text:
Today I got my copy of Gender and the Superhero Narrative, pictured above with a Funko of Diana Prince enjoying an ice cream cone, and I’m very excited to tell you all about this book. First off, I’m in it! That’s the main reason I’m telling you about it. I’ve written an article called “The Evolution of Female Readership: Letter Columns in Superhero Comics” and it is a DEEP dive.
I looked at over three thousand comic books for this study, and longtime readers may remember me asking for help tracking down some issues a couple of years back. Thanks to all of you (and especially thanks to Johanna Draper Carlson, KC Carlson, and their EPIC comic book collection) I got all of the letter columns I needed for this project, and the end results turned out very interesting.
I tabulated the folks who got published in letter columns at DC and Marvel by gender from their rise in the 1960s to the start of their decline in the 1990s. First, I established a baseline, with forty years of letter columns from Batman, Justice League, and Superman at DC and Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, and Fantastic Four at Marvel. These numbers alone showed some fascinating trends, including the steady decline of female readers getting letters printed in superhero books.
But that was just step one. I averaged out these numbers and then compared them to a female-led series from each decade. At DC, we had Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane in the 60s, Wonder Woman in the 70s, Supergirl in the 80s, and Catwoman in the 90s. The choices were fewer at Marvel, but we had Millie the Model in the 60s, Ms. Marvel in the 70s, Dazzler in the 80s, and a combination of Sensational She-Hulk and Silver Sable and the Wild Pack in the 90s.
Needless to say, this article’s got charts on charts, which shouldn’t surprise any of you who are familiar with my work. And there’s some compelling information therein. I won’t tell you everything I found, because you should go read this book. But here’s a fun tidbit: The average female readership for each female-led series was ALWAYS higher than the baseline average of the other titles. Every year, for forty years, across ten different series. There’s various ways to interpret that, but a key takeaway is: Girls will read comics when girls are in comics.
Anyway, it’s a jam packed article with all sorts of fun information, some great letter column quotes, and, like I said, all of the charts. It was very fun to put together, and I had a great time working with the editors Michael Goodrum, Tara Prescott, and Philip Smith. It’s an academic book and I am not an academic, but they kindly invited me to be a part of the project anyway. And now it’s published by the University Press of Mississippi, which is kind of amazing for a comics history nerd like me. I cite their great books on comics all the time in my research, so to actually be in one is very cool.
And, of course, I’m just one of several contributors (here’s a flyer for the whole works: Gender and the Superhero Narrative). If you like letter columns, my article will be your jam, but the book covers so much. It’s got pieces on Batwoman, Bitch Planet, Jessica Jones, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Gwen, and more. Plus an introduction from Ryan North! Everyone loves Ryan North. He is as smart and delightful as he is tall, and he is very, very tall.
I hope you’ll check out Gender and the Superhero Narrative! It’s available now from the University Press of Mississippi or via most bookselling sites. And it’s only $30 US, which is pretty dang good for an academic book like this. These things can get pricey. Anyway, I’m really proud of my piece, and I love that so many readers helped me find the comics I needed to finish the research for it. Good group effort, gang! I think it turned out really well. Go pick up the fruits of our combined labours today!

domain: library


text: Complete unit with table and motor 110V. Delivered anywhere within the continental USA. The item "BROTHER MA4-V61-65-5 2-Needle 5-Thread Overlock Serger Industrial Sewing Machine" is in sale since Friday, September 25, 2015. This item is in the category "Business & Industrial\CNC, Metalworking & Manufacturing\Textile & Apparel Equipment\Industrial Sewing Machines".The seller is "miamisewingmachines" and is located in Miami, Florida. This item can be shipped to North, South, or Latin America, all countries in Europe, all countries in continental Asia, Australia.

domain: geography


text:
Last Day in Madrid
Trip Start Oct 14, 2008
10Trip End Jan 14, 2009
Map your own trip!
Show trip route
Where I stayed
vacation! Let me explain why. We started off our day by visiting the famous
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. This museum was absolutely
breathtaking and I can say it was by far our favorite museum on this trip. We
were able to see the original famous painting by Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937.
This powerful painting is displayed in a large room all on its own, its
dimensions are about 11ft by 25.6 ft. You can truly feel the sorrow and devastation
that was felt during that time. We continued to visit several other original
painting of some of our other favorite artists such as Dali, Sanchez, and Miro.
This museum is truly magnificent and is a must see if you are ever in Madrid!
From the museum we made plans to meet with two of our friends, Ruben and Alicia,
that we met during our trip two years ago to Venezuela. We met them in a part
of Madrid called La Latina, which holds a market every Sunday rain or shine. It
was quite funny that Ruben informed us that in addition to stands selling
clothes, etc, people even take out things from their home that most of us would
throw away, and try to sell it for anything they can get! Next within the
market they took us to a pickleing shop, that had tons of vegetables soaking in
vinegar (eggplant with peppers-which we tried, olives, cucumbers, onions, etc.)
then we made our way to the oldest, dirtiest, local bar in this area. Nihar had
the usual cerveca and me the usual vino rojo. It truly was a dirty place that
was packed with a lot of people but they are all so friendly it was no problem.
After our snack we made our way to their apartment. Alicia and Ruben were very
generous to have us over for a delicious lunch. We were very lucky to taste
some of Ruben's homemade tortilla de coliflor and salmorejo; it was delicious!
After lunch we made our way back to our hotel to grab our luggage and head
straight to the train station for our departure back to Barcelona. We had an
amazing time on our tour of southern Spain and we would definitely recommend it to all of you!! Now back to our
apartment in Barcelona and sadly back to work for Nihar!

domain: artistic


1 . Less than 45 KGS, we will send by express. (Door to Door, Convenient)
2 . 45 - 200 KGS , we will send by air transport . (Fastest and safest, but expensive)
3 . More than 200 KGS, we will send by sea . ( Cheapest and common use )
Our email: [email protected]
We specializes in providing SKF 53318 U318 Bearings for many years, SKF 53318 U318 has a large number of stock, a number of 53318 U318 Bearings SKF suppliers and brand agency cooperation to meet your different 53318 U318 quality and different brand needs. Get detailed parameters can be sent to e-mail inquiry, and if you have any questions about this 53318 U318 bearing.
Manufacturer SKF 53318 U318 bearing with high quality. FAG - 53318 U318 BEARING - 53318 U318(FAG) Global supply. We has been built up long-term cooperation with SKF company, could make a bulk order of the bearings Which SKF 53318 U318 is the most authentic, must choose BEARING POWER, what a whole variety, reasonable price, guaranteed quality, prompt delivery via Global express..1986 In Global stock for delivery within 3 - 7 working days. Easy ways to get the answers you need.
TIMKEN NP114036/NP064306 bearing are widely used in industrial drive, agriculture, compressors, motors and generators, construction, industrial fan, industrial transmission and other fields. TIMKEN NP114036/NP064306 bearing can ensure high quality for more than 80% raw material of TIMKEN NP114036/NP064306 bearing provided by the steel plant.
SKF 53318+U318 Supplier Details: SKF Group which was founded in Sweden in 1907 is the largest global supplier of ball bearing and roller bearing. KOYO 6368 Bearing - acfla.o KOYO 6368 Deep Grove Ball Bearing . koyo manufactures a large range of Deep Groove Ball Bearings.
SKF 53217 U217 bearing for sale. Bearing status：Original 53217 U217 bearing. Delivery time: 5-7 Days. Inventory: Enough. SKF Material: Gcr15 Specifications Details: Model: 511/800F Inside Diameter: 800 mm ... 53217 U217 53317 U317 53218 U218 53318 U318 53418M U418 53220 U220 53320 ...
6305DU bearing-NSK 6305-RSbearing-NSK Deep Groove Ball Bearin Hot Model No.:TORRINGTON F... 7315WN bearing MRC 7205-P bearing SKF 6017-Z bearing KOYO 6417 bearing SKF NN3072K/W33 bearing NTN N205 bearing NSK N1015 bearing SKF 7216CD/DB bearing DKF B7012SPB.WB bearing SKF 7201CD/DF bearing MRC 7300-PDF bearing FAG 53318+U318 bearing NACHI NUP2228 bearing NTN 6814ZZ bearing NTN 6902BLLU bearing
3>High quality steel-ultra clean steel to extend bearing life by up to 80%. 4>High Grade Balls -Quiet and smooth operation even at high speed. 5>Optional seating rings take initial misalignment. Application: Single direction thrust ball bearings have two washers, with grooved raceways.The curvature of the raceways is slightly larger that of the ...
Thrust bearing catalogue - Scribd Thrust bearing catalogue - Download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read Interchange FAG RHP SKF SNR STEYR RIV .350 10.200 .900 26.140 .310 .. U 53312 U 53313 U 53314 U 53315-U 53316-U 53317-U 53318-U 53320-U ...
FAB Bearing Co.Ltd specializes in selling NSK NUP2217EM bearings, NSK NUP2217EM bearing related information: Model: NUP2217EM Bearing; Brand: NSK, want to know more about NSK NUP2217EM Bearing for information, you can do online consultation or call the hotline and email us [email protected], we will serve you in detail.
|Part number||53318 U318|
|$0 - $500||0%|
|$500 - $3000||5%|
|$3000 - $10000||10%|
|$10000+||10% ~ 50%|
|FAG 53218 U218 bearing stock,FAG 53218 U218 supplier|
|53313 U313 SKF Bearing bearing stock industrial global bearing|
|53316 U316 SKF Bearing bearing precision quality low bearing price|
|53318 U318 FAG Bearing bearing cooperation bearing price size|
|53314 U314 SKF Bearing brand authorized bearing Huge Stocks bearing|
|53311 U311 SKF Bearing world bearing supply bearing sale|
|53308 U308 SKF Bearing bearing leader high discount 2months|
|53312 U312 SKF Bearing expert bearing bearing stock|
|【53315 U315】_FAG 53315 U315 bearing_FAG bearings Fiji|
|53317 U317 SKF Bearing bearing professional agent bearing size consult|
|EE333137/333203CD X1S-333137 TIMKEN bearing - Trade Safer|
|53310 U310 SKF Bearing bearings in stock brand bearing specialist|
|EE333140/333203CD X1S-333140 TIMKEN Bearing high quality bearing big bearing store|
|53418M U418 SKF Bearing bearing size consult cheap price bearing|
|X33118/Y33118 Timken Basic static load rating (C0) 447 kN|
|NK55/35-XL INA NEEDLE BEARING NK, Light Series: Amazon.co|
|6036ZX KOYO Bearing beat sale bearing bearing home|
|32030-X-XL-DF-A280-330 tapered roller bearing, RFQ 32030-X|
|NN3952KC1NAP4 NTN Bearing professional bearing agent cheap bearing|
|TWB NU412 NJ412 N412 bearing NU412 NJ412 N412 bearings|
|EE649239/649310 NSK Bearing bearings in stock bearing 3weeks high discount|
|JLM104942A/JLM104914 TIMKEN Bearing top brand bearing bearing expert inquire|
|TIMKEN 3579/3525 bearing Trade Safer and Easier Quality|
|HM813840/HM813810 TIMKEN Bearing manufacturer bearing sale well known bearing company|
|782/772B TIMKEN Bearing bearing import quality bearing delivery|
|SNR 60/22N Roulements | 60/22N 22x44x12 taille|
|292/1700-E-MB FAG Bearing Huge Stocks bearing bearing best quote|
|NTN HTA032UAT2DB/GNP4L Angular contact ball bearings|
|C39/1180KMB SKF Bearing high demand bearing world class bearing|
|K.81108TVP TIMKEN Bearing professional bearing agent search bearing|


