September 2010 | My Technology

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Alpha and Omega Semiconductor launches high efficiency low voltage EZBuck DC-DC regulator

SUNNYVALE, USA: Alpha and Omega Semiconductor (AOS) has expanded its synchronous EZBuckTM portfolio with the introduction of its new low input voltage DC-DC step-down regulator.

The AOZ1110 efficiently converts input voltages from 2.7V to 5.5V down to 0.8V, and delivers up to 4A of output current. AOS' new EZBuck product is optimized for powering the latest DSP, FPGA, and microcontroller chipsets which are widely used in advanced networking, telecommunications and computing systems that utilize fixed 3.3V and 5V supply rails.

The AOZ1110 is designed for ease-of-use while also providing high performance and configurability. The product features a current mode PWM control architecture with a user selectable switching frequency of 500kHz or 1MHz.

Additionally, the AOZ1110 is ceramic capacitor stable, and has a user programmable soft-start. Leveraging AOS' advanced packaging technology, the AOZ1110 integrates low on-resistance Trench MOSFETs that are optimized to reduce switching losses. As a result, AOZ1110 runs cool and achieves efficiencies up to 95 percent.

"The AOZ1110 provides designers with a compact solution for point of load DC-DC conversion. Its high efficiency operation allows designers to meet their power consumption budgets, while its ease-of-use and flexibility allow for faster design times and time to market," said Alan Moore, Manager of Power IC Marketing at AOS.

The AOZ1110 is housed in a 4x4mm 24-pin QFN package. The product is available immediately with a unit price of US$1.95 for 1,000 piece quantities.

Can True Activism Be Fostered Through Social-Networking Sites? - Give and Take - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Can True Activism Be Fostered Through Social-Networking Sites? - Give and Take - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "Dear Malcolm Gladwell: The nonprofit technology world is not very happy with you.

Mr. Gladwell's article in this week's New Yorker magazine, criticizing the hype about social media's ability to stir social movements, is drawing fire from nonprofit technology experts, among others."

Internal wireless antennae take new approach with fractals

WALTHAM, USA: Fractal Antenna Systems Inc. has announced the latest approach to internal antennae for wireless devices. Called a ‘Fractal Rezchip’ component, the patented, tiny, inexpensive chip-like units turn wireless devices into their own multiband or broadband antenna.

Explains inventor Nathan Cohen, CEO of the firm: ”The Fractal Rezchip component harps back to the earliest days of wireless, where the antenna was considered part of a resonant or ‘syntonic’ system, not a stand- alone device. Our patented fractal technology allowed us to shrink resonant circuits without component capacitors or inductors, making a tiny, inexpensive plug-in resonator. The ground plane of the wireless device, already known to be a part of the antenna, is thus exploited, with the Fractal Rezchip™, as a remarkably versatile antenna system.”

As an example of the component’s versatility, Cohen describes a Fractal Rezchip, which turns a small wireless device into a broadband/multiband system working from 700 MHz on up to 6 GHz.

Cohen describes the Fractal Rezchip as an enabling technology that lets wireless devices, even the smallest, leverage the many bands available for use, without several stand alone antennas presently needed. The costs saving are thus dramatic, with only one antenna, enabled by a cheap chip component.

The Fractal Rezchip component itself can be just a few millimeters in size and a fraction of that in height. However, Cohen stresses Fractal Rezchip components are resonant circuits and part of the wireless device, which acts overall as the antenna.

“Others may claim to have micro-sized, high- performance antennae which are very electrically small. But, in fact something like that cannot exist now, and will not exist in the future,” says Cohen, “The Fractal Rezchip is not a Wi-Fi antenna the size of a grain of sand, for example. We recognize and exploit the fact that there exists the rest if the beach.”

Availability of the new technology commences with custom designs for select customers with needs of 200,000+ units. Off the shelf vended versions will be released in Q1/Q2 2011.

A swarm of sharks

This item from the Bahamas Tribune reports on efforts to survey the local shark population. While many sharks are endangered, the number of species, at least in this area is very healthy, with six survey attempts netting 25 sharks of six species, the longer being a four-meter sixgill shark. The smallest was described by one scientist as "a Springer's sawtail catshark. This species was only described in 1998 and there are relatively few records of it anywhere in the world so I am incredibly excited to encounter it in Eleuthera."

Naming dinos - not an exact science

Is the great paleontologist one who names a lot of species? Is getting it wrong - naming species which turn out to be minor variations or otherwise invalid - a serious blow to a scientific reputation? This enjoyable article notes that prolific dinosaur-namers do get a substantial portion wrong, but that such errors alone don't diminish reputations.

Vincotech releases new MiniSKiiP pack modules with latest IGBT4

MUNICH, GERMANY: Vincotech has extended its range of MiniSKiiP PACK modules with IGBT4 versions covering 8A to 150A for 1200V in three different housings.

Designed for solderless assembly, Vincotech MiniSKiiP PACK modules are an excellent first choice for your application or a perfect second source for Semikron’s product range.

The new MiniSKiiP PACK modules use the latest Infineon IGBT4 chip technology to improve EMC. They are available in three sizes targeting motor drive applications with up to 40 kW as well as power generation and UPS installations.

Available sizes:
MiniSKiiP 1 PACK - size 1 (42 x 40 mm²) covering 8 A 1200 V to 25 A 1200 V.
MiniSKiiP 2 PACK - size 2 (59 x 52 mm²) covering 35 A 1200 V to 70 A 1200 V.
MiniSKiiP 3 PACK - size 3 (82 x 59 mm²) covering 50 A 1200 V to 100 A 1200 V.

These MiniSKiiP PACK modules incorporate a 3-phase output inverter (SixPack topology) and an additional thermistor for temperature measurement. All Vincotech MiniSKiiP PACK products are also available on demand with pre-applied thermal grease for easy use and a perfect junction to the heat sink, as well as with lids in two different heights.

Vincotech MiniSKiiP PACK modules are pin-compatible with the previous versions of modules to enable quick upgrading. They are also fully compatible with their Semikron equivalents. Vincotech’s homepage provides cross-references, as well as data sheet and application note downloads.

Molex Japan awarded ISO 27001 certification

LISLE, FRANCE: Molex Inc., one of the world’s leading electronic connector companies, announced that Molex Japan (Yamato Technical Center, Shizuoka Plant, Kagoshima Plant, Precision Parts Plant in Kagoshima, and seven domestic sales offices) has successfully acquired the certification of ISO27001 from the Bureau Veritas, an authorized third party of ISO Certification.

The ISO 27001 standard was published in October 2005 with the objective to provide a model and independent certification for the establishment, implementation, monitoring, review, maintenance, and improvement of an organization’s formal Information Security Management System (ISMS).

“The importance of information security is ever-increasing,” according to Katsumi Hirokawa, president of Molex Japan. “Molex recognizes the importance of our customer's confidential information, as well as our own security interests, and will continue working to strengthen security standards and measures at our manufacturing locations globally.”

New ASAE website is live... and it rawks. — SocialFish

New ASAE website is live... and it rawks. — SocialFish: "New ASAE website is live… and it rawks.

by Maddie Grant on September 29, 2010
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We LOVE the new ASAE website!! Such a huge improvement, not least because their active community has been brought to the forefront.

So I thought I’d talk to Amy Hissrich, Director of Knowledge Initiatives at ASAE, and mastermind behind the redesign, and ask her to give us a little “behind the scenes” glimpse into the thinking that went into creating the new site."

Sign up for eSkeptic (and a cryptozoology note)

SKEPTIC magazine offers a free eSkeptic weekly newsletter to be delivered to your inbox. It gives (of course) a skeptical viewpoint on things ranging from "mad gasser" folklore to psychics.
COMMENT: The problem I have with most avoewdly skeptical publications is that they lump cryptozoology in with ghost-hunting and all the other "pseudoscientific" phenomena. Not accurate. However unscientific the methods of some amatuer cryptid enthuiasts may be, cryptozoology deals in falsifiable hypothetheses and is therefore a science. You can never disprove the theory "There are ghosts haunting some old houses" but you CAN (assuming adequate resources) disprove "There is an apelike monster in those woods" or "There is a large unidentified creature in this lake." (Whether the resources are in fact available has nothing to do with whether the hypthesis meets science philosopher Karl Popper's time-tested falisfiability postulate.) Cryptozoologists have gone out into the field and disproven some cases, like the presence of unnautrally large predators in small Irish lakes and the claim of a mermaid-like creature off New Guinea called the ri. So I repeat - cryptozoology is logically a science, even if not always practiced as one. Unscientific activities no more invalidate cryptozoology than Fleishman and Ponds' unwarranted cold fusion claims invalidated nuclear physics. You can argue cryptozoology isn't needed, since people in "mainstream" fields of zoology are investigating reports and finding new species all the time (much more than most people realize), but again that doesn't invalidate the logic here. My view of cryptozoology is that it's a branch that applies scientific methods to discovery of new species but broadens somewhat the types of data considered to get an investigation started in the hopes of assuring we don't miss anything.

