|Publication number||US6768906 B2|
|Application number||US 09/394,548|
|Publication date||Jul 27, 2004|
|Filing date||Sep 13, 1999|
|Priority date||Sep 13, 1999|
|Also published as||CN1145277C, CN1373942A, DE60006564D1, DE60006564T2, EP1216525A1, EP1216525B1, US20020049055, WO2001020815A1|
|Publication number||09394548, 394548, US 6768906 B2, US 6768906B2, US-B2-6768906, US6768906 B2, US6768906B2|
|Inventors||Cynthia C. Matthews, Thomas Peter Emmons, Jr., Derek A. Oxley|
|Original Assignee||Motorola, Inc.|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (65), Non-Patent Citations (29), Referenced by (16), Classifications (8), Legal Events (9)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an aircraft based communication system. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a system and technique for implementing plane to plane switchover in an aircraft based wireless communication system.
The increasing need for wireless networks and communication capabilities in outlying and geographically diverse locations has created great demand for wireless systems and wireless service carriers. Many of these new carriers have understandably focused their resources on building as many towers and installing and commissioning as many terrestrial base stations as possible. This strategy increases the coverage area for the communication services of the system and generates revenue for the wireless system operator at a rate limited by the amount of time necessary to construct and commission these base station facilities. However, the build-out rate for base stations is still slow and expensive.
There exist many geographic regions which do not have wireless communication services implemented through antenna towers and terrestrial base stations. Such areas are often referred to as green field areas. Several options exist for providing wireless communication services to subscribers within these green field areas including but not limited to, installing towers and terrestrial base stations, providing communication service from an aircraft flying overhead, and providing communication service from a satellite constellation.
Aircraft based wireless communication systems are being seriously considered due to their lower investment in capital equipment, and their reduced lead time for complete implementation. Aircraft based wireless communication systems have a significant advantage over antenna tower based terrestrial systems in that a single aircraft and base station can replace many antenna towers and still cover a large geographic area. Moreover, the aircraft can maintain a line of sight communication link with nearly every subscriber within its communication beam coverage area. However, one disadvantage with an aircraft based wireless communication system is that the aircraft can only provide coverage to the service area for a limited amount of time, as most aircraft must be refueled and the flight crew must be changed.
In view of the known challenges with terrestrial based wireless communication systems, it is desirable to provide an aircraft based wireless communication system which eliminates the need for additional and costly terrestrial based antenna systems. It is further desirable to provide an aircraft based wireless communication system which is compatible with existing wireless communication system base transceiver stations. To achieve the above goal, it is desirable to implement a system and technique for executing switchover of the real time communication sessions from one servicing aircraft to another replacement aircraft while both aircraft are in flight. Accordingly, it is an advantage of the present invention to minimize any dropped calls or interruption in service experienced by the ground based system subscribers during execution of the plane to plane switchover protocol.
The various advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art by reading the following specification and appended claims, and by referencing the following drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the components of the wireless communication system of the present invention during normal steady state operation;
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the wireless communication system of the present invention during preparation for communication switchover from the servicing aircraft to the replacement aircraft;
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the wireless communication system of the present invention during execution of the communication switchover protocol;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the wireless communication system of the present invention after completion of the communication switchover protocol;
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing the steps for executing the communication switchover protocol; and
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the communication hardware which comprises the payload of each aircraft.
Turning now to FIG. 1, the aircraft based communication system 10 is shown in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Communication system 10 is a cellular based communication system, preferably referred to as a wireless communication system. As shown, wireless communication system 10 includes a primary or servicing aircraft 12 which is outfitted with suitable communication hardware for broadcasting a communication signal 16 into a predetermined geographic area 20. Preferably, the communication signal 16 is a wireless communication beam pattern comprising a plurality of precisely focused individual beams 22. The beams 22 may be received by a plurality of wireless communication devices, such as a wireless handset 24.
With reference to FIG. 2, the communication system 10 also includes a secondary or replacement aircraft 14 which is also capable of broadcasting a communication signal 18 into the predetermined geographic region 20. The communication signal 18 is also preferably a wireless communication beam pattern comprising a plurality of precisely focused individual beams 22, which may also be received by one or more wireless handsets 24. The primary communication signal 16 is shown as a beam pattern of solid circles 26, and the secondary communication signal 18 is shown as a pattern of dotted line circles 28.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the ground based communication system 30 represents the existing communication hardware associated with most ground based wireless communication systems. As shown, communication system 30 includes a base transceiver station (BTS) 32 having a main receiver 34, a diversity receiver 36, and a transmitter 38. The BTS 32 functions as a communication gateway between the aircraft 12, 14 and a terrestrial based communication network, such as a public telephone and/or data network. A high speed data converter 40 provides a high speed data link to the aircraft 12, 14. Therefore, high speed data converter receives signals from the transmitter 38 and provides converted signals to the main receiver 34 and diversity receiver 36 of the BTS 32. A variety of data converters can be used with the communication system of the present invention. While a C-band converter is preferred, other converters such as K-band and S-band converters can also be employed.
The C-band converter 40 is also connected via a bi-directional communication path 42 to a primary antenna 44. The C-band converter 40 is also connected via a bi-directional communication link 46 to a secondary antenna 48. While two separate antennas 44, 48 are shown, it is within the scope of the present invention to use a single multiplexed antenna for communicating with the aircraft 12, 14. The ground based communication system 30 is preferably an existing 800 MHz or 1900 MHz wireless communication system operating under either the Is-95 or Is-136 wireless communication standard. While one of the above mentioned wireless systems is preferred, the plane to plane switchover protocol of the present invention can be used with many other types of wireless communication systems and standards.
Turning briefly to FIG. 6, the payload 80 of the servicing aircraft 12 is shown in block diagram form. It should be understood that replacement aircraft 14 also includes a similar payload 80. As shown, the communication hardware forming payload 80 includes a signal repeater 82 which further includes signal control and processing hardware. The signal repeater 82 communicates bidirectionally with a C-band signal generator 84 which is connected to a suitable C-band antenna 86. The signal repeater 82 also communicates bidirectionally with a wireless beam signal generator 88 which is connected to a suitable wireless beam antenna array 90. As will be appreciated the C-band antenna 86 communicates with the antennas 44, 48 connected to the ground based C-band converter 40, and the wireless beam antenna array 90 is particularly suited for broadcasting the wireless communication beam patterns 16, 18. Because the C-band antenna 86 and the wireless beam antenna array 90 are mounted externally on each aircraft 12, 14, they are preferably covered by an aerodynamic cowling 92.
With reference to FIG. 1, the steady state operation of communication system 10 will be described in greater detail. During the steady state operation, wireless communication service is provided by a single aircraft such as servicing aircraft 12. It is preferred that the aircraft 12,14 fly over the wireless service area at an altitude of about 30,000 to 50,000 feet. However, one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the aircraft 12, 14 can fly at a variety of altitudes depending upon the system implementation and aircraft capabilities. During the steady state operation of the wireless communication system, one of the two C-band ground antennas 44, 48 are used for the feeder link 56 between the ground based communication system 30 and the servicing aircraft 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the primary antenna 44 is being used. Also shown is that the replacement aircraft 14 is in transit to the predetermined geographic area 20 from an airport 50. During steady state operation, the BTS 32 is receiving the repeated signal from the servicing aircraft 12 on the main receiver path 34. A wireless service subscriber 24 within geographic area 20 perceives a single RF communication path. Accordingly, an advantage of the present invention is that an existing wireless service subscriber 24 can communicate with the aircraft 12, 14 without any modifications to their wireless telephone or data device. Additionally, the communication hardware carried by the aircraft 12, 14 can communicate with existing terrestrial based telephone and data networks.
Turning now to FIG. 2, the preparation for executing a plane to plane communication switchover protocol is shown. During switchover preparation, the replacement aircraft 14 moves into position along a flight path in proximity to the primary servicing aircraft 12. The replacement aircraft 14 replicates the communication signal 16 transmitted by servicing aircraft 12 as wireless communication beam pattern 18. This communication signal 18 is broadcasted from the replacement aircraft 14 toward the ground at low power, and is broadcasted in such a way that the wireless communication beam pattern 18 substantially overlaps the existing wireless communication beam pattern 16. The overlap between the communication beam patterns 16, 18 is preferably greater than 80%. For example, if the overlap becomes less than 80%, an significant number of subscribers will be required to handoff to a different beam. A goal of the present invention is to minimize the number of handoffs during execution of the plane to plane switchover.
As part of the switchover preparation protocol, both ground antennas 44, 48 are used for transmitting and receiving the feeder link communication signals 56, 58 to/from the aircraft 12, 14. The aircraft 12, 14 function as signal repeaters for communicating between the BTS 32 and the predetermined geographic region 20. The BTS 32 receives a strong signal on the main receiver 34 via the primary antenna 44, and a weaker diffracted signal on the diversity receiver 36 via the secondary antenna 48. During switchover preparation, a wireless subscriber 24 within the geographic region 20 perceives a multipath reception condition because the communication signal 16 and the communication signal 18 are transmitted within a common frequency band. For wireless handsets, such as a CDMA handset, the RAKE receiver internal to the handset functions to resolve the multipath signals. As is known in the art, the RAKE receiver of a CDMA wireless handset has the ability to separate out and receive multipath signals (two signals on the same frequency).