text:
Nothnagle to get a name change
A well-known Rochester real estate company is now going to be known by another name.
Nothnagle Realtors, the area’s largest realtor, is now going to be called Howard Hanna Real Estate Services.
Pittsburgh-based Howard Hanna acquired Nothnagle and RealtyUSA two years ago.
Officials with the realty companies say that the combining of the three companies under one name means that the Howard Hanna brand will be on more than 100 offices across New York State.
Howard “Hoby” Hanna, IV is president of the company. He tells WXXI News it just made sense to be more consistent in their branding.
“As we did the acquisition of Nothnagle and of Realty USA, and said we had to have one, unique brand, as opposed to multiple brands in the marketplace. We also looked at (the fact that) we are Howard Hanna everywhere else, and we are the third largest, residential real estate company and we cover 8 states, so from … being one brand, that’s why we went with the name that we carry everywhere else.”
Nothnagle currently has 28 offices around the Rochester area.
The local offices for Howard Hanna now employ about a thousand people in the Rochester area and Hanna hopes to grow that number.


text:
Daniel Gottfried, chair of Day Pitney's International Transactions practice was quoted in an article, "Who Can You Trust in the Cryptocurrency Economy?," published by the Robb Report. The article raises the potential risks for investors who are interested in investing in blockchain technology. "Many of these advisers are kids who don't have a day job," said Gottfried. "These kids are traveling all over the world. They're showing up at conferences, where they talk about crypto stuff that they market to their wealthy friends to invest in. In these circles, I have a lot of trouble figuring out who's for real and who's not."
On July 15, Angela Titus McEwan and Von Sanborn will be speaking at a Family Governance Symposium presented by the New York State Bar Association and held in New York City.
Stephen Ziobrowski, Carl Merino and Seth Mersky co-authored an article, "IRS Clarifies Foreign Partner Withholding Rules," which was published on WealthManagement.com and distributed in Trusts & Estates magazine's weekly e-newsletter, The Estate Planner.
On June 6, Von Sanborn will serve as the moderator at an Opportunity Zones program presented by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Connecticut Chapter and held at the Shore & Country Club in Norwalk, CT.
Dan Gottfried spoke on a panel, "The Qualified Business Income Deduction for Real Estate Investors and Professionals," at the 31st Annual Real Property, Trust and Estate (RPTE) National CLE Conference, presented by the American Bar Association and held in Boston, MA.
Dina Kapur Sanna will be speaking on two panels at International Estate & Tax Planning 2019, a conference presented by the Practising Law Institute and held in New York, NY.
Day Pitney Press Release
Day Pitney LLP and Boca Raton associate A. Michael Wargon are featured in a profile, "Deep Roots. More Talent.," published in the September 2019 issue of The Boca Raton Observer magazine.
Day Pitney LLP is pleased to announce that the firm and 16 attorneys in its Individual Clients department have been ranked in the 2019 Chambers High Net Worth (HNW) Guide*, a Chambers and Partners publication specifically aimed at the international private wealth market.
Day Pitney's Family Office practice has been selected as a finalist in the Family Offices—Client Initiative category of the 2019 Wealth Management.com Industry Awards for the Day Pitney Family Office Investing SeriesTM.
Day Pitney Press Release

domain: news


text:
The Government has announced that it is to begin a search for a person to fill a brand new role for ‘Head of Architecture’. The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government wants the new person to begin in an advisory role that covers the policy and practice of all architecture in the UK.
The role comes with a salary of £61,083, and will be focused on the policy and practice of architecture as it relates to the building of new homes, and specifically the quality of design of new build homes. The Government is hoping to employ an individual in the role that has experience within the industry, a ‘proven track record of delivering quality housing schemes’. The idea is that the role will be utilised to help with the establishment of the department as a recognised centre of knowledge and expertise. The long-term plan is that the department will be on hand to offer expert advice on all design matters regarding the architectural plans of new homes and developments in the UK.
It is an important role as the design is a section of new home development policy that is not necessarily overlooked, but might not be given the weight of importance that it actually deserves. With a department championing the importance of design, this should hopefully translate across the government as a whole when discussing housing policy planning and issues.
The role will report directly to the chief planner, with the chosen architect becoming a central figure that can offer expert advice and guidance on all design matters, and help to implement the ‘wider delivery and policy agenda of the department’.
So, what are the reasons that the government has begun the search for a new Head of Architecture for the Ministry of Housing?
There are several sticking points when discussing the implementation of brand new housing developments throughout the UK. For many housing development projects there are stumbling blocks relating to planning permissions from local authorities or with a lack of public support in that area. When new housing is a requirement in certain areas, it is vital that these stumbling blocks are reduced to a minimal level, or removed altogether, and one area where there can be immediate improvement is that of design.
With the experience of an architect within the Ministry of Housing it is believed that the quality of design on these projects can be vastly improved at the initial stages, negating the worry about planning permission blockages and delays, whilst ensuring that government targets and markers on design, environmental awareness and other factors are all met.
The successful candidate will be responsible for the effective implementation of Ministry objectives, working on the delivery of action plans and advising the design teams. All of this will be achieved with the aim of improving design quality of housing, in line with commercial expectations. The deadline for applications is 23rd December 2013, with a view to a start in 2019 that helps the Ministry of Housing to achieve policy aims and targets for new housing developments.


text:
Dischord have been rummaging through their archives and giving the reissue treatment to some long-out-of-print gems lately - first Soul Side's 'Trigger' and now this 1993 LP from Slant 6. This trio of Christina Billotte, Myra Power and Marge Marshall played a riot grrrl-infused take on post-hardcore-inflected DC punk; gritty, angular and tuneful. Recorded at Inner Ear by the dream-team of Don Zeintara and Ian Mackaye.
SOLD OUT - Sorry
This one has sold out on all formats. Sorry! View them anyway?
YOUR RECENTLY VIEWED ITEMS
- Soda Pop * Rip Off by Slant 6
Get alerted to new stock from this artist / label.


