Sound Design – Audition Troubleshooting
There are some common problems that appear when working with Audition. Here are some tips on where to look first.
Sounds are not playing, the location bar is stuck, or hearing a constant glitch sound that the sound file doesn't have.
This can be due to the sample rate setting.
What is sample rate?
In digital audio processing, the original analog sound has to be converted into a digital one in order for computer to process it. This is done by a series of snapshot measurements, samples. Normally it takes thousands of measurements per second. If we can take tons of measurements extremely quickly, we can effectively use these snapshots to reconstruct the original analog wave.
Sample rate is the number of snapshop per second, and is written in Hz. A common sample rate is 44100Hz (44.1 KHz) or 48000Hz (48 KHz). Every audio hardware offers various sample rates so as your laptop. Some laptops have several choices, and some have only one sample rate. When your DAW software's sample rate is set to a different sample rate from your hardware, then one of those problems can appear.
Then the solution is to change your sample rate into the same one as your audio hardware setup. This can be done in Preferences/Audio Hardware…
When you import your sound files that are sampled with a different sample rate from your audition sample rate setting, you get a message if you'd like to convert the file into the audition's sample rate setting. then you should click 'Yes' to it. Some versions of Audition do this automatically. So if you don't have any trouble, then it is already made.
What is bit depth?
You have probably seen 44.1KHz 16bit, 44.1KHz 24bit, etc. Those 16bit or 24bit refers to the bit depth.
Think the sample rate is to divide time (the horizontal axis in the graph) into small grids in order to sample a sound. Then bit depth is to divide the amplitude (the vertical axis) into small snapshot to make more accurate conversion. The graph below shows a getting higher number of bit depth and sample rate together.
If the bit depth is higher, then there is less possibility to make an error when sampling a sound. This also means that the sound quality is much closer to the original sound.
How can I check the sample rate of my laptop?
Normally Audition is doing the job for you. However we have seen that this has not been done. Here is a tip
Windows system:
In audition, click 'settings' in Preferences/Audio Hardware…
Then you will see the main speaker that you are using. Click Properties, then the Advanced tab, click the drop-down and it will show you the sample rate and bit depths options as shown in the photo below:
Those are all possible sample rate and bit depth for your laptop. Make a choice and set the same sample rate in your Audition.
Max OS:
 1. Click the Launchpad rocket ship icon in the dock of your MacBook, and then click "Utilities" and "Audio Midi Setup."
 2. Click the name of the output device in the left pane of the Audio Midi Setup window, such as "Built-In Output."
 3. Click the "Format" drop-down menu, and then click the sample rate you want to use.
 4. Click the drop-down menu located to the right of the "Format" menu, and then click a different configuration, such as "20 bits" or "32 bits."


Tolkien Gateway
Mat Heathertoes
Mat Heathertoes
Biographical Information
DeathT.A. 3019
Physical Description
"All good fellows, and they're missed"
Barliman Butterbur[1]
Mat Heathertoes (died Third Age 3019) was a Man of Bree.
[edit] History
With the War of the Ring raging in the South-east, many refugees came up the Greenway to Bree. Not all these refugees came with the same intentions: a group of ruffians was ousted from the town near the end of T.A. 3018. With the help of Bill Ferny and Harry Goatleaf, they returned soon after New Year, and a fight ensued. The number of casualties on the side of the ruffians was not recorded, but five of the Bree-folk, three Men and two Hobbits, were killed. Mat Heathertoes was one of them.[1]
[edit] Etymology
Mat was a name employed by Tolkien to translate the common (but untranslated) Hobbit name Matta.[2] The name Heathertoes was, like all surnames of the Men of Bree, a plant name,[3] though this seems to have escaped Tolkien when he wrote a list for translators. In it he said Heathertoes was a Hobbit name, and was given in joke to the unshod Hobbits. While walking, they would gather twigs and moss between their toes.[4] However, Mat was most certainly a Man: given that two of the five were Hobbits[1], and the last two named victims - Willie Banks and an Underhill were both positively identified as Hobbits as well.[3][4]
[edit] Portrayal in adaptations
Though the "set-to" with the ruffians is mentioned by Butterbur, he does not give the names of the casualties.[5]
 2. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "II: On Translation"
 5. Brian Sibley, Michael Bakewell, The Lord of the Rings, "Homeward Bound"


text:
More than 10 years ago, in the small Northern Ontario First Nations community of North Spirit Lake, a circuit board broke in the water treatment plant, and the population had to start boiling their drinking water.
Now, a decade later, the circuit board has been fixed, but continuing issues with low chlorine levels mean that the water is still unsafe to drink. So, all of the approximately 460 residents are still boiling their water, said Chief Rita Thompson.
JUMP TO MAP OF WATER ADVISORIES IN FIRST NATIONS COMMUNITIES
In 1995, another Northern Ontario community, Neskantaga, had to start boiling its water because of inadequate disinfection in its water distribution lines. Despite government investment, the problem remains. A temporary solution, a reverse osmosis purification unit, was put in place to provide drinking water until the water system is fixed.
In Pikangikum, Ontario, almost none of the 2400 residents have tap water in their homes. Most people visit one of a few water distribution points in the community, fill up their jugs, and go home with water that usually, but not always, can be consumed without boiling it first.
"Since I remember, I haven't had any water," said Chief Jonah Strang of Pikangikum. He doesn't expect that residences in his community will get piped water until at least 2015, as first, they need to get sufficient electrical power to run a water system, and then they can start working on water and sewer construction.
In Kitigan Zibi, Quebec, about two hours' drive north of Ottawa, a few isolated homes are served by wells contaminated with traces of naturally occurring uranium.
These communities' problems, while perhaps extreme, are not that unusual. According to Health Canada records, on October 31, 2011, more than one in five First Nations communities were under a drinking water advisory.
Through Access to Information legislation, Global News obtained a list of drinking water advisories in First Nations communities. The data provided a snapshot of water issues on reserves, revealing that on October 31, 2011, there were a total of 168 water advisories in 127 First Nations communities across Canada.
In some cases, only a few buildings are affected. In others, virtually the entire population of a reserve has been asked to boil their water.
Drinking water advisories are issued as a preventative measure to protect public health from contaminants that are known to be, or could be, in the water. They might be trigged when tests reveal things like high disease-causing bacteria levels or cloudiness in the water.
A boil water advisory means that drinking water must be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute before it is safe to consume. A boil water order is usually issued when evidence shows that drinking water might be responsible for an outbreak of illness. In the case of a do-not-consume advisory, water should not be drunk, even when boiled.
According to Health Canada, the vast majority of advisories in First Nations communities are quickly resolved – at least 90 per cent of them within one year.
But in 2011, the average duration of an advisory in a First Nations community was 772.6 days – more than two years. This figure has increased over the past decade, said Health Canada, because unresolved issues drag the average upwards.
According to Health Canada's data, 38 per cent of advisories on October 31, 2011, were in place for five years or more. 70 per cent were in place for more than two years.
"Drinking Water Advisories issued under provincial legislation are common in small and remote communities across Canada," said a statement from Health Canada. It is difficult to determine whether these advisories are more common on reserves than elsewhere, because each province has its own standards for drinking water quality and when an advisory should be issued.
All remote communities face very high costs to import equipment and construction materials. First Nations communities also face difficulties in finding and retaining qualified water system operators, says a Library of Parliament report.
"The primary responsibility for drinking water supply and facilities in First Nations communities in Canada falls to the First Nations," said a statement from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
Media Literacy Education Exposure related to Self-Esteem, Body Esteem, and Sociocultural Ideals in College Students and Graduates
The prevalence of eating disorders (ED) in the United States has increased while the media consistently presents thinner representations of the body. Scholars have found media to negatively influence factors associated with the development of EDs. The purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental cross-sectional survey design study was to explore relationships between exposure levels to MLE and self-esteem, body esteem, and the internalization societal appearance ideals. Participants included undergraduate students or recent graduates majoring in either communications or an alternative major with comparatively less MLE curriculum. The Body Esteem Scale, Sociocultural Attitudes towards Appearance Questionnaire-3, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale Surveys were administered online to examine the variance of 3 dependent variables (self-esteem, body esteem, internalization of societal appearance norms) with 2 independent variables (exposure levels to media literacy curriculum and gender), and a multivariate analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Results displayed statistically significant differences between all 3 dependent variables with MLE levels. Research in MLE benefits both adults and children by way of providing the necessary tools, knowledge, and skills to be able to fully benefit from various media sources. MLE provides an opportunity to better understand media messages, as well as its influences therein, this way rather than being vulnerable and easily manipulated, one becomes a more knowledgeable and aware media consumer. The results to this study can promote, advocate, and bring awareness to media consumers and today's educators of the importance and need of MLE curriculum beginning at a young age.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
Translation of scorch in Spanish:
- the sun had scorched the fields/grassit was so hot I scorched my tongueel sol había agostado or abrasado los campos/la hierbathe iron scorched her sleeveestaba tan caliente que me quemé or me abrasé la lenguascorched-earth policyla plancha le chamuscó or le quemó la manga(estrategia militar que consiste en arrasar todo lo que puede serle útil al enemigo)Example sentences
- I could feel the heat surrounding me, burning me, scorching my skin, causing me to cry out wordlessly in pain.
- Closely following it was a blast of heat which scorched clothes, ignited buildings and set even the individual blades of grass on fire.
- The bright suns rays touched her sneakers, scorching them with fiery heat.
- I live in an area that was scorched by drought for several years.
- The countryside had been scorched; the acacia hedges were tipped with orange.
- In winter much of it is under snow; in spring grass appears, which is scorched dry and swept by the dust storms of summer.
- 1 (become scorched)(fabric)chamuscarse(food)quemarseExample sentences
- And then my lips, my tongue, were burning, scorching, stinging from the heat.
- I dropped my sword in panic because I thought that my hands would scorch in the flames.
- Stir occasionally for even heating and to prevent scorching.
- 2 (go fast)(person/vehicle)ir a toda velocidadir a todo lo que da or a toda mecha [colloquial]Example sentences
- The Glasgow speedster has fallen from grace almost as fast as the winger scorches down the sidelines.
- This inoffensive-looking car can scorch along at impressive figures, and, as it is based on a chassis with a decent set of dimensions, it has real space for adults in the back.
- He scorched out of traps to set a blistering pace.
- (before noun) scorch markquemadura (feminine) superficialmarca (feminine) de quemadura superficialExample sentences
- Huge black scorch marks marred the surface that would have normally been a shiny metal.
- Is that what this scorch mark is all about then?
- There were no scorch marks, no soiling of any sort.
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
Most popular in the US
Most popular in the UK
Most popular in Australia
Most popular in Malaysia
Most popular in India
Most popular in Pakistan
Here is a selection of useful words and phrases you will need in real-life situations while you're visiting Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries...
A portero is a superintendent in an apartment building who looks after it, keeps it clean, delivers mail, and keeps an eye on comings and goings. Porteros often have an apartment in the building as part of their pay. The portero, and particularly the female portera, are part of popular culture. They have a reputation for being inquisitive and fond of gossip.