We have a NASA bill, sort of

Well, Congress has at least done something with NASA.

IRATE COMMENT: No, not pass a 2011 budget: that would be too much to ask, right, with Congress adjourning almost FIVE WEEKS before the election so they can campaign? They passed an Authorization bill, which tells the agency how to spend money but doesn't actually give it any. The billed directs the termination of Ares I but directs continued work on a heavy lift launch vehicle. Congress passed a two-month continuing resolution to fund the government at 2010 levels until it can get around to the job it was elected for.

Was that a pink hippopotamus?

Yes, it was, and you have not been drinking.... A hippo's sweat is red, and the animal can look pink under the right conditions. But this young one from Kenya's Masai Mara appears to be a genuine pink hippo, or at least mostly pink. A partial albino is one possibility, but wildlife photographer Will Barrard-Lucas reports the hippo is "leucistic," meaning it has greatly reduced pigment but doesn't go all the way to albinism. Such animals may not grow up, as they are more visible to predators and more prone to sunburn than normal hippos.
Thanks to Loren Coleman for the pointer to this item.

Odyssey Diode Laser

The good folks at Ivoclar Vivadent were nice enough to provide lasers for the hands-on workshop at the CDA Meeting in San Francisco. Here are all the details for this great device, straight from their website. For all the info, here is a link.

The Odyssey® Diode Lasers from Ivoclar Vivadent, Inc. represent the latest diode laser technology available for soft tissue modification and preventive care. With unique features such as an automated fiber management system, wireless foot control, and new innovations like uni-dose fiber tips, touch screen, and battery operation, the Odyssey Diode Lasers are the most efficient, portable, and affordable soft tissue laser in dentistry today.

Powering the design of the Odyssey Diode Laser is a passion for better dentistry made possible through the use of the most sophisticated, precise and minimally invasive technology available.The Odyssey Diode Lasers now enable you to easily and safely perform many soft tissue procedures that were previously referred out of your practice, now allowing you to keep control of your patients and increase revenue.

Many doctors fear the potential of patient post-operative complications and patient discomfort associated with scalpel incisions or electrosurge. The Odyssey Diode Lasers cut and coagulate at the same time, thereby facilitating immediate hemostasis, less tissue charring, less postoperative healing time and fewer post-operative complications including less chance of infection.

The laser performs minor surgical procedures and in addition, reduces bacteria from the area at the same time. Sutures are rarely needed for laser wounds and many soft tissue procedures around the gingiva can be completed without anesthesia for greater patient acceptance and comfort.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The Playbook

With the release of the iPad other companies are scrambling to release their own tablet PCs. On the horizon is Dell's Slate and also revealed is Research in Motion's (RIM's) Playbook. RIM is most well known for its Blackberry phones and with the popularity of the Blackberry staying consistent throughout the years hope is high that the Playbook can live up to expectations.

While the Blackberry line of phones is known for their business-savvy software, RIM wants consumers of all backgrounds to be comfortable with the Playbook. RIM has tried for a long time to break away from their business-only niche, and the Playbook might be just the device to do it. If RIM wants their new tablet to be fun, they have made a step in the right direction with the Playbook's dual cameras. The forward camera is 3 mega pixels and the rear camera is 5 mega pixels. The presence of the forward facing camera indicates that there will be video calling on the tablet, and everything is shown in brilliant 1080p HD video. The screen will be a 7" LCD.

With all of these positives the Playbook sounds like it could be a real contender for the iPad, but like every device, it has its potential downfalls. One thing that sticks out very clearly is the lack of built in 3G. RIM has already stated that 3G will not be built into the Playbook in the first generation, and that is almost unheard of for the tablets being released. The screen, while beautiful, is also smaller than the iPad's. Lastly, the Playbook is not due for release till early 2011, and at that time it will have to compete with the next generation of iPads.

There is definitely hope for the Playbook in the tablet market. The first generation may not do so well, but hopefully once RIM gets its feet wet in the tablet industry, it will be able to produce a quality product for Blackberry lovers and the general public alike.

Below are the specs and features for the Blackberry Playbook:

7" LCD display, 1024 x 600 screen resolution
5.1" x 7.6" x 0.4" (130mm x 194mm x 10mm)
0.9 lbs (400g)
Built-in microUSB connector
Multi-touch capacitive screen
Wi-Fi® 802.11 a/b/g/n

3 MP high definition forward-facing camera
5 MP high definition rear-facing camera
Codec support for superior media playback, creation and video calling
1080p HD video; H.264, MPEG4, WMV HDMI video output
Micro USB and Micro HDMI

1 GHz dual-core processor
1GB RAM
Symmetrical dual-core processing

Rapid development environment
Reliable BlackBerry Tablet OS, powered by QNX technology
Supports POSIX OS, SMP, Open GL, BlackBerry® 6, WebKit, Adobe® Flash®, Java® and Adobe Mobile AIR

Rentacomputer.com offers a full range of iPad Rentals. Get yours today by visiting www.rentacomputer.com or by calling 800-736-8772.

National Semiconductor intros LED driver with dynamic headroom control for automotive LCD backlight apps

HONG KONG: National Semiconductor Corp. has announced the LM3492 LED driver with dynamic headroom control that accurately and efficiently drives current to two independently dimmable strings of LEDs.

The LM3492, a member of National’s PowerWise energy-efficient product family, maximizes system efficiency and reduces system complexity and cost in automotive LCD backlight applications.

The LM3492’s dynamic headroom control feature dynamically adjusts the LED supply voltage through the boost converter feedback to the lowest level required to provide optimal system efficiency. Three embedded MOSFETs reduce system complexity and cost.

National's LM3492 integrates a boost converter and a two-channel current regulator to efficiently and cost-effectively drive two independently dimmable LED strings with a maximum power of 15W and an output voltage of up to 65V.

Integrated fast slew rate current regulators allow high frequency and narrow pulse width dimming signals to achieve a very high contrast ratio of 1000:1. The LED current is programmable from 50 mA to 200 mA by a single resistor.

To maximize the efficiency, dynamic headroom control (DHC) automatically adjusts the LED driving voltage to a minimum level. DHC also facilitates a single bill of materials for different number of LEDs in a string, which is required for backlight panels of different size, thereby reducing overall development time and cost.

The LM3492 includes a versatile COMM pin which serves as a bi-directional input/output pin interfacing with an external MCU for command and diagnostic functions.

Offered in a 20-pin thermally enhanced TSSOP package, the LM3492 is ready for design on National's WEBENCH LED Designer.

Cabot breaks ground on world-class fumed silica expansion in China

BOSTON, USA & JIANGXI, CHINA: Cabot Corp.and China National Bluestar (Group) Corp. broke ground on the expansion of their world-class fumed silica manufacturing facility in Jiangxi Province, China.

The $43 million investment is a project of Cabot Bluestar Chemical (Jiangxi) Co. Ltd., a joint venture between subsidiaries of Cabot Corporation and China National Bluestar (Group) Corp.

The expansion will leverage Cabot's highly advanced manufacturing technology and position the Jiangxi site with the potential to produce up to 20,000 metric tons of fumed silica annually. In the first phase of this expansion, capacity will increase from 5,000 metric tons to 15,000 metric tons with commissioning expected in the second half of calendar year 2011.

Electric Handpieces Continue to Cause Burns

A rip of the old electron to Kathy Kincaide and the crew at Dr. bicuspid.com for reporting on this. This article discusses that, despite our best efforts, the FDA continues to receive reports of burns from electric handpieces.

This problem, unfortunately, is nothing new. In this article from Dental Products Report a while back, I discuss the reasons behind this and some strategies to help prevent it.

The bottom line is, if you use electric handpieces, you have to be aware of the potential for these problems. Maintenance is the only method to prevent it!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Toshiba offers bidirectional diodes for ESD protection for mobile phones, portable audio apps and LED matrices

IRVINE, USA: Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc. (TAEC) has added a series of bidirectional diodes in three package types for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection in mobile phones, portable audio devices and LED matrices.

The Toshiba DF2B6.8 series helps protect digital and mobile equipment such as cell phones, smartphones and mobile audio players from electrostatic discharge energy that may be generated from positive or negative signals from displays or audio signals.

The series of three devices provides a choice of three packages, each with a high bidirectional ESD protection level with a reverse breakdown voltage of 6.8V and high ESD immunity level of +/-8kV (min.) @ IEC61000-4-2 (contact discharge).

The Toshiba DF2B6.8E is offered in an ESC package that measures 1.6mm x 0.8mm x 0.6mm, and is suitable for LED matrices and exogenous dataline noise rejection. The Toshiba DF2B6.8FS is offered in an fSC package that measures 1.0mm x 0.6mm x 0.48mm, and is targeted for use with LEDs or mobile phone audio lines.

For even more space constrained applications, such as portable audio players or audio in thin mobile devices, the Toshiba DF2B6.8CT is offered in an CST2 package that measures 1.0mm x 0.6mm x 0.38mm.

