November 2010 | My Technology

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

X-37B spaceplane finishing up mission?

The Air Force isn't saying exactly what the X-37B unmanned spaceplane has been up to, but it's losing altitude and being guided back toward Earth for a landing between December 3 and December 6. The Air Force has pronounced itself very pleased with the project, which has kept the spaceplane in orbit since April 22 and made significant changes of orbit. A second X-37B is under construction for a launch in 2011.
COMMENT: It will be interesting to see if the AF and Boeing have mastered the art of unmanned Shuttle-type reentry and runway landing.

Arsenic and Old Life?

NASA plans a press conference to highlight a new paper on "weird life" and the possibilities arsenic-based life exists on other worlds. And maybe, just maybe, on Earth, although we wouldn't know since nobody's ever looked for it.

Digi-Key and Phihong USA sign global distribution agreement

THIEF RIVER FALLS & FREMONT, USA: Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corp., and Phihong USA, one of the most trusted names in power electronics, have entered into an agreement in which Digi-Key will distribute Phihong products to customers worldwide.

Products from Phihong USA products stocked by Digi-key comprise its standard IEEE802.3af and .at PoE products, including midspans, injectors, and splitters, standard wall-mount, desktop, and interchangeable-clip adapters, and power supplies. These products are now available for purchase on Digi-Key’s global websites and will be featured in future print and online catalogs.

“We are very pleased to announce this new distribution agreement with Phihong USA,” said Jeff Shafer, Digi-Key vice president of interconnect, passive, and electromechanical products. “Adding Phihong’s quality power solution line to Digi-Key’s offering exemplifies our commitment to provide our customers with the industry’s broadest range of electronic components.”

“Digi-Key will help us reach our global customer base and meet their demanding design and delivery schedules,” said Keith Hopwood, vice president of marketing for Phihong USA. “We are pleased to have a distribution partner that is as committed to customer service and support as we are.”

JBL announces Mac OS support for MSC-1 Monitor System Controller

JBL Professional has released MSC1 Control Centre Software for Macintosh, allowing Mac users to take advantage of the JBL MSC1 Monitor System Controller’s powerful speaker tuning and software-controlled features.

In a compact desktop form factor, the MSC1 Monitor System Controller provides features found in the monitor section of professional mixing consoles including input source selectors, a large volume control, and the ability to listen to two sets of speakers plus a connected subwoofer. Control Center Software for Macintosh allows adjustment of MSC1 speaker alignment delay, EQ, and settings for a connected subwoofer. Most significantly, the Mac software gives access to the MSC1’s powerful RMC™ Room Mode Correction system that tunes speakers for greater accuracy and superior mixes in any room. MSC1 Control Center Software runs on any Power PC or Intel Macintosh computer with Tiger, Leopard, or Snow Leopard operating system (OSX 10.4.1.1 or greater.)

Priced within reach of any studio, the affordable MSC1 works with any speaker system, and is the perfect add-on to JBL’s new LSR2300 Series studio monitors.

The Macintosh software will be offered on a CD-ROM included with the MSC1 Monitor System Controller and can be downloaded at the end of November from the JBL Professional Website at

http://www.jblpro.com/msc1

Birmingham's Crescent Theatre chooses Soundcraft Vi1

SSE recently supplied one of the first Soundcraft Vi1 digital live consoles to the Crescent Theatre in Birmingham.

The sale came about after technical staff from the Theatre visited SSE's headquaters in Redditch last summer. They were looking to replace a Soundcraft K3 analogue console and initially enquired about a Soundcraft Si2.

The theatre, which is located in Birmingham Centre Centre, required a console that could be operated with little experience by the many visiting company crews that come in to use the space.

SSE Sales Manager, Richard Watts arranged a demo of the newly-released Soundcraft Vi1 digital mixing console, which was conducted by Deep Purple engineer, Gert Sanner.

"The Crescent staff decided there and then on the Vi1 and I had an order the next day." says Richard.

The Vi1 was one of the first to be installed in the UK.

Three months after the console was installed, Richard Watts visited the theatre and caught up with Deputy Technician Supervisor Syd James to see how things have gone.

"He was singing its praises! They are very happy with both the console and SSE's service, which is great" says Richard.

Syd added: "We have a high turn around of visiting companies, many with their own crews. We only have to give them a quick 30 minute 'show and tell' of the desk and they are up and running with the basics. I am then on hand for the more complicated programming."

The Crescent is one of Birmingham's oldest theatre companies, operating from a purpose built theatre in the Brindleyplace development. It has a membership in excess of 250 actors, technicians, set designers, etc. and stages upwards of fifteen productions a year. The theatre has a 340 seat plus main house, a 120 seat studio theatre along wth rehearsal rooms and a spacious bar.

Related Links
www.soundtech.co.uk/soundcraft
www.soundcraft.com/products/product.aspx?pid=176
www.sseaudiogroup.com/
www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/

All-new Washburn acoustic line-up ships in the UK

Washburn's all new acoustic guitar line-up has begun shipping in the UK. Each of the new 10, 20, 30, and 40 acoustic series features different tonewoods, with models available in dreadnought, "Grand Auditorium" or mini jumbo body styles, and in Standard or Deluxe versions.

The 10 Series features Solid Spruce top and Mahogany back and sides.
The 20 Series features Solid Spruce top and Rosewood back and sides.
The 30 Series features Solid Spruce top and Ash back and sides.
The 40 Series features Solid Spruce top and Maple back and sides.
The 50 Series features Solid Spruce top and Koa back and sides.

In terms of body styles, a prefix of WD is a Dreadnought, WG is a "Grand Auditorium" and WMJ is a Mini-Jumbo.

Finally a "5" in the model number - such as a WD15S - represents a Deluxe model with upgraded binding.

More information and further guitar details coming very soon at www.soundtech.co.uk/washburn

Snow Patrol and Paul Van Dyk Collaborator Johnny McDaid installs Matrix

“I don’t think I ever want to go back to mixing in the box again.”

There are few writers or producers who can move between the worlds of Rock, Pop and Dance like Johnny McDaid. The London-based writer, producer, vocalist and musician collaborates with Alt-Rockers Snow Patrol, has penned dance tracks for Paul van Dyk, remixed U2 and racked up writing credits with the likes of Gary Go, Carina Round, Iain Archer and Example.

His music has also soundtracked a plethora of TV adverts and shows, including Grey’s Anatomy, The Hills, Defying Gravity… and even been heard in Hollywood movies, including Sex Drive, My Sister's Keeper, and many more.

Consequently Fieldwork Studio – Johnny’s North London production and writing suite – needs to be flexible enough to handle any job that comes his way, which is why he has recently installed a Solid State Logic Matrix…

“I didn’t specifically head out for an SSL – I just wanted something that would tick the right boxes for me. I needed something that would work as a controller, that would function as a desk, a summing mixer that I’d be able to patch outboard gear in to… and when I did some research Matrix checked all of the boxes and added a whole load more to the list as well!”

“The controller side of Matrix is fantastic, so I’m constantly using the short-cut keys and the jogwheel, and the transport is amazing. Mainly, though, what I’m interested in with Matrix is the analogue side of it. Before Matrix I always mixed in the box. When I was in a band and touring I’d mix on a laptop with headphones, but even when I broke away from that and had a studio I still tended to mix in the box.”

“Matrix allows me to mix everything in groups as we build a track. And I don’t think I ever want to go back to mixing in the box again. I thought I would always mix in the box because recall is easy, and a track sounds like it’s going to sound in the end, but the difference with Matrix is massive – it’s like night and day.”

“When the guys from SSL installed the desk they said to have a go and see what I thought of it. Seems I was playing everything way under where I needed to, and that I could really push those needles until they’re bending like a Russian gymnast against the sides of the pins. So I pushed it – and no matter how hard I push Matrix I’ve never got it to clip. I’ve never had this desk distort (in a bad way) or clip on me. There’s a very natural sound with it.”

It’s not just Matrix that’s helping Johnny get a more impressive soundstage than he’s had before – he also uses SSL’s X-Rack compression and EQ. “I use X-Rack outboard a lot, both going in and coming out. I really like the ‘hands-on’ feel of having an SSL channel, whether it’s a Superanalogue channel, or an old SSL EQ that I can put in to crunch everything up … and now I can do all that really easily with this desk.”

“So yes, Matrix has changed the way I work… for a start there’s the speed that I can now create ideas that end up becoming finished ideas that make it on to records. Before Matrix I would create tapestries of ideas that tended to be bits and bobs, you know, cluttered together inside a computer. But Matrix allows me to break everything out, so that the building blocks that are used to create a song or a piece of music are all there in front of me – and in the analogue world. That’s a huge difference in terms of workflow.”

