|Publication number||US7756174 B2|
|Application number||US 11/814,310|
|Publication date||Jul 13, 2010|
|Filing date||Jan 19, 2006|
|Priority date||Jan 19, 2005|
|Also published as||EP1851964A2, US20080123708, WO2006078877A2, WO2006078877A3|
|Publication number||11814310, 814310, PCT/2006/1988, PCT/US/2006/001988, PCT/US/2006/01988, PCT/US/6/001988, PCT/US/6/01988, PCT/US2006/001988, PCT/US2006/01988, PCT/US2006001988, PCT/US200601988, PCT/US6/001988, PCT/US6/01988, PCT/US6001988, PCT/US601988, US 7756174 B2, US 7756174B2, US-B2-7756174, US7756174 B2, US7756174B2|
|Inventors||William R. Benner, Jr.|
|Original Assignee||Benner Jr William R|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (14), Non-Patent Citations (7), Referenced by (9), Classifications (6), Legal Events (2)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This application claims priority from co-pending U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/645,543, which was filed on Jan. 19, 2005, and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to the field of laser projectors and, more particularly, to a laser projector for projecting patterns and arrays of beams directly into an audience for entertainment display purposes
Projectors for laser display can generally be categorized into one of three groups: graphics projectors, beam projectors, and audience scanning projectors.
Graphics projectors are those which project logos, text and other figures onto some projection surface such as a screen. To create images, these projectors employ an X-Y scanning system, usually consisting of two small mirrors mounted on galvanometer scanners. One mirror scans the beam in one linear direction (for example, horizontally) onto the second mirror, which scans the beam in the perpendicular direction (for example, vertically). The combined X-Y motion is normally used to draw outline-type vector images, using a point-by-point “connect the dots” method, according to software commands effected by a programmable controller operably connected with the laser projector. The audience views these figures on the screen in the same way that an audience would view a movie being projected onto a screen.
A beam projector produces beams of light that are projected into mid-air. The beams are viewable in mid-air by virtue of fog, dust and moisture that either exists in the air or which is created by the performer or venue. The beams are often animated to produce a dynamic effect. The beams can be moved and animated in a number of ways. For purposes of this invention, an X-Y scanning system is also used. The scanning system may be identical to that of graphics projectors (the projector is merely aimed into the air instead of at a screen), or the scanning system may scan more slowly than that of graphics projectors (since complex images may not be required). Use of an X-Y scanning system allows flexibility to create both simple placement of the beam to hit target mirrors or objects and also to allow more complex patterns such as circles and shapes to be projected.
With both graphics and beam projectors, the generated light, typically a laser beam, never comes in contact with the audience. The light merely travels from the projector to its destination surface, or along an uninterrupted path in mid air.
Audience scanning projectors typically combine features of both graphics and beam projectors. Audience scanning projectors use X-Y scanners to project geometric figures, patterns and arrays of light beams directly into a viewing audience. As with beam projectors, when the laser is projected toward an audience, its beam also illuminates any fog, dust, and moisture in the air. The beams create dancing sculptures that are very pleasing to audience members and the beam comes in direct contact with the audience. The generated effect creates the illusion of being surrounded by a tunnel of light and by other geometric shapes that are formed by the light. One viewer has compared it to being inside a fireworks display, or at the bottom of a swimming pool filled with light. A typical audience scanning projector, as known in the art, is shown in
In the case of each of the three projector types described above, the X-Y signals and beam power level signals are generated by a programmable controller which generally comprises a personal computer having suitable interface hardware, and running software for generating the images, patterns and shapes. The hardware generally includes an interface circuit board that connects to the computer. This interface circuit board includes digital-to-analog converters and voltage amplifiers, so that signals can be produced which correspond to X-Y beam positions, and to beam power levels. The X-Y beam positions and beam power levels produced by the interface hardware are sometimes referred to as “command signals,” since these signals represent the software's intention for the projector to follow. The software program generates the X-Y beam positions and beam power level “command signals” and periodically transfers these as digital data to the digital-to-analog converters in the interface circuit board. Those skilled in the art will know that any suitable interface hardware and software may be used to control any of the three projector types mentioned above. However, in the present invention preferred hardware and software systems include the QuadMod™ series of hardware boards and Lasershow Designer™ series of laser software, both from Pangolin Laser Systems, Orlando, Fla.
When projecting a laser beam toward a viewer, eye safety is a major concern. If an intense laser beam were to stop scanning and stopped directly on the pupil of a viewer's eye, retinal damage can occur if the beam has sufficiently high power and a sufficiently long dwell time. Likewise, even if the beam is not stopped but is scanned across the pupil of an eye, it can still cause retinal damage if the beam power is high enough, or if the beam is scanning slowly enough.
In audience scanning projectors in the current state of the art, the X and Y beam position signals generated by the X-Y scanners are mathematically differentiated to produce an output equivalent to X and Y beam velocity. The X and Y beam velocities are added together to produce the total beam velocity. This total beam velocity is monitored and compared to some pre-set minimum allowable velocity to make sure that the beam velocity is sufficiently high. If the beam were to stop scanning, producing zero velocity, or if the velocity were to otherwise drop below some preset threshold, this would be considered a “scanning failure.” Under a scanning failure condition, the beam may be completely turned off by the light beam modulator or by a shutter. This type of system is called a “scan-fail monitor”. Note that a scan-fail monitor is most often implemented in the form of analog signal conditioning components, but may also be implemented with computer hardware and software. A typical scan-fail monitor as know in the art is shown in
While scan-fail monitors provide some level of protection for the audience, there are a number of problems that still remain. First, a scan-fail monitor does not provide automatic power level control in different regions of the scan field. For example, scan-fail monitors are not capable of allowing a higher power level over the audience's heads or below their eyes. Second, scan-fail monitors can be easily “fooled” into believing that there is a safe condition when there is not, because they only monitor the rate of change of position and do not track the actual position of the beam. For example, if the beam alternates between two fixed locations, thereby concentrating 50% of the beam power in each position, the scan-fail monitor may allow this condition since the beam is technically scanning. However, in many instances, a 50% concentration of beam power could be hazardous. Therefore, improvements are still required over the use of a scan-fail monitor alone.
The actual process of evaluating the show material being projected into an audience is an extremely time consuming task which is prone to error. The current state of the art requires a beam power meter capable of measuring irradiance (beam power per unit area), a fast silicon photodiode, an oscilloscope, a scientific calculator, and sufficient skill to use these instruments. The beam power meter must be used to measure the “static beam irradiance at the closest point of audience access”. The fast silicon photodiode and oscilloscope are used together to measure the pulse characteristics of the scanning light beam. Finally, the scientific calculator is used to perform calculations using the irradiance and pulse characteristics to evaluate whether the effect is safe or not.
While performing an evaluation of the show, each effect must be evaluated for three separate criteria, often termed maximum permissible exposure (MPE) levels, as described in well established safety standards including the IEC 60825-1 and the ANSI Z136.1. The three criteria are the single pulse MPE, multiple pulse MPE, and average power MPE. The scanning effect must not exceed any of these three MPE levels in order to be considered safe.
The terms “single pulse” and “multiple pulse” refer to a phenomenon that the human eye perceives due to the scanning action. When a laser beam scans across the pupil of the viewer's eye, it is the to deliver a pulse of laser light to the viewer's eye. This is because as the beam scans past the viewer's eye, it will only enter the eye for a brief time, depending on the beam diameter and the scan rate. This perceived pulse of light created by the scanned beam is similar to a pulse that is created by a beam which is not scanning, but is turned on for only a brief instant. The amount of time that the beam is on within the viewer's pupil is called the pulse width. For audience scanning shows, this pulse-width is typically between about 20 to 500 microseconds.
When an audience scanning effect is being projected, such as a tunnel or sheet scan, this is done by repeatedly scanning the tunnel or sheet to make it appear solid. As the beam crosses the viewer's eye, it will generate a pulse of light entering the eye. Since the X-Y scanners will trace this effect many times to make it appear to be solid, the viewer's eye may receive multiple pulses of light if the effect and viewer are stationary. The reason why pulses and multiple pulses are important, is that safety standards prescribe a maximum amount of light, that is, a maximum permissible exposure (MPE) that the viewer can be receive for a single pulse, and for multiple pulses.
During the show evaluation process mentioned above, the show must essentially be in a “paused” state while measurements can be taken, and these measurements typically require several minutes per effect. This means that if a show has hundreds of different effects, a considerable amount of time must be spent evaluating the show material. Moreover, if an effect does exceed any of the MPE levels mentioned above, the effect must be “re-programmed” so that a safe show can be produced.
There are several pieces of software on the market to aid in the task of safety evaluation and calculation of MPE levels. While the use of software in the current state of the art can remove some of the tedium and possible human error when performing many calculations, there is currently no software that can run in real time to evaluate scanning beams on the fly, and automatically reduce power levels when needed. In addition, all software programs in the current state of the art require that the user know many projection parameters which may not be readily known or easily determined, such as scan angle, actual beam diameter at the laser projector, and actual beam divergence that exists as a function of the laser and of projection system components.
The current invention completely eliminates the need for manual and tedious evaluation of the scanned laser output. Moreover, it constantly monitors a number of scanning and power related parameters and can extinguish the beam in the event an unsafe condition is detected.
With the foregoing in mind, the present invention discloses the components used in a safe audience scanning projector that incorporates electronic circuitry that performs a number of safety related functions. Additionally, the presently described audience scanning laser projector includes a real time laser power meter, a safety shutter, a fast beam modulating device and a control panel. Those skilled in the art should be aware that the disclosed fault shutter, also called a safety shutter, is one that is in addition to the one or two shutters typically employed in laser projectors. It should also be pointed out that the safety circuitry may monitor and respond to a signal identified as an “S” coordinate generated by the programmable controller which controls the laser projector. Accordingly, the safety circuitry comprises an electronic circuit that monitors a number of system parameters and can blank the laser and close the fault shutter in the event of a fault condition. Blanking and shutter are preferably kept activated until the fault condition is cleared and the user manually resets the system using a two-step reset sequence. Note that the user cannot merely hold down the reset button and keep the system in a “ready/no fault” state.
In the detailed description that follows, the skilled will appreciate that in one embodiment of the present laser light projector comprises a laser beam generated by a laser light source, and a scanner associated with the laser light source and having one or more mirrors capable of scanning the laser beam along X-Y coordinates. Also included are a power meter positioned for quantifying the laser beam's power in real time and a fault detector, which could be the circuitry mentioned, and which is operably connected in the laser light projector to detect a fault condition and automatically generate a fault signal in response thereto. A modulator is responsive to the fault signal for reducing power in the laser beam and a fault shutter operably associated with the laser light source is responsive to the fault signal so as to shut off the laser beam.
