"Cryptid" is a word coined by cryptozoologists (no surprise). It refers to any animal which is reported but not confirmed, including never-caught species and presumed-extinct ones. Michael Woodley here examines the use and misuse of the term. He rejects Dr. Charles Paxton's advice, which is that theorizing about cryptids is pointless, and we should use reports, not hypothesized creatures, as the basics for theorizing.
COMMENT: I see Charles' point. For example, cryptozoologists are not really studying a "cryptid" called sasquatch, they are studying reports of large unclassified primate. Sometimes, there is something to be said for focusing the discussion with at least a general outline of a "cryptid," but it's unscientific to name a solution, to the exclusion of other solutions, when there is no animal in hand.
This reminded me of how the late Grover Krantz aimed to spark scientific discussion when he published a paper naming a specific presumed-extinct species, Gigantopithecus blacki, as the source of sasquatch reports. The problem is that he named it based on footprints when we have only teeth and jawbones of Gigantopithecus and no one can say what the feet looked like. Almost no one in the anthropological community accepted such a reach, and it did not do anything to burnish the reputations of cryptozoology in the "mainstream" scientific world, nor the reputation of Krantz (who was a genuine expert with well-respected work in human evolution.) Still, Krantz was never sorry he did it: he thought he achieved his primary objective.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Origin of the Chupacabra
I never thought the chupacabra (that is, the spiny-backed, blood-sucking animal, as opposed to the oddball canids tarred with the same name) was a real animal. It turned up in the 1990s, on an island of all places (Puerto Rico), and real creatures just don't pop out of the ground. There wasn't even any folklore about them before that. Ben Radford here traces the idea of the "goatsucker" to the creature in the movie Species. I'm not sure this is original with Ben, as I seem to recall some cryptozoologists floating it a year or two back, but I do think he's right here.
It was cryptozoologist Loren Coleman who mused that the chupacabra was "cross-cultural, sort of like Jennifer Lopez." This raises the interesting idea of a spiny-backed monster judging American Idol. I'd watch.
It was cryptozoologist Loren Coleman who mused that the chupacabra was "cross-cultural, sort of like Jennifer Lopez." This raises the interesting idea of a spiny-backed monster judging American Idol. I'd watch.
Efficient battery-powered devices and alternate energy markets to drive power management growth in 2011
EL SEGUNDO, USA: Following a 41.6 percent boom in 2010, revenue growth in the global power management semiconductor market will slow significantly in 2011 but still will manage to increase at a double-digit pace, according to new IHS iSuppli research.
Global power management semiconductor revenue will climb to $36.2 billion in 2011, up 13.9 percent from 2010.
Growth will occur during every quarter throughout 2011, as presented in the figure.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
“The solid rise in 2011 follows a banner year in 2010, when power management semiconductor revenue soared to $31.8 billion,” said Marijana Vukicevic, principal analyst for power management at IHS. That figure, Vukicevic noted, was up from $22.5 billion in 2009.
Growth will decelerate in 2011 because this year follows a period of extraordinary growth in 2010. “Sales in 2011 simply will not be able to keep pace with the rapid expansion of 2010, when revenue rebounded dramatically from the recession year of 2009,” Vukicevic added.
Among the factors causing the continuing expansion of global revenue in 2011 is the move toward more efficient battery-powered devices. With consumers everywhere looking for longer battery life in their mobile devices—from cell phones to tablets, to notebooks, to portable navigation devices—new design trends will likely emerge in power management integrated circuits (ICs), boosting revenue among suppliers.
Another factor driving expansion will be the growth in alternate energy markets, including solar, wind, the electrification of vehicles and the smart grid. IHS iSuppli research shows alternative energy being transformed from an emerging market in power management to a more mainstream segment in 2011, thus generating revenue growth for suppliers.
Also anticipated in 2011 is a move toward greater integration in power ICs; suppliers with the technology to further integrate their chips will reap the greatest benefits in terms of revenue.
For their part, some of the old legacy power suppliers are expected to radically change strategies to accommodate shifting market dynamics, IHS believes. Having grown less competitive and now being aggressively attacked by many smaller suppliers that deliver respectable designs at lower prices, legacy suppliers are likely to reorganize in order to counter the threats.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
Global power management semiconductor revenue will climb to $36.2 billion in 2011, up 13.9 percent from 2010.
Growth will occur during every quarter throughout 2011, as presented in the figure.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.“The solid rise in 2011 follows a banner year in 2010, when power management semiconductor revenue soared to $31.8 billion,” said Marijana Vukicevic, principal analyst for power management at IHS. That figure, Vukicevic noted, was up from $22.5 billion in 2009.
Growth will decelerate in 2011 because this year follows a period of extraordinary growth in 2010. “Sales in 2011 simply will not be able to keep pace with the rapid expansion of 2010, when revenue rebounded dramatically from the recession year of 2009,” Vukicevic added.
Among the factors causing the continuing expansion of global revenue in 2011 is the move toward more efficient battery-powered devices. With consumers everywhere looking for longer battery life in their mobile devices—from cell phones to tablets, to notebooks, to portable navigation devices—new design trends will likely emerge in power management integrated circuits (ICs), boosting revenue among suppliers.
Another factor driving expansion will be the growth in alternate energy markets, including solar, wind, the electrification of vehicles and the smart grid. IHS iSuppli research shows alternative energy being transformed from an emerging market in power management to a more mainstream segment in 2011, thus generating revenue growth for suppliers.
Also anticipated in 2011 is a move toward greater integration in power ICs; suppliers with the technology to further integrate their chips will reap the greatest benefits in terms of revenue.
For their part, some of the old legacy power suppliers are expected to radically change strategies to accommodate shifting market dynamics, IHS believes. Having grown less competitive and now being aggressively attacked by many smaller suppliers that deliver respectable designs at lower prices, legacy suppliers are likely to reorganize in order to counter the threats.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
Google Finds It Hard to Reinvent Philanthropy - NYTimes.com
Google Finds It Hard to Reinvent Philanthropy - NYTimes.com: "Nearly five years later, however, the hyperbole looks more like hubris. DotOrg has narrowed to just one octave on the piano: engineering-related projects that often are the outgrowth of existing Google products. Dr. Brilliant was sidelined in early 2009 after his loose management style created much disenchantment in DotOrg’s ranks.
The company’s top executives rarely mention DotOrg, which is now run by Megan Smith, a business development executive who devotes only part of her time to the organizatio"
The company’s top executives rarely mention DotOrg, which is now run by Megan Smith, a business development executive who devotes only part of her time to the organizatio"
LED Korea 2011: A success with new technology, latest products, and industry collaboration featured
SEOUL, KOREA: Amidst the backdrop of a growing global LED industry estimated at $100 billion and a local market projected to grow to 15 trillion Won by 2015, LED Korea 2011, held last week in Seoul, opened to increased attention and attendance.
The event, organized by SEMI Korea and co-located with SEMICON Korea for the fifth time, is the largest exhibition in Korea focused on LED manufacturing and serving the solid state lighting (SSL) supply chain.
LED Korea 2011 featured 60 exhibiting companies, displaying the newest technology and latest products that will lead the next generation of the LED market. International companies, including Aixtron, Veeco, and Kulicke & Soffa, took part in the event. Major local firms in the exhibitor list included TSE, Mirtec, Top Engineering, and QMC. Combined attendance with SEMICON Korea is estimated to have exceeded 25,000.
The LED Workshop on January 27 presented the current status of the lighting and display market— covering materials to end-user applications including consumer electronics, lighting, medical equipment, automotive and other commercial products.
The region’s leaders in LED shared strategies for the industry’s further development while also covering hot topics such as LED application products standardization, technical issues and development of LED lighting, and LED-IT convergence technology in Korea.
Next year’s LED Korea will feature a special session on environmental and safety related matters with the help of Taiwan’s LED Industry Association. LED Korea 2011 will offer an exclusive opportunity for exhibitors and participants to demonstrate their new products and technologies, expand their business abroad through supply chains, and ultimately gain competitive edge and stronger foothold both in and out of the country.
The event, organized by SEMI Korea and co-located with SEMICON Korea for the fifth time, is the largest exhibition in Korea focused on LED manufacturing and serving the solid state lighting (SSL) supply chain.
LED Korea 2011 featured 60 exhibiting companies, displaying the newest technology and latest products that will lead the next generation of the LED market. International companies, including Aixtron, Veeco, and Kulicke & Soffa, took part in the event. Major local firms in the exhibitor list included TSE, Mirtec, Top Engineering, and QMC. Combined attendance with SEMICON Korea is estimated to have exceeded 25,000.
The LED Workshop on January 27 presented the current status of the lighting and display market— covering materials to end-user applications including consumer electronics, lighting, medical equipment, automotive and other commercial products.
The region’s leaders in LED shared strategies for the industry’s further development while also covering hot topics such as LED application products standardization, technical issues and development of LED lighting, and LED-IT convergence technology in Korea.
Next year’s LED Korea will feature a special session on environmental and safety related matters with the help of Taiwan’s LED Industry Association. LED Korea 2011 will offer an exclusive opportunity for exhibitors and participants to demonstrate their new products and technologies, expand their business abroad through supply chains, and ultimately gain competitive edge and stronger foothold both in and out of the country.
Avnet Express launches EMEA-wide e-commerce site
PHOENIX, USA: Avnet Express, part of the Avnet Electronics Marketing operating group of Avnet Inc., is once again extending its online reach with the launch of a comprehensive e-Commerce website that now also encompasses Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
The site, www.avnetexpress.eu, offers design engineers and purchasing executives at OEM and EMS firms access to inventory held in Europe. What’s more, they can also enjoy online access to Avnet Electronics Marketing’s entire global component menu, which now includes more than 4.5 million different parts.
“Expanding our web offerings to EMEA considerably reduces logistics costs and accelerates cycle times for our customers,” said Beth Ely, senior vice president of Avnet Express. “Avnet Express Europe broadens the scope of our web offerings, giving our customers the flexibility to view and order products from the location closest to them, while also giving them visibility and purchasing capability of our North America and Asian inventory as well.”
Patrick Zammit, president of Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA, comments: “We are making our entire product portfolio now available for online purchasing and giving customers the opportunity to buy all products through one channel. Avnet Express Europe complements our strategy of technology and design focus that we execute through our speedboat model, by offering a channel for small volume transactions.”
Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA goes to market with the following speedboats: EBV Elektronik, Silica, Avnet Memec and Avnet Abacus. These combined speedboats carry nearly 300 different franchised lines – each one available for purchase on Avnet Express Europe.
Available in nine languages and offering the flexibility of purchasing with both the Euro and the British Pound, Avnet Express Europe makes purchasing online simple and fast. Combining the scale and scope of one of the largest global distributors, the site has been designed with a host of powerful functions such as parametric part search, Bill of Material (BOM) optimization and parts cross-referencing.
The site, www.avnetexpress.eu, offers design engineers and purchasing executives at OEM and EMS firms access to inventory held in Europe. What’s more, they can also enjoy online access to Avnet Electronics Marketing’s entire global component menu, which now includes more than 4.5 million different parts.
“Expanding our web offerings to EMEA considerably reduces logistics costs and accelerates cycle times for our customers,” said Beth Ely, senior vice president of Avnet Express. “Avnet Express Europe broadens the scope of our web offerings, giving our customers the flexibility to view and order products from the location closest to them, while also giving them visibility and purchasing capability of our North America and Asian inventory as well.”
Patrick Zammit, president of Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA, comments: “We are making our entire product portfolio now available for online purchasing and giving customers the opportunity to buy all products through one channel. Avnet Express Europe complements our strategy of technology and design focus that we execute through our speedboat model, by offering a channel for small volume transactions.”
Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA goes to market with the following speedboats: EBV Elektronik, Silica, Avnet Memec and Avnet Abacus. These combined speedboats carry nearly 300 different franchised lines – each one available for purchase on Avnet Express Europe.
Available in nine languages and offering the flexibility of purchasing with both the Euro and the British Pound, Avnet Express Europe makes purchasing online simple and fast. Combining the scale and scope of one of the largest global distributors, the site has been designed with a host of powerful functions such as parametric part search, Bill of Material (BOM) optimization and parts cross-referencing.
CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS: Planning and Implementing Resource Discovery Tools in Academic Libraries
CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS: Planning and Implementing Resource Discovery Tools in Academic Libraries
Proposal Submission Deadline: February 28, 2011
Planning and Implementing Resource Discovery Tools in Academic Libraries
A book edited by Mary Popp and Diane Dallis
Indiana University Libraries Bloomington, IN U.S.A.
To be published by IGI Global:
http://igi-global.com/AuthorsEditors/AuthorEditorResources/CallForBookChapters/CallForChapterDetails.aspx?CallForContentId=4404826d-730e-4ae5-8b71-6ff92792f062
Introduction:
The concept of “resource discovery” has many meanings. Only now is it beginning to be defined as a description for library research software that allows a library user to search multiple Web-based resources simultaneously and bring back usable search results beginning to be refined. The mission of this book is to provide librarians and administrators with information they can use to evaluate and implement a resource discovery product—to determine how well such software can meet the needs of their users, to make a product choice based on their local needs, to develop plans for implementation, to implement the software and integrate it into the research lives of users, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the software in their own environments.
Resource discovery tools have become more mainstream resources. As librarians work to find, purchase and implement such products as EBSCO Discovery Service, Encore, Primo, and Summon as well as open source tools they need to develop structured procedures for review and implementation that ensure they are using funds wisely. To date, very little has been published on this topic and only a small number of conference programs and presentations have been scheduled or given. There is an immediate need for information and shared ideas.
Objective of the Book:
We have the following objectives for this book:
• Propose a working definition of “resource discovery” that can be used in professional discussions about resource discovery products.
• Identify user behaviors based on empirical research that lead to a need for “resource discovery.”
• Identify best practices for selecting a discovery tool.
• Identify best practices for setting up a discovery tool and making it available to users.
• Locate and share usability test results for resource discovery and related tools and their implementation into library products and services.
• Present representative examples of the implementation of discovery tools.
• Identify areas of concern in use of a resource discovery tool and suggest future enhancements.
Target Audience:
The primary audience for this book is composed of librarians and library administrators in academic libraries, both large and small. Librarians who are interested in providing resources for users to find the information they need, who maintain library Web sites and catalogs, or provide library instruction to students, faculty and staff in colleges and universities will find the overview information useful. Library administrators who must set priorities and find funding for new resources will be able to use the book to help them plan their review of the marketplace, selection of an appropriate tool, and implementation of that tool.