“If I want to jump back in to the old way of working I press a button and instantly I’ve got a digital controller that lets me get hands on with everything inside my Logic system… so however I want to work Matrix really streamlines the process and makes things very easy. And because the routing is taken care of inside one block, I don’t ever have to go outside of it. I can create a completely fresh monitor mix for someone sitting in a vocal booth while I can audition something separately so they don’t have to hear my mistakes whenever I’m pulling it together and reaching for a mix.”

Watch the video interview here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0phEPEJwAo

Related Links

Trey Songz Opens Usher’s OMG Tour With AKG Microphones

Following his fourth studio album release in September, R&B sensation Trey Songz has teamed up with Usher for the international OMG Tour, utilizing AKG microphones for lead vocals and his band’s lead guitar and percussion. With a 40-minute set each of the 58 nights of the tour, Songz’s relies on top-quality technology to deliver memorable performances to hundreds of thousands of fans in the world’s most famous venues.

Trey Songz’s performances are highlighted with an AKG D 7 mic with a D 7 Reference Dynamic Capsule for lead vocals. The lead guitarist is heard through an AKG C 214, while the drummer snaps C 519’s to his set. The mic system is networked through the AKG WMS 4500 Wireless System.

“The AKG line sounds great and are some of the best vocal mics I’ve heard in the industry,” stated Bryon “Hot Dog” Tate, front of house engineer for Trey Songz. “The wireless vocal D 7 is extremely responsive in the mid range and the 214 give us a more compact and easy-to-use piece for the guitar.”

Utilizing the WMS 4500 with the AKG microphones gives Tate multiple features that are essential to the success of a live show. With an easy-to-access-and-view monitoring system, auto frequency synchronization, environment scans and pilot tone status data transmission, ensuring the vocals and instrumentation are completely in-line during the performance is a much simpler task for Tate.

“I’ve had a long-standing relationship with AKG through many well-known artists and the mics continue to exceed my expectations,” continued Tate.

Related Links

Call for Presentation Proposals: Library Research Round Table Forums (ALA Annual)

Call for Presentation Proposals: Library Research Round Table Forums (ALA Annual)

2011 Library Research Round Table Forums at ALA Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA

The Library Research Round Table (LRRT) will sponsor two Research Forums at the 2011 American Library Association Annual Conference in New Orleans (June 24-29). The LRRT Forums are a set of programs at the ALA Annual Conference featuring presentations of LIS research, in progress or completed, followed by discussion. Two LRRT Research Forums are scheduled for 2011, one on general LIS research and one on a more specific topic that will emerge as we evaluate the submissions. The two forums are:

Research to Understand Users: Issues and Approaches
This session will feature three library-related research papers investigating users and their use of libraries and information. An LRRT committee will select the winning papers based on quality of study design, significance of the research topic, and potential for significant contribution to librarianship.

Four-Star Research
This session will feature three library-related research papers describing studies of libraries and librarianship. An LRRT committee will select the winning papers based on quality and creativity of study design, significance of the research topic, and potential for significant contribution to librarianship.

This is an opportunity to present and discuss your research project conducted in the broad area of library and information science or in a more specialized area of the field. LRRT welcomes papers emphasizing the problems, theories, methodologies, or significance of research findings for LIS. Topics can include, but are not limited to, user studies and user behavior, electronic services, service effectiveness, organizational structure and personnel, library value determination, and evaluation of library and information services. Both completed research and research in progress will be considered. All researchers, including practitioners from all types of libraries, library school faculty and students, and other interested individuals are encouraged to submit proposals. LRRT Members and nonmembers of LRRT are invited and welcomed to submit proposals.

The Committee will use a blind review process to select a maximum of six projects, three for each of the two forums. The selected researchers will be required to present their papers in person at the forums and to register for the conference. Criteria for selection are:

1. Significance of the study to library and information science research;
2. Quality and creativity of the methodology;
3. Potential to fill a research gap or to build on previous LIS studies;
4. Adherence to submission requirements (see below).

Please submit a two-page proposal by the extended deadline of Wednesday, December 22, 2010. Late submissions will not be considered, and submissions must be limited to two pages in length. On the first page, please list your name(s), title(s), institutional affiliation(s), and contact information (telephone number, mailing address, and email address). The second page should NOT show your name or any other identifying information. Instead, it must include: 1) The title of your project, and 2) A 500-word or less abstract. The abstract must include a problem statement, problem significance, project objectives, methodology, and conclusions (or tentative conclusions for work in progress), and an indication of whether the research is in-progress or completed. Previously published research or research accepted for publication by December 22, 2010, will not be considered.

Notification of acceptance will be made by Monday, February 21, 2011. Please send submissions (via email or snail mail) to:

John M. Budd
Library Research Round Table Chair-Elect
School of Information Science & Learning Technologies
303 Townsend Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65203
Phone: 573.882.3258
Fax: 573.884.4944
Email: buddj@missouri.edu

What is Jumo? | Nonprofit Trends with Steve MacLaughlin | a Blackbaud Blog

What is Jumo? | Nonprofit Trends with Steve MacLaughlin | a Blackbaud Blog

Yale School of Management

Yale School of Management: "Conference to Focus on Philanthropy as Catalyst for Social Change
Posted on: November 29, 2010

The sixth annual Yale School of Management Philanthropy Conference will be held December 3 at the New Haven Lawn Club."

ZPower announces initial operation of automated assembly line for rechargeable, silver-zinc microbatteries

CAMARILLO, USA: ZPower Inc., a leading global provider of silver-zinc battery technology, announced the qualification of its automated assembly line for rechargeable microbatteries.

The line’s annual production capacity of one million batteries will meet the initial demand from manufacturers of miniature electronic devices, like hearing aids, cochlear implants and computer watches, as they leverage rechargeable, silver-zinc in their new product designs.

“Several years ago hearing aid manufacturers requested we develop a high energy rechargeable battery for their next generation products to replace zinc-air and nickel metal-hydride technologies,” said Dr. Ross Dueber, president and CEO of ZPower.

“Zinc-air batteries are non-rechargeable and require frequent replacement, while rechargeable nickel metal-hydride batteries can’t supply sufficient energy for a full day of operation in advanced, digital hearing aids. ZPower’s silver-zinc hearing aid batteries easily deliver a full day of use with convenient charging at night while users sleep. They also generate significantly less waste compared to disposable batteries, are fully recyclable, and are inherently safe.”

“Our high energy, silver-zinc technology is the key enabler for manufacturers to evolve their new product designs from disposable to rechargeable batteries,” states Troy Renken, ZPower’s VP of Product Planning and Electronics. “We are working with several semiconductor companies on charging solutions, and feel our product has potential application in many other premium electronic devices that could benefit from a non-lithium rechargeable microbattery.”

The company has completed development of the two most popular batteries used in hearing aids, sizes 13 and 312, with completion of the 10 and 675 sizes slated for 2011. These sizes are equivalent to the SR41 (312), SR48 (13) and SR44 (675) in primary silver-oxide batteries. Beyond these standard sizes, other button and coin cell sizes will be made available based upon customer and application needs.

Facebook Vet Launches Jumo, a Social Hub for Do-Gooders | Fast Company

Facebook Vet Launches Jumo, a Social Hub for Do-Gooders | Fast Company: "There’s Causecast, Causes, Razoo,” he says, pulling up sites to compare and contrast. “There’s Firstgiving and Justgiving, and they’re all doing great things.” He points to the cacophony of donate buttons and explains where he hopes Jumo will be different. “We’re trying to avoid the classic feeling that a lot of people have when they start talking to a non-profit or NGO,” says Hughes. “I"

Mitsubishi Electric acquires Vincotech Holdings

TOKYO, JAPAN: Mitsubishi Electric Corp. has announced that Mitsubishi Electric and The Gores Group have entered into a Share Purchase Agreement on the acquisition of Vincotech group, a manufacturer of electronic components based in Germany.

Having its main business activities in Europe, Vincotech specializes in the development, manufacturing (assembly testing process) and distribution of low power devices that are used as inverters for general industrial applications and power conditioners for solar power system applications.

By acquiring Vincotech, Mitsubishi Electric seeks to further strengthen its power device business and to complement Mitsubishi Electric's medium and high power device technology with Vincotech's low power device technology.

Jumo, From a Facebook Founder, to Focus on Charities - NYTimes.com

Jumo, From a Facebook Founder, to Focus on Charities - NYTimes.com: "Chris Hughes, one of the founders of Facebook and the chief digital organizer for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, knows a thing or two about building online communities.