|Publication number||US7847708 B1|
|Application number||US 11/495,078|
|Publication date||Dec 7, 2010|
|Filing date||Jul 28, 2006|
|Priority date||Sep 29, 2005|
|Also published as||US8816876, US9024786, US20130069798|
|Publication number||11495078, 495078, US 7847708 B1, US 7847708B1, US-B1-7847708, US7847708 B1, US7847708B1|
|Inventors||Erick C. Jones, Robert O. Baron, Thomas S. Thompson|
|Original Assignee||Baron Services, Inc.|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (66), Non-Patent Citations (6), Referenced by (14), Classifications (9), Legal Events (2)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
The present invention relates generally to the distribution of environmental condition information to vehicles, and particularly, the distribution of real-time and site-specific alert information.
2. Description of the Related Art
The importance of weather reporting and forecasting in our daily lives cannot be contested. A large percentage of the people in the United States watch their local evening news on a nightly basis to see the local weather report and forecast. This information may then used to make decisions regarding what to wear, what to do, and, in travel, where and when it is safe to travel. Under certain circumstances, such as in the case of severe weather, some people may find themselves in situations where they are making life and death decisions based upon the weather information they have available to them.
This information is particularly important to travelers on the road, on the water or in the air. Severe weather may arise abruptly, giving the traveler very little warning and few options for safe travel. For cars and trucks, road conditions change as a result of weather events such as rain or sleet.
Travelers may obtain weather data reported by television stations or networks prior to their journeys and plan accordingly. Local television stations, as well as the national networks, obtain weather data from the National Weather Service (NWS) which maintains a network of radar installations located at approximately one hundred thirty-eight sites throughout the United States. Observers at each of these installations monitor the weather conditions within their area and provide hourly teletyped messages to subscribers, typically through a third party weather service provider such as GTE Contel, a subsidiary of GTE Government Systems. In addition, other services provide lightning strike information on a subscription basis, such as through Global Atmospherics, Arizona, U.S.A.
The weather information provided by any one or a combination of the above services may be synthesized at a local television station into an understandable format for presentation to the public. In general, the meteorological data is gathered at the local television station and combined with image maps of a geographical region to generate a weather image, i.e., a graphical illustration of the weather. In addition, the local temperatures for various communities or cities within the viewing area of the station may also be generated on the weather image. A sequence of these composite weather images can be looped to create weather animation. The local television station may then broadcast the weather images to viewers.
Although the current weather reporting and forecasting systems used by television stations and networks have much benefit, they may not provide relevant weather information during severe weather, or when weather manifests differently than forecasts. In such circumstances the weather forecasts obtained prior to traveling are rendered useless. This is particularly true when it comes to the existence of severe weather which arises quickly without much warning, as is often the case with tornadoes. It is well known that tornadoes and other types of severe weather can strike quickly without much prior notice. The information provided by the television stations and networks regarding these types of severe weather are seldom provided in a real-time fashion and are generally not detailed as to the specific location or direction of the weather front. Therefore, travelers are often not given sufficient warning to adequately prepare for the weather in order to protect their property or find a safe refuge for themselves.
Travelers may obtain weather warnings from a radio broadcast from a car radio, if the radio is on and tuned to the proper station. Moreover, the weather information that is provided is often provided on a county wide basis which, depending on the size of the county, the actual path of the severe weather through a county, and the position of the listeners within the county, may be irrelevant.
An alternative source of weather information is through weather radios such as the Realistic Weather Radio Alert III, Model No. 12-140, distributed through “Radio Shack,” a division of the Tandy Corporation. In general, weather radios may provide listeners with prerecorded or live weather updates on an essentially continuous basis. The weather radios receive the weather information updates which are broadcasts by the national Weather Service (NWS) from local transmitters using specific frequencies designated by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). The weather updates usually comprise regular weather information which is prerecorded and then broadcast, except for the issuance of severe weather watches or warnings. In those cases, a prerecorded (or sometimes live) watch or warning message is preceded by a tone (e.g., a 1,000 cycle tone) that is manually activated at the broadcast station. The tone weather radios that are turned on and within the range of the broadcasted signal may receive the tone which activates an audible alarm on the radio. The audible alarm is typically not distinctive as to whether it represents a watch and warning, nor does the audible alarm indicate the type or severity of the severe weather. The alarm will usually continue until the user pushes an alert key or button on the weather radio. It is noted that NWS personnel are responsible for both manually recording of the audio messages for broadcast and the manually activating of the tone. However, most automobiles are not equipped with such devices.
Real-time, site-specific distribution of weather information has been described previously in co-owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,018,699, issued Jan. 25, 2000; 6,275,774, issued Aug. 21, 2001; 6,493,633, issued Dec. 10, 2002; and 6,490,525, issued Dec. 3, 2002. Those references teach a remote unit that receives information from the distribution network and provides an alert to the user. In some embodiments, the remote units are mobile units and provided with some programming to allow the remote unit to determine based upon input from a global positioning system (GPS) whether information is relevant to it. Weather data is received by a server system which encodes the data into a database in the form of a grid where grid cells are associated with geographic areas. This database is transmitted over a distribution network which could be over a cellular network, a land line network, a satellite network or any combination thereof, where eventually it is received by the remote units which decode the data. In some embodiments, remote units may include programming that allows the remote unit to interpret and display data. Such systems find use with emergency response personnel and similar organizations that may be able to afford such equipment.
Such remote units might be costly and complex for use in cars owned and operated by the average consumer. Nevertheless, drivers on the road still need the information while they are traveling. Moreover, because of the need to focus one's attention on the road, the information presented to the driver must be succinct and provide the driver with only the information he or she needs. In other words, the system must alert the driver to conditions and require the driver to perform any interpretation of data. To solve this problem, remote units are designed to perform some, if not all, of the weather interpretation functions to display and alert the user in the most concise manner possible, either through visual or aural cues. This requires a complex device to enable the remote unit to perform this function.
There are vehicles being marketed today that are equipped with GPS-responsive navigation systems. Such systems provide geo-location information as well is vehicle motion data. Vehicles are also being marketed with satellite radio receivers that allow users to receive signals distributed by a satellite distribution network. A system may be implemented which integrates these two systems and provides real-time, site-specific alerts to travelers, while at the same time avoiding cost and complexity of more robust weather messaging systems. Such a system could be also be achieved by integrating a suitably enabled stand-alone device with existing navigation and satellite radio systems.
The present disclosure is directed to a system for the distribution weather alert and road condition information. For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
A system for providing weather and road condition alerts to vehicles includes a computer system that obtains environmental data from a variety of sources and converts them into data that indicate presence of an environmental condition (including the severity, form, or duration of a condition), a distribution network in communication with the computer system, and one or more remote systems, which further comprise a receiver configured to receive distribution network signals and down-convert them to obtain transmitted data, a navigation device that provides geographic position and remote system motion data, and a remote computer system. The remote computer system is configured to receive the down-converted signals from the receiver and uses the data transmitted in the messages to determine whether the environmental conditions are geographically relevant to the remote system. The remote systems include a display system which provide visual or aural alerts relating to weather phenomena, road conditions, road status or traffic.
One related method includes obtaining environmental condition data, and encoding the data into a matrix, or grid structure. The matrix comprises a plurality of cells which correspond to geographic areas. The data are associated with cells according to the location of the environmental condition. Matrix data is then distributed to remote systems via the distribution network. The remote systems receive signals carrying information about the matrix and decode the signals and the matrix to determine geographically relevant information. The remote systems issue visual or aural alerts to users in the event a certain weather phenomena or road condition is relevant to the user based upon the remote system's proximity thereto.
These and other embodiments of the present invention will also become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited to any particular embodiment(s) disclosed.
The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.
The various embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to
As used herein the term “device” is intended to mean a single piece of equipment, contained with a single housing. The term “system” is intended to mean a collection of components (which may be apparatuses, devices, or subsystems) that communicate or interoperate with one another to accomplish a function or set of functions. A system may be distributed or by contained within a “device.”
Furthermore, reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “various embodiments,” or any variant thereof means that a particular feature or aspect of the invention described in conjunction with the particular embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in another embodiment,” or variations thereof in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to its respective embodiment.
With this in mind, this invention may be provided in other specific forms and embodiments without departing from the essential characteristics as described herein. The embodiments described above are to be considered in all aspects as illustrative only and not restrictive in any manner. The appended claims rather than the foregoing description indicate the scope of the invention.
Referring now to
An illustration of an exemplary matrix encoder 11 is provided by the functional diagram of