Recommended topics include but are not limited to, the following:
-User behavior and expectations for library web sites and finding tools
-How the digital consumer experience influences online research
-What libraries have learned from federated search
-How college students, faculty members, or other researchers find information
-Selecting a discovery tool
-Integrating local digital collections and non-mainstream resources into discovery tools
-User testing and user-centered design in implementing discovery solutions
-Issues in implementing a discovery tool
-Representative examples of discovery tools in use including product choice, user input, setting up the discovery tool, and lessons learned
-Areas of concern in use of the discovery tool
Submission Procedure
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before February 28, 2011, a 2-3 page chapter proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. The proposal should summarize the proposed contents of the paper and provide a draft outline of major points to be included.
Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by March 28, 2011 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by June 30, 2011. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.
Publisher
This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference,” “Business Science Reference,” and “Engineering Science Reference” imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com. This publication is anticipated to be released in 2012.
Important Dates
February 28, 2011: Proposal Submission Deadline
March 28, 2011: Notification of Acceptance
June 30, 2011: Full Chapter Submission
August 30, 2011: Review Results Returned
September 30, 2011: Final Chapter Submission
October 30, 2011: Final Deadline
Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document or PDF):
Diane Dallis and Mary Popp
Indiana University Libraries
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, IN 47405
E-mail: ResDiscBook@gmail.com
Proposal Submission Deadline: February 28, 2011
Planning and Implementing Resource Discovery Tools in Academic Libraries
A book edited by Mary Popp and Diane Dallis
Indiana University Libraries Bloomington, IN U.S.A.
To be published by IGI Global:
http://igi-global.com/AuthorsEditors/AuthorEditorResources/CallForBookChapters/CallForChapterDetails.aspx?CallForContentId=4404826d-730e-4ae5-8b71-6ff92792f062
Introduction:
The concept of “resource discovery” has many meanings. Only now is it beginning to be defined as a description for library research software that allows a library user to search multiple Web-based resources simultaneously and bring back usable search results beginning to be refined. The mission of this book is to provide librarians and administrators with information they can use to evaluate and implement a resource discovery product—to determine how well such software can meet the needs of their users, to make a product choice based on their local needs, to develop plans for implementation, to implement the software and integrate it into the research lives of users, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the software in their own environments.
Resource discovery tools have become more mainstream resources. As librarians work to find, purchase and implement such products as EBSCO Discovery Service, Encore, Primo, and Summon as well as open source tools they need to develop structured procedures for review and implementation that ensure they are using funds wisely. To date, very little has been published on this topic and only a small number of conference programs and presentations have been scheduled or given. There is an immediate need for information and shared ideas.
Objective of the Book:
We have the following objectives for this book:
• Propose a working definition of “resource discovery” that can be used in professional discussions about resource discovery products.
• Identify user behaviors based on empirical research that lead to a need for “resource discovery.”
• Identify best practices for selecting a discovery tool.
• Identify best practices for setting up a discovery tool and making it available to users.
• Locate and share usability test results for resource discovery and related tools and their implementation into library products and services.
• Present representative examples of the implementation of discovery tools.
• Identify areas of concern in use of a resource discovery tool and suggest future enhancements.
Target Audience:
The primary audience for this book is composed of librarians and library administrators in academic libraries, both large and small. Librarians who are interested in providing resources for users to find the information they need, who maintain library Web sites and catalogs, or provide library instruction to students, faculty and staff in colleges and universities will find the overview information useful. Library administrators who must set priorities and find funding for new resources will be able to use the book to help them plan their review of the marketplace, selection of an appropriate tool, and implementation of that tool.
Recommended topics include but are not limited to, the following:
-User behavior and expectations for library web sites and finding tools
-How the digital consumer experience influences online research
-What libraries have learned from federated search
-How college students, faculty members, or other researchers find information
-Selecting a discovery tool
-Integrating local digital collections and non-mainstream resources into discovery tools
-User testing and user-centered design in implementing discovery solutions
-Issues in implementing a discovery tool
-Representative examples of discovery tools in use including product choice, user input, setting up the discovery tool, and lessons learned
-Areas of concern in use of the discovery tool
Submission Procedure
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before February 28, 2011, a 2-3 page chapter proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. The proposal should summarize the proposed contents of the paper and provide a draft outline of major points to be included.
Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by March 28, 2011 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by June 30, 2011. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.
Publisher
This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference,” “Business Science Reference,” and “Engineering Science Reference” imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com. This publication is anticipated to be released in 2012.
Important Dates
February 28, 2011: Proposal Submission Deadline
March 28, 2011: Notification of Acceptance
June 30, 2011: Full Chapter Submission
August 30, 2011: Review Results Returned
September 30, 2011: Final Chapter Submission
October 30, 2011: Final Deadline
Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document or PDF):
Diane Dallis and Mary Popp
Indiana University Libraries
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, IN 47405
E-mail: ResDiscBook@gmail.com
CFP: Italian Journal of Library and Information Science
CFP: Italian Journal of Library and Information Science
URL: http://leo.cilea.it/index.php/jlis/index
JLIS.it, the Italian Journal of Library and Information Science, is an academic journal of international scope that aims to valorize the Italian research in the LIS field, and it welcomes contributions from young students and scholars. The journal board encourages authors (students, researchers, librarians, archivists) to contribute with interdisciplinary or innovative papers, hoping that they can use JLIS.it as a virtual space for theoretical elaboration on the radical transformations happening to cognitive processes of knowledge fruition, and to professional practices due to digital culture innovations. JLIS.it publishes one volume in two six-monthly issues, in June and December. The deadline for the submission for the next issue is the March 31th, 2011.
About the Journal:
JLIS.it is published by the University of Florence - Department of studies on the Antiquities, Middle Age, the Renaissance and Linguistics; maintenance for this OJS Installation, software development and maintenance is provided by the AePIC team at CILEA.Submitted papers will be checked by one of the editors: if it will pass this first step, then the paper should be sent to 2 reviewers for the review process, after which the author will be notified of the acceptance or should be given suggestions to improve his paper.
JLIS.it secures:
- open access to contributions (authors retain copyright)
- peer-review by Italian and international experts
- wide dissemination of published contributions both in the national and international area, with the help of specific tools.
JLIS.it is indexed and repertoired by:
- ACNP - Italian union catalogue of serials
- BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine
- Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities in Educational Technology and Library Science
- DOAJ - Directory of open access journals
- EZB - Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek - Universitätsbibliothek Regensburg
- Google Scholar
- JournalTOCs - JISC
- The Informed Librarian Online
- Italian Library Association - Italian Professional Literature
- LibLit - Library Literature & Information Science Full Text
- LISA - Library and Information Science Abstracts
- LISTA - Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts
- NewJour - Electronic Journals & Newsletters, University of Georgetown
- ticTOCs
- Ulrich's
- Worldcat, analytics, too.
JLIS.it has been received the SPARC seal for Open Access, that marks the compliance to the following conditions for open access publishing:
- the choice of a CC-BY licence
- the supply of the metadata of published articles to DOAJ
For further details, see at http://leo.cilea.it/index.php/jlis/about
or send a message to info@jlis.it.
Andrea Marchitelli
JLIS.it associate editor
URL: http://leo.cilea.it/index.php/jlis/index
JLIS.it, the Italian Journal of Library and Information Science, is an academic journal of international scope that aims to valorize the Italian research in the LIS field, and it welcomes contributions from young students and scholars. The journal board encourages authors (students, researchers, librarians, archivists) to contribute with interdisciplinary or innovative papers, hoping that they can use JLIS.it as a virtual space for theoretical elaboration on the radical transformations happening to cognitive processes of knowledge fruition, and to professional practices due to digital culture innovations. JLIS.it publishes one volume in two six-monthly issues, in June and December. The deadline for the submission for the next issue is the March 31th, 2011.
About the Journal:
JLIS.it is published by the University of Florence - Department of studies on the Antiquities, Middle Age, the Renaissance and Linguistics; maintenance for this OJS Installation, software development and maintenance is provided by the AePIC team at CILEA.Submitted papers will be checked by one of the editors: if it will pass this first step, then the paper should be sent to 2 reviewers for the review process, after which the author will be notified of the acceptance or should be given suggestions to improve his paper.
JLIS.it secures:
- open access to contributions (authors retain copyright)
- peer-review by Italian and international experts
- wide dissemination of published contributions both in the national and international area, with the help of specific tools.
JLIS.it is indexed and repertoired by:
- ACNP - Italian union catalogue of serials
- BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine
- Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities in Educational Technology and Library Science
- DOAJ - Directory of open access journals
- EZB - Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek - Universitätsbibliothek Regensburg
- Google Scholar
- JournalTOCs - JISC
- The Informed Librarian Online
- Italian Library Association - Italian Professional Literature
- LibLit - Library Literature & Information Science Full Text
- LISA - Library and Information Science Abstracts
- LISTA - Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts
- NewJour - Electronic Journals & Newsletters, University of Georgetown
- ticTOCs
- Ulrich's
- Worldcat, analytics, too.
JLIS.it has been received the SPARC seal for Open Access, that marks the compliance to the following conditions for open access publishing:
- the choice of a CC-BY licence
- the supply of the metadata of published articles to DOAJ
For further details, see at http://leo.cilea.it/index.php/jlis/about
or send a message to info@jlis.it.
Andrea Marchitelli
JLIS.it associate editor
CFP: Library Research Round Table (LRRT) - Graduate Students
CFP: Library Research Round Table (LRRT) - Graduate Students
The Library Research Round Table (LRRT) will sponsor a Research Forum at the 2011 American Library Association Annual Conference in New Orleans (June 23-28) specifically for graduate students.
New Minds, New Approaches
This session will present three graduate students research papers discussing library-related research projects. Students in the library and information science graduate programs are invited to submit papers.
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. 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. The Committee will use a blind review process to select a maximum of three projects.
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 Monday February 21. 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 February 21, 2011, will not be considered.
Notification of acceptance will be made by March 1, 2011
Please send submissions (via email or snail mail) to:
Linda L. Lillard, Ph.D.
Library Research Round Table Chair
Associate Professor
205 Carlson Library
Department of Library Science
Clarion University
Clarion, PA 16214
Phone: 814-393-2383
Email: llillard@clarion.edu
The Library Research Round Table (LRRT) will sponsor a Research Forum at the 2011 American Library Association Annual Conference in New Orleans (June 23-28) specifically for graduate students.
New Minds, New Approaches
This session will present three graduate students research papers discussing library-related research projects. Students in the library and information science graduate programs are invited to submit papers.
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. 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. The Committee will use a blind review process to select a maximum of three projects.
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 Monday February 21. 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 February 21, 2011, will not be considered.
Notification of acceptance will be made by March 1, 2011
Please send submissions (via email or snail mail) to:
Linda L. Lillard, Ph.D.
Library Research Round Table Chair
Associate Professor
205 Carlson Library
Department of Library Science
Clarion University
Clarion, PA 16214
Phone: 814-393-2383
Email: llillard@clarion.edu
If You Haven't Changed Your Amazon Password in a While... Do So Now!
It seems that Amazon has acknowledged some type of flaw with their password system that allows people to log into your account with variations of your password.Supposedly the flaw only affects those who haven't changed their password in years.
Rather than repeat the whole post, I'll provide a link to the story I read at Wired. Check it out and change your password!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Impressions from the Yankee Dental Congress
I returned home late last night from New England where I was honored to be asked to give 5 lectures at the Yankee Dental Congress. The weather didn't cooperate much this year with the opening day, Thursday, being dealt a 10 inch snowfall overnight. That meant schools were cancelled and many attendees were forced to stay home due to the school closings & driving conditions. As proof of that, I arrived at the convention center on Thursday morning in a snow plow as I was unable to find a cab... but that's another whole post.
The weather definitely affected attendance on Thursday, especially in the morning, but the afternoon showed increased attendance. Friday was crazy with vendors reporting brisk sales and lots of booth traffic. Saturday was lighter which is usually expected on the last day of a meeting, especially one where a city was still digging out of the snow.
One of the highlights of the show was the Technology Playground organized and manned by my buddy Dr. Paul Feuerstein. Paul spent a good deal of time in the playground showing & talking about the latest tech with vendors there showing their wares. It's definitely an idea I can see being picked up by other major meetings.
The weather definitely affected attendance on Thursday, especially in the morning, but the afternoon showed increased attendance. Friday was crazy with vendors reporting brisk sales and lots of booth traffic. Saturday was lighter which is usually expected on the last day of a meeting, especially one where a city was still digging out of the snow.
One of the highlights of the show was the Technology Playground organized and manned by my buddy Dr. Paul Feuerstein. Paul spent a good deal of time in the playground showing & talking about the latest tech with vendors there showing their wares. It's definitely an idea I can see being picked up by other major meetings.
Continuous Feedback
Ich weiß nicht ob das richtig oder zweckmäßig ist, aber bei jeder neuen Technologie frage ich mich: was ist das essentiell Neue an dieser Technologie? Was macht die Technologie im Vergleich zu anderen aus? Die Beantwortung der Frage hilft mir die Idee hinter der neuen Technologie zu begreifen und dann auch in der Folge die Technologie richig anzuwenden.
So bin ich auch zu der Fragestellung gekommen, was an agilen Methoden so neu ist, was ist der Unterschied? Warum funktioniert das so gut? Das beschäftigt mich im Moment und ich habe dazu auch schon einen Blog Eintrag geschrieben. Dort beschreibe ich auch, warum funktionsübergreifende Teams so gut "funktionieren". Ein wichtiger Aspekt in diesen Teams ist, dass man von allen Interessengruppen (insb. auch dem Kunden) regelmäßiges, kurzfristiges und direktes Feedback bekommt. Das habe ich in meinem Blog Eintrag schon als Continuous Feedback bezeichnet. Über diesen Punkt habe ich dann länger nachgedacht und festgestellt, dass viele agile Techniken direkt darauf ausgerichtet sind kurzfristige und kontinuierliche Rückmeldung über die Qualität der Arbeitsergebnisse zu bekommen. Wo findet kontinuierliche Rückmeldung in einem agilen Umfeld statt? Ein paar Beispiele:
Kontinuierliche Rückmeldung vom Kunden
Der Kunde ist in einem agilen Projekt idealerweise Teil des funktionsübergreifenden Teams. Auf diese Weise sieht er das Ergebnis nicht alle paar Wochen oder Tage (im besten Fall), sondern er kann den gesamten Entwicklungsprozess begleiten und aktiv beeinflussen. Er korrigiert unfertige Entwicklungsstände der Entwickler, anstatt auf das Deployment zu warten. Die Entwickler können auch fragen: "... meintest Du das so?" Dann zeigen sie dem Kunden die neue Maske, die geradeentwickelt wird. Das so eingesammelte direkte Feedback reduziert Aufwand und erhöht die fachliche Qualität der deployten Software in der Testumgebung.