Now he is applying his expertise to a new venture called Jumo, which aims to connect people with nonprofits and charitable organizations.

The site, which is being unveiled on Tuesday, aims to “do what Yelp did for restaurants,” Mr. Hughes said, indexing charities “to help people find and evaluate them.”"

CFP: The Third International PKP Scholarly Publishing Conference

CFP: The Third International PKP Scholarly Publishing Conference

Building and Sustaining Alternative Scholarly Publishing Projects Around the World

The Public Knowledge Project is pleased to announce that, in partnership with the Freie Universit=E4t Berlin, the Third International PKP Scholarly Publishing Conference (http://pkp.sfu.ca/ocs/pkp/index.php/pkp2011/pkp2011) will be held from September 26 - 28, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. This is the first time that the PKP Conference is being held outside of Vancouver, Canada, and we look forward to meeting more members of the growing, international PKP user community. Given that the landmark Budapest Open Access Initiative, launched in December 2001, will be celebrating its first decade, the conference invites explorations of the lessons learned, successes achieved, and setbacks overcome in our shared attempts to increase and open access within scholarly publishing. The first and second PKP conferences brought together a remarkable array of presentations and participants from around the world, and we anticipate an equally valuable experience in 2011.

Proposals that address one or more of the following topics are especially encouraged:

*New reading and publishing technologies, e.g., integration of Web 2.0 features;
*Reports on national and regional open access policies and initiatives;
*Alternative publishing and funding models;
*National and international collaborative projects;
*New roles and partnerships for libraries, scholarly publishers, and others;
*Sustainability for open access publishing and open source software.

The conference will consist of a mixture of plenary presentations, panel discussions, brief "lightning talks,"
posters, workshops, a hackfest, an exhibitor hall, and parallel conference sessions in the following streams:

*Editors, publishers, and librarians
*Researchers and members of scholarly/scientific societies
*Software developers and system administrators
*Community/User groups

Parallel sessions will each be up to 20 minutes in length. Lightning Talks and "Ask a Developer" presentations are limited to 5 minutes each. Sessions may consist of a case study, a research report, a "big idea" in publishing, as well as other options.

Proposals (500 word maximum) should be submitted by March 15, 2011, using the submission guidelines and form available on our web site:

(http://pkp.sfu.ca/ocs/pkp/index.php/pkp2011/pkp2011/about/submissions)

All proposals will be subject to peer-review and you will be informed of a decision by June 1, 2011. Due to the strong interest in this year's conference, only a limited number of sessions will be accepted.

Rumors Say Next Generation iPad will have USB, Among Other Improvements

Just in case you haven't already had to exchange a Christmas present that you've already purchased for someone... now comes the rumor from around the web that the new Apple iPad, which is expected to be launched this spring, will have a USB port among other new features.

The USB function is potentially a really big deal. Apple makes a decent amount of revenue from the licensing fees it receives from folks who make adapters for their proprietary dock connector. Opening up the market to the USB port would diminish that. However, one of the knocks on the first generation iPad was its lack of USB. It made getting info on & off the device much trickier than it needed to be. While not a deal killer for me, it would still have been a nice feature. However, other rumors are stating that the USB may only be for charging which just seems plain silly to me. You already get an A/C adapter with the device, why would you need 2 ways to charge it?

Other rumors include better screen resolution (similar to the iPhone 4), some type of different material for the case/body to decrease weight, and a gyroscope with a 3-axis registration. There may also be a camera or maybe even 2 for video communication, but I still doubt the concept is ready to take off yet. For me, the big news is the rumored USB. That would be a huge addition and make the iPad an even greater way to consume media. Stay tuned...

Solid State Logic ships Nucleus

Having received a stunning reception at the recent AES Show in San Francisco, Solid State Logic and UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd, are very pleased to announce Nucleus has begun shipping.

Nucleus re-defines the professional project studio with a perfect blend of advanced DAW control, transparent SuperAnalogue™ monitoring, high class analogue mic pres, pro quality USB audio interface and bundled SSL Duende Native plug-ins. There is no other product available which offers the professional producer/engineer all these elements, with benchmark audio performance and elegant ergonomics. Not only is it unique but Nucleus is also outstanding value; these elements bought separately would cost more and deliver a less elegant solution.

Nucleus’ DAW Control is based on the concepts developed for the SSL Matrix. Up to 3 different DAWs can be connected simultaneously and you can switch between them with a single button push. Nucleus uses either HUI or MCU protocols ensuring compatibility with all leading DAW applications including Pro Tools, Logic and Cubase/Nuendo and can transmit MIDI CC data.

Nucleus offers a unique combination of audio capabilities. At its foundation is a SSL SuperAnalogue™ signal path providing benchmark audio quality monitor output to separate +4dBu & -10dBV connections. A high quality 2+2 Ch USB audio interface provides a record and playback path for your DAW. The Nucleus mic pre’s are SSL SuperAnalogue™ Mic Pre’s, identical to those used on SSL Duality and AWS consoles and our X-Rack system… giving Nucleus a professional standard transparent mic record path. Two Combi XLR mic/line/instrument level inputs can feed the audio interface and the monitor outputs simultaneously. Digital I/O via S/PDIF feeds the AD/DA of the audio interface (pre insert) enabling both a ‘digital to DAW’ record path and a ‘mic/line/instrument to digital’ output path. The Digital input can use Ch 3&4 of the audio interface so can be recorded to separate channels in your DAW in parallel to the incoming analogue mic/line/instrument inputs. A wet/dry control enables balancing of analogue (and digital) input and DAW playback for zero latency record monitoring.

Nucleus also features one final killer feature; it includes the Duende Native Essentials Bundle. This includes the new Duende Native versions of the SSL Channel EQ & Dynamics and Stereo Bus Compressor VST/AU/RTAS plug-ins.

Nucleus is available now from select resellers at £3000 SRP ex VAT.

For more information please contact Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000, info@soundtech.co.uk or www.soundtech.co.uk/ssl

Related Links

BSS Soundweb helps upgrade Gaelic football stadium

Grainger Communication engaged BSS Soundweb London DSPs to provide the digital backbone for a new audio installation at McHale Park Gaelic football stadium in Castelbar, County Mayo.

The construction of a new 10,000-capacity stand constitutes the latest phase in converting the venue into a 41,000 all-seater facility.

A long-time Soundweb user, Grainger Communication MD Martin Grainger elected to install a single London BLU16 DSP block onto the CAT5 infrastructure at this stage, accommodating the phased nature of the development and allowing the possibility of further expansion in the future.

The BLU-16 offers control and I/O configurability of multiple, individually processed channels, and has enabled Grainger to create a gain structure with targeted zonal coverage of the stands, retail areas, toilets, concourses and entrance/exit points. The emergency switching is also handled in the Soundweb architecture, while delay taps and compression/limiting have also been applied where required thanks to the use of London Architect.

“Soundweb is the business,” said Grainger. “It’s logical – you can think your way around scenarios and it provides excellent sound quality.”

Read the full story at Installation Europe:
www.installationeurope.com/main-content/full/soundweb-helps-to-upgrade-gaelic-football-stadium

Related Links
www.soundtech.co.uk/bss
www.bssaudio.com
http://graingercommunication.com

Monday, November 29, 2010

Avnet to distribute Micross Components' QML-certified memory products

PHOENIX, USA: Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas, a business region of Avnet Inc., has signed a distribution agreement with high-reliability, memory producer Micross Components (formerly, Austin Semiconductor).

The agreement will enable both companies to bring Micross Components’ entire line of QML-certified (qualified manufacturers list) and ISO 9001/AS9100 registered semiconductor products to the military, aerospace, transportation, industrial, embedded and medical markets. The agreement encompasses all of North America.

Micross Components offers one of the broadest lines of high-reliability memory products in the industry, offering both standard and specialty memory products, including SRAM, SDRAM, DDR and EEPROM. Micross Components’ current product offering also includes I/C components, multi-chip modules and integrated product solutions.

Along with their expansive line of high-reliability integrated plastic encapsulated microcircuits (iPEM), Micross also offers commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) up-screened products, as well as Solid State Disk on Chip (SSDoC) solutions.

“The addition of Micross Components allows Avnet customers unprecedented access to a significant array of memory products that are Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC) registered, SMD (Standard Military Drawing) compliant and QML-certified,” said David Moore, director of defense/aerospace business development for Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas.

