text:
1879-1880s Autograph Album of Nettie, Presumably of Warren, Massachusetts; and Presumably a Student at Northfield School for Girls
1879-1880s autograph album that belonged to a Nettie, presumably from Warren, Massachusetts, and presumably at one time a student at the Northfield School for Girls at Northfield, Massachusetts, which is still in operation today as Northfield Mount Hermon
The gem-size photograph that appears on the inside front cover may have depicted Nettie herself.
The first inscription in the album was made by Ella J. Fletcher at West Brookfield, Massachusetts, on December 25, 1879. Perhaps the album was a Christmas present from Ella to Nettie.
The album measures approximately 8" by 5" and contains the sentiments of over 70 of Nettie's friends and schoolmates at Warren, Massachusetts, and at the Northfield school. Two of the students were from China. An alphabetical surname list and an alphabetical list of the inscribers, together with any personal information they offered, appear at the end of this post.
Several people affixed gem sized photographs to their pages, such as Marcia M. Laflin of Warren, Massachusetts, who inscribed her page on December 25, 1879, the day that Nettie apparently received the album.
Additionally, Nettie added an occasional note about the inscriber's death. In one case, she pasted a newspaper clipping announcing the August 14, 1882 death of inscriber Stephen Rowan of Kensington, London, England, who had come to the United States to seek his fortune and inscribed a page on July 17, 1881.
I found several Netties from the Warren, Massachusetts, area, but the one who seemed to fit best with the birth dates of several other students, was Nettie Eliza Brooks. This Nettie was born October 3, 1863 at Warren, Massachusetts, the daughter of William Brooks and Mary E. (Taintor) Brooks.
Hopefully a reader will have more information on Nettie Eliza Brooks or will have an alternate theory as to Nettie's identity. Additionally, if you have information to share on any of the people listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.
Several people inscribed pages in England, including at Southport and Manchester in Lancashire and and Shipley in Yorkshire. Presumably Nettie visited there about 1883.
The pages inscribed by the Chinese students, who called themselves Chin Young Lee of Kuong Tung, China, and Chin Kue, native of Sing Ning District, Juong Tung Province, China, who inscribed his page at Mount Hermon School in 1888.
I could use help with this page inscribed in French on October 21, 1880, either by someone from a French-speaking country or by a student in French class.
Surnames in the Album
? [12] F Fletcher S Smith
A Allen Fowler [2] Stone
Atwater G Goldthwait Strickland
B Barnard H Heaton Sugden
Bentley Hicks [2] Sweet
Bliss Howard T Taylor [3]
Brainerd [2] L Laflin [3] Tenney
Briggs Lassiter Tyler
Brown [2] Loveland V Vincent
Brumwell M Mann [2] W Whittaker
Butler Mayo
Butterfield N Neal
C Clay Nichols
Combs O Ordway
Curtis P Palmer [2]
D Daniels Patrick
Davis Patterson
DeLand [2] Powers [2]
Dewey R Robinson
Dumbleton Rowan
Inscribers in the Album
Nettie; album owner. A gem sized photograph on the inside front cover might be of Nettie
Chin Young Lee of Kuong Tung, China; presumably a student at Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies at Northfield, Massachusetts
Chin Kue, native of Sing Ning District, Juong Tung Province, China; student at Mt. Hermon School in Franklin County, Massachusetts; inscribed at Holyoke, Massachusetts, on December 25, 1888
Caddie; inscribed on January 20, 1880
Gem sized photograph of an unidentified young man - no inscription on the page.
Sentiment, unsigned
Hand drawn and colored flower and initials, possibly A. C. or C. A.
Sketch of Two Women and a Man on a Porch. Door has medallion with initials "J. E. B." Entitled: "Have a bite?" Another page, not adjacent but close, by Frank N. Dewey of Brooklyn, New York, inscribed on August 8, 1884, also has the phrase "Have a bite"
Mlle. Patrica Sowpen [not sure of either name]; inscribed on October 21, 1880
Dora; inscribed at Warren, New Hampshire, on February 5, 1880 at 8:15 A.M.
A Friend of Warren, Massachusetts; inscribed on January 1, 1880
Charles M. Allen of Warren, Massachusetts; inscribed on December 29, 1879 and also wrote day of November 24, 1881
E. W. Atwater; inscribed on July 10, 1884. He also stamped his name.
Fred L. Barnard of Warren, Massachusetts; inscribed on February 6, 1880
S. M. Bentley of Holyoke, Massachusetts; inscribed on May 29, 1881
Lucy A. Bliss of Warren, Massachusetts; inscribed at Worcester, Massachusetts, on March 21, 1880
Ella R. Brainerd of Holyoke, Massachusetts; inscribed in April 1884. Presumably Ella Rebecca (Savage) Brainerd, whose husband George Wilson Brainerd inscribed the right facing page.
G. W. Brainerd of Holyoke, Massachusetts; inscribed on April 15, 1884. Presumably George Wilson Brainerd, whose wife Ella Rebecca (Savage) Brainerd inscribed the left facing page.
Nellie S. Briggs of Worcester, Massachusetts; inscribed on February 18, 1880
Mrs. R. R. Brown; her husband R. R. Brown of Holyoke, Massachusetts, inscribed the right facing page.
R. R. Brown of Holyoke, Massachusetts; draw two sketches, one of an arrow with scroll and the other of a hissing cat "Me-ow!!! oft in the stilly night". His wife Mrs. R. R. Brown inscribed the left facing page.
Alfred Brumwell of Southport, Lancashire, England; future husband of inscriber Maude Vincent
E. Butler; inscribed at Holyoke, Massachusetts, on February 9, 1885; presumably the same E. Butler who inscribed a page at Holyoke, Massachusetts, on February 11, 1885
C. A. Butterfield of Seneca Falls, New York; inscribed at Holyoke, Massachusetts, on January 10, 1884. "Gay young frizzle tops one, two, three, Could there anything happier be?? Ella and Nettie and Addie so fat, Sleeping so cosily right at the back"
Anna F. Clay of Lawrence, Massachusetts; inscribed on May 4, 1881. Shared the page with Florence A. Robinson of Lowell, Massachusetts
Charles L. Combs of Warren, Massachusetts; inscribed on January 8 1880
Grace Lillian Curtis of Boston, Massachusetts; inscribed on July 22, 1880. She included a gem sized photograph of herself on the page.
Mrs. Ira Daniels
G. G. Davis of Worcester, Massachusetts; inscribed on August 11, 1880
Charles A. DeLand of Warren, Massachusetts; inscribed on July 31, 1880. He pasted a gem size photograph of himself on his page.
Etta E. DeLand of Worcester, Massachusetts; inscribed on May 25, 1880
Frank N. Dewey of Brooklyn, New York; inscribed on August 8, 1884. In upper left hand corner he wrote" Have a bite". Could he be the artist of the similarly named sketch?
George M. Dumbleton of Springfield, Massachusetts; inscribed on June 3, 1881
Ella J. Fletcher; inscribed at West Brookfield, Massachusetts, on December 25, 1879; presumably Ella presented the album to Nettie as a Christmas present.
Ned H. Fowler of Westfield, Massachusetts; inscribed on January 2, 1887. "W.A.P.L."
Gertrude L. Fowler of Westfield, Massachusetts; inscribed on September 5, 1883
Bette Goldthwait of Holyoke, Massachusetts; inscribed on April 16, 1882
Alice Heaton of #2 Glen View Terrace of Shipley, Yorkshire, England; inscribed on April 4, 1890
Harriet B. Hicks of Needham, Massachusetts, inscribed on February 12, 1882
C. Atherton Hicks of Holyoke, Massachusetts; inscribed on February 16, 1882
George C. Howard, Jr. of Warren, Massachusetts; inscribed on July 30, 1881
Eugene S. Laflin of Holyoke, Massachusetts. His wife, Emma S. (Conner) Laflin inscribed the right facing page.
Emma S. Laflin of Worcester, Massachusetts; inscribed at Holyoke, Massachusetts, on May 14, 1881. She was Emma S. (Conner) Laflin, whose husband Eugene S. Laflin inscribed the left facing page. Nettie's note: "Died Nov 28/89"
Marcia M. Laflin of Warren, Massachusetts; inscribed at Christmas Day, December 25, 1879. Marcia's brother Eugene S. Laflin and his wife Emma S. (Conner) Laflin also inscribed pages. "Coasting W.A.P.L." Marcia pasted a gem size photograph of herself to the page.
James S. Lassiter of Oxford, North Carolina; inscribed on 1/4/85. His sentiment: "Laughter 'tis a poor man's plaster, Covering up each sad disaster".
Carrie J. Loveland; inscribed at West Warren, Massachusetts, on January 7, 1880
Jennie B. Mann, of Worcester, Massachusetts; inscribed on December 9, 1882. "4 in A Bed". Presumably Jennie B. (Weir) Mann, whose husband Charles O. Mann inscribed the right facing page the year before their 1881 marriage.
C. O. Mann of Fall River, Massachusetts; inscribed on December 26, 1880. Presumably Charles O. Mann, whose wife Jennie B. (Weir) Mann inscribed the left facing page after their marriage in 1881.
Alice E. Mayo of Needham, Massachusetts; inscribed on February 6, 1882; colored hummingbird drawn on the page.
Joseph M. Neal of Lowell, Massachusetts; inscribed at Holyoke, Massachusetts, on September 4, 1881
H. J. Nichols of Worcester, Massachusetts; inscribed on December 9, 1882
Carrie L. Ordway of Worcester, Massachusetts; inscribed on January 18, 1880
Rufus Palmer Chard of Holyoke, Massachusetts; inscribed on January 9, 1884
Charles S. Palmer; inscribed on January 6, 1880
Mabel S. Patrick of Warren, Massachusetts; inscribed on January 6, 1880; Nettie's schoolmate
M. M. Patterson of Worcester, Massachusetts; inscribed on March 28, 1880. He pasted a gem sized photograph of himself on the page. Possibly Mark M. Patterson. "When this you see you will bee [sic] sure to think of the night I fell down at the Skating Rink.
Maude N. Powers of Warren, Massachusetts; inscribed on January 6, 1880 at W. H. S., presumably Warren High School
May W. Powers of Warren, Massachusetts; inscribed at W. H. S. on January 6, 1880; Nettie's schoolmate
Florence A. Robinson of Lowell, Massachusetts; inscribed on May 4, 1881. Shared the page with Anna F. Clay of Lawrence, Massachusetts
Stephen Rowan of Kensington, London, England; inscribed on July 17, 1881. Nettie, presumably, pasted a newspaper clipping about Stephen's death and added his date of death: "Died Aug. 14th 1882". Stephen Rowan, formerly clerk at the Conn. River Lumber Co., died Monday night at Worthington, of pneumonia. He had been suffering from phthisis some months and left his position two months ago, going to the mountain, where he hoped to gain sufficient strength to enable him to reach Minnesota in September. He caught a severe cold the Friday preceding his death and pneumonia ensued. He was buried at Northampton, Wednesday, Rev. W. E. Knox officiating. He was English by birth, and leaves two brothers in this section to mourn his loss. He was of an amiable disposition and made many friends here, and his death at the early age of twenty-three is much to be regretted.
Sarah Heaton Smith of Holyoke, Massachusetts; inscribed on April 2, 1890
W. F. H. Stone; not sure of first initial. Worked the name into a bird design
Frank B. Strickland of Warren, Massachusetts; inscribed on January 6, 1880
Sarah E. Sugden of Oakworth, W Heighley, Yorkshire, England; inscribed at Southport, Lancashire, England, on May 21, 1883
Frank W. Sweet of Bridgewater, Massachusetts; inscribed at Worcester, Massachusetts, on January 30, 1880
Isaac S. Taylor; inscribed at Warren, Massachusetts, on January 6, 1880
Ada M. Taylor of Manchester, England; inscribed on May 22, 1883
Adela Taylor of Birkdale, West Southport, England
Arthur J. Tenney; inscribed on January 6, 1880; not sure of surname
A. Augusta Tyler; inscribed at West Brookfield, Massachusetts
Maude Vincent of Southport, Lancashire, England. Future wife of inscriber Alfred Brumwell
William Saville Whittaker of Norman Grove, Manchester, England; inscribed on February 7, 1881
Annie L. Wood of Worcester, Massachusetts; inscribed on January 18, 1880. "C'L.C" [not sure of initials]
Is the page with initials J.E.B. pictured? I couldn't find it. Thanks!
Pam Beveridge November 7, 2017 at 10:34 AM
I do have it but, for space considerations, I can't put all of the images on the post. You will find my email address under Inquiries near the top of the right margin - I'll be glad to send the image to you once I receive your email address.
Bible of William J. Reed and Orianna A. (Jack) Ree...
1861-1873 Autograph Album of Mary Jane Coryell, "J...
1859-1861 Autograph Album of Student Josie Young, ...
1854-1907 Autograph Album of Harriet Angeline Stee...
Bible of Rev. Daniel Warren and Sarah A. (Sawyer) ...
1876 Letter from Cyrus M. Stockwell to a Relative ...
1890s Autograph Album and Tintype of Jessie Wetsel...
1885-1902 Autograph Album of, Presumably, Ellen (R...
1857-1863 Autograph Album of Mary F. Lawrence, "Fa...
1878-1900 Autograph Album of Mary Frances Warner, ...
1878-1880s Autograph Album of Edward Haas of Buffa...
1880s Autograph Album of Gordie [?], Presumably of...
1880s/1890s Autograph Album Journal of, Presumably...
1879-1880s Autograph Album of Nettie, Presumably o...