Some of the features, advantages, and benefits of the present invention having been stated, others will become apparent as the description proceeds when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these illustrated embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
By way of non-limiting example, in the present invention the real-time laser power meter preferably comprises a measuring head such as model number SEL033 and an optical amplifier board such as model A430, both from the company International Light. The power meter is used to constantly monitor the power of the laser beam that is being emitted from the laser projector. The electronic circuitry employs this information to verify that the laser power does not exceed a predetermined level and also to ensure that the beam power does not exceed 1 milliwatt when the beam is commanded to be blanked.
The beam modulator device is preferably a polychromatic acousto-optic modulator (PCAOM). The modulator is used by the show programming to control the beam color and intensity, and it is also used by the electronic circuitry to blank the laser beam. This component is preferably able to reduce laser output to below 1 mW within 10 microseconds of command. Alternatively, the beam modulator device could actually be the power supply feeding the laser, such as would be the case for directly modulated solid state lasers.
A control panel associated with the presently disclosed laser projector may be integral with the projector or may be a connectable add-on device. Typically, the control panel would include LED status monitors which indicate the status of the power supplies, beam power, beam velocity and fault conditions. The control panel preferably also includes an emergency stop switch and a system reset switch to restore the system after a fault condition has been raised.
A preferred beam path in the presently disclosed laser projector is as follows. The beam is emitted by the laser source and passes first through the fault shutter. From there, it is directed through mirrors, the logo shutter (sometimes called the beam shutter), PCAOM and other customary optics on its way to X-Y galvanometric scanners. Before going to the X-Y scanners, the beam passes through the real-time laser power meter, and then finally to X-Y scanners and out toward the audience.
The electronic circuitry accomplishes a number of safety related functions in the present laser projector, as follows. The circuitry monitors the power supply that feeds the X-Y scanner servo drivers and the instantaneous beam velocity caused by the scanning action. The circuitry also monitors the size of the generated effect to make sure that the effect is sufficiently large for the audience and for the intended show. Additionally, the circuitry monitors the beam power to ensure that a predetermined maximum safe power is not exceeded. Moreover, the circuitry monitors the beam power to ascertain that there is no laser output when blanked and that the beam power meter is working properly. Beam position is also monitored to determine if effect position is over the heads of the audience. Yet additionally, the circuitry monitors the “S” signal from the programmable controller, which indicates the level of hazard potential. The circuitry also monitors its own health, indicates various status conditions for the user, preferably via an associated display, and provides for emergency stop and reset. These features are further described below so that the skilled may fully understand the disclosed invention.
Power Supply Monitor
The purpose of the Power Supply Monitor is to monitor the power supply voltages that feed the scanner servo drivers, and also to monitor power supply voltages within the electronic circuitry itself. If any of these power supplies are not sufficient to ensure proper operation of the scanner servo drivers and electronic circuitry, a fault condition is raised and both the shutter and blanking signals are set to a state that prevents laser output.
The power supply monitor comprises one or more comparators, and one relay. The comparators monitor the +/−24V feeding the scanner servo drivers, and the +/−15V that are derived on the electronic circuitry, as well as the +5V derived thereon. If any of these voltages is out of tolerance, the POWER_OK signal within the electronic circuitry is brought low, and subsequently, the logic circuit will bring the READY signal low, which closes the safety shutter, and blanks the laser. Since the logic circuits are powered by 5V and might not operate properly if the 5V power supply is not present, a relay is also used, which is powered by the 5V supply. If the 5V supply is not present, the relay will not energize, and the shutter and blanking signals are perpetually maintained in a state which prevents laser output.
Scanning Velocity Monitor
The purpose of the scanning velocity monitor is to monitor the beam velocity that is caused by the X-Y scanning action. If the beam velocity falls below a predetermined level, and maintains this low velocity condition for a predetermined amount of time, the blanking signal is set to a state that reduces the laser power to a level below 1 mW.
The scanning velocity monitor includes operational amplifiers, analog multipliers and comparator circuits. The X and Y position signals from the X-Y scanner servo drivers are fed to operational amplifiers which are configured to take the first derivative of the each position signal, thus providing signals which are equivalent to the X and Y beam velocity. The X and Y beam velocity signals are then squared by multipliers and then these signals are added together. The result is a signal that is equivalent to the beam velocity squared. This signal is then compared with a constant voltage which represents a preferred minimum acceptable beam velocity (which is approximately 1 radian per second). If the beam velocity is above 1 radian per second, the comparator output will be shorted low. If the beam velocity is below 1 radian per second, the comparator output is relaxed, allowing a capacitor to charge. This capacitor charge voltage is then compared to a second voltage which represents that amount of time that the beam velocity may be below 1 radian per second (which is generally between 1 millisecond and 10 milliseconds). When the beam velocity is below 1 radian per second, for a period of time pre-set by the second comparator, then the “VELOCITY_OK” signal is brought low and the beam is blanked by the fast modulation device. Note that the squaring action of this “beam velocity squared” signal is very beneficial. If the beam velocity is 2 radians per second, it will be four times the nominal comparator voltage. Likewise, if the beam velocity is 0.5 radians per second, the voltage will be one quarter the nominal comparator voltage. Because of this, the beam velocity comparison is made very accurately.
Effect Size Monitor
The purpose of the effect size monitor is to measure the peak-to-peak AC signal level of the X and Y position signals, and ensure that they are sufficiently large for the effect to be safe.
The effect size monitor consists of operational amplifiers, AC coupling capacitors, rectifiers and a comparator. The X and Y signals are both buffered and inverted. The buffered (non-inverting) signal and the inverted signal are both fed through AC coupling capacitors and then rectified. The rectified signal is used to charge a DC capacitor which is simultaneously being discharged by a resistor. The instantaneous voltage across this DC capacitor is compared with a fixed voltage which represents the minimum acceptable size of an effect. When the effect is determined to be too small, then the “SIZE_OK” signal is brought low and the beam is blanked by the fast modulation device.
Note that since this circuit uses AC coupling techniques, which are then rectified and used to charge a DC capacitor, this circuit similarly works off of beam velocity and not merely the DC position. The component values of the coupling capacitors and DC capacitor are chosen to largely mirror those of the scanning velocity monitor. This was done purposely so there are effectively two sources of scanning velocity information which can be compared in the logic section. Thus, this provides redundancy. Also note that the minimum size is provided by the voltage drop which naturally occurs in rectifier diodes. Even if the velocity is sufficiently large to make it across the AC coupling capacitors, the signal will have to be sufficiently large to overcome the voltage drops of the diodes. It is therefore the diodes that provide the “minimum size” action of this circuit.
Maximum Safe Beam Power Monitor
The purpose of the maximum beam power monitor is to monitor the power of the laser beam that is currently being emitted from the laser projector, and initiate a fault condition if this laser power is too high.
The maximum beam power monitor consists of a real-time power meter head and optical amplifier board from International Light, and an analog comparator circuit. The head is placed in the beam path in such a way that it can constantly monitor the beam power that is going to the X-Y scanners. The head has a fast silicon detector, and a special filter which allows it to output a voltage that is representative of the laser beam power, regardless of the wavelength of the laser. The optical amplifier board amplifies the signal from the head and generates a 0-to-5-volt analog signal, which is proportional to the beam power. This 0-to-5-volt signal is compared with a constant voltage which represents the “maximum safe beam power” which should be used for safe operation (generally 250 mW or less). If this “maximum power” is exceeded, a fault condition is raised and both the shutter and blanking signals are set to a state that prevents laser output.
Blanking Beam Power Monitor
The purpose of the blanking beam power monitor is to monitor the power of the laser beam that is currently being emitted from the laser projector, and initiate a fault condition if the laser is outputting more than 1 milliwatt at a time when a blanked condition is being commanded.
The blanking beam power monitor uses the same 0-to-5-volt signal that is used by the maximum safe beam power monitor. When the “blanking” signal is in a state which indicates the beam should be blanked, a comparator is used to compare the 0-to-5-volt signal with a constant voltage which represents 1 milliwatt. If the 0-to-5-volt signal is above the “1 milliwatt” level, then a fault condition is raised and both the shutter and blanking signals are set to a state that prevents laser output.
Beam Power Meter Monitor
The purpose of the beam power meter monitor, is to monitor the output of the real-time beam power meter, and make sure that it is functioning properly.
The beam power meter monitor uses the same 0-to-5-volt signal that is used by the maximum safe beam power monitor and blanking beam power monitor. When the “blanking” signal is in a state which indicates the beam should be outputting some level of power (i.e. not blanked), a comparator is used to compare the 0-to-5-volt signal with a constant voltage which represents 1 milliwatt. If the 0-to-5-volt signal is below the “1 milliwatt” level, then a fault condition is raised and both the shutter and blanking signals are set to a state that prevents laser output.
Note that this is mutually exclusive with the blanked beam power monitor and thus, any beam-power-related fault will be detected (beam outputting when it should not be, beam not outputting when it should be, beam outputting too much power).
Beam Position Monitor
The purpose of the beam position monitor is to observe the Y position signal from the X-Y scanners. If the Y position signal is determined to be “above the horizon”, then the scanning velocity monitor and maximum safe beam power monitor may be temporarily ignored, so that strong, bright beams may be projected over the audience's heads.
The beam position monitor includes an analog comparator an “enable/disable” jumper and logic circuitry. The Y scanner position is compared with a constant voltage which represents a value significantly over the heads of the audience. When the comparator output is low, indicating the beam is not above the heads of the audience, the logic circuits are in a state which will monitor the scanning velocity and maximum safe beam power. When the comparator output is high, indicating the beam is above the heads of the audience, the logic circuits are in a state that disables the effect of the scanning velocity monitor and maximum safe beam power. A jumper can be used to maintain the output of the comparator in a low state, thus permanently enabling the scanning velocity and maximum safe beam power.
Status Indicator LEDs
The purpose of the status indicator LEDs is to provide a visual indication of every stage in the system, and also provide a latching fault indication which indicates the problem that caused the fault, thus allowing the person to correct the problem and resume safe operation. The status indicator LEDs include LEDs and resistors which are placed at almost every stage in the electronic circuitry. The following LEDs and associated status messages are provided as non-limiting examples.
Status Signal Name Color Comment Power Supply Fault Red Remains until the fault is cleared Logic Fault Red Serious logic problem. System needs repair Max. Power Exceeded Red Latches and will remain until reset Blanked Laser Power Red Latches and will remain until reset Exceeded Armed Yellow Reset button is active and may be pressed Ready Red/Green Red = system fault, Green = system ready Velocity Yllw/Grn Green = velocity is above 1 rad/sec Position Yllw/Grn Green = position is above audience Effect Size Yellow Indicates Effect is too small Laser Output Yellow Indicates that color channels are Commanded driven Laser Power Yellow Indicates laser is above 1 mW Output Intensity/Blank Yllw/Grn Green = Beam is not blanked Safety Shutter Red shutter closed Green shutter open