Matrix encoder 11 is configured to receive meteorological data and road status/road condition data via communication link interface 215, or alternatively, via manual input through input device 205. Meteorological data 12 include data on weather phenomena that are of interest to travelers. Non-limiting examples of such data are lightning strike locations, precipitation observation data, precipitation forecasts, hail, visibility, cloud cover, wind data, wind shear, storm warnings, flood warnings, and snow data. Those skilled in the relevant arts will appreciate that such data may be obtained from a variety of sources. Some non-limiting examples of meteorological data sources include, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) via its NOAAport, National Weather Service (NWS), National Lightning Detection Network, the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) model available from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). These data are typically available over an electronic communications network using suitable transfer protocols, e.g., file transfer protocol, or the like, and may be automatically retrieved by matrix encoder 11 which is configured with control logic to cause encoder 11 to execute that function. Alternatively, other processors may be configured with control logic to retrieve the required data, collate the data into a format and transfer that data to matrix encoder. Matrix encoder 11 is preferably adaptable to accept and process data in whatever format may be available from any source of meteorological or road data, currently existing or hereafter developed.
Road status data 14 includes, without limitation, road closings and openings, and whether a road is under construction, or repair. Presentation of information from this data allows users to plan alternate routes. These data are available from the Federal and state departments of transportation, municipal and county public works, and the American Automobile Association (AAA). Also an electronic communications network may be used to automatically retrieve road status data in a manner similar to that used to retrieve meteorological data.
Road condition data relates to whether there may be ice, water, or other substances on a road that present a hazard to safe driving. This data may be generated by control logic in matrix encoder 11. For example, if an area experiences rain, matrix encoder may be configured to indicate that the roads in that area are wet. Similarly, if meteorological data show that temperatures in an area are below freezing and that the area has had or will experience precipitation, matrix encoder may be configured to also indicate that the roads are icy. In addition, road condition data may be provided by observation and automatically retrieved via communication link interface 215. Similarly, those skilled in the arts will appreciate that traffic alert data may also be obtained from a variety of sources.
It should be noted that an optional human operator 16 may also manually input both meteorological data and road status/condition data, as well as enter adjustments or corrections to the received data in the case that retrieved data is inconsistent or in error. This may be achieved through input device 205.
The data are received by or input into the matrix encoder 11 and processed in accordance with control logic comprising matrix encoding program 202. Specifically, meteorological data, including measurements, observations, and forecasts, along with locations, and forecast locations of events, are retrieved and control logic within matrix encoding program 202 is configured to render “presence” decisions based upon pre-defined criteria.
Matrix encoding program 202 is also configured to construct a grid comprising a plurality of cells each of which are associated with a segment of the land area throughout which the real-time weather alert messages are to be distributed. Each cell is preferably referenced or identified by at least one latitude coordinate and one longitude coordinate within the cell. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, cell reference coordinates are the geographic points at which the centers of the cells are overlayed. In another embodiment, the reference coordinates are any of the corners of the cells. In a further embodiment, the reference coordinates may be the midpoints of the cell boundaries. It will, thus, be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that the cells may be identified by any coordinate within the cell.
The size of the cells can be defined by the user, depending upon the degree of information resolution desired. In one embodiment, for example, cells may be 10 km×10 km. An exemplary grid structure is shown in
In either case, it is preferable to keep cells 504 at a uniform size, so account must be taken of the longitude in constructing the grid since distance between lines of longitude decreases with increasing latitude values. For example, in one embodiment where the grid cells are ordered along lines of latitude, cell longitudes vary from row to row so that corresponding cells in differing rows are laterally offset with respect to each other (See
In another embodiment, it may be desired to decrease the size of the database. In applications that do not require or desire information to be transmitted to water-borne vessels, cells do not need to be defined for areas comprising bodies of water greater than 100 sq. miles.
By comparing the coordinates defining the locations and predicted path of the meteorological phenomena to the grid on a cell by cell basis, each cell within the matrix that is affected by the phenomena can be identified. Furthermore, matrix encoding program 210 may be configured with control logic to determine “presence” indicators for the identified cells that the phenomena affect at the current time, and that the phenomena will affect in some future time. Presence indicators are simply characters that indicate the presence of meteorological phenomena in a cells according to a pre-determined legend, an example of which is discussed in greater detail below. A presence indicator may also contain “characteristic” information indicating the intensity or severity, or duration of the event. Each cell is associated with one or more presence indicators. The grid cells combined with the meteorological phenomena presence information associated with identified cells comprise a threat matrix. The threat matrix may be a database as would be appreciate by those skilled in the arts.
In one exemplary embodiment, meteorological phenomena are associated with grid cells in the following manner. Each cell includes 32 bits of data. These 32 bits are divided into fields representing the different meteorological phenomena that might exist. Each field may be 1, 2, or 3 bits long depending on how many values are desired to encode for a given field. Table 1 below shows a non-limiting example of a scheme for distributing bits among the fields. Bit 0 is the least significant bit, and bit 31 is the most significant bit.
Exemplary matrix cell definition
NWS flood watch/warning
NWS tornado watch/warning
The precipitation field represents current precipitation. In this example, the field comprises three bits with at least six possible values to represent. Possible values include: 0 (No precipitation); 1 (Light rain); 2 (Heavy rain); 3 (Mixed precipitation (including ice)); 4 (Light snow); and 5 (Heavy snow).
The hail field is only one bit and if this bit is set, then the cell is under threat of severe hail. In this embodiment, this could represent hail that is currently detected in the cell, or it could indicate that a severe hail storm is approaching the cell. To determine which is the case, the value of the Storm path field must be examined as will be described below.
The next field indicates the visibility within the cell. In this embodiment possible values may be: 0 (Visibility un-obscured by weather); 1 (Fog); 2 (Heavy fog); and 3 (Very low visibility).
Storm path field is used to indicate whether a convective storm (as may be identified by a SCIT) is located within the cell boundaries, or, if not present in the cell, how soon the storm will arrive at the cell. Possible values may be as follows: 0 (No storm); 1 (Storm in 20 minutes); 2 (Storm in 10 minutes); 3 (Storm present).
The Wind field serves a dual role in this embodiment. If a convective storm with twisting wind is approaching a given cell, this field is set to 3 and the expected time of arrival is encoded in the Storm Path field. Otherwise, this field is used to indicate current wind strength in the cell. Possible values in this field may be as follows: 0 (Calm or moderate wind); 1 (High winds); 2 (Dangerous winds); 3 (Twisting storm approaching (i.e., a convective storm with a significant amount of wind shear detected)).
It should be noted, that in this example, the Storm path field is preferably examined in conjunction with the Hail field and the Wind field, because the latter two fields can indicate the type of storm that is approaching the cell. For example, if the Hail field is set to 1 and the Storm path field is set to 2, then a hail storm is expected to arrive in the cell in 10 minutes. If the Wind field is set to 3 (which is defined as “twisting wind”) and the Storm Path field is set to 1, then a storm with dangerously twisting wind is expected to arrive in 20 minutes. It will be appreciated that because both types of storm use this one field to indicate their arrival time, some information could be lost in this embodiment. For example, if a hail storm is currently in the cell and a twisting storm will arrive in 20 minutes, the Storm Path field will contain the value 3 because of the hail storm, and the cell will not be associated with the twisting storm that is 20 minutes away, and that alert may not be provided by the remote system. In such cases, the remote system should be configured to “assume the worst”, i.e., that both the hail storm and the twisting storm are nearby.
In this example, only the “twisting wind” value (numeric value of 3) in the Wind field represents a convective storm whose arrival time is indicated in the Storm Path field. If the Wind field contains a value other than 3, then that only reflects current wind conditions within the cell, and the Storm Path field will have a value of zero unless the Hail field is set. Also, it should be noted that a “twisting storm” is not necessarily a tornado. Whether a tornado is present, or may be present sometime in the future, is derived from NWS watch or warning data as described below.
The Flood watch/warning field is used to indicate that the cell is within (or includes some portion of) a county, or other geo-political division that is under a flood watch or warning. Possible values include: 0 (No watch or warning); 1 (flood watch); 2 (flood warning). Similarly, the Thunderstorm watch/warning field may be used to indicate that the cell is within (or includes some portion of) a county, or other geo-political division, that is under a thunderstorm watch or warning. Possible values include: 0 (No watch or warning); 1 (thunderstorm watch); and 2 (thunderstorm warning). And finally, the Tornado watch/warning field is used to indicate that the cell is within (or includes some portion of) a county, or other geo-political division, that is under a tornado watch or warning. Possible values may be: 0 (No watch or warning); 1 (tornado watch); and 2 (tornado warning).
The Snow accumulation field indicates that there is an accumulation of snow on the ground within the cell. This does not necessarily imply that it is currently snowing in the cell. This field can have two possible values, 1 for some amount of snow accumulation and 0 for no snow accumulation.
The forecasted precipitation field is used to indicate expected precipitation between current moment and some fixed amount of time in the future. Possible values may be as follows: 0 (No precipitation anticipated; 1 (Rain forecast); 2 (Mixed precipitation forecast); and 3 (Snow forecast).
The next three fields in this embodiment may be each one bit in size which simply indicates presence or no presence. The Lightning field is set to 1 if a lightning strike has been detected within the cell in the last 10 minutes, and 0 otherwise. The Icy roads field is set to 1 if an icy road hazard exists within the cell, and 0 otherwise. Last, the Road closings field is set to 1 if some roads within the cell are closed due, 0 otherwise. The remaining bits may be used for, as the field suggests for any other information, or additional weather phenomena categories.
It will be understood that the field definitions described above are non-limiting. The fields could represent any aspect of meteorological data, road condition data, road status data or traffic data. For example, fields could be designed to indicate current or forecasted wind shear events, temperature extremes, slippery road conditions, or any other similar events or conditions.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant arts with the benefit of reading this disclosure that the above described system and method obtains meteorological data, analyzes it, and determines whether a given category of meteorological phenomena affects or will affect a specified geographic area. The resulting output is simply a yes or no message, and perhaps an indication of the severity or duration with which phenomena affect an area. Thus, the matrix encoder interprets the significance of weather phenomena for a geographic area, which results in a reduced processing and memory requirement for the receiving remote systems. This also advantageously reduces bandwidth required for the transmission of the information over the distribution network 13.
Once the matrix is encoded, it is then conveyed in a data stream to the remote systems via the distribution network. Matrix encoder 11 constructs matrix messages associated with the threat matrix that are communicated to distribution network 13. The matrix data may be transmitted to distribution network 13 in a variety of formats. However, it is preferable to reduce processing and software requirements, and thus cost and complexity, of the remote systems. Therefore, it is preferable to further reduce the data that the remote systems are required to receive and process.