Biography: Mel has a master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Utah State University and is founder and CEO of Autonomous Solutions Inc (ASI) in Logan, Utah. ASI develops and sells systems for driverless ground vehicle control in mining, military, agriculture, material handling, automotive proving grounds, industrial cleaning and security. Prior to founding ASI 16 years ago, Mel worked at Utah State University, where he managed two NASA space shuttle payloads. Mel is a sought-after speaker in the robotics community and has delivered addresses at conference events such as the Precision Farming Expo, RoboBusiness and The Canadian Institute of Mining.
Synopsis: Autonomous Solutions Inc (ASI) has robotic vehicles operating around the world in markets like mining, agriculture, automotive and material handling. Technology developments like ASI's multi-vehicle command and control software give a single operator control over a fleet of vehicles. However, ASI's driverless technology wouldn't be possible without continued work in localisation for increased accuracy indoors/outdoors and environmental awareness for obstacle detection/avoidance. ASI engineers have succeeded along the way to make the technology smarter and more aware of surroundings. Learn how ASI's cutting edge driverless ground vehicle technology is changing the commercial industry.
Biography: Brett is an agriculture and robotics specialist with a background in developing a variety of precision agricultural products and services. He is working to develop CNH Industrial's autonomous vehicle strategy to ensure ongoing forward progress in the rapidly progressing space.
Synopsis: The presentation will offer an overview of the headline challenges facing the agricultural industry related to autonomy compared with the vast opportunity to solve new problems with the technology. This will include updates on insights learned from the CNH Industrial autonomous vehicle pilot programmes, where we are pioneering new technologies while learning alongside customers in the field.
Biography: Elza Marisa Paiva de Figueiredo has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics. In her PhD thesis she worked with computer vision, with an emphasis on object recognition. She also has a master's degree in Mathematics, with a specialisation in numerical optimisation. She has degrees in Computer Science and Physics as well. Elza has experience with MatLab, Simulink, dSapce, ROS/Gazebo. She has profound knowledge in mathematical modelling, path planning and navigation algorithms. She also has considerable experience in machine learning techniques.
Synopsis: There are several technical considerations to keep in mind when designing an off-highway autonomous machine. This presentation will cover some practical applications of the various technologies encountered when building an autonomous machine, and focus on the environments where they are best suited. A few helpful tools will also be highlighted to help accelerate your development efforts as you embark on your journey to build safer, more intelligent machines.
Biography: Stefan Pruisken brings more than 14 years of versatile hands-on experience in Automotive industry and has been with Elektrobit since January 2010. At Elektrobit Stefan has been in charge of several positions, started as a Senior Software Engineer and later Software Architect within the Navigation domain. After that Stefan took over as a Project Manager the development responsibility for eHorizon and localization products, and later he became a program manager for several cross-domain R&D projects within the area of automated driving. In 2016 Stefan had been for 2 years a Senior Product Manager for map-based products, such as EB's eHorizon solutions. Before stepping into Business Development for EB's Software Platform and solutions for automated driving in December 2018, Stefan was heading the Product Expert Group, a worldwide distributed customer-facing experts team in charge of architecting customer solutions.
Biography: Arto has an MSc in Electronics Engineering from the University of Jyväskylä. From 2000 to 2002 he was a researcher at ABB Corporate Research in Vaasa, where he was involved with sensor technology for electric distribution networks. In 2002 he joined Epec Oy, Seinäjoki, as a hardware engineer. Since then, his career at Epec Oy has included several managerial positions within research and development, in the field of electronic control units (ECUs) and control systems for non-road mobile machines and automotive applications.
Synopsis: In the European Union, the framework for functional safety of mobile machines is well established by the Machinery Directive. Application of harmonised standards such as EN ISO 13849 pave the way to demonstrate compliance with relevant functional safety requirements, and pre-certified components enable faster time-to-market for control system development. An increasing level of automation calls for new technology and standardisation. For a controlled environment like underground mines or cargo ports, operation of autonomous machines can be enabled by special arrangements. For other applications like agricultural and forestry, some bottlenecks must be solved by the industry to enable autonomous operation. However, new technology enables ADAS functions as steps toward autonomous machines.
Biography: Dominique completed her studies in information technology with a master's thesis at BMW AG in 2009. Since then she has been working as a research assistant at the Fraunhofer Institute for Embedded Systems and Communication Technology ESK in Munich on the design and validation of application architectures in the automotive environment. Since the beginning of 2018 she has also been responsible as business development manager for the professional transfer of research results into practice, particularly for resilient software systems.
Synopsis: AI-based solutions are a suitable approach to cope with the complexity of autonomous driving tasks. However, decisions taken by AI are not reliable, as their decision-making process cannot be validated. AI-based solutions therefore require fundamentally different approaches to guarantee the dependability of the system in every driving situation and its failsafe behaviour. Therefore, resilient software architecture solutions give the AI adequate freedom to play out its strengths and intervene when the data determined by AI could lead to unsafe decisions. This presentation will give an insight into different approaches for resilient software architectures used for dependable autonomous systems.
Biography: Ben has been at Husco for over eight years working on various advanced engineering projects with customers in North America, Europe, China, Korea and Japan. He has a background in mechanical engineering and a Master's in Predictive Analytics. Ben currently heads up a team of software, controls and hydraulic engineers who are at the forefront of developing the tools and products that are core to Husco's globally evolving technologies.
Synopsis: This case study details the project conducted at Husco to enable electrohydraulic control of a standard pilot-operated 21 tonne excavator. The study details the challenges in interrupting the operator signal to provide precise digital control of the excavator. Utilising the installed control system, Husco was able to test and validate autonomous and augmented functions on the machine. The presentation will detail the controller, sensors, hardware and software that were packaged into the machine, and the future direction of the project.
Biography: Simon has been with Husco for eight years in engineering and customer account management roles. Recently he moved to the USA headquarters to take on business development and marketing responsibility. He draws from a family history in agriculture to help Husco bring practical innovation to the market.
Biography: Dr Khasha Ghaffarzadeh is the research director at IDTechEx. He has helped deliver over 50 consulting projects for clients across the world. The projects have covered custom market research, technology scouting, partnership/customer development, technology roadmapping, product positioning, competitive analysis and investment due diligence. They have focused on a variety of emerging technologies such as energy storage, advanced materials, functional inks and coatings, novel display technologies, 3D printing, photovoltaics, printed electronics, electronic textiles, sensors, actuators, etc. Khasha has also research and commercialised multiple top-selling market research reports on a variety of topics such as advanced materials and printed electronics.
Synopsis: All eyes are on the big ultimate prize: autonomous cars. However, this risks neglecting the growing and diverse opportunities that already exist beyond on-road passenger cars. This talk considers the rise of autonomous mobile robots in agriculture, warehouses and the delivery chain as well as in homes and commercial spaces. It will show that autonomous mobility is transforming the way we envisage vehicles in all these sectors, giving rise to new products, technologies and even business models. It will also show how unmanned mobile robots will increasingly leave behind structured environments to enter more aspects of daily life.
Biography: Alexander has been general manager, off-highway electronics division at Inter Control Hermann Köhler Elektrik GmbH & Co KG since 2010. From 2008-2010 he was general manager at Sasse Elektronik GmbH, and prior to that he was head of sales and head of the electronics division at Baumüller Nürnberg GmbH. He has a Functional Safety Professional qualification from TÜV (Süd), a Dipl. Wirtschaftsingenieur (FH) from FH Würzburg, and a Dipl.-Ing. (FH), Mechatronic from TH Nürnberg.
Synopsis: Autonomous vehicles like AGVs operating in highly automated harbours, or supply vehicles moving material in and out of mines and tunnels, are already common. Furthermore, partly or fully autonomous operation is feasible for applications that are based on manual control. This presentation will provide an overview of which approaches have enabled efficient design of a control system for such assisted or autonomous industrial vehicles, with special consideration of their safety requirements. This includes recommendations and examples of safe hardware structure, safe software architecture, selection of the most suitable programming language, and supporting tools.
Biography: As CEO of Iothic, Chris is the visionary and author of Iothic's autonomous authentication cybersecurity protocol, currently being globally introduced. A recognised authority and speaker on IoT, cybersecurity and blockchain innovation, Chris is a highly successful entrepreneur having built three tech startups. He has also advised global conglomerates and multiple PE and venture capital funds on startup strategies and external investment. In addition, he has served multiple global organisations in the capacity of CEO, CIO and CFO. Chris has an undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and graduate degrees from the University of California Berkeley and Oxford University (2020).
Synopsis: As the means to authenticate internet trust, the UK intelligence agency, GCHQ, developed the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) as a robust security model. PKI is now the single most dominant security protocol used for authentication, but it is mathematically complex, CPU intensive and not designed for a decentralised IOT environment. IoT is the foundation of the automated future, but its serious impediments remain security and interoperability. The presentation will introduce academic research and development and industrial application that have produced an achievable model of security and interoperability, specifically for autonomous transportation, smart cities, critical infrastructure and Industry 4.0.
Biography: Dr Bolourchi received his BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University in 1981. His graduate studies at University of California Davis were also in the field of Mechanical Engineering. He received his MSc in 1984 and PhD in 1989. His doctoral thesis focused on non-linear adaptive control systems. The adaptation was performed on a particular controlling filter called a tap delay filter. From 1990 to 1994 Farhad worked at Hughes Aircraft Co as a member of technical staff. He worked on the attitude control system of anti-missile devices, as well as working on automotive projects such as active suspension, and electric power steering (EPS) systems. Once transferred to GM's Saginaw Division (then part of Delphi and now Nexteer) in 1994, he continued with the development of EPS systems. For his contributions to the launch of this product, he was inducted to Delphi/Nexteer Hall of Fame in 2001 and was part of the team that won the Pace award. Dr Bolourchi has also been involved with analysis and design of various other steering-related projects such as steer by wire, active front steer, unified chassis control, park assist, lane keeping systems, and other ADAS systems. He is currently manger of the ADAS & Controls Group at Nexteer's R&D centre. Additionally, he represents Nexteer on the Mathworks Automotive Advisory Board. Dr Bolourchi is an instructor with SAE, where he teaches a seminar called Control Systems, Simplified. He has also been a part-time faculty member at Wayne State University, teaching control systems.
Synopsis: In this presentation, we will discuss an indoor autonomous robot project we have been working on, including the system architecture, perception, planning and control, with an emphasis on the importance of improving performance through a position control actuator. Nexteer Automotive is a leading Tier 1 supplier of automotive steering systems. The firm has provided dual redundant electric power steering (EPS) systems with command tracking software to many leading autonomous vehicle startups and major OEMs. We will discuss the importance of dual redundant EPS for functional safety.
Biography: Markus is director of business development for Europe at Quanergy Systems Inc, a global leader in the design and development of solid-state lidar sensors and smart sensing solutions. He has over 17 years' experience in sales, business development and software development in the automotive and telecommunications industries. Before joining Quanergy, he held senior positions at Pininfarina and Altran. Markus holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences in Saarbrücken, Germany.
Synopsis: With more attention than ever placed on the development of autonomous vehicles, modern consumers are increasingly familiar with lidar sensors, but few realise that the self-driving prototype vehicles that they see today with large spinning sensors are likely not the autonomous cars that will be in their driveways. The sensor that will come standard in every sedan and SUV will be solid state – much smaller, significantly lower cost, and immensely more reliable. This presentation will discuss how self-driving technologies will be integrated into commercial and privately owned vehicles over time, and what this means for key industry stakeholders.
Biography: Paria is a specialist in functional safety and certified by TÜV for ISO 26262. She holds a master's degree in Industrial Engineering. Since 2017 she has been head of the automotive department at ROSAS Center Fribourg Company in Fribourg, Switzerland. She has participated in autonomous vehicle projects such as risk analysis of autonomous bus system and project development of EPFLoop. EPFLoop is a hyperloop that is categorised as autonomous vehicle Level 5.
Synopsis: In order to determine the Safety Integrity Level (SIL), functional safety standards suggest hazard and risk analysis method by risk graph that contains three criteria: severity, exposure and controllability. Controllability is defined as the possibility of hazardous events being controllable by the operator or by the person potentially at risk, but there is no operator to control risks in autonomous vehicle (AV) Level 5. However, operators are replaced by ADAS or types of logic control systems in AV. This presentation elaborates how logic control systems can play an important role as a controllability factor in hazard and risk analysis methods to determine the SIL of autonomous industrial vehicle systems.
Biography: Baard is business development manager at Semcon Devotek, and an autonomy research and innovation expert at the University of South-East Norway.
Synopsis: With autonomous vehicles becoming available, the challenge of putting them to work demands integration between autonomous vehicles and a company's production and warehouse systems. Coordination has traditionally been performed by trained individuals whose experience and knowledge are key to the overall system performance, but now coordination of the fleet is shifting from machine operators to the system. Can new 'system' suppliers and technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence help to solve this gap?
Biography: Yann has been business manager for GNSS OEM at Topcon Positioning for 10 years, and has been involved with most of the company's projects involving high-accuracy positioning.
Synopsis: As a leading supplier of surveying equipment and machine control positioning solutions, Topcon Positioning is now going a step further with the introduction of global GNSS Correction Service, Topnet LIVE. The presentation will explain how Topnet LIVE offers surveying accuracy positioning to OEM partners and in particular how this technology is applicable to autonomous vehicle guidance. It will describe how the infrastructure of the global GNSS correction service is organised, its key components and also how the correction data is broadcast to the moving vehicles, either by cellular or L-band.
Biography: Roberto graduated in Electrical Engineering with a focus on automation systems from the Milan University of Technology. After completing his state exam in Engineering, he worked for Microtec GmbH. In 2001 he took over as technical director of TTControl, a newly founded joint venture of TTTech and Hydac. Since 2013 he has been responsible for overall sales in Italy.
Synopsis: The rising demand from mobile machinery manufacturers for autonomous operations is linked to new challenges, but also to new opportunities for hardware and software suppliers. In addition to the need for higher CPU performance and storage capacity to handle the data flow, higher safety, new processes and tools are required to fulfil the increasing demand. The future collaboration between the operator and the machine itself will be redefined. Still, we need to be aware that this approach requires a strict separation of autonomous and manual mode, even though the responsibilities of the operator will change in the future as well.
Biography: Fritz has 20 years' grid and cloud computing experience and helps set technical vision while spearheading strategic alliances. He has long been regarded as the father of Grid Engine and its forerunners Codine and GRD. He ran the Grid Engine business from within Sun Microsystems and Oracle for the past 10 years, taking it from an upstart technology to the most widely deployed workload management solution in some of the most challenging data centre environments on the planet. Under Fritz's leadership, Grid Engine was open sourced and has grown a vibrant community.
Synopsis: High-performance computing (HPC) is a critical component of creating and managing self-driving industrial vehicles, and is used for the design, engineering, validation and ongoing management of these highly complex vehicles. Furthermore, autonomous industrial vehicles will be transmitting an extraordinary amount of sensor data that needs to be analysed. This paper will discuss the different types of workloads used in the design, training and validation of this next-generation technology. The paper will also explain how machine learning can be deployed, including how Kubernetes and Univa's Grid Engine software run alongside each other to manage diverse workloads.
Biography: Christoph is responsible for OEM key account management. Before joining Vemcon he spent more than four years at Liebherr-MCCtec as a development engineer, first for hydraulic systems of ship and offshore cranes, and then for mechatronics for construction machinery and maritime crane systems. He studied mechatronics at TU Dresden, where he focused on robotics, special production methods, machine design, and hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
Synopsis: Manufacturer-independent technology solutions would dramatically speed up digitisation and productivity growth in the construction industry. If the necessary interfaces (between machine, tool, other machines, other aftermarket solutions, digital services, etc.) were built in by the OEM already, dealers wouldn't experience compatibility problems when configuring machines with retrofit solutions. This would enable retrofitters to offer solutions to constructors that increase productivity quickly, flexibly and at relatively low cost. OEMs could benefit from fast digitisation with new revenue streams through productivity-enhancing functionalities and unique selling points for their intelligent machines. They would open up new business segments with short time-to-market.
Biography: Uwe is a specialist in automation and electrification of construction equipment, with extensive experience in innovation engineering to create solutions for a sustainable future. Since he joined Volvo CE in 2006, he has led several research projects developing new technologies, concept machines and site systems. Currently he is the chief project manager for the breakthrough study Electric Site in partnership with Swedish Energy Agency, customer Skanska and research partners Linköping and Mälardalen University.
Synopsis: Uwe Müller was the chief project manager for the groundbreaking Electric Site study carried out in a quarry with a fleet of autonomous and electric machines, resulting in a 98% reduction in carbon emissions, 70% reduction in energy costs and 40% reduction in operator costs. The project involved developing new machines and site management systems, forming a complete site solution with connected machines programmed to collaborate to carry out a specific set of actions on a pre-defined route. A specialist in autonomous technologies, Uwe will also share other pioneering development at Volvo CE to help customers improve efficiency, safety and costs.
Biography: Gunwant graduated with honors with a master's in Engineering from Imperial College, London. His track record includes working for OEMs including Rover Group, Rolls-Royce and Bentley, and technology developers including Valeo Group, Germany. He is currently chief engineer in the energy and electrical systems group at WMG, University of Warwick. He is leading the intelligent vehicles engineering function on projects including INTACT – accelerating the testing of low-speed autonomous vehicles, with RDM Group, using the WMG 3xD simulator; SAVVY – Smart Verification & Validation methodologies for ADAS technology; UKCITE – test methods for testing cybersecurity of connected technology; PICASSOS – developing new tools for the UK supply chain to improve the integrity of embedded software systems and systems of systems using formal verification tools and techniques.
Biography: Kris graduated as an electro-mechanical engineer at the University of Leuven, and started work in the automotive sector in 1993. He started his career as a technical consultancy engineer on high-tech NVH projects. He went on to acquire experience in engineering management and technical sales, becoming business unit manager and managing director within different industrial companies, and gaining worldwide experience in Europe, the USA and Asia. Strongly convinced of the innovative power of the XenomatiX technology and its inevitable breakthrough, he joined this fast-growing high-tech company at the Research Park in Leuven, Belgium, as VP sales and business development in 2016.
Synopsis: Cost and detection reliability are key decision criteria for automotive surround sensing technology. Cameras rightfully earned their place in cars. However, resolution, computing power, night vision and 3D capabilities remain a concern. Can lidar outperform cameras in these areas? Can this be done at an affordable cost? And is lidar robust enough for automotive use? This presentation will discuss lidar performance in harsh conditions and give an impression of what lidar 'sees'. The presentation will show real data and real results from tests in real-life conditions, checking on robustness, sensitivity, precision and range. The paper will give an insight into the performance of a solid-state lidar in serial cars, and how it goes together with camera: redundant or not?


