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US20040102992A1 - Communicating data relating to a site having one or more visitor destinations - Google Patents
Communicating data relating to a site having one or more visitor destinations Download PDF
US20040102992A1 US10/700,824 US70082403A US2004102992A1 US 20040102992 A1 US20040102992 A1 US 20040102992A1 US 70082403 A US70082403 A US 70082403A US 2004102992 A1 US2004102992 A1 US 2004102992A1
US10/700,824
David Tapsell
John Nicholas
Andrew Monnery
MYMOBILETIMES Ltd
Priority claimed from US42399002P external-priority
2002-11-06 Priority claimed from GB0225867A external-priority patent/GB0225867D0/en
2003-11-05 Application filed by MYMOBILETIMES Ltd filed Critical MYMOBILETIMES Ltd
2003-11-05 Priority to US10/700,824 priority Critical patent/US20040102992A1/en
2003-11-05 Assigned to MYMOBILETIMES LTD. reassignment MYMOBILETIMES LTD. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: MONNERY, ANDREW WILLIAM, NICHOLAS, JOHN NIGEL DAVIES, TAPSELL, DAVID LESLIE
2004-05-27 Publication of US20040102992A1 publication Critical patent/US20040102992A1/en
2004-08-03 Assigned to MYMOBILETIMES LTD reassignment MYMOBILETIMES LTD RE-RECORD TO CORRECT THE ADDRESS OF THE ASSIGNEE, PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 014679 FRAME 0142, ASSGINOR CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT OF THE ENTIRE INTEREST. Assignors: MONNERY, ANDREW WILLIAM, NICHOLAS, JOHN NIGEL DAVIES, TAPSELL, DAVID LESLIE
Status Abandoned legal-status Critical Current
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G—PHYSICS
G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING; COUNTING
G06Q—DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS OR METHODS, SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORY OR FORECASTING PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORY OR FORECASTING PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
G06Q30/00—Commerce, e.g. shopping or e-commerce
G06Q30/02—Marketing, e.g. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards; Price estimation or determination
G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
G06Q10/02—Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
G06Q10/10—Office automation, e.g. computer aided management of electronic mail or groupware; Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
G06Q10/109—Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings, time accounting
G06Q10/1093—Calendar-based scheduling for a person or group
G06Q10/1095—Meeting or appointment
G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
G07B15/00—Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points
G07C—TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
G07C11/00—Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere
G07C2011/02—Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere related to amusement parks
G07C2011/04—Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere related to queuing systems
A user is registered as a visitor to a site having one or more visitor destinations. After registration, the user is allowed to send and receive data relating to one or more of the visitor destinations (104) over a communications network (115). For example, a registered user may book an appointment at one of the destinations.
The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional patent application Serial No. 60/423,990 filed on 6 th Nov. 2002.[0001]
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to communicating data relating to a site having one or more visitor destinations. [0002]
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Many visitor-oriented sites, such as exhibitions, theme parks or museums etc, are being attended by increasingly high numbers of people. This can lead to lengthy queues and longer waiting times, which can reduce a visitor's enjoyment of the site. Visitors usually invest a great deal of their own time and effort to ensure the quality of their experience at a site but the operators of the site or visitor destinations within the site (e.g. exhibitors at a fair or ride owners at a theme park) may wish to try to enhance the quality of the experience for visitors. This can be difficult at present because individual visitors cannot easily communicate on an individual basis with the operators. [0003]
One proposed solution to the problems discussed above is given in GB 2307324. The system disclosed in that publication addresses the specific issue of queue management through the use of proprietary wireless equipment, docking stations and sequential codes. However, such a custom built system is only practical for permanent installations that can afford to install a bespoke system and the data that can be sent over the system is restricted to queuing related messages. [0004]
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of allowing a user to send and receive data over a communications network, the data relating to a site having one or more visitor destinations, the method including steps of: [0005]
registering a user as a visitor to the site, and [0006]
allowing the registered user to send and receive data relating to one or more of the visitor destinations over the communications network. [0007]
The data sent by the registered user may include appointment request data representing a proposed time at which the user desires to visit a specified one of the visitor destinations. The method may further include a step of providing a schedule for at least some of the visitor destinations, the schedule including a set of time slots a said registered user may reserve to visit a said destination. The method can include a step of using the schedule to check if an appointment time requested by the registered user is available. The method can further include a step of sending appointment confirmation data to the registered user, the data representing a confirmation that the appointment requested by the user has been accepted. The appointment confirmation data may include an authorisation code, which may also be sent to a device associated with the visitor destination (that is the subject of the appointment). The method may further include a step of the registered user presenting the authorisation code to the visitor destination, and the device associated with the visitor destination may be used to verify the authorisation code. [0008]
The method can include a step of sending appointment unavailable data to the registered user, the data indicating that the appointment requested by the user has not been accepted. The appointment unavailable data may include data representing one or more alternative times at which the registered user can reserve to visit the destination. [0009]
The method may further include a step of sending the registered user appointment reminder data at a specific period before the appointment time. The method may further include a step of the registered user sending data including appointment cancellation data representing cancellation of an appointment. [0010]
The data sent by the registered user may include information request data representing a request for information relating to a said visitor destination identified in the request, or a product/offering identified in the request. The data sent by a registered user may include a purchase request. [0011]
The method may further include a step of sending data to all or some of the registered users at a particular time. The method may further include sending a said registered user data at a specific period before or after a said appointment time. [0012]
The method may further include a step of de-registering all or some of the registered users to indicate that the user(s) is/are no longer present at the site. [0013]
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium, having thereon: [0014]
a computer program code, when the program code is loaded, to make the computer execute a procedure to allowing a user to send and receive data over a communications network, the data relating to a site having one or more visitor destinations, the method including steps of: [0015]
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus for allowing a user to send and receive data over a communications network, the data relating to a site having one or more visitor destinations, the apparatus including: [0018]
site communication apparatus including a registration component for registering a user as a visitor to the site using a communications network, and [0019]
a user communication device for allowing the registered user to send and receive data to the site communication system, the data relating to the one or more visitor destinations. [0020]
The network may include a cellular wireless network, a wireless local area network or the internet. The user communication device may include a device having a processor, memory, display and a component for communicating over the network. In one embodiment the user device includes a mobile telephone and data is transferred in the form of SMS messages. In other embodiments, data may be sent using other network technologies (possibly alone or in combination), e.g., MMS (Multimedia Messaging service) 3G (Third Generation), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network)/WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), Bluetooth (TM), Infra Red communication links, and the user device can include a palm device or an PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), etc. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that new network technologies developed in the future may also be usable. The site apparatus typically includes a data store, where at least some of the information transferred to/from the user device is stored. [0021]
According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus for allowing a user to send and receive data over a communications network, the data relating to a site having one or more visitor destinations, the apparatus including: [0022]
site communication apparatus including a registration component for receiving a registration request for registering a user as a visitor to the site using a communications network. [0023]
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of allowing a user to arrange an appointment at a site having one or more visitor destinations over a communications network, the method including steps of: [0024]
registering a user as a visitor of the site, and [0025]
allowing a said registered user to send appointment request data over the network, the request including data representing a proposed time at which the user desires to visit a specified one of the visitor destinations, wherein the data is sent in the form of an SMS message. [0026]
Whilst the invention has been described above, it extends to any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following description.[0027]
The invention may be performed in various ways, and, by way of example only, embodiments thereof will now be described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: [0028]
FIG. 1 illustrates schematically an embodiment of the system, and [0029]
FIG. 2 illustrates schematically an example of steps that may performed during use of the system.[0030]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a site [0031] 102. It will be understood that "site" covers a variety of venues, and examples include (but are not limited to), a location used for a temporary event such as a festival or a trade/tourist exhibition, as well as more permanent sites such as theme parks, tourist resorts or museums. Although in FIG. 1 the site 102 is shown as having a clear boundary and has a plurality of individual visitor destinations 104 within the site being relatively close to each other, it will be understood that the Figure is exemplary only and that the visitor destinations need not be located in a single well-defined geographical area. In the example, two visitor destinations 104A, 104B are shown, which may be two different rides in a theme park or locations in an exhibition for example.
Also shown in FIG. 1 is a user communication device [0032] 106. The device 106 may be one of many existing devices, e.g. a mobile telephone, portable computer or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) with communication facilities. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that devices developed in the future having similar capabilities may also be useable. Typically, the device is one that is already in the possession of a user before he visits the site, although the device 106 could be provided upon arrival at the site. Features normally included in the device 106 include a display 108, a component 110 for communicating over a network and processor/memory 112.
FIG. 1 also shows a site data processing and communication apparatus [0033] 114. The apparatus 114 can take several forms, for example, a server connected to the communications network, and typically includes a communications interface 116, a processor 118 and a memory 120.
Although the apparatus [0034] 1 14 is shown as being remote from the site 102 in FIG. 1, it will be appreciated that the actual physical location of the apparatus 114 is not of great significance (and the apparatus could in fact be distributed over a number of locations), as the apparatus is intended to communicate with devices in the site, e.g. the personal communication device 106, over a communications network (shown schematically as 11 5).