"These low-leakage bidirectional ESD protection devices support AC signals that can be positive or negative, and save space and cost compared to use of two unidirectional diodes," said Talayeh Saderi, business development engineer, RF and small signal devices, for TAEC.

AnalogicTech LED backlight drivers with CABC save power and smooth brightness transitions in handheld devices

SANTA CLARA, USA: Advanced Analogic Technologies Inc. (AnalogicTech) has introduced the AAT2868 and AAT2869 LED backlight drivers.

The AAT2868 and AAT2869 are 1x/1.5x dual-mode, high-efficiency charge pump based white LED backlight drivers that drive four constant current LED channels and now offer content adaptive brightness control (CABC) or dynamic backlight control (DBC) to further reduce power consumption by up to 50 percent. To form a complete lighting solution, both devices include two linear low drop-out (LDO) voltage regulators.

"Two of the key issues facing the use of white LEDs in handheld devices center around power consumption and smooth transitions between brightness levels," said Phil Dewsbury, product line director for display and lighting for AnalogicTech.

"With consumers demanding both long battery lifetimes and an enhanced user experience, the feature sets in these new products offer critical market advantages. The CABC feature can reduce power consumption by as much as 50 percent, while offering automated LED fading to improve user satisfaction while simplifying programming by transferring the burden of communicating and timing the fading of the LED current."

For CABC and dimming functions, the AAT2868 provides the user with a pulse-width modulation (PWM) dimming input for external brightness and fading control that functions in parallel to the fully scaled 32 step LED current that is programmed though the AS2Cwire interface.

The AAT2869 replaces the manual PWM input with an AS2C based auto-dimming and fade capability that reduces requirements on system resources. The AAT2869 automated fade-in and fade-out feature makes backlight turn-on and turn-off more visually pleasing.

Both backlight drivers deliver improved power savings by allowing the system to continuously adjust the backlight current level in relation to the displayed image.
The AAT2868 and AAT2869 are high-efficiency, low-noise, constant-frequency, dual-mode (1x/1.5x) charge pump DC/DC converters capable of driving four white LEDs at a total 124mA from a 2.7V to 5.5V input.

The integrated dual linear LDO regulators are independently programmable from 1.2V to 3.0V at a total load of 150mA each. These LDO voltage regulators can be used to power an additional display controller, CMOS image sensor, vibration motor or other accessories.

"These products further move AnalogicTech towards delivering integrated, feature-rich devices for LED backlight," continued Dewsbury.

"We have rapidly grown our backlight driver family with nearly 50 now available and five using this charge pump architecture. Adding new and unique features to expand our portfolio, while at the same time replacing older products with updated and smaller designs, is key to maintaining our leadership position as the backlight supplier to the mobile phone industry and bringing in new customers in other related portable applications."

The AAT2868 and AAT2869 offer significant flexibility for implementation, with the easy-to-use single wire AS2Cwire interface to enable LED dimming options in 32 current steps, smooth fading transitions and LDO programming. Both are provided in a compact, low-profile TQFN package that has a 76 percent smaller footprint compared to discrete solutions.

These new drivers are ideal for power-sensitive battery operated handheld applications with LCD displays of up to 3.5 inches. Such devices include smart phones, personal navigation devices, portable media players, portable medical equipment and portable industrial instrumentation.

Diodes Inc.'s versatile 9-channel LED drivers improve LCD backlighting performance with 93 percent efficiency and 1 percent channel matching

DALLAS, USA: Diodes Inc., a leading global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality application specific standard products within the broad discrete, logic and analog semiconductor markets, announced two 9-channel LED drivers with internal charge-pumps for backlighting small-LCD screens, keypads and LED lights.

Working from 2.7V to 5.5V and driving 20mA, the applications include mobile phones and other portable consumer devices. Driving three groups of 3-LED channels and its three independent PWM dimmable control inputs, the AL3158 provides a simple drive for RGB LEDs. The AL3159, with its versatile 3-wire logic decoding of LED current control, simplifies the driving of 9-LEDs for illuminating LCD screens and LED indicator control.

The inductor-less solution requires only three external capacitors to complete the driver circuit. High levels of functional integration coupled with thin QFN packages mean that these devices save board space and reduce manufacturing costs. The devices offer up to 93 percent power efficiency, maximize battery life, and feature 1 percent current matching accuracy between channels to deliver an extremely even, consistent screen image.

LED open and short-circuit protection, thermal and under-voltage lockout and over voltage protection are provided on all channel outputs to maximize reliability. A soft start function reduces power supply inrush current to maximize battery-operating life. Both drivers are available in a lead-free, thermally enhanced, 20-pin 3mm x 3mm 0.6mm height QFN package.

Arrow Electronics signs global distribution agreement with Redpine Signals

MELVILLE, USA: Arrow Electronics Inc. has announced a global distribution agreement with Redpine Signals Inc., for its broad portfolio of wireless chipsets, modules and development kits.

Arrow will distribute Redpine Signals’ complete portfolio of low-power, high-performance chipsets and modules that provide seamless connectivity integration with any microcontroller platform available today. Redpine’s technologies support multiple market segments including industrial, consumer electronics, medical, mobile, PC, smart energy and others.

“Arrow’s global reach, extensive engineering and support infrastructure, coupled with the explosive market growth of Wi-Fi and a differentiated total solution from Redpine, gives Arrow a winning edge,” said Venkat Mattela, CEO for Redpine Signals. “We expect this partnership to expand to many synergistic development areas to provide cost-effective and timely solutions to our customers.”

“Wi-Fi technology is everywhere and is at the core of all embedded application designs,” said Jeff Eastman, senior vice president, global supplier marketing and asset management for Arrow Electronics. “Redpine’s portfolio of chipsets and modules can help Arrow customers design emerging wireless system products quickly by providing a mature and well-supported solution.”

Armstrong World Industries and Universal Display demo highly efficient, white OLED lighting ceiling system

LANCASTER & EWING, USA: Armstrong World Industries Inc. and Universal Display Corp., the company enabling energy-efficient displays and lighting with its UniversalPHOLED technology and materials, have demonstrated a novel white phosphorescent OLED lighting system to the US Department of Energy (DOE) in connection with the successful completion of their $1.9 million, two-year, Solid State Lighting Product Program titled “Development of High Efficacy, Low Cost Phosphorescent OLED Lighting Ceiling Luminaire System.”

This demonstration is a critical step toward the commercialization of efficient, low-cost lighting systems for commercial applications.

Universal Display’s novel luminaire system is energy-efficient, has low-cost potential and is also aesthetically pleasing. Integrated into Armstrong’s innovative TechZone ceiling system, each luminaire, consisting of four 15 cm x 15 cm PHOLED lamps, easily snaps into Armstrong’s modular structure for very pleasing and highly utilitarian functionality, as shown in the photograph below.

“Our TechZone ceiling system seemed like the ideal platform to demonstrate the potential of Universal Display’s PHOLED luminaire technology,” commented Joann Davis-Brayman, VP of Marketing for Armstrong Ceiling Systems Division.

“In addition to its promising energy savings potential, OLED technology supports the monolithic, uncluttered visual our customers are looking for. We are pleased to have been a part of Universal Display’s pioneering development effort and appreciate the support of the DOE in this innovative demonstration project.”

“We are very proud to be playing a key role in demonstrating the potential for OLED lighting for commercial applications, and we thank both the DOE and our partners at Armstrong World Industries for this opportunity,” stated Steven V. Abramson, president and CEO of Universal Display.

“Armstrong has shown tremendous vision with its drive to integrate white PHOLEDs into its innovative TechZone Ceiling System. The potential to easily snap Universal Display PHOLED luminaires into Armstrong’s system should enable energy-efficient, functional lighting precisely where it is needed.”

The PHOLED luminaire used in the Armstrong TechZone System has overall dimensions of approximately 15 cm x 60 cm. Each of the four lamps in the luminaire consists of a PHOLED lighting panel, an outcoupling enhancement lens and a mounting frame. Using Universal Display’s highly-efficient UniversalPHOLED technology and materials, each panel offers a record 58 lumens per Watt (lm/W) which translates into a luminaire efficacy calculated to be 51 lm/W.

It has been estimated that by 2016, white OLEDs could generate well over $20 billion in worldwide savings of electricity costs and could save over nine million metric tons of carbon emissions from the US alone.

Universal Display is working under several DOE-funded programs to advance energy-efficient white OLED lighting. Highly-efficient UniversalPHOLED technology and materials, pioneered by Universal Display, have been a driving force behind advances in OLED lighting performance and innovative lighting design opportunities for global manufacturers, such as the PHOLED luminaire used in the Armstrong ceiling system.

Wow - celestial fireworks

This exploding star, thanks to a phenomenon called a "light echo," put on one heck of a show. V838 Monocerotis looks to be expansing at almost light speed, and it boggles the mind to look at the sequence of photos.

