what are the different techniques adopted by them for betterment of the company.

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Guest Lectures: Students gets trained by various Guest speakers which come from time to time during every semester. Guest lecturers are invited from field of Accounting and Banking so as they can provide practical inputs about the field.

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Contact Information
Dr. Gautam Bansal
Unit Head
Stay in Touch


Why Host a PopEd Pre-Service Workshop?

Over the past five years, Population Education has facilitated over 1,800 workshops for college and university pre-service classes in North America. That comes as no surprise to us. These days more than ever, education professors are looking for high-quality professional development to prepare their students for the rigors of classroom teaching in the 21st century. Professors agree that our workshops fit the bill.

How does overgrazing cause desertification?

In the film, “Hope in a Changing Climate,” reviewed last month, there is a discussion of overgrazing leading to soil desertification. But how does this happen? When livestock eat plants down to the roots, the plants grow short, unsustainable roots and eventually, the plants will stop growing altogether. This leaves large open areas with no vegetation where the soil is exposed to the elements.


Dear Collegues, dear Friends,

Welcome to the 3rd European Expert Meeting on Rotavirus Vaccination! Join your colleagues to discuss and, hopefully, promote, rotavirus vaccination in Europe. Since the first and second European Expert meetings on Rotavirus vaccination in Helsinki (2009) and Padova (2011) our knowledge and experience on rotavirus vaccination has  expanded considerably.

Rotavirus is still the main cause of severe acute diarrhoea in infancy and early childhood around the world. It is still associated with high mortality in poorer countries. Before licensure two rotavirus vaccines were tested worldwide for safety, immunogenicity and efficacy in 2 trials comprising over 60 000 infants each. One of these is a single-strain attenuated human rotavirus vaccine (RV1), while the other is a combination of five bovine–human reassortant rotaviruses (RV5). Although their presumed mechanism of action might be very different  side effects and effectiveness are close to identical. Both vaccines prevent severe rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE), but are less efficacious against mild RVGE or rotavirus infection. Field effectiveness of these vaccines in Singapure, Europe and the USA against severe RVGE has been above 90%, whereas  in Africa it is only  around 60%.

The phenomenon of reduced rotavirus vaccine efficacy may be predicted by intrinsic immunological and epidemiological factors of low socio-economic settings.

Rotavirus vaccination has been introduced into the national immunization programs of about 20 countries in Latin America, with Brazil and Mexico as leading countries, as well as in the USA, Australia and South Africa. Introduction into other African countries will start during 2012. In Europe, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria and Finland and five of 16 federal states of Germany have introduced universal rotavirus vaccination. The reasons for the slow progress in Europe include low mortality from RVGE, unfavourable cost–benefit calculations in some countries, and concerns that still exist over intussusception.

Still we do not have a universial recommendation for rotavirus vaccination in Germany. However, rotavirus vaccination in those states of Germany that do recommend universal vaccination has made further progress: The coverage rate in Saxony is > 60%, the highest coverage was achieved in  Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with 75%, , whereas the large German states with the bulk of the population show a coverage rate of about 20%. Interestingly, most of health insurances will pay rotavirus vaccination in spite of the absence of a general recommendation (www.impfkontrolle.de).

Hospitality has been the trademark of the city of Leipzig throughout the centuries. In 1165, the world’s first trade fair was held here. In 1409, Leipzig University was founded and in the course of time has become a spiritual home to great scientists, artists and writers. In 1989, Leipzig’s St. Nicholas Church was the origin of East Germany’s “Peaceful Revolution” which led to the fall of Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. The liberal, cosmopolitan and tolerant spirit of this city will also inspire the attendees.The charms of a lovable city and the rich cultural heritage will long be remembered by congress delegates. Names like Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartoldy and Robert Schumann have made Leipzig world-famous as a city of music.  Listening to St. Thomas boys’ choir or to the Gewandhaus Orchestra is an unforgettable emotional experience.

We are looking forward to meet you in Leipzig!


Engineered Brush to Deburr, Clean & Seal

There can never be any footnote to garnish the mood or grade of goods during linked industrial production. One of the basic requirement is cleanliness and hygiene of containers to ensure that all stuff that is joined produced has an even mood agreeable. The use of the spiral brush in various industries is common. But all application is oscillate and for cleaning it is attainable that satisfactory brushes are not every one of lively. The use of the custom made spiral brush offers enlarged prospects of sanitation. Removing dirt from all corner of the machines is needed to make unqualified they are in energetic condition for long. The use of the ubiquitous spiral brush is necessary in industries following food handing out, metal scrap, floor cleaning, car wash, tidy-up of conveyor belts, road maintenance. The type of brushes that are on the go guarantees a tidy sweep of the dirt. A custom spiral brush can con thread cleaning, removal of rust, making sure that oxidation does not acquiesce place, surface finish and any added intensive brushing. This with includes paint brushes for pleasant finish.

