text:
\section{Introduction}
Legged animals are capable of many agile movements beyond basic walking and running.
Jumping, especially omnidirectional jumping, allows robots to be deployed in environments with severely discontinuous elevation.
The ability to reliably perform these jumps, like the one shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:mcv_jump_intro}, is a challenge in its own right.
Planning when and which jump to perform adds another layer of complexity.
This planning should happen quickly, at a rate that matches the dynamism of the robot, and should be aware of the robot's physical capabilities to avoid planning infeasible jumps.
We formulate a trajectory optimization that efficiently generates omnidirectional jumps, and then incorporate the results of this optimization into a hierarchical navigation framework.
This allows us to rapidly plan paths through challenging environments while taking into account the disturbances and uncertainty related to executing a planned trajectory on a physical robot.

\subsection{Related Work}

In model-based control frameworks, the complexity of the considered model typically scales with the complexity of the task at hand.
In the case of omnidirectional jumping, especially jumps with large rotational components, the model needs to be suitably detailed to capture these dynamics.
Trajectory optimization has proven to be a powerful tool for reasoning about such complex models~\cite{posa2013direct, dai2014whole} and generating impressive aerial motions~\cite{zordan2014control, farshidian2017efficient, winkler2018gait}.
Yet performing these optimizations in real-time onboard a mobile robot is still challenging, even for motions that consider short time horizons~\cite{ponton2021efficient,ding2020kinodynamic}.

\begin{figure}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{Figures/Lateral_Jump.png}
    \caption{Mini Cheetah Vision tracking a goal-oriented tracking involved a lateral jump onto a 20~\si{\centi\meter} surface.}
    \label{fig:mcv_jump_intro}
\end{figure}

For tasks that require planning over longer time horizons, such as navigating through terrain with obstacles, complicated models are computationally intractable and at times unnecessary.
Consequently, hierarchical frameworks are often implemented to decouple short and long-horizon planning tasks~\cite{li2020hybrid, wooden2010autonomous, brunner2013hierarchical,dinghybrid}.
Optimization-based methods like those described above tend to dominate low levels of the hierarchies, while high-level planning can be accomplished using optimization-based~\cite{kwon2020fast} or sampling-based methods ~\cite{geisert2019contact,bouman2020autonomous, dang2020graph, fernbach2017kinodynamic} with lower-dimensional models.

\begin{figure*}[t]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=500pt]{Figures/Framework_Diagram.png}
    \caption{Overview of the proposed navigation framework.}
    \label{fig:framework_bd}
\end{figure*}

Utilizing reduced-order models in high-level planning poses a challenging trade-off.
Relaxing the complex robot dynamics may lead to high-level trajectories that are infeasible for a low-level controller to execute.
On the other hand, further constraining the underlying dynamics may lead to overly-conservative high-level trajectories that fail to find a solution when one exists.
To address this trade-off, techniques for embedding whole-body dynamics into the high-level reduced-order model have been proposed, but are limited to simulation~\cite{norby2020fast} or slow-moving, quasi-static motions~\cite{carpentier2018multicontact}.

Additionally, uncertainties from external disturbances, imprecise tracking and estimation, and other unmodeled dynamics are inevitable when deploying control frameworks on hardware.
Unless accounted for, this uncertainty may result in a failure mode, such as the robot colliding with obstacles.
A well-designed high-level planner must therefore take into account the inevitable noise and variability that the robot will experience over the course of accomplishing its task.

To this end, we first formulate a trajectory optimization that is expressive enough to generate online jumping motions and efficient enough to plan omnidirectional jumps in real-time on the robot.
We then incorporate this optimization in a novel, hierarchical framework for multi-modal locomotion.
The framework uses a robustness metric to allow the high-level planner to rapidly generate goal-oriented trajectories that select the ``safest" possible jumps - i.e., those that are farthest from the boundary between feasible and infeasible actions of the robot~\cite{heim2020learnable}.

\subsection{Contributions}

The contributions of this paper are as follows:
\begin{enumerate}
    \item A trajectory optimization that efficiently generates collision-free, omnidirectional jumps onto different heights.
    \item A condensed representation of the robot's jumping capabilities, suitable for use in fast high-level planning.
    \item A real-time, high-level planner that uses jump feasibility to generate trajectories that are (A) able to cover terrain accessible only through omnidirectional jumping and (B) reliable against the effects of variability in execution.
    \item Demonstration of the framework on the Mini Cheetah Vision~\cite{kim2020vision}.
    The robot successfully plans and follows goal-oriented paths that involve forward, lateral, and rotational jumps onto surfaces as high as 35cm - 1.35 times taller than the robot's nominal hip height.
\end{enumerate}

The remainder of this paper adheres to the following structure.
Section II provides an overview of the framework.
Section III details the formulation of the kino-dynamic optimization that generates the jumping motions.
Section IV discusses the jump feasibility classifier used by the high-level planner and how variability in jumping parameters, driven by the uncertainty in the hardware execution, informs jump selection.
Section V details the specifics of a path planning algorithm used to generate reliable high-level trajectories involving both walking and jumping.
Section VI discusses the results of deploying this framework on the MIT Mini Cheetah Vision, and Section VII concludes the work and looks towards future research.

\section{Framework}
In this section, we provide a brief overview of our hierarchical planning framework that allows dynamic exploration over challenging environments.
First, the robot uses its perception stack (brown block in Fig.2) to estimate its pose and build a robot-centric elevation map of the environment around it.
The robot's operator then provides a desired position to the robot (yellow block in Fig.2).
Taking into account the terrain elevation and the physical limits of the robot, the high-level sampling-based planner (blue block) generates a collision-free trajectory that includes walking and jumping modes.
The generated trajectory produces an associated mode schedule, which is used by the high-level trajectory tracking controller (purple block) to inform the lower-level locomotion module (green block) when to walk or jump.
Walking is accomplished with a hybrid convex model predictive control/whole-body impulse control scheme, discussed in \cite{kim2019highly}.
The jumping controller, discussed in detail in Section III, is based on kino-dynamic trajectory optimization.
Our framework allows the robot to quickly plan and execute dynamic omnidirectional trajectories that cannot be generated under common simplifications like planar jumping or quasi-static walking.

\section{Kino-Dynamic Jump Optimization}

Kino-dynamic optimization simultaneously optimizes over the centroidal dynamics and the joint-level kinematics of the robot.
Such an optimization is well-suited for online 3D motions because the centroidal dynamics of the robot~\cite{orin2013centroidal} are both computationally simple to work with as well as expressive enough to produce diverse motions.
The kinematic aspect of the formulation is important because it ensures collision avoidance with the environment.

The centroidal dynamics of the robot can be described by state and control trajectories,
\begin{equation}
    \mathbf{X}^\text{dyn}(t) = \begin{bmatrix} \mathbf{r}(t) \\ \mathbf{\dot{r}}(t) \\ \mathbf{h}(t) \\ \mathbf{c}_1(t) \\ \vdots \\ \mathbf{c}_{n_c}(t) \end{bmatrix}, \quad \mathbf{U}^\text{dyn}(t) = \begin{bmatrix} \mathbf{f}_1(t) \\ \vdots \\ \mathbf{f}_{n_c}(t) \end{bmatrix} \label{eq:Xd}
\end{equation}
where $\mathbf{r}\in\mathbb{R}^3$ is the center of mass trajectory, $\mathbf{\dot{r}}\in\mathbb{R}^3$ is the center of mass velocity trajectory, $\mathbf{h}\in\mathbb{R}^3$ is the centroid angular momentum, and $\mathbf{c}\in\mathbb{R}^{3n_{c}}$ and $\mathbf{f}\in\mathbb{R}^{3n_{c}}$ are the contact locations and ground reaction forces at the $n_c$ contact points, respectively.
The kinematic trajectory of the robot is given by
\begin{equation}
    \mathbf{X}^\text{kin} = \begin{bmatrix} \mathbf{q}(t) \\ \mathbf{\dot{q}}(t) \end{bmatrix} \label{eq:Xk}
\end{equation}
where, for an $n$ degree of freedom robot (including six floating-base degrees of freedom) $\mathbf{q}\in\mathbb{R}^n$ are the joint positions and $\mathbf{\dot{q}}\in\mathbb{R}^n$ are the joint velocities.

To formulate the problem as a trajectory optimization, the state and control trajectories are discretized into a set of $N_{TO}$ timesteps corresponding to the takeoff period (all legs in contact) and a set of $N_{FL}$
timesteps corresponding to the flight period (all legs out of contact).
The total number of timesteps for the optimization is, therefore, $N=N_{TO}+N_{FL}$.
The duration of the takeoff period, $T_{TO}$, is chosen beforehand, while the duration of the flight phase, $T_{FL}$, is left as an optimization variable.

After discretization, the optimization variables \eqref{eq:Xd} and \eqref{eq:Xk} become
\begin{equation}
    \begin{split}
        \mathbf{X}^\text{dyn} &= \begin{bmatrix} \mathbf{X}^\text{dyn}_1, \ldots, \mathbf{X}^\text{dyn}_{N} \end{bmatrix}, \\
        \mathbf{U}^\text{dyn} &= \begin{bmatrix} \mathbf{U}^\text{dyn}_1, \ldots, \mathbf{U}^\text{dyn}_{N_{TO}-1} \end{bmatrix}, \\
        \mathbf{X}^\text{kin} &= \begin{bmatrix} \mathbf{X}^\text{kin}_1, \ldots, \mathbf{X}^\text{kin}_{N} \end{bmatrix}.
    \end{split}
\end{equation}

The goal of the trajectory optimization proposed in this work is to find a control policy $\mathbf{U}^\text{dyn}$ that results in the robot safely jumping onto an elevated surface.
We formulate this optimization according to
\begin{subequations}
\begin{align}
    \min_{\mathbf{X}^\text{dyn},\mathbf{U}^\text{dyn},\mathbf{X}^\text{kin}}& \big\vert\big\vert \mathbf{\tilde{X}}^\text{dyn} \big\vert\big\vert^2_{Q_d} + \big\vert\big\vert \mathbf{\tilde{X}}^\text{kin} \big\vert\big\vert^2_{Q_k} + \big\vert\big\vert \mathbf{U}^\text{dyn} \big\vert\big\vert^2_{Q_u} \label{eqn:cost} \\
    \text{s.t.            } & \mathbf{X}^\text{dyn}_{i+1} = \mathbf{X}^\text{dyn}_{i} + f_\text{dyn}(\mathbf{X}^\text{dyn}_i,\mathbf{U}^\text{dyn}_i)\Delta t_i \label{eqn:dyn_cnstr} \\
    & \mathbf{q}_{i+1} = \mathbf{q}_{i} + \dot{\mathbf{q}}_i\Delta t_i \label{eqn:kin_cnstr} \\
    & \mathbf{X}^\text{dyn}_i = \text{kinematics}(\mathbf{X}^\text{kin}_i) \label{eqn:agree_cnstr} \\
    & \mathbf{U}^\text{dyn}_i \in \mathcal{U}, \quad \mathbf{c}_i \in \mathcal{C}_i \label{eqn:contact_cnstr} \\
    & \mathbf{X}^\text{kin}_1 = \mathbf{X}^\text{kin}(0), \quad \mathbf{X}^\text{dyn}_N \in \mathcal{X}_\text{land} \label{eqn:bound_cond}
\end{align}
\end{subequations}
The cost function~\eqref{eqn:cost} penalizes deviations from heuristically derived reference trajectories $\mathbf{X}^\text{dyn}_\text{ref}$ and $\mathbf{X}^\text{kin}_\text{ref}$, where
\begin{equation}
    \mathbf{\tilde{X}}^\text{dyn} = \mathbf{X}^\text{dyn} - \mathbf{X}^\text{dyn}_\text{ref}, \quad \mathbf{\tilde{X}}^\text{kin} = \mathbf{X}^\text{kin} - \mathbf{X}^\text{kin}_\text{ref},
\end{equation}
and $Q_d$, $Q_k$, and $Q_u$ are weighting matrices.