In the embodiments described below, the apparatus [0035] 114 is capable of communicating over a cellular wireless network and transfers data relating to the site 102 and, more particularly, the visitor destinations 104 in the form of SMS (Short Message Service) messages with a mobile telephone 106. However, other types of networks (e.g. wireless local area network) and data exchange (i.e. in forms other than SMS messages) could be utilised and data encryption and/or compression techniques could also be used. The memory 120 of the apparatus 114 includes code for allowing the apparatus to communicate over the network, as well as other data such as data relating to the devices 106 (and possibly their users). The memory 120 also includes code for an interface module 121 that is intended to allow operators/administrators of the apparatus 114 and/or visitors (potential or actual) to the site 102 to communicate with the apparatus 114. The memory 120 can further include data about all or some of the visitor destinations, e.g. destination appointment schedules 122. Further communication/data processing devices may also be associated with some or all of the visitor destinations, e.g. device 123 for destination 104B.
Turning to FIG. 2, there is shown an example of steps that may be performed during use of the system. It will be appreciated that steps of FIG. 2 are exemplary only and that the order, duration and repetition of many of the steps can vary depending on the way in which the user chooses to use the system. [0036]
At step [0037] 202 a user is registered as a visitor of the site 102. The way in which registration can take place may vary. For example, the user may send an SMS message to a number associated with the apparatus 114 requesting registration. In another embodiment registration involves the user providing information by means of a screen (e.g. web) based or paper based registration form. Data based on the information provided is then entered into the memory 120 for immediate or subsequent registration purposes. Such an arrangement can be used, for example, as a part of a registration process for an exhibition or during the purchase of tickets. The user may be contacted at a time determined by the site operators to confirm registration and also to remind the visitor of the benefits of the system. In yet another embodiment registration could be an activity that takes place automatically or "invisibly" as far as the user is concerned, e.g. when he first sends a message to the apparatus 114 using the device 106. Typically, registration will involve assigning the registered user an identifier (e.g. a code based on, for example, his telephone number or name). Alternatively, an identifier already stored on the device 106 may be noted by the apparatus 114 as becoming active.
In addition to a simple request for registration onto the system, users may be required (or may be given the option) to provide specific information about themselves. Examples of this type of additional information include an e-mail address, a physical address, payment details and personal information (e.g. gender, age). The provision of such additional information allows additional functionality to be enabled, such as the delivery of information to an e-mail address or the delivery of goods to a physical address or payment for goods. Registration will typically require the user to pay a fee, and the amount of the fee can determine the number/nature of facilities that are made available to the registered user (e.g. a gold/silver/bronze registered user type of system). [0038]
At step [0039] 204 data is transferred between the user device 106 and the apparatus 114. One example of this is a "welcome" message sent to the user device 106 following registration to confirm that his registration request has been received and accepted. Further examples of the types of messages that can be exchanged between the device 106 and the apparatus 114 will be discussed below.
Steps [0040] 206 to 218 relate to an example of messages exchanged when the visitor requests an appointment at one of the visitor destinations 104. It will be understood that such an appointment request is optional, depending on the planned activity of the user at the site. At step 206 the visitor uses his device 106 to send data representing an appointment request to the apparatus 114. It will be understood that the request data can vary in content and format but it will typically contain an identifier that it is an appointment request, an identifier for the visitor destination that is the subject of the request and an indication of the desired time of the appointment. The user making the request will also be identified, e.g. by including his identifier in the request data or by extracting his telephone number from the SMS message.
In more sophisticated embodiments, the personal communication device [0041] 106 may display a list of available time slots for each visitor destination 104. Such information may be derived from data transferred from the apparatus 114 to the device 106 at any time during or after registration, e.g. at preset intervals or whenever the schedule 122 is updated. This can also help the operators of the visitor destinations to manage the actions of visitors. For example, an operator of a particular visitor destination may limit appointment times to between, say, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Similarly, by only allowing appointments to be made at certain times, say, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., reservations may be restricted to people present at the site early on in the day, thereby encouraging early arrival. In one embodiment, the appointment request data sent at step 206 includes the number of visitors be present at the appointment, thereby allowing group appointments to be made.
It will be apparent that the system can be adapted to facilitate further visitor management. For example, a number of places on a ride at a particular time can be reserved for visitors with appointments, whilst other visitors may gain entry to the visitor destination at that time by means of conventional physical queuing. In another embodiment only users that have made appointments may be allowed to attend a particular visitor destination at a particular time. [0042]
At step [0043] 208 the appointment request is received by the apparatus 114 and a check is performed to see whether or not the appointment requested is available. One way in which this check can be carried out involves the schedule 122. In a simple example, the schedule 122 takes the form of a look-up table representing a list of time slots, e.g. one hour periods between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., for each of the visitor destinations 104. The apparatus 114 uses the desired time specified in the appointment request as a look-up key for the schedule 122. If the specified time slot is empty then this denotes that it is available and the schedule is updated accordingly, e.g. by entering an identifier for the user against the selected time slot. It will be appreciated that more complex data structures and search algorithms could be used.
If the check performed at step [0044] 208 indicates that the selected time slot has already been filled then at step 210 a message is sent to the user communication device 106 indicating that the requested appointment time is unavailable. In one embodiment, the apparatus 114 may check for the nearest available time slot for the specified visitor destination that is empty and details of this are included in the message sent at step 210. Alternatively, or additionally, the data may include details of one or more other visitor destinations that are available at (or around) the requested time, e.g. visitor destinations that are in close proximity or of a similar nature to the one specified in the appointment request.
If the check performed at step [0045] 208 indicates that the selected time slot is available then at step 212 a message is sent to the device 106 indicating that the appointment requested is available and that it has been set up. If a processor/communication device 123 is associated with the visitor destination then a message with details of the appointment set up may also be sent to that device.
The message(s) sent at step [0046] 212 can include an authorisation code. The code is intended to act as a substantially unique code used to access the visitor destination at the confirmed appointment time. The code may be retrieved from a store or generated in a (pseudo)random manner or by means of an algorithm, e.g. generating a code based on the time/date of the appointment (or when the appointment request was sent) and the identity of the user. The authorisation code can subsequently be presented as described in step 218 below.
It will be appreciated that the user can make several appointments using the system and that the apparatus [0047] 114 can be configured to ensure that a user does not make any appointments that overlap, or make appointments at destinations that are remote from each other at times that would not allow enough time to travel between the destinations. In the example steps of FIG. 2, step 214 represents the user sending an appointment cancellation message to the apparatus 114. When the appointment cancellation message is received the schedule 122 is updated to indicate that the time slot/destination specified in the cancellation message is free and a confirmation message may be sent back to the device 106.
At step [0048] 216 the apparatus 114 sends an appointment reminder message to the user communications device 106. In one embodiment, such a reminder is sent at a predetermined period, e.g. thirty minutes, prior to an appointment. At step 218 the visitor keeps his appointment and presents the authorisation code sent to his device 106 at the visitor destination 104. In one embodiment, the presentation may simply involve the user showing the code to an attendant at the destination by retrieving a stored SMS message from the memory of the device 106. Alternatively, the user may send/forward a message containing the authorisation code to a communications and data processing device 123 associated with the destination 104, which has also received the code from the apparatus 114 and so can compare it with the one presented by the user. In this way, the code can act as part of an "electronic ticket" system.
At step [0049] 220 the user is deregistered from the system. In one example, the user may send a deregistration request to the apparatus 114 to signify that he no longer wishes to use the messaging system or that he is about to leave the site. In another embodiment deregistration occurs at a preset time and a message may be sent to the user device 106 that deregistration will take place. Another example of when deregistration can take place is if a registered user abuses the system (e.g. by not turning up to an appointment that he has not cancelled) or if a predetermined maximum number of messages has already been sent using the system.
Further examples of messages that may be transferred between the user device [0050] 106 and the apparatus 114, e.g. at step 204, will now be described. In general, such messages can be classified as "Activity Based" (i.e. ones that are sent to a particular registered user based on information indicating the location of a registered user at a particular time, typically derived from appointment data); "Time Based" (i.e. messages sent to all or some registered users at predetermined times) and "Time/Location Independent" (i.e. messages that may be sent to or from the user device 106 under various circumstances).
An example of an "Activity Based" message includes the sending of messages relating to products available for purchase by the user. Information held in the system relating to the visitor can be used (e.g. offers for a "I rode the big dipper" tee-shirt being sent twenty minutes after the visitor had scheduled an appointment for that ride or "book a follow-up appointment soon" after the visitor had scheduled an appointment). It will be further appreciated that the additional information provided by the user can also be used, e.g. age/gender information being used to suggest a suitable size/colour of a garment. Another example includes special offers such as discounts for a particular visitor destination, e.g. as an encouragement for a free (i.e. not currently attending an appointment) visitor to attend a destination at an off-peak time, or as an offer for refreshments in an interval between appointments. Examples of a "Time Based" message are; a warning that a particular visitor destination or the entire site is about to close in, say, one hour, or an offer to take lunch early to avoid the rush. [0051]
An example of a "Time/Location Independent" message includes an information request message by the user using the device [0052] 106 for further details regarding a particular visitor destination. Another example of this type of message is an alert sent by a site operator using apparatus 114, e.g. an alert that a missing child has been reported.
Messages sent by the user can include requests for information about a specific product (e.g. an article being demonstrated at an exhibition stand), or a request to purchase a product. The additional information (e.g. home address and payment details) provided at registration can be used for this purpose. In one embodiment a display may be provided at a visitor destination that shows a code, e.g. a number relating to an item currently being demonstrated, which can be used in a purchase/information request message. Such a code display can be updated as different items as shown to the visitors and previous codes can be invalidated, e.g. to ensure no more requests for sold-out items are processed. [0053]