A custom brush is used for moreover keeping various surfaces dirt aimless from top to bottom. A custom brush can reach the recesses. The choice will depend a propos the application, as a result the simple of bristles are vital. A nylon brush is roomy and can be used once a degree of harshness too. Metal bristles tend to scratch the surface and quickens the expiry date of the robot แปรงอุตสาหกรรม. For surface polishing there are many sizes of brushes and its filaments. Depending a propos the surface longer or shorter filaments is used. For active cleanliness and reuse of the robot or even the container there are along with ferrous and non-ferrous wires, natural or synthetic fibers. They are practiced to withstand operating cleaning. The postscript materials that are used add occurring prolyethelene, polyester, polyproplene, horse hair and Tampico. The polypropylene can be used for surfaces of high moisture content. For various stem, fuel and oils the use of polyphenylene Sulfide is an optimum choice because of the high solvency resistance.

How can a custom spiral brush application subsidiary make a to your liking effective atmosphere? When bosses uphold on massive air, it helps the staff employed to remain goaded toward the core values of the issue. The entirely fact that the brush can be customized to discharge loyalty the recesses of the tools and machines means that they can be twisted to any angle. A single or double spiral brush is in leisure keep busy for stuffy loyalty machines.


A week of a Tesla student

To give you an example of what the Tesla minor looks like on a day-to-day basis you will find an example of the calendar of a Tesla student below.

Training sessions
You can see a training on Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning. On average, there are 1 or 2 training sessions each week. On Wednesday afternoons there is usually a guest lecturer, which is either invited by the Tesla coordinators or by the Tesla students themselves.

Once every two or three weeks, there are intervision sessions in small groups (4 a 5 people). The goal of these sessions is to discuss problems within and outside the project groups. Hence, the intervision groups always exists of members of different project teams, meaning that you never have intervision with your direct team members. This is to ensure that you can freely discuss any team-related problems, should they occur.

Besides educational activities, sport is also an important aspect of the Tesla minor. Each Monday there is Bootcamp, on Wednesday morning there is a time slot for alternating sports (climbing, fencing, kickboxing, etc.) and on alternating Thursday’s (once every two weeks) there is Synergy, which is some form of fitness.

There are two weekly, official moments during which the progress of the project work is discussed. On Monday mornings, each group has a 30 minute meeting with a Tesla coordinator to discuss the project and their activities for this week. On Friday, each group presents his progress of that week and/or discusses a problem that they have encountered. During these sessions the Tesla students help each other by giving tips, advice and feedback (both on the presentation and content).

Other activities
The schedule below does not display everything that a Tesla student will do during the 5-month minor. Tesla students are encouraged to organize their own activities, such as excursions to clients or interesting initiatives. Besides this, Tesla students also organize a yearly Tesla event, which brings students into contact with different companies and the Tesla minor.

average Tesla week5


In Brief

The Pale Red Dot Campaign

Image composition showing all the ESO observatories and the Headquarters.
Image composition showing all the ESO observatories and the Headquarters.

Proxima Centauri

Research gathered from the Pale Red Dot campaign revealed a very exciting result:

While its orbit is closer to its star (compared to Mercury’s distance to our sun in our solar system), Proxima’s star is a lot fainter than our sun. This makes it more habitable and scientists estimate that it could have a surface temperature that would allow the presence of liquid.

This discovery makes Proxima a prime target for the search for alien life, especially since the Alpha Centauri system is already a target for the human race’s pioneer attempt to travel to another star system.


Designers at the Gates of Hell

Tall, thin, and bent like a paper clip, Danish designer Andreas Weiland sat folded up on the bench on the far end of the sculpture garden staring at the enormous cast of Rodin’s sculpture, The Gates of Hell. He looked as if Alexander Calder had fashioned him from wire and plopped him in front of the Rodin as a type of art-insider double-wink. He studied The Gates of Hell for a full 12 minutes, as the rest of the team was late. His perfection cannot be overstated—he was exactly the visitor the garden architects had hoped would wander in and sit and stare. He perfectly complemented the artwork.

Also waiting, but unseen, was Cemre Güngör. Originally from Turkey, by way of Finland and New York and most recently Facebook HQ, he paints the opposite picture of Andreas—he is of average height, but absolutely bulging with muscle. His shirt struggles to contain his arms—as if he had stuffed several oranges down each of his sleeves, which then tended to roll around and slide up and down whenever he bent an elbow or leaned over to tie his shoes.