text:
Global Cooling Prize Announcement Delayed to End of April
Share on Twitter LinkedIn Email
The announcement of the eagerly anticipated Global Cooling Prize winner, originally slated for the end of March, has been delayed until the end of April, according to Iain Campbell, Senior Fellow at the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI).
RMI, a U.S-based global research institute, is one of the organizers of the prize, along with the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India; and Mission Innovation, a global initiative of 24 countries and the European Union.
The Global Cooling Prize was launched in November 2018 "with the aim of spurring the development of a radically more efficient, climate-friendly residential cooling solution," said its organizers. The winning air conditioning (AC) system must have at least five times lower climate impact (80% lower CO2e emissions) than the typical units available today. The designer of the winning system will receive US$1 million.
In field tests of the finalists, one of the prototypes produced 91.6% lower emissions, and another generated 86% lower emissions, said Campbell. "We're very excited that at least one protype meets the five-times-lower climate impact."
The delay in the announcement of the winner is the result of the strict COVID-19 safety protocols being followed by the organizers, which called for a shutdown and quarantine during the prototype testing period, he said.
The eight finalists are Godrej-Boyce, S&S Design Startup Solution Pvt. Ltd., Transeara, Kraton Corporation, M2 Thermal Solutions, Barocal Ltd, Gree and Daikin. Information on the eight prototypes and their design teams can be found on the Global Cooling Prize website.
Two of the finalists (Godrej-Boyce and S&S Design Startup Solution Pvt. Ltd.) are incorporating propane (R290) in their systems.
In order to showcase the performance of the prototypes, RMI developed a Prototype Performance Dashboard, which showcased an anonymized hourly snapshot of performance each day during the field test. This interactive page allowed viewers to see how the finalists' prototypes compared to one another and with the baseline units being tested.
The Global Cooling Prize organizers recently released a new video — Finalist Prototype Field Test | A First Look — which shares never-before seen footage of the finalists' cooling technologies. The video showcases the installation, remote commissioning, and testing that were undertaken for the field test.
Branson to name winner
At the online awards ceremony, Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, will announce the winner or winners of the prize.
The ceremony will feature "profiles on each finalist team, videos of the prize's journey, fireside chats with coalition partners, and special remarks from global leaders tuning in from around the world," the organizers said.
In conjunction with the ceremony, the UN and the Climate Champion of COP26 will announce a "breakthrough challenge" in the Race to Zero for the cooling sector. This challenge is currently framed as "20% of global AC manufacturers bring to market affordable residential AC units that have 5X lower climate impact than today's units by 2025."
In January, the Global Cooling Prize was named one of the top 100 Climate Policy Breakthroughs by Apolitical.
We're very excited that at least one protype meets the five-times-lower climate impact.
Iain Campbell, Rocky Mountain Institute
Eliwell Introduces Virtual Innovation Hub, Transcritical CO2 Controller
February 17, 2021 2 Mins Read
Danfoss Signs MoU to Promote NatRefs in India
HVAC&R Women to Teach STEM to Children in World Refrigeration Day Program
Germany Rules Out F-Gas Equipment in Public Procurement
China Begins Restricting Domestic HFC Production Capacity