The electronic circuitry monitors an emergency/stop signal, which is normally facilitated by a red “mushroom” type switch. If the emergency/stop signal is placed in a state which indicates an emergency/stop condition, then a fault condition is raised and both the shutter and blanking signals are set to a state that prevents laser output.
Reset Condition and Button
The electronic circuitry monitors a “reset” signal. This reset signal is constantly observed, regardless of the state of the system. If the “ready” status is indicated and somebody pressed the Reset button, then the system will be brought out of the ready state and into a fault state. If the system is in a fault state, then it can only be reset if all faults are cleared AND the reset button is not being pressed AND the “armed” status indicator is illuminated. Pressing the reset button when the system is in the “armed” state will reset the system to the “ready” state. Note that if you press and hold the RESET button, the system will not remain in the READY state and in fact will constantly be in the FAULT state. The electronic circuitry is designed such that reset signal may actually be provided by a key switch instead of a push button.
Increased System Accuracy Using the “S” Coordinate
The accuracy of the electronic circuitry may be increased by observing a newly invented signal from the computer called “S” for “Safety”. This is a “coordinate” that is output from the computer, in addition to the normal X, Y and RGB Color signals. Stated another way, the computer generates X, Y, R, G, B and “S” for Safety for each data point being output. This safety coordinate that is output from the computer carries additional information about the hazard potential of the current X, Y, R, G, and B coordinates. The S coordinate takes into account the current beam velocity, and number of times the beam has been commanded in the neighborhood of this X-Y location.
Voltage levels of S range from 0V indicating severe hazard to +5V indicating relative safety. Since this S coordinate is related to beam velocity, the S coordinate can be compared with the beam velocity computed by the scanning velocity monitor. If these two elements grossly disagree, then this would indicate a failure somewhere in the system. This failure could be in the computer system itself in failing to correctly generate the S signal, or in the scanning system for producing an incorrect scan velocity, or even in the electrical components of the electronic circuitry itself. In any event, the electronic circuitry can react to this observed failure by raising a fault condition and both the shutter and blanking signals would be set to a state that prevents laser output.
The electronic circuitry may include another enhancement which allows it to not only forcibly blank and shutter the beam, but also to vary the intensity of the laser based on the voltage of the S coordinate. Stated another way, the electronic circuitry could actively control the laser beam intensity based on the voltage of the S coordinate reducing the intensity in areas where greater hazard exists.
Since the programmable controller or computer system that feeds the projector is generating the X, Y, R, G, B and S coordinates, the computer system can provide a way of visualizing S on the computer monitor. For example, this visualization may be the color of a faint image that ranges from green indicating relative safety, to yellow indicating nominal hazard, to red indicating severe hazard. This faint image may be visible along with the normal visualization of the X, Y, R, G and B signals. Stated another way, there may be a mode of complete visualization which shows the normal laser image created by the X, Y, R, G and B coordinates and, overlaid within that image, another fainter image which shows this green-to-red color property of the S coordinate. The computer operator may observe this visualization and, as a result of this information, change their show material in such a way as to reduce the amount of red that is showing in the faint S visualization and thus, reduce the hazard potential of the show.
Reliability and Redundancy
The present invention includes a number of features which promote high reliability and redundancy. Various of the components which contribute to these ends are further discussed below.
The safety shutter is used in addition to one or two other shutters which normally exist in laser projectors. These other shutters (called the logo shutter and beam shutter) are controlled by the show production system (often a computer). This show production system opens and closes the shutters automatically as needed.
The safety shutter chosen for this project is a fast, reliable, fail-safe. If the shutter fails due to some mechanical problem, the design of the shutter is such that it will prevent laser output under the failure condition.
Note that the safety shutter is actually a redundant safety component in this system since the fast modulation device will always blank the beam to a power level below 1 milliwatt under any fault condition. In this way, the safety shutter is redundant, not only for the normal shutters, but also for the fast modulation device.
The safety shutter is opened by the presence of a 12-volt signal. If this signal is not present, the shutter will remain closed. In this way, even the electrical operation of the shutter is fail-safe.
Fast Modulation Device
The fast modulation device, or modulator, can reduce the beam power to below 1 milliwatt, within 10 microseconds of being commanded to do so. It is commanded to reduce laser power by the absence of a 5V “blanking/intensity” signal. Since the fast modulation device will not output greater than 1 milliwatt of laser light in the absence of this signal, it is electrically fail-safe. Note that this fast modulation device may be the power supply feeding the laser itself, for example, in self-modulated lasers.
Real Time Beam Power Meter and Monitor
The real-time beam power meter is a high-reliability, fast silicon detector which generates a 0-to-5-volt signal proportional to the amount of laser light being sent to the X-Y scanners. The electronic circuitry tests three different aspects of this signal. It verifies that this signal is not present when the system is supposed to be blanked. It also verifies that there is actually a signal present when the system is not supposed to be blanked. Also, it verifies that the maximum laser power is not exceeded. Due to the first two terms being mutually exclusive, any possible mode of failure of the beam power meter and monitoring system will generate a fault condition. Therefore, the real time beam power meter, and all related comparator and logic functions are fail-safe.
X-Y Scanners and Monitors
The X-Y scanners chosen for this project are not the type of scanners that are typically used in a laser projector. They are moving magnet scanners which do not employ a torsion rod. In addition, the rotor is twice as long as most other scanners, and the coil resistance is half that of other scanners. This combination allows these scanners to dissipate heat four times more effectively than scanners for a similar beam aperture. In all, the X-Y scanners are capable of dissipating 120 watts of drive power, which is in turn, four times as high as any drive signal that is expected.
The +/−24V power supply that feeds the scanner servo driver is monitored by the electronic circuitry. If this power supply is below +/−18V, the electronic circuitry will generate a fault condition. If the scanners fail, the velocity monitor aspect of the electronic circuitry will reduce laser output to a level below 1 milliwatt.
Design of Comparator Circuits
All comparators used in this design have are preferably of the “open collector” type. If this type of comparator fails, it will usually fail in such a way that the output transistor is shorted, and the output of the comparator stays low. In all circuits except one, the “output low” condition is a safe condition. In this way, the comparator design is fail-safe.
Velocity and Effect Size Monitors
Both the velocity monitor and effect size monitor observes the X and Y position signals from the scanner servo drivers. If either X or Y position signal is missing or does not have a sufficiently high signal level, the VELOCITY_OK and SIZE_OK signal will never be generated. In this way, these monitors are both fail-safe with respect to faulty incoming signals.
The velocity monitor incorporates a low pass filter. This low pass filter will prevent corruption and thus, prevent falsely indicating that the velocity is acceptable in the presence of noise or extraneous signals, examples of which include RF signals from a mobile radios or cell phones.
The velocity monitor incorporates a comparator circuit that is used in such a way that the safe condition is high rather than low as described above. However, another circuit monitors this signal and compares it against other signals as a “sanity check”. If the signals inside the velocity monitor do not correlate to the X and Y position signals in a realistic fashion, a fault condition is generated.
Logic Sanity Monitor
The safety shutter and intensity/blanking outputs are both monitored and checked for consistency with internal logic nodes using a simple but reliable exclusive OR gate, as known to the skilled. If the proper signal relationships are not maintained, one or more exclusive OR signals will be brought low, disengaging the relay and grounding the safety shutter and intensity/blanking output signals.
Accordingly, In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed a typical preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, the terms are used in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The invention has been described in considerable detail with specific reference to these illustrated embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that various modifications and changes can be made within the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the foregoing specification and as defined in the appended claims.
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|US6580560||Feb 1, 2002||Jun 17, 2003||William R. Benner, Jr.||Laser light projector having beam diffuser and associated methods|
|US6661820||Aug 9, 2000||Dec 9, 2003||Perceptron, Inc.||Method and system for maximizing safe laser power of structured laser light projectors used with imaging sensors|
|US6867753||Oct 28, 2002||Mar 15, 2005||University Of Washington||Virtual image registration in augmented display field|
|US6919892||Aug 14, 2002||Jul 19, 2005||Avaworks, Incorporated||Photo realistic talking head creation system and method|
|US7190329||Jun 20, 2003||Mar 13, 2007||Microvision, Inc.||Apparatus for remotely imaging a region|
|US7301558||Dec 6, 2006||Nov 27, 2007||Media Technologies Licensing, Llc||Imaging system and method|
|US20020167974 *||Apr 4, 2002||Nov 14, 2002||Kennedy John T.||Q-switched cavity dumped CO2 laser for material processing|
|US20050024704 *||Jun 29, 2004||Feb 3, 2005||Yoshitsugu Sakai||Optical apparatus and laser display apparatus having laser beam scanner each|
|US20060139319||Jan 18, 2006||Jun 29, 2006||General Electric Company||System and method for generating most read images in a pacs workstation|
|US20070279494||Apr 18, 2005||Dec 6, 2007||Aman James A||Automatic Event Videoing, Tracking And Content Generation|
|JP2000194302A||Title not available|
|1||Benner, Jr., William R., "Evaluating Audience Scanning Effects," The Laserist, vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 8-9, Fall 1997.|
|2||Benner, Jr., William R., "Laserists Tackle Scanning Safety Issue," The Laserist, vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 5 and 18, Winter 1998.|
|3||Benner, Jr., William R., "Making Shows Safe and Enjoyable," Internet article, published in 1997, [online], Retrieved from the ILDA Technology website using Internet .|
|4||Benner, Jr., William R., "New Tools for Eye-Safe Measurements," The Laserist, vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 11 and 14, Spring 1997.|
|5||Benner, Jr., William R., "Tools to Keep Audience Scanning Safe," The Laserist, vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 11-13, Summer 1997.|
|6||Benner, Jr., William R., "Making Shows Safe and Enjoyable," Internet article, published in 1997, [online], Retrieved from the ILDA Technology website using Internet <URL:http://www.laserist.org/ilda/showsafe.shtml>.|
|7||*||O'Hagan, "A Risk Assessment Methodology for the Use of Lasers in the Entertainment Industry", John B. O'Hagan, Doctoral Thesis, 47-77.|
|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US8342691 *||Feb 3, 2010||Jan 1, 2013||International Business Machines Corporation||Information technology system with micro projector display|
|US8511838||Jun 29, 2011||Aug 20, 2013||Microvision, Inc.||Scanning laser projector with safety system|
|US9006629 *||Aug 17, 2012||Apr 14, 2015||Stmicroelectronics International N.V.||Controlling laser power|
|US9268204||Jul 15, 2014||Feb 23, 2016||X-Laser LLC||Verification of laser projector safety system operation|
|US20110187943 *||Feb 3, 2010||Aug 4, 2011||International Business Machines Corporation||Information Technology System With Micro Projector Display|
|US20130044774 *||Aug 17, 2012||Feb 21, 2013||Stmicroelectronics International N.V.||Controlling laser power|
|WO2013003480A2||Jun 27, 2012||Jan 3, 2013||Microvision, Inc.||Scanning laser projector with safety system|
|WO2013003480A3 *||Jun 27, 2012||Feb 28, 2013||Microvision, Inc.||Scanning laser projector with safety system|
|WO2015143423A1 *||Mar 21, 2015||Sep 24, 2015||Lightwave International, Inc.||Laser projection system|
|U.S. Classification||372/38.09, 372/24, 372/6|
|Oct 17, 2013||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|Mar 9, 2015||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: PANGOLIN LASER SYSTEMS, INC., FLORIDA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:BENNER, WILLIAM R., JR.;REEL/FRAME:035113/0451
Effective date: 20150304