Two other designers emerged from the back. Alex Bond, an ex-Pinterest UX-clairvoyant and Kat Fukui, a designer who codes, who recently joined GitHub. Both women move with the certainty of people who create the world in which they live, rather than the helplessness displayed by those merely entertained by it.

Last of all to the party was their host, the unifying reason each of these people was here—I’ll describe this person in detail later, but for now, I’ll use just one word—Me.

I illegally parked on the beige crushed pea-gravel and unloaded flowers and fruit and cheese and crystal buckets of ice and prosecco and chocolate and basil and tomato and crackers and nuts and whiskey and limes.

We had come to The Gates of Hell to celebrate a commitment to our calling as designers—but most importantly—we were preparing for our own journey into the underworld. We were here to review an original manus of Dante’s Inferno, from 1493.

This little gathering of designers wasn’t for networking or job-hunting or complaining, this was about rare type—and what it might teach us about the future of reading. But first, we had a meal to eat and sculptures to experience.

The Gates of Hell is a massive sculpture, containing dozens of little people in relief — some writing in pain, others seemingly having the time of their lives — and perched in the middle of it, near the top, sits a miniature version of The Thinker. Rodin’s hero remains unperturbed by the hellfire ruckus around him, busily sinking his chin into his fist as he reflects.

Rodin’s sculptures surrounded us—the garden was filthy with them. And in each, Rodin employed a nifty trick. Instead of depicting the human form frozen in a snapshot of time, he time-slides bits and pieces of the body, so that the arms and spine and legs are all a little offset in time from the pose. This creates the unnerving visceral feeling that the forms are moving—sliding in time across these stretched out micro moments.

Rodin himself lays it out thus:

Take my "St John", for example. I've shown him with both feet on the ground, whereas an instantaneous photograph taken of a model performing the same movement would most likely show the back foot already raised and moving forward. People in photographs suddenly seem frozen in mid-air, despite being caught in full swing: this is because every part of their body is reproduced at exactly the same twentieth or fortieth of a second, so there is no gradual unfolding of a gesture, as there is in art.'
—Auguste Rodin (source)

Gradual unfolding of a gesture…my brain can’t help but connect the dots back to great type—where the appearance of consistency and balance comes from careful visual unfolding, not from a precise “equality” of strokes.

Great type employs illusion, proximity, and visual rhythm to render the appearance of precision — but never precision itself.

The result is a visual gravity that floats suspended from our flesh-bound selves to exist in our imaginations—traced directly upon our intellect, desires, and fears. Like Rodin’s sculptures, we are leaping through time and space when we read. To get there, text pulls us from the mere act of decoding into the realm of personal, cognitive associations. It’s the work of magicians. To float ideas in the realm of personal cognition (but for all persons, even those living five centuries from now) is not for the faint of heart. It is why the Book of John opens with “In the beginning there was the word, and the word was God.” The semioticians’ use of logos (a word most designers associate with a 120x120 2x-png), comes from that moment when text becomes lit with the power of the spirit. It is when the word becomes God. This topic gets into tricky philosophical/religous waters quickly (google λόγος for more on the topic), but for our instructive purposes on the mechanisms of design, think of it as that wonderful experience when a good story races through your imagination and suddenly feels real.

The gradual unfolding of a gesture also tips my brain into the technical art of ballet—were the leg does not rise in an even sweep, but instead each joint bends slightly out of sequence, to create the illusion of a straight line that whips and snaps (all but ever so slightly off-setting the rotational velocity of the ankle, knee, and hip).

The bends in the limbs of a ballet dancer make two shapes—the shape of the body itself, and the shape of the. space around the body. Extreme care is taken to show the illusion of line through the ingenious use of curves. Finally, these shapes are not fixed in time—like Rodin’s sculptures but moving in the opposite direction—they create the illusion of images by carving out volumes.

When at last we were ready, and it took a while to get ready, as we had a meal to eat and war stories to share from Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and beyond, we hiked to the rare book library for the little surprise I had stashed for my guests. Dante’s original take on the Gates of Hell.

You cannot overstate the joy of opening a 500-year-old book and flipping through pages that feel as fresh as a Tame Impala poster pulled from a Brooklyn letterpress. These books were time machines, taking us through 523 years of human souls who stood in exactly this same position and flipped these same pages. How many hands had touched these pages? How many people had read this tale?