With reference to
It should be noted that distribution network 13 also can be implemented by a variety of different communication mediums such as, but not limited to, wireless (including cellular, WiFi, 802.15, Bluetooth®, and the like), cable television, pager, land-line telephone, cellular telephone, etc. It would be apparent to skilled artisans that in those embodiments where distribution network is not a wireless network, wireless network receiver would be an appropriate land-line counterpart (e.g., modem), or eliminated, depending upon the network communications protocols.
Navigation device 306 is a device that calculates its geographic position and can also provide the speed and direction of travel of the remote system 15. Navigation device may be implemented 306 with a Global Positioning System (GPS) device or other suitable device, e.g., an inertial navigation computing system. Navigation device 306 provides geographic position of the remote system 15 to matrix decoder 304.
An illustration of an exemplary system for implementing matrix decoder 304 is provided at
Display device 308 provides means by which to convey the site specific weather information in the storm profile to the end user. Display device 308 may include a speaker device for providing audio indication of weather information in the form of distinctive sounds or prerecorded audio messages. In addition, display device 308 may include visual means such as a display panel for providing weather information in the form of textual information or color-coded lights. Such display panel may be implemented to display electronic graphic images with an Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screen, Light Emitting Diode (LED), cathode ray tube (CRT) or the like.
Remote system 15 may be a unitary device, or, in the alternative, may be implemented in a non-unitary arrangement of separate components. For example, a vehicle equipped with a satellite radio receiver and a GPS device may be later equipped with a matrix decoder and associated display device. In such case, matrix decoder 304 could be achieved using a handheld computer, which includes a display, or the like. In another version, matrix decoder 304 could be a suitably configured wireless telephone. Display device may be included with the wireless telephone, or may be a separate component with which the wireless telephone communicates. It would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts that if remote system 15 is a unitary structure, some elements, for example, communication link interface 402 could be eliminated as wireless receiver, navigation device and matrix decoder may be controlled by a common control processor, or processors.
As discussed above, the matrix data is communicated to remote systems in the form of matrix messages. A message may include data for the entire matrix; however, a single message is preferably transmitted encoding only portions of the matrix data, for example, the values for a single row of cells. In one exemplary embodiment, messages are transmitted in a 32 bit format for each row of cells. This is done to minimize the effects of lost or corrupted data. For example, if the system transmits the whole matrix as a single message, and the remote system receives all but one byte, the remote system has no way of knowing what that byte was, or even which byte was lost. All it knows is that it did not receive all of the transmitted data. Therefore, the whole matrix message must be discarded. Transmitting matrix values in separate messages, a loss of one byte results only in that message being lost, not the entire matrix. Messages are also preferably repeated periodically, even when the matrix cell values remain the same, for a number of times to increase the likelihood that remote systems receive all the data relevant to the geographic area in which the remote system is traveling to further minimize the effect of missing data.
A secondary benefit of transmitting matrix values as separate row (or column) messages, is that the remote systems only need enough memory and processing capability to decode a single row, reducing hardware and software costs. Preferably, remote system 15 memory is also enough to cache a number of nearby cell values as well for cells to which the vehicle might reasonably travel within an update cycle, or the period with which updated matrix messages are transmitted. Obviously, in those embodiments where the matrix is ordered according to a columns, the messages may represent individual columns of cells.
In addition to sending matrix messages for individual rows, matrix messages may be sent according to a predefined category of messages. For example, one category of matrix messages could be storm messages which would include information about storms, such as warnings and locations. Categories could also be based upon types of meteorological phenomena.
The remote system 15 matrix decoder 304 is asynchronous with the transmission of the matrix message. Therefore, matrix decoder may only receive a partial message. There also may be corrupted data, or interference. Preferably, the system includes communication protocols that allows matrix decoder to identify the beginning of matrix messages.
In one version, the protocol may include the use of a special reserve character to indicate the beginning of a message. When this character is read, the matrix decoder is configured to perform certain functions depending upon the next byte received after the special character. A problem may occur when the reserve character occurs elsewhere in the matrix message. A typical solution would be to cause the decoder to “escape” the character, but this adds to the size of the message for each instance in which a character is escaped. To avoid the incurrence of wasted bandwidth because of the increased size of the message, when the special reserve character happens to occur elsewhere in the message, it is replaced by replacement character. The replacement character is ideally a character that does not occur in the outgoing message and is dynamically determined for each row matrix message. It is identified in the message in the second message byte. So if the special reserve character occurs elsewhere in the message, matrix decoder replaces that character with the replacement character.
Because of the size of the row, some form of compression may be desired. For example, a run length compression technique, as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Once the process described with reference to
For example, and with reference to
It should be noted that the systems and methods described above may incorporate a remote system that is non-mobile as well. For example, the remote system disclosed in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,633, which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a system for real-time distribution of site-specific weather information, and in particular, a receiving device for receiving the weather information that is intended for installation in a building or other fixed structure. The receiving device is preprogrammed with a location identifier for its position. In this way, it will be able to determine the relevancy of indicator data received by it from the distribution network according to the principles disclosed above.
Some the components of the above-described system may be implemented with computers. A computer may be any microprocessor or processor (hereinafter referred to as processor) controlled device, such as, by way of example, personal computers, workstations, servers, clients, mini-computers, main-frame computers, laptop computers, a network of one or more computers, mobile computers, portable computers, handheld computers, palm top computers, set top boxes for a TV, interactive televisions, interactive kiosks, personal digital assistants, interactive wireless devices, mobile browsers, or any combination thereof. The computer may possess input devices such as, by way of example, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a microphone, or a touch screen, and output devices such as a computer screen, printer, or a speaker.
The computer may be a uniprocessor or multiprocessor machine. Additionally, the computer includes memory such as a memory storage device or an addressable storage medium. The memory storage device and addressable storage medium may be in forms such as, by way of example, a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), an electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), hard disks, floppy disks, laser disk players, digital video disks, compact disks, video tapes, audio tapes, magnetic recording tracks, electronic networks, and other devices or technologies to transmit or store electronic content such as programs and data.
The computer executes an appropriate operating system such as Linux, Unix, Microsoft® Windows® 95, Microsoft® Windows® 98, Microsoft® Windows® NT, Apple® MacOS®, IBM® OS/2®, and Palm® OS, and embedded operating systems such as Windows® CE or and the like. The computer may advantageously be equipped with a network communication device such as a network interface card, a modem, or other network connection device suitable for connecting to one or more networks.
The computer, and the computer memory, may advantageously contain control logic, or program logic, or other substrate configuration representing data and instructions, which cause the computer to operate in a specific and predefined manner as, described herein. In particular, the computer programs, when executed, enable a control processor to perform and/or cause the performance of features of the present invention. The control logic may advantageously be implemented as one or more modules. The modules may advantageously be configured to reside on the computer memory and execute on the one or more processors. The modules include, but are not limited to, software or hardware components that perform certain tasks. Thus, a module may include, by way of example, components, such as, software components, processes, functions, subroutines, procedures, attributes, class components, task components, object-oriented software components, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, micro-code, circuitry, data, and the like.
The control logic conventionally includes the manipulation of data bits by the processor and the maintenance of these bits within data structures resident in one or more of the memory storage devices. Such data structures impose a physical organization upon the collection of data bits stored within computer memory and represent specific electrical or magnetic elements. These symbolic representations are the means used by those skilled in the art to effectively convey teachings and discoveries to others skilled in the art.
The control logic is generally considered to be a sequence of computer-executed steps. These steps generally require manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, although not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical, magnetic, or optical signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, or otherwise manipulated. It is conventional for those skilled in the art to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, text, terms, numbers, records, files, or the like. It should be kept in mind, however, that these and some other terms should be associated with appropriate physical quantities for computer operations, and that these terms are merely conventional labels applied to physical quantities that exist within and during operation of the computer.
It should be understood that manipulations within the computer are often referred to in terms of adding, comparing, moving, searching, or the like, which are often associated with manual operations performed by a human operator. It is to be understood that no involvement of the human operator may be necessary, or even desirable. The operations described herein are machine operations performed in conjunction with the human operator or user that interacts with the computer or computers.
It should also be understood that the programs, modules, processes, methods, and the like, described herein are but an exemplary implementation and are not related, or limited, to any particular computer, apparatus, or computer language. Rather, various types of general purpose computing machines or devices may be used with programs constructed in accordance with the teachings described herein. Similarly, it may prove advantageous to construct a specialized apparatus to perform the method steps described herein by way of dedicated computer systems with hard-wired logic or programs stored in nonvolatile memory, such as, by way of example, read-only memory (ROM).
In some embodiments, features of the present invention can be implemented primarily in hardware using, for example, hardware components such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or field-programmable gated arrays (FPGAs). Implementation of the hardware state machine so as to perform the functions described herein will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s). In yet another embodiment, features of the invention can be implemented using a combination of both hardware and software.