“Not only will our customers be better served by their products, but Micross’ custom packaging will augment our existing semiconductor aftermarket capabilities and allow us to provide our customers long-term production for a wider range of end-of-life or obsolete components.”

“Micross Components is excited to bring our 22 years of experience in the military and aerospace marketplace to Avnet’s line card,” said Larry Wallace, general manager of Micross Components’ semiconductor operations. “We look forward to providing our competitive offerings and personalized service to the multitude of customers who depend on Avnet’s best in class distribution.”

CFP: Annual Joint Conference of the Popular Culture and American Culture/SWPCA Associations: Biographies Area

CFP: Annual Joint Conference of the Popular Culture and American Culture/SWPCA Associations: Biographies Area

San Antonio, Texas: April 20-23, 2011
Proposal Deadline: December 15, 2010

The annual joint conference of the Popular Culture and American Culture Associations/SWPCA will be held in San Antonio, Texas: April 20-23, 2011.

The Biography Area of the Popular Culture Association welcomes submissions from scholars of various disciplines.

The Biography and Popular Culture Area will examine the connections between biography and popular culture. Papers and full panel presentations regarding any aspect of popular culture and biography are encouraged.

Potential topic might include:
-Biography and entertainment, art, music, theater
-Biography and film
-Biography and criminal justice
-Television programs about biography
-Biography and urban legends
-Biography and folklore
-Biography and literature
-Scholarly Biography
-Controversial Biography
-Psychoanalysis and Biography
-Historical Biography
-Political Biography
-Autobiography

Prospective presenters should send a one-page abstract and a one-page vitae to Susie Skarl via email: susieskarl@gmail.com by December 15, 2010.

For more information on the PCA/ACA Conference, please visit the official website: http://www.pcaaca.org/conference/national.php

CFP: International Journal of ePortfolio (IJeP)

CFP: International Journal of ePortfolio (IJeP)

The International Journal of ePortfolio (IJeP) is a double-blind, peer-reviewed, open access journal that begins accepting manuscripts on January 21, 2011. The first call for papers, along with full journal details, can be found at

URL: http://www.theijep.com/

The mission of the International Journal of ePortfolio (IJeP) is to encourage the study of practices and pedagogies associated with ePortfolio in educational settings. The journal’s focus includes the explanation, interpretation, application, and dissemination of researchers’, practitioners’, and developers’ experiences relevant to ePortfolio. It also serves to provide a multi-faceted, single source of information for those engaging in projects and practices associated with ePortfolio. A refereed (blind) peer-reviewed journal, IJeP embraces inquiry into ePortfolio in educational settings holistically; therefore, manuscripts considering the following areas of investigation are welcomed:
• instruction and principles of learning that utilize and inform practical, effective ePortfolio methodologies;
• evaluation and assessment methodologies and practices supported by ePortfolio;
• case studies and best practices regarding applications of ePortfolio for learning, assessment, and professional development supported by scholarship of teaching and learning practices and research methodologies;
• theoretically rich accounts of the principles grounding ePortfolio work and its relationship to larger social and cultural phenomena; and
• innovative development and applications of technologies that enable new ePortfolio practices.
Those interested in joining the review board for IJeP are encouraged to visit

http://www.theijep.com/review-board.html

Please feel free to share this announcement with interested colleagues and on appropriate listservs.
--
Rebecca K. Miller, IJeP Associate Editor

http://www.rebeccakatemiller.com/
College Librarian for Science, Life Sciences, and Engineering
University Libraries at Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

ALA NMRT Handbook Committee Chair, 2010-2011
ALA NMRT Liaison to VLA, 2010-2011

CFP: Special issue on "user research and technology" - Library Hi Tech

CFP: Special issue on "user research and technology" - Library Hi Tech

URL: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/authors/writing/calls.htm?id=2896
Library Hi Tech has issued a call for papers about "user research and technology". The topic includes both user research about technology and technology for user research.

Those interested in submitting an article should send a brief proposal (200 words max) to lht.editorial.staff (at) googlemail.com. Library Hi Tech has an enduring interest in this topic. Articles submitted before 15 February 2011 will be considered for a special issue, which will focus on user research and technology.

Articles should be between 4000 and 8000 words. References should use the Harvard style. Please submit completed articles via the Scholar One online submission system (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/lht)

Library Hi Tech is a peer-reviewed, ISI-indexed journal published by Emerald Group Publishing, Ltd.

Chinese government publishes demo project bid award list of solid state lighting apps raising expectations for LED domestic market

CHINA & TAIWAN: The Chinese central government recently held a large-scale open bidding for LED lighting products. The National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Housing, and Urban-Rural Development Commission and Ministry of Transport conducted the tender evaluation together and published the bid award list on November 24, 2010.

LEDinside, the LED research division under Trendforce, realizes that 28 LED lighting companies out of 94 bidding industry players have become bid winners. Bid products include LED street/tunnel lamps, LED down lights, reflector type self-ballasted LED lights (MR and PAR series).

Most bid winners are China's local LED manufacturers, but the LEDs they adopt require high specifications, so Cree is undoubtedly the biggest winner. As the LED demand increases with the progress of the demonstration projects, Taiwan LED manufacturers can have an opportunity to enter the supply chain.

The award criteria emphasize the product quality, price and comprehensive strength of the manufacturer. LEDinside thinks that the technical award criteria require high specifications and quality of the LED lighting product. Apart from the safety requirement for lighting fixtures, the initial luminous flux, luminous maintenance factor and power factor also have related criteria respectively.

Thus, the bid winners have actually obtained the endorsement and support from the government, which will immensely help expand the mainland market in the future.

According to LEDinside’s analyst, the bidding puts certain scale limitations on the demonstration projects applied by governmental units. For example, no less than 5000 indoor LED lighting products must be applied into the construction/renovation project of architectural lighting; no less than 500 LED street/tunnel lamps must be applied into the construction/renovation project of secondary road, branch road or tunnel lighting.

Besides, each unit will release orders totaled at least 3 million RMB. As more and more government units will apply for the demonstration projects based on the award criteria, the LED industry development has a bright version in the near future.

Source: LEDinside.

CFP: IFLA 2011 Sessions from Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning (CPDWL), Management of Library Associations (MLAS) Information Technology (IT) and Knowledge Management (KM)

CFP: IFLA 2011 Sessions from Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning (CPDWL), Management of Library Associations (MLAS) Information Technology (IT) and Knowledge Management (KM)

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as a strategy to build strong libraries and Library Associations

The following sections: The Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning (CPDWL), Management of Library Associations (MLAS) Information Technology (IT) and Knowledge Management (KM) are in the process of planning for the Puerto Rico conference to be held in San Juan from August 13-18, 2011.

Within the context of supporting IFLA’S strategic agenda the session will examine the role that CPD plays in the development of strong leaders within libraries and Library Associations and how technology and knowledge management strengthen this strategy.

In particular, we are interested in papers that focus on:

 Ways in which information technology and knowledge management are being used in implementing CPD strategy in libraries and Library Association

 Strategies that support the development of library associations with particular focus on library associations in the Caribbean and Latin America region

 Successful models of CPD in libraries and/or Library Associations

 Ensuring that Professional Development is part of the strategic plan in the development of Library Associations

Important Dates and Timelines

Please e-mail proposals by January 11, 2011 to Sylvia Piggott at spiggott@sympatico.ca

Proposals should include:
a) Title of proposed presentation
b) Outline of the proposed presentation (no more than 300 words)
c) Name(s) of presenter(s)
d) Position or title of presenter(s)
e) Presenter(s) employer or affiliated institution
f) E-mail address
g) Telephone/fax numbers
h) Short biographical statement

All proposers will be advised at the end of March 2011 of the outcome of the review and selection of proposals.

The presenters selected for the program at the San Juan conference will be asked to submit a formal paper (for inclusion on the IFLA conference website and the Sections’ websites) no later than May 1, 2011. Papers can be submitted in one of the official IFLA working languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Russian, Spanish.

The language of the session is English however presenters may also give their talk in any of the IFLA working languages. Simultaneous translation is not guaranteed therefore, presenters are encouraged to provide the PowerPoint in English to facilitate understanding of the ideas presented.

(Note: All expenses, including registration for the conference, travel, accommodation etc., are the responsibility of the authors/presenters. No financial support can be provided by IFLA, but a special invitation can be issued to authors/presenters if that is required. For those seeking funding through grants or scholarships, please research this early and apply within the deadline).