The cover was wood. It was filled with tiny holes dug by bookworms. To feel this wood—we wore no gloves. The keeper of rare books simply handed it over. It felt like your oldest memory of your first elementary school desktop. It felt like a Stratovarius violin. It felt like the wooden propeller from a WWII fighter. It felt marvelous. It felt real. It was astonishing.

Then the pages came. Each a 500-year old wave of literary brilliance and enduring product design. Each page held a little A/B test for readability, assembly, edibility and durability.

While on site, we also dug into a a few other books as well, including a copy of Horace from 1504. It was a teacher’s edition, and has each teacher’s notes written in the margins as the book was passed down from one teacher to the next.

Horce Teacher’s Edition, 1504

Sometimes an “index” is not an index…

What appeared to be a reference index in the back of one of the books was not actually meant for the readers. Instead, it contained instructions for the binder. Printing and binding was done in different cities (sometimes countries), so each “page number” would reference the index in the back, so the binder would know how to mount it all together.

Also, “orphans” were printed at the bottom of each page to help you figure out what page goes next in the final assembly.

See the orphan “Soprale” appear again at the top of the next page to help the binders get everything in the right order

The margins include a marvelous manicule pointing towards an important passage.

Look here! this hand-drawn manicule points to an important point. (Horace, 1504)
Squeezing text like the trash compactor in episode IV

And this layout — decorative and elegant — gracefully comes to a halt with margins squeezing in like the trash compactor on the death star.

The riches continued with each new book. We uncovered techniques for handling “comments” from multiple and competing authorities—amazing “5-cubes” layouts that put the topic in the center and four competing opinions around the sides, one on each corner. We saw line spacing techniques for vertical alignment of multiple languages all in translation for the same text. We saw a prayer book designed almost to the pixel like Twitter, with each little prayed blocked in like a Tweet. We saw multi-col text that treatened to do the analog version of a scroll jack if the spacing wasn’t just right. We witnessed experimentation (some good, some wild, some less good). It was an inspiriting day.

Why were we digging into old books? The future of reading, of apps, of print, of editorial, of VR, of mobile, of TV, of story, of culture—all of it—might just start with a few hints from the past.

Sign up for occasional (every other fortnight) emails on design, art, story and the human condition here.

find me on the web at buckhouse.co or on Twitter.

Want to do an art project together? I paint a new stranger nearly every day. Read about the project and send me a photo of yourself here


Fish Days

Fish Day Schedule

What Are Fish Days?

We partner with MFA and feed stores across Missouri to serve as a location for people to get the fish species they need for their ponds. We schedule fish days months in advance that way our customers and stores can prepare.

Not sure how to prepare? We can help!

How Do Fish Days Work?

Fish days are quite simple:

-Find a store near you.

-Visit or call the store to place an order.

-Arrive on the scheduled date and time.

-Pay the store for your order.

-Take your receipt and enter the car line that leads to the truck.

-Present your receipt to the truck and we will fill your order.

-We count and weigh your order in front of you for accuracy.

-Immediately drive to you pond or lake and gently release them.

Water Requirements

Use fresh water from your pond.

Never use city water, it has chlorine that is toxic to fish.

Never use well water, it lacks oxygen to support fish transport.

Unfortunately, we don't have enough water to share.

We recommend the following gallons of water for transport of 10-15 minutes:

5 gallons                   10 gallons

1-2 Grass Carp       100 1-4" fish

20 gallons                  50 gallons

100 4-8" fish             100 8-12" fish

or 4 lbs. of minnows

For each 5 minute increase in transport double the recommended amount of water.

Acclimating or tempering fish is not needed if you use your own pond water.

We use pond water only to haul your order so you don't need to temper you fish.

Transporting fish does not need to be as stressful as it seems. Let's Prepare!

-Use only clean containers.

-Containers can include livestock watering tanks, barrels, garbage cans, coolers, or totes to name a few.

-Bring lids, they keep the fish and water in and the sun out.

-Even a small aerator can go a long way, purchase a portable aerator ahead of time to keep the water oxygenated.

-Without aeration there is only so much oxygen available in your water, so head straight to you pond after you receive your order.

-Don't mix different sizes of fish they may eat one another! Separate your minnows from your bass, and everything from large catfish.

For $2 a bag we can place your bag your order.

-Our bags are 1'x1'x2', made of 3mm thick plastic, filled with water and fish, and injected with oxygen.

-On average fish will remain healthy in these bags for up to 3 hours, but transport should be immediate.

-We cannot bag catfish or large hybrid bluegill because they can puncture the bag.

-Place bags in a container to prevent them from rolling.

-Keep them covered. Direct sunlight will cause a greenhouse effect that will heat the water and stress the fish.