Even sea slugs need respect

"The shallow-water nudibranch fauna of Southern California especially is well known, so it was pretty exciting to find a new species right under our noses here in Santa Barbara County," says Jeff Goddard. The marine scientist plucked a new species of sea slug, a colorful animal with orange-tipped spines, out of a tide pool in 2008. The 3-cm slug, named Flabellina goddardi by one of Goddard's colleagues who wrote the formal description, is one more reminder that new species are everywhere.

EPA Prepares to Make Dental Offices Use Amalgam Separators

Last week we underwent a site survey from DRNA in preparation of having them install an amalgam separator. We have agreed to be part of a pilot study for the company. It's something we'd been considering for a while, as it fits in with the aspect of being green and we've been trying to embrace that more and more.

Then, yesterday I read this news report from Environmental News Service. Which indicates that "The agency announced today that it will propose a rule to reduce mercury waste from dental offices in 2011. The rule, expected to be finalized in 2012, will require dentists to use of mercury separating technology by 2014."

So it looks like this is going to be a hot button in the months to come. They are currently required in 12 states, but without a federal law, installations in other states is just a tad higher than 10%.

I've been impressed so far with DRNA and I really like their system which is a turnkey solution. Basically you are on an automatic recycling schedule. They send you an annual amalgam separator recycling kit which takes your contaminated filter and sends it to an EPA certified facility and provide you want another kit that lasts for another year.

Monday, September 27, 2010

CFP: The 3 T’s: Exploring New Frontiers in Teaching, Technology, and Transliteracy

CFP: The 3 T’s: Exploring New Frontiers in Teaching, Technology, and Transliteracy

URL: http://threetees.weebly.com/
Submission: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDlmcEZlTW5wcUVnR09JSzR2YVlvQnc6MQ

Are you interested in teaching, technology and transliteracy?
Do you use your students' fluency across media, modes, and disciplines to their and your advantage?
Are you using technology to extend learning in the classroom (physical or virtual)?
Are you experienced in successfully blending technology into your teaching?

If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, the conference planning committee for The 3 T’s: Exploring New Frontiers in Teaching, Technology, and Transliteracy wants YOU to consider submitting a proposal.

Co-sponsored by SUNY FACT2 and the SUNY Librarians Association Working Group for Information Literacy (SUNYLA WGIL), The 3 T’s: Exploring New Frontiers in Teaching, Technology, and Transliteracy is a one-day conference focused on placing pedagogical theory at the foundation of seamless, engaging and productive teaching practice when infusing various technologies into the classroom experience. Educators, Faculty, Instructional Designers, and Librarians hailing from K-12 and higher education institutions will gather in Johnstown, NY at Fulton-Montgomery Community College on March 25, 2011 to share their successes, challenges and overall understanding of the theory to practice connection.

Don’t miss out on your chance to spotlight your classroom ingenuity and achievements!

Proposals should address the following questions:
• How have you drawn upon student transliteracy to support learning?
• How have underlying principles and theories guided your inclusion of a specific technology or technologies in the classroom?
• How did teaching and technology work collaboratively to improve both technological literacy and learning?

As proposals undergo a peer-reviewed process, emphasis on the following are highly encouraged:
• Connecting theory to practice as discussed and modeled through your presentation delivery
• Collaborative projects/lesson plans that could include (but are not limited to) cross-disciplinary teaching, faculty/librarian partnerships, K-12/college experiences

Proposals can include any meaningful integration of technology and teaching used to support the growing number of literacies students need for learning and succeeding in today's information-rich academic and professional worlds. Possible tracks and technologies might include:

Literacies
• Information literacy
• Visual literacy
• Digital literacy
• Media literacy
• Cultural literacy
• Critical literacy

Technologies
• Open Source Technologies
• Web 2.0 Technology
• Social Networking (Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Ning)
• Mobile Technology (Mobile apps, texting)
• Classroom Technologies (Smartboards)
• Collaborative Technology (Wikis)
• Multimedia (Podcasts, Vcasts)

Conference sessions will consist of 30 minutes speaking/workshop time with 15 minutes allocated for Q&A.

The deadline for proposals is October 29, 2010.

Presenters will be notified by November 15, 2010 if their proposal has been accepted.

Presenters will receive free registration for the conference and will have the opportunity to publish their work in the conference’s online proceedings.

For further questions, contact:

Kim Davies-Hoffman
Reference/Instruction Librarian
SUNY Geneseo
kdhoffman@geneseo.edu
(585) 245-5046

CFP: 2011 Information Fluency Conference

CFP: 2011 Information Fluency Conference

The 2011 Information Fluency Conference committee invites you to submit proposals for the upcoming
conference to be held at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, March 9-11, 2011.

This years theme is "Information R/evolution".

Proposals should address one or more of the various aspects of Information Fluency. Presentation
proposals will be peer-reviewed and may be published in the conference proceedings.

Submit your Proposal Online at http://www.ce.ucf.edu/Go/Default.aspx?id=755

Proposals must be submitted by December 9, 2010.

Submit
http://www.ce.ucf.edu/Go/Default.aspx?id=755

Possible topics for presentations include:

* What critical thinking skills are necessary to use the information technologies wisely?
* Effectively developing IF skills in students
* IF across the disciplines
* Intellectual property & plagiarism in the digital age
* Defining Information Fluency in a digital age
* Assessment of IF initiatives & Retention of IF Skills
* Academic Discernment on the Internet
* Legal Issues in the Digital Age
* Writing and Research Assignments in Large Classes
* Librarian as Teacher
* What Makes a Graduate Information Fluent?
* Assessing Student Learning Outcomes and IF Instruction
* Evidence Based Practice and Information Fluency
* Using Interactive Technology in IF
* Engaging the Undergraduate Audience in IF
* Engaging the Graduate Student in IF

For complete details on online submission of proposals, visit our Website at
http://www.ce.ucf.edu/Go/Default.aspx?id=755

Brought to you by the University of Central Florida

You Rock Guitar stars in the Financial Times How To Spend It online magazine

There’s fabulous coverage of the You Rock Guitar in the Financial Times. Presented by Jonathan Margolis the YRG stars in the Technopolis TV section of the paper’s highly influential How To Spend It online magazine.

‘You Rock is being regarded as a real revolution as a teaching guitar aid for particularly young kids and teenagers'

To view the piece follow this link.

Technology for the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector :: Tom says "mergers and alliances" - we say "mashups and interoperability." Let's think of ourselves as interoperable allies.

Technology for the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector :: Tom says "mergers and alliances" - we say "mashups and interoperability." Let's think of ourselves as interoperable allies.: "I recently had a very lively conversation with Tom McLaughlin of the Nonprofit Finance Fund. I would never need an excuse to chat with the guy who said, 'organizational culture eats strategy for breakfast,' but on this occasion, I wanted to brief him about my overall vision for online tools that help nonprofits and philanthropies map capacities and match resources with needs and to show off the working prototype of the Nonprofit Management Resources project."

15 Easy-to-Use Apps for Adding Multimedia to Twitter: Business Collaboration News �

15 Easy-to-Use Apps for Adding Multimedia to Twitter: Business Collaboration News �: "I love Twitter, but one thing I admit can be lacking from the service is that it doesn’t allow for embedded images, audio or video in the Twitter stream; you can only link to them."

Dentalvibe Injection System now undergoing Clinical Trial

Last week we received the Dentalvibe unit for evaluation & clinical testing. It's an interesting device composed of a retraction system with a bright white LED for illumination. This is combined with a vibration system that is designed to interrupt the pain sensation associated with dental injections.

The device is rechargeable and site in a charging stand when not in use. The retraction part consists of a Y-shaped piece of plastic which comes in contact with the patient and is disposable.

It's an interesting concept and an interesting device. We'll be using it in a large number of cases a d report back on our results.

Here is more info from the company website:

The revolutionary solution to dentistry's #1 challenge: patient anxiety about pain
It’s the primary challenge all dental professionals face: 50% of Americans, according to worlddental.org, avoid dental care entirely, because of anxiety about pain - most often, the pain of dental anesthetic injections.
DentalVibe is a cordless, handheld, easy-to-use device designed to reduce the pain and fear associated with the dreaded dental injection for adults as well as children. DentalVibe can be used with any dental anesthetic injection syringe to deliver comfortable injections in all areas of the mouth.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Soundcraft Vi1 takes pride of place at flagship Glee Club

Sales of Soundcraft’s new Vi1 compact digital desk have immediately gone into overdrive, report UK and ROI distributors, Sound Technology Ltd, rapidly boosting inventories in both the rental and permanent install sectors.

In the latter category, Paul Duffy’s Pacific Sound & Light have been quick to install a 32-input board at the new flagship Glee Club in Nottingham — a hybrid theatre which hosts, comedy and an eclectic mix of both emerging and established song-based artists.