text:
I have to make an edible image cake, in the form of a credit card.
I have made earlier a similar cake but had to pipe very fine butter cream lines on the edges, which was the hardest part. (Here's the link with the image http://cakecentral.com/t/754440/credit-card-cake, incase you can't see the image below)
Is there any other option apart from fondant as the image does not really blend in well, and I have pipe the borders. Should I frost the cake with butter cream or royal icing or anything else, instead of covering it with fondant and then applying the iamge? This credit card is in royal blue colour.
Thanks a lot !!

domain: food


text:
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Blackjack games online can allow you to win money. Blackjack can be played for money and for a short amount of time. This can be an excellent opportunity to win some extra money while enjoying the game. You’ll probably have strategies that you can use to win.
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As you can see, there are many different ways to win real money online. But, you should make sure that you do not fall victim to any sites that offer you fake prizes or offers. There are a lot of websites that offer real money-making games. Be sure to spend some time looking for the best games to play on.

domain: entertainment


text:
Hello everybody, welcome to my recipe page, looking for the perfect Besan Mongra Curry recipe? look no further! We provide you only the best Besan Mongra Curry recipe here. We also have wide variety of recipes to try.
Before you jump to Besan Mongra Curry recipe, you may want to read this short interesting healthy tips about Healthy Eating Can Be An Easy Option.
Healthy eating is today a lot more popular than before and rightfully so. Poor diet is a leading factor in illnesses such as heart disease and high blood pressure which can place a drain on the economy. There are more and more efforts to try to get us to lead a more healthy way of living and still it is also easier than ever to rely on fast, convenient food that is very bad for our health. It is likely that many people believe it will take so much effort to eat a healthy diet or that they have to make a large scale change to how they live. It is possible, however, to make some simple changes that can start to make a difference to our day-to-day eating habits.
These types of changes are possible with all sorts of foods and can apply to the oils you cook in and the spread you put on bread. For example, monounsaturated fat such as olive oil can help counter the bad cholesterol in your diet. It is also a great source of Vitamin E which has a lot of benefits and is also great for your skin. If you presently are consuming a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, you may want to think about where you’re buying them and if it’s the best source. If at all possible, buy organic produce that has not been sprayed with deadly pesticides. You can ensure that you’re getting the most nutritional benefits from your fresh produce if you can locate a local supplier as you will be able to get the fruit when it is the freshest and ripest.
Evidently, it’s not difficult to start incorporating healthy eating into your daily routine.
We hope you got insight from reading it, now let’s go back to besan mongra curry recipe. To cook besan mongra curry you need 18 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you do that.
The ingredients needed to prepare Besan Mongra Curry:
- Take 1/2 Cup of Besan / Gram Flour.
- Get 1 pinch of baking soda.
- Take 1 Teaspoon of Red Chilli Powder.
- Prepare 1/4 Teaspoon of Garam Masala.
- Use 1 Teaspoon of Salt.
- Provide as needed of Oil for Frying.
- You need 4 of Onions.
- Provide 3 of Tomatoes.
- Prepare 2 of Green Chillies.
- Take 6-7 Cloves of Garlic.
- Use 1 inch of Piece of Ginger.
- Provide 1 Teaspoon of Jeera.
- Prepare 1/2 Teaspoon of Red Chilli Powder.
- Prepare 1/2 Teaspoon of Haldi/ Turmeric.
- Get 1/2 tsp of garam masala.
- Use 1/2 cup of Fresh cream.
- Use 1 pinch of Hing / Asafoetida.
- Get to taste of Salt.
Steps to make Besan Mongra Curry:
- Add Besan,1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder, 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala, 1 teaspoon Saunf and 1 teaspoon Salt. Add a pinch baking soda..
- Heat the oil on medium heat and with the help of round shaped small spoon put the Besan mixture. Fry for 1 minute and then turn the heat to low and cook till they are golden brown on both sides. Drain the excess oil.Keep aside..
- Heat oil in another pan and fry the Cumin Seeds and a pinch of hing. Make a paste of Garlic, Ginger, Green Chillies and Onions. Fry it in the oil till it turns golden brown or translucent..
- When cooked, add 1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder, 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala, 1/2 teaspoon Haldi and 1/2 teaspoon Salt. Mix well..
- Wash tomatoes and make a smooth puree using a blender or food processor. Add this puree to the pan and cook till the raw tomato smell is gone..
- Add 1/2 Cup Malai or Cream to the curry.We can also use milk if these are not available to you. Simmer on low heat till cooked..
- Add the fried Besan mongra to the curry and garnish with chopped green chillies.Serve hot with roti/paratha or rice..
If you find this Besan Mongra Curry recipe valuable please share it to your good friends or family, thank you and good luck.