Call for papers/posters: LIBER 40th Annual Conference, Barcelona [29 June - 2 July]

Call for papers/posters: LIBER 40th Annual Conference, Barcelona [29 June - 2 July]

“Getting Europe ready for 2020: the library’s role in research, education and society”

http://bibliotecnica.upc.edu/LIBER2011/content/call-papers

The Programme Committee invites original presentations and posters on one or more of the following topics.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Opening up access to content through (mass) digitisation
• Innovative business models for dissemination of scientific data
• Measuring the impact of scholarly communication
• User behaviour and the users’ demand for services
• Enhancing the resource discovery experience
• Advancing information literacy and skills
• Digital preservation
• Mobile devices and applications
• New roles and partnerships
• Marketing research libraries

We invite submissions of:
• Research papers presenting theoretical solutions, but with a clear illustration on how these solutions can be applied
• Position papers presenting opinions on some aspect of practice, or describing work that is still in progress, but sufficiently mature to warrant attention
• Experiences and case studies specifying requirements, challenges or opportunities
• Best practices

The Programme Committee will select abstracts from these countries on basis of the following criteria:
• Relevance for the call for papers
• Originality
• Level of innovation
• Impact on the wider library community
• Quality of the abstract

Instructions for submitting abstracts
• Please use the following link to submit the abstracts of your paper or poster. Deadline for submission of abstracts is 31 January 2011.
• Abstract length should not exceed 2500 characters. Please note that the language of the conference will be English, and therefore the committee will only accept submissions in this language
• All submitted abstracts will be peer-reviewed by at least two reviewers
• A selection of full papers will be published in LIBER Quarterly, the LIBER e-only Open Access journal. Authors, who speak at the LIBER Conference, will be expected to supply full papers for publication in this journal

URL: https://www.conftool.net/liber2011/

Three new mobile giving platforms launched in one week - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Three new mobile giving platforms launched in one week - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: "The launch of the Charities Aid Foundation’s SMS donation service on Monday has been followed by two announcements of new services and best value from new SMS specialists Txtlocal and new app ‘giveonthemobile’."

Impressions from a Brief Trip to the Greater New York Dental Meeting

I'm back from New York. This was a seriously short trip for me. I landed at LaGuardia around 7:00 p.m. on Saturday and was back in the air at about 6:15 p.m. on Sunday.

I was there to do a lecture for my friends at Ultradent for the Dental Tribune Study Club. The lecture was at 11:20 a.m. so I had about an hour before and a couple of hours afterwards to take a look around the exhibit floor. It was crowded and booths appeared to be doing some good business. The few vendors I had a chance to chat with in t he afternoon told me that sales had been good and that they were optimistic for a good meeting sales wise.

My personal opinion is that the economy has turned the corner and that the industry is back. I've also noticed an uptick in the questions I get via email regarding purchasing decisions.

Thanks to everyone who took the time out of their schedules to spend an hour with me. I hope you took away a few pearls that you can use to help your patients!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Now, there is China RoHS2 to consider!

Gary Nevison, Premier Farnell, UK

UK: If you thought that progress was slow on the implementation of the so called “China RoHS Catalogue” first published in September 2009 but not yet in force, then now there is “China RoHS2” to consider.

A draft was published in July and now it is a question of which version of China RoHS will be taken forward and, if so, will the other be rejected (or amended) once and for all?

On 16 July 2010, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the “draft measures for the pollution control of electrical and electronic product” the so called China RoHS2 for public consultation.

Among other things, the proposed measures would amend the coverage of products by modifying the definition from “electronic information product-EIP” to “electrical and electronic product-EEE”.

This new definition largely corresponds to EEE in the EU RoHS Directive and within the same scope of designed for use with a voltage rating not exceeding 1500Vdc and 1000Vac.

This is a much broader scope than before but, so far, there is no indicative list of products. However, they may not produce one if it is felt that everything electrical is in scope.

The six restricted substances remain the same as EU RoHS, but one difference is that accessories will be included as well as component parts. Another interesting observation is that there is no mention of the China Compulsory Certification (CCC) in the July 2010 draft.

This draft would also change the title of the Catalogue from “key management catalog for the control of pollution by electronic information product” to read the “standard product catalogue for the pollution control of electrical and electronic product.

So, the scope of EU RoHS will expand due to the recast as will China RoHS because of these proposals. Finally, though, no timescales are known at present.

CAO Group Introduces its Innovative Sheer Film™ Product Line During Greater New York Dental Meeting

For Easier, Faster, Better^™ Delivery of Dental Materials

West Jordan, UT (November 28th, 2010) – The CAO Group, Inc. (CAO), a worldwide provider of innovative dental devices and materials, is introducing its Sheer Film^™ family of products at booth # 5237 during the Greater New York Dental Meeting.

Each Sheer Film product employs the most advanced delivery system on the market: CAO Group’s innovative Sheer Film material, which is the optimal delivery system for dental gel materials when contact time, patient compliance and comfort, and non-leakage are essential.

Products currently available in the Sheer Film family are Sheer White!^™ 20% Carbamide Peroxide Whitening Film, Sheer DesenZ^™ Desensitizing Treatment, and Sheer FluorX^™ Fluoride Treatment.

All Sheer Film products have many benefits:

Remainwhere intended – Sheer Film products will not slip or slide, and can’t be moved by the tongue.

Mold to teeth (or gums) – Gels remain tight against the teeth (or tissue), with no fluid seepage down the throat.

Flexible and stretchable – Regardless of patient dentition, Sheer Film products are
tear-resistant.

Controlled release gels – Each Sheer Film product is specially formulated for each specific application.

Thin and comfortable – Wear Sheer Film products anytime, anywhere, without detection.

Easy to apply – Whether in the office or at home, everyone can easily apply Sheer Film.

Faster patient turnaround – Means increased profitability for the dental professional.

The unique, flexible backing material of each Sheer Film product enables convenient stretching, bending, molding, and shaping to the individual contours of the teeth and gums for a tight seal. All Sheer Film products contain very specifically formulated gels that deliver the right material at a defined release rate for each application. What’s more, Sheer Films are uniquely designed to enable full-arch treatment or centralized placement.

Sheer Films can be applied within seconds, and are so comfortable that patients are able to wear them for hours. There is no need to prepare hard and uncomfortable trays, and no threat of common gel leakage down the throat. Sheer Films are simply applied and the patient can be released to the waiting room (or home), providing a pleasant experience for the patient and allowing increased patient turnaround time for the treatment room to be prepared for the
next patient.

Moreover, Sheer Films are very comfortable and discreet. Unlike traditional, rigid trays or the currently available “strips,” patients are able to wear Sheer Films for hours without detection or discomfort. SheerFilms also grant the user freedom of natural speech and facial expression, making the process convenient at any time, such as in the workplace or at home.

The SheerFilm family currently consists of three products:

Sheer White!^™ – Whitens teeth fast. Professionally applied, patient take-home. Replaces trays, gels, and old-style strips. Ideal after in-office whitening.

Sheer FluorX^™ – An easy and effective professional fluoride treatment. Using 5% acidulated sodium fluoride, it is a more convenient alternative to tray-delivered fluoride treatments, as well as fluoride varnishes.

Sheer DesenZ^™ – Rapidly relieves oral pain and discomfort associated with dental procedures and temperature changes.

All Sheer Film products are sold only to the dental professional, and are available through an exclusive agreement with Henry Schein^® Dental. The initial treatment is placed in-office, and the remaining films can be dispensed to the patient for home care.

For more information on Sheer Film products, please call 877-236-4408, or log onto www.CaoGroup.com/Dental.

About The CAO Group, Inc.

The CAO Group, Inc. (CAO), under the direction of Densen Cao, PhD, is headquartered in West Jordan, Utah, with FDA registered and EN 13485 certified manufacturing facilities in West Jordan, Utah and Beijing, China. CAO is one of the world-leading companies focused on understanding and optimizing the use and application of light and biomaterials in dental care applications. Driven by innovative technologies, CAO has been granted or filed more than 150 patents in these high-technology areas, and is recognized as the product development leader in dental materials and devices, especially in LED curing lights and soft tissue surgical lasers. CAO’s mission in dentistry is to make applications of dental materials and devices Easier. Faster. Better^™.

European Parliament backs first reading approval on RoHS recast

Gary Nevison, Premier Farnell, UK

UK: Those who have been following my regular updates on the RoHS recast will be interested to know that the European Parliament has backed the first reading approval on the so called RoHS recast. Environmental ministers are likely to support the deal when they meet in Brussels during December.

RoHS will become an open scope, but not for eight years after the recast enters into force. Restrictions on six substances will be, at that point, extended to all types of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) unless specifically excluded. Exemptions will include fixed industrial machinery, military and photovoltaic solar panels.