Skip to Content
Coronavirus Updates
Banking Bulletin: Florida Passes New Law for Loan Compliance
On July 1, 2014, a number of changes to Florida banking laws went into effect. Despite the Florida legislature's stated desire to decrease regulation on businesses, a new law serves to greatly increase regulation on community banks with respect to loans-to-one-borrower limits.
Specifically, the new law redefines the term "related interests." Loans to "related interests" are counted with each other toward a bank's loan-to-one-borrower limit. Although the new law is substantially similar to current Office of the Comptroller of the Currency regulations applicable to national banks, the change in the definition is noteworthy for two reasons.
First, it removes from the definition a person's siblings and parents, as well as people (other than dependents) who reside in the person's household. It also removes a person's partner from the definition, which means that unmarried cohabitants do not necessarily count as one borrower, while a married couple still does.
Second, it requires, in certain circumstances, that parties engaged in a "common business enterprise" be counted as the same borrower. A "common business enterprise" exists and will be counted as the same borrower in three circumstances:
 1. Where the borrowers' expected source of repayment is the same and no borrower has another income source sufficient to repay all of that borrower's obligations. However, wages from an employer will not count as the same source of repayment, unless the borrowers are related through common control (including where one controls the other) and there is significant financial interdependence between them (where 50% of one borrower's annual gross receipts or expenditures are from transaction with another borrower).
 2. Loans to borrowers for the purpose of acquiring more than 50% of a business.
 3. If the Office of Financial Regulation (OFR) determines that a common enterprise exists.
The first circumstance is vague and difficult to understand or apply. More remarkably, the third circumstance allows the OFR to interpose its judgment after loans have been made.
These changes could greatly increase a bank's risk that it will inadvertently exceed its loans-to-one-borrower limit or have the OFR make an after-the-fact determination that the bank did so.
Given the difficulty in dealing with overline loans after they have closed, this statutory change seems patently unfair to banks.
To best avoid having the OFR find an inadvertent violation or make a negative after-the-fact determination, a bank should consider engaging in a thorough factual and legal analysis of any loans to borrowers who may be deemed to be part of a "common business enterprise."


text:
A three-level series for young learners of English which is based on the syllabus of the Cambridge Young Learners English tests. There is an emphasis on speaking and listening, with reading and writing introduced in natural progression.
Delta Young Learners English is an activity based course for young learners of English in the 7 to 13 age range. Based on the syllabus of the Cambridge Young Learners English Tests, it is designed to ensure successful learning in children preparing for the tests.
Mighty Movers is an activity-based course suitable for 9 to 11 year olds.
Further class practice, home or individual work,
Games, puzzles and other practical activities,
Includes activities reflecting the YLE Tests,
Self assessment check in each unit.


text:
Research Shows How Computation Can Predict Group Conflict
When conflict breaks out in social groups, individuals make strategic decisions about how to behave based on their understanding of alliances and feuds in the group. But it's been challenging to quantify the underlying trends that dictate how individuals make predictions, given they may only have seen a small number of fights or have limited memory. In a new study, scientists at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison develop a computational approach to determine whether individuals behave predictably. With data from previous fights, the team looked at how much memory individuals in the group would need to make predictions themselves. The analysis proposes a novel estimate of "cognitive burden," or the minimal amount of information an organism needs to remember to make a prediction.
Image credit: Thinkstock


text:
Optimization in the Sparse Tensor Algebra Compiler
The Sparse Tensor Algebra Compiler (taco) is the first to automatically generate code for any tensor algebra expression on many sparse tensor data structures. This frees the programmer from choosing between hand-optimized libraries that support only a some operations on some data structures and general tensor compute engines with poor performance. In this talk, I will present recent work on a new intermediate representation and program transformations to optimize the generated sparse tensor code. I will show how these transformations generalize common optimizations for specific cases, such as the sparse accumulator in sparse matrix multiplication, can lead to asymptotically better performance for some expressions, and can transform code to fit execution patterns required by different hardware architectures. The performance of the resulting sparse code is comparable to hand-optimized libraries, but generalize to many more expressions and data structures.
The sparse tensor algebra compiler is available under the MIT license. The source code and related publications can be found at _URL_.
Fredrik Kjolstad is a PhD candidate at MIT and will join Stanford as an Assistant Professor in March 2020. He works on topics in compilers, programming languages, and performance engineering. His projects include the Sparse Tensor Algebra Compiler (taco) and the Simit language for physical simulation. He received his master degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his bachelor degree from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Gjøvik. He has received the Eureka and Rosing prizes for his bachelor project, the Adobe Fellowship, a best poster award, and two best paper awards.


text:
A: Parent letters print in Spanish if the "primary language" of that student is set to Spanish when you add the student to the class list.
If it is set incorrectly, you can click "edit" next to the student's name to change their Primary Language.
**NOTE: If your district is importing students, your students are automatically added to your class list by the district, including the Primary Language. You are unable to edit them. Please contact your district office if you need to request a change of Primary Language for a student.
If you edit the English template, it will NOT update the Spanish template. You must update the Spanish template in Spanish.


Nacha launches ACH messaging campaign and microsite
Source: Electronic Payments Association
The Electronic Payments Association today announced the launch of a new industry resource, its microsite.
The microsite - a supplement to the main site - was created to help all payments industry participants develop a common understanding of ACH payments, the NACHA Operating Rules, and the value of the ACH Network.
Launched today as part of a "New Year, New Messaging" campaign with the Regional Payments Associations (RPAs), the messaging microsite is a comprehensive, centralized industry resource containing communications tools and information to drive industry adoption and usage of consistent messaging, terminology, and phrasing to explain the attributes and benefits of the ACH Network and ACH payments.
NACHA's ACH Messaging resource site was developed as a result of an industry-inclusive process that engaged Network participants to ensure that the right terminology and messages are being used to explain the electronic movement of money and information via the ACH Network. Based on this research, NACHA developed specific language to define the ACH Network, generated terminology to explain ACH payments, and created distinctive phrasing to convey the role of the ACH Network and its characteristics. The final results of this initiative and how to apply them within unique organizations are available on the microsite.
" provides the necessary tools for all financial institutions and businesses to more consistently communicate about their use of the ACH Network and ACH payments," said Janet O. Estep, NACHA president and CEO. "We encourage all Network participants to review the resources available and begin incorporating the messages, terminology, and phrasing into their communications."
Numerous tools have been developed to help organizations describe ACH payments with terminology that both consumers and businesses will better understand. Using these resources can help avoid confusing payment terminology that may be misinterpreted by those using the ACH Network. Businesses and financial institutioons can start using tools such as customer letters and emails, website banners and graphics, and incorporate the terminology and phrasing into appropriate materials today.
Comments: (0)


text:
Labradorite and Blue Topaz Sterling Silver Necklace 103cm
✦✦ 3-3.5mm labradorite and 4x6mm blue topaz are wire wrapped in sterling silver. The length of the necklace is 103 cm
- When multiple necklaces are being worn, separate each chain a few times throughout the day, this will keep them from tangling.
- Remove your jewellery when exercising, cleaning, gardening, or any other physical work.
- Try to keep your jewellery away from any harsh cosmetics. This will cause for gold plating to erode, silver to tarnish and damage gemstones such as pearls at a much faster rate. These include; perfumes, soaps, lotions, and creams.
- Take rings off when washing your hands and showering, and applying perfume and lotions before you put on your jewellery.
- Every person's skin type is different, and so this can also effect your jewellery life. The acid in our skin can speed up the tarnishing process and damage gemstones such as pearls, but this will differ from person to person.
- Jewellery should always be taken off before entering a pool, shower or sea.


text:
Police culture and organisation
The British police has become a more controversial institution over the last 30 years, during which period the interest of social scientists in the nature of policing has intensified accordingly. As knowledge has accumulated, researchers have increasingly sought to influence the policy-making process through their findings and recommendations. One aspect of policework which remains poorly understood, yet whose illumination is crucial to the success of these efforts, is the process whereby policy is implemented within the organisation. This study addresses this issue through an analysis of relations of power and influence within four Scottish Divisions. Attention is centred upon the main 'line' organisation connecting uniform patrol to the divisional hierarchy, and in particular, upon the role of the patrol sergeant as a crucial intermediary rank. It is argued that, against a background of an indeterminate mandate and a rigid bureaucratic framework, recent changes in public attitu des and expectations, in the political and legal environment of policing, in its organisational and task structures, and in police officers' orientations to work and authority, have eroded the basis for consensus between ranks and exacerbated mutually instrumental attitudes. This more instrumental climate is self-perpetuating, frustrating attempts at all levels to maintain or re-establish harmonious relations. For the sergeant, these problems emerge as a set of strategic and existential dilemmas which requires them to manipulate a declining resource, namely trust, in balancing the demands of seniors for effective and legitimate performance, and those of juniors for feasible working targets and protection of operational discretion. Sergeants employ many devices to this end, with only limited success. The transformation of inter-rank relations such as to reconcile these aspirations requires instead a broader package of reform measures, with the restructuring of the system of police accountability as its centrepiece.