It will be appreciated that the data exchanged between the device [0054] 106 and the apparatus 114 need not be confined to text-based data if the network and hardware are capable of exchanging other forms of data. For example, visitors at a visitor attraction could take photographs of the attraction using a mobile device and transfer it to the apparatus 114 to enter it into a competition. Other multimedia data could also be exchanged. For example, the data may relate to interactive games (playable using the user device 106) or "points" for a loyalty scheme.
In one embodiment the interface module [0055] 121 provides an interface for operators of the apparatus 114 to control various aspects of the system. It will be understood that the interface can be accessed directly on the server that constitutes the apparatus 114 or the interface could be accessed via a remote terminal over a communications network, e.g. a World Wide Web-based interface. The interface may be used to create/edit/delete message (such as the ones discussed above) to be sent to all or specific registered users. The interface can also be used to generate management reports (e.g. statistics about number of messages sent, error reports, etc) as well as setting various criteria within the system (e.g. the maximum number of appointments allowable for gold/silver/bronze types of registered users, setting the period before an appointment when a reminder message is to be sent, or switch reminder messages on/off).
In one embodiment the interface [0056] 121 can also be accessed by other users. The users can use the interface for registration purposes and/or registered users can use it to make appointments prior to their actual visit, for example.
An example of a coding scheme that may be used when SMS messages are used to transfer data between the user communication device [0057] 106 and the apparatus 114 is given below. The coding example below is particularly suitable where the visitor site is an exhibition, but it will be appreciated that other coding schemes can be developed that are suitable for other types of visitor sites.Reg01
Reg01 register on system at site 01
Dereg01 deregister from system at site 01
REx@y.com register e-mail address (x@y.com)
RP.rg81aa.1 register physical delivery address (house
no.1 postcode rg8 1aa)
L001 request information about product 001 to
E002 request information about product 002 to
D003 book alert for start of demo 003 to mobile device
A004.1000 request appointment with company/visitor
destination 004 at 10.00 am
A004.e request earliest available appointment with
company/visitor destination 004
A004.e.3 request earliest available appointment with
company/visitor destination 004 with 3 visitors
A004.c cancel scheduled appointment with company 004
P005.001 purchase product 001 from company 005
The codes for sites, visitor destinations, products, etc may be given on literature, websites, or displayed on actual products/visitor destinations at the site. Bar codes could also be used if reader devices capable of communicating with other devices are provided. [0058]
The embodiments described above provide a system that allows a great range of site-specific information to be transferred between a visitor and site/visitor destination operators. The ability to collect further information about the visitor allows post-visit marketing opportunities and gives the operators opportunities to build up a profile of their visitors. The system also benefits users as they can receive more detailed information without having to seek out a visitor information point. As the system can be implemented using cheap and commonplace hardware (e.g. mobile telephones and personal computers), it can be installed and run at relatively low cost at virtually any site. Traffic on the communications network can also be increased, leading to increased revenue opportunities. In one embodiment sending some or each user generated message can incur a charge. In other embodiments charging is achieved through a prepaid off-line charging mechanism, a post-paid charging mechanism or a combination of all of these methods. [0059]
We claim:
1. A method of allowing a user to send and receive data over a communications network (115), the data relating to a site (102) having one or more visitor destinations (104), the method including steps of:
registering (202) a user as a visitor to the site, and
allowing the registered user to send (204) and receive (216) data relating to one or more of the visitor destinations over the communications network.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data sent by the registered user includes appointment request data representing a proposed time at which the user desires to visit a specified one of the visitor destinations (104).
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data sent by the registered user includes appointment request data representing a proposed time at which the user desires to visit a specified one of the visitor destinations (104), the method further including a step of providing a schedule for at least some of the visitor destinations, the schedule including a set of time slots a said registered user can reserve to visit a said destination.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data sent by the registered user includes appointment request data representing a proposed time at which the user desires to visit a specified one of the visitor destinations (104), the method further including a step of providing a schedule for at least some of the visitor destinations, the schedule including a set of time slots a said registered user can reserve to visit a said destination and the method further including a step of using the schedule to check if an appointment time requested by the registered user is available at the destination.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data sent by the registered user includes appointment request data representing a proposed time at which the user desires to visit a specified one of the visitor destinations (104), the method further including a step of sending (212) appointment confirmation data to the registered user, the data representing a confirmation that the appointment requested by the user has been accepted.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data sent by the registered user includes appointment request data representing a proposed time at which the user desires to visit a specified one of the visitor destinations (104), the method further including a step of sending (212) appointment confirmation data to the registered user, the data representing a confirmation that the appointment requested by the user has been accepted, wherein the appointment confirmation data includes an authorisation code that is also sent to a device (123) associated with the visitor destination that is the subject of the appointment.
7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data sent by the registered user includes appointment request data representing a proposed time at which the user desires to visit a specified one of the visitor destinations (104), the method further including a step of sending (212) appointment confirmation data to the registered user, the data representing a confirmation that the appointment requested by the user has been accepted, wherein the appointment confirmation data includes an authorisation code that is also sent to a device (123) associated with the visitor destination that is the subject of the appointment, the method further including a step of the registered user presenting the authorisation code at the visitor destination, and a device associated with the visitor destination being used to verify the authorisation code.
8. A method according to any one of claim 1, wherein the data sent by the registered user includes appointment request data representing a proposed time at which the user desires to visit a specified one of the visitor destinations (104), the method further including a step of sending (210) appointment unavailable data to the registered user, the data indicating that the appointment requested by the user has not been accepted.
9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data sent by the registered user includes appointment request data representing a proposed time at which the user desires to visit a specified one of the visitor destinations (104), the method further including a step of sending (210) appointment unavailable data to the registered user, the data indicating that the appointment requested by the user has not been accepted and wherein the appointment unavailable data includes data representing one or more alternative times at which the registered user can reserve to visit the specified destination.
10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data sent by the registered user includes appointment request data representing a proposed time at which the user desires to visit a specified one of the visitor destinations (104), the method further including a step of sending (210) appointment unavailable data to the registered user, the data indicating that the appointment requested by the user has not been accepted and wherein the appointment unavailable data includes data representing one or more other said visitor destinations that are available at the proposed time.
11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data sent by the registered user includes appointment request data representing a proposed time at which the user desires to visit a specified one of the visitor destinations (104), the method further including a step of sending (216) the registered user appointment reminder data at a specific period before the appointment time.
12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data sent by the registered user includes appointment request data representing a proposed time at which the user desires to visit a specified one of the visitor destinations (104), the method further including a step of the registered user sending data including appointment cancellation data representing cancellation of an appointment.
13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data sent by the registered user includes information request data representing a request for information relating to a said visitor destination (104) identified in the request, or a product/offering identified in the request.
14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data sent by a registered user includes a purchase request.
15. A method according to claim 1, further including a step of sending data to all or some of the registered users at a particular time.
16. A method according to claim 1, further including a step of sending a said registered user data at a specific period before or after a said appointment time.
17. A method according to claim 1, further including a step (220) of deregistering all or some of the registered users to indicate that the user is no longer present at the site.
18. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the data transferred in the form of an SMS message.
19. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium, having thereon:
a computer program code, when the program code is loaded, to make the computer execute a procedure to allowing a user to send and receive data over a communications network (115), the data relating to a site (102) having one or more visitor destinations (104), the method including steps of:
20. Apparatus for allowing a user to send and receive data over a communications network (115), the data relating to a site (102) having one or more visitor destinations (104), the apparatus including:
site communication apparatus (121) including a registration component (118, 120) for registering a user as a visitor to the site using a communications network, and
a user communication device (106) for allowing the registered user to send and receive data to the site communication system, the data relating to the one or more visitor destinations.
21. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the network (115) includes a cellular wireless network, a wireless local area network or the internet.
22. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the user device (106) includes a mobile telephone and data is transferred in the form of SMS messages.
US10/700,824 2002-11-06 2003-11-05 Communicating data relating to a site having one or more visitor destinations Abandoned US20040102992A1 (en)
US10/700,824 US20040102992A1 (en) 2002-11-06 2003-11-05 Communicating data relating to a site having one or more visitor destinations
US42399002P 2002-11-06 2002-11-06
GB0225867.1 2002-11-06
GB0225867A GB0225867D0 (en) 2002-11-06 2002-11-06 Communications data relating to a site having one or more vistor destinations
US20040102992A1 true US20040102992A1 (en) 2004-05-27
US10/700,824 Abandoned US20040102992A1 (en) 2002-11-06 2003-11-05 Communicating data relating to a site having one or more visitor destinations
US (1) US20040102992A1 (en)
EP (1) EP1420370A1 (en)
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2003-10-27 EP EP03078378A patent/EP1420370A1/en not_active Withdrawn
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Jenisch et al. 2005 My Personal Mobile City Information
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2003-11-05 AS Assignment
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bitninja.io Captcha abuse claim — .:: GSA SEO & Marketing Forum ::.
Is anyone else getting grief from the turkeys @ ;bitninja.io with "malicious attack claims" because GSA SER's configured captcha services failed to answer captchs?
I am using GSA Captchbreaker + Textcaptcha solver.
This doesn't seem to be an issue with captchas at all but with 45.35.105.201 being used as a proxy server.