The centroidal dynamics of the system are encoded in~\eqref{eqn:dyn_cnstr} via
\begin{equation}
    f_\text{dyn} = \begin{bmatrix} \frac{1}{m}\sum_{k=1}^{n_c}\mathbf{f}_{k,i} \\ \sum_{k=1}^{n_c}(\mathbf{c}_{k,i}-\mathbf{r}_i)\times\mathbf{f}_{k,i} \end{bmatrix},
\end{equation}
where $m$ is the mass of the robot and $\mathbf{f}_{k,i}\in\mathbb{R}^3$ is the reaction force at the $k$th contact point at the $i$th timestep.
Note that for~\eqref{eqn:dyn_cnstr} and~\eqref{eqn:kin_cnstr}, the timestep $\Delta t_i$ is different for the takeoff and flight phases,
\begin{equation}
    \Delta t_i =
\begin{cases}
    \frac{T_{TO}}{N_{TO}-1},& i<N_{TO}\\
    \frac{T_{FL}}{N_{FL}-1}, & N_{TO}\leq i< N,
\end{cases}
\end{equation}
since $T_{TO}$ is fixed, but $T_{FL}$ is an optimization variable.
This added nonlinearity to~\eqref{eqn:dyn_cnstr} and~\eqref{eqn:kin_cnstr} is necessary because we cannot know a priori how long flight should last.
Underestimation will not give the robot enough time to reach the required height, while overestimation will cause the robot to expend unnecessary energy or, worse yet, call for an overly aggressive jump that exceeds the robot's torque limits.

Agreement between the centroidal dynamic and kinematic states of the robot is enforced via~\eqref{eqn:agree_cnstr}.
This constraint enforces that at each time step, applying forward kinematics to $\mathbf{X}^\text{kin}_i$ will yield a CoM and contact point locations that match $\mathbf{X}^\text{dyn}_i$.
Furthermore, it enforces that the total angular momentum of the individual links of the robot is equal to the centroidal angular momentum~\cite{orin2013centroidal}.

Contact constraints are enforced via~\eqref{eqn:contact_cnstr}.
The set of feasible ground reaction forces $\mathcal{U}$ is given by a friction pyramid inscribed in the cone
\begin{equation}
    \bigg\{(f_x,f_y,f_z)\in\mathbb{R}^3 \bigg\vert \sqrt{f_{x}^2+f_{y}^2} \le \mu f_{z}\bigg\},
\end{equation}
where $\mu$ is the coefficient of friction with the ground.
The set of allowable footstep locations $\mathcal{C}$ depends on the phase.
In takeoff, i.e., for $i\le N_{TO}$, $\mathcal{C}_i$ enforces that the feet remain in the position where they started.
In flight, $\mathcal{C}_i$ is the set off all footstep positions above the terrain
\begin{equation}
    \mathcal{C}_i = \bigg\{(c_x,c_y,c_z)\in\mathbb{R}^3 \bigg\vert c_z > z_g(c_x,c_y)\bigg\}, \quad N_{TO}\le i < N
\end{equation}
where $z_g$ is a continuous function that maps the $xy$ position of a foot to the height of the terrain at that point.
In our case, we approximate discrete changes in elevation using the sigmoid function
\begin{equation}
    z_g(x,y) = \frac{a}{1+e^{-\gamma(x-b-dy)}}
\end{equation}
where $a$, $b$, and $d$ are parameters fit from height map data and $\gamma$ is a manually selected parameter that dictates the steepness of the sigmoid.

Lastly, boundary conditions for the state of the robot are given by~\eqref{eqn:bound_cond}, $\mathbf{X}^\text{kin}(0)$ is the initial state and $\mathcal{X}_\text{land}$ is the allowable landing state on the elevated surface.
The values associated with $\mathbf{X}^\text{kin}(0)$ come from the robot's state estimator, while the values associated with $\mathcal{X}_\text{land}$ come from the high-level path planner.

\section{Feasibility Classifier: Selecting Reliable Jumps}
We inform the high-level trajectory planner of the jumping controller's capabilities via a feasibility classifier we hereafter refer to as a ``jump feasibility classifier."
The JFC takes as an input a description of the intended jump and outputs a binary classification of the jump as feasible or infeasible.
The JFC allows the high-level path planner to be executed efficiently, since the feasibility of a jump can be checked as a cheap classifier evaluation instead of solving a full trajectory optimization.
The JFC also offers a way to measure a given jump's robustness to variability in jumping parameters due to the uncertainty that arises when executing a planned path.
This is important since, in practice, external disturbances and unmodeled dynamics will always prevent the robot from perfectly tracking its higher-level trajectory.

\subsection{Jump Feasibility Classifier Generation}

Our JFC is extracted from offline simulations of thousands of attempted jumps sampled from a 5D space of jumping parameters.
To reduce the search space, we limit the planner to jumps where the robot's center of mass velocity is perpendicular to the surface it is jumping onto.
As a result, any jump can be described by a point in this 5D jump parameter space.
The 5D space of jumping parameters, along which our JFC is defined, is illustrated in Fig~\ref{fig:jump_param}.
They include the height of the jump surface $h_{obs}$, the initial distance from the CoM to the jump surface edge $d_i$, the initial yaw of the robot relative to the jump surface $\psi_i$, the final distance of the CoM past the surface edge $d_f$, and the final yaw of the robot $\psi_f$.

\begin{figure}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{Figures/Jump_Parameters.png}
    \caption{Overhead view of the robot before (left) and after (right) it has jumped onto an elevated surface, along with the five jump space parameters that define the jump - $h_{obs},d_i,\psi_i$, $d_f$, $\psi_f$.}
    \label{fig:jump_param}
\end{figure}

Data collection of the offline jumps is performed by sampling over the jump parameter space, performing the optimization~(4), executing the jump, and then classifying the jump as a success or failure.
A successful jump is one where the robot ends with its CoM at the desired height and with an upright posture (i.e., the robot has not fallen over).
A failure is any other outcome.
We use the collected data, which maps jump parameters to a binary outcome, to train a support vector machine (SVM).
This SVM is a compact, memory-efficient way to encode the robot's observed jumping capabilities into a classifier that can be evaluated efficiently onboard the robot as it plans high-level paths.

\subsection{Identifying the Maximally Robust Jumps}

Given a continuous 5-dimensional space of jump parameters $\mathcal{J}$, we aim to find the set of parameters that is maximally robust to the variability that will occur in the course of executing a planned trajectory.
To pick such a jump parameterization, we first constrain $\mathcal{J}$ according to the physical limits of our system.
This produces a set of feasible jump parameters $\mathcal{J}_{\text{f}}$.
Next, we impose the collision avoidance constraints of the terrain, which produces the terrain-constrained set of feasible jumps $\mathcal{J}_{\text{cf}}$.
Given the set $\mathcal{J}_{\text{cf}}$, we can determine the point that is maximally robust to the jump parameter variability that occurs throughout the trajectory realization on hardware.
This point, also known as the pole of inaccessibility (PIA), is the point in the set $\mathcal{J}_{\text{cf}}$ that is furthest from the set boundary.
We find this point using a PIA search algorithm, similar to~\cite{garcia2007poles}.

\section{High-Level Planning}

We perform high-level planning using a multi-stage, sampling-based approach that quickly generates collision-free paths to a goal state.
Our algorithm is multi-modal in that it plans motions that can alternate between segments of walking and jumping.
The planner is practical for hardware implementation not only because of the speed at which it runs, but also because it selects a trajectory that is maximally robust according to the metric defined in Section IV.B.

\subsection{Onboard perception and mapping}
Onboard perception, mapping, and state estimation are handled via a suite of Intel RealSense cameras.
Terrain data is obtained in the form of a point cloud using a D435 camera and is inserted into a height map~\cite{fankhauser2016universal}.
This height map is robot-centric and is propagated using a 200Hz pose estimate produced by the T265 camera.
The terrain is subsequently filtered and segmented into flat surfaces~\cite{ester1996density}.
The reader is referred to~\cite{dudzik2020robust} for a more detailed description of our setup.

\begin{figure*}[t!]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=450pt]{Figures/Rotational_Jump.png}
    \caption{Mini Cheetah Vision executing a rotational jump onto 22~\si{\centi\meter} jump surface.}
    \label{fig:rotational}
\end{figure*}

\subsection{Sampling-Based Coarse Trajectory Generation}

Given the terrain, the current robot's pose, and the desired location of the robot, we use RRT-connect~\cite{kuffner2000rrt} to find a geometric, collision-free pose trajectory to the goal.
This coarse trajectory does not consider robot's dynamics and uses a set of relaxed traversability heuristics to quickly obtain a rough trajectory estimate.
Two heuristics are used: trajectory segments whose surroundings belong to a single flat surface are considered walkable, while the segments between different flat surfaces are accepted as jumps if they satisfy a set of constraints on height difference and initial and terminal locations.

\subsection{Trajectory improvement}
The goal of this next stage of the high-level planner is to refine the coarse geometric trajectory into a reliable, dynamically feasible trajectory.
Segments of the trajectory that correspond to walking are modified by moving the trajectory vertices away from the obstacles.
Subsequently, we find a collision-free region of space around the trajectory, which we call the safety tube.
This tube is used by the high-level tracking controller, similar to~\cite{wooden2010autonomous}, which attempts to keep the robot within the tube.
We presume that the tracking and locomotion controllers can produce a collision-free realization of the trajectory, but this is not guaranteed.
The effect of this assumption is mitigated by the fact that the degrees of freedom of the robot's CoM are independently controllable in the transverse plane.