Take the 2-minute tour ×
Given an n-by-m square grid graph, how many ways are there to choose a subset of the vertices which is simply connected? Here, a subset of vertices is simply connected if the vertices, together with any edges or interior faces connecting them amongst themselves, form a contractible subregion of the grid. More formally, we can naturally embed the grid graph into the plane. Then I want to count subsets of vertices such that the union of the dual 2-cells forms a simply connected region in the plane.
Let me try to be a little bit clearer this time. Let's work directly with the dual, since that is easier to visualize. Hence, my question is:
Consider a grid of square tiles of dimensions n-by-m, with each of the nm tiles distinctly labeled. How many distinct (labeled) simply connected subsets of tiles are there as a function of n and m?
Because the tiles are labeled, rotation or translation to get the same polyomino isn't allowed. I'm trying to count all subsets. Commenter JBL points out the sequence for m=n at Sloane's, which also links to a lot of work by Artem M. Karavaev on this problem.
share|improve this question
? What does "simply connected" mean for a subset of the vertices? – Robin Chapman Oct 29 '10 at 18:09
I'm not sure exactly what you mean. But you are asking a question about polyomino enumeration, I think, which is quite difficult. In particular, I suspect there is no exact answer to your question but there are probably asymptotic ones. – Michael Lugo Oct 29 '10 at 18:26
One interpretation would be Steve is talking about a square lattice graph and he's asking to count subgraphs which are trees. Or perhaps he's taking the union of the corresponding dual 2-cells. IMO the question is poorly worded and doesn't quite make sense. – Ryan Budney Oct 29 '10 at 18:30
Calculate the answer for small examples and see if it's in the Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences. You could calculate it for $m$-by-$m$ for $m=1,2,3,4$, say, or for $m$-by-2 or $m$-by-3 for $m=1,2,3,4,\dots$. – Gerry Myerson Oct 29 '10 at 21:46
Is this the right sequence? _URL_ – JBL Oct 30 '10 at 1:22
2 Answers 2
$$ $$
edit 3 : The original answer given apllies again
Now that the question is clarified and specified labeled square tiles (although now changing what $n$ and $m$ denote from the number of vertices along each dimension to now denoting the number of tiles' edges along each dimension) arranged in a $m \times n$ rectangular pattern, and asks about the number of simply connected subsets of tiles.
The number of simply-connected subset of tiles for an $m \times n$ rectangular array of labeled square tiles is equal to the number of different labeled graphs induced by rooted trees of size greater than or equal to $0$ nodes for the 2-dimensional lattice graph of size $m \times n$. The numbers given below, in the old version of the answers, assumes that $m$ and $n$ represented the number of vertices and $m-1$ and $n-1$ represented the number of faces or tiles in the dual-graph of the $m \times n$ lattice graph originally specified.
[edit 2] : old problem with this question as was previously posed
It's possible to use the same vertex-set to define multiple polyominos, if rotation is not allowed, because a vertex-set alone is not sufficient to specify a polyomino shape and which edges need to be considered.
Thus the question as posed, requesting vertex sets, is not rigorously defined enough to admit a solution.
For $m=4, n=3$, the vertex set {$1,2, \cdots, 12$} consisting of all $12$ of the vertices can define two polyominos which are distinct if rotation is not allowed:
1---2 3---4 1---2---3---4
| | | | | |
5 6---7 8 5 6---7 8
| | | | | |
9--10--11--12 9--10 11--12
Thus, the vertex set alone is not sufficient to distinguish different valid polyominos. Vertices and edges must be specified; or alternatively for the dual the faces must be specified (as described in the older part of this answer, below).
Here's my example of a 16-vertex set for $m=4, n=4$ which generates two different polyominos which remain distinct even under rotation.
 | | | | | |
 | | | | | |
 9 10--11 12 9 10 11 12
 | | | | | | | |
13--14 15--16 13--14 15--16
old answer is still below
If by your question you mean how many different subgraphs of an $m \times n$ lattice graph consist of a single connected component, rather than multiple components, then the answer is going to be different from Pietro Majer's approach.
In that case, for $m=n=2$, let's label each vertex in the lattice graph as $v_{x,y}$ with $1 \le x \le m$ and $1 \le y \le n$. Would you consider the selections $S_1=${$v_{1,1}, v_{1,2}, v_{2,1}$} and $S_2=${$v_{2,2}, v_{1,2}, v_{2,1}$} to be different selections of vertices or the same, because the single face adjoining these $2$ of the $4$ ways to select $3$ of the $4$ vertices in this case is considered part of the selection. If so, then would selecting a single edge on a face be considered as selecting the face of the polyomino?
If not, then there's another approach to the solution. Given an $m \times n$ lattice graph, with vertices labeled by their $x,y$ coordinates:
 - call the total set of vertices $S$
 - a subset $S_i \in S$ consists of $0$ to $m\cdot n$ vertices, and each subset can (for labeling's sake) be labeled with an integer $0 \le i \le 2^{mn}$.
 - define the distance of one subset $S_a$ to another subset $S_b$ to be the minimal Manhattan distance from the elements of subset $S_a$ and subset $S_b$
 - define a subset $S_a \in S$ as meeting your condition if the minimal distance of each vertex in that subset from the other elements of that subset is $1$
$S_a = ${$ v_1, v_2,..., v_k $}
$\forall v_j \in S_a, \textrm{distance}(v_j, S_a - v_j)=1$
where $S_a - v_j$ represents the set generated by starting with $S_a$ and removing element $v_j$
If instead of that approach, you are really talking about polyominos or the faces of the $m \times n$ lattice:
You can generate the dual of this graph as the $(m-1)\times(n-1)$ lattice and count the number of single component subgraphs in that.
In regard to JBL's comment to the question, I think you're right that Sequence A140517 at _URL_ is the right sequence for an $(n-1) \times (n-1)$ grid. I don't think the question's original poster has clarified the question well enough since the question still asks for "vertex subsets", rather than saying "faces" on the 2-d lattice. I have a different approach for a different answer below, where you can take the dual of the $m \times n$ lattice and get an $(m-1) \times (n-1)$ lattice with each vertex in this graph representing a face in the original lattice graph. Then, the count of the single component subgraphs of this dual is the answer.
The original poster needs to clarify the question and give some example answers to $m=2, n=2$. Does the solution for $m=2, n=2$ count only the single face generated by all $4$ vertices as the only solution, do the different sets of vertices taken three at a time count as separate solutions? Would taking two vertices that are distance $1$ apart count as a solution at all? The question really needs to be clarified.
share|improve this answer
I revamped the question a bit... hopefully this is clearer now. – Steve Flammia Nov 2 '10 at 18:49
This seems quite difficult, but maybe something can be done. Here's some hints, I hope it's useful. In the following I assume that you want simply connected polyominos, thus


text:
Setup guide for Windows (64-bit)
- To use Unity to make SpatialOS games, see the GDK for Unity documentation.
- To use Unreal to make SpatialOS games, see the GDK for Unreal documentation.
1. System requirements
We support up-to-date versions of Windows 7 and 10.
Before following the setup guide check that your machine meets the hardware requirements.
2. Install SpatialOS
Download the SpatialOS installer and follow the steps.
- the SpatialOS Launcher
- the 32-bit Visual C++ Redistributable
- the 64-bit Visual C++ Redistributable


London, Aug 19 IANS | 1 year ago
British investigators have discovered two new vaccines that can prevent the transmission of meningitis bacteria from person to person.
The vaccines do this by reducing "carriage" of the responsible bacteria in the nose and throats of the population.
"The new findings tell us that the vaccines also have an effect on carriage in the throat and explains why they can be so effective across the population," said Robert Read, a professor of infectious diseases at University of Southampton.
The study took place over 10 centres across Britain and tested the effectiveness of two meningitis vaccines - MenACWY-CRM and 4CMenB - on participants aged 18 to 24.
MenACWY-CRM was shown to reduce carriage rates by 39 percent while the 4CMenB vaccine reduced carriage rates by between 20 and 30 percent.
(Posted on 19-08-2014)
Share This Page:
Free Yearly Horoscope: Select your zodiac sign


text:
Boulder trails are common to the interior of Menelaus crater as materials erode from higher topography and roll toward the crater floor. Downhill is to the left, image width is 500 m, LROC NAC M139802338L [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Most boulder trails are relatively high reflectance, but running through the center of this image is a lower reflectance trail. This trail is smaller than the others, and its features may be influenced by factors such as mass of the boulder, boulder speed as it traveled downhill, and elevation from which the boulder originated. For example, is the boulder trail less distinct than the others because the boulder was smaller? What about the spacing of boulder tracks? The spacing of bounce-marks along boulder trails may say something about boulder mass and boulder speed. But why is this boulder trail low reflectance when all of the surrounding trails are higher reflectance? Perhaps this boulder trail is lower reflectance because the boulder gently bounced as it traveled downhill, and barely disturbed a thin layer of regolith? The contrast certainly appears similar to the astronauts' footprints and paths around the Apollo landing sites. Or, maybe the boulder fell apart during its downhill travel and the trail is simply made up of pieces of the boulder - we just don't know yet.
LROC WAC context of Menelaus crater at the boundary between Mare Serenitatis and the highlands (dotted line). The arrow marks the location of today's featured image at contact between the crater floor and NE crater wall [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
What do you think? Why don't you follow the trail to its source in the full LROC NAC frame and see if you can find any other low reflectance trails.