text:
In Other Ivory Towers
In Other Ivory Towers: Middlebury removes 22 students for violating COVID-19 guidelines
Oscar Triggs
(Photo courtesy of Alan Levine/Wikimedia Commons.)
Middlebury College removed 22 students who had gathered at two separate 15- and 16-person parties last month, suggesting that the students had violated the college's gathering limits and social distancing protocols. Not everybody present at the parties was removed, as some of the students had left the building before Middlebury's officers could request identification.
In a Sept. 21 announcement, Middlebury's Dean of Students Derek Doucet wrote, "We have concluded that 22 students violated College policies related to COVID-19. We took swift action according to our sanctioning guidelines shared earlier with the community. These sanctions included revoking on-campus housing privileges and disallowing the students from visiting, studying, or taking courses on campus."
Middlebury's student newspaper, The Middlebury Campus, reported that Middlebury gave the students the chance to appeal, but all who appealed were rejected. Students were given 24 hours to move out.
According to the article, Middlebury's disciplinary response is in line with its past actions and statements. "From day one, the administration has established a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to Covid-19 policy violations," the article said. "There are no strikes or warnings: one violation, and you could be out."
Middlebury's COVID-19 dashboard reports that 52 students in total have been disciplined by the college and 27 of those 52 have been removed, indicating that five students had been removed prior to the weekend of Sept. 19-20.
Like Williams, Middlebury has advocated for a system of peer accountability rather than administration-driven policing of campus activities. However, Middlebury also instituted a non-anonymous online reporting system, asking students to "provide a detailed account of the incident with as many specifics as possible, including the names of the individuals involved, the date and time of the incident, the exact location of the incident and the identities of any witnesses." This reporting system is not anonymous.
Middlebury student and digital director of The Middlebury Campus Benjy Renton wrote that Middlebury's reporting and disciplinary process has created a "concern that people will snitch on others (and that has happened)." Still, he thinks students have responded well to Middlebury's policies.
"I have been really impressed so far with Middlebury students' willingness to follow the rules," he said.
Dean of the College Marlene Sandstrom wrote in an email to the Record that Williams had "explicitly decided not to use any sort of anonymous electronic reporting system, because it is contrary to the collective commitment we all made to speak up and act proactively to protect each other."
Sandstrom, who has been in constant contact with other NESCAC deans, also clarified the Williams reporting system, writing in an email to the Record that the administration has "encouraged all community members … to step up and have a conversation with anyone who is not adhering to our public health guidelines."
"This can be done respectfully and in a low-key way[:] 'Can you please put on your mask?,' 'This group seems really big…can you split up to be safe?'"
She additionally emphasized that "if community members see something worrisome that they are not comfortable addressing themselves, they should contact [Campus Safety and Security] CSS or Dean Rachel Bukanc for assistance."
Regarding campus concerns over violations of the large gathering guidelines, Sandstrom said, "Students who violate the guideline in an egregious way will be asked to transition to remote learning, and may also go through the disciplinary process."
Sandstrom added that thus far, the College has yet to receive names of students engaging in violations of the gathering policy, saying that "Campus Safety has been called on numerous occasions; when they arrive, however, the groups they find are not out of compliance. It may well be that large groups are dispersing before CSS is able to collect IDs."
Oscar Triggs,
Professor Steven Miller issues legal statement suggesting PA ballot irregularities; conclusions repudiated by statisticians, political scientists
One semester, ten cases: A timeline