Referring to FIG. 3, the switchover execution procedure is shown. During switchover execution, the replacement aircraft 14 increases the power of its control signal 18 up to normal amplitude levels, and the servicing aircraft 12 reduces the power level of its control signal 16 until the control signal can no longer be detected. The power level of the control signal 18 can be increased to its normal operating power level before the power level of the control signal 16 is attenuated. Alternatively, the power level of the control signal 18 can be increased while simultaneously attenuating the power level of the control signal 16. In this context the term control signal refers collectively to voice traffic and control signal information. The power level changes of the control signals can be performed by the hardware carried in each aircraft 12, 14. Alternatively, the power level changes of the control signals can be performed by the ground based C-band converter 40.
At this point, both C-band ground antennas 44, 48 are used for the feeder link, broadcasted to/received from the wireless subscribers 24 within the geographic area 20. It is preferred that the subscriber links from each aircraft 12, 14 to the wireless subscribers 24 are broadcasted at the same frequency, such that they appear to be identical to the subscriber for creating or simulating a multipath condition such that they can be simultaneously received by a single handset receiver. Also at this point, both aircraft are receiving and repeating signals from the wireless subscribers 24 back to the ground antennas 44, 48. Further, both receivers 34, 36 of BTS 32 are receiving the multipath signals from the aircraft 12, 14. As the power of the control signal from the servicing aircraft 12 fades and the power of the control signal from the replacement aircraft 14 increases, the BTS 32 switches reception from the main receiver 34 to the diversity path receiver 36, and the communication sessions are effectively transferred or switched over from the servicing aircraft 12 to the replacement aircraft 14. At this point, there is minimal frequency and timing shift of the control signals received by the BTS 24. Also from the wireless subscriber's view, there is minimal frequency and timing shift of the control signals. More particularly, this means that the plane to plane switchover is transparent to the handset 24, and a wireless subscriber within the predetermined geographic area 20 is unable to perceive the switching from the main receiver 34 to the diversity path receiver 36.
Turning now to FIG. 4, completion of the plane to plane communication switchover protocol is shown. After the switchover protocol from the servicing aircraft 12 to the replacement aircraft 14 is complete, the replacement aircraft 14 is then considered the primary servicing and communicating aircraft. At this point, operation once again has the appearance of normal steady state operation. The BTS 32 is receiving the control channel 56 on the secondary antenna 48. After the switchover protocol is complete the BTS 32 can continue receiving signals on the diversity path receiver 36, or as shown, the C-band converter 40 may switch signal reception from the diversity receiver 36 to the main receiver 34. This communication link from the aircraft 14 to the antenna 48 is shown as a solid line 56, and the communication link from the antenna 48 through to the main receiver 34 of the BTS 32 is shown as a dashed line 54. Additionally, as shown responsibility for carrying the feeder link 56 has switched from the primary antenna 44 to the secondary antenna 48.
While the present invention has been described within the context of a two aircraft system, one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that a single aircraft 12 can be used for providing communication service to subscribers 24 within the service area 20. The aircraft 12 is intended to include any type of aircraft capable of maintaining coverage over the service area 20, including but not limited to an unmanned airplane with in-flight refueling capabilities, a dirigible type airship, and a balloon. Additionally, the switchover protocol of the present invention may be made between two different types of aircraft.
With reference to FIG. 5, the relative timing of the events forming the plane to plane switchover protocol of the present invention are shown. At block 60, the replacement aircraft 14 arrives on station ready to initiate wireless service. At block 62 the BTS 32 transmits the same forward link signals 56, 58 (including control signal information) to both aircraft 12, 14 (respectively). The information to the replacement aircraft 14 is attenuated by the C-band converter 40. At block 64, both aircraft 12, 14 retransmit the forward link signals (or subscriber link signals) into the geographic area 20. Likewise, both aircraft 12, 14 receive the uplink signals from a wireless subscriber and retransmit these signals to the BTS 32. At block 66, the wireless handset 24 receives signals from both aircraft 12, 14 and uses it's multipath resolver (RAKE receiver) to process the signals and resolve the multipath condition. The handset transmits normally, and does not require any modification.
At block 68, the BTS 32 receives signals from both aircraft 12, 14 and uses the BTS diversity inputs 34, 36 to process the signals. At block 70 the C-band converter 40 slowly changes the relative power of the transmitted signals, reducing the amplitude of the signal from the servicing aircraft 12 and increasing the amplitude of the signal from the replacement aircraft 14. Alternatively, changing of the relative power can be handled by the signal control and processing hardware 82 carried by each aircraft 12, 14. Continuing with block 72, the handset modifies its multipath resolver as the relative signal levels change. If the control channel (forward link signal) from a different beam transmitted by the replacement aircraft 14 becomes stronger than the control channel from the servicing aircraft 12, a beam to beam handoff is requested.
At block 74, the ground based C-band converter 40 changes the relative amplitude slow enough to grant the handoff request. Where there is a large difference between the two aircraft signal levels, the converter 40 stops transmitting to the original servicing aircraft 12. Finally at block 76, the plane to plane switchover process is complete. The original servicing aircraft 12 stops transmitting the uplink signal to the BTS 32 and also stops transmitting the forward link signal to the geographic area 20.
The present invention uses diversity inputs on a standard BTS to handle two communication inputs from two separate aircraft. The communication switchover protocol associated with the present invention allows for slowly changing relative powers to the BTS, thus forcing transparent switchovers from the old beam pattern or beam structure to the new beam pattern or beam structure. The communication protocol of the present invention also allows transmission of both signals to the aircraft on different polarizations.
The present invention allows a service provider to rapidly cover a large geographical area without having to deploy multiple base stations across that area. This allows early entry into new markets and easy system expansion after initial deployment. This can be done without any changes to the wireless infrastructure or to the subscriber handset. The present invention provides coverage over a wide geographical area by linking the wireless infrastructure on the ground with a high altitude repeater that is carried on an aircraft. As part of the present invention, a technique is described for minimizing the dropped call impact of a plane to plane switchover in an aircraft based wireless communication system. As set forth above, the technique involves simultaneously transmitting control channels from both planes while changing the relative power (amplitude) levels of the control signals.
The wide-area coverage provided by the present invention saves capital expenses by locating the infrastructure equipment of the wireless communication system in a single center. The service provider does not have to buy any land, buildings, or towers to install hundreds of base transceiver stations (BTSs) to cover the area. Instead, the wireless operator simply installs a mobile switching office and a reduced amount of BTS equipment needed for terrestrial deployment.
The central location of all the wireless infrastructure equipment in the present invention allows the wireless operator to operate and maintain the system with a smaller crew. Moreover, the wireless operator saves all the capital expenses (trucks, test equipment, etc.) and all the recurring costs (personnel to visit the sites) that would be needed to operate and maintain geographically dispersed facilities.
The wireless communication system of the present invention complements a terrestrial coverage by filling up any coverage holes left in the terrestrial deployment and by extending the coverage to suburban and rural areas where site deployment is not economical. In a new system, the present invention provides immediate coverage of the entire service area, compared to the slow rollout of sites that is typical in terrestrial deployments.
The present invention can also provide services for other digital wireless technologies such as Personal Communication Service (PCS) 1900, IS-95 Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), IS-136 Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobiles (GSM) and Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN). In addition, the present invention can be used for third generation wireless systems such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) or CDMA-2000 as well as broadband data systems such as Local Multipoint Distribution Systems (LMDS).
The foregoing discussion discloses and describes exemplary embodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims, that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
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|US8223733||Feb 2, 2005||Jul 17, 2012||The Directv Group, Inc.||Multi-platform wireless communication system for a variety of different user types|
|US20020072360 *||Dec 12, 2000||Jun 13, 2002||Chang Donald C.D.||Multiple link internet protocol mobile communications system and method therefor|
|US20020072374 *||Sep 28, 2001||Jun 13, 2002||Hughes Electronics Corporation||Communication system using multiple link terminals|
|US20020073437 *||Sep 28, 2001||Jun 13, 2002||Hughes Electronics Corporation||Television distribution system using multiple links|
|US20020118654 *||Apr 20, 2001||Aug 29, 2002||Chang Donald C.D.||Multiple dynamic connectivity for satellite communications systems|
|US20020128045 *||May 15, 2001||Sep 12, 2002||Chang Donald C. D.||Stratospheric platforms communication system using adaptive antennas|
|US20050153655 *||Feb 2, 2005||Jul 14, 2005||Hughes Electronics Corporation||Multi-platform wireless communication system for a variety of different user types|
|US20070213009 *||Mar 27, 2006||Sep 13, 2007||Masaaki Higashida||Wireless transmission system and method|
|US20080120020 *||Nov 15, 2007||May 22, 2008||Lockheed Martin Corporation||Managing an air-ground communications network with air traffic control information|
|U.S. Classification||455/431, 455/13.1, 455/427, 455/436|
|International Classification||B64D47/00, H04B7/185|
|Nov 22, 1999||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: MOTOROLA, INC., ILLINOIS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:MATTHEWS, CYNTHIA C.;EMMONS, THOMAS PETER, JR.;OXLEY, DEREK A.;REEL/FRAME:010709/0142
Effective date: 19991112
|Jan 2, 2008||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|Jun 12, 2008||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: MOTOROLA, INC., ILLINOIS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:MATTHEWS, CYNTHIA C.;EMMONS, THOMAS PETER, JR.;OXLEY, DEREK A.;REEL/FRAME:021076/0901;SIGNING DATES FROM 20080523 TO 20080529
Owner name: MOTOROLA, INC., ILLINOIS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:MATTHEWS, CYNTHIA C.;EMMONS, THOMAS PETER, JR.;OXLEY, DEREK A.;SIGNING DATES FROM 20080523 TO 20080529;REEL/FRAME:021076/0901
|Sep 12, 2008||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: TORSAL TECHNOLOGY GROUP LTD. LLC, DELAWARE
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:MOTOROLA, INC.;REEL/FRAME:021527/0213
Effective date: 20080620
|Jan 10, 2011||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: CDC PROPRIETE INTELLECTUELLE, FRANCE
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:TORSAL TECHNOLOGY GROUP LTD. LLC;REEL/FRAME:025608/0043
Effective date: 20101103
|Jan 18, 2012||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 8
|Mar 4, 2016||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|Jul 27, 2016||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|Sep 13, 2016||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 20160727