Call us FREE today
0800 _PHONE_
What happens when procurement rules are breached?
PQQ Process
Public sectors buyers in the UK must follow the EU rules for public procurement when issuing invitations to tender. The rules are designed to ensure equal treatment, transparency and proportionality; suppliers going into the process know how the tender is going to be structured, evaluated, and ultimately how it will be awarded.
When applied properly, these guiding principles safeguard the fairness of the whole exercise, opening up opportunities to SMEs and reducing barriers to participation.
But what can a bidder do when the authority doesn't abide by the rules?
More specifically, what remedies are available when the authority sets out the process for the tender, but then doesn't follow that process when awarding a contract?
Since 2007, the recourse available to contractors has been relatively well understood. During the standstill period, commonly referred to as the Alcatel period after a ground-breaking pair of court cases, tenderers can challenge a decision before a contract is formally awarded to a successful tenderer. But what about disputes beyond this point? Once the contract has been signed, it has been possible for an aggrieved contractor to issue proceedings, triggering an automatic suspension of a disputed procurement process. A contract can be set aside by court and declared ineffective and, understandably, complainants who find themselves out of pocket as a result of procurement rules being breached can seek damages.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 'not playing by the rules'
However, a recent high-profile case in the UK Supreme Court has cast increased doubt for contractors seeking damages due to rules breached in EU public procurement. The case, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority v EnergySolutions EU Limited (2017), arose when EnergySolutions missed out on a major nuclear decommissioning contract by a mere 1.06%. Most tenderers will have felt the sting of narrowly missing out on a contract, but in this case EnergySolutions, a consortium of US-based firms, was left feeling particularly sore having spent an estimated £10 million on preparing their tender. More to the point, it was suspected that the outcome was not only unfortunate but unfair. The consortium looked into the circumstances around the outcome, and ultimately uncovered a number of alleged issues:
 - The scoring mechanism was substantially changed late in the procurement process
 - Scores were altered during the evaluation period, but appropriate records of the reasons for these changes were not kept
 - Scores generally did not reflect the quality of the tenders submitted
 - Records of the evaluation process were kept to a minimum
 - The evaluation process was not consistent with the information presented to bidders, and was not applied consistently to all bidders
 - Clarification was not sought consistently for all bidders
 - Bidders who had failed a mandatory pass/fail question were not excluded from the process.
Health & Social Bid Management
Many of these reasons will not be unfamiliar to tenderers and can certainly be grounds for a challenge to a decision. Most striking in this case is how many issues were alleged for a single process. As a result of the discrepancies, EnergySolutions stood to lose not only the £10 million they spent on tendering, but the lost £100 million in fees from not being awarded the contract.
Ultimately, the UK Supreme Court found in favour of EnergySolutions, awarding damages to the amount of £110 million. At face value, the case sounds relatively simple: the evidence sounds clear-cut, and the claimant who lost out as a result of procurement rules not being followed was compensated in line with existing legal precedent. Under the surface, however, the case was very complex and took two years to settle, and has led to some key terminology from the legislation being placed under the spotlight.
What happens now?
Prevailing uncertainty comes from the need for a "serious breach" to have taken place for there to be grounds for an aggrieved contractor to seek damages: but who decides what is and isn't serious? It will probably take several more complex, protracted court cases to establish the standard. For the time being, bidders should be vigilant when reviewing the feedback received post-tender. If a process failure is suspected, tenderers should challenge the decision early, during the standstill period; authorities, not wanting to incur huge costs paying damages after a contract has been awarded, will take challenges during this period seriously, and decisions can and will be overturned when appropriate. Beyond that point, the onus will be on the complainant to prove that a serious breach has taken place.
0800 _PHONE_ or direct to mobile: 0773 _PHONE_


text:
Shoah exhibits educate, provoke sad memories
HAMILTON — It was difficult for Emmy Weisz to watch the documentary on Anne Frank.
As a child in Amsterdam, just one year younger than Frank, Weisz had walked the same streets, stepped inside the same buildings as the famed diarist.
But Weisz attended the opening of Anne Frank: A History for Today because she knows it is important to share these stories and educate the community.
The official opening, presented in partnership with Temple Anshe Sholom and the Canada Netherlands Friendship Association, took place Nov. 18.
Anne Frank: A History for Today is one of two travelling exhibitions brought to Hamilton's Temple Anshe Sholom by the Hamilton Jewish Federation Holocaust Education Committee.
Anne Frank: A History for Today juxtaposes the Frank family's story against world events before, during and after the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. The exhibit includes photographs of the Frank family and the other occupants of the secret annex.
Making its Canadian première, Dutch Resistance Art and Official Propaganda, about the period from 1940 to 1945, conveys the Nazi oppression of Holland and its citizens during the occupation.
The exhibit is based on three collections from the archives of the Anne Frank Center in New York City, with original propaganda posters distributed by the Nazi-controlled Dutch government; linoleum and woodcut prints by Marie de Zaaijer, and original drawings by Dutch artist Henri Pieck.
The exhibits are on display until Friday, Nov. 30.
Dignitaries who spoke at the opening ceremony included Hamilton Jewish Federation president Larry Szpirglas, the temple's Rabbi Jordan Cohen, the honorary consul for the Netherlands, Richard ter Vrugt, MP David Sweet, Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina, MPP Ted McMeekin and Mario Silva, incoming Canadian chair, Task Force for International Co-operation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research.
Szpirglas expressed hope that these exhibits will serve as springboards for discussions about respect, inclusion and social cohesion, as well as conversations about bullying, racism and prejudice.
Sweet, who along with Silva received a humanitarian award from the committee, called the exhibit an "important and meaningful educational initiative."
He said he's sometimes asked, "Why people don't just move on?" in regard to the Holocaust.
"Any people who have suffered near total annihilation should be assured that for eternity their loss will be remembered," he said.
The opening ceremony also included students from Waterdown District High School and St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic High School speaking about the exhibits, which were housed at the schools for one month before moving to the temple. Students were trained as docents, and hundreds of community members and students toured the exhibits.
Weisz, 82, was a hidden child in Holland. Her father was killed, as were 42 of her close relatives. Her two step-siblings were also hidden. Her mom survived by lying about being Jewish.
In May 1943, Weisz escaped on her own into hiding. She estimates she hid in 36 different places, having to flee many times after being betrayed. She was often in one room by herself with just one book to keep her company.
"I read Ben Hur so many times," she said while touring the exhibit. "Often there was a Bible. I became quite the expert in the New Testament."
Once, one of the daughters living in a home where she was hiding was dating a police officer. He warned the family that police would be coming around that evening. That night, Weisz spent hours hiding in a ditch on top of a mountain and watched many children being taken away.
She remembers how she felt when she was liberated in April 1945. "I was so sure cruelty like that would never happen again," she said. "But of course, it has."
Weisz married her husband, Erich, in Holland, and they moved to Canada in 1954. They had two children. After living in Vancouver, Toronto and Barrie, they settled in Hamilton in 1961.


text:
Summary: The following article provides a rare example of the civilian and military sectors successfully working together to investigate UFO sightings.
Life in the tiny kingdom of Belgium is anything but harmonious. In fact, ferocious rivalry between the Flemish up north and the Walloons down south has dominated Belgian politics for centuries. But according to UFO activists, a mysterious triangular craft may do much to change this. Belgians from the north and the south, it seems, have put aside their differences to form what some call the most coordinated UFO investigation to date.
It all began on November 29, 1989, when hundreds of people from two Belgian towns—Eupen and Wavre—reported sighting a dark gray deltoid shape, one white light per tip, gliding across the night sky. The mysterious object, with a wingspan of 50 to 100 meters, was apparently silent, says Michael Bougard, president of Belgium's Society for the Study of Space Phenomena (SOBEPS), a nonprofit citizens' organization. "And no one reported seeing it land."
By March, adds Bougard, "everyone from farmers to teenagers to high-ranking military officers and professors claimed to have seen the UFO." In addition, on March 30, controllers at a radar station in Glons detected a foreign object on their screens. They quickly contacted colleagues at a station in Ghent. The second station confirmed the presence of a slow-moving blip.
"At this point it had become a scientific problem deserving serious investigation," says Professor Leon Brenig, a physicist at the Free University of Brussels. "It couldn't be steel coming back into the atmosphere because the edges were smooth, not bent. It couldn't be a NATO aircraft because its capacity for flight seemed to outreach current technology. I decided it was worth my time."
Apparently the military agreed. Belgium's Air Force contributed two F-16's, an expert crew, and instruments to a hunt later that spring. Scientists and citizens participating in the effort formed four watch groups, each responsible for calling sightings into headquarters, an airport southeast of Liege. The airport tower, in turn, alerted pilots, who flew planes equipped with infrared cameras in pursuit of the triangle. The pilots failed to get photographs because of the deltoid's reported great speed.
Nonetheless, the effort goes on: Engineers and physicists at the Free University are analyzing radar images of the object. Belgium's Air Force training school, the Ecole Royale Militaire, is analyzing UFO photos with computers. And botanists are examining burn patterns in fields where the triangle was reportedly seen.
"This investigation is unprecedented — its gone further than any I know of," says Walter Andrus, international director of Mutual UFO Network, Inc. (MUFON). "We are impressed that Belgium's military cooperated. That is a major step." Indeed, adds Lucean Clerebaut, SOBEPS's secretary-general, while the French have a government office dedicated to UFO study, "this is the first time that a national authority has worked with a private society in researching UFOs."
Whether or not the Belgians eventually unravel the mystery, the unusual official effort may affect the perception and pursuit of UFOlogy worldwide.
According to MUFON's Andrus, for instance, in the United States, "every military and intelligence agency we can identify has been involved in investigating UFOs since 1947, but they will not share their information. If nothing else, we hope the efforts of the Belgians will embarrass the U.S. government into admitting some of what they know," he says.