Kontinuierliche Rückmeldung von den Entwicklerkollegen
Auch die direkten Entwickler-Kollegen geben sich andauernd Feedback in einem agilen Team. Dies geschieht z.B. beim Pair Programming, über das tägliche Stehmeeting oder in der Kaffee-Küche. Auch der Sachverhalt, das die Teams in einem Büro sitzen sollten, verbessert das Feeback der Kollegen untereinander. So wird die produktorientierte Qualität der Software erhöht, also der Teil der Software, den der Kunde meistens garnicht wahrnimmt. (Der Kunde hat kein Interesse daran, ob das Programm gut "deignt" ist. Er versteht nicht, dass es die Folgekosten und Entwicklungsgeschwindigkeit bei Änderungen beeinflusst.)
Kontinuierliche Rückmeldung über die objektiv messbare Qualität
In einer Continuous Integration Umgebung wird die Anwendung regelmäßig kompiliert, zusammengebaut, analysiert (statische Sicht auf den Code) und getestet (dynamische Sicht). Dabei wird im Idealfall mehrfach am Tag integriert. So hat man einen objektiven Qualitätsstand der Anwendung und kann beobachten, ob man objektiv betrachtet besser oder schlechter geworden ist. Man bekommt kontinuierlich Feedback über die wichtigste Messgröße: läuft meine Software?
Kontinuierliche Rückmeldung über den Nutzen der Software
In kurzen Releasezyklen, also z.B. alle vier Wochen, wird die Software in Produktion gegeben. Dadurch hält man zum einen die Menge der zu entwickelnden Funktionen überschaubar (Prinzip "Teile und Hersche"), zum anderen weiß man aber auch zeitnah, ob die Software wirklich den erhofften Nutzen bei den Anwendern erzielt. Man weiß also frühzeitig, ob man insgesamt auf dem richtigen Weg ist. Spart man wirklich wie erhofft Kosten durch die Prozessautomatisierung? Baut sich der Stau im Auftragseingang im Fachbereich ab? Diese Fragen beantworten sich früh, wenn alle vier Wochen eingeführt wird.
Das waren konkrete Beispiele für kontinuierliches Feedback in einem agilen Projekt. Es gibt bestimmt auch andere Beispiele. Ich wollte in dem Blog nur das Konzept näher bringen. Jetzt muss ich den Kreis nochmal zur Eingangsfrage schliessen. Die Frage war: was ist in agilen Vorgehensweisen so besonders Neues? Neben Konzepten wie Selbstregulation und Selbstorganisation könnte das beschriebene Konzept des Continuous Feedback eine übergeordnete Rolle spielen.
Dieser einzelne Punkt ist vielleicht ähnlich wichtig wie die Fähigkeit sich selbst zu organisieren, bzw. die kontinuierliche Rückmeldung stellt auch bei der Selbstorganisation ein wichtiges Grundkonzept dar. In diesem Sinne handelt es sich um ein Querschnittskonzept, dass in verschiedenen Einzelkonzepten "eingewoben" wird. Das ist vergleichbar mit einem Security Konzept für eine Software. Sicherheit kann man auch nicht an einer Stelle einbauen. Stattdessen werden alle Programmteile davon beeinflusst. Was für Security bezogen auf ein Software-System gilt, ist übertragbar auf das Prinzip der kontinuierlichen Rückmeldung in einem agil organisierten Projekt. Die einzelnen organisatorischen Elemente (bzw. agilen Techniken) werden jeweils mit Continuous Feedback versehen.
So bin ich auch zu der Fragestellung gekommen, was an agilen Methoden so neu ist, was ist der Unterschied? Warum funktioniert das so gut? Das beschäftigt mich im Moment und ich habe dazu auch schon einen Blog Eintrag geschrieben. Dort beschreibe ich auch, warum funktionsübergreifende Teams so gut "funktionieren". Ein wichtiger Aspekt in diesen Teams ist, dass man von allen Interessengruppen (insb. auch dem Kunden) regelmäßiges, kurzfristiges und direktes Feedback bekommt. Das habe ich in meinem Blog Eintrag schon als Continuous Feedback bezeichnet. Über diesen Punkt habe ich dann länger nachgedacht und festgestellt, dass viele agile Techniken direkt darauf ausgerichtet sind kurzfristige und kontinuierliche Rückmeldung über die Qualität der Arbeitsergebnisse zu bekommen. Wo findet kontinuierliche Rückmeldung in einem agilen Umfeld statt? Ein paar Beispiele:
Kontinuierliche Rückmeldung vom Kunden
Der Kunde ist in einem agilen Projekt idealerweise Teil des funktionsübergreifenden Teams. Auf diese Weise sieht er das Ergebnis nicht alle paar Wochen oder Tage (im besten Fall), sondern er kann den gesamten Entwicklungsprozess begleiten und aktiv beeinflussen. Er korrigiert unfertige Entwicklungsstände der Entwickler, anstatt auf das Deployment zu warten. Die Entwickler können auch fragen: "... meintest Du das so?" Dann zeigen sie dem Kunden die neue Maske, die geradeentwickelt wird. Das so eingesammelte direkte Feedback reduziert Aufwand und erhöht die fachliche Qualität der deployten Software in der Testumgebung.
Kontinuierliche Rückmeldung von den Entwicklerkollegen
Auch die direkten Entwickler-Kollegen geben sich andauernd Feedback in einem agilen Team. Dies geschieht z.B. beim Pair Programming, über das tägliche Stehmeeting oder in der Kaffee-Küche. Auch der Sachverhalt, das die Teams in einem Büro sitzen sollten, verbessert das Feeback der Kollegen untereinander. So wird die produktorientierte Qualität der Software erhöht, also der Teil der Software, den der Kunde meistens garnicht wahrnimmt. (Der Kunde hat kein Interesse daran, ob das Programm gut "deignt" ist. Er versteht nicht, dass es die Folgekosten und Entwicklungsgeschwindigkeit bei Änderungen beeinflusst.)
Kontinuierliche Rückmeldung über die objektiv messbare Qualität
In einer Continuous Integration Umgebung wird die Anwendung regelmäßig kompiliert, zusammengebaut, analysiert (statische Sicht auf den Code) und getestet (dynamische Sicht). Dabei wird im Idealfall mehrfach am Tag integriert. So hat man einen objektiven Qualitätsstand der Anwendung und kann beobachten, ob man objektiv betrachtet besser oder schlechter geworden ist. Man bekommt kontinuierlich Feedback über die wichtigste Messgröße: läuft meine Software?
Kontinuierliche Rückmeldung über den Nutzen der Software
In kurzen Releasezyklen, also z.B. alle vier Wochen, wird die Software in Produktion gegeben. Dadurch hält man zum einen die Menge der zu entwickelnden Funktionen überschaubar (Prinzip "Teile und Hersche"), zum anderen weiß man aber auch zeitnah, ob die Software wirklich den erhofften Nutzen bei den Anwendern erzielt. Man weiß also frühzeitig, ob man insgesamt auf dem richtigen Weg ist. Spart man wirklich wie erhofft Kosten durch die Prozessautomatisierung? Baut sich der Stau im Auftragseingang im Fachbereich ab? Diese Fragen beantworten sich früh, wenn alle vier Wochen eingeführt wird.
Das waren konkrete Beispiele für kontinuierliches Feedback in einem agilen Projekt. Es gibt bestimmt auch andere Beispiele. Ich wollte in dem Blog nur das Konzept näher bringen. Jetzt muss ich den Kreis nochmal zur Eingangsfrage schliessen. Die Frage war: was ist in agilen Vorgehensweisen so besonders Neues? Neben Konzepten wie Selbstregulation und Selbstorganisation könnte das beschriebene Konzept des Continuous Feedback eine übergeordnete Rolle spielen.
Bei Continuous Feedback geht es um die Ausrichtung des Teams auf kontinuierliche Rückmeldung über die Qualität der einzelnen Arbeitsergebnisse.
Dieser einzelne Punkt ist vielleicht ähnlich wichtig wie die Fähigkeit sich selbst zu organisieren, bzw. die kontinuierliche Rückmeldung stellt auch bei der Selbstorganisation ein wichtiges Grundkonzept dar. In diesem Sinne handelt es sich um ein Querschnittskonzept, dass in verschiedenen Einzelkonzepten "eingewoben" wird. Das ist vergleichbar mit einem Security Konzept für eine Software. Sicherheit kann man auch nicht an einer Stelle einbauen. Stattdessen werden alle Programmteile davon beeinflusst. Was für Security bezogen auf ein Software-System gilt, ist übertragbar auf das Prinzip der kontinuierlichen Rückmeldung in einem agil organisierten Projekt. Die einzelnen organisatorischen Elemente (bzw. agilen Techniken) werden jeweils mit Continuous Feedback versehen.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
CAO Group Brings Years of Experience to Dental - Although You've Never Heard of Them
At the ADA in Orlando, I had a chance to meet and spend some time with folks from the CAO Group. While you may not have heard of CAO group you've almost certainly used at least some of their products. How you ask? Because over the years they've been making products for some pretty large dental manufacturers which were then rebranded under the manufacturer's name.
CAO holds or has applied for 150 patents. And, over the years, has made some very innovative products for their partners. Now they've decided to step into the dental market on their own.
Their premier product at this time is "Sheer White" which, as the name indicates, is a whitening product. It's a strip type product that uses carbamide peroxide as the whitening agent. What really sets this product apart though is the material the strip is made of. Unlike other products in this category, Sheer White has an amazing adhesive property, allowing it to literally "stick" to the tooth. The product doesn't slide around, doesn't get the whitening material all over the mouth, and is so thin it is very easy to tolerate. They have similar products for desensitivity (Sheer Desenz) and fluoride (Sheer Fluorx).
CAO Group also has several other products including curing lights and a diode laser that should be on the market in the first half of 2011.
Their products are exclusively available through Henry Schein.
Friday, January 28, 2011
A Skeptic Visits the Cryptozoology Museum
An enjoyable visit to Loren Coleman's museum by self-proclaimed skeptics who nevertheless think it was a great experience, recommend it to everyone, and even pitch for donations. Um... an important note. That is NOT a life-size replica of a yeti, it's a sasquatch. VERY few even among the cryptozoology community think sasquatch and yeti reports concern the same animal. Skeptics should be more careful about terminology.
Meet the Science Cheerleaders
Is "science cheerleader" a contradiction in terms? Nope. On this site, NBA and NFL cheerleaders are cheering for science policy, science education, and greater involvement in science by students and adult citizens alike. And yes, there are videos of attractive women cheering for science, for those who like that sort of thing. GO TEAM!
Diodes Inc.'s HB LED driver supports off-line illumination
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 the release of the AL9910.
Provided in standard SO-8 and high power dissipation exposed pad SO-8 packages, the AL9910 high brightness LED driver will support universal AC input voltages from 85V to as high as 265V. For interior and exterior off-line lighting products, the exposed pad SO-8 variant in particular helps significantly increase device reliability by minimizing temperature rise.
The AL9910 utilizes a rugged high voltage process technology allowing it to withstand input voltage surges of up to 500V. System reliability is further improved by the device’s built-in over-temperature protection.
Driving LED arrays with a constant current to better control LED brightness, lighting spectrum and lifetime expectancy, the AL9910 delivers an output of between a few milliamps and 1A via an external MOSFET operating at a resistor programmable switching frequency up to 300kHz. Removing the need for a start-up resistor, a built-in voltage regulator delivers a gate drive to match and protect the switching MOSFET: 7.5V for the AL9910 and 10V for the companion AL9910A.
To extend device flexibility, the high efficiency AL9910 offers two separate dimming inputs for LED brightness control: a linear dimming input controlled by the application of a dc control voltage, and a low frequency PWM dimming input that accepts an external TTL compatible control signal with a duty ratio of 0-100 percent and at a frequency of up to a few kHz.
Provided in standard SO-8 and high power dissipation exposed pad SO-8 packages, the AL9910 high brightness LED driver will support universal AC input voltages from 85V to as high as 265V. For interior and exterior off-line lighting products, the exposed pad SO-8 variant in particular helps significantly increase device reliability by minimizing temperature rise.
The AL9910 utilizes a rugged high voltage process technology allowing it to withstand input voltage surges of up to 500V. System reliability is further improved by the device’s built-in over-temperature protection.
Driving LED arrays with a constant current to better control LED brightness, lighting spectrum and lifetime expectancy, the AL9910 delivers an output of between a few milliamps and 1A via an external MOSFET operating at a resistor programmable switching frequency up to 300kHz. Removing the need for a start-up resistor, a built-in voltage regulator delivers a gate drive to match and protect the switching MOSFET: 7.5V for the AL9910 and 10V for the companion AL9910A.
To extend device flexibility, the high efficiency AL9910 offers two separate dimming inputs for LED brightness control: a linear dimming input controlled by the application of a dc control voltage, and a low frequency PWM dimming input that accepts an external TTL compatible control signal with a duty ratio of 0-100 percent and at a frequency of up to a few kHz.
Kickstarter Creates Rustic iPad & KIndle Cases
This a really cool idea for those of you who own portable devices. The folks at Kickstarter are making these really cool products to help protect your gadgets.
From their website: Rustic Case is a line of sleeve cases that are handmade in New England. We make them using 80% wool/ 20% polyester blend for extra durability. We hand select and buy the material from a small shop in Massachusetts that has been in business since 1905. We add 100% genuine leather accent pieces for an elegant touch with our company name branded into each piece. We've found small workshops all over New England that will supply us with all the materials needed to make these high quality, hand made products.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
The gorilla that walks like a man
All gorillas can walk bipedally a little if they need to. But in England's Kent Zoo, a male named Ambam apparently decided this bipedal thing was really cool. He has become a very popular exhibit because a human-like walk has become normal for him. With their short legs, gorillas are not going to do any long-distance running, but it's speculated that Ambam liked having the vantage point to see things before his fellow gorillas - a keeper approaching with food for example.
Cree releases revolutionary LED light bulb
DURHAM, USA: About 131 years ago, Thomas Alva Edison was granted US patent 223,898 for “Improvement in Electric Lamps and in the method of manufacturing.” Today’s LED lighting revolution heralds the demise of Edison’s 1880, horse-and-buggy era invention.
In an industry first, Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE) has demonstrated the brightest, most efficient, LED-based A-lamp that can meet ENERGY STAR performance requirements for a 60 watt standard LED replacement bulb. This unprecedented level of performance is the result of Cree innovation, Cree barrier-breaking LED performance, Cree TrueWhite Technology and patented Cree remote phosphor technology.