text:
News - Saturn
Saturn goes into Penske orbit
Car-makers beat a path to Penske’s door as he buys Saturn
8 Jun 2009
MOTOR industry mogul Roger Penske has signed an agreement with General Motors to buy Saturn by the end of the third quarter, saving 350 dealerships and about 13,000 jobs.
And Penske says he has no shortage of international motor companies wanting to sell their products through the Saturn network across the US.
However, Wall Street has raised concerns about Penske Group’s high debt levels, with Standard & Poor’s placing Penske’s ratings on CreditWatch due the company’s “very high” gearing.
Although no price has been announced for the Saturn purchase, a Bloomberg News report put the figure at between $US100 million ($A125 million) and $US200 million ($A250 million).
Saturn is the second GM brand to be off-loaded in a week, with Hummer being sold to little-known Chinese engineering company Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co on Thursday.
But, unlike the Chinese organisation, Penske is a household name in the US, with holdings in a huge number of interests, from a high-profile trucking company to diesel engine manufacturing and motor racing, in IndyCar and NASCAR.
Michigan-based Penske Automotive Group is the country's second-largest motor retail network, operating 310 dealerships representing 40 different brands in the US, as well as overseas, including the UK.
Left: The Saturn Astra. Below: Saturn Vue.
It is also the US distributor for Daimler’s Smart, but Penske says that brand will be kept separate from Saturn.
Under the memorandum of understanding signed by Penske and GM, Penske Automotive Group will obtain the rights to the Saturn brand, its parts inventory and access to the Saturn dealership network.
GM will continue to supply Saturn Aura, Vue (Captiva in Australia) and Outlook vehicles on a contract basis for at least three years. An extension to the supply deal could be negotiated beyond that.
In a statement announcing the GM deal, Mr Penske said: “We have agreed upon a framework that we believe will build momentum for the Saturn brand.
“Saturn has a passionate customer base and outstanding dealer network.
“For nearly 20 years, Saturn has focused on treating the customer right. We share that philosophy, and we want to build on those strengths.” Mr Penske said he was in discussions with “a number of worldwide manufacturers” to broaden the Saturn line-up.
Automotive News reported on May 25 that Penske Automotive wanted to import Korean-built Renault Samsung Motors vehicles to be sold through Saturn.
French automaker Renault owns 80.1 per cent of Renault Samsung, while South Korean credit card issuer Samsung Card owns the rest. The organisation has links with Nissan via Renault, and one of the vehicles made by the company is the well-regarded Renault Koleos, built on the Nissan X-Trail platform.
According to a report by the Edmunds news agency, Penske hopes to convince overseas manufacturers to eventually make cars for Saturn in the US.
The sale of Saturn ends a bold experiment for GM, which developed the brand to tackle head-on the threat posed by Japanese transplants in the US, particularly Toyota and Honda.
With innovations such as plastic body panels and fixed pricing, Saturn began selling cars in 1990 and, despite high customer satisfaction levels, never quite hit the mark as a mass seller as GM hoped it would.
In recent times, it has rebadged vehicles from GM Europe, including the Astra, in an attempt to lift its mass appeal.
However, with GM sliding into bankruptcy, the tough decision was made to offload the brand, which under customer-focused Penske could now develop as a major thorn in the side of the New GM.
The move seems to be a high-risk strategy for Penske, whose Standard & Poor’s corporate credit rating is B+ and whose debt last financial year was 7.5 times greater than pre-tax earnings.
S&P analyst Nancy Messer told Automotive News: “The Saturn transaction could exacerbate the company’s high leverage and reduce liquidity.
“We would likely view the responsibility for future vehicle product selection and manufacturing strategy as carrying significant execution risk.”
Read more:Racing Roger looks to acquire Saturn
GM break-up accelerates
GM jettisons niche brands
The Road to Recovery podcast series
Click to share
Motor industry news