The coarse, high-level trajectory does not specify a particular jump for the robot to execute - rather, it constrains the space of feasible jump parameters.
Specifically, the terrain surrounding the intended jump location constrains the obstacle height $h_{obs}$ to a particular value, while initial $d_i$ and $\psi_i$ and terminal $d_t$ and $\psi_t$ are constrained to ensure collision-free takeoff and landing.
The most robust jump is then selected according to the process described in Section IV.B.
If the morphing of the coarse trajectory to a dynamically feasible one is impossible, i.e., if the set $\mathcal{J}_{\text{cf}}$ is empty, then a new coarse trajectory is generated, and the process is repeated until convergence.

\section{Results}

In this section, we present the hardware implementation of our hierarchical planning framework outlined in this paper.
We first provide solve-time statistics for the underlying planners to demonstrate the framework's capacity to run online on a robot.
We then discuss our ability to perform omnidirectional jumps, emphasizing the advantages for high-level planning.
Lastly, we visualize the process of selecting maximally robust jump parameters and further motivate this design choice. A full demonstration of our proposed framework executing planned paths that involve omnidirectional jumps, including jumps with large aerial rotations, is included in the attached video.

\subsection{Hardware Setup}
The entire framework can run in real-time onboard a robot with only modest computational capabilities.
In our case, we deploy our framework on a robot equipped with two onboard computers: an NVIDIA Jetson TX2 and an Intel UP Board.
The more powerful TX2 is used for the more computationally intensive processes (perception, mapping, high-level trajectory planning, and nonlinear trajectory optimization).
The UP Board handles simple, lower-level tasks such as locomotion control and communication with the robot's motor controllers.

\subsection{Fast Online Planning}

A major contribution of the proposed framework is its fast onboard computation time.
To reduce the solve time of our trajectory optimization, we use the technique of warm starting our optimization using a neural network trained from offline data~\cite{melon2020reliable,surovik2020learning}.
After 220 random jump optimizations sampled from the JFC were executed on the TX2, we observed that the optimization takes on average $1.91$~\si{\second} to solve (standard deviation $ 0.43$~\si{\second}) using KNITRO~\cite{byrd2006k}.
While this solve rate is too slow to be used for receding-horizon control, it is faster compared to other schemes that target this versatile behavior of omnidirectional jumps.
These optimizations are typically so computationally expensive that they must be either computed offline~\cite{dai2014whole} or on computers too bulky to be placed onboard the robot~\cite{ponton2021efficient}.

After 50 experiments over various terrain configurations, we observe that our high-level trajectory planner, which typically generates paths between 300-500~\si{\cm} long, takes on average $0.55$~\si{\second} to find a plan (standard deviation $0.32$~\si{\second}).
Since the robot is moving at approximately $0.25$~\si{\meter\per\second} for the entire trajectory, the planner can, on average, generate trajectories at a rate $30$ times faster than it takes to execute them.

\subsection{Planning with Omnidirectional Jumping}

The ability to perform omnidirectional jumping greatly expands the set of terrains the robot can traverse compared to a system that makes a conventional assumption such as planar jumping.
Consider the lateral jumping motion animated in Fig.~\ref{fig:mcv_jump_intro}
If the robot tried to turn and face the jump surface head-on - a commonly made heuristic - it would collide with either the jump surface or the wall on the right side of the image.

This point is further emphasized by the rotational jump animated in Fig.~\ref{fig:rotational}. The high-level trajectory through along with the terrain height map is illustrated in Fig.~\ref{fig:heightmap}.
The constraints of this terrain are such that the robot must rotate anywhere from 60$^\circ$ to 100$^\circ$ while it is in the air to produce a safe, collision-free landing.

\begin{figure}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{Figures/heightmap.png}
    \caption{Planned and realized trajectories of the robot as it traverses terrain that requires a rotational jump onto a surface.}
    \label{fig:heightmap}
\end{figure}

Given the terrain in Fig.~\ref{fig:heightmap}, the initial yaw of the robot is bounded between -30$^\circ$ and 20$^\circ$ while the yaw upon landing is bounded between -100$^\circ$ and -70$^\circ$.
Due to the challenge posed by a difficult aerial rotation, it would be wrong to assume that the robot can execute any jump regardless of its approach. This classification of feasibility as a function of jump conditions is efficiently captured by our JFC.
Other common heuristics, such as purely sagittal or frontal plane jumping, therefore, would fail here.

\subsection{Robust Jumping: Planning Under Uncertainty}

\begin{figure}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{Figures/feasible_sets.png}
    \caption{Two-dimensional slices of the intersection between the terrain-constrained set $\mathcal{J}_{\text{c}}$ and the feasible jump parameter set $\mathcal{J_{\text{f}} }$. For each slice, the PIA of the intersection $\mathcal{J}_{\text{cf}}$ is highlighted. The radius of largest inscribed circle centered at the PIA is given by $\gamma$.}
    \label{fig:feas_polys}
\end{figure}

The process of finding the maximally reliable initial conditions, assuming fixed terminal states and height, is depicted in Figure~\ref{fig:feas_polys}.
The orange polygon, obtained from the offline-generated JFC, captures the set of feasible initial jumping conditions for a given desired terminal state.
The red polygon, obtained online in one of our hardware experiments of the robot, represents the terrain-constrained set of jump parameters.
The terrain-constrained in Fig~\ref{fig:feas_polys}, for example, corresponds to a jump surface that must be approached at an angle between $-80^\circ$ and $40^\circ$
The intersection of the feasible parameter set and the terrain-constrained parameter set is depicted in blue.
The PIA of this polygon, shown in green, represents the point that is maximally robust to variability in the initial conditions of the jump.
By performing this process in the 5-dimensional space of jump parameters, we are able to obtain a jump that can handle the largest deviation between the desired trajectory and its realization.

The advantage of our framework is illustrated in Fig~\ref{fig:feas_polys}.
Simply picking a jump in the terrain-constrained set (red) is insufficient since, for some terminal conditions $(d_f,\psi_f)$ (bottom plot), most of the jumps in the terrain-constrained set are infeasible.
Furthermore, picking an arbitrary point from the constrained-feasible set may also be insufficient, as perturbations in the jumping parameters may result in a collision or render the jump optimization infeasible.
By finding the PIA of the entire 5-dimensional constrained feasible set, we ensure that the selected jump is the most robust to variability in jump parameters caused by uncertainty, disturbances, or imprecise tracking and estimation.

\section{Conclusions $\&$ Future Work}

This work first presented a novel trajectory optimization formulation for generating online, omnidirectional jumps.
The jumping capabilities endowed by this trajectory optimization are then leveraged by a high-level path planner.
The planner considers the physical limits of the robot as well as external constraints of the terrain to select maximally reliable jumps that navigate the robot to a goal position.
We synthesize these planners into a hierarchical framework that allows the Mini Cheetah Vision to rapidly plan and execute reliable trajectories through challenging terrain.

Future work will focus on leveraging the jump feasibility classifier to produce provable robustness guarantees.
Our current high-level planner selects a jump that is maximally robust to jump parameter variability, given a candidate trajectory.
This practical approach ensures that if a set of safe jumps does exist, our algorithm will have found one such jump.
However, presently we do not make any claims about the existence of such a safe set - providing certificates of robust trajectory execution is beyond the scope of this paper.

\section*{Acknowledgments}
This work was supported by NAVER Labs, Toyota Research Institute, the Centers for ME Research and Education at MIT and SUSTech, and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. 4000092301.

\bibliographystyle{IEEEtran}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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Thank you for such a wonderful review Joan and Stephen! I'm so glad that you like the tour. It was a great weather and nice day. We could see beautiful azalea festival at Nezu shrine and spring peony festival at ueno toshigu shrine. You came the best day to see those spring flowers. Thank you for sharing your precious time with me. Please take care and hope to see you again.


text:
Arvid Arvé (Arvid K Gutafsson), även känd som Glava Arvé, född 12 juni 1894 på Ängmyren i Sölje, död 1968, var en svensk konstnär och diktare.

Som liten flyttade han med sin familj till Södermanland där hans far blivit anställd som skogvaktare vid Skeppstads gods.

Han studerade vid Tekniska skolan och Althins målarskola i Stockholm, efter avslutade studier var han från 1918 och några år framåt medarbetare i tidningen Strix och arbetade tillsammans med Albert Engström. Det blev med tiden ett stort antal tidningar som införde hans dikter och teckningar, bland annat Aftontidningen i Stockholm, Göteborgs Morgonpost, Favoriten och de norska skämttidningarna Karikaturen och Korsaren.

Han for till USA 1923 där han en tid arbetade som annonstecknare och senare som shipping clerk vid Marshall Field Co. 1929 återvände han till Sverige och bosatte sig i Arvikatrakten. Han var en av initiativtagarna till bildandet av Republiken Åsen. Han har fått en gata i Arvika uppkallad efter sig.

En minnesutställning med Arvés träsnitt visades i Kil 1977.

Tryckta källor
Värmlands Folkblad, 17 augusti 1977Arvika Nyheter, 28 september 1979

Svenska grafiker under 1900-talet
Födda 1894
Avlidna 1968
Män
Svenska tecknare under 1900-talet
Svenska illustratörer under 1900-talet
Personer från Stavnäs socken

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Youth basketball is an exciting sport combining team play and individual skills.
YMCA youth basketball promises no try outs, no getting cut and no bench warmers! Every child plays at least half of every game while making friends and learning new techniques.
Basketball at the Y provides children an opportunity to get active and play. Players have fun while developing an appreciation for basketball and physical activity. Participants will develop their skills while learning sportsmanship, teamwork, and character values.


I have joined the STRENGTH UNITED team for the 3rd year. I've created this page because I want to make a difference. I'm inspired by the work of Strength United - California State University - Northridge Foundation and wanted to support them by raising money as part of my participation in STRENGTH UNITED Los Angeles Marathon and LA Big 5K Team. Please help me help them by giving whatever you can using the 'Give Now' button. The more people that know about Strength United - the greater their impact, so please also spread the word by sharing my page with your friends and family. Thank you in advance for your generosity, it means so much. God bless you!


text:
Q: How to set a fixed time in JQuery time count down (which doesn't affect when page refreshes)? Im using this jquery plugin for time count down in my web app. Please help me out to remain the count down time not beginning at first each time.I want to set the cont down for a month (30 days 24h 60min 60 sec).So every time i refresh count down should not be started from the beginning.Thnx
here is the script code to set the time
$('#counter').countdown({
    timestamp : (new Date()).getTime() + 30*24*60*60*1000
});

A: Does everyone need the same end time?  For example, if you want to launch your site on March 5, 2014 at 5 PM Eastern, then you want to set the launch time like so:
var ts = new Date(Date.UTC(2014, 2, 7, 22))
$('#counter').countdown({
    timestamp : ts
});

Alternatively, if each user needs to see a unique countdown, then you want to persist the time in a cookie.  For example, if I open the page 5 minutes after you open the page.  Should the timer be 5 minutes apart?  If yes, then use the cookie.  If no and both of our timers should be the same, then pass to the counter the desired end date.
Note: UTC is set if timezones matter for you.