“This is a significant milestone for the industry,” said Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and CEO. “In the race to commercialize low-cost, energy-efficient LED bulbs, the industry has forgotten that LED lighting is supposed to look as good as the technology it is replacing. This is the first no compromise replacement for a 60 watt incandescent bulb.”
The prototype bulb is dimmable and emits a beautiful, warm incandescent-like color of 2700 K, with a CRI of at least 90. It delivers more than 800 lumens and consumes fewer than 10 watts and has been submitted for third party testing to validate the light distribution, lumen maintenance and performance.
“We are committed to leading the market and showing the industry what’s possible with recent innovations in our LED products and technology,” said Swoboda. “We are excited to show the world what it should expect in an LED light bulb and enable our customers’ products with these innovations.”
No commercially available LED A-lamps meet the ENERGY STAR® performance requirements for 60 watt standard replacement bulbs at this level of efficiency and light quality.
“This is the first standard LED A-lamp that combines high output with very high efficiency, in a small form factor, without the additional cost and complexity of active cooling or other design compromises,” said Rob Glass, Cree, vice president of technology. “We continue to advance our LED technologies to enable our customers’ success and to help accelerate the LED revolution.”
In an industry first, Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE) has demonstrated the brightest, most efficient, LED-based A-lamp that can meet ENERGY STAR performance requirements for a 60 watt standard LED replacement bulb. This unprecedented level of performance is the result of Cree innovation, Cree barrier-breaking LED performance, Cree TrueWhite Technology and patented Cree remote phosphor technology.
“This is a significant milestone for the industry,” said Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and CEO. “In the race to commercialize low-cost, energy-efficient LED bulbs, the industry has forgotten that LED lighting is supposed to look as good as the technology it is replacing. This is the first no compromise replacement for a 60 watt incandescent bulb.”
The prototype bulb is dimmable and emits a beautiful, warm incandescent-like color of 2700 K, with a CRI of at least 90. It delivers more than 800 lumens and consumes fewer than 10 watts and has been submitted for third party testing to validate the light distribution, lumen maintenance and performance.
“We are committed to leading the market and showing the industry what’s possible with recent innovations in our LED products and technology,” said Swoboda. “We are excited to show the world what it should expect in an LED light bulb and enable our customers’ products with these innovations.”
No commercially available LED A-lamps meet the ENERGY STAR® performance requirements for 60 watt standard replacement bulbs at this level of efficiency and light quality.
“This is the first standard LED A-lamp that combines high output with very high efficiency, in a small form factor, without the additional cost and complexity of active cooling or other design compromises,” said Rob Glass, Cree, vice president of technology. “We continue to advance our LED technologies to enable our customers’ success and to help accelerate the LED revolution.”
Paging With SQL Server “Denali”
One of the more common tasks in a data-bound application is to display data in a “page-able” user interface – often some sort of data grid. So for example, you might want to create a Web application that shows a list of available products, but which limits the list to ten products at a time. The user then “pages” through the data by clicking “Next Page” or something similar. There are loads of user interface design and implementation patterns that enable this kind of functionality, but they usually either involve fetching all of the data from the database and caching it locally in the application, or implementing some sort of “current page” tracking functionality to adjust the query used to retrieve the data on each page.
SQL Server “Denali” introduces a new way to manage paging within the SELECT statement itself. More specifically, you can use the new OFFSET and FETCH keywords in the ORDER BY clause to limit the query results to a specific page of data. The OFFSET keyword is used to indicate the “starting row” of the results (i.e. the number of rows to skip before this page), and the FETCH keyword is used to indicate the number of pages to be returned (i.e. the page size). For example, the following query skips 20 rows in the underlying dataset and then returns the next 10 rows:
SELECT so.SalesOrderID, so.OrderDate, c.CustomerName
FROM SalesOrder so
JOIN Customer c ON so.Customer = c.CustomerID
ORDER BY SalesOrderID ASC
OFFSET 20 ROWS
FETCH NEXT 10 ROWS ONLY
For this to work predictably, the ORDER BY clause must include a unique column (or combination of columns) and the underlying dataset must not change between queries.
With this functionality, you can implement an effective paging solution that tracks the position of the first row in the current page, the first row in the next page, and the first row in the previous page. For example, the following stored procedure retrieves the requested page of data based on page size and offset parameter values, and then returns the first row positions for the next and previous pages:
CREATE PROCEDURE GetSalesOrders(@PageSize int, @Offset int,
@NextPage int OUTPUT, @PrevPage int OUTPUT)
AS
-- Retrieve the requested page of data
SELECT so.SalesOrderID, so.OrderDate, c.CustomerName
FROM SalesOrder so
JOIN Customer c ON so.Customer = c.CustomerID
ORDER BY SalesOrderID ASC
OFFSET @Offset ROWS
FETCH NEXT @PageSize ROWS ONLY-- Set the row position markers
SET @NextPage = @@ROWCOUNT + @Offset
SET @PrevPage = @Offset - @PageSize
GO
You can then call this stored procedure to navigate forward and backward through the data like this:
DECLARE @StartRow int = 0, @Next int, @Prev int
EXECUTE GetSalesOrders 10, @StartRow, @Next OUTPUT, @Prev OUTPUT
SET @StartRow = @Next
EXECUTE GetSalesOrders 10, @StartRow, @Next OUTPUT, @Prev OUTPUT
SET @StartRow = @Next
EXECUTE GetSalesOrders 10, @StartRow, @Next OUTPUT, @Prev OUTPUT
SET @StartRow = @Prev
EXECUTE GetSalesOrders 10, @StartRow, @Next OUTPUT, @Prev OUTPUT
This code calls the stored procedure 4 times, retrieving the initial page (with an offset of zero), the next two pages, and then the second page again, as shown in the results here:
SalesOrderID OrderDate CustomerName
------------ ---------- ------------------------------
1 2010-01-20 Kasumi Fernandez
2 2010-01-21 Rod Dechamps
3 2010-01-22 Jane Dechamps
4 2010-01-23 Freddy Dechamps
5 2010-01-24 Pierre Dechamps
6 2010-01-25 Kasumi Dechamps
7 2010-02-01 Rod Smith
8 2010-02-01 Jane Smith
9 2010-02-01 Freddy Smith
10 2010-02-01 Pierre Smith(10 row(s) affected)
SalesOrderID OrderDate CustomerName
------------ ---------- ------------------------------
11 2010-02-01 Kasumi Smith
12 2010-02-01 Rod Jones
13 2010-02-01 Jane Jones
14 2010-02-01 Freddy Jones
15 2010-02-01 Pierre Jones
16 2010-02-01 Kasumi Jones
17 2010-02-01 Rod Yamamoto
18 2010-02-01 Jane Yamamoto
19 2010-02-01 Freddy Yamamoto
20 2010-02-01 Pierre Yamamoto(10 row(s) affected)
SalesOrderID OrderDate CustomerName
------------ ---------- ------------------------------
21 2010-02-01 Kasumi Yamamoto
22 2010-02-01 Rod Fernandez
23 2010-02-01 Jane Fernandez
24 2010-02-01 Freddy Fernandez
25 2010-02-01 Pierre Fernandez
26 2010-02-01 Kasumi Fernandez
27 2010-02-01 Rod Dechamps
28 2010-02-01 Jane Dechamps
29 2010-02-01 Freddy Dechamps
30 2010-02-01 Pierre Dechamps(10 row(s) affected)
SalesOrderID OrderDate CustomerName
------------ ---------- ------------------------------
11 2010-02-01 Kasumi Smith
12 2010-02-01 Rod Jones
13 2010-02-01 Jane Jones
14 2010-02-01 Freddy Jones
15 2010-02-01 Pierre Jones
16 2010-02-01 Kasumi Jones
17 2010-02-01 Rod Yamamoto
18 2010-02-01 Jane Yamamoto
19 2010-02-01 Freddy Yamamoto
20 2010-02-01 Pierre Yamamoto(10 row(s) affected)
Note that this simple example doesn’t handle the issue of “falling off the end” of the underlying dataset, so an attempt to move forward beyond the last page will return an empty result set, and an attempt to move backward to a position before the first row in the dataset will result in an error (since the OFFSET value cannot be less than zero). You could easily add some basic validation checks in the stored procedure to account for this (for example, resetting @PrevPage to 0 if it becomes negative or setting @NextPage to COUNT(*) - @PageSize if it gets larger than the underlying dataset).
You can download SQL Server “Denali” CTP1 from here, a script to create the sample database I used for the above example from here, and the paging example shown in this article from here.
del.icio.us Tags: SQL Server Denali
New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship. Call for Papers
New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship. Call for Papers
Call for Papers
New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship
Editor: Dr Sally Maynard, Lecturer, Department of Information Science, Loughborough University.
The editor is currently seeking articles for the next edition of the New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship.
This is an international journal designed to explore the range of issues of current concern to those working in the field of children’s literature and librarianship around the world, including:
* critical assessments of children’s and adolescent literature
* the management of library services to children and adolescents
* education issues affecting library services
* Information Technology
* user education and the promotion of services
* staff education and training
* collection development and management
* book and media selection
* research in literature and library services for children and adolescents
The editor will be pleased to consider for publication original manuscripts which deal with any of this broad range of themes. Papers should not have been published previously, or been submitted elsewhere simultaneously. Papers presented at conferences may be considered if they are unlikely to be published in a conference proceedings volume.
Further details of the journal and instructions for authors can be accessed here
The journal is refereed by members of the editorial board – a group of internationally distinguished academics and professionals working in the areas of children’s literature and children’s and schools librarianship.
The deadline for papers is Friday 4th March 2011 (this is negotiable, however).
Manuscripts should be sent electronically to Sally Maynard at: s.e.maynard@lboro.ac.uk
Call for Papers
New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship
Editor: Dr Sally Maynard, Lecturer, Department of Information Science, Loughborough University.
The editor is currently seeking articles for the next edition of the New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship.
This is an international journal designed to explore the range of issues of current concern to those working in the field of children’s literature and librarianship around the world, including:
* critical assessments of children’s and adolescent literature
* the management of library services to children and adolescents
* education issues affecting library services
* Information Technology
* user education and the promotion of services
* staff education and training
* collection development and management
* book and media selection
* research in literature and library services for children and adolescents
The editor will be pleased to consider for publication original manuscripts which deal with any of this broad range of themes. Papers should not have been published previously, or been submitted elsewhere simultaneously. Papers presented at conferences may be considered if they are unlikely to be published in a conference proceedings volume.
Further details of the journal and instructions for authors can be accessed here
The journal is refereed by members of the editorial board – a group of internationally distinguished academics and professionals working in the areas of children’s literature and children’s and schools librarianship.
The deadline for papers is Friday 4th March 2011 (this is negotiable, however).
Manuscripts should be sent electronically to Sally Maynard at: s.e.maynard@lboro.ac.uk
New Hands-On Courses at Chicago’s CEE
Cosmedent’s Center for Esthetic Excellence (CEE) announces its new course schedule for 2011. The CEE features the most comprehensive courses in direct resin bonding and offers unique lecture/hands on programs designed to enhance your clinical skills and help you grow your practice in this economically challenging time. Increase your success with composite with these courses: Ultimate Esthetics, Accreditation Case Type 5 and Transitional Bonding. In addition to these popular 2 and 3 day classes, the CEE is now offering highly focused, 3 hour courses on incisal translucency and tooth shaping and contouring for maximum learning in minimal time. For information on any of the courses at the CEE, contact Erika Heier at
800-837-2321 or online at www.cosmedent.com.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
ROHM high-performance infrared LEDs ideal for proximity sensing
SAN DIEGO, USA: A new series of high-performance infrared LEDs ideally suited for proximity sensor applications is now available from ROHM Semiconductor. The SIM-030/031ST and SIM-040/041ST surface-mount IR LEDs feature breakthrough IR wavelength technology providing peak output of 850/870 nm, compared to 950 nm for comparable devices.
The 850/870 nm level is much closer to the peak wave sensitivity of phototransistors (sensors), thus achieving higher efficiency proximity sensing and energy savings of up to 66%. In addition, the small package footprint and low-profile further enhance their application in cell phones and other portable devices.
The SIM-030/031ST, the smaller of the two devices, has a 2.3x1.95mm footprint and a height of just 0.9mm. With a forward current (If) of 100 mA, the device delivers typical emission strength of 30 mW/sr (milliwatts per steradian). The slightly larger SIM-040/041ST (3.1x2.25x1.6mm) provides 40 mW/sr, typical emission strength.
Field Application Engineer for ROHM Semiconductor, AviElmaleh, said: "The combination of ROHM's advanced process technology and packaging has resulted in a superior product for space-constrained proximity sensing. The SIM-030/031ST is the perfect choice for power saving in cell phones, turning off the display when the device is closer to the ear."
The ROHM SIM-030/031ST and SIM-040/041ST are the latest additions to the ROHM Optical Sensors Series of emitters, receivers, photointerrupters, tilt sensors, IrDA modules and remote control modules.
The 850/870 nm level is much closer to the peak wave sensitivity of phototransistors (sensors), thus achieving higher efficiency proximity sensing and energy savings of up to 66%. In addition, the small package footprint and low-profile further enhance their application in cell phones and other portable devices.
The SIM-030/031ST, the smaller of the two devices, has a 2.3x1.95mm footprint and a height of just 0.9mm. With a forward current (If) of 100 mA, the device delivers typical emission strength of 30 mW/sr (milliwatts per steradian). The slightly larger SIM-040/041ST (3.1x2.25x1.6mm) provides 40 mW/sr, typical emission strength.
Field Application Engineer for ROHM Semiconductor, AviElmaleh, said: "The combination of ROHM's advanced process technology and packaging has resulted in a superior product for space-constrained proximity sensing. The SIM-030/031ST is the perfect choice for power saving in cell phones, turning off the display when the device is closer to the ear."
The ROHM SIM-030/031ST and SIM-040/041ST are the latest additions to the ROHM Optical Sensors Series of emitters, receivers, photointerrupters, tilt sensors, IrDA modules and remote control modules.
Avnet releases Nano-ITX/Spartan-6 FPGA development kit based on Intel Atom processor E640
PHOENIX, USA: Global electronic components and embedded solutions distributor Avnet Electronics Marketing, an operating group of Avnet Inc., announced the availability of the Nano-ITX/Spartan-6 FPGA Development Kit, based on the Intel Atom E640 Processor and Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA. The new development kit is priced at $1,695.
Avnet has combined an Emerson Network Power Nano-ITX motherboard that provides a complete Intel Atom processor E640-based embedded system with a Spartan-6 FPGA PCI Express (PCIe) daughter card for easy peripheral expansion. A reference design, based on an included version of the Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 7 operating system, shows developers how to easily add custom FPGA-based peripherals to user applications.