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A deadly winter storm that began in California is now barreling across the nation's midsection, dumping heavy snow and freezing rain in parts of the Midwest.
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text:
Of all the anime I’m ever going to talk about, this one is hands down the strangest and, at times, most surreal. It’s also one of the weirder examples of anime I’ve ever come across, while managing to be one of he most watchable, as you try to just figure out what the hell is going on, what’s going to happen next, and how it’s going to end.
Based on a visual novel style video game from ROOT, which came out in the way back of 2002, the 13 episode anime adaptation was produced by Studio Dean in 2003, who made what I’ve read are some pretty hefty changes to the way the plot unfolds. All the same characters are there, as I understand it, but the story follows a very different path. Since I haven’t even played the game, I can’t say if this is for the best or not.
The story follows high school student Azuma Hazuki, who has fallen in love with her adopted older sister, Hatsumi, to the point she can barely stand it. A mute, Hatsumi is warm and friendly with everyone she meets, while the tomboyish Hazuki is more aloof with strangers, frequently stepping in when she feels a boy is trying to take advantage of her kind hearted sister.
Of course, because she’s in love with Hatsumi, there’s way more to her actions, and try as she might to bury those feelings, she just can’t seem to. Even when other students at the all girls school she attends confess to her, she barely even registers it.
After seeing Hatsumi passionately kissing a boy, Hazuki flies into a jealous rage, causing Hatsumi to be injured, a mild cut on her wrist by a letter opener. Overwhelmed with horror at what she’s become, Hazuki continues to try and bury her feelings, but only manages to make herself even more miserable.
On the evening before Hatsumi’s 16th birthday, shortly after the letter opener incident, Hazuki goes to her room, where she apologizes to the sleeping Hatsumi. Deciding to steal a single kiss before forcing herself to give up on her feelings for good, no matter how hard it is, she is startled when, as the clock strikes midnight, Hatsumi speaks her name, and vanishes in a flash of brilliant green light.
Panic stricken, Hazuki searches the entire house before returning to Hatsumi’s room, trying to understand what has happened. A few minutes later, a large, fat, talking parakeet arrives, bemoaning the fact that he has missed Eve yet again. Startled, but realizing this talking bird has something to do with Hatsumi’s disappearance, Hazuki forces the parakeet, named Ken, to help her find Hatsumi.
Finally giving in to her demands, Ken transports her to The Great Library, a place where every world that ever has, or will exist can be accessed by way of a book. There, Hazuki meets the guardian of the Library, a Goddess who is also searching for Hatsumi, though she knows her by her true name, Eve, and that she isn’t a mute high school student, but a fellow Goddess.
Deciding to team up, and with Ken in tow, they head out into the multiverse in search of some sign of the missing Goddess, meeting many people and helping solve problems in their transdimensional world hopping.
What makes this show so weird, besides the premise, is that the story isn’t really told in a liner fashion. The various different worlds they visit are interspersed with episode long flashbacks to precipitating events for both Hazuki, the Library Guardian, and another character, an immortal alchemist, who is also searching for Eve, for reasons of his own.
You don’t so much watch Yami To Boushi To Hon No Tabibito as you piece it together over the course of the 13 episode run. Which isn’t exactly a bad thing, as I don’t think the story would have worked any other way. Most all of the flashbacks come in with relevant information at just the right time to be enlightening, and the full story of the alchemist, while told in a completely out of sequence way, actually makes him a more compelling character.
Most interesting of all is that the show rewards the viewer for watching it a second time, as knowing how things unfold gives you new insight into things, and makes the many little clues dropped throughout much more apparent the next time through. So, I don’t just recommend you watch it, but that you watch it at least twice.
The animation overall is very well done, if somewhat dated looking now, 13 years later. That I’m aware, the series has never gotten an HD remaster, or an English dub, so if you decide to check it out, be prepared for the smaller screen format and subtitles. Worth it in my mind for the excellent story the show tells.
The design of each character is very well done, making even the guest characters from the various worlds they visit distinct and unique. While the camera is occasionally used in a bit of leery way with the large number of female characters this show has, it never actually manages to undermine the characters themselves. In fact, one many occasions, the mild fan service is used to highlight various things about the characters.
Which is really weird. You guys know I’m not wild about fan service to begin with, so whenever I see it used in a way that actually informs the characters in some way that is actually important, it always throws me for a loop. It’s hard to explain it, and will hopefully make more sense if you watch the show, but for now, trust me on this. It’s fan service, or more likely a bit ecchi, but it works in a way that not many shows can pull off.
One of the real stars of the series, however, is the music. Never intrusive, but beautifully done all the way through, it adds that bit of extra oomph. Which is the right way to use music in any kind of filmed media, if you ask me. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’d love to own the soundtrack, it’s very well done, with more than a few pretty memorable pieces.
While the plot is hard to follow the first time through, everything comes together in the end, in a pretty satisfying way. Most notable, though, is the lack of any actual villain to the overall story. Every one of the major characters is doing things for their own reasons, but none of them are actually evil, or even all the malicious. There’s a couple who are misguided, or somewhat selfish, but nobody is the bad guy in this story, and everyone gets a resolution their story arc that is earned, and as close to a happy ending as possible.
Finally, there’s the real reason I love this show so much. You guys know I’m a sucker for bad ass ladies, and damn, but this show is overflowing with them. Starting with Hazuki’s single minded focus to find the woman she loves, she encounters numerous bad ass ladies who change her own character, making her stronger in a wide variety of ways. And I do mean a wide variety.
The tough as nails spy she meets in an early episode may seem like a damsel to the various men trying to use her for their own ends, but she kicks all their asses when the time is right, and she’s got the information she needs. The young woman in a primitive culture she later encounters is driven by her strong faith. The Princess she encounters in a feudal type world is kind and compassionate. The young woman she meets in a sci fi reality is brave and fearless, even in the face of death.
Each of these women, and others, are strong in different ways that never compromise their intelligence of capabilities, and by the end of the series, Hazuki has learned something from each of them, becoming a better, more well rounded person herself. This is definitely a women centered show, even with the occasional ecchi overtones, and in many ways, a celebration of lesbianism, as several of the women Hazuki encounters develop feelings for her as she helps them deal with the problems they face, and is sometimes helped to face her own problems by them.
Hazuki herself is often portrayed as cold and distant, capable of kicking seven shades of ass, but ultimately, lonely and lost in a world she doesn’t feel a part of. One of my favorite scenes in the entire show is when the feudal era Princess just holds her, and allows Hazuki to be weak, sad, and afraid, a side of herself the stoic Hazuki rarely shows to others.
About the only thing about the show that isn’t very well done is any kind of explanation for how the Library itself came to exist, or was overseen by two different Goddesses. Which is a pretty minor quibble, really, as the show doesn’t overly suffer from this lack of an explanation. There’s a few places where characters have some odd wardrobe choices as well, but in the end, I put it down to the the rather oddball nature of the show as a whole that it doesn’t try to explain why the characters dress the way they do.
Overall, it’s a incredibly well done series, with a lot going for it, that outshines it’s few weak points to deliver a touching tale of a young woman who is willing to travel entire alternate universes in search of the one person she loves.
Check it out. It’s worth the ride.

domain: artistic


text:
First Aid/CPR/AED Certification
- Free worldwide shipping
- Registration is Open
- Inventory on the way
This is a First Aid/CPR/AED Certification Class that is approved through the American Red Cross. Students will be able to receive their certification on the spot following the course.
There will be training AED devices, First Aid equipment as well as practice dummies for the participants to practice CPR on

domain: health


text:
Both Raman microscopy and Fourier transform (FT)-Raman spectroscopy have been used to determine the low-frequency vibrations of kaolinite at both 298 and 77 K. The low-frequency region is characterized by bands attributed to the hydroxyl deformation, hydroxyl translation, silicon-oxygen bending, and OHO vibrations. The inner hydroxyl stretching frequency shifts from 3620 to 3615 cm-1 upon cooling to liquid nitrogen temperature, and the inner surface hydroxyl bands show increased complexity with a number of overlapping bands in the 3685 to 3710 cm-1 region at 77 K, which are not observed in the 298 K spectrum. The hydroxyl deformation modes shift by 3 cm-1 to higher frequency upon cooling to liquid nitrogen temperature. The hydroxyl translation and other spectral regions show less sensitivity to the thermal treatment. Upon cooling to liquid nitrogen temperature, additional bands are observed in the low-frequency region: in the hydroxyl deformation region a new band is observed at 943 cm-1, in the OSiO bending region at 448 and 411 cm-1, and in the low-frequency region at 370 and 330 cm-1.
Ray L. Frost and J. Theo Kloprogge, "Raman Spectroscopy of the Low-Frequency Region of Kaolinite at 298 and 77 K," Appl. Spectrosc. 53, 1610-1616 (1999)
References are not available for this paper.
OSA is able to provide readers links to articles that cite this paper by participating in CrossRef's Cited-By Linking service. CrossRef includes content from more than 3000 publishers and societies. In addition to listing OSA journal articles that cite this paper, citing articles from other participating publishers will also be listed.

domain: chemistry


Nigeria needs to grow its economy by 46 per cent over the next 34 years in order to avert social crisis, the Financial Services Advisory Leader and Chief Economist, PricewaterhouseCoopers Nigeria, Andrew Nevin, has warned.
He cautioned that the country would continue to be poor if the economy grows at two per cent annually, considering that the projected annual population and working age population rates would be the highest in the world from 2016 to 2050.
Nevin, who spoke at the 2017 Fellows’ Luncheon of the Institute of Directors in Lagos on Thursday, said that Nigeria needed significant Foreign Direct Investment to bridge the infrastructure deficit estimated at over $100bn over the next 10 years.
He said that half of the $100bn deficit would be derived from FDIs, while the other half would come from the government.
Nevin said, “Nigeria’s population alone is estimated to be around 400 million in 2050, equivalent to around 56 per cent of Europe’s population, making it the third most populous country in the world.
“To get 46 per cent growth rate, we need a lot of investment. When we invest only 15 per cent, we are only replacing depreciation. We don’t have enough investment in Nigeria; half of $100bn has to come from Nigeria. There is not enough money spent by the Federal Government to make a dent in the investment needs. Unless we liberalise the foreign exchange regime, we cannot go anywhere near FDI in Nigeria.”
While emphasising the importance of funding for the implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan of the government, he said it would require about $400bn for infrastructural development over the implementation period.
The Chief Executive Officer, MainOne Cable, Ms. Funke Opeke, who also spoke on the theme: ‘2017 budget implementation and challenges,’ noted that most economies that had been transformed recently were built on technology.
She said the ICT had made significant contributions to the country’s Gross Domestic Product due to the hard work of major players in the sector.
According to her, expansion of technology infrastructure is being hindered by heavy taxes imposed by the federal and state governments.
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2017 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.