The computer used to implement the remote system, or the elements thereof, may be an embedded microprocessor. For example, a car radio or dashboard navigation or entertainment system could also comprise an embedded microprocessor configured with control logic as described above to execute the functions of the remote system. The output/display system could then be the radio or entertainment system speakers, or the navigation system visual display. Control of the remote system may be achieved by making the radio or navigation system buttons multipurpose.
As described above and shown in the associated drawings, the present invention comprises an apparatus for a system for providing weather and road condition alerts to vehicles and related method. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited thereto, since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. It is, therefore, contemplated by the appended claims to cover any such modifications that incorporate those features or those improvements that embody the spirit and scope of the present invention.
|Cited Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US5265024||Apr 5, 1991||Nov 23, 1993||Vigyan, Inc.||Pilots automated weather support system|
|US5898680||Nov 5, 1996||Apr 27, 1999||Worldspace, Inc.||System for providing location-specific data to a user|
|US6018699||Jun 4, 1997||Jan 25, 2000||Baron Services, Inc.||Systems and methods for distributing real-time site specific weather information|
|US6112074||Dec 22, 1997||Aug 29, 2000||Motorola, Inc.||Radio communication system with automatic geographic event notification|
|US6112075||Jan 2, 1998||Aug 29, 2000||Weiser; Douglas Diedrich||Method of communicating emergency warnings through an existing cellular communication network, and system for communicating such warnings|
|US6177873||Feb 8, 1999||Jan 23, 2001||International Business Machines Corporation||Weather warning apparatus and method|
|US6204761||Nov 13, 1998||Mar 20, 2001||Jerome Vanderable||Weather alert system|
|US6209026||Mar 7, 1997||Mar 27, 2001||Bin Ran||Central processing and combined central and local processing of personalized real-time traveler information over internet/intranet|
|US6240369||Apr 27, 1999||May 29, 2001||Robert R. Foust||Transmitting location-specific weather-related data to terminals within a plurality of regions|
|US6243647||Jan 28, 1999||Jun 5, 2001||International Business Machines Corporation||Three dimensional display for time multiplexed global positioning system cell location beacon system|
|US6252539||Jul 10, 1998||Jun 26, 2001||Kavouras, Inc.||System for processing weather information|
|US6255953||Jun 14, 1999||Jul 3, 2001||Jerry Keith Barber||Tornado warning system|
|US6275774||Jan 24, 2000||Aug 14, 2001||Baron Services, Inc.||System and methods for distributing real-time site specific weather information|
|US6289277||Oct 7, 1999||Sep 11, 2001||Honeywell International Inc.||Interfaces for planning vehicle routes|
|US6295001||Aug 21, 2000||Sep 25, 2001||Jerry Keith Barber||Tornado warning system|
|US6297766||Jan 22, 1999||Oct 2, 2001||International Business Machines Corporation||Portable weather indicating device and method|
|US6317686||Jul 21, 2000||Nov 13, 2001||Bin Ran||Method of providing travel time|
|US6343255||Feb 6, 2000||Jan 29, 2002||Sanford Christopher Peek||Method and system for providing weather information over the internet using data supplied through the internet and a wireless cellular data system|
|US6351218||Aug 29, 2000||Feb 26, 2002||Weatherdata, Inc.||Method and apparatus for activating weather warning devices|
|US6404880||Dec 24, 1999||Jun 11, 2002||Alcatel Usa Sourcing, L.P.||Method and apparatus for delivering critical information|
|US6462665||May 16, 2000||Oct 8, 2002||Wheelock, Inc.||Method and apparatus for sending a weather condition alert|
|US6490525 *||Aug 13, 2001||Dec 3, 2002||Robert O. Baron, Sr.||Systems and methods for distributing real-time site-specific weather information|
|US6493633||Apr 13, 2001||Dec 10, 2002||Robert O. Baron, Sr.||Systems and methods for distributing real-time site specific weather information|
|US6498987||Apr 12, 2000||Dec 24, 2002||Weather Central, Inc.||System and method for providing personalized weather reports and the like|
|US6505123||Jul 24, 2000||Jan 7, 2003||Weatherbank, Inc.||Interactive weather advisory system|
|US6590529 *||Dec 29, 2000||Jul 8, 2003||Mysky Communications||Individualized, location specific weather forecasting system|
|US6603405 *||Dec 5, 2000||Aug 5, 2003||User-Centric Enterprises, Inc.||Vehicle-centric weather prediction system and method|
|US6646559||Feb 22, 2002||Nov 11, 2003||User-Centric Enterprises, Inc.||Method and apparatus for activating warning devices|
|US6650972||Feb 27, 2002||Nov 18, 2003||Aerotech Research (U.S.A.), Inc.||Estimation, transmission, receipt, and presentation of vehicle specific environmental conditions and hazards information|
|US6654689||Nov 6, 2000||Nov 25, 2003||Weather Central, Inc.||System and method for providing personalized storm warnings|
|US6700482||Sep 28, 2001||Mar 2, 2004||Honeywell International Inc.||Alerting and notification system|
|US6753784||Mar 28, 2001||Jun 22, 2004||Meteorlogix, Llc||GIS-based automated weather alert notification system|
|US6754585||Dec 16, 2002||Jun 22, 2004||Weatherbank, Inc.||Interactive weather advisory system|
|US6823263||Oct 11, 2000||Nov 23, 2004||Weather Central, Inc.||System and method for providing personalized weather reports and the like|
|US6826481||Sep 19, 2003||Nov 30, 2004||Weatherbank, Inc.||Interactive advisory system|
|US6829536||Sep 12, 2001||Dec 7, 2004||Weather Central, Inc.||System and method for processing weather information|
|US6836730||Jan 31, 2003||Dec 28, 2004||Weatherbank, Inc.||Interactive weather advisory system|
|US6845324 *||Mar 1, 2003||Jan 18, 2005||User-Centric Enterprises, Inc.||Rotating map and user-centric weather prediction|
|US6985813||Nov 18, 2004||Jan 10, 2006||Weatherbank, Inc.||Interactive weather advisory system|
|US7058510||Nov 22, 2004||Jun 6, 2006||Weather Central, Inc.||System and method for providing personalized weather reports and the like|
|US7084775||Jul 12, 2004||Aug 1, 2006||User-Centric Ip, L.P.||Method and system for generating and sending user-centric weather alerts|
|US7089115||Jul 31, 2002||Aug 8, 2006||Entice Technology Limited||Road weather prediction system and method|
|US7089116||Oct 22, 2004||Aug 8, 2006||User-Centric Ip, L.P.||User-centric event reporting|
|US7139664||Mar 28, 2005||Nov 21, 2006||Weather Central, Inc.||System and method for providing personalized storm warnings|
|US7181345||Dec 16, 2001||Feb 20, 2007||Nooly Technologies Ltd.||Location-based weather nowcast system and method|
|US7185044||Jan 19, 2001||Feb 27, 2007||The Weather Channel||Weather information delivery systems and methods providing planning functionality and navigational tools|
|US7191065||Nov 30, 2005||Mar 13, 2007||Weatherbank, Inc.||Interactive weather advisory system|
|US7248159 *||Dec 30, 2004||Jul 24, 2007||User-Centric Ip, Lp||User-centric event reporting|
|US7275089||Mar 21, 2001||Sep 25, 2007||Aws Convergence Technologies, Inc.||System and method for streaming of dynamic weather content to the desktop|
|US7289908||Mar 9, 2007||Oct 30, 2007||Spatial Content Services, L.P.||Interactive weather advisory system|
|US7315782||Jan 4, 2007||Jan 1, 2008||Spatial Content Services, Lp||Interactive weather advisory system|
|US7383130||Dec 16, 2004||Jun 3, 2008||The Weather Channel, Inc.||Weather-based activity advisor|
|US7421344||Sep 19, 2006||Sep 2, 2008||Weather Central, Inc.||System and method for presenting personalized weather information and the like|
|US20010030624||Dec 29, 2000||Oct 18, 2001||Bruce Schwoegler||Individualized, location specific weather forecasting system|
|US20020008637||May 31, 2001||Jan 24, 2002||Lemelson Jerome H.||Intelligent traffic control and warning system and method|
|US20040010372||Jul 9, 2003||Jan 15, 2004||Bruce Schwoegler||Individualized, location specific weather forecasting system|
|US20040243533||Apr 3, 2003||Dec 2, 2004||Wsi Corporation||Method for interactively creating real-time visualizations of traffic information|
|US20050024236||Aug 1, 2003||Feb 3, 2005||Gosdin Malcom E.||Weather information dissemination system for mobile vehicles|
|US20050240378||Jun 8, 2005||Oct 27, 2005||User-Centric Enterprises, Inc.||User-centric event reporting with follow-up information|
|US20050259606||Jul 18, 2005||Nov 24, 2005||Shutter Jon D||Method and system for developing traffic messages|
|US20060015254||Sep 16, 2005||Jan 19, 2006||User-Centric Enterprises, Inc.||User-centric event reporting|
|US20060178140||Feb 1, 2006||Aug 10, 2006||Steven Smith||Location-based data communications system and method|
|US20070046457||Aug 25, 2006||Mar 1, 2007||Honda Motor Co., Ltd.||Emergency notification apparatus for vehicle|
|US20070049260||Aug 25, 2006||Mar 1, 2007||Hiromitsu Yuhara||System and method for providing weather warnings and alerts|
|US20070083328||Oct 3, 2006||Apr 12, 2007||Honda Motor Co., Ltd.||Server and vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus, vehicle employing the same, and meteorological information distribution system related to the same|
|US20070094262||Oct 3, 2006||Apr 26, 2007||Honda Motor Co., Ltd.||Server, vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus, vehicle employing these, and particular information distribution system related to these|
|1||"DTN/Meteorlogix. The world's largest provider of weather information," Data Transmission Network, [online], [available Jun. 26, 2008 (retrieved on Nov. 14. 2008)], Retrieved from Data Transmission Network website using Internet .|
|2||"Swift Mobile provides live local weather radar and weather forecasts on your PDA, PocketPC, or SmartPhone", Swift Weather, [online], [available Dec. 12, 2007 (retrieved Nov. 14, 2008)], Retrieved from Swift Weather website using Internet .|
|3||"DTN/Meteorlogix. The world's largest provider of weather information," Data Transmission Network, [online], [available Jun. 26, 2008 (retrieved on Nov. 14. 2008)], Retrieved from Data Transmission Network website using Internet <URL: http://www.dtnmeteorlogix.com/>.|
|4||"Swift Mobile provides live local weather radar and weather forecasts on your PDA, PocketPC, or SmartPhone", Swift Weather, [online], [available Dec. 12, 2007 (retrieved Nov. 14, 2008)], Retrieved from Swift Weather website using Internet <URL: http://swiftmobileweather.com/>.|
|5||LocalWeatherAlerts.com, [online], [available Jun. 28, 2008 (retrieved Nov. 14, 2008)], Retrieved from website using Internet .|
|6||LocalWeatherAlerts.com, [online], [available Jun. 28, 2008 (retrieved Nov. 14, 2008)], Retrieved from website using Internet <URL: http://www.localweatheralerts.com/>.|
|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US9103693 *||Apr 7, 2008||Aug 11, 2015||Clarion Co., Ltd.||Map display device|
|US9274250||May 30, 2012||Mar 1, 2016||Saint Louis University||Apparatus and method for providing environmental predictive indicators to emergency response managers|
|US9285504||Jul 22, 2013||Mar 15, 2016||Saint Louis University||Apparatus and method for providing environmental predictive indicators to emergency response managers|
|US9489842||Feb 17, 2015||Nov 8, 2016||Pelmorex Canada Inc.||Method for choosing a traffic route|
|US9547984||Jul 11, 2016||Jan 17, 2017||Pelmorex Canada Inc.||System for providing traffic data and driving efficiency data|
|US9547987 *||Feb 17, 2014||Jan 17, 2017||Earth Networks, Inc.||Method and apparatus for conveying vehicle driving information|
|US9602977||Jun 13, 2016||Mar 21, 2017||Pelmorex Canada Inc.||GPS generated traffic information|
|US9644982||Sep 4, 2015||May 9, 2017||Pelmorex Canada Inc.||System and method for delivering departure notifications|
|US9763040 *||Sep 8, 2015||Sep 12, 2017||Baron Services, Inc.||Systems and methods for communicating with remote users|
|US20110292030 *||Apr 7, 2008||Dec 1, 2011||Clarion Co., Ltd||Map Display Device|
|US20130110400 *||Jun 28, 2011||May 2, 2013||Green Vision Systems Ltd.||Real-time monitoring, parametric profiling, and regulating contaminated outdoor air particulate matter throughout a region, via hyper-spectral imaging and analysis|
|US20140225750 *||Feb 17, 2014||Aug 14, 2014||Earth Networks, Inc.||Method and Apparatus for Conveying Vehicle Driving Information|
|US20150177018 *||Mar 3, 2015||Jun 25, 2015||Pelmorex Canada Inc.||Touch screen based interaction with traffic data|
|US20160073233 *||Sep 8, 2015||Mar 10, 2016||Sherman Wilcox||Systems and Methods for Communicating with Remote Users|
|Cooperative Classification||G08G1/096741, G01W1/02, G08G1/0967, G08G1/096775|
|European Classification||G08G1/0967C1, G08G1/0967B1, G01W1/02|
|Jul 28, 2006||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: BARON SERVICES, INC., ALABAMA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:JONES, ERICK C.;BARON, SR., ROBERT O.;THOMPSON, THOMAS S.;REEL/FRAME:018139/0751
Effective date: 20060728
|Jan 13, 2014||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4