There was considerable compromise leading to disappointed Green groups who were looking for bans on further restricted substances such as brominated flame retardants and PVC. There was a mixed reaction from the industry.

A list of 37 substances for priority assessment was dropped as was the proposed restriction on nanosilver and carbon nanotubes.
The new directive will enter into force 20 days after it is published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Member States will have 18 months to transpose into national law.

Meanwhile, the WEEE recast is moving slowly with a second reading approval a possibility next year.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

The Seven Principles You Need to Know to Build a Great Social Product

The Seven Principles You Need to Know to Build a Great Social Product: "Social products are an interesting bird. For even the most experienced product designer, social products prove an elusive lover. While there are many obvious truths in social products, there are also alot of ways to design them poorly. Especially when you are deep in the moment making pixel-level decisions trying to remember what’s important, things may not be so clear.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Off to the Greater New York Dental Meeting

I'm heading out to the Greater New York Dental Meeting Today.

Tomorrow I'll be doing a lecture from 11:20-12:20 so if you are at the meeting, please come by and say hi! One of the greatest things about doing programs like this, other than the learning that I get to receive from the attendees, is getting to see old friends &l meet new ones. If you are in the are, please stop by!

Here is the course info:

11:20-12:20

Dr. John Flucke, DDS

LIght Cured Adhesive Dentistry - Science and Substance

COURSE: 3030

Theories and protocols abound on how best to achieve successful bonded restorations. Learn the science of light cured composites and the secrets to routinely achieving sensitivity free composite restorations in a fast paced and interactive format. Participants will learn techniques and principles that they can use the next day back in the office.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES:

Learn the science behind light initiated composites.
Learn why the curing light is often the overlooked key piece to success.
Learn techniques to decrease sensitivity.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Wozjob Apple 1 sells for Nearly a Quarter of a Million USD

Wiki Photo: The Hand built Apple-1

The Apple-1 computer was hand build in Steve Wozniak's parents garage. Steve Job's came up with the idea of selling it. The Apple-1 was first demonstrated in April 1976 at the HomeBrew Computer Club in Palo Alto.

Originally, the Apple 1 sold for $500 when it was sold to a reseller 1976. It was made out of wood and was billed as the first "personal computer." The retailer marked up the Apple-1 by 33% giving it a price of $666.66.

An Apple I reportedly sold for $50,000 USD at auction in 1999, with another apparently selling in 2009 for $17,500.

Fast forward to November 2010. This same Apple I (with serial number 82) sold for $178,000 ($213,600 including the 'buyer's premium') at Christie's auction house in London , making it by far the highest price paid for this model to date, at £133,250 ($210,000).

The high value of this particular example is likely due to the rare documents and packaging offered in the sale rather than the computer itself; namely (and amongst others) the original packaging (with the return label showing Steve Jobs' parents address, the original Apple Computer Inc 'headquarters' being their garage), a personally typed and signed letter from Jobs (answering technical questions about the computer) and the original invoice showing 'Steven' as the salesman.

Story Sources: EpochTimes, Wiki, Gather

If you need the ability to print out a lot of company information for customers quickly at a trade show or event, then a Copier Rental is a perfect solution. Rentacomputer.com has been offering copier rentals to more than 1000 cities worldwide for over 20 years.

MKS Instruments expands manufacturing partnership with SMTC

TORONTO, CANADA: SMTC Corp., a leader in electronics manufacturing services, has announced the expansion of its outsourcing relationship with MKS Instruments, Inc. a global provider of technologies to power, control, deliver, monitor, measure and analyze advanced processes in high growth markets.

SMTC's regional manufacturing center in Toronto will provide PCBA and subassembly manufacturing services for MKS's elite product line of air cooled RF Generators.

MKS served markets include manufacturers of capital equipment for thin film applications including semiconductor devices, flat panel displays, light emitting diodes (LEDs), solar cells, data storage media and coatings, as well as medical equipment, energy generation and environmental monitoring processes and other industrial manufacturing.

"SMTC is a focused and capable outsourcing partner with the ability to scale to our needs. They are a key contributor in our effort to simplify and expand our outsourcing strategy, reduce costs, and eliminate supply chain challenges as we aggressively pursue our target markets," said Brian Quirk, VP, MKS Instruments. "SMTC's global operating presence provides an ideal footprint in support of MKS' global manufacturing objectives."

"SMTC is very proud of our expanding relationship with MKS Instruments," said John Caldwell, president and CEO, SMTC.

"Through our product lifecycle support services including engineering support and optimization, new product introduction, product assembly and test, and after sales support, we will help MKS meet both cost and time-to-market objectives, reinforcing their competitive position in the renewable energy marketplace."

Lighthouse completes acquisition of Huizhou Factory

HONG KONG: World-leading LED display solutions provider, Lighthouse Technologies Ltd (Lighthouse), has completed the share acquisition of its Huizhou factory, giving it full ownership of Lighthouse Technologies (Huizhou) Limited, one of the largest LED display factories in the world.

The move marks Lighthouse's continued leadership and commitment to developing the fast growing global LED display market.

The investment brings a number of advantages not just to Lighthouse, but to China and the Huizhou area as well. With RoHS compliance, the manufacturing facility is an eco-friendly investment, well aligned with the Chinese government's low carbon development policy put forth in 2009. It's also an investment that brings some of the most advanced technology and management experience to China.

For residents of Huizhou, the facility has also been an important source of economic growth, bringing more jobs to Chinese citizens and contributing to Huizhou's GDP and government revenue. And, following the acquisition, factory employees can now receive advanced training, giving them important skills that will aid them in their career development.

Lighthouse customers will also see benefits from the investment. Full ownership allows Lighthouse to increase production capacity, improving supply efficiency while maintaining excellent quality. It also ensures a solid link between each stage of the production process, from idea conception to design to manufacturing, effectively accelerating the time-to-market.

"Lighthouse has established itself as an industry leader in the international LED display market, and we require the most advanced technologies to continue meeting market needs and to continue building our reputation," said Peter Chan, general manager at Lighthouse. "We will continue investing in our Huizhou facility as the LED screen market hold tremendous potential, with demand booming in China and around the world."

One of the market's fastest rising industry leaders, Lighthouse has continued to strengthen its presence in Asia and in the world in 2010 with a number of big wins, including the Shanghai World Expo and several world- renowned brand stores such as Vivienne Tam, Chanel and Ermenegildo Zegna as well as the sports stadiums, Bradley Center in the US.

Lighthouse Technologies Limited is a global leader in LED display technology that develops, manufactures, and markets LED video display solutions for multiple indoor and outdoor applications, media and entertainment events, and sports arenas across the globe.

With numerous technological breakthroughs to its name, Lighthouse has established itself as a multi award- winning leader in the LED display industry that holds itself to the highest standards of quality.

Well, I'll be - a two-trunked elephant

Seriously. Show in Africa in 2004, this critter would up, where else, in a Ripley's Believe it or Not museum. Reportedly the trunks are both functional, so it's like you or I having two noses. As Karl Shuker said, it can not only make a trunk call, but can reverse the charges.....

Apple Releases iOS 4.2 - It's Nice, but I Wish They Would Release Instructions Too

As a diehard geek I've been excited to see the release of the newest OS for the the iPad, version iOS 4.2 It promised some pretty cool enhancements such as multitasking and nested folders. It has been out in beta for a while, but this week it was officially released and I quickly connected my iPad to my MacBook Pro to grab the new update and put it through its paces.

I connected, performed a sync, downloaded and installed the update, and... nothing. Not much, no amazing stuff, nada, zilch. I did notice a new icon called Game Center designed for gaming, of course, but other than that there were no obvious changes. I went into settings looking for something, nope. I checked my software and found I was indeed running iOS 4.2, so where was all the cool stuff?

I'm writing this because I'm a geek and a fairly techie guy. And I'm willing to admit that I may have missed something here. I've been pretty busy the last few days and haven't had serious time to devote to the device, but really should something as simple as an iPad require "serious time" to figure out? I know that Apple is famous for its almost Zen instruction manuals that really don't tell you much, but this time I couldn't figure out a thing.

I went first to the Apple website and looked around. I could find info about the update, but that didn't really seem to take me anywhere. Maybe I missed something, but really, shouldn't they have made it really easy to find the instructions?

Finally I went to my old pal Google, and used that to search for ways to learn about switching between apps & creating folders. Google had the Apple.com pages listed and I was soon on my way. However, it could have been much easier.