Fish Day Schedule

Need to find a location near you?

2017 Fall Fish Days Schedule (pdf)

View your options here.

Rather Have Them Delivered Or Pick Them Up Yourself?

Farm Pick-Up

See our availability.


Cataloging to Declutter

A friend of mine recently hired a professional to help her declutter her house, and I read his professional blog. In one entry, he had a woman go through a seemingly neat and orderly bookcase, next to her messy overstuffed closet. The logic being, did she actually need all the books that she had on the shelf?

Given that I probably have more than 1500 books, I decided to take the same approach. First, I went through every bookcase and box of books I have and I immediately culled the books I know I would never read or did not want anymore.

There is a good likelihood I will never, ever read all the books I Have, even if I had independent wealth and nothing to do but read.

After the initial culling,  I decided to turn go through all the books again, this time using to actually catalog the books.

I first learned of it in 2007, probably at an convention of the Special Libraries Association. I cataloged about 200 or so books. It only costs $25 for a lifetime membership–so you can go beyond the limit of 250 books.

In about two days, I wound up cataloging 1000 more books.  Using ISBNs or LC numbers, it was quite easy. It not only let me create subcollections (which I did by bookcase), but it also helped me realize I had doubles of certain titles, and also, it helped me put more like titles or themes together on the shelves.

It also helped me get a bit tougher on myself and get rid of more books.

It might seem odd, a librarian getting RID of books, but librarians do weed out collections all the time. And as a librarian myself, I have an idea of what I am likely to read, and what I can probably find at a public library if I really do want to read the book later on.

If I live that long!

Post a comment.


Islamic Relief

Human Rights
Westerners don’t want to take in more refugees, survey says

Despite the record number of refugees and displaced people around the world today, rich countries appear to be increasingly reluctant to provide them safe haven. Many Westerners do think that most refugees and displaced people are ‘innocent victims,’ according to a new survey commissioned by humanitarian organization Islamic Relief Worldwide, yet only a minority thought their countries were morally or politically responsible for taking them in.


The Desert Pulse Artist Spotlight on Art Cowles

Art Cowles

Art CowlesArt Cowles has been exploring music for as long as he can remember. A composer, musician, guitarist and singer, he found his niche when he started playing the guitar at the age of 14. Artists including Don McLean (who first inspired him to pick up a guitar), Buckethead, and composers John Williams and Koji Kondo, among others, were early musical influences. Since then, he has performed in many bands and musical ensembles.  He plays several instruments including guitar, cello, piano, bass, drums, and harmonica. During high school, he participated in band, orchestra, percussion, jazz band, and choir. He also was the frontman of the band Halfway Home from the ages of 15 to 19, after which he left to serve a two-year LDS mission to Korea. There, he developed a strong love for Asian culture, and the music there inspires him to be able to return one day and bring his own music to the people he loved. After returning to America, he has since auditioned and been accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts with a scholarship. However, he has forgone a formal education to record his debut solo album and pursue his career independently.

Art CowlesIn his free time, Art enjoys running, skimboarding, taking photos, playing videogames, watching anime, listening to music and reading. He also enjoys studying psychology, Hebrew and the Korean language. Time well spent is what he desires most. He believes family and friends give life flavor and are a foundation to rely on. Additionally, he is active in his church where he teaches missionary preparation and other topics. Art loves exploring and experiencing other places, cultures and food (his favorite is ice cream). He studied film at DSU and has since acted in and composed music for several short films.

Art enjoys performing and writing music in various genres including rock, jazz, instrumental, folk, ballad and blues. Art Cowles can be seen playing at several southern Utah venues. He is currently working on his debut solo album, which he is recording and producing himself in its entirety and will release in August of 2017. Art plans to continue his career in writing, recording and producing his own music for years to come.

Twitter: @ArtCowles
Instagram: Art_Cowles
About George Scott 250 Articles

George Scott is a bit of a maverick trying to navigate this journey called life. He grew up in southern Utah and has a deep rooted passion for the community. LIVE Music touches his very soul and loves helping others pursue their dreams. He identifies himself as an “Elevated Experience Creator” and has become extremely influential in the Southern Utah LIVE Music and Entertainment scene. He not only writes and shares about the SoTah Music Scene he presents multiple opportunities for LIVE Music all across the Southern Utah region.


“Fashion and beauty is art, and you are the canvas.”

Fellow beauty and fashion lover,

Thank you for visiting my blog! Hope it provides you with plenty of helpful tips, tricks, but most of all, inspiration. I will be including many things on my blog, from affordable outfits, to the yummy food I eat that may prevent me from fitting into those outfits… oops. Also, monthly thrift hauls, as well as discount codes and consistent updates on sales happening on my favorite sites and at my favorite stores and boutiques.