Key features of the development kit include:
* Emerson Nano-ITX-315 motherboard base on Intel Atom processor E640;
* Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA PCIe card, with PCIe interface directly to the Intel Atom processor using the low-cost Xilinx Spartan-6 LX75T FPGA with its eight 3.125 Gbps GTP on-chip transceivers;
* Low pin count (LPC) FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC) connector for expansion modules;
* General purpose input/output (GPIO) connector providing single-ended or differential pairs for custom peripheral or LCD panel interfaces;
* Two independent memory banks of DDR3 SDRAM, each with 128MB of storage, used for data-intensive applications such as video analytics or image manipulation; and,
Maxim SHA-1 EEPROM for FPGA design security.
Designers working in markets such as industrial, scientific, medical and others can utilize the Nano-ITX/Spartan-6 FPGA Development Kit to develop applications such as image processing, human machine interface (HMI), machine control, and medical applications such as patient monitoring.
“Avnet has created a small form factor, flexible, and expandable platform with the Nano-ITX/Spartan-6 FPGA Development Kit,” stated Jim Beneke, vice president of global technical marketing at Avnet Electronics Marketing. “We’ve simplified the development process for designers interested in the newest Intel Atom processor E6xx series of processors enabling our customers to shorten their design cycle and move to production faster.”
“This reference design provides designers with a comprehensive way to rapidly develop their application utilize the benefits of the Intel Atom processor E640 when paired with an FPGA,” said Jonathan Luse, director of marketing for the Intel Low Power Embedded Products Division. “We appreciate the value and flexibility Avnet has delivered to the embedded community with this kit.”
“The new Nano-ITX/Spartan-6 FPGA Development Kit provides developers an easy way to evaluate, design and debug Intel Atom based designs that require the flexibility of a high-performance, low-cost FPGA,” said Tim Erjavec, senior director of Platform Marketing at Xilinx.“The powerful combination of the Spartan-6 FPGA and industry-standard FMC in this comprehensive kit enables a straight-forward interface approach to custom peripherals and co-processing.”
“Emerson Network Power is committed to providing innovative platforms that enable our customers to develop their solutions more easily and get to market faster,” said Paul Virgo, director of marketing, Embedded Computing, Emerson Network Power.
“This passion is behind our consistent drive to be one of the first companies to make the latest Intel silicon available on an embedded motherboard. Our ecosystem of great value-added partners such as Avnet is exceptional in its ability to create enabling solutions like this development kit that can accelerate and simplify customers’ solutions based on the latest Intel Atom E640 processor and custom FPGA-based peripherals. This kind of innovation is second-to-none.”
“Microsoft continues to deliver the power of Windows Embedded Standard 7 and provide a high performance, highly reliable platform for our developer partners such as Avnet Electronics Marketing,” said Valerie Olague, group regional marketing manager at Microsoft. “Our collaboration with Avnet showcases our commitment in the evolving embedded marketplace.”
Avnet has combined an Emerson Network Power Nano-ITX motherboard that provides a complete Intel Atom processor E640-based embedded system with a Spartan-6 FPGA PCI Express (PCIe) daughter card for easy peripheral expansion. A reference design, based on an included version of the Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 7 operating system, shows developers how to easily add custom FPGA-based peripherals to user applications.
Key features of the development kit include:
* Emerson Nano-ITX-315 motherboard base on Intel Atom processor E640;
* Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA PCIe card, with PCIe interface directly to the Intel Atom processor using the low-cost Xilinx Spartan-6 LX75T FPGA with its eight 3.125 Gbps GTP on-chip transceivers;
* Low pin count (LPC) FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC) connector for expansion modules;
* General purpose input/output (GPIO) connector providing single-ended or differential pairs for custom peripheral or LCD panel interfaces;
* Two independent memory banks of DDR3 SDRAM, each with 128MB of storage, used for data-intensive applications such as video analytics or image manipulation; and,
Maxim SHA-1 EEPROM for FPGA design security.
Designers working in markets such as industrial, scientific, medical and others can utilize the Nano-ITX/Spartan-6 FPGA Development Kit to develop applications such as image processing, human machine interface (HMI), machine control, and medical applications such as patient monitoring.
“Avnet has created a small form factor, flexible, and expandable platform with the Nano-ITX/Spartan-6 FPGA Development Kit,” stated Jim Beneke, vice president of global technical marketing at Avnet Electronics Marketing. “We’ve simplified the development process for designers interested in the newest Intel Atom processor E6xx series of processors enabling our customers to shorten their design cycle and move to production faster.”
“This reference design provides designers with a comprehensive way to rapidly develop their application utilize the benefits of the Intel Atom processor E640 when paired with an FPGA,” said Jonathan Luse, director of marketing for the Intel Low Power Embedded Products Division. “We appreciate the value and flexibility Avnet has delivered to the embedded community with this kit.”
“The new Nano-ITX/Spartan-6 FPGA Development Kit provides developers an easy way to evaluate, design and debug Intel Atom based designs that require the flexibility of a high-performance, low-cost FPGA,” said Tim Erjavec, senior director of Platform Marketing at Xilinx.“The powerful combination of the Spartan-6 FPGA and industry-standard FMC in this comprehensive kit enables a straight-forward interface approach to custom peripherals and co-processing.”
“Emerson Network Power is committed to providing innovative platforms that enable our customers to develop their solutions more easily and get to market faster,” said Paul Virgo, director of marketing, Embedded Computing, Emerson Network Power.
“This passion is behind our consistent drive to be one of the first companies to make the latest Intel silicon available on an embedded motherboard. Our ecosystem of great value-added partners such as Avnet is exceptional in its ability to create enabling solutions like this development kit that can accelerate and simplify customers’ solutions based on the latest Intel Atom E640 processor and custom FPGA-based peripherals. This kind of innovation is second-to-none.”
“Microsoft continues to deliver the power of Windows Embedded Standard 7 and provide a high performance, highly reliable platform for our developer partners such as Avnet Electronics Marketing,” said Valerie Olague, group regional marketing manager at Microsoft. “Our collaboration with Avnet showcases our commitment in the evolving embedded marketplace.”
A new chapter for philanthropy? | Culture | guardian.co.uk
A new chapter for philanthropy? | Culture | guardian.co.uk: "Today a new website, wedidthis.org.uk, opens for business. It's an intriguing idea: it hopes to support specific arts projects via donations, of any size, given online. If the project reaches its target funding, the donors will be given a small reward (in fact the bigger the donation, the heftier the reward – rising from acknowledgements on the website to, say, a champagne reception with cast and conductor). If the campaign doesn't reach its target, the donors will be refunded (but not receive the reward)."
CFP: WikiSym 2011 (Mountain View, CA)
CFP: WikiSym 2011 (Mountain View, CA)
URL: http://www.wikisym.org/ws2011/
CFP URL: http://www.wikisym.org/ws2011/submitting:start
Wikisym is the International Symposium on Wikis and Open Collaboration, the premier conference on open collaboration and related technologies for researchers, industry, entrepreneurs and practitioners worldwide.
WikiSym 2011 celebrates its 7th year of scholarly, technical and community innovation on October 3-5, 2011 at the Microsoft Research Campus in Silicon Valley (Mountain View, California). Established on October 4, 1999, the Silicon Valley Campus (SVC) has become Microsoft's largest and most interdisciplinary center in USA outside Redmond, with more than 1,300 employees. Silicon Valley continues to be the leading hub for high-tech innovation and development, still being considered as one of the top research and development centers in the world. According to the 2010 Q1 MoneyTree report from PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Silicon Valley accounts for 1/3 of the total venture capital investment in the United States.
WikiSym 2011 will feature a packed research track, including peer-reviewed papers, workshops, panels, a doctoral consortium and invited speakers. We will also have important presence from a number of sponsors, companies and non-profit organizations presenting avant-garde work around open collaboration technologies and culture. We believe this balance between academia and industry is a powerful way to foster innovation, to create disruptive contributions as well as to confront the exciting challenges in this field.
Call for Contributions
Submissions are invited for the following categories:
* Research Papers, Panels, Workshop: April 1, 2011
* Posters, Demos: May 13, 2011
* Notification of Acceptance: June 17, 2011
Topics appropriate for research submissions include all aspects of the people, tools, contexts, and content that comprise open collaboration systems. Please check the WikiSym 2011 - Call for Participation page for additional details: http://www.wikisym.org/ws2011/submitting:start
URL: http://www.wikisym.org/ws2011/
CFP URL: http://www.wikisym.org/ws2011/submitting:start
Wikisym is the International Symposium on Wikis and Open Collaboration, the premier conference on open collaboration and related technologies for researchers, industry, entrepreneurs and practitioners worldwide.
WikiSym 2011 celebrates its 7th year of scholarly, technical and community innovation on October 3-5, 2011 at the Microsoft Research Campus in Silicon Valley (Mountain View, California). Established on October 4, 1999, the Silicon Valley Campus (SVC) has become Microsoft's largest and most interdisciplinary center in USA outside Redmond, with more than 1,300 employees. Silicon Valley continues to be the leading hub for high-tech innovation and development, still being considered as one of the top research and development centers in the world. According to the 2010 Q1 MoneyTree report from PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Silicon Valley accounts for 1/3 of the total venture capital investment in the United States.
WikiSym 2011 will feature a packed research track, including peer-reviewed papers, workshops, panels, a doctoral consortium and invited speakers. We will also have important presence from a number of sponsors, companies and non-profit organizations presenting avant-garde work around open collaboration technologies and culture. We believe this balance between academia and industry is a powerful way to foster innovation, to create disruptive contributions as well as to confront the exciting challenges in this field.
Call for Contributions
Submissions are invited for the following categories:
* Research Papers, Panels, Workshop: April 1, 2011
* Posters, Demos: May 13, 2011
* Notification of Acceptance: June 17, 2011
Topics appropriate for research submissions include all aspects of the people, tools, contexts, and content that comprise open collaboration systems. Please check the WikiSym 2011 - Call for Participation page for additional details: http://www.wikisym.org/ws2011/submitting:start
Verizon Offers Unlimited iPhone Data... For a Limited Time
It seems there is some hesitation at Verizon. The mobile phone company who just announced that they will be the second US carrier to get the iPhone, announced on Tuesday morning that unlike AT&T, they would be offering iPhone users on their network the $30 unlimited plan that they offer to all of their smartphone customers. That's incredible news, right? AT&T contract holders currently pay $15 a month for 250 megabytes of data per month, or $25 for 2 gigabytes of data and an additional $10 for each gigabyte of monthly data usage that exceeds the allotted 2 GB limit.
Needless to say, Verizon customers were buzzing. Then... the news changed a few hours later. That's when Verizon announced the the announced "unlimited" plan would be "for a limited time". Translation: If you get an iPhone on Verizon within a narrow window of time when they are first being sold, you can have unlimited data for the life of your contract. Miss the window and you will be given a metered plan with caps similar to AT&T.
So unlimited or limited... which is it? Can you hear me now?
Rubicon transcends LED industry with innovative 12-inch sapphire wafers
FRANKLIN PARK, USA: Rubicon Technology Inc., a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, RFIC, Semiconductor, and Optical industries, announced the production of 12-inch polished wafers, the largest high-quality, sapphire wafer ready for production of LEDs (light emitting diodes).
Rubicon now offers a complete range of high quality sapphire substrates including two-, three- and four-inch core, and six-, eight- and 12-inch wafers.
Rubicon is uniquely positioned to deliver the sapphire capacity necessary to support the growing demand for LEDs in the consumer electronics and general lighting industries in products such as light bulbs, large displays, traffic lights, HDTVs, tablets, netbooks, and mobile phones leverage LEDs. As the only vertically integrated manufacturer of high quality, large diameter sapphire wafers in large volumes, Rubicon is provider of choice for manufacturers of LEDs worldwide.
“Rubicon has built a world renowned R&D and engineering team that is making great strides in the development of high quality large diameter sapphire including the first 12-inch wafer,” said Raja Parvez, Rubicon president and CEO.
“It takes unique technology with advanced processes to make high quality, large diameter sapphire at scale. Rubicon’s ability to affordably produce larger wafers, free of defects is key to helping industries that make and use LEDs scale to the volumes necessary to support the growth needed in the general lighting and consumer electronics.“
Founded in 2000, Rubicon sought after experts in sapphire crystal formation and processing, and the optoelectronics and semiconductor industries from around the world to redefine the end-to-end process for the manufacture of sapphire wafers.
“The Rubicon team has built a highly specialized end-to-end process to ensure the high quality of our full range of wafer products,” commented Parvez. “It is very important to ensure that our customers can depend on us for uniform, particulate-free sapphire wafers as well as flat, stress-free wafers. High quality sapphire wafers help our customers produce high quality LED wafers at volumes supporting the LED supply chain.”
Rubicon’s recent build-out of infrastructure optimizes the company’s ability to make affordable, high quality, large diameter sapphire wafers in large volumes for customers worldwide. While the Batavia facility leverages the stability and lower cost of valuable resources such as power, the new facility in Malaysia leverages the location to further lower costs and bring extensive experience in polishing large diameter wafers closer to the LED, consumer electronics and general lighting manufacturers in Asia.
The transition to larger diameter wafers in LED production has started. Earlier in 2010, Rubicon announced that the company entered into a $71 million agreement with a major LED chip manufacturer for which Rubicon will provide six-inch polished substrates. Companies such as Philips Lumiled and Lextar Electronics have announced six-inch production of LED wafers built on sapphire.
Rubicon now offers a complete range of high quality sapphire substrates including two-, three- and four-inch core, and six-, eight- and 12-inch wafers.
Rubicon is uniquely positioned to deliver the sapphire capacity necessary to support the growing demand for LEDs in the consumer electronics and general lighting industries in products such as light bulbs, large displays, traffic lights, HDTVs, tablets, netbooks, and mobile phones leverage LEDs. As the only vertically integrated manufacturer of high quality, large diameter sapphire wafers in large volumes, Rubicon is provider of choice for manufacturers of LEDs worldwide.
“Rubicon has built a world renowned R&D and engineering team that is making great strides in the development of high quality large diameter sapphire including the first 12-inch wafer,” said Raja Parvez, Rubicon president and CEO.
“It takes unique technology with advanced processes to make high quality, large diameter sapphire at scale. Rubicon’s ability to affordably produce larger wafers, free of defects is key to helping industries that make and use LEDs scale to the volumes necessary to support the growth needed in the general lighting and consumer electronics.“
Founded in 2000, Rubicon sought after experts in sapphire crystal formation and processing, and the optoelectronics and semiconductor industries from around the world to redefine the end-to-end process for the manufacture of sapphire wafers.