text:
All you need to know regarding the housing market in Toronto, Canada and abroad.
Photo credit: Gynormus-Cranius
This week in Toronto: The holiday season and bidding wars go hand in hand, a new record sale in the Beaches and buyers seeking an abode in the city are forced into the suburbs.
Elsewhere: Watch out for fake real esate ads in Ottawa, the 'Great One' gets paid and New Zealand is on the verge of a housing crisis according to Dr. Doom.
Bidding wars in Toronto picking up as year comes to an end (Toronto Star)
"In the end, some 15 people registered bids on the underpriced property, although two of them would later withdraw. By the time the frenzy of offers was over Tuesday, the pleasant house in the sought-after Frankland school district had sold for $785,100 — more than $135,000 over the asking price."
$6.1-million sale sets record for Toronto’s Beaches neighbourhood (The Globe and Mail)
"In many pockets of Toronto, the fall real estate market began to run out of steam as November wound down. One deal that snuck in under the wire was the sale of 412 Lake Front for $6.1-million."
“The growing number of homebuyers who live far from where they work, in car-dependent neighbourhoods, results in longer commutes and contributes to traffic congestion and poor air quality. This hampers the region’s economic success and reduces its quality of life,” the report states."
“We’re really interested to know how you view your neighbourhood,” said Liora Freedman, from Community Planning. “What needs to be updated in these policies to reflect what’s on the ground?”
"An Ottawa woman says she was shocked to learn the condo she was selling online was also being offered on another website at a deeply discounted price, part of a complicated scam targeting unsuspecting home buyers."
“We live a little bit like French people in North America, which isn’t possible in Toronto,” said Ricard, 32, who paid $1.15 million with his partner for their new home. “The image Montreal projects in France and elsewhere is the life of the whole world.”
"As they held their policy steady today, Governor Stephen Poloz and his central bank colleagues said the market is certainly stronger, but that's at least partly because home buyers are taking advantage of low mortgage rates before they rise again."
"Sales of existing homes nationwide in October were 8.3 per cent higher than a year earlier, slightly below economists’ expectations. The Canadian Real Estate Association will release November’s national data later this month."
Falling condo demand slows Ottawa real estate market (Ottawa Citizen)
“We don’t have these wild fluctuations,” he said. “It’s not like, ‘Well we bought, we got transferred and now we have to sell and the market’s tanked.’ That happens in Toronto and Vancouver a lot because they can go up and down in a very short period, and in Ottawa it just doesn’t happen.”
Mortgage rates increase for second week in a row (Washington Post)
"Mortgage rates continued their climb on the heels of strong economic reports, according to the latest data released Thursday by Freddie Mac. After bouncing around the past couple of months, fixed rates increased for the second week in a row."
Overseas Money Pours Into Miami Real Estate (Wall Street Journal)
"Cranes are again rising over this city, as the poster child for the real-estate collapse enjoys a new condominium boom fueled by foreign investors looking to park their money in U.S. real estate."
Wayne Gretzky Selling L.A. Town Home (Forbes)
"For Gretzky, the real estate consolidation comes as the NHL board of governors finally agreed to pay Gretzky the $7-to-$8 million he was owed for back salary associated with his coaching duties with the Phoenix Coyotes. Gretzky, considered one of the greatest hockey players ever and The Greatest face of the NHL, was brought in to the Coyotes in 2005, and left in 2009 when the franchise suffered economic collapse."
Optimism Over Vietnam Property, With Caveats (New York Times)
"Vietnam’s beleaguered property market is bottoming out just as macroeconomic indicators stabilize and the ruling Communist Party makes new pledges to reform a struggling and corruption-riddled banking sector, say developers and businessmen here, the country’s commercial capital."
Economist Nouriel Roubini picks NZ housing bubble (New Zealand Herald)
"Nouriel Roubini, the American economist and financial expert dubbed Dr Doom - who predicted last decade's global meltdown - has picked New Zealand as having one of the world's most precarious housing markets."
Realosophy Realty Inc. Brokerage is an innovative residential real estate brokerage in Toronto. A leader in real estate analytics and pro-consumer advice, Realosophy helps clients buy or sell a home the right way. Email Realosophy

domain: news


At present, integrated Digital Marketing is a popular name. It denotes the integration of various marketing strategies. This integrated platform helps to maintain consistency in the online business. Sitecore is a reliable name in offering the best integrated platform for digital marketing. Here it is necessary to know the reasons behind the popularity of the integrated platform.
Here we can consider the valuable study of the CDP Institute. It has been noticed that almost 66% percent of the marketers agree to the necessity of seamless integration in the internal system. 53% of marketers are in favor of the application of an integration system for a third-party application.
Every marketer or IT professional who is working in the marketing field understands the requirement of an Integrated Platform from Email automation to CMS. You may have noticed that data collection, market analysis, sales and customer success software, depend on a blend of various solutions. These also run on different models like private or public cloud models and hybrid models.
It is necessary to maintain the record of necessary marketing information to understand the customer’s sales journey. However, marketers understand that there is a large gap between the ideal setup and actuality.
The integrated solution is new to many marketers, and an integrated stack is necessary. Sitecore has developed integrated foundations like IPaas, CDP, and DXP to help marketers get the best integrated solution.
Sitecore has developed several solutions that help to support integrating stack. These solutions are IPaaS, CDP, and DXP. Let’s take note of every solution.
IPaaS:- IPaas or Integrated Platform as a service is one of the most effective solutions to martech stack. Whenever a digital marketer wants to integrate the martech stack, it is necessary to get familiar with IPaaS. IPaaS is a cloud-deployed platform, and it is subscription-based. This solution makes a connection between the data received from dissimilar systems, which can be either internal or external platforms.
A strong IPaaS solution performs the following functionalities
CDP:- CDP is also known as Customer Data Platform, which is another effective solution during the integration journey. Many ask about the differences between CDP and IPaaS. CDP enables the digital marketer to integrate the entire data relating to their customer whereas IPaaS, is the one-stop destination to avail all data.
CDP enables the marketer to have a better understanding of the customer. You may have noticed that many organizations use CDP as IPaaS. Again it has been noticed that many IPaaS tools have been changed into CDP. Hence, it can be said that both of them can solve data problems by offering resolving, cleansing, deduplicating and summing up the data. However, the specific solution depends on the exclusive goal of the organization. Hence, before using a marketing technology solution, you need to pay attention at
DXP: Digital Experience Platform or DXP facilitates external communication. Both the solutions, DXP and IPaaS, help in making the business operations streamlined and consolidating technologies. The difference between the IPaas and DXP is that DXP helps external communication, whereas the latter facilitates internal integrations. A digital marketer can obtain the following benefits from DXP.
Once you have set up your business goals and have already designed a profound strategy to reach the goal, you need to determine the systems to be integrated. You need to decide on the exact system among CRM, ESP, CMS and marketing and email automation. Now all you need to consider what you have at present and how you can make them put to use. Suppose you have already implemented an API-driven CMS similar to Sitecore Experience Manager or XM, which is already developed with open APIs which is directly connected to huge numbers of systems. Well, here also, you need to employ someone who can do the work of connecting those APIs.
During this pandemic, organizations need to determine the exact platform that can become the foundation. The marketing team will require the integrated and vigorous DXP as it includes a complementary solution. It offers an architecture that assists a company in its digital operation. It delivers related customer experience and collects necessary customer insight.
To establish a solid foundation, the DXP of an organization needs to be built on an API-first architecture. The DXP should be interoperable and extensible. Here Sitecore has made the system optimized so that these can get optimized. A professional must understand the better way to clutch the necessity for DXP in martech stack integration.
Sitecore has enabled the DXP solution on the .NET programming language. Here the professionals use xDP or Sitecore Experience Database, Single API framework, data management platform and Sitecore xConnect.