Your favorite beauty blogger


Psychics Near Me Pine Bluff AR 71601

Psycics Pine Bluff AR 71601

Do Psychics Work Pine Bluff AR

The craft of Pine Bluff AR psychic reading has always been a very interesting topic. Why, you may wonder. Simple, there is no common sense and scientific reasoning behind the ways of a psychic reading — but then, many people have faith in its mystical ways.

We cannot deny that doubt has always encased the psychic realm; and the fact that details given to each person typically gets altered somewhere along the way. So with this said, the fact is, not all that we hear about psychic ideas are legitimate.

What is the real score behind the psychic reading concept? Let us now correct the false thoughts of this Pine Bluff AR psychic concept, so that everybody will see the clear picture once and for all. Here are some common psychic reading myths that have been lingering since time immemorial:

3 Common Myths About Psychic Readings in Pine Bluff AR

  1. Pine Bluff AR Psychic Readings are Make Believe or Wishful Thinking: They say that psychic readers know a big deal of how a psychologist works and that to please a person, you must give a very good psychic reading to him or her and that the person would then “make believe” that it is all true. In other words, a reading is all a “state of mind” — when one is told by a psychic about what will happen, one will tend to believe in that, and in turn, it will make the reading materialize. This information is so false! The truth is, a psychic reading can result in either positive or negative, and either way, the psychic reader will explain it to the person being read, and give the corresponding advice on what to do about the situation.
  2. A Psychic Reading is a Cold Reading: Upon entering a psychic’s room, the psychic will try to see and evaluate the items that he can with that particular person. Generally, a cold reading entails drawing conclusions or lucky guesses about a person from what you can clearly observe. However, psychics do not do cold readings. Pine Bluff AR psychics have special gifts that make it possible for them to gather information about a person via extrasensory means, even if the individual is not in the same place with them!
  3. The Results in a Psychic Reading are Just Made Up: They are saying that psychics tell anything most likely to materialize to a person, provides the circumstance on how it will be brought, and that if it doesn’t materialize, the reason is that the person did not comply with the conditions. Somewhat like commercials of shampoos. But much like the two earlier mentioned beliefs, this one is also not correct. Pine Bluff AR psychic reading is dependent on the person’s energy or aura. Only psychics can easily see these things. But if the reality of it is in question, then just try it to make the experience the answer.

There are many other myths about Pine Bluff AR psychic readings, there are even some silly ideas like getting a reading will jinx your good luck, and so on. Skeptics can device hundreds of wrong beliefs if they must. However, they still could not disprove the reality and the reliability of psychic reading.

Unfortunately, because of the many misconceptions about the psychic realm, many individuals do not have faith in its ways. But then, if you think about it, there is nothing wrong in trying to seek out a psychic reading for yourself. As the saying goes, the only way to find out the truth, is to know it first hand.

Palm Reading Love Lines in Pine Bluff AR

Since the earliest civilizations to this really day, society has actually constantly turned to a psychic reading for general guidance and knowledge. Psychics have always been considered as very reliable consultants as much as current times. The numbers of those who seek a psychic reading on a routine basis have actually grown through the years.

The 5 Misconceptions About Psychics And Psychic Readings in Pine Bluff AR

There are lots of beliefs that are radically out of this world when it pertains to psychics and exactly what a psychic reading may potentially be. Let’s take a look at the real deal behind these 5 major myths.

Psychic Checking out And Its Function In Society in Pine Bluff AR

These are simply 5 of the numerous mistaken beliefs about psychics and a psychic reading. To be quite honest, you actually can take away a lot of important insights even simply from one psychic reading session. Offer is, the psychic world is filled with indescribable wonders; and when a person has strong faith in its ways, they can certainly get lots of true blessings from it.


The sign of being a good “Photographer Dad” is when your little girl suggests that you take pictures of her chocolatey piece of heaven before she takes a bite, (and she makes a few pictures right alongside you with her camera) the sign that you’re a good “Normal Dad” is when she offers you half of it after you finish taking the picture.

Either way I win!

Taken with my 85mm f/1.8 lens and a 20mm extension tube.  3 shot HDR with the Cupcake balanced precariously close to the edge of the table.

I also had taken a few images before of milk being poured onto some cereal and I wanted to share one of those as well. I also shot this with the 85mm f/1.8 but this time without the extension tube and I used a YN-560 flash to try and freeze any droplets (none happened), but I liked the punchy look it gave to the image.