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Over the past few years, more and more trade publishers have created digital-only imprints. Another new one just popped up in my newsfeed today: Little, Brown UK's Blackfriars will be launching its first list this coming June.
Under this program, authors will have a complete and unique publishing package. Every book will be assigned to an accomplished Random House editor and a dedicated publicist. They will also have the invaluable support of Random House's experienced marketing and digital sales teams, who know how to reach out to and expand each book's dedicated readership. Not only will authors benefit from working with the finest cover designers to ensure irresistibly eye-catching books, but they will also be offered the unique advantage of social media tools and training that will allow them to connect directly with their readers. To reach the widest possible readership, every title will be available for purchase at major e-retailers and will be compatible with all reading devices.
I wasn't alone in this impression–much of the news coverage of the new imprints speculated that Random House was attempting to snag self-publishers, what with the imprints' focus on short content, their willingness to accept previously-published books, and their literary-agent-optional submission procedure.
Authors who are accepted by Hydra and the others will have access to professional editors and designers, and will benefit from Random House's publicity team–just as with conventional imprints. If they desire the prestige of being able to say they're published by Random House, they'll have that too.
Even so, I can't help feeling that, with digital-only or digital-mostly imprints, print-based publishers are offering a kind of second-class publication. Ebooks are still experiencing triple-digit growth, but they're only one of several formats, and publishing in a single format limits your audience. For volume sales, print is still important, and a lot of book discovery still happens in bookstores. There's also the fragility of digital content, where formats are regularly and rapidly rendered obsolete by the advance of technology.
Perhaps I'm just too conditioned from having grown up, and begun my writing career, in a time when print was all there was. Not that I'm anti-digital, or resistant to new technology–quite the opposite. But I'm willing to admit that my reservations about digital imprints may have something to do with the fact that I prefer to read print, and am sad at the thought that we're heading for a future in which many books will never have physical existence.
On the other hand…what if digital imprints are offering second-class contracts?
– It's a life-of-copyright contract that includes both primary and subsidiary rights.
– There's no advance. Net proceeds (defined as net income plus subrights income less the deductions detailed below) are split 50/50 between author and publisher.
– Deductions for ebook edition: "one-time out of pocket title set up costs" (editing, cover art, design, etc.), plus a "sales, marketing, and publicity fee" of 10% of net sales revenue.
– Deductions for print edition, if there is one: "actual direct out-of-pocket paper, printing and binding costs," plus 6% of gross sales revenue to cover freight and warehousing costs.
Note that authors are not being asked to pay any costs upfront (despite that scary "out of pocket" term). Hydra "advances" those.
However, the costs are deducted from sales and licensing income, and reduce the amount of the author-publisher split. This is reminiscent of what's known as Hollywood accounting, where net proceeds are made to disappear by charging expenses against profit. Authors going into a deal like this can't be certain of what they will earn on a per-book basis–while the publisher is assured that its expenses will be recouped at the point of sale.
I should also note that I've seen only one Hydra deal memo to date. But the author who contacted me was given to understand that these are Hydra's (and by extension, Flirt's and Alibi's) standard offer terms, and I've heard anecdotal reports of other authors who've received similar or identical offers. Hydra does seem to be willing to negotiate–but publishers don't usually budge very far on core items like royalty splits.
If Random House indeed intends to reach out to self-publishers with these new imprints, it may want to re-think its contract terms. It's hard for me to imagine even moderately successful self-publishers finding a deal like this attractive.
You can hire a professional cover designer for anywhere from $100 to $500, or even less depending on how elaborate you want to get. For the rest, it reads to me like they are going to teach you how to publish a blog and how to get on Facebook. The professional editing can also be hired at a reasonable cost. If you self-publish, cover and editing are a one time fee, and then it's done.
Smashwords and Createspace will do the same kind of universal distribution and POD service they are advertising. For free.
What possible advantage does this kind of thing offer a self-publisher? Aside from the snob appeal of putting Random House on their publishing credits? Nowadays, I doubt that the publishing house name impresses anybody but other writers, and maybe agents. I could be wrong of course, but I don't personally know anyone who pays attetnion to the name of the pubisher when they buy a book. And I know a fair number of readers.
As I seem to be saying a lot in the course of this kerfluffle, there's nothing wrong with life-of-copyright contracts–as long as there's a good reversion clause that ties out-of-print to sales minimums. I haven't seen the Hydra contract–just the deal terms–so I don't know the precise reversion language, but Hydra does seem to be willing to negotiate on issues like this.
Let's hope that this Hydra does not start sprouting new heads.
Not to be confused with "Hydra House" an imprint of Pacific northwestern small publisher en theos press.
Morgan, I for one do in fact pay attention to the name of the publisher — but only to the extent that I want the publisher to be legit. I don't buy "self-published" books, unless they're re-issues of previously-published books which have gone out of print. Call it snobbery if you want to, but there are just way too many self-published books out there, and absolutely no vetting process to reduce the likelihood that I'm wasting my time/money on a book that is incompetently written and full of egregious grammatical errors.
That said, there's no reason an author should agree to a contract from a major publishing house that is basically no better than self-publishing (and may in fact be worse). There are plenty of publishers, many of them quality small presses, that offer their writers fair terms.