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Mediamonks asked me to come onboard as a freelance look-dev artist, to work on all the city shots starting around 00:32 and ending around 00:45. I was responsible for shading (everything but the car), lighting and rendering. To help the compositors, I also created easy to adjust pre-comps of all the rendered layers. In the final stages I worked with resident environment-artist Vincent van der Klaauw, by taking his city matte painting and placing it in 3D composite, blending it with the 3d foreground.


text:
Pleuroptyx is an extinct genus of prehistoric amphibian known from the Late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) of Ohio. The type species is Pleuroptyx clavatus.

See also
 Prehistoric amphibian
 List of prehistoric amphibians

References

Lysorophians

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


lifestyle - in our tumultuous times.
nourish and sustain life with vibrant wholeness.
shalom in your sphere of influence.
Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Shalom!
. . . where there is sadness, joy.
. . . to be loved as to love.
. . . it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.


Sure having a beautifully designed website displaying your best work can be very attractive to potential clients, but here at The House we let our clients speak on our behalf.
The best photographer and videographer to work with! You won't be disappointed! We utilized Kevin for his videography skills, but in between he snapped a few photos and all I can say is breathtaking! He is professional and communicated with us throughout the process up to the wedding day. Thank you and I definitely will recommend to others!
I can only sing good praises to Kevin and the Allen House team. They captured the true essence of every detail for my Wedding by capturing the most memorable moments. Extremely professional and easy to work with. I appreciate all the personal touches applied to my video trailer and photos. I highly recommend him for any event or project.
I've worked with a few good photographers and videographers along the years, but Kevin and the AllenHouse Studio team were amazing! From start to finish Kevin was professional, personable, and just overall a great guy. His team was just as nice, professional, and made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera. Our photos and the moments he was able to capture were simply perfection and the photo booth was a hit! I will definitely use AllenHouse Studios again and will continue to refer and sing his praises!


text:
Choose a Phone Number
General Inquiries +1 613 820 5111
North America Toll Free +1 866 530 5111
Europe Toll Free +800 6006 6006
APAC HQ (Australia) +61 1800 764 459
Singapore Toll Free 8001013348
Titus Moves to 100 Percent Channel Sales Model with Launch of New Partner Program.
Data Identification
Data Classification
CUI
DFARS/NIST
EPMS
Mike Kuehn
As Chief Revenue Officer, Mike is responsible for delivering a partner-centric go-to-market model to meet TITUS' growth objectives. He brings more than 25 years of experience leading worldwide sales and channel programs with repeated success in creating and driving world-class sales execution models, and in selling to businesses of all sizes, including Fortune 500 companies, as well as channel partners, resellers, systems integrators and managed service providers.
Prior to TITUS, Mike served on the senior leadership team for Actifio, helping that company achieve a valuation of $1.3 billion USD and operations in more than 30 countries. Mike was also a senior executive at Syncsort, where he played an instrumental role in driving the company's software revenues to more than $100 million USD, and successfully establishing a global, multi-tier distributor model with over 200 resellers and six distributors, which expanded pathways to market and significantly increased revenue.
You need data protection
that works for you
Email today to learn
North America (Toll-Free)
Europe (Toll-Free)
APAC HQ (Australia)
800-343 Preston Street
Ottawa, Ontario Canada
K1S 1N4
Meet the latest EPMS requirements — and boost your data security strategy
The New Titus Partner Program – We're All In!
Follow Titus
© Titus 2019. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Statement
We use cookies to give you the best experience of our website. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. For more details please see our privacy statement.


text:
import os
import unittest

import pytest

from sparknlp.annotator import *
from sparknlp.base import *
from test.util import SparkContextForTest

@pytest.mark.fast
class EntityRulerTestSpec(unittest.TestCase):

    def setUp(self):
        self.data = SparkContextForTest.spark.createDataFrame([["John Snow lives in Winterfell"]]).toDF("text")
        self.path = os.getcwd() + "/../src/test/resources/entity-ruler/keywords_only.json"

    def runTest(self):
        document_assembler = DocumentAssembler().setInputCol("text").setOutputCol("document")
        tokenizer = Tokenizer().setInputCols("document").setOutputCol("token")

        entity_ruler = EntityRulerApproach() \
            .setInputCols(["document", "token"]) \
            .setOutputCol("entity") \
            .setPatternsResource(self.path)

        pipeline = Pipeline(stages=[document_assembler, tokenizer, entity_ruler])
        model = pipeline.fit(self.data)
        result = model.transform(self.data)
        self.assertTrue(result.select("entity").count() > 0)

@pytest.mark.fast
class EntityRulerOneColumnTestSpec(unittest.TestCase):

    def setUp(self):
        self.data = SparkContextForTest.spark.createDataFrame([["John Snow lives in Winterfell"]]).toDF("text")
        self.path = os.getcwd() + "/../src/test/resources/entity-ruler/keywords_only.json"

    def runTest(self):
        document_assembler = DocumentAssembler().setInputCol("text").setOutputCol("document")

        entity_ruler = EntityRulerApproach() \
            .setInputCols("document") \
            .setOutputCol("entity") \
            .setPatternsResource(self.path)

        pipeline = Pipeline(stages=[document_assembler, entity_ruler])
        model = pipeline.fit(self.data)
        result = model.transform(self.data)
        self.assertTrue(result.select("entity").count() > 0)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Before "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" and yes, even before "Spaced", there was "Baby Driver". At least in Edgar Wright's brain, that's how far back this pet project goes and now a mere 22 years later after he first dreamed up a unique blend of action, car chases, and music, his crowd pleasing critical hit, "Baby Driver" is in theaters.
With this, in his first visit to "Happy Sad Confused", Wright and Josh of course engage in full on nerding out on everything from "Mad Max" to "Star Wars." Wright reveals the first filmmaker that gave his films a seal of approval and why he regrets his one chance encounter with Martin Scorsese.
Plus, Wright opens up about the awkwardness that came after leaving "Ant-Man", including why he still can't even bring himself to watch a trailer for the film.


Phil lives in Arrochar, Scotland with his American wife, Cristina, who he met over a weekend at the Jazz Fest in New Orleans. After a DPhil in Quantum Physics, he left his academic roots for a more peripatetic career in management consulting, initially with Price Waterhouse. After years travelling around the world for both work and pleasure, including a two-year assignment in Geneva, he was diagnosed with PPMS in 2007.
Phil found Overcoming MS in 2011, and coupled with his earlier discovery of mindfulness meditation, awakened a whole new area in his life. With training and supervision from Bangor University, he currently teaches the eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course to people with MS on a pro-bono basis, and delivers the mind-body component of some of the OMS UK retreats. He is a trustee for MS-UK and wrote an article on the first UK OMS Retreat in 2013, which he attended, for their New Pathways magazine.