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Win tickets to Majestic New Year's Eve
Majestic New Year's Eve is one of Toronto's largest and most elegant New Year's Eve events. And now you can win your way in. We've teamed up with FAME Media to give readers a chance to win a pair of tickets.
Check out all the contest details here.
Join the conversation
The top 10 recording studios in Toronto
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The handsome hunk of Bollywood, Sidharth Malhotra, who is currently in Kargil for the shooting of Shershaah has unfortunately met with an accident as his bike skidded during the schedule. As per the Mumbai Mirror report, this incident took place on Saturday while riding a motorcycle on the hilly terrain. The source close to the film told the tabloid, “After the shoot, Sid and Shiv (Pandit, co-star) had ventured out for a ride when Shiv lost his balance and slipped off his bike. Sid, who was right behind him, had to apply brakes due to which his bike skidded, resulting in hand and leg injuries.”
Both Shiv and Sidharth were soon taken to the nearby army hospital. “Despite the accident, Sidharth continued to shoot on Sunday, as a crew of 150 people was already on board for a pivotal scene, for which a massive set-up was put together. It was a rest day for him on Monday,” added the source. Sidharth informed that the injury will take a week time to heal. “But given the schedule and scale of the film, I didn’t have the time to recover. Accidents like these happen and cause a bit of lapse in schedules, but I think it could have been much worse. Hopefully in the next few days, I will be absolutely fine.It is a completely new experience because not many films have been shot here. We have explored virgin locations as we want to be extremely authentic when it comes to the war. We have shot in the mountains similar to the ones where the battles were fought. The rocks were extremely sharp, and they can’t be controlled. So, there were safety concerns while we filmed action sequences and the team did everything to ensure we were comfortable.”
Shershaah is backed by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions and is directed by Vishnu Varadhan from a story written by Sandeep Srivastava. It also stars Kiara Advani in a key role and is set to hit the screens in 2020. So, are you excited for the film? Tweet to us @bollywood_life
Stay tuned to BollywoodLife for the latest scoops and updates from Bollywood, Hollywood, South, TV and Web-Series.
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text:
Vincere Make every ordinary match, extraordinary
Tree – be free
Free minded. Vincere is a free minded branche, Started in 2013 Designed and produced by Sterre Verwey She was born in 1994 16 years of designing in the mind 2.5 years of designing out loud. Vincere.
Be inspired. Be vintage Weâ€™re not just about the game, Weâ€™re about the performance. When you give it your all, Look the part.
Last but not least. We want people to win, Win the match, Win emotionally, Win with the looks. Be who you play, Feel good while you play, Wear Vincere, while you play.
Purchase, be inspired, love, win.
Make every ordinary match, extraordinary Sterre Verwey HFD1P 25-03-2013

domain: hobby


Composer Interview: Daniel Pemberton (October 25, 2013)
The prolific and versatile Daniel Pemberton takes some time to chat about his recent score to Ridley Scott's The Counselor. Daniel has scored films such as The Awakening, Blood and video games such as the popular Little Big Planet 2 and The Movies. The Counselor marks Daniel's first venture with Scott, which is significant because the director rarely changes composers. We talk about how he got into film scoring as well as how he got The Counselor gig through editor Pietro Scalia's recommendation. We discuss the musical approach and how he wanted his orchestra of guitars and unique textures to truly be something modern and new. He shares about the discussions he had with Ridley and all the cool things he tried to implement musically. We talk about the story and plot's thematic structure, and how that influenced his musical thematic structure. A great interview with a composer whose music I accidentally discovered in 2005 through the video game The Movies and have been a fan of ever since.
Interview Conducted By:
It is Free


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The open interest of futures on Bitcoin (BTC) has recently marked the worst daily loss in the last five months. Yesterday’s 11% drop caused more liquidations than May 9, when BTC fell 12.5% to $8,600.
Skew’s data show a loss of $653 million for open interest, which on September 3 had reached 4 billion. This figure includes perpetual contracts (reverse swaps) and futures on OKEx, CME, Binance and other derivatives exchanges.
Yesterday’s movement represents the biggest daily drop from the terrible cascade of 1 billion dollars on 13 March, which caused the price of Bitcoin to fall by 50%. In the same day the worst sell-off of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1987 has occurred, a loss of 10%.
The drastic correction did not cause negative records in the stock markets, but the Nasdaq Composite fell by 5%, driven by Apple (AAPL -8%), Salesforce (CRM -7.8%) and Microsoft (MSF -6.2%).
On September 3, Apple shares (AAPL) fell 8%, translating into the disappearance of $180 billion from its market capitalization. This is the worst daily loss for a single company. For comparison, Bitcoin’s market capitalization is currently 189 billion dollars.
The iPhone company is currently valued at just over $2 billion, which could buy the entire altcoin market, even paying a premium of 1.300% for the current aggregate market cap of $140 billion.
The futures premium has momentarily disappeared.
Futures markets tend to present a small premium over exchange spots. This is not the exclusive property of crypto markets, but rather an effect of derivatives. Usually sellers ask for more money to postpone the financial settlement of a transaction.
This indicator based on the premium of futures contracts is known as a basis, and generally oscillates between annual rates of 5% and 15%. When the premium is positive, market conditions are defined by the term contango. Conversely, a negative futures contract premium is unusual and indicates bearish sentiment.
3-month annual basis for BTC futures
The chart above shows the importance of the short fall below $10,000 for the futures markets. A negative premium scenario, known as backwardation, was last recorded four months ago on May 10. During that period, Bitcoin Evolution recovered rapidly over the next three days, bringing the base indicator back into positive territory.
The current annual base of 4% cannot be considered bearish, although undeniably less bullish than the 10% level observed three days ago.


text: Sonny With a Chance (television) Comedy series on Disney Channel, debuting on February 8, 2009. Sonny Munroe, a talented Midwestern girl, relocates to Los Angeles to join the cast of the most popular sketch comedy show for teens and tweens, So Random! But life behind the scenes on a Hollywood set is not as idyllic as Sonny imagined, especially because of her fellow performers: the self-absorbed Tawni, suave Nico, funnyman Grady, quirky Zora, and dreamy Chad Dylan Cooper, star of MacKenzie Falls, the teen drama that films in the adjacent studio, and whose cast has a simmering rivalry with the So Random! cast. Stars Demi Lovato (Sonny Munroe), Tiffany Thornton (Tawni Hart), Sterling Knight (Chad Dylan Cooper), Brandon Mychal Smith (Nico Harris), Doug Brochu (Grady Mitchell), Allisyn Ashley Arm (Zora Lancaster), Nancy McKeon (Connie Munroe), Michael Kostroff (Marshall Pike), Vicki Lewis (Ms. Bitterman). From It’s a Laugh Productions.


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The number of anti-Semitic attacks recorded in the United Kingdom rose slightly in 2017 to 1,382 cases, marking a new all-time record, according to the annual report of the Community Security Trust (CST), British Jewry’s largest watchdog on anti-Semitism.
The number marks a 3-percent increase in 2017 over the previous year, according to JTA.
The report, published Wednesday night, found a 34-percent increase in the number of violent anti-Semitic assaults, from 108 in 2016 to 145 in 2017.
The most common single type of incident recorded by CST in 2017 involved verbal abuse randomly directed at visibly Jewish people in public, accounting for a quarter of the annual tally, or 356 incidents.
CST has recorded anti-Semitic incidents since 1984. In 2013, the charity recorded only 535 incidents. That figure more than doubled in 2014, during Israel's counterterrorism Operation Protective Edge.
The 2015 tally comprised 960 incidents, followed by an increase to 1,346 cases in 2016.
In 420 cases recorded last year, witnesses gave descriptions of the alleged perpetrators. In those cases, 57 percent were described as Europeans and 25 percent as Arab or black.
Figures released by CST last July found that there were 767 anti-Semitic attacks in the first half of 2017, the highest figure recorded within six months since monitoring began in 1984.
In its new reports, CST says there have been some improvements in the reporting of anti-Semitic incidents which may have contributed to the continued increase in incident numbers.
The increase in reporting may have owed in part to how allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labour party, which were widespread in 2016, continued into 2017. “Therefore, antisemitism has attracted public debate and been reported on extensively in the national media,” CST noted in its report.
Much of the 2017 increase in incidents owed to their growing prevalence in Manchester, home to the kingdom’s second-largest Jewish community.
In the Greater Manchester area, CST recorded 261 incidents in 2017 compared to 206 in 2016, an increase of 27 percent. Meanwhile, incidents in London dropped by 7 percent in 2017 to a total of 773.
Just last June, two kosher restaurants were set on fire in Manchester in attacks local police investigated as “anti-Semitic hate crimes”.
One incident included in the report occurred in July in Hertfordshire, north of London. A group of visibly Jewish boys were followed by a group of boys and girls who shouted repeatedly, “I’m Hitler. I’m gonna gas you.”
In another, a group of young Jewish schoolchildren were physically and verbally attacked on a bus coming home from school in January 2017. They sat on the top deck of the bus when they were confronted by a group of teenagers, who persistently asked the victims if they were Jewish, if they attended a Jewish school and why they were not wearing “those silly hats,” according to the CST report. The attackers then hit, kicked and punched the Jewish schoolchildren who tried to get the attention of the bus driver but were ignored and remained trapped on the bus as the violence continued.
A study released last September found that more than a quarter of British people hold at least one anti-Semitic view.
Researchers also found a correlation in anti-Jewish and anti-Israel attitudes.

domain: sociology


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‘A good stopgap – but long-term solutions are urgently needed’
Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: “I am delighted that the Lords has seen the injustice that has been heaped on 100,000s of mortgage prisoners. While the Government chose to bail out the banks in the financial crisis, it has never bailed out the banks’ customers who were victims of that collapse. Mortgage prisoners have been left paying obscene interest rates for over a decade, through no fault of their own.
“They have been completely trapped in their mortgages and unable to escape the financial misery this causes. Coupled with the devastating impact of the pandemic on people’s finances, the vote from the Lords is right to push for urgent action to prevent the situation from becoming catastrophic.
“The independent LSE report I funded has a cogent argument as to why an SVR cap isn’t a balanced long-term solution. But in lieu of anything else, I believe for those on closed-book mortgages it is a good stopgap while other detailed solutions are worked up – so this vote is an important move.
“And while it will be tough to get the Commons to enact it against Government wishes, at the very least it ramps up pressure on the Government to come up with alternative solutions at speed, which Rishi Sunak promised me on the record that he would do.”