text:
{- Context used to implement de Bruijn indices, which are described in
   chapter 6.  A context is simply a list of strings, indexed in reserve
   order (that is, index 0 of a (Context ["x", "y", "z"]) is "x".

 -}
module Context where

newtype Context = Context [String]

newContext :: Context
newContext = Context []

appendBinding :: Context -> String -> Context
appendBinding (Context ns) n = Context (ns ++ [n])

-- Returns a name not already in use in the context, and binds it to the
-- end of the context, return both the name and the new context as a pair.
--
-- Returns the suggested name if it is not already in use in the context.
-- Otherwise, it keeps adding quotes to the end of the name until it
-- finds one that isn't in use.
pickFreshName :: Context -> String -> (Context, String)
pickFreshName ctx@(Context bindings) name =
    let freshName = getName name bindings
    in (appendBinding ctx freshName, freshName)
    where getName name [] = name
          getName name (n:ns) | n == name = getName (name ++ "'") bindings
                              | otherwise = getName name ns

getNameByIndex :: Context -> Int -> String
getNameByIndex (Context ns) index =
    if length ns > index
    then reverse ns !! index
    else error $ "Requested index " ++ show index ++
             " of Context of length " ++ show (length ns)

ctxLength :: Context -> Int
ctxLength (Context bindings) = length bindings

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
A rural New York county has adopted one of the most progressive trans prison policies in the US
Advocates hope the new policy will serve as a model for other jurisdictions.
By Katelyn Burns Aug 7, 2020, 2:10pm EDT
Share All sharing options for: A rural New York county has adopted one of the most progressive trans prison policies in the US
A protester wearing a mask in Times Square, New York, holds a skateboard that reads "Black Trans Lives Matter" on July 26.
Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images
Steuben County, New York, seems like an unexpected place to find one of the nation's most progressive transgender prison policies. The rural and conservative county lies just west of Elmira, in the central part of the state, about a four and a half hour drive from New York City. But thanks to a recently announced legal settlement, it now has a trans jail policy that could serve as a model for other prison systems throughout the state — and even the rest of the country.
At the center of the case is Jena Faith, who was picked up by police in April 2018 for allegedly using counterfeit money to buy pizza, beer, and chicken wings, and initially sent to the Steuben County Jail for pre-trial confinement, according to a legal complaint filed in August 2019. During intake, Faith informed jail officials that she is transgender, having begun her medical transition six years earlier and changing her name and gender marker in 2014.
Initially, she was housed in the jail's women's facility but several days later was transferred to the men's side and put in the general population. Once there, jail staff discontinued her hormone replacement treatment, she told Vox. A fellow inmate — a man and registered sex offender — began harassing her, touching her, blowing kisses at her, writing her letters saying he loved her, and propositioning her.
At first, her complaints were ignored, and she hid in her cell as often as possible. Later, she was transferred to a different portion of the jail in which several inmates lobbed homophobic and transphobic slurs at her, according to her initial legal complaint.
Faith was confined there for four months and her mistreatment was enough to prompt her to file a lawsuit against the county sheriff, who is responsible for managing the jail, as well as jail staff.
"I felt that I should have been respected as being a woman," she told Vox, pointing to New York state law protecting trans people who aren't incarcerated. "They can't discriminate against you, but when you're in jail they can do whatever they want and I thought that was wrong."
According to a settlement negotiated by the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund in Faith's case, which was announced Tuesday, trans people in Steuben County will now be presumptively held according to their gender identity, not their assigned sex at birth.
The new policy, which the New York State Sheriff's Association consulted on, also requires the jail to administer hormones according to an inmate's prescribed schedule and follow a number of trans-inclusive policies affecting incarcerated individuals' daily lives.
LGBTQ advocates hope that the new trans policy in Steuben County can be applied elsewhere in New York state and throughout the rest of the country. If that were to happen, it would be a victory for trans people, given the community's disproportionately high rate of incarceration.
According to a joint study by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 21 percent of all trans women have been incarcerated at some point in their lives compared to a 5 percent incarceration rate among the general population. That percentage jumps to 47 percent for Black trans women.
"We know that it is a workable policy that can easily be implemented in any county in New York state and throughout the nation," said David Brown, legal director at TLDEF. "There's no reason to think that the conditions are so different that it can't easily be adapted to serve any jail."
The Steuben County policy, briefly explained
Steuben County's new policy is not a first of its kind (the California state Senate passed a bill in May 2019 which would institute a similar policy), but it's progressive because it recognizes trans people as human beings who experience unique threats based on their identity. Trans women specifically are often singled out by anti-trans activists as potential physical and sexual threats to cisgender women, an unfounded myth based largely on stereotypes. In actuality, they themselves are statistically the most at-risk imprisoned demographic.
The new Steuben County policy skirts the political issue behind housing trans women with cis women by allowing for any risk toward fellow inmates to be assessed on a case-by-case basis, rather than assuming all trans women are a risk. This is how risk assessments for cis inmates have been done for a very long time. In other words, trans women are presumptively housed in the women's unit unless there is a specific reason to deem an individual a risk, in which case other accommodations would be made.
Beyond the policy's housing stipulations, there are several other key provisions that put it among the most progressive in the country:
Staff at the county jail must respect a trans person's gender identity in all contexts, including the use of names and pronouns.
Searches should be conducted by staff of the same gender as a trans person's gender identity.
Trans inmates must be given access to clothing, toiletries, and grooming standards consistent with their gender identity. This is particularly important because trans women are often not allowed to wear a bra and trans men are denied the liberty to wear a chest binder in custody.
Trans people should be able to access transition-related medical care like hormone replacement therapy while in custody.
The fight for trans prison justice is a piecemeal process
As with many issues around prison justice, the sheer number of state and local jurisdictions makes the nation a patchwork of different policies when it comes to where and how to treat transgender prisoners.
While statistics are difficult to come by, trans women are most commonly imprisoned in men's facilities. A 2017 review of 21 state policies conducted by the Prison Policy Institute found that just eight states allowed for trans housing decisions to be made on a case-by-case basis, rather than according to assigned sex at birth. In men's prisons, trans women are nine times more likely to face physical or sexual violence than other inmates, according to a National Center for Transgender Equality report.
Congress has acknowledged the problem, laying out guidelines in the Prison Rape Elimination Act in 2003. But the executive branch ignored the issue for nearly a decade — it wasn't until 2012 that the Obama administration rolled out a new Department of Prisons policy requiring prisons to take steps to eliminate sexual assault, including against trans inmates.
This was too much for the Trump administration, which reversed the policy in May 2018 to once again house trans people according to their assigned sex at birth.
As a result, in order to keep trans inmates safe, they are often held in solitary confinement — but that's not a good idea for prisoners' mental or physical health, either. This was the case for Layleen Polanco in New York City's Rikers Island. While incarcerated in June 2019, Polanco died of a seizure. While Polanco lay lifeless in her cell last June, correctional officers stood outside her cell laughing, according to security footage released this summer. Prison staff had failed to conduct the 15-minute-interval health check-ins that are required for prisoners held in solitary confinement. Staff told investigators that they thought she was sleeping. It was her third seizure in custody.
In June, an investigation by the Bronx District Attorney's office cleared prison staff of any wrongdoing in Polanco's death, even though the DA report also indicated that correctional officers had left her alone for up to 47 minutes, contravening jail regulations.
"You have facilities that are placing trans people in solitary confinement because they refuse to place people in safe housing outside of solitary confinement," said Zahara Green, executive director of Transcending Barriers, a trans-led nonprofit that supports the trans community in Georgia. "There are many issues with solitary confinement that we suffer psychological issues or mental health issues. ... It's something that exists within these prison systems all over the nation."
Polanco's death has spurred discussion on how to better accommodate trans women in prison. "I have found myself in the room with many prison officials all over the nation. What they're saying is that when they try to implement policies or create policies to protect trans people from sexual abuse and physical abuse and confinements, especially trans women, they have to deal with pushback from legislators," said Green.
Trans people have also sued, as Faith did, in order to be housed correctly. In 2018, a 52-year-old trans woman in Massachusetts named Angelina Resto sued the state prison system after she was housed in a men's prison facility after being convicted of a nonviolent crime. Resto had transitioned more than four decades before her conviction, and yet the prison system housed her with men; she claimed she was repeatedly sexually harassed and assaulted by other prisoners as well as prison staff.
In September 2018, Resto won her suit and became the first trans woman in the country to be transferred from a men's prison to a women's facility, according to attorneys at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders. Several similar lawsuits have been brought since.
It's the systemic change in Steuben County that's most important to Faith, who praised the policy change even though she's no longer locked up. "I'm just tired of the mistreatment and they need to know that it stops now," said Faith. "No more hatred towards the community."
Could a 54-year-old civil rights law be revived? Decades after Martin Luther King Jr.'s fight, American cities still segregate communities by race and class.
After the Beanie Baby bubble burst What happens when the frenzy ends and the world doesn't value your valuables?


Dr. Juan Carhuapoma is an associate professor of neurology, neurosurgery, and anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His areas of clinical expertise include critical care medicine, intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage, and intracranial hypertension.
He earned his M.D. from the Programa Academico de Medicina. He completed his residency in neurology at Henry Ford Hospital and performed a fellowship in neurological critical care at Johns Hopkins.
Dr. Carhuapoma is a member of several professional associations, including the Neurocritical Care Society, the American Heart Association Stroke Council and the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
Dr. Carhuapoma's overall research interests include three areas: (1) the role of pharmacologic neuroprotection of perihematoma tissue following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH); (2) the different hemodynamic and metabolic aspects of neuronal blood flow and metabolism under physiologic conditions and after acute brain injury, as well as their significance in neurologic outcome; and (3) the use of advanced MRI techniques in the study and understanding of ongoing neuronal damage after brain injury to design and assess therapies used in neurologic critical care.
To investigate these areas, Dr. Carhuapoma is engaged in a number of studies. The first explores the safety and feasibility of thrombolysis with ultrasound in the treatment of ICH and intraventricular hemorrhage (known as the SLEUTH study).
In another study, Dr. Carhuapoma and his colleagues are investigating removal of an ICH with minimally invasive surgery and treatment with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA). The goal of this study is to provide novel safety data that will change the way in which ICHs are treated, including previously unavailable data about the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of rtPA, as well as MIS data regarding the validity and safety of patient selection, quantitation of surgical effectiveness, patient stability, and disease/treatment-related complications. The study results also will provide the first estimates of the relationship between initial disease severity and long-term outcome for ICH. These data are critical to reducing brain injury from the only stroke subtype for which no adequate treatment is available.
In a study supported by the Food & Drug Administration, Dr. Carhuapoma and his colleagues are conducting a multicentered clinical trial of thrombolysis for intraventricular hemorrhage, the results of which will allow for the development of an effective treatment for intraventricular hemorrhage and demonstrate the safety and efficacy of thrombolysis with rtPA for that type of stroke.