“The Rubicon team has built a highly specialized end-to-end process to ensure the high quality of our full range of wafer products,” commented Parvez. “It is very important to ensure that our customers can depend on us for uniform, particulate-free sapphire wafers as well as flat, stress-free wafers. High quality sapphire wafers help our customers produce high quality LED wafers at volumes supporting the LED supply chain.”
Rubicon’s recent build-out of infrastructure optimizes the company’s ability to make affordable, high quality, large diameter sapphire wafers in large volumes for customers worldwide. While the Batavia facility leverages the stability and lower cost of valuable resources such as power, the new facility in Malaysia leverages the location to further lower costs and bring extensive experience in polishing large diameter wafers closer to the LED, consumer electronics and general lighting manufacturers in Asia.
The transition to larger diameter wafers in LED production has started. Earlier in 2010, Rubicon announced that the company entered into a $71 million agreement with a major LED chip manufacturer for which Rubicon will provide six-inch polished substrates. Companies such as Philips Lumiled and Lextar Electronics have announced six-inch production of LED wafers built on sapphire.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
A one-fingered dinosaur?
Yep. A very small dino from China has stubby little arms (stubbier and littler, in proportion, than T. rex arms) with a single finger on each hand. It may have dug up terminite mounds with its long digits. Linhenykus monodactylus died out with the rest of the dinos at the end of the Cretaceous period - unless it died of embarassment amid the laughter of other dinosaurs first.
COMMENT: Seriously, the thing looks ridiculous. The platypus has more dignity.
COMMENT: Seriously, the thing looks ridiculous. The platypus has more dignity.
New jelly species: the "Pink Meanie?"
The jellies, or sea jellies (or jellyfish, a term marine biologists have tried to banish without success) include an astonishing variety of forms, from animals that can hardly be seen at all to species three meters across. The new species found off Florida, Drymonema larsoni, is so different from its nearest kin that a new family had to be created. (Different due to "allometric growth of the bell margin distal of the rhopalia, an annular zone of tentacles on the subumbrella, and ontogenetic loss of gastric filaments," if you want to know.) It was nicknamed the "Pink Meanie" for its unusual diet: other jellyfish. And this species is huge, up to a meter across. Not a creature to mess with.
Puzzle: Hybrid minke whale
Sometimes closely related species (and even some non-closely related ones) hybridize successfully. But here's a puzzle: hybridization of species from opposite ends of the Earth. How does a northern minke whale even meet an Antarctic type? The two both venture to equatorial waters, but six months apart (their respective winter seasons). So someone's migration time was drastically off. We don;t know why. This article also asks whether the hybrid found in 2007 was a fluke (get it?) or part of a trend. Again: we don't know.
New wafer shipper enhances LED manufacturing
BILLERICA, USA: Entegris Inc. introduced a wafer shipper that specifically meets the critical handling needs of thin silicon (Si) and compound semiconductor wafers.
The new Ultrapak 100 mm Thin Wafer Shipper is designed to reduce damage and contamination in order to better protect thin substrates used in LED manufacturing and other applications. The new product is being featured with other LED solutions at the company's booth at the SEMICON Korea 2011 tradeshow being held in Seoul, Korea on January 26, 2011.
Currently, the LED industry predominantly uses shippers designed for semiconductor applications. These silicon wafer shippers are not designed for thin Si and compound semiconductor applications and can cause wafer damage or breakage, cross-slotting and particle generation via rotation if used in these sensitive applications.
The new Ultrapak 100 mm Thin Wafer Shipper, which leverages the proven technology and design of Entegris' Ultrapak family of wafer shipping products, offers several design features that help thin Si and compound semiconductor manufacturers reduce these risks, including:
* Cradle strap support (upper and lower cushions) of the wafer that limits wafer rotation, thereby reducing particle contamination, and secures the wafers in the cassette to safeguard against breakage.
* Enhanced perimeter support of the substrate via extended upper cushion and lower cushion to reduce stress levels during impact events during transport.
* Ultrapure polypropylene materials that provide a clean shipping environment and assure low levels of outgassing to prevent haze or changes to the wafer surface.
* Robotic pickup flanges on the cassette to allow for convenient handling.
* Center notch track alignment and an "H" bar to help assure accurate equipment interoperability for both vertical and horizontal wafer transfers.
* Secondary packaging design that holds eight shippers at a time, helping protect up to 200 wafers.
The Ultrapak 100 mm shipper successfully passes ISTA-2A procedure for free-fall drop with 150um thick Ge wafers using Entegris' designed secondary packaging. It also passed a battery of other functional tests using 300um, 200um, and 150um thin wafers.
The new Ultrapak 100 mm Thin Wafer Shipper is designed to reduce damage and contamination in order to better protect thin substrates used in LED manufacturing and other applications. The new product is being featured with other LED solutions at the company's booth at the SEMICON Korea 2011 tradeshow being held in Seoul, Korea on January 26, 2011.
Currently, the LED industry predominantly uses shippers designed for semiconductor applications. These silicon wafer shippers are not designed for thin Si and compound semiconductor applications and can cause wafer damage or breakage, cross-slotting and particle generation via rotation if used in these sensitive applications.
The new Ultrapak 100 mm Thin Wafer Shipper, which leverages the proven technology and design of Entegris' Ultrapak family of wafer shipping products, offers several design features that help thin Si and compound semiconductor manufacturers reduce these risks, including:
* Cradle strap support (upper and lower cushions) of the wafer that limits wafer rotation, thereby reducing particle contamination, and secures the wafers in the cassette to safeguard against breakage.
* Enhanced perimeter support of the substrate via extended upper cushion and lower cushion to reduce stress levels during impact events during transport.
* Ultrapure polypropylene materials that provide a clean shipping environment and assure low levels of outgassing to prevent haze or changes to the wafer surface.
* Robotic pickup flanges on the cassette to allow for convenient handling.
* Center notch track alignment and an "H" bar to help assure accurate equipment interoperability for both vertical and horizontal wafer transfers.
* Secondary packaging design that holds eight shippers at a time, helping protect up to 200 wafers.
The Ultrapak 100 mm shipper successfully passes ISTA-2A procedure for free-fall drop with 150um thick Ge wafers using Entegris' designed secondary packaging. It also passed a battery of other functional tests using 300um, 200um, and 150um thin wafers.
NASA Remembers
Tomorrow is NASA's Day of Remembrance, when the astronauts of Columbia, Challenger, And Apollo 1 are honored.
I wrote this one year after Columbia:
Columbia: Per Ardua ad Astra
One year ago….
Waking on a clear weekend morning here in Colorado, casually logging on to check my Email, seeing the AOL banner, "NASA Loses Contact With Columbia." Turning on CNN. Watching more CNN. Explaining it to my daughter, then 11. Wondering how it had happened, what it would mean.
A year later, the technical answers are out. The human answers, as always, are not simple. They drift out in fragments over the course of history, debated, challenged, finally settling but never quite settled.
Worth it? Of course it was not, in any logical sense, worth losing seven people for a science mission whose returns would not have been of great importance. Death, as Ulysses S. Grant once said of war, "is cruelty and you cannot refine it." Nor can you romanticize it. Nor, when there gross errors in judgment made, can you excuse it.
I submit, however, that any calculation about the worthiness or foolishness of the voyage is incomplete, nay, unfair, unless it takes into account the desires and motivations of the voyagers. The seven people on Columbia did not just accept the risk of venturing, in a craft built by fallible humans, into the most hostile realm we know. They sought the risk. They spent years training, competing, and sometimes demanding the right to take the risk. Whatever judgments we might make on the costs vs. the returns of their efforts as explorers, the explorers themselves had no doubts. Every one of them was a bright, accomplished, highly educated human being. Not one was foolish enough to think there was no risk, or low risk. Not one hesitated. Indeed, they did everything they possibly could to qualify themselves to stand out among their peers and earn the chance to risk their lives in a cause they deemed worthy.
By that standard alone, they were the best our species had to offer. They were sent forth into the last unknown ocean, explorers in an age when most people in their society place high value on safety, comfort, and surety.
Godspeed, Columbia.
Matt Bille
OPINIONS IN ALL POSTS ARE SOLELY THOSE OF THE AUTHOR
I wrote this one year after Columbia:
Columbia: Per Ardua ad Astra
One year ago….
Waking on a clear weekend morning here in Colorado, casually logging on to check my Email, seeing the AOL banner, "NASA Loses Contact With Columbia." Turning on CNN. Watching more CNN. Explaining it to my daughter, then 11. Wondering how it had happened, what it would mean.
A year later, the technical answers are out. The human answers, as always, are not simple. They drift out in fragments over the course of history, debated, challenged, finally settling but never quite settled.
Worth it? Of course it was not, in any logical sense, worth losing seven people for a science mission whose returns would not have been of great importance. Death, as Ulysses S. Grant once said of war, "is cruelty and you cannot refine it." Nor can you romanticize it. Nor, when there gross errors in judgment made, can you excuse it.
I submit, however, that any calculation about the worthiness or foolishness of the voyage is incomplete, nay, unfair, unless it takes into account the desires and motivations of the voyagers. The seven people on Columbia did not just accept the risk of venturing, in a craft built by fallible humans, into the most hostile realm we know. They sought the risk. They spent years training, competing, and sometimes demanding the right to take the risk. Whatever judgments we might make on the costs vs. the returns of their efforts as explorers, the explorers themselves had no doubts. Every one of them was a bright, accomplished, highly educated human being. Not one was foolish enough to think there was no risk, or low risk. Not one hesitated. Indeed, they did everything they possibly could to qualify themselves to stand out among their peers and earn the chance to risk their lives in a cause they deemed worthy.
By that standard alone, they were the best our species had to offer. They were sent forth into the last unknown ocean, explorers in an age when most people in their society place high value on safety, comfort, and surety.
Godspeed, Columbia.
Matt Bille
OPINIONS IN ALL POSTS ARE SOLELY THOSE OF THE AUTHOR
Call for Editors and Peer Reviewers (Journal of Learning Spaces)
Call for Editors and Peer Reviewers (Journal of Learning Spaces)
The Journal of Learning Spaces is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that will begin publishing issues biannually in September 2011. We will provide a scholarly, multidisciplinary forum for research articles, case studies, book reviews, and position pieces related to all aspects of learning space design, operation, pedagogy, and assessment in higher education. We invite works from a wide range of subject disciplines and organizational backgrounds, including (but not limited to) Architecture, Interior & Product Design, Education, Information & Library Science, Instructional Design, Instructional Technology, Sociology, and Student and Residential Life. See our About the Journal section for more details.
Applications for journal Editors and Peer Reviewers are currently sought from experienced practitioners and academics in higher education institutions. Applications will be accepted through February 28, 2011. Please note that the Journal of Learning Spaces is a free open-access journal and all positions are voluntary and unpaid. The Journal of Learning Spaces is hosted by the University Libraries, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Responsibilities and Qualifications
Editors: We welcome applications from experienced higher education practitioners and academics across a wide range of subject disciplines and organizational backgrounds. Editorial Board terms are 2 years, beginning in March 2011. Responsibilities. Duties will include recruiting and editing manuscripts, overseeing peer-review processes within journal sections, and promoting the journal to colleagues. Interested editors may contribute to the development of journal columns and content ideas as the publication grows. All work will be done online or by phone. Qualifications. Applicants should possess: project management skills and the ability to meet deadlines; previous publishing and editorial experience; the ability to recruit quality manuscripts; excellent organizational, networking, and communication skills; and the ability to work as part of a creative, dynamic, and multidisciplinary editorial team.
Peer Reviewers: We welcome applications from experienced higher education practitioners and academics across a wide range of subject disciplines and organizational backgrounds. Peer Reviewer terms are 2 years, beginning in March 2011. Responsibilities. Duties will include providing timely, professional, objective reviews of manuscripts (approximately 3-5 per year), communicating with editorial board members, and promoting the journal to colleagues. Qualifications. Applicants should possess: previous publishing experience; reviewing or editorial experience; the ability to meet deadlines; strong oral and written communication skills.
How To Apply
To apply as either an editor or peer reviewer, please:
1. Register with the Journal as an Author.
2. Once registered, please login to the Journal and select Author > "Start a New Submission." Follow the five step process and upload the following materials to complete your submission:
o Step 1. Choose the Journal Section that corresponds with the position you are applying for: Editor Application or Peer Reviewer Application.
o Step 2. Title your submission your full name.
o Step 3. Upload your current curriculum vita.
o Step 4. Upload a brief (1 page max.) letter of introduction that describes your interests and work in learning spaces and your experience editing or reviewing. Title this submission your full name.
o Step 5. Click Finish Submission to complete the application process.
3. All applicants will be notified no later than March 14, 2011 of the Editorial Board's decision.
--
_______________________________________
Beth Filar Williams
Coordinator of Library Services for Distance & Online Learning
Electronic Resources & Information Technology
University of North Carolina Greensboro
AIM : filarwilliams | MSN: efwilli3@uncg.edu
efwilli3@uncg.edu | 336.256.1232
The Journal of Learning Spaces is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that will begin publishing issues biannually in September 2011. We will provide a scholarly, multidisciplinary forum for research articles, case studies, book reviews, and position pieces related to all aspects of learning space design, operation, pedagogy, and assessment in higher education. We invite works from a wide range of subject disciplines and organizational backgrounds, including (but not limited to) Architecture, Interior & Product Design, Education, Information & Library Science, Instructional Design, Instructional Technology, Sociology, and Student and Residential Life. See our About the Journal section for more details.
Applications for journal Editors and Peer Reviewers are currently sought from experienced practitioners and academics in higher education institutions. Applications will be accepted through February 28, 2011. Please note that the Journal of Learning Spaces is a free open-access journal and all positions are voluntary and unpaid. The Journal of Learning Spaces is hosted by the University Libraries, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Responsibilities and Qualifications
Editors: We welcome applications from experienced higher education practitioners and academics across a wide range of subject disciplines and organizational backgrounds. Editorial Board terms are 2 years, beginning in March 2011. Responsibilities. Duties will include recruiting and editing manuscripts, overseeing peer-review processes within journal sections, and promoting the journal to colleagues. Interested editors may contribute to the development of journal columns and content ideas as the publication grows. All work will be done online or by phone. Qualifications. Applicants should possess: project management skills and the ability to meet deadlines; previous publishing and editorial experience; the ability to recruit quality manuscripts; excellent organizational, networking, and communication skills; and the ability to work as part of a creative, dynamic, and multidisciplinary editorial team.