Pacific recommended the desk to Glee Club owners, Comic Enterprises, after working on the resident ‘parent’ Soundcraft Vi6 console at the O2 Arena’s IndigO2 while on tour last year. This led to an invitation for a demo at the Soundcraft HQ.

At the same time, SSE Audio Group had also been speaking to Pacific, which resulted in Jon Nash, the venue’s production manager, heading across the Midlands to attend SSE’s Vi1 launch / training day (the first in the UK).

All parties realized that this compact desk — measuring half the size of the Vi6 — would provide the perfect solution … and SSE duly arranged shipment.

Converted from a Jongleurs Comedy Club, with a CAT 5 cabling infrastructure, capacity runs at 450 seated (700 standing) in the main theatre and 250 seated (350 standing) in the second room. Jon Nash can use the desk inputs for band mixing upstairs in the main venue (which also has a raked balcony), while a floor lower in the second space — which operates as an independent room — a small Soundcraft EFX12 has been deployed.

Other bonuses for the production manager, who has worked with Comic Enterprises for eight and a half years, is that because the Vi1 can be plugged into any local stagebox, it can easily be transported to any of the company’s other three venues in Cardiff, Birmingham and Oxford. In addition, a MADI card for stagebox connection will allow expansion to 64 channels (via CAT5) if necessary.

Comic Enterprises’ artistic director, Alistair Cunningham, had requested a high-end sound reinforcement system, confirmed Paul Duffy, “and the Vi1 was clearly the best solution for them all round.

“The desk needed to offer everything required in a small package, and be very rider friendly — at a competitive price. The Vi1 has a very high spec and provides us with a lot of flexibility as there is a monitor position; and if any visiting engineers arrive with a Vi6 they can plug straight into the stagebox, with 64-in and 32-out, as it is compatible with the existing Vi racks.”

Jon Nash is delighted with the new acquisition. “I have worked with digital consoles before — but I really wanted something that was both intuitive, and which would take us through the next five years. I had been asking bands what they would like to see — and the answer kept coming back Soundcraft. It’s something engineers recognise because a lot of people are using Vi6 and Vi4’s — and when I heard the price tag, that did it for me!”

The sound system installation and Vi1 training was masterminded by Pacific’s Matt Trigg.

Pacific Sound & Light have worked with Mark Tughan’s Comic Enterprises for the past ten years — and fitted out three other Glee Clubs around the country — but since the Nottingham venue is situated in Nottingham’s historic Grade II-listed British Waterways Building, with an awkward auditorium shape, steel girders and restricted sightlines, his achievement in creating a first class performance infrastructure is all the more remarkable.

In addition to the sound system, the company also designed and installed the lighting, based around LED fresnels, colour bars and house lights, all run off an Avolites Pearl Tiger.

More information:
www.soundtech.co.uk/soundcraft
www.soundcraft.com

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Animal mysteries in the Pikes Peak area

Courtesy of crypotozoologist Loren Coleman comes this roundup of animal oddities from my own locale, the Colorado Springs area. He includes escapes from the zoo (and a buffalo processing plant!) exotic animals of unknown origin, a link to our local sasquatch tales, and the "Colorado Springs lion" episode from 2008. The "lion" was taken seriously by authorities, but they never found a big cat, and the fuzzy cellphone photo was written off as a large Chow dog. (Although they never found a dog, either.)

Sylvia Earle pushes marine parks

Sylvia Earle has been studying the oceans for 50 years. Now she's pushing an equivalent of the parks many people are familiar with on land. The natucal versions are called marine protected areas (MPAs). We do have man ysuch areas around islands and reefs, but Earle eants to extend the idea to "fencing off" critical areas on the high seas from exploitation. The Sargasso Sea - "the golden rain forest of the sea" - is her leading example. See others in the web pages at the title link.
COMMENT: This isn't an idea, it's an imperative. Conservationists are sometimes unrealistic about what can be accomplished, but we're reached the point where this HAS to be accomplished.

Sirona SIROlaser Advance

Today's topic is the Sirona SIROlaser. The good folks at Sirona were also nice enough to bring lasers to the hands-on course at the CDA meeting in San Francisco. Here is info from their website:

Laser therapy means state-of-the-art dentistry and modern patient care all in one. Because when you use a diode laser you satisfy your patient’s desire for an alternative that provides maximum comfort and enhances conventional treatment. And to make sure laser therapy is also a pleasant experience for you, we’ve developed the new SIROLaser Advance.

SIROLaser Advance – THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR BEGINNERS AND PROFESSIONALS
What you get – at a glance.

Intuitive handling

Navigation via touchscreen
Clearly structured user prompting
Self-explanatory menu icons

Immediate treatment

Most important applications preset as therapy programmes
Help menu for each preset programme for the less experienced

Individual customization

24 freely programmable applications
Hotkeys for 12 favourites
Up to 6 user profiles
Separate access code for each user
Data storage for every treatment and
all users

Versatile operation

Battery operation for maximum mobility
Ergonomic handpiece with seamlessly activated finger switch
Optional: wireless foot control
Flexible, rotatable single-use tips

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Claims of UFO interference with ICBMs

Some former USAF personnel have gone public with claims UFOs were able to take control of Minuteman ICBMs, or at least interfere with them. Here's why I think memories are playing tricks, or something.
Several people say things happened, but hundreds of thousands have served in ICBM units without reporting any such thing, and no official documents have leaked. UFO sightings? Sure, they've happened in missile fields (they are mainly of the nocturnal lights type, which often prove to be astronomical phenomena or aircraft lights magnified by unusual atmospheric conditions).
But taking control? I'm not at all convinced. In the first place, I don't think
it's physically possible. Even advanced aliens have the same laws of physics governing propagation of radio signals, etc. The capsules, buried several stories deep, are grounded and hardened against any type of interference (MIJI) or (much more powerful) EMP from a nuclear near miss. A beam of EM energy powerful enough to penetrate earth and shielding would have left physical traces, like melted insulation.
If it somehow happened anyway, the investigations would have been immediate and extensive, and they would have been followed by emergency control system modifications to increase resistance to interference. These actions couldn't have been kept to a small circle (granted, the brass would have tried to do that, but I'm pretty certain it wouldn't have worked).
Matt Bille (another former USAF ICBM officer)

Constellation never had a chance

Veteran NASA program manager Wayne Hale, who had an inside view of the birth and slow death of NASA's Constellation program, writes that there was never a real chance for the program given two factors: the decision of the Bush administration and Congressional leaders not to up NASA's budget, and the fact it took much longer and cost much more than expected to return the Shuttle to service following the Columbia accident.
COMMENT: The government essentially expected NASA and its contractors to pull off a miracle: developing new high-tech systems with a much smaller budget than they needed. That strategy almost never works, and this time was no exception.

Florida panthers better thanks to Texas girlfriends

The Florida panther's numbers may have gone as low as 20 animals in the 1990s. The subspecies seemed doomed despite extensive conservation efforts. Fifteen years ago, the the US Fish and Wildlife Service brought in eight females from Texas and set them loose. (Panthers don't bond as mated pairs, so you don't need as many males as females.) The Texas animals are a different subspecies, but the differences are very minor, and the hybrid kittens have proven much fitter than those produced by the severely inbred Florida cats.
So here's to a successful rescue of one of America's rarest mammals.

A unique bird rediscovered

This rediscovery came a few years ago (2004), but it still caught my attention because Venezuela's recurve-billed bushbird (Clytoctantes alixii) is such a unique species. Its stout bill curves upward, looking as though it was stuck on upside down. The "smiling" bird also breaks the usual avian rule about colorful males and drab females: the female is a coppery reddish color, while males are gray. One of Conservation International's Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) teams rediscovered the bird and got the first photographs.

AMD Picasso Diode Laser

In my continuing feature of diode lasers, here is another one of the companies that was gracious enough to participate in the hands-on course in San Francisco.

AMD really rocked the industry when they came on the scene. Their affordable line of lasers helped drop the price of lasers to the point that almost any office could afford one.

Their devices are well made and have lots of features.

Here is some of their info from the company website:

FEATURES
7.0 Watts
8 customizable presets
Touch screen
Multiple languages
Adjustable aiming beam
Pulse / Continuous mode
100-240v 50-60hz
3-year warranty

BENEFITS
Unprecedented versatility, low operating cost, and affordability
Ideal for first-time or expert laser practitioners
Performs a wide range of soft-tissue surgical, periodontal, endodontic, and whitening procedures
The only laser that offers both the convenience of disposable tips and low cost strippable fiber

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Friday, September 24, 2010

Call for Submissions for a special issue of Journal of Library and Information Service for Distance Learning (Online Instruction)

Call for Submissions for a special issue of Journal of Library and Information Service for Distance Learning (Online Instruction)

The Journal of Library and Information Service for Distance Learning, a peer-reviewed journal published by Routledge. The journal is devoted to the issues and concerns of librarians and information specialists involved with distance education and delivering library resources and services to this growing community of students.

For this special issue of the journal, we are seeking submissions of manuscripts on trends in online instruction.