STATEHOUSE- Rep. Matt Bell, along with his House Republican colleagues, today unveiled a 2010 legislative agenda with a focus on three key areas: protecting taxpayers' pocketbooks, growing and protecting jobs and enacting meaningful government reform. The 2010 legislative session is set to begin Jan. 5.
"My goal this session is to make sure that our state continues the sound policies of no new taxes and living within our means while promoting an economic environment in which the private sector can create jobs. Indiana has the potential to lead the nation out of this unprecedented recession because Indiana has been fiscally responsible. These policies will help us attract and retain Hoosier jobs," Rep. Matt Bell (R-Avilla) said.
The Taxpayer Protection Plan: Growing Jobs, Helping Hoosiers calls for permanent property tax caps along with growing and protecting and growing Hoosier jobs. Rep. Bell hopes that the plan will serve as the foundation for providing fiscal protection to every Hoosier taxpayer.
Rep. Bell supports three main goals that do not rely upon taxpayers as an unlimited resource for taxes and also protect their pocketbooks: (1) pass permanent property tax caps now; (2) no new tax increases; (3) livewithin our means.
# Calling upon the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) to delay sending 2010 unemployment insurance tax bills to employers.
# Supporting the delay of the unemployment insurance tax increase. House Republicans did not support the bill from last session because it would punish employers with one of the largest tax increases in state history during an unprecedented economic downturn.
# Supporting a review of all available job incentives so that Indiana can pool the current incentive funding to allow the Indiana Economic Development Corporation to use the incentives to increase Hoosier employment.
# Allowing new businesses to phase in their income tax within three years of starting a new business. This incentive will put Indiana ahead of many states around the country.
The final portion of the Taxpayer Protection Plan will ensure the legislative process at all levels is open and transparent to Hoosier taxpayers. The plan provides increased lobbyist and legislator disclosures, creating an independent redistricting commission and encouraging efficiencies for local governments.


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text:
Royal Saxon Jagdstaffel 72, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 72, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the Luftstreitkräfte, the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The squadron would score over 58 aerial victories during the war, including three observation balloons downed. The unit's victories came at the expense of two killed in action, one wounded in action, and one taken prisoner of war.

History
Jasta 72 was founded on 11 February 1918, at Fliegerersatz-Abteilung ("Replacement Detachment") 8, Grossenhain. The new squadron became operational on 20 February 1918. On 2 March 1918, it was assigned to 3 Armee. On 28 March, it was moved to 18 Armee to become part of Jagdgruppe Nord. On 1 April 1918, Carl Menckhoff scored the squadron's first aerial victory. On 7 July 1918, Jasta 72 was posted to 1 Armee. The squadron continued to serve until the war's end.

Commanding officers (Staffelführer)
 Carl Menckhoff: ca 11 February 1918 – 25 July 1918
 Kurt Muller: ca 25 July 1918 – 23 October 1918
 Gustav Frädrich: 23 October 1918 – war's end

Duty stations
 Blaize: 2 March 1918
 Leffincourt, France: 7 March 1918
 Bergnicourt, France: 7 July 1918
 Thin-le-Moutier, France: 10 October 1918

References

Bibliography

72
Military units and formations established in 1918
1918 establishments in Germany
Military units and formations disestablished in 1918

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This morning I had my SIP phone open on my computer, and the settings page opened, with the password highlighted. I closed it, realising that the phone is not connected.
I logged into the TMS and grabbed the password there, and placed this against the settings on my SIP phone, at which point I realised that the password had changed overnight.
Why would that be? Nobody has my credentials, and secure and complex login credentials are in use.
No need to worry, the SIP password was updated as part of a spam spot check, being a VoIP service provider we frequently update our safety and privacy safeguards, This is not common but can occur as part of a security update, this will not happen to your account again.
This has happened more than once again since I logged this ticket.
Pray tell, why was this updated with no communication sent out?
We can confirm that no changes have been made to your account, It may be possible that you experienced a drop in connection due to connectivity issues.
I checked with our network guys, they say there have been no authentication failures for your SIP account in months, does the phone say not registered or registration failed?


text:
Discover Plockton
Traditional Music @ Plockton Inn – Thursdays
November 12 @ 9:30 pm - 11:00 pm
« Traditional Music @ Plockton Inn – Thursdays
Traditional Music @ Plockton Inn – Thursdays »
Plockton is at the heart of a wide community, which has long been known for its support of traditional music and Gaelic culture.
We have live traditional music every Thursday throughout the year and every Tuesday and Thursday during the summer months.
The bar is alive with customers and fantastic music from our local musicians, who are often joined by a selection of talented youngsters from The National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music, which is based here in the village.
https://plocktoninn.co.uk/entertainment/
http://plocktoninn.co.uk/
Plockton Inn
Innes St,
Plockton, IV52 8TW United Kingdom
plocktoninn.co.uk/
About Plockton
Plockton sits on a sheltered bay with stunning views overlooking Loch Carron, in the Highlands of Scotland.
Travelling to Plockton: Location & Transport Links
Find out more. Stay | Eat | Discover
Stay in Plockton:
Bed & Breakfast - Self Catering - Hotel & Inn - Bunkhouse
Discover Plockton Highlights
Sea Kayaking - Boat Trips - Sailing - Mountain Biking - Plockton Harbour - Visitor Centre - Arts & Crafts & Galleries - Community website
Copyright © 2020 Plockton Marketing · Website & Marketing by West Coast Media


text:
package com.google.cloud.gkebackup.v1.samples;

// [START gkebackup_v1_generated_BackupForGKE_ListRestorePlans_sync]
import com.google.cloud.gkebackup.v1.BackupForGKEClient;
import com.google.cloud.gkebackup.v1.ListRestorePlansRequest;
import com.google.cloud.gkebackup.v1.LocationName;
import com.google.cloud.gkebackup.v1.RestorePlan;

public class SyncListRestorePlans {

  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    syncListRestorePlans();
  }

  public static void syncListRestorePlans() throws Exception {
    // This snippet has been automatically generated and should be regarded as a code template only.
    // It will require modifications to work:
    // - It may require correct/in-range values for request initialization.
    // - It may require specifying regional endpoints when creating the service client as shown in
    // https://cloud.google.com/java/docs/setup#configure_endpoints_for_the_client_library
    try (BackupForGKEClient backupForGKEClient = BackupForGKEClient.create()) {
      ListRestorePlansRequest request =
          ListRestorePlansRequest.newBuilder()
              .setParent(LocationName.of("[PROJECT]", "[LOCATION]").toString())
              .setPageSize(883849137)
              .setPageToken("pageToken873572522")
              .setFilter("filter-1274492040")
              .setOrderBy("orderBy-1207110587")
              .build();
      for (RestorePlan element : backupForGKEClient.listRestorePlans(request).iterateAll()) {
        // doThingsWith(element);
      }
    }
  }
}
// [END gkebackup_v1_generated_BackupForGKE_ListRestorePlans_sync]