text:
Electronic Clearing System (ECS)
Electronic Clearing System (ECS)
Electronic Clearing System (ECS) is an electronic method of fund transfer from one bank account to another. It is generally used for bulk transfers performed by institutions for making payments like dividend, interest, salary, pension, etc. ECS can also be used to pay bills and other charges such as payments to utility companies such as telephone, electricity, water, or for making equated monthly instalments payments on loans as well as SIP investments. In this article, we look at the working process of ECS in detail.
Types of ECS
ECS can be used for both ECS credit and ECS debit.
ECS credit is used for allowing credit to a large number of beneficiaries by raising a single debit to the customer's account, such as dividend, interest or salary payment.
The benefits of ECS credit given to the clients are as follows:
- The end beneficiary need not make frequent visit to his bank for depositing the physical paper instruments.
- Delay in the realisation of proceeds, which used to happen in the receipt of the paper instrument, is eliminated.
- The ECS user helps to save on administrative machinery for printing, dispatch and reconciliation.
- Provides the ability to make payment and ensure that the beneficiaries account gets credited on a designated date.
Working of ECS Credit System
ECS payments can be performed by any institution (ECS user) that has to make bulk or repetitive payments to a number of recipients or beneficiaries. They initiate the transactions after registering themselves with an approved clearinghouse. ECS users also have to obtain a consent such as the account particulars of the beneficiaries for engaging in the ECS clearings.
Under the scheme, the beneficiaries of the repetitive or regular payments can also require the paying institution to make ECS (credit) for payment. The ECS users expect to effect payments and to present the data in a prescribed format to any one of the recognised clearinghouses. The clearinghouse will debit the account of the ECS user through the user's bank on a particular day and credit the accounts of the recipient banks, for providing onward credit to the accounts of the ultimate beneficiaries.
ECS debit is used for raising debits to a number of accounts of consumers or account holders for affording a single credit to a particular institution, in cases such as utility payments like electricity bills and telephone bills.
Advantages to Clients
The benefits of ECS debit given to the clients are as follows:
- Trouble-free: Eliminates the need to go to the collection centres or banks and the need to stand in long queues for payment.
- Easy to track: Customers are not required to track down payments by last dates. The ECS users would monitor the debts. The ECS user saves on administrative machinery for collecting the cheques by monitoring their realisation and reconciliation.
- Better cash management: Chances of frauds due to fraudulent access to paper instruments and encashment are avoided.
- The realisation of payments on a single date is enabled instead of fractured receipt of payments.
Working of ECS Debit System
ECS debit is a scheme in which an account holder can authorise an ECS user to recover a prescribed amount by raising a debit on his account. The ECS user has to receive an authorisation which is called ECS mandate for raising such debts. These mandates have to be approved by the bank branch maintaining the account.
Any ECS user participating in the scheme has to register with an approved clearinghouse, an ECS user should receive the mandate forms from the participating destination account holders with the bank's acknowledgement. A certified copy of the mandate should be available with the drawee bank.
The ECS user has to submit the data in a specified form through the sponsor bank to the clearinghouse. The clearinghouse would pass on the debit to the destination account holder through the clearing system and credit the sponsor bank's account for onward crediting the ECS user. All the unprocessed debits have to be returned to the sponsor bank's account for onward crediting the ECS user. All the unprocessed debits have to be returned to the sponsor bank, within the time frame specified. Banks treat the electronic instructions received through the clearing system at par with the physical cheques.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has deregulated the charges to be imposed by sponsor banks from institutions. The destination bank branches have been staying focused on affording ECS credit free of charge to the beneficiary account holders.


text:
Echoes in Gothic Romance: Stylistic Similarities Between Jane Eyre and Rebecca
IN THIS ARTICLE
When Daphne DuMaurier's acclaimed Gothic romance novel Rebecca debuted in 1938, it was devoured by the female readers of its day. Ultimately, however, criticisms of DuMaurier's most famous novel were quick to point out its irrefutable resemblance to another Gothic romance novel written nearly 100 years prior: Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre (1847). Whether it was intentional or not, DuMaurier never commented on the novels' similarities, but the evidence speaks for itself, extending far beyond heroines and plotlines.
I. The Gothic Romance: Origins & Elements
Before examining the similarities between Jane Eyre and Rebecca, it is necessary to understand what elements make up the literary genre of Gothic romance. The Gothic genre first came into popularity in the mid-eighteenth century with the publication of The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. Although it has no ties to the Gothic era of history, Gothic fiction did mirror the rise of Gothic architecture at the same time. Many speculate this fact contributed to the name "Gothic fiction," although The Castle of Otranto was set in Gothic times and may have also given the genre its name.
Described as a blended form of prose fiction, the Gothic aims to combine the narrative, dramatic, and lyric styles of writing into a powerful tale of dark themes, sometimes supernatural elements, and social repression. Common elements of the Gothic novel include: a setting in a castle or mansion, supernatural or inexplicable events, overwrought emotions, one or more women in distress, and a metonymy of gloom and horror (Harris). Sometimes called the literature of nightmare, Gothic fiction includes dream landscapes, figures of the subconscious imagination, and the fears common to all mankind in one powerfully told story, riddled with suspense and drama (MacAndrew).
The 'true' Gothic novel maintained its popularity through to the early nineteenth century, "although a small but consistent demand for this form combining romantic fantasy with a mystery and an apparent upsurge of supernatural evil continued well into the twentieth" (Radway). This new blend, known as Gothic romance, evolved over time. In a typical work of this nature, readers will find elements of the Gothic interwoven with those of Romance, particularly a focus on the relationship that develops between the hero and heroine (Russell). In addition, the primary element found in a Gothic romance is a feeling of dread, not the terror associated with pure Gothic fiction. This dread can be physical, psychological, or metaphysical and involve the body, mind, or spirit, but the Gothic romance must create an atmosphere that blends suspense and fear with mystery (Thompson). Finally, one last distinction between the two genres involves the novel's end: a Gothic hero is ultimately destroyed by his demons, while a Gothic romance hero works through his past evils and the darkness of his own mind to achieve some form of victory (Thompson).
One of the most popular works of Gothic romance, Jane Eyre was written at the beginning of Gothic fiction's second wave of popularity in the mid-nineteenth century. Known as Victorian Gothic, due to the monarch reigning at the time, Jane Eyre and Brontë's other works were characterized by a "heroine who acts as a focus for social critique… lost in the world of her tale" (Hogle, 146). Additionally, she must liberate herself from the hold of her past as she is repositioned into a new atmosphere, a new architectural space, and a new political or social climate (Hogle). In her novel Jane Eyre, Brontë demonstrates a range of Gothic influences to form a more complete Gothic structure, one of the first of the truly "Female Gothics."
As the Gothic romance genre continued to develop and evolve into the twentieth century, writers like Du Maurier led the charge. The Romantic strand of the Gothic got something of a reboot in the 1920s and 1930s, introducing new settings by way of mansions instead of castles and new social struggles, while also staying true to the essence of the genre. In Du Maurier's novels, especially her most famous work Rebecca, she echoes the drama and suspense found in Brontë's novels, while also adding her own flair. "It is no exaggeration to say that Du Maurier was the twentieth century's Charlotte Brontë and Rebecca the twentieth century's Jane Eyre" (Yardley). Both of these novels demonstrate the common elements of the Gothic romance genre and have become classics in their own right today.
II. The Female Gothic in Practice
When discussing these works, it's important to note that they are both sub-categorized as works of the "Female Gothic," a term first coined to describe the works of the Brontë sisters and their contemporaries. Inspired by the Gothic works of the late eighteenth century, Charlotte Brontë borrowed many elements from popular authors at the height of the first wave of Gothic fiction. Her characters, often versions of the models from this era, included confined and threatened women, ambivalent and dynamic anti-heroes, and weak, ineffectual heroes (Spooner & McEvoy). Although her works were based around these character archetypes, Brontë's fiction was much more than a "crude reproduction" (Spooner & McEvoy, 30), however; Brontë's own contributions to the genre helped to heighten the suspense of her Gothic romance novels by creating claustrophobic and psychological dramas focused around the relationships between men and women. Her characters are always "modern women seeking a place for themselves in a world that is hostile to them" (Spooner & McEvoy, 31), leading to a climate of high drama and social struggles. As a result, the definition of Gothic evolved to include Brontë's contributions and a new Gothic revival was born in the midto late-nineteenth century.
Like Brontë, Daphne Du Maurier employed many of these similar character types and dramatic elements to put her own spin on the Gothic romance when the genre was revived for a second time in the 1930s. With the postmodernist climate of her modern world to draw upon, Du Maurier crafted her own brand of Gothic romance, turning her character's very anxieties into a form of entertainment for the reader (Spooner & McEvoy). Much of the suspense found in Rebecca is psychological, with a tremendous amount of focus placed on the heroine's internal feelings and thoughts—a revolutionary way to tell such a story at the time.
In their own ways, Brontë and Du Maurier each advanced and shaped what has come to be known as the Female Gothic: a sub-category of dark romance novels with elements of horror, written exclusively by female authors with females at the center of the drama. In The Routledge Companion to the Gothic, editors Spooner and McEvoy include a careful dissection of the most common elements found in the Female Gothic, which include the explained supernatural, the importance of narrative perception, and the heroine's connection to the natural world.
The Explained Supernatural
In Jane Eyre and Rebecca, the authors employ elements of the supposed supernatural to heighten the tension and suspense of the story. As is common in the Female Gothic, however, these "supernatural" forces are always found to have very natural explanations (Spooner & McEvoy). These explained supernatural elements serve their purpose as a literary device without asking the reader to accept improbabilities and elements of the paranormal, as is seen in strictly Gothic works.
In Jane Eyre, several supernatural events occur, each working to create a more suspenseful atmosphere. On the night before Jane's wedding, a strange figure appears in her bedroom and destroys her veil. The next morning, she recounts her tale to Rochester:
...A woman, tall and large, with thick and dark hair hanging long down her back… I saw the reflection of the visage and features quite distinctly in the dark oblong glass… Fearful and ghastly to me—oh sir, I never saw a face quite like it! It was a discoloured face—it was a savage face, I wish I could forget the roll of the red eyes and the fearful blackened inflation of the lineaments!... The lips were swelled and dark; the brow furrowed; the black eyebrows wisely raised over the blood-shot eyes (Brontë, 285-6).
Jane goes on to explain that the figure reminded her "of the foul German spectre—the Vampyre" (Brontë, 286), something her would-be husband considers foolish and ridiculous. This event, perhaps Jane's most terrifying encounter in the entire novel, and several other "supernatural" occurrences wound throughout the story are explained as the doings of Rochester's first wife Bertha Mason, a so-called madwoman who is kept in the attic at Thornfield Hall.Continued on Next Page »


text:
This NATO Geography & Language lesson plan also includes:
- Join to access all included materials
The class receives background information on NATO, an atlas, and a blank world map. They color the original 1949 countries in red, the 1952 additions in green, and the 1990 additions in blue. This exercise would be a good starting point for teaching a activity on post WWII politics.