Sharon (top right in the cover photo) is putting Israeli-made fashion back on the map.
The glory days of Israeli haute couture were in the 1950s and early 1960s, when everyone who was anyone was wearing a Desert Coat. Inspired by the shawls of Bedouin women, the coat and other high-fashion items made by the Maskit fashion house were on the cover of Vogue, stocked in the most exclusive of New York stores, and worn by celebrities from Audrey Hepburn to Queen Elizabeth.
Sharon began researching the past success of Maskit. As she explains, "Maskit (named after the biblical term for accessory) was founded in 1954 by Ruth Dayan, one of Israel's first female entrepreneurs. She was the first wife of Moshe Dayan, the general and politician. The Government wanted Ruth to teach agriculture to immigrants but she saw that these women from Yemen, Morocco, Bulgaria, from so many countries, had brought with them amazing embroidery and clothing. Why not focus on fashion rather than farming and create clothing out of the melting pot of cultures here?" The result was a Government-owned fashion house that provided work for poor immigrant women yet made a big splash in the big business of luxury fashion.


●Compact yet powerful Chrome computer with a 5th generation Intel processor.
●Style matters – choose between glossy Gun Gray and Icicle Gold.
●Lightning-fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi, with 100GB of Google Drive space free for two years.
●Generates just 17dB of noise at idle and 31dB at full power - quieter than a library.
●Draws just 6W at idle – more efficient than a LED light bulb.
●Easy to set-up, automatically downloads the latest updates and security fixes to stay up-to-date and keep itself safe from viruses and malware.
●Extensive connectivity options with 4K/UHD* output and multi-display support.
●Four USB 3.0 ports, with two front-mounted fast charging USB 3.0 ports to charge your mobile devices in half the time.
●VESA-mount compatible — mount it on the back of a monitor or HDTV.
* Only Intel Core i7 and i3 models support 4K/UHD playback.
** Icicle Gold colour scheme only available for Intel Celeron processor models.


text:
Q: Как правильно организовать очерёдность запросов к api vk? Столкнулся с проблемой. "В контакте" присылает моему приложению через колбэк сообщение от юзера. Чтобы отправить юзеру ответ, приложение делает 3 запроса к апи.
Когда сообщений было мало, всё работало хорошо. Но теперь, в часы пик, лимит (3 запроса в сек) превышается и вк блокирует запросы.
Вопрос: как правильно организовать очередь - чтобы несмотря на большое количество сообщений на входе, приложение стабильно обращалось к апи 3 раза в секунду.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Правдино () — озеро в районе Магжана Жумабаева Северо-Казахстанской области Казахстана. Находится к западу от села Суворовка.

По данным топографической съёмки 1940-х годов, площадь поверхности озера составляет 2,12 км². Наибольшая длина озера — 1,9 км, наибольшая ширина — 1,6 км. Длина береговой линии составляет 7 км, развитие береговой линии — 1,34. Озеро расположено на высоте 129,6 м над уровнем моря.

По данным обследования 1957 года, площадь поверхности озера составляет 3,2 км². Максимальная глубина — 2,4 м, объём водной массы — 3,8 млн. м³, общая площадь водосбора — 49,1 км².

Примечания

Озёра района Магжана Жумабаева


text:
Gloucestershire Archives
Gathering, keeping and sharing the documentary heritage of Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire
About Gloucestershire Archives
Gloucester City Council and the City War Memorial, by Jonathan Hoad
Posted on 29/10/2021 by pevansga
As Remembrance Day approaches, I thought I would share my findings in the Gloucester Borough Records (GBR/L6/23/B5018), on how the names of World War Two fallen on the Gloucester City War Memorial, in Gloucester Park, were collected by the Council using official sources and a public appeal.
First is a 35 Page War Office printout, titled ROLL OF HONOUR. 1939 WORLD WAR, of the 1013 who died in WWII and were born or domiciled in Gloucestershire or Gloucester,
Each sheet gives columns for:
Surname and Christian Name
Army Number
Regt or Corps* split into 1st Sep 1939 and At Time of Death
Place of Birth*
Place or Domicile*
Place of Death*
Spare column
*These columns are in code which can be decoded in the accompanying booklet Army Roll of Honour issued by the War Office in 1947.
War Office WWII Roll of Honour Gloucestershire,jpg
Also, in the file is a typed two page document of those who fell serving in the Merchant Marines.
The first sheet gives the particulars of "members of the merchant navy and fishing fleet, pilots and personnel of light vessel services resident in the city of Gloucester, who died (at sea or ashore) from enemy action or other causes arising out of the war and whose deaths were reported to the register between 3 September 1939 and 30 September 1947". It is organised in columns for:
Rank or Rating
Address (Seamans' Last Known Address or Address of Next of Kin)
Name and official number of the vessel on which the deceased lost his life or in which the cause of death arose
The second sheet, organised in the same way, is the particulars of seamen who died from causes other than those arising out of the war.
Merchant Marine Roll of Honour Gloucester.jpg
There are also lists from:
Saint Mary de Lode Church who were preparing their own list,
Carlton Primary and Junior School
Kingsholm Senior Mixed School
The Central Secondary School for Boys from their Roll of Honour
Sir Thomas Rich's School from their Roll of Honour
St Oswald's Church from their War Memorial
There must also have been names sent in from the public following the Mayor's appeal in the Citizen newspaper, but sadly these have not survived.
Finally, there is a paper exercise book labelled Memorial to the Fallen 1939-1945 World War, with an indexed handwritten list of the details of 430 people, Service and civilian. It is not possible to say at what stage this was produced, but it must be close to the definitive list that went to H H Martyn of Cheltenham for the crafting of the bronze plaques.
These documents contain a wealth of information for those researching Gloucester in World War Two. More viscerally, looking at these documents is like peering over the clerk's shoulder as they painstakingly collected, verified and collated the names of the fallen.
This entry was posted in Explore Your Archive, Gloucestershire Heritage Hub, Gloucestershire's archives revealed, Our collections, volunteering and tagged Archive, Collections, Gloucester, local history, volunteering by pevansga. Bookmark the permalink.


Bingham real estate options include cities like Blackfoot, ID where the Eastern Idaho State Fair is held annually. The area is predominantly rural with small towns dotting the landscape. Interstate 15 runs through Blackfoot and provides excellent access to nearby areas.
Great Lot in Shelley, Possible Manufactured Home Site or Build it from the Ground Up.
2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1150 square feet, on .36 acre lot in Blackfoot, Idaho. Large mature trees in an established yard. Detached 2-car garage.
Has a domestic well drilled on the eat 3.61 acre tract. Has been capped and buried in a couple feet of dirt. Would take a metal detector to find it for future use.
Amazing 3.55 acre lot in the country. Buyer will be responsible for their own well and septic.Water rights. Beautiful place to build your dream home.
1.26 acre lot in the coiuntry., this acreage would be a beautiful place to build your dream home. Buyer will be responsible for their own well and septic Water rights.
Quiet subdivision lot with back near golf course. Short distance from green belt and other convenient services.
EXCELLENT BUILDING SITE IN GROWTH AREA. 3 NEW BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN BUILT, PLUS NEXT TO TOMMY VAUGHN'S. THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE.


An impressive collection of demos and showcases of digital special effects are back online following a hiatus. Icebird.org was offline for a few years but is now back after maintainer David Schalig restored the archive. The demos were previously hosted on a borrowed university server which was eventually decommissioned.
Icebird were a group of crack coders, musicians and graphic artists who worked together to produce demos for RISC OS powered computers and party at events such as Yelling Jam and Siliconvention. Demos are typically short but exciting presentations of animated graphics accompanied by high energy music that attempt to grandstand the programming and design abilities of their contributors. The Icebird website packs a full range of demos from the early 1990s to more contemporary efforts including K2, Blu and Zero. You will not find a stronger nostalgia trip than watching a demo from 1991 in an emulator, complete with scratchy sample ridden techno, bouncing balls in 6 bits per pixel colour and scroll text that dares to use palette shifting. On the other end of the scale, the likes of K2 and Era try hard to make full use of the hardware of the period - StrongARM RiscPC with no floating point processor or video acceleration in sight.
David said: "Around 2000 and 2001, during the rise of the Internet and the fall of the Acorn world, we put much energy in this website. It was both our demo group Icebird's 'head quarters' and a downloadable archive for Acorn demos. It was also meant as a succeessor to Coder's Revenge - a demoscene diskmag we used to publish between '95 and '97 - the site has a section with articles.
"From end of 2001 Icebird's members went on to new things, some started to work, some are still active in the PC demoscene and joined the group Farbrausch. Yes, this famous group has Acorn roots. So finally, 2006: a new year and new plans. We restored the archive and put it back online. Until today there is no other place on the Internet which hosts Acorn demoscene releases. So we at Icebird were a bit worried that all these productions disappear forever in the void."
Alongside demos, the archive includes intros, which are brief and compact cousins of demos, and art disks, which are where the musicians and graphic designers show case their talent. Also online is a large number of classic demos from yesteryear, disc magazine issues and the programming tools used by all the old skoolers. For anyone looking for a starting point, David recommends Trans Mortal from ArcEmpire, which he describes as "impressive ARM2 stuff".
"I think everybody at Icebird still loves the Acorn platform. It was unique and innovative, and as we grew up with it, we learned to view things from a different angle," continued David.
"We plan to catch up and upload releases from between 2001 and 2006. There even are a couple of as yet unpublished Icebird productions. Also we would like to do a design overhaul and convert the site from static html to something dynamic. And very importantly, in order to get more audience for Acorn demos - we plan to crosslink all releases to pouet.net, the mother of all demo archives.
"I personally would love to find the time and make another Acorn demo - something for the ARM2 Archimedes. I am keeping my old A3010 around just for this reason."
More graphics return to RISC OS, didn't know about Icebird before.
More great stuff like this will help RISC OS, every little bit helps?
I keep meaning to 32bit my demo, "Demo6399", not remotely in the same league as the spectacular ones above, but part of the earlier generation at the end of the 80s inspired by Alt-Mans (Hugo Fiennes) series of demos 1-5. This was before anyone outside of university had the internet (which was email and ftp back then, the web was still years away), and it spread round the world by people putting floppy discs in the snail mail to their friends. I was amazed that only a few months after its release, letters dropped through the postbox saying "Hi I'm from South Africa, have you written anything else? Tell me about whats happening in the UK Acorn scene." I would be great to find out where all those people are now.
"More great stuff like this will help RISC OS"
While 32-bitting might be difficult, what about removing the StrongARM checks that some of them have. I assume it's a speed issue, but it prevents them running on VRPC since it emulates an ARM7 instead (although at StrongARM speeds).
Cool - I never knew that some ex risc os coders are now part of Fabrausch. Their demos are just so cool. I still remember the first time I watched their popular demo..... ahh memories.
Does anyone know which coders are now part of Fabrausch?
MattLB: I suppose it depends on whether or not those are simply checks, or whether they use the additional StrongARM instructions.
Funnily enough, I landed up in my own Demos directory the other day, and spent a good few minutes running through the old demos. I remember they messed up a bit with the BASS mega-demo - at certain points they detected processor when they should really have been checking OS version. I remember switching my ARM610 card back in to my 3.7 machine to see if it'd run extra segments. It did, and then they crashed.
Sadly, Zero no longer seems to run on my old 4.02 SA, crashing at a certain point. The other 'ultimate' SA demo, K2, still runs fine on my machine. And I enjoyed re-running Reisnac too the other day.
It's a shame that the scene died after that. DFI's K2 really showed a new flair for design, and little features like, oh, frame rates. And Zero showed real skill at coding for the Nutters lads. Fluro always has the requisite spit and polish, but sometimes it just didn't seem to be trying hard enough.
I don't agree necessarily with 32-bitting old demos though. Granted, it's cool that jojo still runs on SAs, but the real point of jojo is that it'll run on an ARM250 machine. The important thing about those flagship demos is that they push whatever machine they're running on to the limit. But then I prefer running BBC games on the original hardware rather than an emulator, so maybe that's just me.
I did hope at one point that the Iyonix would prompt coders back, but perhaps it having a more conventional graphics card there's less to be gained from pushing it to its limit, when PC demo coders have already been there. Perhaps, I'm not sure.