domain: news


text:
AgNext digitizing Food Quality using AI
Contaminants, differences in nutritional content and even colour can change how much a bag of wheat is worth in the agriculture commodities industry. But traditional food testing methods are slow, due to labs set up and subjective, due to human intuitions, and hence ineffective for farmers and food businesses needing to gauge or better control their final selling prices
Contaminants, differences in nutritional content and even colour can change how much a bag of wheat is worth in the agriculture commodities industry. But traditional food testing methods are slow, due to labs set up and subjective, due to human intuitions, and hence ineffective for farmers and food businesses needing to gauge or better control their final selling prices. Indian startup AgNext wants to change all that with its computer vision, spectroscopy and IoT.
Agriculture and all its allied sectors are the largest sources of livelihood for India, with nearly 70% of households directly being impacted by the sector. The Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN states that in 2017-18, total food grain production was estimated at 275 million tonnes (MT). India is the largest producer (25% of global production), the consumer (27% of world consumption) and importer (14%) of pulses in the world. The country's annual milk production was 165 MT in this period, making India the largest producer of milk, jute and pulses, and with world's second-largest cattle population 190 million (as of 2012). It is the second-largest producer of rice, wheat, sugarcane, cotton and groundnuts, as well as the second-largest fruit and vegetable producer, accounting for 10.9% and 8.6% of the world fruit and vegetable production, respectively. A massive market rife with opportunities in export and import exists. But there has been a history of challenges with respect to the quality of food. There are too many incidents in news daily highlighting the poor food quality & adulteration. Team AgNext realized technology could play a hugely definitive role in changing the dynamics of food quality in India.
The value addition of a commodity is defined by its quality as it moves across the supply chain into the next node. Right from production to consumption, a buyer assigns a price based on quality. Several factors like loss of trade, storage, procurement, poor quality of production and adulteration affect quality and nutrition, and consequently brand value in the market. We focus on technology in the midstream of agriculture, where the buyer and seller interaction takes place, using data and analytics.
AgNext CEO, Taranjeet Singh Bhamra, founded the company in 2016 after working overseas for about nine years on data sciences in supply chain and food businesses. He wanted to solve problems in agriculture and food industries using data and extreme tech. Working closely with agribusinesses & understanding the pain areas in maintaining the food quality, we created a single platform that can evaluate the quality of food the way we do in the labs, but on the ground & that too in just 30 seconds, removing the subjectivity from the system.
Currently, AgNext has been a category innovator in itself, providing a technology platform called Qualix for rapid commodity assessment solutions across procurement, trade, production, storage and consumption of food and agri value chains. The Qualix AI engine uses spectrometry, computer vision and IoT Sensing solutions, delivered through an integrated hardware and software interface for accurate and instant quality analysis. Through Qualix, quality for multiple commodities could be assessed in just 30 seconds (our benchmark) enabling agribusinesses to leapfrog their procurement and operations processes, optimize costs, provide traceability, sharpen and smoothen blockchains and most importantly produce excellent products of the highest quality."
We have trained our technicians to assess each aspect of the food which is categorized into the following three parts.
- Whats inside the food? Or the chemical analysis, can that be done on the field using advanced understanding of molecular and spectral sciences.
- Whats on the food? or the physical analysis, which are currently done by people on field, can that be done on the field using computer vision.
- Whats around the food? or the ambient quality analysis, like when the food will pass its shelf life, can that be assessed using IoT based food sensors
- AI-Based Spectral Analysis- AgNext is one of the only companies to innovate and integrate portable, on field devices connected with its platform, that help in instant spectral analysis of agri commodities in the form of liquids, solids, powders, grains or leaves, pretty much covering the whole spectrum nature offers. For example, our chemical assessment technology can analyze Protein, Gluten, Starch, Ash, Moisture in various grains like wheat, corn, barley etc and key components like Curcumin in Turmeric or Pepperin in Pepper. We have further strengthened AI to analyse not only composition molecules like Fat, SNF and Protein, but also contaminants like Palm Oil, Detergent and Urea in milk.
- AI-Based Image Analytics - AgNext has built devices which work with on-premise embedded cameras for the instant quality assessment using computer vision sciences. Across India, the majority of crops are assessed manually and with the naked eye, leaving room for multiple inconsistencies, manual fatigue and manipulations leading to losses across agriculture value chains. For example, our computer vision based physical quality estimation solution provides complete percentages of broken, shrivelled, weevilled, damaged, foreign matter in Paddy, Rice, Cereal, Pulses, Oil Seeds. Major application for Tea industry is to analyze the tea leaf quality which is determined by analyzing the different type of fine & coarse leave coming out of a tea garden.
- AI-based Sensor Analytics - AgNext pioneered the first applications for LoRA WAN based IOT applications in India, which provide quality estimations in multiple agriculture processes in spatial arrangements, like curing, food storage, warehousing and logistics. AgNext has built STQC calibrated sensors for temperature, humidity, gaseous emissions and other parameters key for various agriculture industries like curing solutions, grain silos, warehouses, food processors and storage services. These provide real-time alerts on control parameters and data analytics for actions to be taken as devised by the research institutions for better management of food quality.
The suite of Qualix solutions provide rapid quality solutions along with traceability and other SAAS based solutions for agriculture stakeholders like farmer/supplier-wise data for quality produce, managing suppliers by lots and building business intelligence through quality maps.
With a singular platform and integrated analysis of all kinds of food quality, this provides immensely critical insights to agriculture stakeholders to plan their procurement, operations, productions and quality of output across seasons.
AgNext presently focuses on verticals like beverages (tea, milk, coffee, cocoa), grains (rice, wheat, maize, barley), oilseeds (soyabean, mustard), spices (turmeric, chilli, pepper, ginger, menthol) and animal feed, and works with clients across multiple geographies in India. This technology is useful at all food collection centres, food factories, warehouses, traders etc, basically wherever a buyer seller meet in a agri supply chain.
“Apart from what we see as direct benefits to private players, institutions and governments can benefit immensely mapping quality to geography to optimise their extension budgets and augment market linkages. Without data on the quality of output, it becomes very challenging to plan the input, which is currently the case. Deploying such technologies at every buyer-seller intersection brings insights for quality in constitution and adulterations in a geographic spread. If the governments or institutions have information on where they are obtaining produce with constitution of certain parameters, it allows them to plan their extensions and market linkages based on this data. India has several agro-climatic zones and crop geographies in India change every few hundred kilometres. Without accurate data, extension is blanket strategy and the pricing of commodities isn't adequate. This affects not only the quality of produce in the long run, but also the “incentivisation of farmers” to produce better quality and realise better price, which AgNext believes should be the core for the nation’s strategy to build sustainable agriculture practices. The entire supply chain really thrives on quality of produce, and this is where we want to make a difference with data.
Business Model: AgNext offers its products through a licensing model as well as a service model. This opens up AgNext to more opportunities, as it can cater to smaller businesses that cannot afford to buy the devices. We found that when we sell hardware, it's a lot of capital expenditure for the client. Providing it as a service means clients can build up on it, and they can provide value to their own clients.”
(The writer is CEO, AgNext Technologies)