In an ecosystem, the living organisms interact with each other for survival. A pond ecosystem is a freshwater ecosystem.
The ecosystem is a basic unit in ecology, formed by the interaction of plants, animals and microorganisms (biotic factors) with their physical environment (abiotic factors). A pond ecosystem refers to the freshwater ecosystem where there are communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and with the prevailing water environment for their nutrients and survival. Usually, ponds are shallow (hardly 12 – 15 feet) water bodies in which sunlight can reach to its bottom, permitting the growth of the plants that grow there.
The organisms inhabiting this freshwater ecosystem include algae, fungi, microorganisms, plants and fish. These organisms can be further classified as producers, consumers and decomposers, based on their mode of obtaining nutrition. The energy in an ecosystem flows from the producers to the consumers. Decomposers, on the other hand, get nutrients from the dead organisms by decomposing them.
Habitats in a Pond Ecosystem
There are mainly four habitats, namely, shore, surface film, open water and bottom water habitats.
The organisms inhabiting this habitat vary depending upon whether the shore is rocky, sandy, or muddy. In case of rocky shores, plants might not be able to grow, whereas in muddy or sandy or mixed type, plants like grasses, algae and rushes can be present along with organisms such as earthworms, protozoa, snails, insects, small fish and microorganisms.
Surface Film Habitat
Surface film habitat, as the name suggests, implies to the surface of the pond. In general, insects like water striders and marsh traders, organisms that are free-floating and those that can walk on the surface of water inhabit the surface habitat. They feed on the floating plants, dead insects and sometimes, feed on each other.
Open Water Habitat
Open water habitat is inhabited by fish and the plankton or tiny organisms. Both phytoplankton (such as algae) and zooplankton (such as insect larvae, rotifers, tiny crustaceans and invertebrates) are present in this habitat. The fish feed on the plankton and plants.
Bottom Water Habitat
Depending upon whether the pond is shallow or deep, the bottom habitat varies. For example, if a pond is shallow and has a sandy bottom, organisms like earthworms, snails and insects inhabit the bottom. On the other hand, if the pond is deep and has a muddy bottom, microorganisms, flatworm, rat-tailed maggot and nymphs of dragonflies mostly inhabit the bottom habitat.
Food Chain in a Pond Ecosystem
The food chain is divided into three basic trophic levels – the first, second and third trophic levels. A sample of pond water food chain is, Algae (producer) → Insect (herbivore / primary consumer) → Fish (carnivore / secondary consumer).
The first level is represented by the producers or the autotrophs; for example, phytoplankton and plants. They prepare their own food with the help of energy from sunlight through the process of photosynthesis.
The second trophic level is characterized by presence of herbivores such as insects, crustaceans and invertebrates inhabiting the pond. Organisms in this level consume the plants or producers.
The third and the topmost trophic level comprises the carnivores, especially the fish species, which can feed on both plants and the herbivores of the first trophic level and second trophic level respectively.
In addition to the three trophic levels, there are saprotrophic organisms, commonly known as decomposers, which are located at the bottom of the food chain. Decomposers, mostly the bacteria and fungi, are very important in the nutrient cycle. They convert all the organic matter from the dead and decayed organisms into carbon dioxide and nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and magnesium. These nutrients are generated in such a way that they can be readily used by algae and plants for production of food, which is again consumed by the herbivores. Furthermore, the carnivores feed on the producers and herbivores. Thus, the flow of energy is maintained in an ecosystem.


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London Underground Stations close to Lidos Hotel
|Station Name||Underground Lines||Walking distance|
|Pimlico Underground Station||Victoria Line||08 minutes|
|Victoria Underground Station||Victoria Line, Circle Line, District Line||10 minutes|
To see a map of the London Underground click here.
London Bus Stations close to Lidos Hotel
|Station Name||Bus Lines||Walking distance|
|Pimlico, Belgrave Road||24||01 minute|
|Vauxhall Bridge Road||2 / 36 / 185 / 436||06 minutes|
|Victoria Coach Station||UK & International Destinations||15 minutes|
To see a map of London Bus Routes click here.
Walking directions to Lidos Hotel from Victoria Station
Victoria Railway & Underground Station is just a few minutes away from Lidos Hotel London. Take the Wilton Road exit out of Victoria Station and turn right onto Wilton Road. Continue walking along Wilton Road, after the second set of traffic lights Wilton Road turns into Denbigh Street. At the next traffic light turn left, you are now on Belgrave Road and we are a few steps away on the left hand side of the road.
Walking directions to Lidos Hotel from Pimlico Station
Pimlico Underground Station is a short walk away from Lidos Hotel London. After getting off the tube, exit out of the Station and turn right onto Lupus Street. Continue walking on the right hand side of the road, walk around the corner and turn right onto Belgrave Road. Continue walking further on the right hand side of Belgrave road, after passing two turnings on the right we are a few steps away on the right hand side.

domain: geography


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Macoya is a small town located alongside the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway in Trinidad and Tobago. It is located between Tunapuna and Trincity on the island of Trinidad. It is composed primarily of commercial warehouses and a small residential neighbourhood.
|This Trinidad and Tobago location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.|


text:
A low cost thin-film transistor (TFT) nanoribbon (NR) sensor has been developed for rapid real-time detection of DNA amplification using an isothermal Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) method. The semiconductor chip measures DNA amplification through a pH change, rather than via fluorescence. The utility of the method was demonstrated by amplifying CTX-M and NDM, two genes that confer bacterial resistance to cephalosporins and carbapenems, respectively. It is shown that this approach provides extremely fast and sensitive detection. It can detect <10 copies of the gene in genomic DNA extracted from E. coli or K. pneumoniae clinical isolates within a few minutes. A differential readout system was developed to minimize the effect of primer-dimer amplification on the assay. The simple device has the potential for low cost, portable and real-time nucleic acid analysis as a Point of Care device.
Bibliographical noteFunding Information:
The authors would like to acknowledge the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC, Grant EP/K502327/1) for funding this work. We would like to thank Sally Anderson, Gregory Gay, Ben Hadwen, Chris J. Brown, and Jonathan Buse of Sharp Laboratories Europe for many useful discussions and development of a measurement jig. We also thank TwistDX for providing information on the RPA reaction. The authors would also like to thank Martha Valiadi for useful discussions. All data supporting this study are openly available from the University of Southampton repository at http://doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/404101.
© 2017 The Authors
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
- Isothermal nucleic acid amplification
- Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA)
- Thin Film Transistor (TFT)

domain: literature


text:
Results of many years research of geo-botanic of the Kurile Islands are presented in article. Vegetation spatial structure of the Kurile Islands is conditioned by complex interactions of endogenous and exogenous factors. Meridional extension for almost 1200 km determines a significant climatic differenciation within archipelago. It is resulted in changes of vertical vegetation zones in the different regions of Kurile Islands. System of hot and cold currents in the adjacent sea water is the factor of asymmetry of vegetation. Special traits of archipelago are determined by the volcanic activity
Atlas of Sakhalin Province 1967, Division of Geodesy and Cartography of USSR Government, Moscow.
Barkalov, VYu & Eremenko, NA 2003, Flora of Natural Reserve “Kurilesky” and Reserve “Minor Kuriles” (Sakhalin District), Dalnauka, Vladivostok.
Barkalov, VYu 2002, The Kurile Islands flora, Dalnauka, Vladivostok.
Belousov, AB, Belousova, MG, Grishin, SYu & Krestov, PV 2003, ‘Historical eruptions of Chikurachki volcano (Paramushir Is., Kurile Islands)’, Volcanology and Seismology, no. 3, pp. 15-34.
Dirksen, VG & Dirksen, OV 2006, ‘Dynamics of vegetation after catastrophic eruption 7600 years ago on Kamchatka’, Botanic Journal, vol. 91, no. 5, pp. 674-692.
Egorova, IA & Khomentovskiy, PA 1988, ‘Mountain pine thickets as an indicator of volcanic activity’, Volcanology and Seismology, no. 6, pp. 82-88.
Ganzei, KS 2008, ‘Geosystems of the South and Middle Kurile Islands’, Geography and Natural Resources, no. 3, pp. 90-95.
Ganzei, KS 2009, ‘Landscape typology of the Kurile Islands’, Vestnik of FEB RAS, no. 4, pp. 153-159.
Gladkova, GA & Butovets, GK 1988, ‘Forest volcanic soils of Kunashir Island’, Eurasian Soil Science, no. 2, pp. 54-67.
Ivanov, AN 2005, ‘Landscape peculiarities of North-West Pacifica Islands’, Izvestiya of Russian Geographical Society, vol. 137, no. 4, pp. 48-54.
Manko, YI & Sidelnikov, AN 1989, Volcanism impact on vegetation, FEB AS USSR, Vladivostok.
Newest and modern volcanism on territory of Russia 2005, Nauka, Moscow.
Razzhigaeva, NG Ganzey, LA Grebennikova TA et al. 2013, ‘Holocene climatic changes and vegetation development in the Kuril Islands’, Quaternary International, vol. 290-291, pp. 126-138.
Reference book on USSR climate. Sakhalinskya province 1966, Gidrometizdat, Leningrad.
Reference book on USSR climate. Sakhalinskya province 1968, Gidrometizdat, Leningrad.
Rybin, AV, Karagusov, YV, Izbekov, PE, Terentyev, NS, Gurynov, VB, Neal, C & Dean, K 2004, ‘Status of monitoring active volcanoes of the Kurilee Islands: Present and future’, The 2nd International Conference on Volcanic Ash and Aviation Safety. June 21-24, 2004. Washington, USA, pp. 56-58.
Vlasova, GA & Polyakova, AM 2004, Active energetic zone of ocean and atmosphere of north-west part of the Pacific Ocean, Dalnauka, Vladivostok.


text: Looks like a cold spring is on the horizon, which hopefully will not discourage the return of visiting boaters to the Port of Poulsbo Marina. The next Port Commission meeting is planned for 7 p.m. March 1. All port meetings are open to the public. Winter Rendezvous: It is reported that this year’s event was extremely successful. The marina’s guest moorage was nearly at capacity, with only room for really small boats. There were no complaints about anything … great work by port staff.