If you are interested in submitting an article, send the manuscript directly to the Guest Editor, Bill Denny at denny_w@calu.edu by February 4, 2011. Inquiries and questions are welcome.

Please note: We accept manuscript submissions through the year. The deadline mentioned above is the date we need your manuscript for possible inclusion in our next published issue. Accepted and approved manuscripts received after this date have no guarantee of being included in the next published issue.

Instructions for authors are available at http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=journal&issn=1533-290X or can be emailed to you directly.

Center for the Study of Information and Religion Call for Papers

Center for the Study of Information and Religion Call for Papers

The Center for the Study of Information and Religion in Kent State's School of Library and Information Science welcomes abstracts for consideration for its first annual Conference on Information and Religion, scheduled for May 20, 2011, at Kent State University. The conference theme is Research Frontiers in the Study of Information and Religion. Dr. Brenda Dervin, Professor of Communication and Joan N. Huber Fellow in Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Ohio State University, will present the keynote address on "Spiritual Knowledge."

URL: http://www.slis.kent.edu/content/view/349/111/

Sixteenth- through eighteenth-century definitions of “information,” as found in the Oxford English Dictionary, spoke of “the shaping of the mind or character; communication of instructive knowledge” and linked such shaping to information about the conduct of life and the way to God and a reclaiming of oneself. These early definitions brought together the concepts of information and religion.

Various disciplines have studied religion. At the Center for the Study of Information and Religion (CSIR), an interdisciplinary approach is being used to facilitate research that is focused on the various institutions and agents of religion and their effect on social knowledge through the use, dissemination, and diffusion of information. The goals of the CSIR are (1) to investigate the importance of information in the religious world; (2) to understand the relationship between the information-seeking behavior of clergy and the body of knowledge that exists to serve their information needs; and (3) to advance our understanding of the role of information in religious practice.

CSIR will host the First Annual Conference on Information and Religion in May 2011. This call for papers seeks original contributions in all areas related to information and religion. The conference theme invites participants to share their work in a variety of areas that might be called “frontiers,” where scholars are exploring the intersections of religion and information. Topics that might be addressed include but are not limited to the following:

1. The information-seeking behavior of clergy;
2. The role of the sermon as an influential communication medium in society;
3. The utilization of multimedia in sermon delivery;
4. Information in its application to local congregations as communities of practice;
5. Faith and many types of intelligence (e.g., emotional intelligence);
6. Information, entropy (understood as the rate of transfer of a message), and belief;
7. Case studies of pastors, priests, rabbis, imans, and other religious leaders to explore the role of information in the sermon preparation task;
8. Longitudinal study of religious leaders engaged in congregational ministries to study changes in the sermon preparation task over the course of their careers, the role of information in the development of new congregations or the growth of established ones;
9. Intersections of interests in the study of information and religion, where different disciplines might find it worthwhile to collaborate in research.

Prospective participants are encouraged to submit abstracts that report on recent research and scholarship. Contributions to this call for papers should not have been previously published. There are no restrictions on research methodology.

Instructions for Submitting Refereed Paper Extended Abstracts:

* The abstract should be no longer than 250 words (including research question, methods, results).
* Include the title of the paper, names, affiliations, and contact information of the authors (with one author to be designated as the contact for the paper).
* Submit abstracts in PDF or WORD format by Dec. 31, 2010, to Dr. Rosemary DuMont (see link above).

* Notification of Acceptance: February 1, 2011

Papers accepted for presentation at the conference are eligible for consideration for the ARIR (Annual Review of Information & Religion). Details regarding submission of full papers will be given to those whose abstracts are accepted for conference presentation.

Finding lost amphibians: a success story

The world has lost numerous amphibian species, including Australia's unique gastric brooding frog and several of Central America's colorful poison-dart frogs. Scientists with Conservation International and the IUCN decided to take a list of 100 known extinctions and see if the animals were unquestionable gone. The answer" not necessarily. So far, three species have been rediscovered: the Mount Nimba reed frog of the Ivory Coast, the Omaniundu reed frog of the Congo, and Mexico's cave splayfoot salamander. All had been missing for over 30 years (the salamander was collected just once, in 1941).
COMMENT: Ann Murray once had a hit with a song which ran, "We sure could use a little good news today." It's nice when dedicated scientists, do, in fact, give the conservation world a little good news.

Working Smarter with AnteriorRest - Now Undergoing Clinical Testing in Our Office

For those of you who work in dentistry, this stat will come as no surprise, to those of you outside the field you may be shocked to learn that over 60% of dentists who become disabled do so due to neck and back issues. The "dental posture" that doctors are in several hours a day, just isn't natural. we sit in an upright position with no support and, in many cases, have to hold very still while we work. This just isn't the way the human body is designed to work and we pay for it with our spines. I personally know several doctors who either suffer from chronic spinal issues or have had to leave practice due to these same issues.

Now a company is trying to change that aspect of dental practice. The company is ProHealth Equipment and the product is called AnterioRest. The concept is a fairly simple one. The device gives the operator something to lean against while they work which means the back and neck muscles can relax more while giving the operator the positioning they require to perform treatment.

On the Dental Entertainment Network, I shot a segment for the company that does a great job of explaining exactly what it is and why/how it works.

I was impressed with the concept of the device and the people behind it. Enough so, that I've agreed to do a clinical test of the device by using it on a daily basis. While we have 7 treatment areas in the facility, I tend to work out of 2 of those areas. We've equipped both of those with a full AnterioRest setup. I have not only the support for me, but I also have a support on the other side of the chair to help support my left arm. I was in a car accident during dental school that badly damaged my left shoulder and I've dealt with some pretty strong pain in it as I've gotten older. The AnterioRest folks were nice enough to provide this arm support to see if it will help.

The installation was pretty easy. The guys from the company came to my office and coached Steve, my Goetze Dental service tech on exactly how to do the install.

I've been using the AnterioRest for 2 days now including 2 endodontic procedures yesterday. I love doing endo, but the strain of doing multiple cases can sometimes be difficult for me as my back is usually killing me by the end of the day. I'm happy to report that yesterday, I finished with my back feeling good. I'll be reporting back as we get further along with the evaluation, but so far, I'm very impressed with the product.

To end this post, here's a photo of my assistant Terri and I seeing our first patient after the install.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Call for Papers: Special Issue of the Journal of the Medical Library Association on Applying Technologies in Medical Libraries

Call for Papers: Special Issue of the Journal of the Medical Library Association on Applying Technologies in Medical Libraries

Using technology to improve access to information has long been integral to medical and health sciences libraries. However, today’s environment of rapidly changing software and hardware, social networking tools, and increasingly tiny and mobile devices presents special challenges for health sciences libraries. To help readers to better understand and manage this environment, the Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) is planning to devote an upcoming issue to papers that help in understanding how health sciences libraries can use technologies to improve delivery of, and access to, medical and health sciences information.

JMLA particularly welcomes submission of case studies that describe how a particular institution used technology to solve a common problem confronting our libraries, as well as research papers that use quantitative or qualitative methodologies to evaluate the use of technology in health sciences libraries, and state-of-the-art reviews that look at some aspect of this issue. Papers should follow the guidelines on JMLA’s Information for Authors website at www.mlanet.org/publications/jmla/jmlainfo.html. ln addition to describing the application used, case studies should include a discussion of alternatives considered, data that supports an evaluation of the projects’ success in meeting stated goals, and a section on “lessons learned” that will aid other libraries who may be considering a similar application.

To appear in this issue, scheduled for January 2012, papers should be received no later than May 10, 2011. If you would like to discuss an idea for a paper, please contact Susan Starr, Editor, JMLA at jmlaeditorbox@gmail.com.

Lisa Ennis, MS, MA
Systems Librarian / School of Nursing Co-Liaison
Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences
University of Alabama at Birmingham
(v)205.934.6322 (f)205.934.3545
http://www.uab.edu/lister

MW2011 CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: Deadline September 30, 2010

MW2011 CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: Deadline September 30, 2010

Museums and the Web 2011: the international conference for culture and heritage online
April 6-9, 2011
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
http://www.archimuse.com/mw2011/

Museums and the Web explores the social, cultural, design, technological, economic, and organizational issues of culture, science and heritage online. Taking an international perspective, MW reviews and analyzes the impacts of networked cultural, natural and scientific heritage. Our community has been meeting since 1997, imagining, tracking, analyzing, and influencing the role museums play on the Web - wherever the network may take us.

* CALL FOR PARTICIPATION *

The MW program is built from the ground up. Proposals are invited from professionals and researchers in all areas actively exploring the creation, online presentation and use of cultural, scientific and heritage content, and its re-use and evaluation. There are no pre-defined themes -- just a strong interest in the best work out there!

The bibliography of past MW papers (all online since 1997) can be searched at http://conference.archimuse.com/biblio/

All full texts are freely available online.