A: If you need persistence, rather than creating a new date object in javascript, pass the date from the backend which should be saved the first time you start the countdown.

A: var today = new Date()
var enddate = new Date(2014,05,01)

function calcDate(date1,date2) {
   var datadiff = Math.abs(date1 - date2) / 1000;

   // calculate (and subtract) whole days
   var days = Math.floor(datadiff / 86400);
   datadiff -= days * 86400;

   // calculate (and subtract) whole hours
   var hours = Math.floor(datadiff / 3600) % 24;
   datadiff -= hours * 3600;

  // calculate (and subtract) whole minutes
  var minutes = Math.floor(datadiff / 60) % 60;
  datadiff -= minutes * 60;

 // what's left is seconds
 var seconds = Math.floor(datadiff % 60);
 var message = " ";
 message += days + " days " ;
 message += hours + " hours ";
 message += minutes + " minutes \n";
 message += seconds + " seconds \n";
 return message
 }

 a = calcDate(enddate,today);
 alert(a);

A: There are many ways to persist data. One way might to to store the date into a cookie.
function getCookie(name) {
  var value = "; " + document.cookie;
  var parts = value.split("; " + name + "=");
  if (parts.length == 2) return parts.pop().split(";").shift();
}

date = getCookie('date');

if(!date) {
    document.cookie="date=" + new Date().getTime() + 30*24*60*60*1000 + ";";
    date = getCookie('date');
}

alert(date);

That should help you persist the date between browser refreshes, but only as long as the cookie lasts.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Авторы: Vedernikov A.I., Kondratuk D.V., Lobova N.A., Valova T.M., Barachevskii V.A., Alfimov M.V., Gromov S.P.
Аннотация: Two new styryl dyes of the benzothiazole series containing a 18-crown-6 moiety and an N-ammoniohexyl or N-ethyl substituent were synthesised. In acetonitrile, the dye bearing the ammoniohexyl linker forms a stable dimeric complex in the E-form and an intramolecular cation-'capped' complex in the Z-form due to 'host-guest' hydrogen bonding.


Play with TFS 2010 and VS 2010 for free ??
Microsoft has released the new version of a virtual machine with a entire ALM environment (TFS 2010 + VS 2010 Ultimate + tutorials), in trial version until June 1, 2011.
By the way, also try the "TFS Integration Platform" from CodePlex to extend the power of TFS outside its traditional usage.
Happy testing... and good luck downloading the 9 Gb !
PS : And for the fun, here is Visual Studio ALM Ranger Projects Scrum Guide.... Personally, I found it interesting but REALLY scary at first sight, despite the fact that I have been using TFS for the last 3 years, with Agile, and recently Scrum for about a year !!
Wanna get a TS certification with TFS 2010 ??
You can go for the exam-70-512 "Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010, Administration".
I just wish this was a Wiki so that we could add some more links !
TFS 2010 is great as an ALM tool, what next ??
TFS 2010 is already a great tool for doing an easy ALM with ONLY one tool, and works great with Agile Scrum.
So what else could Microsoft will add in the next versions ?
It's gonna be much MORE AGILE !!!
Source of those information : Brian Harry (creator of VSS and Microsoft Visual Studio Technical Fellow) in the ALM summit 2010.
Brian Harry reminded us an interresting information : Microsoft is "dog fooding" TFS 2010 within a large development team "The Microsoft Developer Division has 3,500 developpers users". Another source tells us that this represents terabytes of data.
Let's hope the future will start ASAP !!!
PS : with still some missing features, so don't forget to check updates and my other post http://memoprojects.blogspot.com/2010/12/alm-tfs-2010-vs-2010-where-to-start.html.
During 3 days great and hot topics were presented, among which we can find Team Foundation Server 2010, Visual Studio 2010, and Agile, Scrum.
with great speakers (Ken Schwaber, Brian Harry, …).
"Soirée de rentrée du SUG le 30 Septembre 2010" is a meeting I attended a while ago.
Less days required to delivering a Business Value unit : divided by 2 between 2 major releases. This is because a good Scrum team is not scared to criticize the existing procedures and make them change for the next iteration. On the other hand, a good Scrum team will gather key data into BI tools to analyse them and find ways to optimize things, just like a scientific approach within the Mechanical Engineering industry (such as car production lines).
Less defects per release : divided by 12 in about 2 years time, and the trends shows that it tends to zero ! because for a good Scrum Team, a user story can only be done and completed, with a series of strict validations. Moreover the Continuous Integration process based on a large amount of Unit Testing and GUI testing guaranties that we don't have any regressions.
The Turn-over of the people within the team is less a problem : This is because of the emphasis on the oral communication and due to the pair-programming to force the exchange of the information within all members of a team.
The team hated those daily meetings and talking about what they did... thinking that this method was implemented to spy them. As a result, the turnover was quite important. After a while, not only people got used to it, but they realized that this entire Scrum process helped them delivering better quality product.
Another link is : "start tiny to end up huge : the art of the incremental build"
What's inside the WIX package and what do you need ?
in Google, I only get 42 results. BUT thoses 2 parameters are essentials to my Workflow !
Alternatively, you could use native TFS property such as BuildDetail.BuildDefinition.Name if needed.
ALM + TFS 2010 + VS 2010 : Where to start ?
. and an MSDN one from Grant Holliday.
by providing them great tools or resources, which is the matter of this Post. Moreover, most of them comes free of charge (indicated by the label [Free]).
. or have an MSDN account or proper license.
. [updated 2011.09.05] Fiddler Http Debugging Proxy [Free] and its Microsoft addon to decode Binary messages : WCF Binary messages inspector [Free] .
. [updated 2011.06.21] TFS Admin tools (http://tfsadmin.codeplex.com/) [Free], for eg. to add a user in both TFS, Sharepoint and Reporting Services in one click !
- or Coded UI given in VS 2010 Ultimate.
. Fissum - A TFS tray icon client [Free].
You could use the Microsoft Web Platform Installer (WPI) to do so easily, and always have the latest available updates.
(developped by the MS TFS product group and the Visual Studio ALM Rangers).
A good introduction from the MSDN : Walkthrough: Define a Custom Workflow to Deploy a Database from Team Foundation Build (July 2010).
Based on the previous introduction, you'll be able to work with WF 4.0 on your Build process template (more than 600 lines of XAML).
2.b. Then, Drag & Drop an Invoke Process activity (from the Team Foundation Build Activities Toolbar), click property to set its parameters.
Warning 1: The previous MSDN documentation forgot to mention to add the FileName parameter inside double quotes, this bits of code will be considered as a String by WF4).
Warning 2: You will have a red exclamation mark above each new activity in error. This is NORMAL, since once you Drop them, they are not yet configured. A mouse over it will detail the problem.
2.c. Then, add 2 sub-tasks as 2 other activities within the Invoke Process : The WriteBuildMessage and the WriteBuildError. And set them up according to the previous MSDN example.
This is only a example where you could drop your 'Invoke process' activity. On 'real' project, you should combine this with If-Then conditions, and add it on anywhere is required. For this test, I placed this new activity at the begging of your workflow to see quickly of if works. Once OK, just Drag & Drop it to a relevant place.
2.d. Once done, all the red exclamation marks will disapear.
2.e. Don't forget to archive this new Build ProcessTemplate, and reference it in the Build Definition (otherwise TFS will not find your changes that are only local).
2.f Option : You could add custom C# from the TFS 2010 SDK code to extend further your process (example here).
Else, it's done and finished !!
DisplayName="Associate Changesets and Work Items for non-Shelveset Builds"
DisplayName="Associate Changesets and Work Items"
B. How to migrate them from TFS 2008 to TFS 2010 ??
Then, once you run and passed the Gated Check-in (or in fact, any TFS Build), you will find all the codes be be installed in the TFS "Drop folder".
First, we have to understand how it works (Ewald Hofman is MVP VS ALM) before specifically use WIX.
Then, you should understand MSBuild ; here are the basics from the MSDN : "Compile Apps Your Way With Custom Tasks For The Microsoft Build Engine"
Finally, use this VERY detailed tutorial "Automate Releases With MSBuild And Windows Installer XML" (MSDN Mag).
will build and at the end, it will open your NotePad !
http://tfsdeployer.codeplex.com/ but this project has only 140 downloads as per today (dec 2010).


text:
La materia di Bretagna, definita anche ciclo bretone o ciclo arturiano, in virtù del suo eponimo, è l'insieme delle leggende sui Celti e la storia mitologica delle Isole britanniche e della Bretagna, in particolar modo quelle riguardanti re Artù e i suoi cavalieri della Tavola Rotonda. Viene considerata come una delle più famose saghe di sempre, che ha contribuito all'immaginario collettivo classico medievale, e come una delle più grandi fonti di ispirazione del genere letterario fantasy.

Storia del termine
La definizione di "materia di Bretagna" viene fatta risalire al poeta francese del XII secolo Jean Bodel, che distinse e allo stesso tempo collegò le tre principali "materie" mitologiche: la "materia di Roma", comprendente la mitologia classica, greca e romana, la "materia di Francia", corrispondente a quello che viene anche definito il ciclo carolingio, e, appunto, la "materia di Bretagna", comprendente i temi mitologici riguardanti sia l'isola di Gran Bretagna sia il territorio della Bretagna.

Leggenda

Le vicende della materia di Bretagna furono elaborate attraverso i secoli in una vasta ed eterogenea serie di testi scritti in numerose lingue (latino, francese, inglese, tedesco e italiano) a partire dal Basso Medioevo. Alcuni dei temi del ciclo arturiano hanno origine nella leggenda; altri sono stati aggiunti nel tempo dalla creatività dei numerosi autori che si sono succeduti. In un certo senso, il ciclo arturiano si può considerare non ancora concluso: numerosi autori moderni (come Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Jack Whyte e T. H. White) vi hanno infatti contribuito, in alcuni casi introducendo, insieme ai temi classici, anche elementi di notevole rilievo, in seguito entrati nell'immaginario collettivo.
Questa letteratura nacque e si sviluppò nel XII secolo nella Francia settentrionale contemporaneamente all'epopea della canzone di gesta (chanson de geste).