For the record, now that I know how to do all the cool new things, I really like the update. It should make the iPad experience even better. I still subscribe to the theory that the iPad is a great consumer of media and a not so great creator of media, but if you're living in a WiFi world like me or have the AT&T connected device, it's a much slicker way to consume media than via a laptop.

Here is the press release from Apple detailing all the new features:

Apple's iOS 4.2 Available Today for iPad, iPhone & iPod touch

Major Software Update Brings Multitasking, Folders, Unified Inbox, Game Center, AirPlay & AirPrint to iPad

CUPERTINO, California-November 22, 2010-Apple® today announced that iOS 4.2, the latest version of the world's most advanced mobile operating system, is available today for download for iPad™, iPhone® and iPod touch®. iOS 4.2 brings over 100 new features from iOS 4.0, 4.1 and 4.2 to iPad including Multitasking, Folders, Unified Inbox, Game Center, AirPlay® and AirPrint.

"iOS 4.2 makes the iPad a completely new product, just in time for the holiday season," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Once again, the iPad with iOS 4.2 will define the target that other tablets will aspire to, but very few, if any, will ever be able to hit."

iPad users can now run their favorite apps and switch between them instantly, while preserving iPad's legendary battery life. Users can organize their apps with drag-and-drop simplicity using Folders, and Mail now features a Unified Inbox, fast inbox switching and a threaded message view.

Game Center allows iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users to challenge and play friends or be matched automatically with new opponents, showcase their scores and achievements, and discover new games their friends are playing.

AirPlay is a new feature for streaming music, video and photos wirelessly from iPad, iPhone and iPod touch to Apple TV®, transforming Apple TV into a great accessory for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. iOS users also will be able to use AirPort Express® and AirPlay to stream wirelessly to any stereo or powered speakers, or directly to AirPlay-enabled speakers coming to market in the months ahead.

AirPrint is a next-generation Wi-Fi print architecture that dramatically simplifies printing by completely eliminating printer drivers. A selection of AirPrint enabled printers including the HP Photosmart, HP LaserJet Pro and HP Officejet will be the first to support printing direct from iOS devices. iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users can simply tap to print their documents or photos wirelessly to any printer that supports AirPrint.

The Find My iPhone (or iPad or iPod touch) feature is now free to use without a MobileMe℠ subscription and helps you locate your missing device.* The Find My iPhone app is a free download on the App Store℠ and lets users easily locate a missing device on a map and have it display a message or play a sound. Users can even remotely lock or wipe data from a lost device to protect privacy.

Other new features that iOS 4.2 brings to the iPad include: the ability to rent TV episodes directly to iPad using the iTunes® App with a 30 day viewing window and a 48 hour session window once playback is started; the ability to easily find and highlight specific words and phrases on web pages in Safari®; enhanced enterprise support so businesses can take advantage of stronger security features, new device management capabilities and improved enterprise integration; industry-leading accessibility enhancements; and support for 25 additional languages, including Korean, Portuguese and Traditional Chinese.

The revolutionary iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before. You can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, using the innovative Multi-Touch™ user interface. iPad weighs just 1.5 pounds, making it easy to carry and use anywhere.

Today, customers have downloaded more than seven billion apps from the groundbreaking App Store and more than 300,000 apps are available to consumers in 90 countries, with more than 40,000 native iPad apps. Over 125 million iOS users around the world can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.

Availability The iOS 4.2 update is available today to download to iPad, iPhone and iPod touch by syncing the device with iTunes 10.1. iOS 4.2 is compatible with iPad, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, second and third generation iPod touch (late 2009 models with 32GB or 64GB) and new iPod touch. Some features may not be available on all products. For example, Multitasking requires iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, third generation iPod touch (late 2009 models with 32GB or 64GB) or later.

*The free Find My iPhone feature is available for iPhone 4, iPad or new iPod touch (4th generation).

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

China LED production ready for lift-off

AUSTIN, USA:IMS Research’s latest Quarterly LED Supply and Demand Report reveals that while China was the #4 region for LED production in Q3’10 with a 13 percent share of 2” equivalent wafer capacity, by Q4’11, it will become the #1 region with its capacity share reaching 32 percent in Q1’12.

China’s impressive share gains are a result of a multi-pronged stimulus program which incentivizes companies to manufacture LEDs in China by heavily subsidizing the costs of the MOCVD tools, the most critical tool in the manufacturing process, while also offering numerous other benefits.

The share gains have already started with China the #1 region for MOCVD installations for the first time in Q3’10 with a 32 percent share, up from 18 percent in Q2’10. China is forecasted to lead in MOCVD installations for at least the next five quarters, accounting for 64 percent of 2011 MOCVD installations.

Other highlights of the report include:

* The Q3’10 merchant MOCVD GaN LED market reached a record high of 230 tools. Revenue growth outpaced unit growth, up 22 percent Q/Q and 250 percent Y/Y to $489 million.

* Aixtron remained the market leader with a 54 percent share, down from 55 percent, with Veeco’s share rising from 42 percent to 44 percent. On a revenue basis, Veeco’s share rose from 44 percent to 48 percent supported by the transition to its K465i tool which was the industry’s top selling model in Q3’10.

* LG Innotek installed the most tools in Q3’10 followed by Forepi and Huga. LG is expected to overtake Samsung LED in wafer capacity in Q4’10 with Samsung reclaiming the top spot in Q2’11. In Q3’10, LG led in 2” and 6” capacity with Samsung leading at 4”.

* LED backlighting revenues are expected to peak in 2013 with notebook and mobile phones peaking in 2010.

* Sanan is expected to install the most tools over the next five quarters. Seven different companies are expected to install at least 50 tools over this period with more than 1,000 merchant tools installed between Q4’10 and Q4’11.

You Rock Guitar in T3 Christmas 2010 Gift Guide

The latest issue of T3 delivers terrific coverage to the You Rock Guitar. Appearing in the issue’s Christmas Gift Guide, the YRG visually dominates its page and receives a cracking write-up.

Please see the attached scan from the Christmas 2010 edition of T3, on the newsstands and with international subscribers now.

www.you-rock.co.uk
www.yourockguitar.com

Things I'm Thankful For

Wow, here it is another Thanksgiving in the U.S. Honestly, it just doesn't seem possible. Over the last year, so much has happened and yet it still feels like the last Thanksgiving holiday was yesterday. Every year, I try to make a list of what I'm thankful for so here's this year's effort:

My God - for... well for everything
My family - for putting up with what makes me me. You guys are the best. For someone who, in their late 20's, didn't think marriage would ever be possible... and even if it was, kids would not be a part of it, you've made my life the wonderful place it is. I am truly blessed each and every day by having you in my life.
Vicki - for the laughs, smiles, hugs, and hard work. For being you and helping me to be a better me. I will always miss you.
My staff - for putting up with me, my crazy travel schedule, and my crazy tinkering and experimenting. Thanks also for helping me take such good care of our patients.
My patients - for putting your trust in me and giving me the opportunity to do what I truly love to do.
Don and everyone at Goetze Dental - It's a great feeling when you're not a customer, but a friend instead. It's no wonder your business is so successful.
The Royals - for always giving me something to hope for. You break my heart year after year, but I keep coming back.
The "K" - for the smell of fresh mowed grass, popcorn, and nachos. For giving me a place to relax on a warm summer night. For allowing me to spoil myself with season tickets year after year and for the sounds and smells of my favorite game.
Paul Feuerstein & Marty Jablow - Because a guy couldn't ask for better crazy dental rock star buddies!
David Dodell - Founder of the Internet Dental Forum and a great friend for all these years.
The staff at Dental Products Report especially Noah and the beloved "Queen of all Dental Media" Thais Carter - Thanks for the deadline reminders, the encouragement, the laughs, and the dinners. I can't think of a better place to call home for my writing! I'm proud and honored to be the Technology Editor.
My pals at Gendex - what started out as a business relationship has blossomed into a great and warm friendship with so many people there.
Lou & Erin at Catapult - For friendship that just doesn't quit
Bob & Michele Lowe - One of my only regrets in my travels is that you 2 aren't at every event that I manage to make it to. I'm really looking forward to the Hinman in 2012!
Laurel at Catapult Elite - How in the world you manage to keep track of all the stuff for me that you do... amazing!
The guys at American Stonehenge Films - You always make me look good when I'm hosting the DEN. I'm not sure how you do it, but thanks!
Barry & Audrey - For the love and the friendship. Only by living at this point in time could a kid from Kansas be lucky enough to have wonderful friends in New Zealand. Here's hoping the All Blacks have a great season!
For cool spring days and crisp autumn evenings. I know some people hate the seasons and prefer to live in warmer climates, but to me seeing the seasons change is one of life's great pleasures.
For the way the wind whistles through the leaves as I sit on my deck in the early evenings.
Tom Baugh - He helped make my dream of a new office an amazing reality. He made going to the office every day a moment I treasure and he became a really great friend in the process.
Technology - It makes my life easier and gives me a purpose other than dentistry.