This unreal funny car is a far out design by Design Master - Tom Daniel. It features all the tech of the 70s, including a tubular funny car chassis, safety roll cage, aluminum fire wall, fuel and water tanks, blown 426 engine, 'zoomie' exhausts headers and dual drag chutes to stop this monster! It's decked out with roof flashers, gumball lights, spot lights and sponsor decals. It's a sight to behold and a truly FUN model to build! Kit features vintage police light bar and one-piece lift-off body.


text:
land grant permanent fund
Governor Pushes For Permanent Fund Money For Pre-K
By Hannah Colton • Mar 6, 2019
NM Legislature webcast
With a little over a week left in the session, some lawmakers aren't ready to give up on a proposal to devote more Land Grant Permanent Fund earnings to early childhood education. A bill that would have put the idea to voters died in the Senate Rules Committee earlier this week. But Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham showed up at a committee hearing this morning to push for a scaled-back version.
Disappointment For Early Childhood Education Advocates
By Victor Onimole • Feb 15, 2018
Night Owl City via Flickr / Creative Commons License
Supporters of early childhood education didn't get the funding they were hoping for this legislative session.
Some House lawmakers wanted to use more money from the State's Land Grant Permanent Fund for things like pre-K, childcare cssistance and other programs. But Democratic State Senator John Arthur Smith said that's a bad idea.
Let's Talk Education And The State Budget
By Hannah Colton • Feb 7, 2018
Let's Talk New Mexico 2/8 8a: Call now (505) 277-5866. Most New Mexico lawmakers might agree that improving education for our children is a top priority. But in a year when the state's oil and gas revenues are up, there's no consensus on just how much money schools need, where that money should come from or how it should be spent. How could our laws and state spending better serve students? This week on Let's Talk New Mexico, we're talking education and the state budget. Join us Thursday morning at 8 on KUNM. Call in live during the show or tweet using #LetsTalkNM.
Advocates Push For Land Grant Money Amid Rising Child Poverty Rate
FeeLoona via Pixabay / creative commons license
New Mexico's poverty rate is getting even worse for children under five years old, according to new numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Now some child advocates and state legislators are renewing their calls to use money from the state's permanent fund to pay for childhood programs.


text:
Arlington Heights Historical Museum holds first-ever holiday open house, featuring Christmas trees with German trimmings
By Elizabeth Owens-Schiele
The Arlington Heights Historical Museum opened its doors this month for its inaugural holiday -open house, marking the yuletide season and sharing the history of the village.
"We wanted to have some outreach in the community to get people to our doors," Dan Schoeneberg, museum administrator, said about the Dec. 11 open house. "It's also a service to our members to come in and see what we do and to get in the holiday spirit."
Both the Mueller House, built in 1882, and the Banta House, built in 1908, on the museum's property at Vail and Euclid avenues, were decorated with German Christmas trees featuring what is considered historically accurate ornaments. Staff were period clothing and talked about holiday traditions of the late 19th Century and how the Mueller and Banta families celebrated their holidays, Schoeneberg said.
Visitors to the holiday open house at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum Dec. 11, 2021 learned about the history and holiday traditions in the Banta House. (Elizabeth Owens-Schiele / Pioneer Press)
The 484th Army Band performed at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum inaugural holiday open house Dec. 11, 2021. (Elizabeth Owens-Schiele / Pioneer Press)
Hot chocolate, popcorn and Arlington club soda were sold in the coach house at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum during its inaugural holiday open house Dec. 11, 2021. (Elizabeth Owens-Schiele / Pioneer Press)
Hot chocolate and Arlington club soda, manufactured for and sold by the museum, were for sale in the coach house. Popcorn stringing was also a craft featured in the Banta house.
The 484th Army Band, a group of reservists in Arlington Heights, dropped by the event to play some holiday tunes for visitors.
"We're here to spread a little holiday spirit in the community," said Staff Sgt. Bob McKenzie.
Visitors dropped by the two-hour event to see the museum, coach house, log cabin and the two historic homes on the property and learn more about the village's history.
"This is very interesting," said Kathy McIntyre, a 20-year resident. "I've never been here before. I love the museum and now I want to bring the little ones back to see it."
Boy Scout Gavin Wakefield, 12, attended the open house, stringing popcorn to earn volunteer hours for his citizenship in the community badge.
"It's very interesting and I think it's a great thing they're doing for the community in order to help the small economy here during COVID," Wakefield said of the event.
Clay and Joyce Walker said they also found it interesting to visit the museum buildings to learn more about the village they have been living in for 49 years.
The village of Arlington Heights was founded in 1845 and was originally known as the town of Bradley, later changed to Dunton and served as a farming community in the 1850s and 1860s, according to Schoeneberg. When the railroad was constructed, it connected Chicago to the suburbs and the village was renamed Arlington Heights in the 1870s.
The Arlington Heights Historical Society was founded in 1957 and the museum was born in 1967. Museum tours are hosted every Saturday.
"This is a museum you can come in and enjoy with your family to learn about the history of Arlington Heights," said Annette Curtis, president of the Arlington Heights Historical Society. "The Arlington club soda pop area is a big draw, very nostalgic for people who grew up in and around Arlington Heights and the play area is adorable for the little ones."
Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelancer.
Latest Arlington Heights
Metropolis show explores the life of Billie Holliday
Why the NFL's 'socialistic enterprise' means the Chicago Bears win at the bank — even when they lose on the field


text:
of Victoria UVic News
Search UVic News
human and social development
2022 Leiden Rankings
International research rankings released today by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands once again show that UVic researchers consistently publish a greater concentration of high-impact findings based on international collaborations than any other school or institute in North America—a distinction it's held for eight of the last 12 years. In mathematics and computer science, UVic is the top university in Canada, and number 50 globally, for its proportion of high-impact research findings. UVic also scores second nationally for research in physical sciences and engineering, closely tailing the University of Toronto.
Borders and barriers in harm reduction
Mexico and Canada may be physically separated by thousands of kilometres, but people like Jaime Arredondo Sanchez Lira—the new Canada Research Chair in Substance Use and Health Policy Research at UVic—are working to bring them closer together when it comes to harm reduction and drug policy.
Drug checking as community building
The Vancouver Island Drug Checking Project, led by UVic social work professor Bruce Wallace and chemistry professor Dennis Hore, is a blend of research, service and partnerships including several UVic faculties, people who use drugs, students, government agencies, community groups and more.
Canoe creation re-awakens Pacheedaht ancestors
A new canoe is the centrepiece of a project led by the Pacheedaht First Nation (PFN) in partnership with UVic to promote health, well-being and pride in the community. It is the first seaworthy dugout canoe to be carved by the Pacheedaht in more than 15 years.
New UVic Impact Chairs
UVic welcomes two inaugural UVic Impact Chairs—Amanda Bates (biology) and Heather Castleden (School of Public Administration)—to five-year research positions.
National award for Budd Hall
UVic scholar and UNESCO Co-Chair Budd Hall helps propel community-based research across Canada and around the world. On May 6, he received a prestigious national award for his years of service.
COVID-19 health research
UVic researchers build more resilient communities in the wake of COVID-19.
Driving The Conversation
UVic researchers and grad students can now share their expertise through a new partnership with The Conversation—publishing explanatory journalism from the academic and research community.
Top newsmakers of 2020
2020 was like no other—and the UVic community kept doing what we do best. Here are just a few of the many stories that helped shape a year of news.
Support with substance
Nursing PhD candidate Meaghan Brown puts managed alcohol program experience and research into practice and policy.
Four UVic Vanier scholars
Four University of Victoria researchers are named Vanier Canada Graduate Scholars in an annual competition announced today by the Government of Canada. Vanier scholars, who receive $50,000 funding each year for three years, demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies. The scholarships are earmarked for social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and/or engineering and health.
SSHRC Storytellers finalists
Two UVic researchers named top 25 "Storytellers" in the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council's annual competition. They show Canadians the impact of their research in just three minutes.
When doctors see big data
UVic health informatics graduate student Amr Farghali has developed a tool to help visualize vast amounts of patient data—improving the speed and accuracy of cancer diagnosis. "The human brain interprets visual images faster than text," says Farghali, who works full-time as a senior pharmacist. Farghali decided to redirect his medical science career to where the need was greatest: providing cancer specialists with faster, more efficient screening methods.
REACH Awards
On Oct. 10, the third annual REACH Awards will celebrate UVic scholars for their extraordinary contributions in research and teaching.
Social prescription for dementia
Canada's National Dementia Strategy, the long-awaited blueprint for finding a cure and for reshaping policy, was released last week.
Singing to fight the stigma of dementia
"Voices in Motion" is an intergenerational community choir for persons with dementia, their family caregivers and high school students. It's also a UVic research study looking into how participation in an intergenerational choir might foster social engagement and caregiver well-being, improve quality of life for persons with dementia, and reduce some of the stigma surrounding memory loss.
< Newer
Older >
Browse Human and Social Development
The UVic Edge
Dynamic learning
Vital impact
Extraordinary environment
Faculty of HSD
3800 Finnerty Road
Victoria BC V8P 5C2
uvicnews@uvic.ca
Send us your story idea