L'intero ciclo letterario è solitamente ambientato nella Britannia del V e del VI secolo d.C. (questo vuol dire che la leggenda è ambientata in un periodo che collega il mondo antico con il mondo medievale) e spesso narra le vicende del mitico sovrano Artù (un sovrano di origine metà romana e metà bretone che incarna le caratteristiche ideali del monarca medievale) insieme ai suoi prodi cavalieri della Tavola Rotonda (personaggi del tardo ordine equestre romano tra i romano-bretoni, rivisitati come personaggi della cavalleria medievale). Seguono anche vicende di amore, avventura, magia, tradimento, adulterio, fede cristiana e guerra.

Storia del ciclo

Prima di Goffredo di Monmouth

Sebbene la materia di Bretagna abbia inizio ufficialmente con le opere di Goffredo di Monmouth, molte sono le fonti dell'Alto Medioevo e nel primo Basso Medioevo che parlano di Artù o di altri personaggi del ciclo.

Gildas
La prima tra queste opere è sicuramente il De excidio Britanniae (Sulla rovina della Britannia) un sermone del VI secolo in tre parti, scritto dallo storico Gildas di Rhuys, detto "il sapiente", il libro è una condanna alle azioni compiute dai suoi contemporanei in Britannia (l'odierna Gran Bretagna), accusandoli di essere la causa della disastrosa situazione in cui versava la Britannia post-romana; inoltre, Gildas condanna anche gli Anglosassoni che iniziarono a invadere la Britannia. Nel sermone sono presentati per la prima volta personaggi come Vortigern, il crudele sovrano britannico, e il condottiero romano britannico Ambrosio Aureliano (che, secondo alcune successive tradizioni, sarà il futuro zio paterno di Artù) che sconfisse i Sassoni nella battaglia del monte Badon, senza nessun riferimento ad Artù. Secondo alcuni storici e studiosi, Ambrosio Aureliano in seguito sarà fondamentale per la creazione del personaggio di Artù.

Nemnius
Molto importante è anche la Historia Brittonum scritta nel IX secolo dal monaco gallese Nemnius. Nel libro vengono trattate le vicende dell'Inghilterra dopo la partenza delle legioni romane fino al periodo delle successive invasioni sassoni. Nemnius introdurrà per la prima volta il Mago Merlino qui chiamato "Embreis Guletic" (Emrys Guletic) o "Ambrosius" e la sua vicenda con Vortigern e il Drago Rosso del Galles; ma Nennio introduce per la prima volta anche Artù, non come re ma come un Dux Bellorum (condottiero militare) che condurrà dodici battaglie contro i Sassoni (compresa quella del monte Badon) uccidendo solo lui più di 960 uomini nella battaglia del monte Badon.

Nella sezione finale del libro viene anche citato il figlio di Artù Amhar, ucciso dal suo stesso padre.
Infine viene anche citato il cane di Artù "Cavall" e il cinghiale "Twrch Trwyth".

Annali del gallesi
Molto importante è anche l'Annales Cambriae (annali del galles) di creazione anonima scritto nel X secolo. Il libro è una cronaca degli eventi più significativi del periodo che va dal 447 al 954. Tra questi eventi viene anche raccontata la morte di Artù e sir Mordred (dove viene menzionato per la prima volta) nella battaglia di Camlann (senza sapere se fossero rivali o alleati).

Poesie gallesi e Agiografie
Sono molto importanti anche alcune poesie gallesi del X secolo, come "Preiddeu Annwfn" attribuito a Taliesin (un poema che descrive la spedizione nell'oltretomba di Artù), il "Pa Gur yv y Porthaur" di creazione anonima (dialogo tra Artù e un guardiano, in cui si vanta della battaglia di Sir Kay con il gatto demoniaco "Cath Palug").

Infine nell'XI e XII secolo vennero create alcune opere come le Triadi gallesi (storie di folklore gallese con molti riferimenti ad Artù), il racconto gallese Culhwch e Olwen (dove Artù sconfigge il Twrch Trwyth), e varie agiografie di alcuni santi bretoni come Gildas, Iltud, Goeznovius, Cadog Ddoeth, Carantoco, Efflamm e Paterno di Vannes.

La nascita ufficiale del ciclo grazie a Goffredo di Monmouth
Dopo le frammentarie fonti dell'Alto Medioevo la materia di Bretagna prende l'avvio dalla Storia dei re di Britannia, scritta nel 1135 da un chierico gallese, Goffredo di Monmouth.

La storia consiste in una compilazione romanzesca di amori, magie e avventure sui Sovrani leggendari della Britannia e il nono libro di quest'opera tratta della prima Biografia articolata di re Artù. Goffredo infatti inserisce la sua nascita (tramite l'adulterio di Uther Pendragon e Igraine) le sue guerre contro i Sassoni, la sua conquista del nord europa e la guerra contro l'Impero romano (con il suo comandante Lucio Tiberio). Goffredo conclude la storia di Artù con il tradimento di Mordred e la Battaglia di Camlann, che porterà alla deposizione di Artù nell'isola di Avalon. Goffredo aggiunge per la prima volta un sacco di elementi che saranno poi fissi nel ciclo, come Excalibur (con il nome di "Caliburn" ispirandosi alla spada Caledfwlch), la regina Ginevra (e il suo tradimento con Mordred) e molti altri. La storia di Goffredo venne liberamente tradotta in versi francesi un ventennio più tardi in Francia nel Roman de Brut dal poeta normanno chiamato Maistre Wace.

Il romanzo francese
Essendo tradotta liberamente e in una lingua accessibile al contesto, quest'opera divenne subito facilmente disponibile per un pubblico più vasto e diede l'avvio a una produzione assai ricca (più di cento composizioni in lingua romanza) soprattutto in versi e più tardi anche in prosa. A fine XII secolo questa materia divenne ancora più nota grazie ai romanzi sull'argomento scritti da Chrétien de Troyes che introdurrà nella letteratura i personaggi di Lancillotto e Parsifal. Ma soprattutto introdurrà nel romanzo Arturiano il Santo Graal. Le opere arturiane di Chrétien Erec e Enide, Lancillotto o il cavaliere della carretta, Perceval o il racconto del Graal e Yvain il cavaliere del leone sono una interpretazione degli ideali cavallereschi. Un altro importante autore è Robert de Boron che introdurrà la storia della nascita di Merlino e di come Artù dopo la sua nascita verrà allevato da Sir Ector e che in seguito estrarrà la spada nella roccia.

Oltre alle opere dedicate solo a re Artù, nascono anche le prime versioni della leggenda arturiana di Tristano e Isotta (la storia d'amore tra il cavaliere della tavola rotonda Tristano e della principessa Isotta), le prime due versioni del mito vennero scritte da Béroul e da Tommaso d'Inghilterra.

Thomas Malory
Dopo vari rifacimenti e rielaborazioni che videro la luce nel Basso Medioevo (alcune di questi molto importanti, come il Ciclo della Vulgata e Sir Gawain e il Cavaliere Verde), lo scrittore inglese Thomas Malory nel 1470 comporrà La morte di Artù, dove rielabora tutto il ciclo bretone, usando come fonti quasi tutti i romanzi e le poesie inglesi e francesi. L'opera di Malory è forse l'opera arturiana in inglese oggi più conosciuta ed è la base di molti scrittori, registi e scenografi moderni come fonte.

Stile e temi trattati
La poesia in area romanza si sviluppa prima della prosa, perché il ritmo e la rima rendono più facile la divulgazione orale e anche la memorizzazione. Il ciclo bretone presenta profonde differenze rispetto al genere della Chanson de geste tipica del ciclo carolingio. Esso ebbe il suo sviluppo in ambienti cortesi, dove ben si conoscevano le disquisizioni amorose riportate nel trattato De amore di Andrea Cappellano, avendo come motivo principale non la lotta collettiva contro gli infedeli ma l'amore e la ricerca individuale di avventure.

Il cavaliere della Tavola Rotonda alla corte di re Artù non è più l'Orlando della Chanson de Roland che muore con tutta la sua schiera a Roncisvalle come un martire, ma è un solitario cavaliere errante (ma con le vesti di un cavaliere romano, considerando che è tutto ambientato nel V-VI secolo) che va alla ricerca di prove sempre più difficili per esaltare se stesso e per conquistare la donna amata.

Tra le storie più celebri si ricordano le leggende su Merlino e la spada Excalibur, l'origine prodigiosa e l'inizio del regno di Artù, l'amore tra Lancillotto e la regina Ginevra, moglie di Artù, l'amore di Tristano e Isotta, moglie di re Marco, le vicissitudini, le avventure e le ricerche riguardanti la Fata Morgana e Mordred, i cavalieri della Tavola Rotonda, tra cui Galvano, Ivano, Galeotto, Tristano, Palamede il Saraceno e moltissimi altri, la figura di Perceval e il tema del Graal. Tutti questi temi vennero trattati in moltissime opere: tra le prime le più famose furono i romanzi di Chrétien de Troyes, uno dei più grandi scrittori medievali, il Tristan di Béroul e il Tristan di Tommaso d'Inghilterra (circa 1170), i Lai di Maria di Francia.

Personaggi e argomenti

Artù è di fatto il soggetto principale della materia di Britannia, ma ci sono altre storie leggendarie meno note, comprese le storie su Bruto di Troia, Coel Hen, re Lear, Gogmagog e altri. La materia di Britannia fu in parte creata per dare vita a un corpo di miti patriottici.