text:
We hope to design a new approach to clinical education delivered through the use of AR with high fidelity manikins can be used to train team based scenarios, such as Code Blue trainings, where multiple roles are involved. AR is able to overlay information and graphics onto the manikin, enabling trainees to obtain a visual and tactile sense of an emergency situation or training scenario. AR complements high fidelity manikins, allowing more clinical symptoms such as inflammation and changing of skin tone to be superimposed on to the manikin. With the use of AR more complex scenarios could be created as it allows us to change the clinical symptoms or situation during a simulation run, testing for nursing adaptability.AR also brings a new dimension of realism by allowing manikins to portray emotions such as sadness or pain, and psychological symptoms such as confusion and dazed.
AR with gesture recognition feature adds an additional level of interactivity. We would be able to evaluate participants for proper execution of technical skills or actions, such as correct hand placement during cardiac compression, trainees can also receive instant prompts on their incorrect actions. AR aural and speech user interface (UI) would allow basic interaction with the manikin to develop trainee’s soft skills in managing patients.

domain: medical


text:
State Rep. Kathleen Clyde gave members of the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce an update on the state's "fantasy budget" and other legislation Thursday morning at the Erie Street Kitchen.
She said she voted against the budget, in part, because it's out of balance by $800 million, which is why she said some legislators are referring to it as the "fantasy budget."
She said she blames the budget shortfall on tax policy that shifts the burden from the wealthy to the middle class.
"This budget isn't balanced because of years of irresponsible budgeting at the state level," she said. "Ohio's economy -- it's tough times right now. I do think it's time for a new approach in Ohio. These years of tax shifting from the wealthy to the middle class and working poor is not working."
She said there's still time to weigh in on the budget, which is before the state senate and must be signed by Gov. Kasich by June 30.
For years, she said the state, under Republican majorities and Kasich's leadership, has underfunded local governments and services, including mental health and addiction.
"I believe there's a reason Ohio is No. 1 in heroin overdose deaths," she said. "It's because our state is not doing enough and has underfunded these critical services."
Clyde also highlighted several bills she's backed and several she was against, some of which were passed during "one of the craziest lame duck sessions we've had in a long time" last November.
"There were dozens of bills passed," she said. "We were in session until the early hours in the morning, 1 and 2 a.m."
One of those was the so-called "Petland Bill," which took effect in March. That bill rules that cities can't pass laws restricting where pet stores get their puppies that they sell. Clyde said the concern was that pet stores were using puppy mills as suppliers. Added to this bill were rules against cities adopting a minimum wage, which Cleveland was considering, and rules that cities can't regulate the installation of wireless technology in rights of way.
"It's yet another attack on local control," said Clyde.
Clyde also said she was against the state's rollback of green energy standards, which is before the senate, and a six- and 20-week abortion bans. Kasich vetoed the six-week ban, but the 20-week one was adopted.
Clyde said she's introduced the so-called "Trump bill," which would require all presidential candidates to release their tax returns to get on the Ohio ballot.
"Historically, we've seen candidates for the last 30 years provide tax returns," she said. "It requires five years of tax returns, which is pretty much the standard of what we've been provided in the past."
She also is a proponent of automatic voter registration, which she said would make the polls more accessible for many.
"We immediately would see over 1 million voters added to the polls," she said. "If they want to participate, they're not prevented from doing so by being purged or unregistered."
Clyde also said she favors an Ohio Equal Pay bill, which would require companies accepting public money to show that they're paying women the same amount as their male counterparts for similar jobs.
"I feel like men and women support equal pay," she said. "It helps working families; it helps your daughters, your families, your moms."
Currently, she said Ohio women are paid 78 cents on the dollar for the same position that a man is doing.

domain: economics


Discovery of Quantum Behavior in Insulators Suggests Possible New Particle – A Spiritual Insight
Recently, physicists observed a phenomenon known as quantum oscillation in an insulator material. In condensed matter physics, Quantum oscillations describe a series of experimental techniques used to map the Fermi surface of a metal in the presence of a strong magnetic field. These are based on the principle of Landau quantization of Fermions moving in a magnetic field. The Spiritual Insights that we receive from this type of research is related to this idea of quantum oscillations. In the scientific research, the electrons are oscillating between two states, two positions, and this is something the Scriptures tend to draw out and the Lord God is explicitly clear about the problems of wavering between two positions in regards to His Torah (His instruction). Read more here...
#torah #christian #messianic #science #atheism


text:
- Better than good hair : the curly girl guide to healthy, gorgeous natural hair! (2013)
- Walton, Nikki.
- Call number: Black Studies 646.724 Wa
- There are no copies currently available,
- No requests on 1 copy
- The twilight saga. : original motion picture soundtrack. Part 2 Breaking dawn. (2012)
- Call number: CD Soundtracks Twilight 2012
- Genres: Soundtracks
- There is currently 1 available:
- Downtown 2nd Fl.


text:
Little Mix unveil their Wonderland magazine shoot and praise Jessie J in accompanying interview
In the accompanying interview, the beauties opened up about girl power and who they looked up to when they were younger. Member Jade Thirlwall explained:
“When we were growing up, we had Destiny’s Child and The Spice Girls, but then there seemed to be a huge gap where there wasn’t really anyone around to inspire young women in the same way."
Jesy Nelson added that Jessie J, who the group recently worked on their upcoming third album with, seemed to be their exception and they love what she stands for: "Except Jessie J, who we LOVED – in her music, she spoke on behalf of women and girls everywhere."
Leigh-Anne Pinnock then spoke about the message in their hit single, 'Wings': “Every time I listen to it or I’m on stage singing it, I believe and feel every word of the song. The message is so strong. We’ve all got things we dislike about ourselves, but a song like that can make you feel so much better about everything.”
Watch Little Mix announcing that they're creating a perfume here:
Latest 10 Little Mix News Stories

domain: entertainment


text:
- The Neurotransmitter Cycle and Quantal Size
Neuron, Volume 55, Issue 6, 20 September 2007, Pages 835-858
Robert H. Edwards
SummaryChanges in the response to release of a single synaptic vesicle have generally been attributed to postsynaptic modification of receptor sensitivity, but considerable evidence now demonstrates that alterations in vesicle filling also contribute to changes in quantal size. Receptors are not saturated at many synapses, and changes in the amount of transmitter per vesicle contribute to the physiological regulation of release. On the other hand, the presynaptic factors that determine quantal size remain poorly understood. Aside from regulation of the fusion pore, these mechanisms fall into two general categories: those that affect the accumulation of transmitter inside a vesicle and those that affect vesicle size. This review will summarize current understanding of the neurotransmitter cycle and indicate basic, unanswered questions about the presynaptic regulation of quantal size.
Summary | Full Text | PDF (833 kb)
- A Single Vesicular Glutamate Transporter Is Sufficient to Fill a Synaptic Vesicle
Neuron, Volume 49, Issue 1, 5 January 2006, Pages 11-16
Richard W. Daniels, Catherine A. Collins, Kaiyun Chen, Maria V. Gelfand, David E. Featherstone and Aaron DiAntonio
SummaryQuantal size is the postsynaptic response to the release of a single synaptic vesicle and is determined in part by the amount of transmitter within that vesicle. At glutamatergic synapses, the vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) fills vesicles with glutamate. While elevated VGLUT expression increases quantal size, the minimum number of transporters required to fill a vesicle is unknown. In Drosophila DVGLUT mutants, reduced transporter levels lead to a dose-dependent reduction in the frequency of spontaneous quantal release with no change in quantal size. Quantal frequency is not limited by vesicle number or impaired exocytosis. This suggests that a single functional unit of transporter is both necessary and sufficient to fill a vesicle to completion and that vesicles without DVGLUT are empty. Consistent with the presence of empty vesicles, at dvglut mutant synapses synaptic vesicles are smaller, suggesting that vesicle filling and/or transporter level is an important determinant of vesicle size.
Summary | Full Text | PDF (308 kb)
- Septins Regulate Developmental Switching from Microdomain to Nanodomain Coupling of Ca Influx to Neu...
Neuron, Volume 67, Issue 1, 15 July 2010, Pages 100-115
Yi-Mei Yang, Michael J. Fedchyshyn, Giovanbattista Grande, Jamila Aitoubah, Christopher W. Tsang, Hong Xie, Cameron A. Ackerley, William S. Trimble and Lu-Yang Wang
SummaryNeurotransmitter release depends critically on close spatial coupling of Ca2+ entry to synaptic vesicles at the nerve terminal; however, the molecular substrates determining their physical proximity are unknown. Using the calyx of Held synapse, where “microdomain” coupling predominates at immature stages and developmentally switches to “nanodomain” coupling, we demonstrate that deletion of the filamentous protein Septin 5 imparts immature synapses with striking morphological and functional features reminiscent of mature synapses. This includes synaptic vesicles tightly localized to active zones, resistance to the slow Ca2+ buffer EGTA and a reduced number of Ca2+ channels required to trigger single fusion events. Disrupting Septin 5 organization acutely transforms microdomain to nanodomain coupling and potentiates quantal output in immature wild-type terminals. These observations suggest that Septin 5 is a core molecular substrate that differentiates distinct release modalities at the central synapse.
Summary | Full Text | PDF (2365 kb)
Copyright © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Neuron, Volume 49, Issue 1, 1-2, 5 January 2006
PreviewAdd/View Comments (0)
David E. Krantz1, ,
1 Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Hatos Center for Neuropharmacology and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, The David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Room 3357C, Gonda (Goldschmied) Center for Genetic and Neuroscience Research, 695 Charles Young Drive, Los Angeles, California 90095
- Vesicular neurotransmitter transporters package transmitter into the lumen of synaptic vesicles for quantal release. However, the number of transporters that localize to each vesicle is not known. In this issue of Neuron, a study by Daniels et al. using the Drosophila neuromuscular junction and mutations of the vesicular glutamate transporter suggests that one transporter may suffice to fill each vesicle.