domain: agronomy


“So, put aside for a couple of hours your accustomed anthropocentrism, and step into this other, richer, and more wonderful world. You won’t regret it, and you won’t emerge from it ever quite the same again.”
—from the foreword by Michael Pollan
Washington, DC (October 16, 2022)— Are plants intelligent? That’s the provocative question plant physiologist Stefano Mancuso tackles in Brilliant Green: The Surprising History and Science of Plant Intelligence, newly available in paperback (Publication Date: October 16, 2022). Mancuso presents a resounding argument that they are—and in the process, overturns not only our perspective on plants, but indeed our perspective on intelligence itself. A speaker at TED 2010 whose work has been featured in the New Yorker, Mancuso is an enthusiastic guide to the plant world who isn’t afraid to challenge conventional wisdom.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Mancuso, Stefano (Author)
In this slim but enlightening volume, Mancuso points out that plants have to accomplish all the same tasks as animals do—but without moving from where they were born or making use of specialized organs. From finding water to reproducing to evading predators, plants display a remarkable range of talents. Mancuso argues plants outshine not only their own reputation, but also animal skills: after all, plants can hunt and trick animals—and even lure humans with flowers and fruits.
Brilliant Green offers many revelations about the plant world: there are more than 600 carnivorous plants, roots make noise that may well serve as a means of communication with neighbors, and plants can survive even if 95% of their body is eaten. And the vegetal potential of our planet is still untapped. Not only may the plant world’s chemical abundance well hold compounds crucial to the future of our pharmacies, but Mancuso shows why one day in the not-so-distant future, we may well have an ‘internet of plants’ that uses plants’ unique monitoring and communications talents to relay information about air and soil quality or impending earthquakes.
Packed with gripping scientific insights and a unique perspective, Brilliant Green is a fascinating and eye-opening tour of the green and growing world that we so often take for granted.
Stefano Mancuso is the Director of the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology (LINV) in Florence, Italy, a founder of the International Society for Plant Signaling and Behavior, and a professor at the University of Florence. His most recent project is the Jellyfish Barge, a modular floating greenhouse which grows plants through solar-powered seawater desalination, featured in the 2015 Universal Expo in Milan. Mancuso’s books and papers have been published in numerous international magazines and journals, and La Repubblica newspaper has listed him among the twenty people who will change our lives. Alessandra Viola is a scientific journalist, writer of documentaries, and television scriptwriter. In 2011, she directed the Genoa Science Festival.


text:
Obama Burger Stand
What shall Obama do after being relieved of his office? He runs a burger stand! Let's help obama to take orders and serve the customers and make his burger stand a success! Have fun!
Play free online games at Lemo games!
©lemogames.com 2018. All rights reserved!

domain: politics


You searched for: Publisher United States. Bureau of Transportation Statistics Remove constraint Publisher: United States. Bureau of Transportation Statistics Access Public Remove constraint Access: Public Subject Utilities and Communication Remove constraint Subject: Utilities and Communication Place Massachusetts Remove constraint Place: Massachusetts Place United States Remove constraint Place: United States Place Connecticut Remove constraint Place: Connecticut Place Georgia Remove constraint Place: Georgia Data type Point Remove constraint Data type: Point Format Shapefile Remove constraint Format: Shapefile
2006. Rawson, Peg. This point shapefile depicts major dams in the United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The map layer was created by extra... United States. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.


text:
Big screen. Small price
A51's Infinity-O Display optimises visual symmetry. Now you can game, watch, surf and multi-task without interruption on a 6.5" FHD+ widescreen display—all powered by Super AMOLED technology. Enjoy a smartphone experience that minimises the bezel and maximises each inch of screen space.
Designed for a refined level of style and comfort
The rhythmical pattern of A51's design theme comes in smooth and elegant pastel shades including Prism Crush Black, White and Blue. A premium gloss finish adds the perfect touch of style to its sleek and slim body, perfectly blending of style with in-hand comfort.
Awesome Quad camera to capture more
Go ultra high-res with a 48MP Main Cam for crisp, clear photos day and night. A 123° 12MP Ultra Wide Cam captures more of the view. Choose the upgraded 5MP Macro Cam for highly refined close-ups, and make sure the subject always stands out with the 5MP Depth Camera’s multiple Live Focus effects.
Capture more of the view from the same spot
Capture the wider world with the Ultra Wide Camera's wider field of vision. And with the 48MP Main Camera, your story stays bright and clear throughout the day.
Long lasting battery at no extra charge
When out living life, you need a phone that can last. A 4,000mAh (typical)* battery gives you the power to stream, share and game on. And if you start running low, plug in and power up with 15W Fast Charging.
Premium storage at no extra cost
Galaxy A51 has fast processing and spacious storage, so you can focus on now. An advanced Octa-core processor and up to 4GB of RAM deliver smooth and efficient performance. Download more and delete less with up to 128GB internal storage. Add even more with a 512GB microSD card.
Game Booster gives you the edge
Maximise performance with Game Booster. Cut distractions and up your game with a dedicated interface and easy-to-reach menu. Frame Booster gives graphics smooth, life-like motion. And play at your best as Game Booster learns your usage patterns to optimise battery, temperature and memory.
Defence-grade security available to everyone
Built into the phone's hardware and software from the start, Samsung Knox protects your phone from the minute it's turned on. Offering multi-layered security, it defends your most sensitive information from malware and malicious threats.
Your fingerprint is the key
Galaxy A51 comes with high-tech biometric authentication. The On-Screen Fingerprint scanner recognises your unique fingerprint, so you are the only one who can press and unlock in one easy move.

domain: design


text:
Nants ingonyama? Nah bro it's AHHH SAVENYAAAA!
It's strange looking back at the last six years of my life and finding key points that make me smile.
"Are they saying anything or just shouting?"
To this day, I believe that the intro to Lion King begins with a long shout.
Isn't it strange how smiling at a happy memory quickly makes me sad? Isn't it terrifying that after such a long time, I still find it difficult to let go, to move on...
Will every strawberry blink at me and say "Nwoo"?
Will every rose look better in black and bronze?
Will every swimming pool have the memory of Ah Savenya?
Will I smile, laugh, feel sad, think, then smile again?
Will I find my way in this circle of life?

domain: artistic


text:
In 79 A.D., Milo, a slave turned gladiator, finds himself in a race against time to save his true love Cassia, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant who has been unwillingly betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts in a torrent of blazing lava, Milo must fight his way out of the arena in order to save his beloved as the once magnificent Pompeii crumbles around him.
You May Also Like
Papa Machete is an intimate account of ‘Professor’ Alfred Avril, one of the world’s only known masters of the esoteric martial art of Haitian machete fencing, known in Creole as ‘Tire Machet’. The film documents a proud, but aging man’s devotion to his heritage and his desire to continue tradition.
After Charles Forsyth was sent to the electric chair for a crime he didn’t commit, he forever haunts the prison where he was executed. Flash forward several years when the prison is reopened, under the control of its new warden Eaton Sharpe, a former security guard who framed Charlie. When prisoners are ordered to break down the wall to the execution room, they unknowingly release the angry spirit of Charles Forsyth, a powerful being distributing his murderous rage to all, leading up to the Warden himself.
Jesus, a humble Judean carpenter beginning to see that he is the son of God, is drawn into revolutionary action against the Roman occupiers by Judas — despite his protestations that love, not violence, is the path to salvation. The burden of being the savior of mankind torments Jesus throughout his life, leading him to doubt. As he is put to death on the cross, Jesus is tempted by visions of an ordinary life married to Mary Magdalene.
Donte Clark’s poetic voice was honed on the violent street corners of a struggling city. Yet rather than succumb to the pressures of Richmond, CA, Clark uses his artistic perspective to help save his city from itself.
The life of George Falconer, a British college professor, is reeling with the recent and sudden loss of his longtime partner. This traumatic event makes George challenge his own will to live as he seeks the console of his close girl friend Charley, who is struggling with her own questions about life.
Sylvia has turned a blind eye for too long to husband Eddie’s flourishing drug business. When his dealing takes a (deadly) turn for the worse, however, her need to protect the lives and futures of her young children compel her to flee. But Eddie will stop at nothing to keep his wife inside the ‘family’.
Humanity’s desperate battle to reclaim the Earth from Godzilla continues. The key to defeating the King of the Monsters may be Mechagodzilla, a robotic weapon thought to have been lost nearly 20,000 years ago.