 Artù
 Avalon, luogo di sepoltura di Artù
 Bedivere
 Bors
 Bruto di Troia
 Cadwaladr
 Camelot, capitale del regno di Artù
 Caradoc
 Cassivellauno
 Cavaliere Verde
 Cavalieri della Tavola Rotonda
 Coel Hen
 Corineo
 Cunobelino
 Dama del Lago
 Ector, padre adottivo di Artù
 Elaine di Astolat, chiamata anche Elaine la Bianca o Elaine la Bella
 Excalibur, spada magica di Artù
 Fata Morgana, sorellastra e nemica di Artù
 Gaheris
 Galahad (figlio di Lancillotto)
 Galeotto
 Gawain
 Gareth
 Geraint
 Ginevra, moglie di Artù
 Gorlois
 Kay
 Lamorak
 Lancillotto
 Leir di Britannia (shakespeariano re Lear)
 Mago Merlino, consigliere di Uther e poi di Artù
 Mordred, erede e nemico di Artù
 Palamede il Saraceno
 Parsifal
 Re Pescatore, custode del Graal
 Tristano e Isotta
 Uther Pendragon, padre di Artù
 Ygraine (o Igraine), madre di Artù

Fonti principali

 Le Chevalier à l'Épée
 Le Chevalier au Papegau
 Historia Regum Britanniae
 Perceval o il racconto del Graal, Erec e Enide, Cligès, Lancillotto o il cavaliere della carretta, Yvain il cavaliere del leone
 I romanzi della Tavola Rotonda
 La morte di Artù
 I racconti di Canterbury
 Historia Brittonum
 Estoire dou Graal
 Libro di Taliesin
 Tristano e Isotta
 Roman de Brut, Roman de Rou
 Parzival
 L'Âtre périlleux (su Gawain)
 Blandin de Cornouaille
 La Demoiselle à la Mule
 Vita di Caradoc
 Lancillotto in prosa
 Mabinogion (gallese medievale)
 Post-Vulgata
 Les Merveilles de Rigomer (Lancillotto, Gawain e cinquantotto cavalieri)
 Perlesvaus
 Le Roman de Jaufri
 Sir Gawain e il Cavaliere Verde
 Tristano in prosa
 Stanzaic Morte Arthur
 Alliterative Morte Arthur

Note

Bibliografia

 Derek Pearsall, Arthurian Romance: a short introduction, Blackwell, Oxford, 2005.
 D. H. Green, The Beginnings of Medieval Romance: Fact and fiction, 1150-1220, CUP, Cambridge, 2005.
 Carol Dover (ed), A Companion to the Lancelot-Grail Cycle, Boydell & Brewer, 2005.

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

  Historia Britonum in The Latin Library
  The Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland di Raphael Holinshed (parziale)
  The History of Britain di John Milton

  Brut di Layamon (inglese medio)
  Historia Britonum

Mitologia gallese
Graal


It is gaudy, and it is a baron! The gaudy baron butterfly has a splash of iridescent colors on its hindwings. The image here is of a female baron near a puddle. Butterflies show affinity to wet substrates to gather their supply of liquid nutrients, especially salts – a behavior known as mud puddling.
It is usually the males which do the mud-puddling, gather the essential salts, and transfer it to the females through it sperm, while mating. Hence the males are frequent puddlers as they need to replenish the sodiums after mating. The one in the image here is but a female. Why is it at a puddle instead of a flower? Research shows that old or worn out female butterflies which have lesser chances of re-mating, exhibit puddling to replenish their sodium reserves. Also, many female butterfly species do not re-mate, requiring them to gather their nutrients on their own. I am not sure if one of these is the reason for this female gaudy baron to be at the puddle. Puddling behavior varies from species to species. Some nymphalidae species use droplets from their abdomen to moisten the ground on which minerals are present.


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What are you working on right now, Maurice Mierau?
I'm writing an essay for Contemporary Verse 2 (winter 2013 issue) about some poets I've spent time reading recently, including (if there's space), Don Paterson, Linda Besner, & Patrick Friesen. There'll also be a new poem from my new collection, Six, which I hope to finish revising before I'm dead.
Also am looking for a bookish editor willing to take an essay about Tim Bowling's amazing memoir from 2010, In the Suicide's Library, which Tim tells me was never reviewed in Canada (depressing, surprising, unsurprising). It's about Weldon Kees and bibliomania and being a dad and worrying about the end of the world while obsessing about poetry. Fantastic stuff. And since it's a Gaspereau book, it's gorgeous.
I finished a memoir in January about adopting my 2 youngest sons in Ukraine, my father's traumatic childhood in Soviet Ukraine, and about me learning to be a semi-competent dad & son. Am now shopping it to publishers.
I continue to edit The Winnipeg Review, a lit zine; am preparing the fall issue, due out around Sept 17, right now. TWR got a small Canada Council grant this summer, which will help us survive. One of Patricia Young's poems that I published last year recently appeared in the 2012 Best Canadian Poetry in English.
Then the books I edited this spring for Enfield & Wizenty are coming off the press. Méira Cook's debut novel, The House on Sugarbush Road, was the first to ship. I'll introduce Cook at the McNally Robinson launch in Winnipeg on Sept. 10. The novel is brilliant, sensual, set in 1990s South Africa with a Balzacian cast of characters. The book looks pretty damn good too (thank you Relish).
Previous: "Join the Wrinkle Resistance" by Ryan Fitzpatrick
Next: What are you working on right now, rob mclennan?
The First One's Free.
To celebrate (over) a decade since my first book, I'm offering it for free.
EX MACHINA is a choose-your-own-adventure-style poetry-novel hybrid about how machines have changed what it means to be human.
Fill out this form so we can stay in touch, and I'll send you the book.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Alloperla concolor är en bäcksländeart som beskrevs av William Edwin Ricker 1935. Alloperla concolor ingår i släktet Alloperla och familjen blekbäcksländor. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Blekbäcksländor
concolor


text:
Flourishing in Music Education...
PDF Flourishing in Music Education: Lessons from Positive Psychology © 2023 H. Christian Bernhard II
Author Soundmain
Creation date Aug 14, 2022
book education lesson library literature music psychology
H. Christian Bernhard II
Flourishing in Music Education: Lessons from Positive Psychology presents research, theory, and best practices about potential pitfalls, as well as strategies for how successful music teachers can negotiate issues in the wake of the COVID-19 climate, both on a daily and long-term basis.
Masked and physically distanced classes have been particularly challenging for studio practice and group rehearsals, leading to virtual and digitally edited performances. This concise book is an essential read for those faced with such challenges, addressing key topics including engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment, resilience, and hope. Readers are provided with vignettes of struggling and successful music educators, which are then used to examine and consider new techniques and classic reminders for healthy enjoyment of work and life.
H. Christian Bernhard II, Ph.D., is Professor of Music Education at The State University of New York at Fredonia, where he teaches undergraduate courses in instrumental music methods and rehearsal techniques, as well as graduate courses in music education history, philosophy, psychology, assessment, and curriculum.
Series Foreword
The Routledge New Directions in Music Education Series consists of con- cise monographs that attempt to bring more of the wide world of music, education, and society – and all of the conceptualizations and pragmatic implications that come with that world – into the discourse of music educa- tion. It is about discovering and uncovering big ideas for the profession, criticizing our long-held assumptions, suggesting new courses of action, and putting ideas into motion for the prosperity of future generations of music makers, teachers of music, researchers, scholars, and society.
Clint Randles, Series Editor
Soundmain
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Move, a collection of stunning black-and-white photographs by James Houston, captures the raw energy and emotion of movement. Pushing the human body to its physical limits, Houston creates unique images that go far beyond traditional dance photography.
Over 50 of New York's leading dancers, from companies such as Paul Taylor, New York City Ballet, Pilobolus, David Parsons, and Alvin Ailey, gave their time to support the project. Included in this impressive lineup was renowned principle dancer Desmond Richardson, who starred alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones in the movie Chicago.
Houston sculpts and directs the dancers' bodies with his graphic eye, creating powerful photographs that move and inspire.
All author royalties will be donated to DRA (Dancers Responding to AIDS).


The Fit Mess is an online community for anyone struggling with physical, mental or emotional health issues. It is run by two average guys who are making small changes toward a more balanced and healthier lifestyle.
Most people know Shaun T as the man who brought the world the popular Beachbody and Insanity workout programs. He's back again with a new routine to help you get in shape in just 20 minutes a day. It's called Transform: 20. But this time he's not only helping your physical fitness...he's helping you with your mental and emotional fitness too. He tells us how in a very open and honest conversation in this episode of The Fit Mess.
By now you've probably heard of the idea to put butter in your coffee. That trend was started by northwest resident and world famous "biohacker." We spoke with Bulletproof Coffee founder Dave Asprey about his NEW ideas that could make you smarter, faster and HAPPIER. This is a preview to the full conversation with Asprey which will post on December 10th.
What really causes depression and anxiety--and are we treating them correctly? Award-winning journalist Johann Hari struggled with depression since childhood. He was told that his problems were caused by a chemical imbalance. He started treating it with antidepressants as a teenager. As an adult he's tried to find out whether this was true--and as you'll hear in our conversation with him...he learned that almost everything we have been told about depression and anxiety is wrong.
His groundbreaking new book, Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence, is a guide to becoming more focused and present, helping you reduce fear, anxiety, and stress in your life. In our debut podcast episode, we talk with UCLA Psychiatry Professor and author, Dr. Daniel Siegel, about how the simple act of meditation can improve mood, brain function, and overall health.