* PROPOSAL FORM *

Online proposal submission is required. Use the form linked from http://conference.archimuse.com/mw2011/call.html

Please co-ordinate your proposals with your collaborators. Multiple proposals about the same project will not be successful.

Proposals are peer-reviewed individually by an International Program Committee. Note that proposals for full sessions are rarely accepted.

Proposals for sessions should be submitted as individual papers with a covering note. The committee may choose to accept some papers and not others.

*SESSION FORMATS *

MW sessions vary in format - from formal Papers to informal Birds of a Feather lunches, and from structured Professional Forums to timely Unconference Sessions. Find the best format for your idea, by reviewing the session formats at http://www.archimuse.com/conferences/mw.sessionFormats.html

* DEADLINES *

Proposals due September 30, 2010 - for papers, mini-workshops + professional forums (written paper
required by Jan. 31, 2011)

Proposals due December 31, 2010 - for demonstrations (written paper optional)

* PROGRAM SUGGESTIONS *

The Museums and the Web program is built from the ground up, from your
proposals. Add your ideas to the on-line discussion at http://conference.archimuse.com/forum/suggestions_for_the_mw2011_program

* NEED FURTHER DETAILS? *

Review the MW2011 Call for Participation on-line at

http://www.archimuse.com/mw2011/call.html

Hidden technology: the Tesla Fallacy

This thought came up as I was perusing some posts in rec.aviation.military, where a couple of people tend to post a lot about assumed accomplishments of Nazi engineers. Now, engineers in Nazi Germany made some surprising advances, but because they created the first practical jet fighters and the first ballistic missiles doesn't mean they solved antigravity, supersonic aircraft, electromagnetic propulsion, etc.

I have grandiosely decided to name this line of thinking, because I don't think anyone else has. I call it the Tesla fallacy. Because Tesla was a bona fide genius who produced many advances (most notably alternating current), some aficionados assume he must also have been right when he believed that death rays, long-distance wireless power transmission, etc. were possible (and their application has been suppressed by evil government or corporate interests, of course). Not necessarily so.

(For example, MIT engineers have found that wireless power transmission is possible for low power levels over very short distances (anything more and you're sending EM energy everywhere, messing up whatever other electronics are in the vicinity and driving the power needs of the transmitter to impractical levels.)

The point is that even proven authority in a given field of endeavor does not guarantee further accomplishment, even in the same field. Maybe it's not a wholly original thought, but it seemed worth writing down.

Unknown population of tigers caught on video

A BBC camera crew investigating reports of tigers appearing well above the altitudes where they normally roam visited the highlands of Bhutan and came away with video proof of the endangered cats. Automated camera traps captured tigers hunting as high as 4,100 meters. The population in this highland valley may not be large, but every addition to the shrinking wild population of tigers is a major victory. Interestingly, this valley is the only place in the world shared by leopards, snow leopards, and tigers.

CFP: Journal of Library and Information Service for Distance Learning

CFP: Journal of Library and Information Service for Distance Learning

The Journal of Library and Information Service for Distance Learning, a peer-reviewed journal published by Routledge, welcomes the submission of manuscripts.

The journal is devoted to the issues and concerns of librarians and information specialists involved with distance education and delivering library resources and services to this growing community of students.

Topics can include but are not limited to:
• Faculty/librarian cooperation and collaboration
• Information literacy
• Instructional service techniques
• Information delivery
• Reference services
• Document delivery
• Developing collections
If you are interested in submitting an article, send the manuscript directly to the Editor, Jodi Poe at jpoe@jsu.edu by October 29, 2010. Inquiries and questions are welcome.

Please note: We accept manuscript submissions through the year. The deadline mentioned above is the date we need your manuscript for possible inclusion in our next published issue. Accepted and approved manuscripts received after this date have no guarantee of being included in the next published issue.

Instructions for authors are available at http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=journal&issn=1533-290X or can be emailed to you directly.

Backing Up with MyBook

MyBook Essential 2TB.jpg

For those of you who have seen/heard me speak about the benefits of a chartless office, you've also had the chance to hear my crazy anal retentive backup strategy. Because portable hard drives just keep getting larger in capacity and smaller in price, there is just no viable argument against using them.

They are quick, efficient, affordable, reliable, and very easy to use. My life, both in my office and in my home, revolves around a variety of these devices andI don't think I could function without them.

The purpose of this post is to highlight the affordability of these drives. According the Sam's Club website, they currently feature a Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB drive (that's right, two terabytes!!!) for 128.88

About 3 years ago I purchased a similar device that had 300GB for roughly $25 more. That means you can now buy about 600% more drive space for $25 less. That is nothing short of amazing.

Unless you are doing a lot more storage in your office than I am (and I don't really think that is too possible or practical) a 2TB drive should fit your needs nicely. Simply get one for each day of the week or each week of the month and you are good to go.

While I'm also a fan of online backups, downloading multiple gigabytes of data, even over a highspeed connection, can take a long time. We're talking many hours at best and perhaps days for online backups as opposed to single digit hours of recreating from a portable hard drive or even less, if you can just plug it in and use it on your system. Online backups are fine and recommended, but only as a redundant system to the portable hard drive system I've outlined here.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

First Independent aids charity via social media | The Columbian

First Independent aids charity via social media | The Columbian: "The bank’s “Ready to Give” program aims to raise money for five Clark County charities each year by tapping its customers’ Twitter and Facebook networks, in addition to using traditional print and online advertising, said Stacey Graham, chief strategy officer at First Independent Bank. For every dollar raised online, the bank will donate $1, up to $5,000 to each charity or $25,000 total for Evergreen School District Foundation, YWCA Clark County, Innovative Services NW, Columbia Dance and the Clark County Food Bank."

"Get your wallet out" - full Nord C2 review now available at www.soundonsound.com

Earlier this year Sound On Sound magazine tested the Nord C2 organ. The conclusion read:

"My biggest problem with this review has been stopping playing long enough to write anything ... Get your wallet out."

Now to find out why you can read the full unabridged review at www.soundonsound.com.

More information:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb10/articles/clavianordc2.htm
http://www.nordkeyboards.com/c2

Facebook Co-Founder Is Building a Social Network for Non-Profits [VIDEO]

Facebook Co-Founder Is Building a Social Network for Non-Profits [VIDEO]: "A few hours after (RED) CEO Susan Smith Ellis kicked off the Mashable & 92Y Social Good Summit by saying that she thought someone needed to create a social network specifically for connecting people to non-profit organizations, Facebook Co-founder Chris Hughes took the stage to say he was building it."

Call for presenters: The Conference for Entrepreneurial Librarians: "From Vision to Implementation"

Call for presenters: The Conference for Entrepreneurial Librarians: "From Vision to Implementation"

We seek presenters to tell their stories at the 2nd "Conference for Entrepreneurial Librarians" sponsored by the libraries at Wake Forest University and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. We will explore the paths by which librarians have developed and marketed their entrepreneurial products and services. Our keynote speakers will be Mary Ellen Bates of Bates Information Services and Tim Spalding of LibraryThing. See the conference website (http://cloud.lib.wfu.edu/blog/entrelib/) for more information.
　
This conference will provide a forum to:

• Share and celebrate the entrepreneurial accomplishments of librarians and information professionals
• Inspire each other to innovate
• Create a community to promote entrepreneurial practices

Conference dates and location:
March 10 and 11, 2011 on the campus of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC

Proposal Highlights:
We seek presentations from librarians and information professionals about projects that have become commercial successes or have transformed library services. The successful presentation could include:

• An innovative approach that filled an unmet need or extended the scope of services or resources
• A description of how a creative solution was designed and implemented
• A discussion of lessons learned and what could have been done differently
• A description of the keys to a successful project
• A tone that inspires entrepreneurship, no matter how small the project

Formats:
Presentations may be made in one of two formats:

• One-hour break-out sessions with 45 minutes for presenting and 15 minutes for Q&A. These may be panels or single presenters. Proposals should include an abstract of no more than 250 words.
• Five minute "lightening rounds" with time for Q&A after all have presented. Only a microphone will be provided so be prepared without visual aids! Proposals should include a description of 25-50 words.

Submission Deadline:
Proposals will be accepted until October 1, 2010 at:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHdWSWR1RXJheGRsZW1GM2JFVkJ6dlE6MQ

For more information, contact:

Kimberly Lutz
kdlutz2@uncg.edu
336-334-5880

or

Mary Scanlon
scanlomg@wfu.edu
336-758-4303

CFP: RDA @ Your Library: An Amigos Online Event

CFP: RDA @ Your Library: An Amigos Online Event
When: 9:00am- 4:00pm, Friday, February 4, 2011
Where: Amigos Online Classroom
Website: http://rda.amigos.org/

Do you have something to say about RDA? Amigos Library Services presents RDA @ Your Library, an online conference scheduled for February 4, 2011. We are accepting proposals for speakers, http://rda.amigos.org/node/4. Proposals are due no later than 5:00 PM central standard time on
September 30, 2010.