domain: library


text:
A cold soup that can be prepared ahead of time is an ideal start to dinner on Fire Island — or whichever beach you call home.
- 1/2 loaf yesterday's French bread
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3/4 Cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 Pounds tomatoes, preferably local, seeded and cut into large chunks (8-12 tomatoes)
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into large pieces
- 1 Italian frying pepper, cut into large pieces
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and cut into large pieces
- 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 1 medium-sized Spanish onion, cut into large chunks
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 Cup sherry vinegar
- Chopped tomatoes, green bell pepper, and onion, for garnish
Using your hands, break the bread into big chunks and soak in a bowl of water for 10 minutes.
Squeeze the excess water out of the bread and transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic and oil and process until smooth. Add the tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, onion, salt, and cumin. Process until you achieve a smooth consistency. Add the vinegar and process for 30 seconds. Blend in 1 ½-2¼ cups cold water, depending on the desired consistency, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve, divide the gazpacho among 8 bowls and garnish with chopped tomatoes, green pepper, and onion.

domain: food


text:
Valve has officially announced the Steam Controller, which will work with the Steam Machine and all Steam games.
It features a rather unorthodox design, choosing to switch out analog sticks for two trackpads instead. The controller also changes up the focus, with the trackpads promoted to be the central theme of the controller.
The move has been taken to accommodate for the wide range of titles featured on Steam, with the trackpads said to have precision that's close to that of a desktop mouse.
"Whole genres of games that were previously only playable with a keyboard and mouse are now accessible from the sofa," said Valve. "RTS games. Casual, cursor-driven games. Strategy games. 4x space exploration games. A huge variety of indie games. Simulation titles. And of course, Euro Truck Simulator 2."
As with some current analog sticks, the trackpads are also buttons and there are 14 other inputs on different parts of the controller. And in true PC form, users will be able to determine exactly how the controller functions, as Valve claim they've made it "hackable".
The Steam Machine beta is planned for release next year, with 300 people invited to take part.

domain: game


text:
Low Game Playing Machines
There are numerous ways to play casino games. It is possible to pick from online casinos or live ones. You can play any type of casino game in the comfort of your own home. Most importantly, it is possible to play casino games without spending anything at all.
There are three basic forms of casino games: poker, blackjack, and roulette. Poker can be an example of a typical deviation game. In a poker game, players take turns being the banker. After the person completes their turn, the banker tells the individual they have just received one card, that is a standard deviation of the amount of poker chips that are present in the game. An individual round used even numbers produces a result with an increase of successes than losses.
Roulette is a blackjack variant where the person who strikes first are certain to get to take all of the money accumulated by another players in the casino game. This is done by getting the highest number in consecutive betting rounds. The best odds for winning in roulette is once the winning number is the same as the highest number being rolled out in the blackjack rounds.
Just about the most popular casino games is slot machine gambling. With slot machines, the ball player includes a predetermined limit, called a maximum amount of money that can be inserted in to the machine. There are also different types of pulls: push-pull and turn-over. A push-pull is whenever a hand contains cards that are not allowed to be mixed with the people being played, while a turn-over is when a card is spun twice on a single reel before it is paid out.
All casinos offer different kinds of slots, so are there literally thousands of options available in terms of choosing games. Slots can either supply the best odds for winning or they may be a complete waste of time. For example, a progressive slot machine game 엠 카지노 주소 game has better chances of paying out big winnings compared to its non-progressive variant. However, non-progressive slots have their own drawbacks such as for example having smaller payouts. It is around the casino’s discretion to whether to include these in the package or not.
One of the most popular games at casinos are poker games. Poker games have their own set of rules, which frequently times contradict the overall rules of other games because of the nature. Some casino websites offer both versions of a particular poker game in order that people can play for both odds and the mechanics as well. Blackjack, craps, baccarat and roulette are some of the worse odds offered in casinos.
While the mechanics and payout of slot machines are subject to change every day, the icons used to indicate these changes may also be inconsistent from one casino to some other. There are a few casinos that work with a graphic image of a cross or a heart instead of the traditional numbers which are shown on their slots. This icon could be confusing for users who are used to seeing numbers on the traditional slots.
Another gambling venue that offers poor odds in its slots is poker rooms. The payout rate in lots of poker rooms is extremely low due to insufficient competition. However, some of these rooms also offer special tournaments that feature low jackpot prize rates. You should note though that most of these special tournaments require large deposits that lots of casino goers would think it is hard to come up with. For these kinds of gamblers, video gaming machines will be the best choice since they offer the highest winning payouts.


text:
The Free v-bucks most recent game to reach the arena is among the best preferred on the internet video games, Fortnite V-Bucks. Therefore what are its attributes as well as perks?
Like Fortnite all its own degrees are actually readily available in various trouble levels, which aids to make a difficulty for gamers. It has many various game settings.
Like Fortnite it likewise offers infinite funds, along with each acquisition you get. You can easily participate in single gamer, as much as 4 gamers or on the web games, with a selection of features as well as environments.
The reason why this game is actually so preferred is its ability to be participated in through anyone, anytime, anywhere. Just like the authentic, you can play this online game without a net relationship. You do not have to miss out on the exciting.
To succeed V-Bucks you need to finish all levels, as fast as feasible. This makes it fantastic for the players. It additionally delivers a terrific problem, as you never ever recognize what you are going to get.
In regards to graphics and sound V-bucks appears wonderful. It has an authentic, multicolored appearance as well as sound effect.
As stated before, this is actually an excellent game to play with friends, family and opponents. It is actually very popular with kids since they like to acquire jewel searching into a enjoyable and also quite stimulating game.
V-Bucks is available for free from lots of web sites, nonetheless there is an one-time expense that is needed to accessibility this. This is actually a little volume compared to the perks, therefore you actually need to have not stress about it.
Since it is actually a preferred video game along with a huge internet area, it is possible to find help coming from other players online and share recommendations as well as tricks. This is excellent as it offers a feeling of competitors, which inspires gamers to do better, as well as acquire faster.
Additionally, given that it is actually an online activity, it enables you to play whenever you really want. When you’re stuck at work, take some opportunity off as well as play this video game rather.
There are actually some points you must know about this activity. First, you should not expect too much of a challenge, especially if you’re brand-new to the games. It is actually advised you play in Single Player setting, where you have confined options and also don’t need to fret about other gamers. beating adversaries.
If you would like to level up quicker, you need to just obtain coins or even purchase credit histories. to get items as well as armor.
It is actually encouraged to play this online game along with good friends, since it’s much easier to play with others, and also it is actually likewise less costly. You can participate in the same level over, up until you are actually extremely pleasant. As you become extra relaxed along with the controls, you may change to Multiplayer method.
Due to the fact that it’s an on the web video game, you do not have to pay out to sign up with or sign up. You can carry on participating in the game whenever you desire.
As you can easily observe, playing this game is a great activity to participate in. If you’re a newbie, you should most likely start off playing in Singular Gamer setting, up until you obtain a feel of the commands.
There are actually a considerable amount of various other points to find out about the activity, just before you play the game right throughout. A few of the various other factors include recognizing just how to get rid of opponents, understanding how to use your items properly, as well as knowing how to farm pieces.
Do not waste any sort of amount of money on purchasing extra tools, or armor that you’ll certainly never make use of. A lot of the moments, you’ll be actually using these items today, so it is actually equally efficient to spare all of them for a later stage. rather.
If you desire to acquire one of the most away from the Fortnite v-bucks you are actually going to get, it is actually encouraged to spend your time to focus up. and also cultivating pieces much faster.
The faster you reach level up as well as farm pieces, the a lot faster you are going to have the capacity to progress. The faster you get to smooth up and farm pieces, the quicker you are able to progress. The fastest means to handle this is to merely spend even more attend Solitary Player method, and permit your hands do the walking.
The most up-to-date activity to attack the PlayStation Vita is Fortnite V-Bucks. This game takes some fair effects coming from more mature video games like Mafia Battles as well as also other identical games. You are actually certainly not merely betting other gamers yet likewise trying to make it through in a brand-new world that is actually loaded with a bunch of adversaries.
The world on its own is pretty much a blend between a virtual world and also a true planet. Each chart teems with small islands where you are going to need to finish missions or even challenges, to progress. The missions are actually not simply timed events, but there is also a lot of seeking for loot.
The main objectives of the game are actually to collect as many aspects as feasible. As you play even more of the video game you will be actually able to get a far better sense of what is actually coming up following.
You will certainly desire to go through some evaluations prior to making your final purchase if you are believing regarding getting the video game. Many individuals are actually claiming that this activity is extremely addicting and also it will in fact maintain you occupied for an extended period of your time. This is a lot of fun to play as well as I make sure that many people who have bought it are actually liking the new video game!
The wonderful thing about this game is that it is free. You perform not even need to spend anything in order to play it. The graphics are actually incredible, as are the noises. It is actually user-friendly as well as the managements are pretty intuitive.
You can visit their official web site if you want to know even more regarding the history of the activity. In the event that you are actually thinking about the length of time it has actually been around, the designers were working with the Mafia Wars crew for some time. The original model of the activity was actually fairly straightforward, but now there are numerous various alternatives on call that you are actually never ever burrowed. Naturally you may likewise play the cost-free trial to view how well the video game participates in.
Fortnite V-Bucks is actually an additional terrific game that possesses numerous options on call to you. This is why it is such a well-liked selection amongst players. You may nab it straight on the Vita if you yearn for to attempt it out.