Cracklin Oat Bran_Milk-webI have a long history with Cracklin’ Oat Bran Cereal, when I was very young my Mom would buy this and I loved it (it’s super yummy after all and anything beats oatmeal when you’re young) we also had a dog whose food looked very similar to the cereal, one day I wanted cereal and couldn’t find it in the usual place so after searching I found some under the counter and I poured myself a bowl. Suffice it to say that bowl of cereal was a bit “odd” tasting to me and my family has never let me forget it. Shame has no power when you can laugh at it right?!

I hope you take time to appreciate food in some way this week.

Happy Shooting, and make sure to read the label… 🙂


UK Markets open in 55 mins.

German Chancellor Merkel on Winning the Election

Sep.24 -- Angela Merkel won a fourth term as German chancellor in a federal election that lifted a far-right party into parliament for the first time since the immediate aftermath of World War II, according to exit polls that point to growing polarization in Europe's biggest economy.


Revenue Ruling 2015-22 provides the November 2015 applicable federal rates, adjusted applicable federal interest rates, adjusted federal long-term rate, adjusted federal long-term tax-exempt rate, appropriate percentages for the low-income housing credit, and applicable federal rate for determining the present value of an annuity, an interest for life or a term of years, or a remainder or reversionary interest.


Cryptograph: An Exhibition for Alan Turing

Gallery 318 North

Cryptograph is organized in conjunction with the many celebrations taking place around the world in honor of the centenary of Alan Turing (1912–1954), the brilliant British mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and pioneering computer scientist.

This exhibition draws from the Spencer’s permanent collections, creating new conversations between works and exploring many of the same questions that drove Turing’s research: finding meaning in patterns; and finding connections between mathematics and computing, intelligence, and natural form. Turing’s world-changing innovations include the Turing Machine, a conceptual machine that builds on the notion of the algorithm and lays the foundation of modern computing. Turing was also deeply involved in the idea of “Machine Intelligence,” and he developed a test for artificial intelligence that is still in use today. Late in his career Turing became fascinated with the field of mathematical biology, a field that explores the mathematical underpinnings of morphogenesis, the origins and evolution of biological form.

The exhibition is co-sponsored by and was conceived in consultation and collaboration with KU’s Information and Telecommunication Technology Center and the Biodiversity Institute.

Selected exhibition images


What to do when...

Making presentations

This section should be read in conjunction with the general section on managing stammering in the workplace. It offers some ideas that many of us have found useful. At the end of the section there is an opportunity to make comments on how well you feel these ideas work – and to add your own ideas.

The vast majority of people dread public speaking, regardless of whether or not they have a stammer. In 1973, The Sunday Times conducted a survey asking people to reveal their worst fears. The second most commonly mentioned fear was the fear of death. The most common was public speaking.

Stammering is no barrier to being an effective public speaker. While it may take more work to prepare effectively and develop our skills, people who stammer can become top-class orators. One of the greatest parliamentary orators of the twentieth century, Aneurin Bevan, was a person who stammered. Ed Balls, the former Shadow Chancellor and highly effective Parliamentary performer, talks publicly about his stammer (as well as his Patronage of the BSA).

For general ideas on how to become a proficient public speaker see the public speaking page.  This page concentrates on preparing for a specific situation you may face in work.

The general principles offered here should be useful:  focus on communication rather than avoiding stammering; set objectives in terms of work outcomes; get other people working with you.

When setting your objectives for the presentation, begin by thinking about the audience and what you have to give to them. What is the purpose of the presentation? Is it to provide information, or entertainment, or to persuade?

Being clear about the purpose of the presentation should lead naturally to the objectives you set yourself.

As regards the criteria that you use to evaluate your performance, it is good to pause from time to time to sense if people are clear about what has been said. If possible, arrange to get feedback from someone you trust and who has good judgement. This might be a friend or mentor.

Getting other people working with you means getting the audience relaxed and on your side. If you stammer, it is often good to acknowledge the fact, smile, and tell the audience they may have to be a little patient, but that you have some interesting things to say.

The only sure way to become relaxed in public speaking is through frequent practice, for example by taking on an assignment as a trainer, or by joining a public speaking group. However, a number of simple strategies can often be helpful.

As always, it is possible to adopt both “internal” and “external” strategies. Here are some ideas that other people have found useful.

Internal strategies

One key idea is to prepare well, and to feed the energy of nervousness into extra preparation and stronger delivery. Nervousness is simply power to be used to make the presentation more effective. At first the extra power can feel like driving a Ferrari when you are more used to driving a family car – it takes practice to handle the extra power that nerves bring with them and learn how to manage its impact on our speech.