text:
Parents' Singing to Fetus and Newborn Enhances Their Well-being, Parent-Infant Attachment, & Soothability: Part One
Regular contributor Penny Simkin shares her experiences with parents who sing to their baby in utero and then continue after birth and looks at what the research says about this practice in this two part blog piece. Part two can be found here. Join me in reading about some unique situations that Penny shares as she explores this opportunity for parents to bond with their unborn child. - Sharon Muza, Science & Sensibility Community Manager.
People have sung to their babies forever. Every culture has lullabies and children's songs that are passed down through the generations. New ones are written and shared and the custom goes on –a rich part of the fabric of human civilization. These songs are designed to relax babies, calm their fears, or entertain and amuse them throughout childhood. As we have learned more about the life and capabilities of the fetus, we have realized that the fetus can hear clearly for months before birth, and also can discriminate sounds and develop preferences for some sounds over others. Furthermore, at birth, newborns respond to familiar sounds by becoming calm and orienting toward the source of the sound, and even indicate their preferences for familiar voices and words over the unfamiliar.
Newborn babies prefer their parents' and other familiar voices over those of strangers (1), and they prefer hearing a story that their mother had read frequently in utero rather than an unfamiliar story or the familiar one read by someone other than their mother (2). Fetuses hear, remember, have preferences, respond to, and discriminate among differences — in sounds, music, voices.
These exciting findings have inspired educators to advocate prenatal learning through recordings played through a mother's abdomen (of languages, music, and other things). They have inspired birth activists and baby advocates to provide a safe enriching environment for the fetus. Advocates of prenatal bonding emphasize communication between parent and unborn child as a powerful way to strengthen the bond.
I'd like to offer my take on this phenomenon and urge everyone who works with expectant parents to tell them about some unique and heart-warming benefits of singing or reciting rhymes to their unborn babies.
I think my interest in parents singing to their babies prenatally began in the 1980s when I first read Michel Odent's book, "Birth Reborn"(3). Odent is a French physician who has always been ahead of his time. He had a unique and original maternity care program at his hospital in Pithiviers, France. His book had a great influence on my understanding of normal birth, and the book is still worth reading today, along with all his subsequent ones. One lovely aspect of his program is particularly relevant to the topic of this blog post. The program included a weekly singing group at the hospital, attended by pregnant women, their partners, families with young babies, the midwives, and Odent himself. The group was led by an opera singer who believed singing to be important for fetuses, babies and those who care for them. Odent's account inspired me to invite Jamie Shilling, a folk singer who had recently taken my birth class, to bring her guitar and her baby to my classes a half hour early each week and sing with the expectant parents. That went on very successfully for several class series, then the groups decided to combine and carry on in a monthly singalong for expectant parents and new families, in a private home –Although the groups eventually disbanded, they provided many parents with opportunities to sing together and connect with their babies and each other in relaxing and peaceful surroundings. A high point during that time was when Michel Odent came to Seattle to give a conference and he agreed to come to one of our sing-alongs. See the photo of Jamie leading the group of expectant and new parents, with Michel Odent and myself participating. He taught us the song, "Little Black Cat" in French.
I couldn't help but think during those times, how the unborn and new babies must love hearing their parents singing. Seeing the parents caressing the mother's belly as they sang was heartwarming. That happened in the mid- 1980s, when much research on the capabilities of the unborn and newborn baby was beginning to be published. Recalling those special gatherings, I have always suggested to my students in childbirth class that they sing to their unborn babies, or play their favorite recorded music, with the thought that the baby will remember it and be soothed by it after birth.
But it was one couple, whom I served as a birth doula, who took my suggestion to another level, and showed me much more about the value of singing to the unborn baby. They were having their second child, hoping for a VBAC. When they discovered that they were having a boy, they decided to give their baby the song, "Here Comes the Sun" and sang it to him often during pregnancy. The VBAC was not possible, and as the cesarean was underway, and the baby boy, crying lustily, was raised for the parents to see, the father began belting out the baby's song. Though the mother didn't have a strong voice under the circumstances, she also sang. The baby turned his head, turned his face right toward his father and calmed down while his father sang. Time stopped. As I looked around the operating room, I saw tears appear on the surgical masks.
It's a moment I'll never forget, and it was that event that taught me the value, not only of singing prenatally, but also, singing the same song every day. Not only does the baby hear his or her parents' voices, not only does he or she hear music, but the baby also gets to know one song very well. Familiarity adds another feature to this concept, because we know that fetuses have memory and prefer the familiar. Think for a moment about what this might have meant to our cesarean-born baby –suddenly being removed from the warmth, wetness, and dimness of the womb with its mother's reassuring heartbeat, into the cold bright noisy operating room. The baby's transition to extrauterine life is hectic and full of new sensations. He cries reflexively, but perhaps also out of shock and discomfort. Then he hears something familiar – voices and music and the sounds of words that he has heard many times before – something he likes. He calms down, and seeks the source of this familiar song. Everyone present is moved by this gift to the baby from his parents.
I've become passionate about this idea as a way to enhance bonding between parents and babies, but also as a unique and very practical measure for soothing a fussing baby or a sick baby who can't be held or breastfed. Please join me on Thursday, for Part Two on this topic when I will continue the discussion including research evidence that supports this concept: practical suggetions for childbirth professionals to share with expectant parents; and some very endearing film clips of families singing to their babies.
1. Brazelton B. Cramer B. (1991)The Earliest Relationship: Parents, Infants, and The Drama Of Early Attachment. Da Capo Press Cambridge, MA.
2. De Casper A. 1974, as described in Klaus M, Klaus P, Kennell J. 2000. Your Amazing Newborn. Da Capo Press, Cambridge, MA.
3. Odent M. 1984, Birth Reborn. Pantheon Books: New York


text:
We know that climate change is real. Data is the language of science; however, data alone is often incomprehensible to the average person. This panel and our real-life experiential escape room make scientific findings accessible and encourage informed discussion and decision making by all. At UT Austin, leveraging existing data and expertise, we're developing an escape room to explore how scientific research can be integrated into an engaging, entertaining and educational storytelling experience.
Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.


text:
STEM AMUSEMENT PARK SET – London Eye and Ferris WheelSTEM56
In amusement parks, the main attractions are often the exciting, fast rides or the romantic, slow wheels that offer spectacular views from above. This set includes one geared motor to power four large-scale models of such rides: Ferris wheel, London Eye, merry-go-round and booster ride. Additionally, you can experiment with gears by building four smaller models such as a gearbox, an experimental crane, a carousel and a planetarium. You can find easy-to-follow building instructions for all models either online or in the booklet included. The booklet provides detailed explanations of the different scientific principles applied and incorporates innovative experimental activities for hands-on learning. A Quiz section is also available to challenge your newly acquired knowledge!


text:
How to convert megawatt hours to megawatts
A megawatt hour (MWh) is a unit of energy. It is a measure of the actual amount of power consumed or produced by one megawatt expended for a period of one hour. A megawatt (MW) is a unit of power. It describes the rate at which power is being consumed or produced by a circuit at any given moment in time.
A megawatt is equivalent to one million watts.
The formula used to calculate megawatt-hours is Megawatt hours (MWh) = Megawatts (MW) x Hours (h).
To convert megawatt hours to megawatts, you are going to need to divide the number of megawatt hours by the number of hours. In other words: Megawatts (MW) = Megawatt hours (MWh) / Hours (h).
- A megawatt hour (MWh) is a unit of energy.
Determine the number of megawatt hours.
Determine the number of hours. (To convert megawatt hours to megawatts, the number of hours must also be known.)
Divide the number of megawatt hours by the number of hours. The resulting number is the number of megawatts.
- "Wiring Simplified;" 40th Edition; H. P. Richter, W. C. Schwan, F. P. Hartwell; 2002
- For example: You have a high-powered lamp that has used 3 megawatt hours over the course of 6 hours. To figure out how many megawatts your lamp is, you would divide the number of megawatt hours (3) by the number of hours (6) to get 0.5 megawatts.
- Another example: You receive a power bill indicating that your household has used 1,000 megawatts during the previous month. The previous month has 31 days, which means that there were 744 hours in the month (31 days x 24 hours/day). To calculate the average number of megawatts present in all circuits in your house at any one given moment of time, you would divide the number of megawatt hours (1,000) by the number of hours (744) to get approximately 1.34 megawatts. This number would be an average because the amount of power being consumed by your household presumably fluctuates.
- Note that the number of megawatts used in the examples were selected solely for demonstration purposes, and not because they reflect the typical (or even possible) wattage of lamps.
Morgan Owens has a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice, and minors in biology and psychology. She attended Boston University and is currently applying to law school for matriculation in 2014. Her articles have been published on numerous informational websites.