Peer Reviewers: We welcome applications from experienced higher education practitioners and academics across a wide range of subject disciplines and organizational backgrounds. Peer Reviewer terms are 2 years, beginning in March 2011. Responsibilities. Duties will include providing timely, professional, objective reviews of manuscripts (approximately 3-5 per year), communicating with editorial board members, and promoting the journal to colleagues. Qualifications. Applicants should possess: previous publishing experience; reviewing or editorial experience; the ability to meet deadlines; strong oral and written communication skills.
How To Apply
To apply as either an editor or peer reviewer, please:
1. Register with the Journal as an Author.
2. Once registered, please login to the Journal and select Author > "Start a New Submission." Follow the five step process and upload the following materials to complete your submission:
o Step 1. Choose the Journal Section that corresponds with the position you are applying for: Editor Application or Peer Reviewer Application.
o Step 2. Title your submission your full name.
o Step 3. Upload your current curriculum vita.
o Step 4. Upload a brief (1 page max.) letter of introduction that describes your interests and work in learning spaces and your experience editing or reviewing. Title this submission your full name.
o Step 5. Click Finish Submission to complete the application process.
3. All applicants will be notified no later than March 14, 2011 of the Editorial Board's decision.
--
_______________________________________
Beth Filar Williams
Coordinator of Library Services for Distance & Online Learning
Electronic Resources & Information Technology
University of North Carolina Greensboro
AIM : filarwilliams | MSN: efwilli3@uncg.edu
efwilli3@uncg.edu | 336.256.1232
Opnext intros high power 404nm, 500mW violet laser diode for medical illumination systems
SPIE Photonics West 2011, Booth # 1837, SAN FRANCISCO, USA: Opnext Inc., a global leader offering one of the most comprehensive families of high power, low operating current red and infrared laser diodes, announced the introduction of the HL40023MG, a high power 404nm, 500mW violet laser diode for biomedical illumination applications, as well as direct imaging on PCB manufacturing surfaces.
A demonstration of the violet laser diode is taking place during the Photonics West conference, January 25-27, 2011, at the San Francisco - Moscone Center, Opnext Booth # 1837.
Current biomedical and direct imaging system manufacturers are using solid state laser diodes that are large and consume tremendous amounts of power. The HL40023MG violet laser diode offers manufacturers the option to use a high power diode in a small 5.6mm package. With a typical operating current of 390mA, the HL40023MG provides 400mW of optical output power.
"We believe cost competitive, high intensity sources like Opnext's 404nm lasers are critical to improving the capabilities of state-of-the-art instruments like high performance illuminators," said Claudia Jaffe, VP of Business Development at Lumencor. "Lumencor is proud to be working with Opnext on this important class of powerful semiconductor sources."
"We are excited to bring another quality laser diode to market that helps companies like Lumencor develop a medical illumination system that uses a light source to perform medical imaging tests and research," said Tadayuki Kanno, president of Opnext's devices business unit. "As the industry trend moves toward using higher power laser diodes, we will continue to develop innovative diodes with a low operating current."
Opnext offers a broad spectrum of laser diode products that span 404nm to 850nm, driven by more than 30 years of innovative laser heritage. Opnext high-quality, reliable laser diodes are proven to consume a low operating current, which extends battery life, while still maintaining the integrity of the laser diode power in a variety of applications.
The HL40023MG is scheduled for mass production in February 2011.
A demonstration of the violet laser diode is taking place during the Photonics West conference, January 25-27, 2011, at the San Francisco - Moscone Center, Opnext Booth # 1837.
Current biomedical and direct imaging system manufacturers are using solid state laser diodes that are large and consume tremendous amounts of power. The HL40023MG violet laser diode offers manufacturers the option to use a high power diode in a small 5.6mm package. With a typical operating current of 390mA, the HL40023MG provides 400mW of optical output power.
"We believe cost competitive, high intensity sources like Opnext's 404nm lasers are critical to improving the capabilities of state-of-the-art instruments like high performance illuminators," said Claudia Jaffe, VP of Business Development at Lumencor. "Lumencor is proud to be working with Opnext on this important class of powerful semiconductor sources."
"We are excited to bring another quality laser diode to market that helps companies like Lumencor develop a medical illumination system that uses a light source to perform medical imaging tests and research," said Tadayuki Kanno, president of Opnext's devices business unit. "As the industry trend moves toward using higher power laser diodes, we will continue to develop innovative diodes with a low operating current."
Opnext offers a broad spectrum of laser diode products that span 404nm to 850nm, driven by more than 30 years of innovative laser heritage. Opnext high-quality, reliable laser diodes are proven to consume a low operating current, which extends battery life, while still maintaining the integrity of the laser diode power in a variety of applications.
The HL40023MG is scheduled for mass production in February 2011.
Avago intros isolation amplifiers with increased accuracy for motor drivers and renewable energy power converters
SAN JOSE, USA & SINGAPORE: Avago Technologies, a leading supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial and consumer applications, announced new precision optical isolation amplifiers for motor control and current sensing applications.
The ACPL-790B, ACPL-790A and ACPL-7900 devices improve the accuracy and response times of the Avago isolation amplifier portfolio, while addressing compact applications with a smaller footprint package design. The high-precision isolation amplifiers are ideal for current and voltage sensing in AC and brushless DC motor drives, industrial inverters, servo motor drives, wind power generation, solar panel power systems and general analog isolation.
As current flows through the external resistor in a motor drive implementation, the resulting analog voltage drop is sensed by an ACPL-790B/790A/7900 isolation amplifier, and it allows a proportional output voltage to safely be created on the other side of the optical isolation barrier.
Competing solutions based on Hall Effect technology and current transformer technology suffer electrical parameter variation over temperature fluctuations and require a larger footprint in a design. The ACPL-790B precise isolation amplifier provides up to 0.5% high gain accuracy, and offer 200 kHz bandwidth and 1.6 μs fast response time to enable capture of transient signals in short circuit and overload conditions.
The devices operate from a single 5V supply that is compatible with 3.3V outputs. This performance is delivered in a compact DIP-8 package that is suitable for automated assembly and meets worldwide regulatory safety standards.
The ACPL-790B, ACPL-790A and ACPL-7900 devices improve the accuracy and response times of the Avago isolation amplifier portfolio, while addressing compact applications with a smaller footprint package design. The high-precision isolation amplifiers are ideal for current and voltage sensing in AC and brushless DC motor drives, industrial inverters, servo motor drives, wind power generation, solar panel power systems and general analog isolation.
As current flows through the external resistor in a motor drive implementation, the resulting analog voltage drop is sensed by an ACPL-790B/790A/7900 isolation amplifier, and it allows a proportional output voltage to safely be created on the other side of the optical isolation barrier.
Competing solutions based on Hall Effect technology and current transformer technology suffer electrical parameter variation over temperature fluctuations and require a larger footprint in a design. The ACPL-790B precise isolation amplifier provides up to 0.5% high gain accuracy, and offer 200 kHz bandwidth and 1.6 μs fast response time to enable capture of transient signals in short circuit and overload conditions.
The devices operate from a single 5V supply that is compatible with 3.3V outputs. This performance is delivered in a compact DIP-8 package that is suitable for automated assembly and meets worldwide regulatory safety standards.
Donate $US1 To Charity, See 99 Cents Get There | Gizmodo Australia
Donate $US1 To Charity, See 99 Cents Get There | Gizmodo Australia: "Philanthroper is a great idea for donations, one even a cheap person like me can appreciate. The base concept is this: You donate $US1, they make sure 99 per cent of that gets to the charity, not into their pockets.
Disclosure: Philanthroper is run by Mark Wilson, who is also a Gizmodo Contributor."
Disclosure: Philanthroper is run by Mark Wilson, who is also a Gizmodo Contributor."
Institute of Fundraising warns of reputational risk for charities in donate-while-you-invest website - Third Sector
Institute of Fundraising warns of reputational risk for charities in donate-while-you-invest website - Third Sector: "A director of the website says the IoF report has misunderstood how the scheme works
The Institute of Fundraising says a new website that allows investors to donate money to charity while investing in funds might carry a reputational risk for the sector."
The Institute of Fundraising says a new website that allows investors to donate money to charity while investing in funds might carry a reputational risk for the sector."
The History of Social Networking | Fast Company
The History of Social Networking | Fast Company: "n case you hadn't heard, social networking is big. Sites like Facebook and Twitter dominate the tech news sites with every move they make getting attention. How much are they worth? Who's using them now? What changes are coming? As with everything, social networking has a history."
Opnext intros high power, 60mW in 445nm blue laser diode for embedded device mini projector apps
SAN FRANCISCO, USA: Opnext Inc., a global leader offering one of the most comprehensive families of high power, low operating current red and infrared laser diodes, announced the introduction of its high power, 60mW, 445nm blue laser diode.
The first in a family of blue laser diodes being planned for development, Opnext’s HL45023TG blue laser diode is designed for accessory or mobile pico projector applications as well as embedded device applications where a pico projector image capability is envisioned to be integrated into a mobile phone. Opnext's blue laser diode will be on display in the company's booth during Photonics West, January 25-27 at the Moscone Center.
Using a unique and proprietary design, the HL45023TG provides 60mW of optical output power at a 445nm wavelength and consumes 30 percent less power than existing, commercially available blue lasers. The blue laser is built in a tiny 3.8mm package size, making it ideal for the growing market demand in embedded and mobile device applications.
In addition, the laser diode performs with a small aspect ratio of 2.1, which is close to being the same aspect ratio as the red, high power laser diode Opnext currently provides for pico projector applications. With the introduction of this blue laser, pico projector module manufacturers can improve their RGB module by using the red and blue laser diodes from Opnext.
"Our red laser diode offering for pico projector manufacturers has already been well received. Now, with the addition of a blue laser diode to our product portfolio, we anticipate manufacturers will be pleased with the power and image quality results they can deliver from their system," said Tadayuki Kanno, president of Opnext's devices business unit. "Opnext's focus continues to be on the development of diodes that are high power, high quality and high performance while consuming less energy."
The market projection for pico projectors is cited by In-Stat, a research and analytics firm, to reach 20 million units in 2014, primarily driven by tiny projectors embedded in mobile handsets, personal media players, cameras and camcorders. (Pico Projectors: One Reason Bigger Isn't Better, In-Stat, May 2010).
"Opnext is one of the key red laser diode suppliers for our Light Touch product and they have consistently delivered on the quality we need," stated Light Blue Optics CEO, Chris Harris. "The introduction of Opnext's high power blue laser is an important step in our roadmap toward embedded projection systems that deliver improved image quality and three times the brightness of a typical tablet screen using only half the power."
Opnext offers a broad spectrum of laser diode products that span 404nm to 850nm, driven by more than 30 years of innovative laser heritage. Opnext high-quality, reliable laser diodes are proven to consume a low operating current, which extends battery life, while still maintaining the integrity of the laser diode power in a variety of applications.
The HL45023TG will be shipping in sample quantities in February and is scheduled to be in mass production in April.
The first in a family of blue laser diodes being planned for development, Opnext’s HL45023TG blue laser diode is designed for accessory or mobile pico projector applications as well as embedded device applications where a pico projector image capability is envisioned to be integrated into a mobile phone. Opnext's blue laser diode will be on display in the company's booth during Photonics West, January 25-27 at the Moscone Center.
Using a unique and proprietary design, the HL45023TG provides 60mW of optical output power at a 445nm wavelength and consumes 30 percent less power than existing, commercially available blue lasers. The blue laser is built in a tiny 3.8mm package size, making it ideal for the growing market demand in embedded and mobile device applications.
In addition, the laser diode performs with a small aspect ratio of 2.1, which is close to being the same aspect ratio as the red, high power laser diode Opnext currently provides for pico projector applications. With the introduction of this blue laser, pico projector module manufacturers can improve their RGB module by using the red and blue laser diodes from Opnext.
"Our red laser diode offering for pico projector manufacturers has already been well received. Now, with the addition of a blue laser diode to our product portfolio, we anticipate manufacturers will be pleased with the power and image quality results they can deliver from their system," said Tadayuki Kanno, president of Opnext's devices business unit. "Opnext's focus continues to be on the development of diodes that are high power, high quality and high performance while consuming less energy."
The market projection for pico projectors is cited by In-Stat, a research and analytics firm, to reach 20 million units in 2014, primarily driven by tiny projectors embedded in mobile handsets, personal media players, cameras and camcorders. (Pico Projectors: One Reason Bigger Isn't Better, In-Stat, May 2010).
"Opnext is one of the key red laser diode suppliers for our Light Touch product and they have consistently delivered on the quality we need," stated Light Blue Optics CEO, Chris Harris. "The introduction of Opnext's high power blue laser is an important step in our roadmap toward embedded projection systems that deliver improved image quality and three times the brightness of a typical tablet screen using only half the power."
Opnext offers a broad spectrum of laser diode products that span 404nm to 850nm, driven by more than 30 years of innovative laser heritage. Opnext high-quality, reliable laser diodes are proven to consume a low operating current, which extends battery life, while still maintaining the integrity of the laser diode power in a variety of applications.
The HL45023TG will be shipping in sample quantities in February and is scheduled to be in mass production in April.
Position: Editor of the ALCTS Newsletter Online (ANO)
Position: Editor of the ALCTS Newsletter Online (ANO)
The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) invites applications and nominations for the position of Editor of the ALCTS Newsletter Online (ANO), the association’s official newsletter.
The Editor is expected to take a leading role in the delivery of news that ALCTS members need to know from the association and the library community beyond. Details about the position are available at:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alcts/newspress/ano_editor11.pdf
The application deadline is March 4, 2011. Applications should be submitted to Mary Case at: marycase@uic.edu
The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) invites applications and nominations for the position of Editor of the ALCTS Newsletter Online (ANO), the association’s official newsletter.
The Editor is expected to take a leading role in the delivery of news that ALCTS members need to know from the association and the library community beyond. Details about the position are available at:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alcts/newspress/ano_editor11.pdf
The application deadline is March 4, 2011. Applications should be submitted to Mary Case at: marycase@uic.edu
STS CALL FOR RESEARCH PAPERS (Research Committee of the ACRL Science and Technology Section)
STS CALL FOR RESEARCH PAPERS (Research Committee of the ACRL Science and Technology Section)
The Research Committee of the ACRL Science and Technology Section is hosting its Annual Research Forum at the 2011 American Library Association Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.
The Research Forum provides an excellent opportunity to share recent research or research ideas addressing issues in science and technology librarianship. The Committee will utilize a “blind” review process to select proposals from the following two categories:
1. Featured Paper Presentation. The Featured Paper Presentation is 30 minutes in length and is followed by a thoughtful critique from a guest commentator who offers suggestions on how to prepare the paper for publication. Proposals should reflect research that has been completed or initiatives that have already been implemented. At a minimum, significant progress should have been made toward completion or implementation.