text:
Racing the Devil: A Jared McKean Mystery - by Jaden Terrell
OK, so it's not a Horror novel, kill me...no wait, I take that back. Sue me instead. At least that way if someone takes me literally, I have nothing to lose.
I picked this up a few months back as a free read from LibraryThing.com. It's a Mystery novel, not that there's anything wrong with that. I just prefer Horror and well it does mention the Devil, in the title.
At 246 pages, it was a pretty quick read and an excellent one, at that. Racing the Devil introduces the reader to Jared McKean, a Nashville PI and former homicide detective.
At first I was getting a Raymond Chandler vibe from the words on the page, stuff like, "There were a thousand reasons why a woman might come into a bar with bruises on her cheeks and tears in her eyes. Not all of them involved some jerk with a sour temper and heavy fists." and later when Jared and the lady find a motel, "Nothing classy about it, but that was just as well. Class would have been wasted on us."
But that film noir feel ended as soon as our hero discovered he's been framed for murder. By the way, that should be "Framed" with a capital 'F". He was Framed so hard, he might have believed himself guilty, if he didn't know better.
Just a quick aside, having grown up in The Church of the Nazarene, I got a big kick out of Jared's comment, "Dancing is a sexually stimulating activity. At least that's what they told us Nazarenes." As a matter of fact, I think that's a direct quote from the church's manual when I was a teenager in the 60's.
The author, Jaden Terrell, does a really nice job with his characters. They all are embued with a touch of authenticity. I was particularly fond Jared's relationship with his, soon to be, 8 year old son, Paulie, who has Downs Syndrome.
Racing the Devil, is a murder mystery where we are pretty sure who didn't do it, even though the police are nearly certain he did and Jared McKean needs to solve the case to save his ass.
I'd definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys the occasional murder mystery. Racing the Devl is available in a wide variety of formats from The Permanent Press and look for the next Jared McKean Mystery A Cup Full of Midnight coming in September.
joe & me - by David Moody - This Is Horror Pemium Chapbook series
joe & me is the first in a new, quarterly series of premium, signed, chapbooks from the UK website This Is Horror. The website is a great source of info for fans of both Horror writing and films and I figured I'd take a chance on a charter subscription and I'm glad I did. Not only do you get the signed chapbook, but they send you a link for the e-Book, as well.
The initial offering is from the UK's David Moody and although the story of science gone wrong is a familiar one, it was still very satisfying.
Joe's dad, Simon, is a stay at home dad, but his "mom's a brilliant scientist. She's going to save the world."
There's a strong bond between Joe and his dad, but because she's always working on "saving the world", Joe's relationship with his mom, Gillian, is somewhat strained It's not that she doesn't love him, but when faced with the choice between potentially saving millions of lives and spending more time with her son, for Gillian, the choice is obvious. When faced with a similar choice, what will his father decide?
joe & me is certainly a good first effort for this project and I have high hopes for the rest of the series.
Posted by Frank's Horrible Book Reviews at 10:37 AM 5 comments:
The Void - by Brett J. Talley - Excellent mashup of SF and Horror
Brett J. Tally is a name I was not familiar with prior to reading The Void, now he's a writer I won't soon forget.
The Void is a wonderful combination of Science Fiction and Horror that manages to do justice to both genres.
The year is 2159 and interstellar travel has become commonplace, but it's not without a toll on the traveler. First you need to make your way to the edge of the solar system before going to warp, which actually bends the fabric of space to get you to your destination rather quickly. The catch is, the travelers cannot enter warp unless they are sleeping. And with sleep come the dreams. The dreams are always the same, but different for each dreamer.
In addition to the dreams, there are safety issues to be concerned about. There are many neuroses associated with warp travel. There's Braddock's Syndrome, also called sleep insanity and then there's CNF, Critical Neural Failure, where the traveler goes to sleep and never wakes up. And yet, interstellar travel seems to be worth the risk.
The Void is filled with real people struggling with real situations (well real situations for a SF story) and was a pleasure to read. The thing is, that the story, no matter how fantastical, is utterly believable.
The payoff for making the journey with this book is big, just what you would want from a scary Sci-Fi movie, with twists and turns and surprises to keep you guessing, right to the end.
You can purchase your own copy of The Void from JournalStone Publishing, in a variety of formats. If you purchase in a Hardback or Paperback, you get a free eBook version, as well. http://journal-store.com/fiction/the-void/
Needless to say, I highly recommend, The Void by Brett J. Talley.
Midnight Theater: Tales of Terror - by Greg Chapman - A solid, but short collection of Horror
Midnight Theatre is a treat for horror lovers everywhere.
This collection of 5 shorts begins with Precious Blood. Father Duncan Malloy is a priest at a small Catholic Church in Ireland and just before closing the doors for the night, he is coerced into the confessional by someone who's been around for a very, very long time.
From a vampire tale in Ireland to a story of the undead in New Orleans, next up is Relish, which starts with Jerry Thornton "naked, tied up in the the dark, in the middle of nowhere and he didn't know why."
I thoroughly enjoyed Hell-O-Ween. There's something about demon children "Trick or Treating" in Hell that just makes me smile.
There's also Patrick Oswald Edwards, a piece which reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe, might've been the reference to The Pit and the Pendulum, but I was actually thinking of Poe before I even got to that part.
Chapman finishes strong with a story about time in The Breadth of An Instance. My favorite or as Greg would say, "favourite", he's Australian after all.
All 5 stories are imbued with strong prose, something he has in common with Canadian Horror writer Rio Youers. That's pretty good company.
Going into this collection, I knew that Greg Chapman excelled at the Novella, having given 5 stars to both Torment and The Noctuary. After reading Midnight Theatre, I am convinced he can write short fiction as well. I just wish he's get around to writing a full-length novel. Something I could really get lost in for a few days.
As of the writing of this review, Midnight Theatre, is available for free from Smashwords. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/41734
The Nightmare Within - by Glen R. Krisch - Strong first novel
Glen R. Krisch is a strong new voice in the horror genre. The Nightmare Within was his first book, released in December of 2010., and one I won't soon forget.
Maury Bennet has a gift -- the ability to draw dreams from the mind of the dreamer and bring them into the real world -- a gift he discovered after a fire gutted his family's apartment building, killing seven people and leaving Maury with severe burns over thirty percent of his body.
Now a practicing psychiatrist, Maury is brought into contact with Nolan Gage who is engaged in dream research. Together they embark on a project to open a museum of dreams to be called Lucidity. What could possibly go wrong?
One of the things I liked most about this work is the author's skill at taking ideas and situations that seem crazy and making them believable, something Krisch seems to do with ease. His characters are rich and diverse in nature...and expendable. More than once, someone you would expect to see at the end of the book, doesn't quite make it.
The Nightmare Within is imaginative, compelling and original. A very fine first book and I look forward to more from Glen R. Krisch. I've already read Where Darkness Dwells, which I can also strongly recommend.
The Nightmare Within is available from Amazon.com and if you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you can borrow for free from the Kindle Lending Library.
The Hungry 2: The Wrath of God - by Steven W. Booth and Harry Shannon - Zombie fun
The wedding dress may be gone, but Sheriff Penny Miller is back. If you don't get the reference, then you haven't read The Hungry, a situation you truly ought to rectify ASAP.
When last we saw Sheriff Penny Miller, she and a band of misfits had managed to get away from the Crystal Palace, the Top Secret base that was birthplace of the zombie apocalypse. Now, the military wants them to return, in an effort to retrieve vital information. Information that may lead to a cure or, in the wrong hands, could make things a whole lot worse.
Penny doesn't want to do it, but when the Government lays a whole lotta money on the table and when everyone else opts in, somebody's gotta go to try and keep them all from all from becoming Zombie chow.
To make matters worse, for Penny and her crew, they are burdened with a team of top notch military types, led by Major Francine Hanratty--dubbed Rat by her peers. They've been pulled from the middle of a firefight halfway around the world and for what? Zombies? They aren't too happy, either.
No time is wasted getting into the action in The Hungry 2: The Wrath of God. I love the way the writers, Steven W. Booth and Harry Shannon give the characters fun dialog, "dead as a Kardashian New Year's resolution come February" and "If brains were leather you wouldn't have enough to saddle a June bug." being fine examples.
There are more than a few delicious twists to keep you guessing, including what's up with "The WrATh of GoD!" they keep seeing written on walls here and there.
True, if you only ready literary masterpieces, this might not be for you, but if you read for fun and if you're looking for a great summer read for that weekend at the beach, the lake, your cabin in the woods or even curled up on the sofa in your air-conditioned living room. This is the one, especially if you have a hankerin' for some Zombies.
Considering I've noticed where the books are now being tagged as The Sheriff Penny Miller Series I wouldn't be surprised to see The Hungry 3 somewhere down the line.
The Hungry 2: The Wrath of God is available for pre-order from Apple iBookstore on iTunes. http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-hungry-2/id531603829?mt=11
On July 6, 2012, The Hungry 2: The Wrath of God will be available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBookstore, and from your local and online bookstores throughout North America and Europe, and Australia.
Where Darkness Dwells - by Glen R. Krisch - Good, but not quite great
Glen R. Krisch is a new writer to me and I'm very glad I read this, his second novel.
The setting is the small mining town of Coal Hollow, along the Illinois River. It's July, 1934, the mine long abondoned. George Banyon and Jimmy Fowler are best of friends off on an adventure, in the middle of the night, to search for a two hundred pound albino catfish trolling a vast underground lake.
They never find the catfish, but what they do discover leaves them running for their very lives.
There are strange things going on in Coal Hollow. Why would men crawl out of a hole in Betty Mae's basement? Why would her father leave through that same hole willingly and why would his name appear on a tombstone, in the family plot, the next morning?
For me the story seemed a bit unwieldy. There's the story of lost innocence, a man running from his past, an alcoholic father, a ghost story, a tale of the Underground Railroad and so many others, all interwoven with a place where the dying go, but do not die and the lengths these "people" will go to to keep their secret.
Despite it's shortcomings, Where Darkness Dwells, does have a lot going for it. It's one of those stories where no-one is safe (love those). There's the originality of the tale, an underground society living in an environment where you never age and are magically healed. If you go above ground you face rapid deterioration. And having to kill to keep your secret.
There's also a potluck at Jane Fowler's place that was very well written, like a beutiful piece of Americana.
Overall a wonderful read that I highly recommend. Enjoy.
Available from Amazon.com for the Kindle and for free from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library for those with Amazon Prime.
Racing the Devil: A Jared McKean Mystery - by Jade...
joe & me - by David Moody - This Is Horror Pemium ...
The Void - by Brett J. Talley - Excellent mashup o...
Midnight Theater: Tales of Terror - by Greg Chapma...
The Nightmare Within - by Glen R. Krisch - Strong ...
The Hungry 2: The Wrath of God - by Steven W. Boot...
Where Darkness Dwells - by Glen R. Krisch - Good, ...