Ian Funnell is doing most of this work voluntarily and he receives no income. He bears the cost of running the website, computer, printers, ink cartridges, and buying paper and envelopes, etc. The cost of postage is now very expensive especially to countries outside UK.
Donations and gifts are always welcome and gratefully received. If there is enough funding, I should be able to send out articles to countries that are too poor to order them (in reasonable, low numbers).
Remember, 'Deaf Bible Ministries' is not a business! We do not make a charge for literature, which is supplied free and may be freely copied for study or similar purpose for your church and anyone who asks for it. (So they may not be sold by others). You may reprint articles but must always put a full reference to us on the sheets.
Like all ministries, we need donations to enable us to continue the work of the Deaf Bible Ministries, so please help and support us in God's work.
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Electron cryotomography (ECT, also known as cryo-electron tomography, cryo-ET) is a 3D imaging technique that can analyze the structure of complex and varied biological assemblies in their native conditions at nanometer resolution. The sample preparation in this technique does not require separation of proteins and other macromolecular complexes from their native environment.
To obtain the unique structure, tilt series of a single sample is recorded: a set of 2D images recorded at various angles. From the tilt series, 3D reconstructions of the objects are calculated, allowing unprecedented understanding of biological structures that are still located inside cells.
Field emission gun (FEG): In order to attain high contrast from the frozen specimen, FEG is essential. This involves applying a high electric field to the field emission cathode, which induces electrons emission by the tunneling effect.
Specimen stage: A stable specimen stage is required with high accuracy, computer control, and tilted at 60–80°.
Cryo-polepiece: Tomographic data acquisition is usually a time-consuming process (takes about 30–60 min). For this purpose, a specially designed cryo-polepiece is used to decrease the contamination of ice.
Energy filter: For collection of data from flagella and cilia at different acceleration voltages, an energy filter is required, which is due to the thickness of the specimen used. It is operated at zero-loss mode with a slit width of 15 eV.
Digital detectors: As the sensitivity of digital detectors (such as CCD and CMOS cameras with scintillators) is higher than that of photographic films, they are used for recording micrographs.
1. Vitrification: There are two methods to embed biological samples by vitrification.
Plunge freezing: In this method, specimens are frozen in a thin layer (less than 0.5 μm) of water, and are plunged into cryogens such as liquid propane or liquid ethane. A 3–5 μl drop of sample is placed on a holey carbon grid. To get the thin layer of solution, excess liquid on the grid is absorbed with a filter paper. The absorbed grid is then plunged into liquid propane or liquid ethane at liquid nitrogen temperature. This overall process of freezing occurs in a few microseconds.
High-pressure freezing: In this method, bulky specimen is frozen in 200 µm and sectioned by cryo-ultramicrotomes. This is done by combining very fast temperature decrease and application of high pressure, which lowers the melting point of water.
2. Thinning: Due to the strong interaction between electron and matter, specimens thicker than 1 µm are not transparent to electrons and need thinning at cryogenic conditions. Focused ion beam milling (FIB) can be applied for this purpose, which involves cutting off the sample using the focused ion beam while it is under observation, so that recognized areas of the sample can be removed.
3. Electron tomography: 3D images are obtained by tomographic imaging. In this method, a set of electron micrographs (tilt series) are generated by tilting the sample at different angles by rotation of the specimen stable. Each tilt series is a projection through the specimen where structural information is superimposed in the direction of electron beam. Tilt series images are then arranged and computationally combined into a 3D image (tomogram), thus isolating the superimposed structures.
Image restoration: This improves the quality of the tomogram. Nonlinear isotropic diffusion technique improves SNR by first detecting the structure (edges) and then smoothing of image while restoring the edges.
Image segmentation: This is used to separate the feature of interest from the background. It can be achieved by manual segmentation that allows 3D visualization of the feature or slice-by-slice membrane segmentation based on previously segmented slices, local image properties, and external information.
Template matching: Large molecular complexes in tomograms are identified by searching for a template representing the molecule or complex of interest.
Subtomogram averaging: It is used to increase the resolution of the structure of interest, which is obtained by averaging 3D volumes extracted from the tomograms.
One of the major advantages of ECT is that cells can be preserved in the absence of chemical fixatives and imaged in a near-native state.
It is applied to intact cells in a fully hydrated state.
It has the strength to image in three dimensions.
Sample selection: Thickness of sample and its preparation have huge impact on the level of details that can be obtained in cryo-tomograms. To minimize this artifact, cryo-sectioning can be performed.
Radiation damage: ECT images have low contrast because of radiation damage to the samples from electrons breaking bonds leading to destruction of biological structures. To overcome this, sub-tomogram averaging is applied.
The missing wedge: ECT produces a 3D image by obtaining information from all angles by tilting the sample to 180° but it is limited to -60° to +60° in practice. This causes "missing wedge" of information in the reconstruction, an anisotropy that reduces the resolution of the tomograms in the z-direction.
Identification: Identifying a structure of interest is a major challenge in ECT.
Fixed snapshots: ECT records only frozen images.


text:
Q: Keyboard does not show language switch button (globe) with UITextFields I have 2 UITextField in one UIViewController.
The first one is email. When it got focus, the keyboard will show with language switch button(globe).

The second one is Nickname. When it got focus, the keyboard will show without globe button.

The codes between these two UITextField are almost the same. Even if I changed Nickname UITextField to the keyboard type as email UITextField, it won't show globe button. I don't know why the second UITextField will always not show globe button.
The code is as below:
        mEmail = UITextField(frame: CGRect(x: PADDING,
                                           y: innerY,
                                           width: mInputArea!.bounds.width - PADDING*2,
                                           height: 40))
        mEmail!.textContentType = .emailAddress
        mEmail!.autocapitalizationType = .none
        mEmail!.keyboardType = .emailAddress
        mEmail!.layer.borderColor = ColorDef.background.cgColor
        mEmail!.layer.borderWidth = 1
        mEmail!.layer.cornerRadius = 4
        mEmail!.placeholder = localizedInfoPlist("Account_Email")
        mEmail!.clearButtonMode = .whileEditing
        mEmail!.returnKeyType = .next
        mEmail!.delegate = self
        mInputArea!.addSubview(mEmail!)
        innerY += (PADDING + mEmail!.bounds.height)

        mName = UITextField(frame: CGRect(x: PADDING,
                                          y: innerY,
                                          width: mEmail!.bounds.width,
                                          height: mEmail!.bounds.height))
        mName!.textContentType = .nickname
        mName!.autocapitalizationType = .none
        mName!.keyboardType = .default
        mName!.layer.borderColor = ColorDef.background.cgColor
        mName!.layer.borderWidth = 1
        mName!.layer.cornerRadius = 4
        mName!.placeholder = localizedInfoPlist("Nickname")
        mName!.clearButtonMode = .whileEditing
        mName!.returnKeyType = .next
        mName!.delegate = self
        mInputArea!.addSubview(mName!)
        innerY += (PADDING + mEmail!.bounds.height)

How can I do to get the globe button in Keyboard with Nickname UITextField?

A: Try this
import UIKit

class ViewController: UIViewController, UITextFieldDelegate {

    @IBOutlet weak var mEmail: UITextField!
    @IBOutlet weak var mName: UITextField!

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        // Do any additional setup after loading the view.

        mEmail!.textContentType = .emailAddress
        mEmail!.autocapitalizationType = .none
        mEmail!.keyboardType = .emailAddress
        mEmail!.layer.borderWidth = 1
        mEmail!.layer.cornerRadius = 4
        mEmail!.placeholder = "Account_Email"
        mEmail!.clearButtonMode = .whileEditing
        mEmail!.returnKeyType = .next
        mEmail!.delegate = self

        mName!.textContentType = .nickname
        mName!.autocapitalizationType = .none
        mName!.keyboardType = .default
        mName!.layer.borderWidth = 1
        mName!.layer.cornerRadius = 4
        mName!.placeholder = "Nickname"
        mName!.clearButtonMode = .whileEditing
        mName!.returnKeyType = .next
        mName!.delegate = self
    }

    func textFieldShouldReturn(_ textField: UITextField) -> Bool
    {
        switch textField
        {
        case self.mEmail:
            self.mName.becomeFirstResponder()
            break
        default:
            textField.resignFirstResponder()
        }
        return true
    }
}

A: I found that my soft keyboards are English and Gboard (Google Keyboard).
The globe button won't show when the second UITextField is focused.
I think it might be the problem that Gboard is not count as other language keyboard iPhone did. So I add other language with "Apple iPhone Keyboard" then it shows the globe button.


Click here to download a copy of the Application for Membership Form 2016.
On receipt of the fully completed, signed and dated form, we will allocate a Membership Number, and once payment has been received, you will receive a "Username and Password" to log onto our website.
The Fire Protection Association of Southern Africa was established in 1973 as a non-profit technical advisory and training organization and operates mainly on a membership basis.
This is more than merely a subscription to a trade journal; this level of membership caters for individuals with an interest in fire safety and a need to keep fire information input current.
Stakeholder members contribute to the functioning of the FPASA through funding, participation on the Association's Board of Directors, Annual General Meeting attendance and voting, and participation on the Insurer Project Advisory Committee (IPAC) which provides input, guidance and monitoring of insurer projects and research work conducted by the Association. This presently includes the fire brigade evaluation project, participation on SANS Committees and representing the insurance industry on relevant forums such as the Fire Brigade Board and National Fire Service Advisory Committee.
Some funding is channeled to goodwill work and support of the library/information centre while the bulk of the funding is used for initiatives to help reduce potential insurer losses. This is expedited through representation to facilitate and improve legislation, legal compliance, codes/standards and best practice regarding fire safety management and manual intervention in the workplace and professional fire service.
Feedback and reports from all insurer projects and representation activities.
Stakeholder membership is presently limited to short-term insurance companies and re-insurers.
Other interested parties are, however, welcome to submit an application, with motivation, for consideration by the Managing Director.


text:
Some clouds. Low 64F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..
Some clouds. Low 64F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
NOAA Fisheries/AP file photo/A North Pacific right whale swims in the Bering Sea west of Bristol Bay. Federal scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have recorded singing by a rare right whale for the first time. Researchers used moored acoustic recorders to capture patterned calls made by male North Pacific right whales. Researchers detected four distinct songs over eight years at five locations in the southeast Bering Sea.
Brian Munoz/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/"Little Blue," a rare blue lobster, sits in a temporary tank after being presented to the media in the St. Louis Union Station lobby on Friday, June 21, 2019 in St. Louis. The blue lobster was donated by the Cape Cod-based Arnold's Lobster & Clam Bar to the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station in celebration of the St. Louis Blues' Stanley Cup win.
Brian Munoz
FishOn: Gloucester weather and an Uruguay author
Sean Horgan
People write to us here at FishOn. We don't encourage it, but short of going into the witness protection program or faking our own deaths, we're really not sure what to do about it.
But every now and then, we are in receipt of correspondence that actually makes our day. Such an email showed up last week from - of all places - Uruguay:
"My name is Carlos Pauletti and I'm a journalist writing to you from Uruguay, South America. I've been trying to get information about the weather in Gloucester in January 1991, and days of searching the web have been unsuccessful. Checking the Gloucester Daily Times, I found some interesting stories signed by you and it made me wonder if you could guide me on what would be the right way to get this information. Just I'd like to add this information is for a book I'm working on."
First of all, the FishOn brand is international in its reach and impact. But who knew we were so huge in Uruguay?
Secondly, of course we could help. We sent Senor Pauletti a link to the Farmers' Almanac that helps you retrieve the past weather for any specific day/location dating back to 1945. We also asked him why he was looking for it.
"This book is a novel and a long time project in my mind," he wrote back. "Years ago, I was in Cambridge as a Nieman Fellow and a classmate invited me to Gloucester-Cape Ann. It's a beautiful place and thought it should be nice to fit it into the book. In fact, if everything goes well and can align the planets, maybe I will go there this July. Hope so."
Us too. He could be our own AdventureMan.
The Blues get a mascot
We're still reeling from the Bruins collapse in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. And frankly, the Celtics anonymous draft last week didn't do much to raise our spirits.
Quick question: Is there anything - and we mean anything - more useless than sportswriters penning mock drafts in advance of the real thing?
Quick answer: No, there is not. They are an unmitigated waste of time, effort and words. One draft-day deal and it's kaput. The only thing worse than writing a mock draft is reading it.
Anyway, according to a story in the New York Post, the owner of Arnold's Lobster and Clam Bar in Eastham found a rare blue lobster and plans to donate it to an aquarium in St. Louis as an homage to the Blues hoisting the cup.
The Post story said Nathan Nickerson II plans to keep the lobster in the restaurant for a week as an object of inspiration to kids on the magic of ocean life.
"I want children to be interested in marine life and this is one way to get them excited about it," Nickerson said. "Maybe one can become the next marine biologist."
See. Not all Boston sports fans are doinks. There are a few good ones. The rest of the world can't hate us forever, can they?
Holy mackerel. Or is that a tuna?
You know what they say: You can't tell all the fish without a scorecard. And along comes NOAA Fisheries to the rescue.
The agency, in conjunction with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, has assembled a handy-dandy color guide to help boat captains and recreational fishermen more accurately identify many of the mackerel and tuna species that are often caught in this region.
This way, you won't be confusing your frigate mackerel/tuna from your bullet mackerel/tuna, which is not only embarrassing for the angler, but downright insulting to the fish.
The guide is available online at the NOAA Fisheries website and on the FishRules smart phone app.
Whale of a song
There hasn't been much good news about whales recently.
If it isn't the perilous plight of the North Atlantic right whales, it's Japan announcing it plans to resume commercial whaling next month even though it was banned in 1982 by the International Whaling Commission.
Then there is the extraordinary run of beachings by gray whales on the West Coast, with more than 150 washing up onshore since January on beaches from Mexico to Washington state.
It has gotten so bad that, according to the British website Unilad, that authorities are running out of places to bury them.
Clearly we could use some positive whale news.
Well, let's go to Iceland, where we've always wanted to visit. We're huge there, too.
In a win for the whales, the Icelandic government decided not to issue a commercial whaling permit that would have allowed the Hvalur HF whaling company - a scourge to whale conservation groups everywhere, not to mention whales themselves - to catch upwards of 150 fin whales.
And how about a little romance?
For the first time, federal marine biologists in Alaska have recorded a male North Pacific right whale singing for his mate.
"It's the first time right whale songs in any population have been documented," NOAA Fisheries biologist Jessica Crance told the AP, adding that she spoke with southern right whale and North Atlantic right whale experts to confirm that singing had not previously been documented.
Researchers said moored acoustic recorders detected four distinct songs - an EP!! --over eight years at five locations in the Bering Sea, off Alaska's southwest coast.
We here at FishOn, romantics at heart, harken the news. But what we'd really like to know is what song the young whale lad was singing. Something from Sinatra? Marvin Gaye? Amy Winehouse?
Here's what we hope: We hope he was singing "Oh Elaine," the epic tune performed by the Three Stooges in their 1948 short, "Squareheads of the Round Table."
It's a Shemp, but still worth checking out on YouTube.
As always, no fish were harmed in the making of this column.
Contact Sean Horgan at 978-675-2714, or shorgan@gloucestertimes.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SeanGDT.
Frigate Mackerel
Gloucester - Phyllis M. (Milit...
In Memoriam In Loving Memory o...
'Be respectful of the quarries'