2. Short Paper Presentations. Short Papers are 10 minutes in length and may reflect research or initiatives that have been completed or are currently in progress. Short papers may also solicit feedback on research ideas that are being formulated, outlining possible approaches and asking attendees and the guest commentator for their response.
We encourage proposals for papers relating to the following program theme:”Innovation in an age of Limits” While the tendency in hard economic times is to be conservative and avoid risks, this environment creates the need, and opportunities, to innovate. STS began 50 years ago in an era of seemingly unlimited possibilities, with the Cold War driving investment in scientific research, big technology, and higher education. Now we face grand challenges in science, engineering and library services. Current economic conditions are limiting, but our only real limit is our ability to innovate.
One Featured Paper proposal and two Short Paper proposals will be selected. Criteria for proposal selections are as follows:
For an empirical study, an abstract should include:
- The problem stated in one sentence if possible
- The objects, people, or behavior being studied (Manual says “participants” and relevant characteristics)
- Essential features of the methodology
- Basic findings, including statistical limitations such as confidence intervals
- Conclusions, implications, or applications
For a case study, an abstract should include:
- The subject or characteristics of the objects studied
- The nature of the problem and solution illustrated by the case
- Questions for additional study
(from APA Style Manual, 6th Edition, pp. 26-27.)
In addition, the proposal should:
- Present ideas in a manner that is well written, clear, logical and well organized.
- Develops a topic that is original, timely and relevant to science/technology librarianship.
- Contribute to the advancement of science librarianship.
- Demonstrate innovative thinking.
- Contribute ideas for positioning librarians to be leaders both on and off campus.
- Define strategies for effectively implementing new ideas and technology.
An abstract not exceeding 250 words should indicate presentation category (Featured or Short Paper) and convey the title and purpose of the project. Please outline the following elements; its scope, methodology, conclusions, and relevance to science and technology librarianship. Be sure to include your name, institution, phone, and e-mail address. Please indicate at the end of your abstract if the project has been submitted to other conferences, for publication in a journal, or has been published or presented before.
Acceptance of proposals reflects a commitment by the author(s) to provide presentations of 10 minutes (Short Paper) or 30 minutes (Feature Paper) at the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS: Extended to: Tuesday, February 15. Review of submissions will begin immediately by the STS Research Committee. Abstracts should be submitted via e-mail to Diana D. Shonrock, shonrock@iastate.edu , Co-Chair of the STS Research Committee.
The Research Committee of the ACRL Science and Technology Section is hosting its Annual Research Forum at the 2011 American Library Association Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.
The Research Forum provides an excellent opportunity to share recent research or research ideas addressing issues in science and technology librarianship. The Committee will utilize a “blind” review process to select proposals from the following two categories:
1. Featured Paper Presentation. The Featured Paper Presentation is 30 minutes in length and is followed by a thoughtful critique from a guest commentator who offers suggestions on how to prepare the paper for publication. Proposals should reflect research that has been completed or initiatives that have already been implemented. At a minimum, significant progress should have been made toward completion or implementation.
2. Short Paper Presentations. Short Papers are 10 minutes in length and may reflect research or initiatives that have been completed or are currently in progress. Short papers may also solicit feedback on research ideas that are being formulated, outlining possible approaches and asking attendees and the guest commentator for their response.
We encourage proposals for papers relating to the following program theme:”Innovation in an age of Limits” While the tendency in hard economic times is to be conservative and avoid risks, this environment creates the need, and opportunities, to innovate. STS began 50 years ago in an era of seemingly unlimited possibilities, with the Cold War driving investment in scientific research, big technology, and higher education. Now we face grand challenges in science, engineering and library services. Current economic conditions are limiting, but our only real limit is our ability to innovate.
One Featured Paper proposal and two Short Paper proposals will be selected. Criteria for proposal selections are as follows:
For an empirical study, an abstract should include:
- The problem stated in one sentence if possible
- The objects, people, or behavior being studied (Manual says “participants” and relevant characteristics)
- Essential features of the methodology
- Basic findings, including statistical limitations such as confidence intervals
- Conclusions, implications, or applications
For a case study, an abstract should include:
- The subject or characteristics of the objects studied
- The nature of the problem and solution illustrated by the case
- Questions for additional study
(from APA Style Manual, 6th Edition, pp. 26-27.)
In addition, the proposal should:
- Present ideas in a manner that is well written, clear, logical and well organized.
- Develops a topic that is original, timely and relevant to science/technology librarianship.
- Contribute to the advancement of science librarianship.
- Demonstrate innovative thinking.
- Contribute ideas for positioning librarians to be leaders both on and off campus.
- Define strategies for effectively implementing new ideas and technology.
An abstract not exceeding 250 words should indicate presentation category (Featured or Short Paper) and convey the title and purpose of the project. Please outline the following elements; its scope, methodology, conclusions, and relevance to science and technology librarianship. Be sure to include your name, institution, phone, and e-mail address. Please indicate at the end of your abstract if the project has been submitted to other conferences, for publication in a journal, or has been published or presented before.
Acceptance of proposals reflects a commitment by the author(s) to provide presentations of 10 minutes (Short Paper) or 30 minutes (Feature Paper) at the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS: Extended to: Tuesday, February 15. Review of submissions will begin immediately by the STS Research Committee. Abstracts should be submitted via e-mail to Diana D. Shonrock, shonrock@iastate.edu , Co-Chair of the STS Research Committee.
Top 15 Free Android Medical Apps for Healthcare Professionals Top 15 Free Android Medical apps for Healthcare professionals
I can remember when the Android Operating System for mobile phones was announced. Sure, it was designed by Google, but still... a Google mobile phone? What does Google know about phones anyway? However, once Android phones hit the market, there was a steady stream of successful devices and users began to really like the way they worked.
The result? Just about 3 years later, Android is a serious player in the smartphone market. Heck, I was a doubter at first and now I'm carrying an Android device and couldn't be happier.
One of the ways you can tell a platform has staying power is by the number of useful apps it has. To that end, Apple is the 800 pound gorilla, but Android is chugging along with a very nice second place. The Android Market Place has tons of apps. Some of these are even very specific to certain professions.
The good folks over at iMedicalApps have put together a list of their top 15 Android Medical Apps for Healthcare Professionals. Take a look and see of there is anything listed that you can use.
Big and Small: SSL wins two TEC awards for Duality SE Large Format Console and X-Desk Small Format Console
Solid State Logic is pleased to announce that it has received two 2011 Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Awards: one for Duality SE in the Large Format Console Technology category and the other for X-Desk in the Small Format Console Technology category.
“We are extremely pleased to have received these two TEC Awards for Duality SE and the X-Desk,” says Piers Plaskitt, CEO of SSL, Inc. “SSL continues to provide sonic leadership through sophisticated SuperAnalogue™ electronics delivering unmatched audio quality to studios and creative suites at all levels. Duality SE is the quintessential definition of the high-end console, complete with integrated control for multiple DAWs, while X-Desk brings SSL’s signature sound and summing capabilities to smaller studios and desktop suites. It is gratifying to get recognition for our products that serve such a range of installations.”
Presented annually by the TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio, the TEC Awards honor the individuals, companies and technical innovations behind the sound of recordings, films, TV shows and live performances. The 2011 TEC Awards were presented during The NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA for the first time.
SSL continues to develop industry leading technologies offering superior sonic performance and innovative design for all levels of the market from major broadcast, film and music facilities to sophisticated private creative studios.
- http://www.solid-state-logic.com/music/duality/
- http://www.solid-state-logic.com/music/Xlogic%20X-Desk/
- http://www.soundtech.co.uk/ssl
Monday, January 24, 2011
Call for Chapters: Library Collection Development for Professional Programs: Trends and Best Practices
Call for Chapters: Library Collection Development for Professional Programs: Trends and Best Practices
Editor:
Sara Holder, MLIS
Head Librarian
Education Library & Curriculum Resources Centre
McGill University
Montréal, Quebec
Call for Chapters:
Proposals Submission Deadline: February 28, 2011
Full Chapters Due: July 30, 2011
Introduction
Collection development (also known as collection management) is the term used to describe the evaluative process used by librarians to choose the items to be included in a particular library or sub-section thereof. There are many factors and variables that a librarian must take into account in this process (e.g. budget/pricing, accessibility, audience, popularity/reliability, trends, etc.) and it can be one of the most time-consuming and difficult aspects of the job. This will be a collection of previously unpublished essays in which the authors describe approaches to collection development carried out in support of professional and/or applied academic programs (e.g., law, teacher education, medicine, business, architecture, library science etc.).
Objective of the Book
Collection development is a challenging part of a librarian's job and one that tends to be very situation-specific, making it difficult to teach it effectively (most, if not all, practical skills in this area are learned on the job). This type of publication would be extremely valuable to the profession, since it will contain practical advice and strategies as well as investigations and comparisons across geographies and disciplines. The volume would be used both by practicing librarians in a wide range of research libraries as well as by professors in Library Science programs as a course text for classes on collection development and academic librarianship.
Target Audience
The intended audience for the book would be practicing librarians in academic settings who have collection development responsibilities in one or more of the applied disciplines. The book would provide this group with practical advice from fellow practitioners as well as a comparative overview of collection development policies and practices in use at peer institutions. The book would also be of use in library science programs offering courses on collection development and academic librarianship to supplement the general text.
Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
Collection Development in Support of ...
Teacher Education Curriculum
Law School Curriculum
Architecture Curriculum
Engineering Curriculum
Business/Commerce/Management Curriculum
Dentistry Curriculum
Medical Curriculum
Nursing Curriculum
Pharmacy Curriculum
Social Work/Counseling Curriculum
Library Science Curriculum
Submission Procedure
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before February 28, 2011, a 2-3 page document clearly outlining the content of his or her proposed. The document should summarize the proposed contents of the chapter and provide a draft outline of major points to be included.
Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by March 28, 2011 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by July 30, 2011. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Chapters should be unique to this publication - no previously published or simultaneously submitted material should be included. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.
Publisher
This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global, Hershey, PA and New York, NY, and publisher of the ongoing series Advances in Library Information Studies, as well as numerous other imprints. For additional information concerning the publisher, please visit http://www.igi-global.com/ . This title is scheduled to be released in 2012.
Important Dates
2011
February 28: Deadline for proposals
March 28: Notification of proposal status
July 30: Full chapter submission
October 30: Review results returned
November 15: Final chapter submission
2012
January 3: Final deadline
Editorial Advisory Board Members
Mary K. Chelton, Queens College/CUNY, USA
Nancy Mactague, Research and Electronic Resources Librarian Aurora University, USA
Paul Glassman, Felician College, USA
Brian Coutts, Western Kentucky University, USA
Kathryn Bartelt, University of Evansville, USA
Sue Polanka, Wright State University Libraries, USA
Eloise Hitchcock, Cumberland University, USA
Robert T. Ivey, University of Memphis Libraries, USA
Margaret Heilbrun, Library Journal, USA
Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document) or by mail to:
Sara Holder
McGill University Education Library
3700 McTavish Street
Montréal, QC H3A 1Y2
Canada
Phone: 514-398-4687
Fax: 514-398-2165
Email: sara.holder@mcgill.ca
Editor:
Sara Holder, MLIS
Head Librarian
Education Library & Curriculum Resources Centre
McGill University
Montréal, Quebec
Call for Chapters:
Proposals Submission Deadline: February 28, 2011
Full Chapters Due: July 30, 2011
Introduction
Collection development (also known as collection management) is the term used to describe the evaluative process used by librarians to choose the items to be included in a particular library or sub-section thereof. There are many factors and variables that a librarian must take into account in this process (e.g. budget/pricing, accessibility, audience, popularity/reliability, trends, etc.) and it can be one of the most time-consuming and difficult aspects of the job. This will be a collection of previously unpublished essays in which the authors describe approaches to collection development carried out in support of professional and/or applied academic programs (e.g., law, teacher education, medicine, business, architecture, library science etc.).
Objective of the Book
Collection development is a challenging part of a librarian's job and one that tends to be very situation-specific, making it difficult to teach it effectively (most, if not all, practical skills in this area are learned on the job). This type of publication would be extremely valuable to the profession, since it will contain practical advice and strategies as well as investigations and comparisons across geographies and disciplines. The volume would be used both by practicing librarians in a wide range of research libraries as well as by professors in Library Science programs as a course text for classes on collection development and academic librarianship.
Target Audience
The intended audience for the book would be practicing librarians in academic settings who have collection development responsibilities in one or more of the applied disciplines. The book would provide this group with practical advice from fellow practitioners as well as a comparative overview of collection development policies and practices in use at peer institutions. The book would also be of use in library science programs offering courses on collection development and academic librarianship to supplement the general text.
Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
Collection Development in Support of ...
Teacher Education Curriculum
Law School Curriculum
Architecture Curriculum
Engineering Curriculum
Business/Commerce/Management Curriculum
Dentistry Curriculum
Medical Curriculum
Nursing Curriculum
Pharmacy Curriculum
Social Work/Counseling Curriculum
Library Science Curriculum
Submission Procedure
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before February 28, 2011, a 2-3 page document clearly outlining the content of his or her proposed. The document should summarize the proposed contents of the chapter and provide a draft outline of major points to be included.
Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by March 28, 2011 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by July 30, 2011. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Chapters should be unique to this publication - no previously published or simultaneously submitted material should be included. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.
Publisher
This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global, Hershey, PA and New York, NY, and publisher of the ongoing series Advances in Library Information Studies, as well as numerous other imprints. For additional information concerning the publisher, please visit http://www.igi-global.com/ . This title is scheduled to be released in 2012.
Important Dates
2011
February 28: Deadline for proposals
March 28: Notification of proposal status
July 30: Full chapter submission
October 30: Review results returned
November 15: Final chapter submission
2012
January 3: Final deadline
Editorial Advisory Board Members
Mary K. Chelton, Queens College/CUNY, USA
Nancy Mactague, Research and Electronic Resources Librarian Aurora University, USA
Paul Glassman, Felician College, USA
Brian Coutts, Western Kentucky University, USA
Kathryn Bartelt, University of Evansville, USA
Sue Polanka, Wright State University Libraries, USA
Eloise Hitchcock, Cumberland University, USA
Robert T. Ivey, University of Memphis Libraries, USA
Margaret Heilbrun, Library Journal, USA
Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document) or by mail to:
Sara Holder
McGill University Education Library
3700 McTavish Street
Montréal, QC H3A 1Y2
Canada
Phone: 514-398-4687
Fax: 514-398-2165
Email: sara.holder@mcgill.ca