The Vision X 11.1" square XIL-P1810 features 3 watt LED Technology, narrow beam pattern offers you an even tighter beam pattern for great distance, and black aluminum housing. The XIL-P1810 comes standard with an extended warranty, and multi-volt 9-32V DC input. This light weighs 6.61 pounds and offers a mounting depth of 1". Coming with a Prime Drive for enhanced reliability and output also with defined optics to optimize distance and depth.


text:
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 490 wins top prize in Cruising World's 2019 Boat of the Year Awards
Cruising World magazine today announced the winners of its 2019 Boat of the Year competition, presented by Helly Hansen, the maker of technical sailing apparel. The top prizes were awarded to the Island Packet 349, conceived and built in Florida, which was named the Domestic Boat of the Year, and the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 490, designed and manufactured in France, which earned the title of Import Boat of the Year.
"The Island Packet 349 and the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 490 are very different yachts but ones that will serve their respective target markets very well," said Herb McCormick, Cruising World Boat of the Year director. "The Island Packet is the first new model introduced since the
company underwent a change of ownership, and is intended for long-term cruising and living aboard for a couple. The judges were impressed by the overall quality of workmanship. The Jeanneau was one of the best sailing yachts in this year's contest, and is the very definition of an outstanding performance cruiser. The panellists gave the boat top marks for innovation and
The 2019 Boat of the Year contest will be featured in full in a 22-page special report in the January 2019 issue of Cruising World. Contact us for more information on the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey range.


text:
Pokémon Go: 20 Most Common Problems and Fixes
Posted on August 15th, 2016 by Quertime Writer in Gaming
Pokémon Go is a game to be enjoyed at your leisure time. I could not enjoy the game to its fullest when it came out, i.e. glued to my mobile screen eight hours a day. I had work, and then when I got home tired, despite not having much energy to walk around moving my cell phone like an antenna of an old TV or radio searching for signals, I nonetheless was excited enough to devote enough time to it. I caught a lot of Pokémon just on my commute to work and back home. But I'm not fortunate enough to have PokéStops directly, I have to actually get up and GO.
On top of that, how frustrating it is when you literally walked around for miles, and the game was not recording your progress?Or when you worked so hard to reach a pokéstop hub and the game won't open? Server crashes were literally second nature to us.
I felt like throwing my phone against the wall before remembering that I won't be able to play the game if I break my phone. Luckily, with the latest update, a lot of these annoying problems are resolved and the game is steadily becoming a more pleasant experience.
1. Not available in your country
This was the first and most painful slap in the face was when the long awaited game Pokémon Go was released and it wasn't available in your country. It's still not available for many, especially in Asia. Those impatient enough (including me) downloaded it from the Australian app store, where it was first released, borrowing the Australian ID of a relative or a friend. Many of my friends in Android also downloaded it from a mirror link in an APK file format. They were willing to risk it, just to catch some Pokémon.
2. Not available on your tablet or phone
Imagine the grief my younger brother faced when he found out that the game is not available on his tablet. Pokémon Go requires your phone to be above Android 4.4 or iOS 8. If you have a phone with an old version of Android or even the latest Android N (which won't be supported until the official Android release), you won't be able to play Pokémon Go.
3. Battery draining
So I just charged my phone two hours ago, and it's already giving me a warning of low battery.What happened? When I checked my battery usage, 45% of my battery drainage was due to Pokémon Go, either by actively playing it or having it run in the background. The battery saver option when you flick your screen up was introduced, but went away with the latest update. I hear it's back now, though.
4. Server crashes
Almost everyone in the planet has faced server issues. Due to the immense popularity of the game, Niantic did not see it coming. The server was so overused that it could not take the burden. Those playing the game from the countries where the game hasn't been released yet only added to the pressure. Luckily, a lot of the issues regarding the server have been resolved with the latest update.
5. Game stops after creating avatar
So you downloaded the game, created an avatar, and are all set and ready to play, but the game just hung. Even after waiting for several minutes, the game refused to progress. Then you had to uninstall the app and repeat the entire process again and hoped it worked this time. This happened mostly to Android users.
6. "Nearby" Pokémon issues
The nearby option was often retarded. It showed Pokémon which was almost never actually nearby. So many times, a completely unexpected Pokémon popped up too. And one could never be sure what the small footsteps actually meant and how faraway it was actually indicating. This option is changed to "Sightings" now, and it doesn't show that many Pokémon as the previous option used to troll us.
7. Game freezes while capturing a Pokémon
This was one of the most painful things you could come across, and you have to have experienced it to truly understand it. I happened upon a Chameleon and I was so excited to add it to my collection, and having another starter evolution on my list. After tossing three pokéballs at it, the pokéball did not wobble like it's supposed to. Waiting for several minutes and praying it to have worked, the screen was stuck at the same spot. And yes, after finally getting fed up and restarting the game, the captured Pokémon wasn't on my list.
8. GPS Not Found in places
Imagine that you specifically went out to a particular faraway spot known to have many spots, and the GPS Not Found notification pops up? Even waiting for technically an hour, my avatar was still stuck at home. My time and trip were completely wasted, not to mention my legs.
9. Footsteps and distance not counted
To hatch a poké egg, one must walk a distance of two, five, or ten kilometers to "incubate" it. The distance was almost never measured in an exact way, sometimes completely disregarding your exercise as well.
10. Gmail permission and authority
For those who bothered to read the terms and conditions and went to double-check their Gmail, Niantic had Pokémon Go accidentally grant themselves full access to your Gmail account. You read that right, complete access. This issue was resolved when it was brought to their notice.
11. Switching IDs
There was absolutely no way you could switch between IDs. Believe me; I tried a lot to do it, especially when I gave my ID to a friend who was visiting a couple of PokéStops. Only if you couldn't connect to the server would it ask you to try another ID, and there was no telling how long one would be stuck with that.
12. Trespassing and privacy concern
Many PokéStops and Gyms got located onprivate property. Trespassing increased and people raised a lot of privacy concerns, and countries like Iran are talking about banning the game altogether.
13. Playing while driving
Imagine when the driver ahead of you suddenly jerks to a stop. Why the hell would anyone do that? With the latest update, a warning sign frequently pops up when you start speeding up that the game shouldn't be played while driving and you have to confirm that you are a passenger.
14. Not Wary of Surroundings
People are blaming Pokémon Go for the accidents they suffer while having their head glued to the mobile screen while walking. It's like an alcoholic blaming theexistence of beer for his addiction.
15. Mobile Data Usage
Pokémon Go requires a strong internet connection to be available to play. You cannot have access to a Wi-Fi connection everywhere you go, so it causes a serious strain in your mobile data budget.
16. Progress Reset
A lot of people faced this with the latest update, so much so that the creators had to actually address this problem on Twitter. Your progress remained intact, however. Reinstalling the app, or signing out and then signing back in solved the majority of the problem.
17. PokéStops not being available
Even though you're standing practically right at the pokéstop, the circle icon just wouldn't appear. There was also an issue of PokéStops just not being available.
18. Premium Items Disappearing
You purchased something from the shop, and then it vanished. It sometimes stated that you already bought this item, and sometimes premium items weren't available for your country. Double-check to ascertain if an item you're purchasing is available in your country or not.
19. AR issues and aiming
To avoid this headache and to save battery, I actually turned the AR mode off. The Pokémon won't appear, or just vanish and the camera screen stuck. The aiming is very poor as well.
20. Avatar issues
The avatar lags, a LOT. I faced this issue a lot in iOS. The avatar would be stuck at a particular spot, and walking as well, but it won't be moving. And instead of walking, it's skipping spots. And once you created your avatar, in the beginning, it was done and final. You cannot change it. But now there's an option to customize your avatar again. But my avatar still skips sometimes. Maybe it's the fault on my internet connection.
According to Niantic, the game we're playing is just the 10% of what the creators actually have in mind, so we can expect a lot of future updates. Despite so many issues regarding this game, it still remains immensely popular and people continued to play it nonetheless. The server issues were the main pain in the neck, but so far since the latest update, I have actually not had any at all. Maybe with the next update, the remaining bugs will also be resolved.
Author: Rachelle Scott
Rachelle is a full-time writer and a blogger who enjoys writing on everything design and development. She works as a blogger for Dissertation Corp. When not blogging, she loves spending her time on social networks.
10 Tips: How to Speed up Your Android OS 15 Proven Tips to Extend Android Phone Battery up to 50% How to Deal with the Depleting Life of Smartphone Battery the Right Way 20 Android Nougat Features and Tips Worth Your Attention 13 Tips to Extend Your Smartphone Battery Life 20 Most Common Windows Problems (And Solutions to Fix Them) Pokémon Go – Complete Beginner's Guide 14 Reasons Make Pokémon GO More Popular than Facebook
Tags: android, game, ios, mobile app, smartphone, tips & tricks
Ultimate Guide: How to Switch from iOS to Android
Pokémon Go – Complete Beginner's Guide
20 Extremely Addicting GPS Location-based Mobile Games
20 Classic Retro Games to Play on Smartphones
10 iPhone and Android Literacy Mobile Games for Kids
15 Awesome Gboard Features, Tips & Tricks You Can't Miss
Top 20 Platforms to Build Your Own Mobile App
Top 40 Best Virtual Pet Mobile Apps
Top 15 iOS and Android Apps to Learn English
Top 20 'Gadgets' that Work Best for iPhone / Android Smartphone