domain: literature


text:
Order of the D30: 30 cliches turned into magical items
Another article in my Order of the D30 series.
This list inspired by page 14. The honest to goodness “Barrel of Monkeys”, I list it here as number one. I have tried to balance the list out with good and bad items.
1. Barrel of Monkeys, when opened PC must save vs. spell or be turned into a white ape. Regardless of the save vs. roll on white per turn climbs out of the barrel until remove curse is applied to the barrel.
2. Ton of Bricks, single brick that can be carried by hand. However when used as a weapon and thrown, victim his hit by the apparent force of 2000lbs of bricks.
3. Ace Up Your Sleeve, an enchanted playing card that alters probability in the PCs favor. This card must be kept secure in the PCs sleeve for the affect to work.
4. An Apple a Day, an enchanted miniature tree that grows one apple every day. The PC who consumes the apple is immune to all disease, poison, and other physical ailments for 24 hours.
5. An Axe to Grind, this axe is always dull. Attempts to sharpen it do not work. However the PCs nemesis suffers 2d10 psychic damage when the axe is sharpened.
6. Sword Beaten into a Ploughshare, this seemingly innocuous ploughshare was actually once a warforged sword. When in the PC’s possession enemies will seek a peaceful solution to the problem if not attacked first.
7. Candle Burnt at Both Ends, a two wick’d candle. When lit from both ends the PC has a burst of energy and does not need rest. Effect lasts until the candle is gone.
8. Midnight Oil, special oil for your lamp that actually grants energy to the whole party when burned in one of the party’s lamps.
9. A Can of Worms, when opened the PC has unleashed the absolute worst the dungeon can throw at the party. There is no avoiding anything. They WILL find every monster or be found.
10. The Cat that Got Your Tougne, petting this cursed feline statue requires a save vs. spell, failure means you’ve lost your voice.
11. Cat Nap, petting this cursed feline statue requires a save vs. spell, failure and the pc falls asleep for 1d6 rounds. Upon awakening, however PC has regained the same number of HP.
12. Bag of Hammers, The PC is dumber than this bag (no matter how high the INT score). Ask this bag any question (only once) and you will get the correct answer. For fun the DM can chose to answer a really innocuous question to reveal its existence.
13. Dry Bone, throwing this bone at any body of water will cause the body of water to dry up long enough for the PC to get across.
14. The Silver Lining, the actual silver lining of a cloud. If kept the PC will have incredibly good luck, but lousy weather will follow the party. The weather will worsen to the point the PCs will WANT to return the silver lining. However, they’ll have to put it back into the cloud.
15. Eye and Tooth Amulet, this charmed amulet with an embossed eye and tooth will cause any wound given to the PC to appear on the attacker as well.
16. Fly by the Seat of Your Pants, enchanted knickers that will allow the PC to levitate.
17. Fly on the Wall, this enchanted statue will allow the PC to see through the eyes of any fly in any room of the dungeon the PC has already visited.
18. The Frog in My Throat, picking up this statue needs a save vs. spell. Failure causes one frog per round to emerge from the PCs mouth until someone cast remove curse.
19. The Glimmer of Hope, when all seems lost this amulet will cause a faint glow to appear around the clue the PC needs to solve the dilemma.
20. Glasses of 20/20 Hindsight, when wearing these glasses the solution to the problem will become clear after failing once.
21. Hit of the Book, when smacked upside the head with this tome, the Knowledge contained within is transferred to the PC. It only work if someone else smacks the PC with the book.
22. It’s in the Cards. This RARE magical item is a D&D deck of Gambling with NO black cards. Each member of the party pulls one card and then the deck vanishes.
23. It’s in the Cards 2. The other half of the deck. same rules.
24. Jack’s Toolbelt, you know Jack, he’s good at everything. Well there was a reason why he had this magical toolbelt that gave better chances at success on ANY project. He lost the belt and you’ve found it.
25. The Unturned Stone, this looks like a normal smooth skipping stone with the exception of a mystical rune carved on one side. Turning this stone over will reveal any treasure (unless concealed by a wizard of a higher level than the PC) in the current room.
26. The Pot from the Land of Milk and Honey, this pot always contains just enough sustenance to ward off starvation.
27. Elephant Memory Charm, this amulet with an inscribed pachyderm will allow the PC to remember (even if the player doesn’t) any clue dropped by the DM. The DM should remind the PC of the clue when needed but tell how the clue solves the puzzle.
28. The Bad Apple. picking up this peice of cursed fruit spoils ALL foodstuffs in the party’s stores.
29. One Man’s Garbage, this seeming pile of trash is really on closer examination a pile of treasure.
30. The Needle in The Haystack, finding this needle in the haystack is an accomplishment. The runes inscribed on this needle grant the PC the increased ability to find secret doors.

domain: game


text:
99x announces its successful achievement of the ISO 27001:2022 certification, a globally recognized standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). This accreditation underscores 99x’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the highest standards of information security, maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data across all its operations.
The ISO 27001:2022 certification is a testament to 99x’s dedication to protecting sensitive information, both its own and that of its clients. This certification validates that 99x has implemented robust and comprehensive security measures to manage and safeguard information, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical data.
Mano Sekaram, Founder and CEO of 99x expressed his enthusiasm about the achievement, stating, “Securing our information assets has always been a top priority for us. Achieving the ISO 27001:2022 certification is a significant milestone that reflects our commitment to the highest standards of information security. This accomplishment not only demonstrates our dedication to protecting our clients’ data but also positions 99x as a trusted partner in the industry”.
The ISO 27001:2022 standard emphasizes a risk-based approach to information security, requiring organizations to identify and address potential threats proactively. This aligns perfectly with 99x’s proactive approach to mitigating risks and ensuring the resilience of its information security framework.
Senior Director – Compliance and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of 99x, Chaminda Vithanage highlighted the importance of ISO 27001:2022 in the company’s cybersecurity strategy, stating, “As the threat landscape evolves, it is crucial for organizations to stay ahead of potential risks. The ISO 27001:2022 certification provides a robust framework that allows us to identify, assess, and manage information security risks systematically. This certification not only validates the effectiveness of our current security measures but also sets a foundation for continuous improvement in our information security practices”.
The ISO 27001:2022 standard is structured around a comprehensive set of controls covering various aspects of information security, including access control, cryptography, physical security, and incident response. 99x recognizes that information security is not just a compliance requirement but a fundamental aspect of maintaining trust and credibility in the business world. This certification reflects the company’s dedication to upholding the highest ethical standards and ensuring the security of information throughout its lifecycle.
Founded in Sri Lanka and headquartered in Norway, 99x is a global product engineering company co-creating robust, innovative digital products for the Scandinavian market. Its expertise has been proven through a portfolio of over 150 impactful global digital products developed since 2004, together with leading Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). The 99x Group employs over 600 technology and product specialists, who are high achievers, creative thinkers, and team players in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Norway, Portugal, and Malaysia.


Year-to-date gains: 353%
Float Short (as of 7/31): 32%
Elon Musk’s revolutionary electric car company Telsa (TSLA) is one of the most heavily shorted stocks in the U.S. market, and it’s not hard to see why. Can you name the last successful new car company, much less one that sells super-pricey vehicles for which there is still no established market?
Furthermore, Tesla trades for an eye-watering 90 times forward earnings. That’s another area of sticker shock when you consider the compound annual earnings growth forecast stands at just 19% a year for the next five years.
As of July 31, nearly a third of Telsa’s float — or 19.8 million shares — was sold short, up from 18.5 million shares in the prior month. And it has been a disastrous trade. Tesla’s stock is up more than 350% so far this year.


Today is the International Computer Security Day
Every November 30th is International Computer Security Day. The holiday started in 1988 when technological progress brought new concerns about privacy and security; thus, the day is dedicated to keeping your online data safe and secure.
In a world in which the Internet is totally essential, the massive use of the network has caused a 26% cyberattacks increase in Spain in 2021, making our country the third most attacked country in Europe.
Companies are in the crosshairs of cybercriminals, attacking their servers and platforms in search of relevant information which provides them huge economic benefits. The good news is that, according to an IDC study, it estimates that 2022 will close with an average investment of 7.7% in cybersecurity by companies, representing a total expenditure of 1,749 million euros.
Information is the main asset of companies and, therefore, its protection against possible leaks, whether due to attacks, carelessness or not having good habits, is crucial to guarantee its security and so that the development of its activity is perform normally.
According to figures from the National Institute of Cybersecurity (Incibe), the loss of data due to computer attacks or simple human errors can mean losses of between 2,000 and 50,000 euros for SMEs, and 3.6 million on average for large companies, according to IBM.
The most serious threat to an information system is people, so their training and awareness is one of the fundamental objectives that are pursued with the implementation of a cybersecurity culture program.
But an IAM framework enables IT to control user access to critical information within their organizations. IAM products offer role-based access control, which lets system administrators regulate access to systems or networks based on the roles of individual users within the enterprise.
In this context, access is the ability of an individual user to perform a specific task, such as view, create or modify a file. Roles are defined according to job, authority and responsibility within the enterprise.
IAM systems should do the following: capture and record user login information, manage the enterprise database of user identities, and orchestrate the assignment and removal of access privileges.
That means systems used for IAM should provide a centralized directory service with oversight and visibility into all aspects of the company user base.