What does a real diamond look like under a magnifying glass?
How do you tell if a diamond is real with a magnifying glass?
To determine if your diamond is real, hold a magnifying glass up and look at the diamond through the glass. Look for imperfections within the stone. If you're unable to find any, then the diamond is most likely fake. the majority of real diamonds have imperfections referred to as inclusions.
Do real diamonds magnify?
Because real diamonds are naturally occurring, they often have internal imperfections. … Natural diamonds may be flawless but, bear in mind that, lab-grown diamonds (diamonds that are synthetically produced in controlled environments) may look flawless under the magnifying glass as well.
How can you tell that a diamond is real?
THIS IS INTERESTING: Frequent question: How do you get the colored gems in crash 4?
How can you tell if a diamond is under a microscope?
If it is clear and smooth like a clean window pane under magnification, it is likely as fake as the window pane! Genuine diamonds contain imperfections that should be visible under a microscope (think of the vintage image of a professional jeweler scrutinizing diamonds under an eyepiece!)
Can you tell if a diamond is real by scratching glass?
Scratch Test
Because diamonds are ranked hardest on the Mohs scale, a real diamond should scratch glass. If your stone does not leave a scratch on the glass, it is most likely a fake.
How can you tell difference between diamond and cubic zirconia?
The best way to tell a cubic zirconia from a diamond is to look at the stones under natural light: a diamond gives off more white light (brilliance) while a cubic zirconia gives off a noticeable rainbow of colored light (excessive light dispersion).
Can you break a diamond with a hammer?
As an example, you can scratch steel with a diamond, but you can easily shatter a diamond with a hammer. The diamond is hard, the hammer is strong. … This makes the diamond incredibly hard and is why it is able to scratch any other material. Steel, on the other hand, has an ionic structure.
Where is the Hope Diamond kept?
The Hope Diamond has been in the possession of the Smithsonian Institute since it was gifted by Harry Winston. It's kept on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., at the forefront of the gem collection.
Can fake diamonds pass diamond tester?
Pass or Fail
THIS IS INTERESTING: How can I make a necklace at home?
Because lab grown diamonds do have all the same properties of natural, mined diamonds, they will test as real on a diamond tester. I mean, after all…they are real. And a diamond tester is meant to help you sniff out fakes.
How much is a 1 carat diamond worth?
Does a real diamond sparkle rainbow?
A fake diamond will have rainbow colors that you can see inside the diamond. … "They do sparkle, but it's more of a gray color. If you see something with rainbow colors [inside the stone], it could be a sign that it's not a diamond."
Do real diamonds shine in the dark?
Diamonds are Cut in such a way to maximize light, draw it in, and reflect it out so it sparkles like a billion stars in the sky. … So the answer to the question is "No, Diamonds do NOT Sparkle in the dark! " They need light (which is why Jewelry Stores have tons of it) and they need a Good Cut to really bring it out.
Do real diamonds have coating back?
Surface coating is a way of enhancing a diamond's color and is the oldest diamond treatment known, dating back to the Georgian period. The original method of surface coating entailed applying colored tinfoil to the back surfaces of gemstones and diamonds that were mounted in closed-back settings.
THIS IS INTERESTING: Quick Answer: What color are VVS diamonds?
Will a fake diamond sink in water?
Drop the diamond into the water. True diamonds have high density and should quickly sink to the bottom of the glass. Fake diamonds are not as thick, and therefore, more likely to float in water. … Some materials that make up fake diamonds, such as cubic zirconia and moissanite, can sink if they are heavy enough.
Will sandpaper scratch a real diamond?
No, sandpaper cannot scratch a diamond. The hardness of sand paper grit ranges between 7 and 9 on the Mohs scale, which makes sand paper softer than a diamond.
Shine precious stones


text:
fist ball is a setback play for two crews with five players each.
table of contents
fist ball is a setback play, with which two crews on two half fields face each other, similarly as with the Volleyball. They are separate those by a center line and a cord (also line called), between two posts into 2m height is strained. Each crew consists of five players, who try, in such a way to strike a ball with the arm or with the fist over the line into the opposing half field that it is not attainable for the other crew.
The ball may jump up between each contact by a player once on the soil, however only within the playing field. Per play course it may by maximally three different players be affected, must then however at the latest by the third player over the line to the opponent be rewound.
The line was replaced in the last years of the better visibility because of by 5 cm a broad netlike volume. It may be affected neither by a player nor by the ball (errors). The ball becomes with the defense and with passes on with the inside of the stretchedLower arm easily, with the attack with the fist struck. If it affects the stretched palm or other parts of the body than the arm, it is rated as error.
is played to points. If a crew makes an error, the other one gets one point, even ifit no impact had. The crew, which committed the last error, makes the next impact. Won the crew, which decided first three (with championships or tournaments sometimes two) sentences for itself. A sentence ends at 20 points, whereby at least 2 points differenceto be must. The sentence is however at the latest at 25 points to end (25: is thus possible for 24). In some play classes or with tournaments also a play is on time possible (z. B. two half times à 10 minutes).
as most important errors (and with itPoint for the opposing crew) are rated:
- The ball or a player the line or the posts affect.
- The ball affects the soil outside of the playing field.
- The ball affects the soil twice one behind the other, without a contact was by a player between them.
- The ball becomeslaterally to the post past or underneath the line in the opposing field easily. It may be played only above the line and between the posts extended mental upward in the opposing half field.
- More than three players of a crew affect the ball during a play course (at the latestthe third player must carry the ball in the opposing half field).
- A player affects for the second time within a play course the ball. If three ball contacts take place, it must be three different players.
- The breaking open player affects or crosses with the impact the 3-m-Linie (service line).
- The ball affectsanother part of the body than the upper or lower arm or the fist. Just as little may be affected the ball with the palm.
field and resounding season
fist ball is no seasonal sport. In the summer (field season) one plays it in the free one on the sports field (field size 50x 20 m). In the winter (resounding season) in resounds played, whereby the drawn in hand ball field is then used as Spielfläche (field size 40 x 20 m). In is each wall contact resounds by the ball an error. The cover may be affected, except with the attempt, thatBall over the line in the opposing field to strike (errors).
the playing field
with the field fist ball is fixed the playing field size on 50 x 20 m (25 x 20 m per half field). With the resounding fist ball the rule sees a shorter field of 40 x 20m forwards (20 x 20 m per half field). There this the regular size of a hand ball field corresponds usually the external lines existing for it is used. The service line is in each case 3 m far away from the center line. It may not be affected with the impact. The lines belong toField, D. h. if the ball affects the line, is this no error and it is further-played.
The line or the volume is strained between two posts. The upper edge is in 2 m height (men) and/or. 1.90 m (women). To the playing field also one belongscertain discharge zone, which is drawn in in the free one (8 m to the rear; to 6 m at the sides), in resounds however by the wall and/or. Grandstands is limited (minimum: 1 m to the rear and 0.5 m at the sides).
the fist ballis hollow, air-filled and consists of leather. It must be evenly round and tautly inflated. For the play in and for different joke run gene in the Freifeld offers the trade of balls with different surfaces resounds on (z. B. Nature leather, plastic coating, rubberized surface).
Its weight can varybetween 320 350 gr (women) and 350 380 gr (men). Its extent must amount to 65 68 cm, its air pressure between 0,55 and lie 0,75 bar. It is thereby in approximately as hard as a match football (0.6 0.7 bar) and somewhat harderas a Volleyball (0.29 0.32 bar). Also its extent is similar to that of a football and/or. Volleyballs.
The ball can reach 100 120 km/h with a full strike. Its care is a science for itself. Each crew has its own care methods (z. B. grease,grow, treat with care sprays), in order to adapt it to own play tactics as well as the outside play conditions.
contrary to the Volleyball, where the players rotate and after each impact changeanother position take, has in the fist ball each player its firm position. It may be exchanged in the play at will, but this is rather uncommon, since usually each player is a specialist on its position. A further difference to the Volleyball is that that the fistball game fieldmuch more largely, a fist ball crew however a player is less has than a Volleyballmannschaft, whereby each individual player must take off much more area, in order balls to erlaufen. However the ball may jump up between each contact of a player once on the soil.
Dependent on the underground (resoundsor lawn, fast or slow soil, z. B. on wet roads) the list changes. In the illustration two different lists are to be recognized:
Crew A shows the typical list in the field season (W-form). The Zuspieler takes the front centre zone off, around briefly playedTo be able to erlaufen balls directly behind the line. However it must take with the fact in purchase that it has a short response time with straight-line, hard strikes by the center only for the defense.
Crew B shows the typical resounding list (U-form). There the ball in thatResounds is rather calculable and thus short attack balls are not so effective, the Zuspieler withdraws itself to the rear Auslinie for the defense. However it has to carry thereby the largest Laufpensum out, since it to pass on again and again forward run must.
On international levelalso in the field usually in the U-form one plays, since it offers better defense possibilities, which possess player however sufficient basic speed against hard attack balls, in order to be able to still erlaufen briefly into the center struck balls.
To be exchanged may arbitrary on each play position, but only with ownImpact or one time out, whereby each crew per sentence can take a time-out up.
the instruction (impact)
impact force, accuracy and an optimal course of motion are necessary, around the instruction (also impact called) to the full effect cometo leave. The server tries to obtain a direct point to make or at least the structure of play more difficult with the opponent. The ball is met usually with the inner surface of the fist. Full force reaches the ball however, if one it with the hand edge clenched to the fistmeets. The risk to the miss is larger thereby because the impact surface is smaller than with the inner surface of the fist.
A variant, which control only few, is the so-called round impact. The stretched arm describes a round movement from the rear forward, meeting places is the interior lower armor the fist top side. The flight path of the ball is hardly to be foreseen for the opponent, and the round impact permits also steeply struck balls on the opposing aggressors.
With the indication the Schlagmann behind the service line (3-m-Linie) must stand. If it takes approach, then the first ground contact must directlyafter the ball contact (and/or. with a jumped instruction the landing) likewise behind the line take place, otherwise it is rated as false indication.
it gives different impact variants:
- straight-lined with full force into the gap between Zuspieler and defense players,
- with side cut, so that itself the ballbetween aggressors and defense players in-turns,
- strongly down begun to cut and briefly behind the line put,
- as Aufsetzer before the legs of the opponent,
in order to call only some.
The indication and/or. the impact is, as with many ball plays, often pure nerve thing. If it is too bad, it facilitatesthe structure of play of the opponent. Also a linen contact or a Ausball can be easy the result with to high risk. An impact ASS can serve however a crew come into arrears as motivation and leads thereby pretty