The South African Journal of Industrial Engineering (SAJIE) publishes articles with the emphasis on research, development and application within the fields of Industrial Engineering and Engineering and Technology Management. In this way, it aims to contribute to the further development of these fields of study and to serve as a vehicle for the effective interchange of knowledge, ideas and experience between the research and training oriented institutions and the application oriented industry. Articles on practical applications, original research and meaningful new developments as well as state of the art surveys are encouraged.
SAJIE is an open-access, on line journal.
All articles are subject to a double blind peer review.
Authors should note that SAJIE charges a submission fee and if the article is accepted a subsequent publication fee. The fee structure differentiates between articles having a South African author and those articles with only foreign authors. The submission fee is only payable once the article has been checked for plagiarism and adherence to the author guidelines. The authors will be duly informed when payment should be made.
SAJIE is indexed and abstracted in the ISI Science Citation Index (also known as SciSearch) and the Journal Citation Reports / Science Edition. It is also indexed in SciVerse Scopus.


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Phenomenal remix! Purchase the original. ly/1vo3xcp Download the remix here. https://soundremedy.toneden.io/spotli. Released by Glassnote. The following midis listed have been officially added to the archive. Newly submitted files (which have not been sorted or approved by our staff) can be found На музыкальном портале Зайцев.нет Вы можете скачать песни The Pretty Reckless бесплатно в MP3. Лучшая. Lyrics to "Medicine" song by Daughter: Pick it up, pick it all up. And start again. You've got a second chance, you could go home. Escape.
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text:
Lubrican's Short Stories - Volume Six
Series: Lubrican's Short Stories
By Robert Lubrican
Adult Erotica
Four short stories on the darker side. The Two Day Erection stars a man who tries to take advantage of a doctor, but the tables are turned. Scamming The Wives is about four men trying to take advantage of their wives, but the tables are turned. Be Careful What You Wish For is a different take on a wimp husband story. And Night of the Pregnant Cheerleaders gets the whole team knocked up. More
Normally, Lubrican writes stories about romance and love. But not all is sweetness and light. In this volume of darker stories, love takes a back seat to lust, and cheating, and trying to take advantage of people.
In book one, called The Two Day Erection, there's a hick from the hills who comes to the doctor's office with a two day old erection. Is it even possible? And how do you treat something like that without an operation. Well, there's the old fashioned way, and maybe that's just what he was hoping the pretty big city doctor would do. But more happens than just a hand job from a pretty lady, and it's not necessarily what the guy was going for.
You know those stories where one of the guys at the poker game bets his wife, and loses her to all the others? What if they ALL bet their wives? Or what if they just figured out a way to enjoy each other's wives on a sham? No harm, no foul, right? But what if the wives found out. There is no fury greater than that of a woman scammed, and book two is all about that.
In book three, Lubrican plays around with the typical plot in which the wimp husband loses his wife to the better man, and doesn't seem to mind. Except this isn't exactly that wimp husband, and his wife even still loves him.
Finally, in book four, the bus breaks down in the driving rain, far, far from anywhere. There's a shack, with a stove, and a bunch of ponchos, but everybody knows the best way to keep warm is skin to skin contact. Yes, it's ridiculous, but all the girls sleep with all the guys, including the sponsors. It's just a stroke story gone goofy.
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Category: Fiction » Erotica » Erotica Anthologies
Erotica themes:
Tags: orgy poker cheating cheerleaders impregnation wimp husband betting the wife
About Robert Lubrican
I grew up in the fifties and sixties, and that is reflected in my books quite often. I spent twenty years in law enforcement, and traveled the world, which also can be seen in my books and stories. While the genre I write in is technically called erotic romance, what I actually write are stories with a plot, which include sexual behavior on the part of the characters. That is because most people's lives include sex and erotic gratification. And, since most people wonder about lifestyles that are sometimes called taboo, or forbidden, I write about them, occasionally too. I believe that two consenting adults know more about their own happiness than anyone else, and that even if they are mistaken, they have the right to make their own choices. I also believe that love is the key to making choices that will not turn out to be mistakes.
Many of my ideas involve coming of age, which usually takes place in the early to mid teens. Publishing standards, however, require that all characters in the published version of the book be over 18. That's not realistic, but it's just the way things are. If you purchase one of my books and would like to have the original version, unedited for age, send a copy of your receipt to merely.bob@gmail.com and I'll happily provide you with a copy of the original at no additional cost. It is not illegal to write or possess such versions. It's just unpopular with certain special interest groups who desire to restrict your freedom.
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Also in Series: Lubrican's Short Stories
Reviews of Lubrican's Short Stories - Volume Six by Robert Lubrican
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The tumultuous campaign season is expected to grow even more fraught now that the two leading Islamist hopefuls are vying for the orphaned votes of the ultraconservative Salafist movement, whose own favored candidates were disqualified.
Before the cuts, Salafists were openly backing the fundamentalist cleric Hazem Salah Abu Ismail and the Muslim Brotherhood financier Khairat el Shater. Abu Ismail was disqualified because his mother was found to be a naturalized U.S. citizen. Shater was removed on a technicality stemming from a Mubarak-era conviction.
Now concern is growing in liberal and centrist political circles that Mursi and Aboul Fotouh will veer more to the right in order to court the new Salafist kingmakers.
In addition, analysts say, the tug-of-war between Mursi and Aboul Fotouh could split the Islamist vote and give a boost to Moussa in a setback for revolutionaries who seek to cleanse the government of all Mubarak-era holdovers.
Egypt's path to elections was rocky from the outset. Many voters have deep misgivings about the election commission, whose flip-flopping on candidate eligibility and other stumbles garnered it a reputation for incompetence and subservience to the ruling military council.
Weeks into the campaign season, the commission on Thursday set the ceiling for campaign spending at 10 million Egyptian pounds, or about $1.65 million, per candidate, and capped runoffs at 2 million pounds, around $330,000, for each of last contenders. The top candidates easily could have surpassed the limit already, judging from their campaigns' lavish rallies, expensive billboards and glossy literature.
Commissioners also announced that they'd authorized Egyptian and foreign civil-society groups to observe the elections, a somewhat conciliatory move after the government's high-profile crackdown and court trial against nongovernmental organizations, including ones that had monitored the parliamentary elections last fall.
The commission's steps came as little comfort to Egyptians who learned only Thursday – less than a month from the vote – the names of the approved candidates, leaving many confused and anxious in a moment they'd looked forward to as a victory of the revolution.
With the headlines dominated by the three or four perceived front-runners, voters have little chance of inspecting the other hopefuls, a mix of lesser-known figures whose chances are considered slim: a veteran Nasserist activist, a couple of Socialists, an independent Islamist, a reformist judge, a former intelligence officer and a diplomat, among others.
The next president will face enormous pressure, supervising the drafting of a constitution, propping up a crumbling economy and navigating the inevitably contentious transfer of authority from the military. Although many Egyptians are expected to vote along party lines or on the advice of religious clerics, there are calls among voters of all backgrounds for nuance in candidate platforms that so far have been heavy on the platitudes and short on substance.
"We have no idea who those candidates are," lamented Mahmoud Ali, 42, the owner of a small kiosk in downtown Cairo.
Without close inspection, voters say, all the programs sound the same in their promises of jobs, security and education. How, they ask, are they supposed to understand the differences in doctrine among Islamist candidates? Or figure out whether to trust candidates from the former regime to complete a democratic transition? Or how liberals would revive the crashing economy?
Marwa Farid, 28, a pro-democracy activist, said she'd scrutinized the Muslim Brotherhood candidate's economy-focused platform to little avail.
Last week, some frustrated voters began demanding American-style, nationally televised debates as a quick way to acquaint Egyptians with the crop of candidates. After a vigorous online campaign via Twitter, local media announced that the country's first presidential debates would be broadcast on an Egyptian satellite TV channel over three dates in May. There was no word on which candidates would participate.
"The first encounter of the most powerful presidential candidates – on air," promised an ad that appeared in Egyptian newspapers this week.
When asked their reactions in street interviews, most Egyptians eagerly welcomed debates, though a few had reservations that the race already had become so heated that the candidates could end up exchanging blows in a televised brawl that would further embarrass Egypt before a world that had cheered on its popular uprising.