text:
Home » Prolysis Gets $9.9M, Aims For Clinic By End Of 2006
Prolysis Gets $9.9M, Aims For Clinic By End Of 2006
By Nuala Moran
BioWorld International Correspondent
LONDON - Prolysis Ltd. raised $9.9 million in its second-round funding to advance its three lead antibiotic programs, focusing on bacteria that are becoming resistant to existing drugs, through to clinical development.
The fund raising was led by the existing investors, with Fujisawa Investments for Entrepreneurs LP and Fujisawa Investment for Entrepreneurs II LP, the investment arms of the Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma Inc., investing for the first time.
Steve Ruston, CEO, said he set out to raise £8 million (US$14.6 million). "We are jolly grateful our investor base decided to support us," he told BioWorld International. "But there was a driver from Fujisawa to make the investment quickly because of internal corporate issues, and so we decided to draw a line [at $9.9 million]."
Oxford, UK-based Prolysis' most advanced program, CDI-538, is a small-molecule inhibitor of FtsZ, a protein essential for bacterial cell division. The inhibitor works by preventing the formation of the septum in dividing cells, blocking the separation of daughter cells and leading to cell death through lysis. It's a first-in-class compound against a novel target and Prolysis says there is the potential to produce multiple products.
The second program, CDI-936, also targets FtsZ, but is chemically distinct from CDI-538 and works through a different mechanism. However, the consequences are the same, in that bacteria fail to form a septum. CDI-538 is intended as a broad-spectrum antibiotic, while CDI-936 will be developed against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
The third program, GYR-767, is an inhibitor of DNA gyrase, an industry-validated target that is a topoisomerase enzyme involved in coiling and uncoiling DNA supercoils. Antibiotics of the quinilone family inhibit gyrase, but there is growing resistance to marketed products.
"Every antibacterial attracts resistance in time. If you go with a me-too' mode of action, you will see resistance at the outset: Our modes of action are novel and it will take longer for resistance to develop," Ruston said.
The funding will enable Prolysis to ready the lead programs for clinical development by the end of 2006. At the same time, further programs will be developed from hits identified using the founding technology.
Prolysis has collaborations with Evotec OAI for medicinal and computational chemistry, and with Proteom Ltd. for in silico molecular design. The company was set up in 1998 by Jeff Errington, an expert in bacterial cell cycle and cell morphogenesis at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology at Oxford University, and has a collaboration agreement with the university. It raised £4.5 million (US$8.2 million) in its first round in November 2002.
The intention is to take compounds into Phase IIa and then out-license. "Being the size we are, we won't have a major clinical trials organization. But we do know there is a hunger for compounds with novel mechanisms of action among pharmaceutical and biotech [companies]," Ruston said.
Nuala Moran
The EMA's Shambolic Handling of Glybera


text:
Q: Where were the Men of Lake Town during the battles of Minas Tirith and Middle-earth? Where were the Men (or rather people) of Lake Town during the Battle of Minas Tirith and Battle for Middle-earth?
Had the Men of Lake Town merged with one of the kingdoms of Rohan or Gondor by then?

A: They were busy fighting their own battles

At the same time as the great armies besieged Minas Tirith a host of the allies of Sauron that had long threatened the borders of King Brand crossed the River Carnen, and Brand was driven back to Dale. There he had the aid of the Dwarves of Erebor; and there was a great battle at the Mountain's feet. It lasted three days, but in the end both King Brand and King Dáin Ironfoot were slain, and the Easterlings had the victory. But they could not take the Gate, and many, both Dwarves and Men, took refuge in Erebor, and there withstood a siege.
The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, The Tale of Years: The Third Age

And it was only after the fall of Barad-Dûr that the seige was lifted:

After the fall of the Dark Tower and the passing of Sauron the Shadow was lifted from the hearts of all who opposed him, but fear and despair fell upon his servants and allies...
When news came of the great victories in the South, then Sauron's northern army was filled with dismay; and the besieged came forth and routed them...
ibid.

The new kings sent emissaries to the coronation of King Elessar and had friendship with Gondor:

[The] remnant fled into the East and troubled Dale no more. Then Bard II, Brand's son, became King in Dale, and Thorin III Stonehelm, Dáin's son, became King under the Mountain. They sent their ambassadors to the crowning of King Elessar; and their realms remained ever after... in friendship with Gondor; and they were under the crown and protection of the King of the West.
ibid.

In some other writings in the Unfinished Tales, Gandalf speaks highly of the Men of Dale and Dwarves of the Mountain, acknowledging the defeat of Sauron having started thanks to a chance meeting between Gandalf and Thorin. The context of the extract is Gandalf speaking to Frodo, the other Hobbits and Gimli in a house in Minas Tirith after the coronation of King Elessar:

"It might all have gone very differently indeed. 'The main attack was diverted southwards, it is true; and yet even so with his farstretched right hand Sauron could have done terrible harm in the North, while he defended Gondor, if King Brand and King Dáin had not stood in his path. When you think of the great Battle of Pelennor, do not forget the Battle of Dale. Think of what might have been. Dragon-fire and savage swords in Eriador! There might be no Queen in Gondor. We might now only hope to return from the victory here to ruin and ash. But that has been averted - because I met Thorin Oakenshield one evening on the edge of spring not far from Bree. A chance-meeting, as we say in Middle-earth."
Unfinished Tales, Part III: The Third Age, III: The Quest of Erebor

A note on Lake-town
Lake-town was destroyed by Smaug the Dragon, after which the Men returned to Dale and rebuilt there. It was only around two years later that Esgaroth was rebuilt. Bard, king of those Men, however returned to Dale and lead from there.

Bard had rebuilt the town in Dale and men had gathered to him from the Lake and from South and West, and all the valley had become tilled again and rich, and the desolation was now filled with birds and blossoms in spring and fruit and feasting in autumn.
The Hobbit, Chapter 19: The Last Stage

A: The realm of King Brand had been under threat by Sauron's armies, and around the time Minas Tirith was besieged, those armies attacked.

At the same time as the great armies besieged Minas Tirith a host of the allies of Sauron that had long threatened the borders of King Brand crossed the River Carnen, and Brand was driven back to Dale. There he had the aid of the Dwarves of Erebor; and there was a great battle at the Mountain's feet. It lasted three days, but in the end both King Brand and King Dáin Ironfoot were slain, and the Easterlings had the victory. But they could not take the Gate, and many, both Dwarves and Men, took refuge in Erebor, and there withstood a siege.
When news came of the great victories in the South, then Sauron's northern army was filled with dismay; and the besieged came forth and routed them, and the remnant fled into the East and troubled Dale no more. Then Bard II, Brand's son, became King in Dale, and Thorin III Stonehelm, Dáin's son, became King under the Mountain. They sent their ambassadors to the crowning of King Elessar; and their realms remained ever after, as long as they lasted, in friendship with Gondor; and they were under the crown and protection of the King of the West.
(Lord of the Rings, Appendix B)

This is also why the Elves of Mirkwood were not present, or the Elves of Lothlorien - they were similarly under attack.
As an aside, since it may not be clear, Esgaroth (or Lake-Town) was compassed within realm of King Brand of Dale.

Nowhere are there any men so friendly to us as the Men of Dale. They are good folk, the Bardings. The grandson of Bard the Bowman rules them, Brand son of Bain son of Bard. He is a strong king, and his realm now reaches far south and east of Esgaroth.'
(Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring, Many Meetings)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
NIN ENROLMENT OF DIPLOMATS COMMENCES AT THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy
NATIONAL IDENTITY MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
NIN ENROLMENT OF DIPLOMATS COMMENCES AT THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
The National Identity Management Commission has commenced the enrolment of foreign diplomats in Nigeria.
The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) in his bid to ensure seamless enrolment of all diplomats in the country for the purpose of the ongoing NIN-SIM linkage and other needs, directed the setting up of the enrolment center at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja. The enrolment of the diplomats started on Monday 18th January, 2021.
Also, the NIMC wishes to assure members of the general public that all hands are on deck to ensure the enrolment of all Nigerians and legal residents into the National Identity Database..
Signed:
Kayode Adegoke
Head, Corporate Communications
Breaking News, Business, community
Koko Master DBANJ, Clarence Peter and K-switch endorsed Ned Nwoko Malaria Eradication Project.
Interior Minister Receives New AG. CG NSCDC in Office


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