I know there are others, but I think that's a pretty good list. Thanks also to all of you! Those of you who read this blog, read my articles in Dental Products Report, and come see my lectures make all of this worthwhile. I'm honored that you take the time to let me into your lives. It is an honor that I am truly grateful for and truly treasure.

Now go spend time with the ones you love. That is truly what Thanksgiving is all about!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Quantum physics: even stranger than you think

Physicists are still trying to figure out "spooky action at a distance," in which particles seem to "know" what other particles are doing, whether an electromagnetic field exists even if it's totally shielded off from the particle, or whether the second slit in a double-slit experiment is open. A new theory is that there is not an inexplicable connection between the particles, but that time is running backwards as well as forwards. Confused? If you're not confused, you don't understand the situation. But there are practical as well as purely scientific applications of figuring it out.

If we find the right planet, how do we get there?

Scientists think they have found at least one exoplanet in what's called the "Goldilocks zone" - not too hot, not too cold, in other words at least plausibly tolerant to Earthlike life. This brief but interesting article brings up the problem of how we get there. Conventional rocket? 380,000 years. One possible solution, discussed here by Dana Andrews, might cut it to 40 years.
COMMENT: I worked on a NASA study once that looked at this. There are several ideas for near-lightspeed travel, but they require massive investments of time and money. Still, we should keep looking at them to lay the foundation future generations will build on.

What is the orang-pendek?

Danish zoologist Lars Thomas has been studying hairs collected last year when Sumatra's enigmatic primate, which looks a bit like a short, slight man covered in reddish hair, was last seen. According to Karl Shuker, his report is that the DNA collected was very close to human, but the hair structure was apelike. This is not quite as contradictory as it seems. Shuker points to the strikingly marked "king" cheetah, which is a normal cheetah by DNA but has hairs structured like those of an unrelated species, the leopard. Possible identities for the orang-pendek include an unknown population of orangutans well out of their known range (this would require considerable observer error in the sighting reports, but such human error is hardly unknown), an ape related to the siamang/gibbon line, or some early offshoot from the human line, perhaps related to the Flores "hobbits."
COMMENT: My question was whether the mixed result could indicate it was ape hair accidentally contaminated by humans, but Shuker reports Thomas doesn't think that could have happened. The orang-pendek is very respectable as cryptozoological animals go, with experts keeping an open mind and good witnesses like British conservationist Debbie Martyr describing it in the field. What this result means is that we have not solved the mystery yet.
UPDATE: Lars Thomas has responded that the DNA came from the inside of the sample hairs, where contamination was not possible.

Semtech delivers industry’s first smart current sink LED backlighting platform

CAMARILLO, USA: Semtech Corp. has announced the industry’s first smart current sink LED backlighting platform with on-chip digital lighting effects for high-end handheld displays.

This new platform incorporates Semtech’s patent-pending, smart Automatic Dropout Prevention (ADP) technology to enable a new-generation of high-quality current sink drivers that can replace boost converters and charge pumps in high-end handhelds, while providing high-quality display backlighting.

The new SC667 and SC668 current sinks with ADP technology reduce the total parts count and extend battery life compared to boost converters or charge pumps, and offer far superior illumination quality compared to conventional current sink drivers. Additionally, on-chip digital lighting effects provide the flexibility to incorporate fade, breathe and blink effects without changing the firmware.

White LEDs used in backlighting applications typically have a forward voltage up to 3.6V. When the battery voltage declines in portable devices, the supply voltage must be boosted to ensure the white LEDs have sufficient voltage to illuminate the display.

Charge pump or inductive boost converter devices have typically been used to provide this voltage boost function. In an effort to maintain constant output power, these circuits increase current draw as the battery voltage declines, shortening battery life.

Improvements in white LEDs have resulted in forward voltages as low as 3.0V, reducing the threshold at which conventional LED drivers need to boost the battery voltage. Because of this, LED backlight drivers increasingly are operating in a non-boost mode, making current sink drivers an attractive alternative.

Current sink drivers eliminate the capacitors and inductor associated with the boost circuitry, reducing component count, board size and system cost, with the added benefits of eliminating any switching noise and extending operating time.

“With current sink topologies, the supply voltage available to the white LEDs is reduced toward the end of the battery discharge cycle,” said Athar Zaidi, director of Marketing in Semtech’s Power Management Group.

“Semtech’s ADP technology ensures that the LEDs dim in uniform and imperceptible steps as the battery voltage declines. The current sink approach also extends battery life, because there are no boost converters to draw higher current as in conventional implementations.”

Prior to the ADP approach, current sinks were not optimal for high-end handheld devices. This was because line transients caused by the heavy system loads (for example: RF transmission, camera, camera flash, Internet access) produced display flicker when these loads were enabled and disabled.

Semtech’s smart ADP topology eliminates this problem via automatic and simultaneous monitoring of each current sink to avoid dropout as the system loads turn on and off. Each time a current sink with ADP approaches dropout, the digital logic reduces the current setting for all of the backlight LEDs in small increments that are imperceptible to the human eye.

This process continues until all current sinks have sufficient headroom to regulate their current at the reduced setting. When this point is reached, the ADP circuitry locks the current setting, thereby eliminating any display flicker.

The SC667 and SC668 are the first current sinks to incorporate ADP technology. These devices also integrate a number of functions to enable high-end features on portables, including an ambient light sensing/control circuit that sets backlight brightness based on surrounding lighting conditions.

A PWM dimming interface that incorporates a digital low-pass filter is also included, providing the capability to perform content-adaptive brightness control (versus “always-on” illumination).

The SC668 provides eight current sinks, while the SC667 features seven current sinks plus an interrupt request indicator signal to tell the host processor when an ambient light threshold has been crossed. Both devices include an on-chip digital lighting-effects engine to control LED fade-in/fade-out, breathe, blink, auto-dim full, and auto-dim partial; an I2C interface to program and control the LEDs; and four programmable, 200mA low-noise LDO regulators to manage the power for multiple embedded peripherals.

Christmas in orbit for Discovery?

The next launch window for sending the shuttle Discovery to the ISS opens December 17, but it's not clear whether the spacecraft would be ready that date. A mission over Christmas is one possibility, but it's turning out to be harder than expected to find the cause of cracks in the intertank structure on the shuttle's External Tank. Fixing the cracks (not difficult) is no good if they might recur and you don't know why. According to NASA's Bill Gerstenmaier,"We would have liked to have found a most probable cause by now. This is turning out to be a little more complicated from an analysis standpoint....We'll let the data drive where we're heading."

Import mysql database command line

Have an issue with your mysql database being too large to import through phpmyadmin? You can run this command and import for the command line!

mysql -u username -p -h localhost data-base-name < data.sql

Call for speakers for ALA Annual 2011 - Planning for change in Acquisitions

Call for speakers for ALA Annual 2011 - Planning for change in Acquisitions

The ALCTS/Acquisitions Section Organization & Management Committee seeks panelists for the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. The Program is on Saturday, June 25th at 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. The topic of the program is “The Future of Acquisitions: planning for change in an ever-changing environment.”

We’d like 3 panelists who can address various aspects of planning for change in Acquisitions including: leveraging existing skill sets to take on new duties perhaps from other areas of the library; positioning the
department to be proactive instead of reactive to change in the organization; repositioning staff as their existing duties are automated or determined to be “no longer a priority.” We’re very interested in a
public library point of view as well as the view from academia.

If you are in the midst of a reorganization or retraining or if you have recently taken on new duties or merged with another area to achieve efficiencies, please consider sharing your experiences, lessons learned, or future plans.

Proposals should include a brief outline of the type of change in which your Acquisitions Department has been involved and what you would plan to cover in your talk. The individual panelists will have 20 minutes
each to speak. Please also send the speaker’s contact information and affiliation, including e-mail and a phone number. Proposals should be sent to Janet Morrow at j.morrow@neu.edu . If you know of someone who would be able to speak well to this topic, we’d appreciate your sharing this information with them.

Please send proposals by December 15, 2010.

Janet Belanger Morrow
Head, Resource Management Dept.
Northeastern University Libraries
360 Huntington Avenue
260 Snell Library
Boston, MA 02115
voice: 617-373-4959 fax: 617-373-8396
j.morrow@neu.edu

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