Digital security and network protection are critical in our interconnected world due to increasing cyber threats like hacking and identity theft. Laws provide a framework of rules and regulations that govern the use, access, and distribution of information, set standards for data protection, cybersecurity, and privacy.
They prevent cybercrime, provide legal remedies, and hold responsible parties accountable. Without legal frameworks, digital security and networks would be vulnerable to cyber threats with severe and far-reaching consequences.
Malay Mail reports that the proposed amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) aims to enhance the security and network aspects in response to the growing use and reliance on digital services, according to Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) is,
An Act to provide for and to regulate the converging communications and multimedia industries, and for incidental matters.
He noted that the changes would support the development of Malaysia’s communications and multimedia industry, which faces different challenges and opportunities than it did 25 years ago when the Act was first introduced. Fahmi also called for feedback on the amendments from MPs, legal experts, NGOs, and the public.
He also shared that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) received a total of 2,804 complaints from January 2019 to January this year and of that number, 1,625 involved obscene content, 564 false information and 541 inappropriate content.
He said the ministry would work with the Home Ministry to prevent the misuse of the Act’s provisions. Other than that, in response to a question about balancing political issues raised by leaders, Fahmi suggested that the public verify facts through platforms such as SEBENARNYA.MY and MyCheck.My.


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This article was an entry in our recent contest and was written by MizJess.
â€œA road trip to Canada?Â You canâ€™t be serious.Â What about your leg and your pain?â€Â These were the words I heard from family and friendsÂ when I decided to plan a vacation to visit a good friend of mine who lives in Canada.
It was always a dream of mine to take a road trip, but something I had always kept on the back burner of my life.Â I kept making excuses of why it wasnâ€™t the â€œright timeâ€ – money is tight, too much time off from work, other things to take care of first, I didnâ€™t want to travel alone….Â You name the excuse, and it more than likely crossed my mind and kept me from a dream Iâ€™d had since I was a little girl.
When I was injured in a car accident in 2008, I thought for sure that the dream I once had would never be possible again.Â The thought of driving scared me, not to mention the pain that it would bring.Â The pain was like a black plague consuming my body one limb at a time.Â About a year after the accident, I was diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD or CRPS).Â With that difficult diagnosis lingering in my mind, I lost hope in fulfilling even the smallest of my dreams.
It was a truly dark period in my life.Â Countless doctors, numerous tests, wasted money, and no answers or cures to help me with the pain.Â The pain never got better, just continually worse with each day that passed.Â As sufferers of chronic pain, Iâ€™m sure that weâ€™ve all lost hope at one point or another in our journey.
For me, it was 1 person who really brought me out of the darkness and gave me new hope and inspiration to fully live again.Â It was this friendship that led me to take the plunge and fulfill my dream of taking a road trip.
It was better than I ever imagined it would be.Â Not only did I get to see so many places along the 10 hour drive, but it also gave me a sense of pride and accomplishment.Â Although my friend and IÂ both suffer from RSD, our vacation wasn’tÂ centered around pain nor spent complaining about what we couldnâ€™t do.Â We did what we could when we could do it and had a great time filled with laughter and fun.
Along with another RSD friend and her family, we would talk and laugh for hours and hours.Â It was as if time was suspended, and the company of each other was what we all needed to escape from the harsh reality of the fire of RSD pain.Â It was great to know that I wasn’t alone and to be with people my age who fully understood what it was like to live with this awful disease.
This trip gave me the confidence in myself that I had long been missing.Â Now I know that if I want to do something, I can.Â I say what I mean and I mean what I say.Â I no longer let other people influence my own personal decisions.Â I should do things that make me happy while I still can, and not be concerned about what everyone else wants me to do.Â I need to be my own person, make my own decisions and learn from them. After all, if life was easy and we never made mistakes, what fun would that be?
Itâ€™s my life, and I can do whatever I set my mind to.Â We all can.Â Pain or no pain, itâ€™s our choice, and I for one have decided that itâ€™s time to live while I’m alive.Â Try new things, be bold, be different.
To truly be happy with yourself and your life, you have to do whatever it is that brings you even the littlest joy.Â The pain might put a damper on things, but you needÂ to have hope and courage to continue on with the things you love.Â And when you feel as if all hope and courage are lost, lean on the people in your life who fully support and care about you.Â Theyâ€™ll help you through it no matter how dark the darkest time is.
This has been an eye opening experience in many ways, and I feel like I’m now on the right path.Â I fulfilled a dream I thought was lost.
What have you done for yourself lately?
Thanks to MizJess for this inspirational story.Â Thanks to Gbaku at Flickr for the photo.

domain: psychology


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Northern, WI 6/22/12 (StreetBeat) -- AlphaRx Inc. (OTCBB:ALRXD) is pleased to announce that it has signed a binding letter of intent to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of UMeLook Holdings Limited ("UmeLook"). The transaction is expected to close on or before August 15, 2012.
UMeLook is a digital media startup with an intense focus on China. UMeLook's first product is a global online video distribution platform tapping into the power of full motion video, helping advertisers large and small to tap into a massive market while having no competitors. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video message can be worth millions in revenues.
YouTube and many other popular video sites are blocked by China's "Great Firewall". UMeLook is uniquely positioned to offer advertisers the ability to use their existing promotional video assets to access mainland China consumers. Marketers spent $7.4 billion on online marketing in China in 2011, representing 13.5% of total media spending. That was up from $5.1 billion, or 10.6% of the total, spent in 2010.
More than 60% of China's approximately half billion internet users watch online videos, equivalent to about 325 million users in the second half of 2011. As the number of China's internet users grows, so will the online video market. Chinese are spending much of their time online -- an average three hours a day, compared with two hours watching television, according to a study conducted last year by Starcom Mediavest Group. The statistic is the same for consumers even in the less developed, lower-tier markets that brands are keen to crack.
The acquisition of UMeLook is to be completed as a share exchange through the issuance of 70,000,000 common shares of AlphaRx Inc. to the shareholders of UMeLook at a deemed price of $0.30 per share in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding shares in the capital of UMeLook. The common shares to be issued pursuant to the acquisition will not be registered for sale under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and will be subject to restrictions on transferability and resale and may not be transferred or resold except as permitted under SEC guidelines.
Please contact www.thestreetbeat.com for interest in our latest investor relations platform the “CEO Interview Series” with its host Steve Kanaval. The package includes a one-on-one interview with a seasoned industry professional; published segment to our web site with embedded audio/video file; and a compressed file that can be easily e-mailed out to your current and/or potential investors. Please e-mail email@example.com or call (662) 392-0740 for pricing and scheduling.