text:
Understanding the Light Field viewing volume, it's practical applications in VR and how viewers interact with it are core challenges at Lytro. It forced us to think in new ways and find solutions that work in conjunction with the broader ecosystem of post-production tools and storytelling conventions.
In a previous blog post we talked about the concept of the Light Field volume.
We often refered to this Light Field volume as a sphere that surrounds the viewer's head. In this blog post we'll explore the various considerations that come into play when shaping the view volume and how it affects the resulting user experience.
First, let's understand what is the "natural" shape of the view volume. The view volume's shape depends on the shape of the device that captured the footage/rays of light. For example, if you have a perfect dense sphere of cameras, the view volume would also look like a smaller sphere in the center of the capture sphere. How much smaller? That depends on the field of view of the lenses involved. For example, with 90 degrees lenses, the view volume of a capture sphere would look like this:
Cross section of a capture sphere (in gray) surrounded by cameras with 90 degrees lenses,
forming a smaller view volume (in orange) in the same shape as the capture sphere.
If you have a planar capture configuration, the view volume shape starts being less well defined. The resulting view volume shape is a collection of overlapping triangles that form some sort of a star configuration (exact shape is determined by the rotation steps and field of view of the lenses).
Why does the shape matter?
The shape of the viewing volume matters due to several important considerations:
- It defines the range of motion (space) the viewer would eventually have
- It defines the continuity of motion inside of the view volume
- It affects the production cost
- It affects the creative choices and data size of the final output
1. Range of Motion
Range of motion is simply the volume of space that is available for the viewer to move in. The larger the volume, the more the viewer's head can travel within the Light Field, the more parallax is available, the more details that can be discovered (revealing occluded information). All things being equal, most content creators would always prefer to have as large of a volume as possible – bigger is better!
The balance to volume size is data size. As described in the "Outward vs. Inward Capture" blog post, the data size in a volume grows to the power of 3 and that quickly gets very large. Depending on the use-case, and method of delivery, this can become unwieldy and defeats the purpose of a great viewer experience.
2. Continuity of Motion
The continuity of motion consideration within a viewing volume has to do with the geometrical shape of that volume and how the player application handles "Out of Bound" (OOB) scenario. When the viewer find him/herself in a partially samples point of the Light Field, unpredictable results might occur. The required rays of light might be available or not. The resulting distortions or artifacts might be noticeable, or not. The player might be able to reproject other rays of light into the missing pieces, or not – it's simply not predictable and therefore we always try to avoid it.
As an example of discontinuity within a Light Field, let's imagine shape with a missing triangle (represented by red lines below). Since the viewer can freely move their head in real-world coordinates, they can easily find themselves in a zone of discontinuity where the Light Field is not fully sampled.
Viewer moving their head from point A to point B in a curve find themselves
inadvertently outside (highlighted in red) of the viewing volume (orange).
3. Production Cost
As stated before, the larger the volume, the more data you need to manage from capture to post-production all the way to final delivery. Due to current technological/IT constraints (storage, data throughout, backups, etc.), cost is often influenced by data size and content producers have to ask themselves – is that enough volume or possibly too much?
For post-production, the more data you manage, the more touchups and cleanups you have to evaluate and that can quickly add-up. When performing post-production operations on a volume of space, you have to constantly deal with visual information that not only changes over time (temporally) but also based on spatial point of view (result of parallax). An actor's feet that seem invisible from one angle can suddenly pop into frame from another angle and require some adjustment. An actor's face that is perfectly lit from the front might be underexposed from the side or might reveal the cable of the spot-mic.
Storage and rendering costs can also grow in the same direction. There are many techniques and best practices for mitigating cost increases but the general rule is: more volume = more cost. The Light Field volume captured by Lytro Immerge is carefully selected to strike a balance between view volume and overall production cost.
4. Final Output
Most importantly, the shape of the viewing volume has a direct impact on artistic choices and storytelling. Assuming that content creators are trying to balance all of these considerations and produce the best VR experience for their project, shaping this viewing volume becomes a critical creative choice. For example, imagine a performer in a corner of a room. The room is providing critical atmosphere for the performance but the viewer is expected to spend 90% of their time looking at the performer. Investing production cost and data size in enabling range of motion for viewing the room might be a misguided choice vs. enabling greater range of motion near the performer – getting closer, looking from the sides or from above…
Another example is practical set. A director might choose to give a nice range of motion for the audience in front of a stage but trim that motion on the edges, just before the set ends and the back-stage starts becoming visible. Or the opposite, expose a surprise if the viewer is looking at the back-stage.
Content creators have to balance many considerations and find the right solution for each situation/need. It is recommended to think about the most demanding situation that you have (the largest viewing volume that you think you need) make that into your "master volume" and customize multiple viewing volumes as a subsets, each addressing a different need. The largest viewing volume could be for an in-venue experience (where file size is not an issue). A slightly trimmed down version for a large download and a small viewing volume for a smaller download version.
To address all of the considerations and challenges mentioned above, Lytro has been developing a wide range of solutions, including:
- Plugins that extend the capabilities of existing post-production tools to accommodate Light Field and three dimensional points of view
- Cloud processing infrastructure that can help optimize time and cost
- Quality control tools for tracking every ray of light, where it originated from and how it affects the viewer's experience
- Tools for tracking the range of motion viewers require while viewing different VR pieces so the viewing volume can be optimized
As it pertains to tracking viewers motion in headset, we are also interested in different viewing experiences from seated positions to standing in place or walking around a large, room-scale, Light Field. The goal is to develop tools and best practices that help guide content creators in the pursuit of the optimal Light Field viewing volume for each piece of content and use.
Viewer being tracked for range of motion while viewing Lytro's "Moon" VR piece in a seated position.
Data is represented as a heat map where red = frequent and green = less frequent visit
For live action Light Field content, we think of a sphere as that natural shape that we need to capture. Once obtained, we treat this large sphere-shaped view volume as the ultimate "master" and all optimizations are a subset of that master, chosen based on creative choices, production cost and delivery needs.
Various shapes of viewing volume around a viewer's head. The larger gray sphere represents the "master" view volume and the orange shape is the optimized view volume. Each piece of content might benefit from multiple different shapes to meet different objectives.
In developing Light Field solutions, we often find ourselves looking to solve challenges in an uncharted territory. We are constantly iterating and experimenting with different view volume shapes, sizes and characteristics. In our persistence, we strive to give content creators the widest set of creative tools and choices with which to tell their stories, and look forward to seeing how they will put it all to great use.


Science reveals the truth about drinking whiskey to fight a cold
Science reveals the truth about drinking whiskey to fight a cold
Sipping on whiskey sound way better than holding your nose while throwing back a cupful of NyQuil? You're in luck. The hot toddy, a mix of whiskey, honey and hot water, is a classic standby for alleviating cold symptoms, aka making your sneezing, congestion or runny nose far less miserable.
The healing properties of hot toddies
Even a novice home bartender will be able to whip up a hot toddy — the most basic recipes (like this one from Epicurious) call for mixing two tablespoons of bourbon with a tablespoon of honey, two teaspoons of lemon juice and a mugful of boiling water.
The ingredients in hot toddies make them a quadruple-threat against cold symptoms. From aiding with sleep to soothing a scratchy throat, here's how the ingredients in a hot toddy could ease your sniffly suffering.
(Editor's note: Mixing alcohol and medicines can be dangerous so always talk to your doctor to determine the best way to treat your symptoms.)
Bottoms up! When your body is in pain, alcohol can take the edge off. It's why many over the counter medications contain small amounts of booze. Some medicines (including popular cough syrups like NyQuil) contain up to 10% alcohol
The whiskey in hot toddies could help you relax and help you fall asleep faster but beware, it might lead to less quality sleep. People consider alcohol a sleep aid but it's more often a sleep disruptor. Researchers found that people who had an orange juice and vodka nightcap before dozing off had lower quality zzz's compared to a control group that had OJ before bedtime, Time reported.
Hot Water
Boiling water with a bit of cloves and cinnamon gives the hot toddy its warming temperature — and this is good for far more than warming your chilled hands. Research reveals sipping hot liquids can decrease congestion. (Researchers noted that inhaling the hot vapor wafting off hot chicken soup was especially effective.) Sip and sniff, folks!
Lemon Juice
"Lemon juice reduces and thins mucus, which makes it easier to unclog a stuffed-up respiratory system," Douglas Schar, clinically trained herbalist, told Prevention, explaining that the acidity of lemons can also help the body fight off infection.
While lemon juice is a good source of vitamin C, experts say vitamin C doesn't effectively prevent or treat colds. There's no body of scientific evidence confirming that loading up on vitamin C can prevent colds, Marci Clow, registered dietician, told Mic
A spoonful of the sweet stuff tastes delicious and also works to soothe a cough. Researchers found that two teaspoons of honey at bedtime reduced cough frequency in children.
Honey also arms your body with antioxidants, making you better prepped to fight off disease-causing inflammation. Another study found that consuming honey twice immediately increased antioxidant activity in healthy adults.