RDA @ Your Library

Resource Description and Access (RDA) was released June 23, 2010. It was designed to replace the existing Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd Edition (AACR2). Prior to implantation, the USA National Libraries (Library of Congress, National Library of Medicine, and the National Agriculture Library) are testing RDA to assure the operational, technical, and economic feasibility of RDA. See more on the testing
process and partnerships on the Library of Congress website http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/RDAtest/rdatest.html.

The Amigos Library Services online RDA @ Your Library conference will cover a variety of topics to ensure a balanced conference. Topics include RDA background/overview (FRBR and FRAD concepts), AACR2 to RDA, RDA as Data (including a background on the concept of changes needed to
library metadata) as well as why RDA might not be the right choice for libraries. Confirmed speakers include Barbara Tillett, Michael Gorman, Diane Hillmann, Karen Coyle, John Attig, Robert Maxwell, J. McRee Elrod, James Weinheimer.

Additionally, various Integrated Library Systems vendors will present on their intentions towards RDA (representatives from III, VTLS and Equinox are confirmed). Troy Linker with ALA Publishing will present on AACR2 to RDA from the co-publishers perspective. Linda Gabel with OCLC will discuss OCLC Contract Cataloging Department's experiences as one of the test sites and how OCLC itself is dealing with RDA.

RDA @ Your Library will provide both basic and advanced information. Amigos Library Services is looking for your point of view of RDA for your library.

Proposals:

Please submit your proposal using our online webform found
http://rda.amigos.org/node/4

Proposals are due no later than 5:00 PM central standard time, September
30, 2010

Each session will be 45 minutes in length.

Possible topics:

How to incorporate RDA in your library or how to remain an AACR2 library
What your library will do if the standard is accepted by Library of Congress
Print or online? Where do you get RDA?
What your library plans to do in your library ILS to accommodate AACR2 and RDA

If you're interested in presenting, but have never done it online, don't worry -- we will teach you what you need to know! We welcome submissions from catalogers, metadata specialists, and all interested or involved in RDA in academic, public, school, and special libraries.

Anatomage is now Exclusive to Gendex and SOREDEX

As a cone beam user and a Gendex customer, I've been fortunate enough to be able to use Invivo's Anatomage software for the past several years. While there are lots of good 3D software products out there, Anatomage simply takes it to the next level, in my clinical opinion.

While I could go into great (and confusing) detail on why Anatomage is so near and dear to my heart, suffice it to say that I've seen a lot of 3D imaging programs, and as far as I'm concerned, it is the best.

Here's all the info from the press release:

Gendex® and SOREDEX® have signed an agreement with Anatomage to become the exclusive Cone Beam providers of the InvivoTM Dental 3D imaging software.

Invivo Dental has quickly become one of the most powerful and easy‐to‐use tools on the market for visualization and treatment planning of 3D cases. Pairing the Invivo Dental software with the highly acclaimed Gendex GXCB‐500TM/GXCB‐500 HDTM and SCANORA® 3D systems will result in a new level of ease of use and options in treatment planning for both specialists and general practitioners.

Going forward, the Invivo Dental software will become an integral part of all 3D equipment from Gendex, SOREDEX and their sister brands. Invivo Dental will no longer be available as a standalone software product that can be sold independently by Cone Beam manufacturers or dealers.

For Gendex GXCB‐500TM/GXCB‐500 HDTM systems and SOREDEX SCANORA® 3D owners who have already invested in their 3D CBCT machines, the Invivo Dental software, optional modules and upgrades will be available through the respective warranty programs of each company.

This new agreement aims to strengthen the already excellent offerings of Gendex and SOREDEX that provide clinicians with exceptional features, enhanced ease‐of‐use, and comprehensive control in treatment planning. Over the next year, the Invivo Dental software application will be further developed and tightly integrated into our hardware platforms with the goal of providing a seamless clinical experience.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

A Whale beneath the San Diego Zoo?

Yep. The land-based institution doesn't keep whales, but it was sitting on one. Construction workers digging a hole for a new water tank found a whale fossil three million years old. The whale's skeleton was intact and in good condition.

New species of ape described!

It is perhaps the rarest event in zoology: the description of a new species of ape. From the still little-known rainforest area where Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia meet comes the northern buffed-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus annamensis), the sixth known species in its genus. Gibbons are the most prolific apes in terms of species, with the newcomer making (by some, but not all, counts) a 17th species. The rarity of the new species is not clear yet, although some gibbon species are fewer than 200 heartbeats from extinction.

Thanks to Loren Coleman for the initial pointer to this story.

Reason and Record reviewed in Sound On Sound

Reason 5 provides a striking front cover for the latest issue of Sound On Sound (October 2010). Inside, a comprehensive 6 page review delves deep into the new features in Reason 5 and Record 1.5.

On the new Blocks sequencing mode in Reason and Record:
"To be able to back-track and remake your initial compositional building blocks without having to laboriously rebuild your arrangement afterwards seems like such an obvious advantage that you soon begin to wonder why it wasn't always possible."

On the new Live Sampling:
"Single-hit sounds, sustained pitched instrument notes, and even verse- or chorus-length loops can be captured, trimmed, and put to work with the greatest of ease, and it's good, addictive fun."

On Kong Drum Designer:
"[Kong's] different sound modules cover every conceivable drum or percussion-programming task, its physical and analogue modelling drum modules sound excellent and are extremely easy to use, and the effects modules complete the picture. Kong's semi-modular design invites experimentation, and is sufficiently open-ended that you won't quickly exhaust its possibilities."

On Dr.Octo Rex
"It’s difficult to conceive of much you might want to do to a REX file that couldn’t be accomplished with Dr OctoRex, from the simple business of deploying a set of sampled loops irrespective of their original key and tempo, to much more drastic deconstruction and rearrangement."

On Neptune in Record:
"Neptune is easy to use and capable of striking results. Its forté is as a vocal processor. With the Correction Speed knob turned right up, all the usual, clichéd robotic effects are available. With more judicious settings, Neptune does unobtrusive and quite natural‑sounding pitch correction, and the Voice Synth can generate quite usable artificial harmonies or backing vocals."

The conclusion?

"Two significant new instruments, and easy-to-use built-in sampling make version 5 a must have upgrade for existing Reason users. The Neptune pitch processor is a powerful new tool for performing the kinds of task that might previously have sent Record users into the arms of rival DAW applications. When Reason 5 and Record 1.5 are installed together, they make an impressively comprehensive package."

"Glancing back across this review, I see that I have used the word 'impressive' four times already, and I have no qualms about making that five. Impressive."

To read the full review please pick up the October 2010 issue of Sound On Sound.

More information:

www.soundtech.co.uk/propellerhead/reason
www.facebook.com/propellerheaduk
www.propellerheads.se

How to target wall posts to specific fans - Social media and inbound marketing for non-profits

How to target wall posts to specific fans - Social media and inbound marketing for non-profits

TED Mobile Review | Android Unknown App - PCWorld

TED Mobile Review | Android Unknown App - PCWorld: "TED Mobile is the mobile app version of the TED Website, allowing you to watch its video content on your smartphone. You may know about the TED conferences (TED stands for 'Technology, Entertainment, and Design'); TED's motto is 'Ideas Worth Sharing,' and the nonprofit group posts videos of speakers whose new ideas are transforming (or may transform) the world."

Y5 - Watching Your Battery While Watching Your Back

As I become more and more enamored of the Android OS, I find myself looking at apps designed for it and wondering "why not me?". As most of you know, I'm currently using a Palm Pre and am none too happy with it at this point in time. When I came across the info on Y5 Battery Saver it had a double impact on me. The first was that it's another example of innovation from the app developers of both iPhone and Droid platforms. Palm was supposed to have a thriving app store, but it never really got off the ground and now I really don't notice much innovation at all.

The second thing was how this innovation for Droid actually helps battery life. My Pre's battery life is definitely nothing to be proud of and part of that is due to WiFi. The phone is constantly looking for a signal no matter where I am. Now, I understand how that works. I have great WiFi coverage in my house and in my office. Because of that I want my phone to be able to access that connection and utilize it. So in order to do that, I have the WiFi on at all times. When I come in range, it connects automatically.

Of course the downside is that whenever I'm not in my home or my office, the device is wasting valuable battery life sniffing the air for a WiFi connection. The Pre battery life is short anyway and adding that task to the mix just burns through it even faster. So, the green eyed monster reared its ugly head when I saw this program for the Droid. In MY world, I'm manually turning off WiFi to save battery and then trying to remember to turn it back on when I'm in range of a good and trusted signal.

The free Y5 Battery Save App basically keeps an eye on your WiFi pays attention when you connect to a hotspot. It uses cellular signal triangulation to figure out your location (not GPS) and remembers where the hotspot is located. It then tracks you and as you move away from that area, it turns the wireless function of your phone off to save the battery. From time to time it will check your location using triangulation and if you are in an area where you've connected via WiFi before, it will turn on the WiFi function and your phone will connect to the network. All of this happens with no user input at all!

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