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Sidewalk upheaval: Need understood, timing questionable
We understand why the leaders of city government want to institute a sidewalk inspection program along with a plan to upgrade sidewalks throughout Williamsport.
Williamsport is an older city, with deteriorating sidewalks in many neighborhoods that can lead to falls and other accidents, along with insurance liability headaches.
There is a need that is being met here.
Unfortunately, the administration announced the program without warning 10 days before Christmas.
Even City Council leaders were not aware of the administration’s plans.
About all city residents heard under those circumstances is that inspections are starting and costs for replacing sidewalks can be several thousand dollars in some instances.
That’s an expensive blindside in mid-December.
The plan is especially disconcerting for someone who has moved to a neighborhood, only to find sidewalks in front of their home neglected.
We hope the administration will be very judicious in its enforcement of this program and will make every effort to help residents with financial assistance through the city community development office.
The sidewalk updating follows a successful blight removal program by the city codes department.
We understand the thinking.
It’s one more needed improvement for an aging city.
We just hope the most expensive fallout will be limited to owners of those sidewalks with a long pattern of neglect and protracted resistance to the goals of the program.

domain: sociology


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With lockdown-like restrictions in many states due to the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, hiring activity declined by 15 per cent sequentially in April, according to a report.
The decline, however, is less severe compared to the last year given the lack of strict nationwide lockdown, the report said.
According to the Naukri JobSpeak Index, there were 2,072 job postings in April compared to 2,436 job postings in March.
"The disruption caused by the second wave of Covid-19 has impacted the hiring activity leading to a 15 per cent sequential decline in April.
"However, the current impact on the job market is less severe than what we saw in April 2020, where the Naukri JobSpeak index declined by 51 per cent month-on-month. This could be attributed to the lack of a strict nationwide lockdown being announced this time and the economy remaining open," Naukri.com Chief Business Officer Pawan Goyal said.
The Naukri JobSpeak is a monthly Index that calculates and records hiring activity based on the job listings on Naukri.com website month on month.
Insurance (5 per cent decline), pharma/biotech (-9 per cent) and medical/healthcare (-10 per cent) were among the less impacted sectors in April compared with March, it said.
The IT-software sector with a decline of 12 per cent, which remained shielded and drove robust hiring over the past few months, declined less than the national average sequentially.
Other sectors such as FMCG (-15 per cent) and telecom (-15 per cent) declined in line with the overall hiring trend in April against March.
The retail sector, which grew in March, experienced a sharp decline of 33 per cent in April due to restricted operating hours or closure owing to lockdowns in many parts of the country.
Sectors such as hospitality and travel (-36 per cent), banking/finance (-26 per cent) and teaching/education (-24 per cent) remained highly impacted in hiring activity in April against March, it stated.
The jobs market across metro and non-metro cities saw a downfall, barring Kolkata that remained flat.
The aggressive surge of Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra directly impacted hiring trends in Mumbai, which saw a sequential decline of 20 per cent in April.
While Delhi/NCR with a decline of 18 per cent also remained impacted sequentially, followed by Bangalore 10 per cent, Chennai 10 per cent and Hyderabad 4 per cent.
Jaipur with a dip of 25 per cent and Chandigarh with 23 per cent led the decline in hiring in tier-II cities while Cochin with a decline of 5 per cent remained the least impacted sequentially.
Interestingly, Ahmedabad, which was showing robust growth in hiring over the past few months showed a decline of 12 per cent in hiring in April compared with March, the report noted.
The shutdown of schools, hotels, and non-essential offices led to a sequential decline in demand for professionals in the teaching/education (-32 per cent), hospitality (-32 per cent) and marketing/advertising (-26 per cent) domains in April.
Hiring activity across experience bands saw an average decline of 13 per cent in April compared to March, it added.


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a thick, hearty vegetarian soup recipe that will warm you up on the coldest of days! This easy soup recipe is packed with rich, Italian flavors. Your whole family will love this vegetarian Vegetable Barley Soup recipe!
This homemade Chimichurri Sauce recipe is super easy to make in the food processor or blender and it's full of easy fresh and delicious ingredients and it's perfect for topping seafood steak veggies or whatever sounds good.
I& recently become obsessed with five-spice powder. I use it constantly on vegetables and even when making spiced nuts. So of course I was going to try to figure out a way to make it myself! Here& a simple way to make a great new spice!
Chinese 5 Spice Chicken Wings - Perfect appetizer for New Years and One of the TASTIEST and EASIEST ways to prepare chicken! Crazy flavorful marinade and a balsamic vinegar reduction glaze - INCREDIBLE!
Spicy Sweet Chilli Sauce - Easy to make, absolutely delicious, with an extra kick of spice this is the BEST Sweet chilli sauce you will EVER have! Perfect dip/ sauce for gatherings like The Super Bowl, Game day or any of party!
Roasted Brown Butter Honey Garlic Carrots make an excellent side dish. Roasted to tender perfection in the most incredible brown butter honey garlic sauce these will become a new favorite! Maybe add butternut squash


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New year. New hair color. New career path. Disney starlet Zendaya Coleman seized the moment, using The 2014 Grammy Awards weekend to establish herself as a stylish new entry on the Hollywood music scene.
First up on Zendaya’s Grammy weekend schedule was a stop at the Friends ‘N’ Family 17th Annual Pre-Grammy Party at the Park Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
She went full on glitz and glamour with her look, wearing a rose gold metallic three piece suit ensemble from the Gucci Resort 2014 collection.
It’s a head-to-toe metallic look that could be overwhelming on some, but coming in at 5’10”, Zendaya has height on her side. This allows all the pieces to drape perfectly on her frame.
For the actual Grammy Awards red carpet, Zendaya chose a look from the Emanuel Ungaro Spring 2014 ready-to-wear collection that was all about drama.
With it’s black sheer blouse, and blue chiffon maxi length skirt that featured a thigh high split, Zendaya’s Ungaro outfit is a decidedly more adult look for the starlet.
Slicked back hair, smoky eyes, and black patent leather Christian Louboutin pumps completed Zendaya’s Grammy night look, and were the perfect accents for her sophisticated ensemble.
[ photos: zendaya-coleman.com, style.com ]

domain: celebrity


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Canine Hip Dysplasia
The free and easy movement of the hips and legs are due in part to the ball and socket joint. The end of the thighbone (the ball) should fit snugly into the hipbone (the socket). Any deformity in the joint, connective tissues or muscles surrounding the joint is referred to Hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia prevents free movement and can be quite painful. While it is most commonly found in older dogs, puppies and young adult dogs are still susceptible to developing this painful condition. So, what exactly causes canine Hip dysplasia?
Causes of Hip Dysplasia in Dogs:
•Exercise that puts excessive force on the joints
Symptoms of Hip dysplasia in Dogs:
•Stiffness of limbs – especially the rear legs
•Less interest in physical activities
There are many natural supplements that relieve pain and inflammation associated with canine Hip dysplasia and other arthritic conditions. Your holistic veterinarian can guide you on how to best include fatty acids, vitamins, Glucosamine, Chondroitin and Methyl-sulfonyl-methane into your dog’s dietary intake. These will all reduce pain and swelling. Additionally, herbs such as dandelion, alfalfa, Licorice, Cayenne and Ginger also work in form or another to reduce pain and swelling, improve circulation, repairing joint damage, as well as removing waste from the body.
Don’t wait until your dog is suffering to address issues such as canine Hip dysplasia. Making good decisions now can help prevent or at least minimize the severity in which your dog suffers. It’s never too early to start your dog on supplements. Feed your dog a high quality diet so that he receives proper nutrition and maintains a healthy weight. Also allow your dog to participate in daily activity that doesn’t put undue strain on his joints. Running and swimming are two great activities that allow your dog to receive adequate exercise without harming his joints.

domain: pet