Fear, on the other hand, is to be avoided. It is completely unhelpful. As the old adage has it, FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. If we are frightened, despite knowing that speaking situations are rarely, if ever, life-threatening no matter how much we stammer, then we should “Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway” (to quote the title of the excellent book by Susan Jeffers). Like a noisy puppy, fear should be told to stay in the corner.

Some of us tend to stammer more at the beginning of a presentation, others more as the presentation goes on. It is useful to work out what tends to happen and prepare for it. For example, if we know we tend to stammer more at the beginning, we can be more relaxed about that and wait for our speech to free up. If we tend to stammer more as the presentation goes on, it is useful to build in some breaks, for example by inviting the audience to make contributions.

If appropriate, provide hand-outs and consider using PowerPoint. Hand-outs have the disadvantage that they take the audience’s attention away from you, so that you lose the eye-contact which is an important part of good communication. However, they can ensure that the most important points are conveyed and take some of the pressure off your speech.

Rehearse the presentation several times, imagining the audience in front of you. There are a number of mental tricks that can be used to decrease fear of an audience, and these are useful for everyone, including people who stammer. One is to imagine your audience in a large bath each holding a yellow rubber duck. Another is to imagine they are young children. Yet another is to find a friendly face in the audience and talk to her or him, until your confidence rises. General books on presentation skills will provide this kind of advice.

External strategies

It may also be good to prepare the Chair to help you. For example, if you get stuck or blocked, or are losing fluency, it can be quite useful to be thrown a quick question to allow you to refocus. Again, you might want to ask the Chair to give you a little more time than usual.

After the presentation, do not forget to do a review, helped if possible by your observer, whose job is to help us judge our performance on how well we communicated what needed to be communicated.

One interesting question to ask our observer is how much any stammering interfered with the communication. It is often surprising to find that it made comparatively little difference. Despite what we feel, the success of a talk rarely depends on how much we did or did not stammer. The quality of the information presented is usually the crucial issue. Stammering can even have the effect of making an audience listen more closely to the words we are saying.


1 December 2017

Tanzania: Exports Rise to Six Months High

TANZANIA'S exports rose to six months high in June thanks to gold that contributed the largest share of the increase, according to newly released Central Bank data.

The data show export climbed to 738.9 million US dollars at the end of June from 557.7 million US dollars in May, which was the lowest since April 2015. Between January and June total exports dropped to lowest figure of 557.7 million US dollars in May, which was the lowest since April 2015.

Almost similar figure was of 771.2million US dollars reached in January. The BoT data showed that traditional export contributed merely 17.3 million US dollars because traditionally June is none agro-export season.

In comparison agro-export contributed only 13.6 million US dollars last June and 11.4 million US dollars in 2015. The season pick is between September and March. On other hand, non-traditional export contributed 441 million US dollars in the month under correspondence of which gold contributed a lion share.

Gold raked in 138 million US dollars, manufacturing 72.8million US dollars, re-exports fetch 40 million US dollars and other products 151.6 million US dollars.

Service industry also contributed 280.6million US dollars of which over two-third 157.8 million US dollars came from travel receipt--mainly tourism--followed by transport 84.6 million US dollars and freight 72.9 million US dollars.

Hosts Win Cecafa, Basena's Cranes Settle for Third Slot

Kenya was determined to win the Cecafa tourney they hosted and thanks to their spot kick speciality, they overcame… Read more »


Create a Virtual Sharp Using the “Find Intersection” Option

Written by: Maurice Cherian, Application Engineer

Virtual sharps are used to help dimension sharp corners before fillets are added to the geometry. The obscure way of creating a virtual sharp is to Ctrl-select two lines or a line and an arc, and then select the point tool from the Sketch toolbar.

Since SOLIDWORKS 2014, there is an easier way to add a virtual sharp.

To create a virtual sharp, simply select the dimension tool, select the first line or arc, then right click and choose “Find Intersection”, choose the second entity that intersects the first entity. After the virtual sharp is created, a dimension can be created referencing the new virtual sharp, or just press “Esc” to cancel out of the dimension. The virtual sharp will be in the format defined under the “Options”, “Document Properties”, “Virtual Sharp” setting.

"Find Intersection" in SOLIDWORKS

The virtual sharp is automatically created after the second selection (no actual dimension is needed to create the virtual sharp).

Virtual Sharp - Second Selection

“Find Intersection” works with two lines or a line and arc as you can see in the image below:

Find Intersection - two selections

Note: this same technique also works on model edges on drawings for reference dimension.

DASI Knowledge Base - Tips & Tricks