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(last updated, September 2021)
Richard M. Murray received the B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from California Institute of Technology in 1985 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1988 and 1991, respectively. Murray's Ph.D. research focused on nonlinear dynamics and control of multi-fingered robot hands and robotic locomotion systems. He is a recipient of the Eliahu Jury prize, awarded by the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences for outstanding PhD research in systems theory.
Professor Murray returned to Caltech in 1991 as a member of the Mechanical Engineering faculty and was a co-founder of the Control and Dynamical Systems program. His early research interests included nonlinear control of mechanical systems with applications to aerospace vehicles and robotic locomotion, active control of fluids with applications to propulsion systems, dynamics and control of thin film growth, and nonlinear dynamical systems theory. Murray served as the principal investigator for an AFOSR-sponsored PRET (Partnerships for Research, Excellence, and Transition) Center in "Nonlinear Robust Control Theory with Applications to Aerospace Vehicles" and was a co-PI for a second PRET Center on Robust Nonlinear Control of Stall and Flutter in Aeroengines. His group's research during this period included development of theoretical tools for dynamics and control of Lagrangian systems, development of computational tractable algorithms for real-time trajectory generation and tracking for unmanned vehicles, and demonstration of active control techniques to control of rotating stall and surge in compression systems.
In 1998-99, Murray took a sabbatical in industry and was the Director of Mechatronic Systems at the United Technologies Research Center, where he managed a group of 80 engineers and scientists engaged in research on active control, sensing and actuation technology, embedded communications and computation, and harsh environment electronics. At United Technologies Corporation (UTC), Murray was a member of the Steering Committee for the Modeling, Analysis, Simulation and Computation (MASC) Initiative, a corporate-wide activity aimed at competitive differentiation of UTC's products and processes through effective use of modeling.
In June, 2000, Professor Murray was appointed as the Chair of the Division of Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) at Caltech. The EAS division is one of the six academic divisions at Caltech. At the time of his appointment, the division has 85 faculty, 330 undergraduates, and 458 graduate students, making it the largest on campus. In addition to his Caltech responsibilities, Professor Murray was the chair of an AFOSR-sponsored panel on Future Directions in Control and Dynamical Systems, a member of the United Technologies Corporate Advisory Group for Modeling, Analysis, Simulation and Computation, and a member of the DARPA Information Science and Technology Study Group (ISAT). He also served as a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board from 2002-2006.
Murray finished his service as EAS Division Chair in August 2005 and returned to his research and teaching activities, with a focus on the role of dynamics and feedback in information, biological and mechanical systems. His current research projects include work in verification and validation for distributed embedded systems, networked control systems, and biological circuit design. He was the faculty sponsor for Team Caltech, Caltech's entry in the DARPA Grand Challenge autonomous vehicle competitions in 2004, 2005 and 2007. He is also a founding faculty sponsor for Caltech's synthetic biology team, which participated in the international genetically engineered machines (iGEM) competition in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2014. In addition to his research activities, from 2006-2009 Murray served as the Director of the Information Science and Technology initiative at Caltech, a campus wide initiative in Information Science and Technology (IST) supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
In September, 2020, Murray was appointed as the Chair of the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering (BBE) at Caltech. The BBE division has 55 faculty, 70 undergraduates, 250 graduate students, 160 postdocs, and 200 research staff. As BBE division chair, Murray also served on the Resnick Sustainability Institute (RSI) Executive Steering Committee (2020-21) and the President's Diversity Council (2021-2023).
Professor Murray's professional awards include the Richard P. Feynman-Hughes Faculty Fellowship in 1993, awarded annually to an outstanding young faculty member in Engineering and Applied Science at Caltech, the National Science Foundation Early Faculty Career Development (CAREER) Award in 1995, the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award in 1995 and the Donald P. Eckman Award in 1997, awarded by the American Automatic Control Council (AACC = IEEE, ASME, AIAA, AIChE, AICE) to an outstanding researcher in control engineering under the age of 35. He is a Fellow of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and holds an honorary doctorate from Lund University in Sweden. He has been a plenary speaker at the IFAC Symposium on Nonlinear Control Systems Design (1995), the SIAM Conference on Applications of Dynamical Systems (1996), the SIAM Conference on Control Theory and Its Applications (1998), the American Control Conference (1999, 2005), the European Control Conference (2003), the Asian Control Conference (2006), the International Federation on Automatic Control (IFAC) World Congress (2014), and the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (2016). He is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering (2013). Murray received the IEEE Bode Lecture Prize in 2016, the IEEE Control Systems Award in 2017, and the AACC John R. Ragazzini Education Award in 2019.
Murray has authored or co-authored over 200 articles in archival journals and refereed conferences, has received 3 patents, and has co-written three books: A Mathematical Introduction to Robotic Manipulation (1993), Feedback Systems: An Introduction for Scientists and Engineers (2008) and Biomolecular Feedback Systems (2014). He has supervised or co-supervised 70 PhD students and 30 postdocs. In 2006, Murray received the Richard P. Feyman award for excellence in teaching at Caltech.
Professor Murray serves or has served on numerous advisory committees for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University, the Department of Engineering at Cambridge University, the Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics and Astronautics departments at MIT, the Wyss Institute, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP). He served as co-chair of the NRC Committee on Science Technology and Law (CSTL) Forum on Synthetic Biology from 2013 to 2016, is a founding member of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC), and chaired a National Academies consensus study on "Future Biotechnology Products and Opportunities to Enhance Capabilities of the Biotechnology Regulatory System" in 2016/17. Murray was a member of the Information Science and Technology (ISAT) study group from 2000-2003 and 2010-2016 (serving as chair from 2012-2014), served on the US Air Force Scientific Advisory Board from from 2002-2006 and was a founding member of the Defense Innovation Board, which advises the Office of the Secretary of Defense, from 2016-2020.
Retrieved from "https://murray.cds.caltech.edu/index.php?title=Biographical_Sketch&oldid=24320"


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She took pity on him. How often does Susanne do that? I think I succeeded in convincing Lisa to help us tomorrow. Sjaak was unconscious. Is she sure? He died of a drug overdose. I'm going to catch a ride back with Cathy. These are all basic skills. Francisco slept peacefully as the underground train rattled on its way. Listen, all of you.
I wanted to see if there was a chance to save the festival. Could you do me a favor and call a doctor? Is this list reliable? This noise is driving me crazy. I don't feel much like laughing. I know how to take care of myself. We are great Tigers fans. What gate number does the bus leave from? Kristin spends hours in the library studying. Adrian is very difficult to deal with.
Are you being funny? I like all sorts of Asian foods, particularly Thai food. My skin is dry. There's no chance that he'll recover. Laurie tried to keep from smiling. These figures are signs of a family or clan. I've already waited two hours. I can't wait any longer. Pull yourself together. Ricardo was surprised that Venkata complained so much. There is a waterfall above the bridge.
I love it when they leave the curtains open. The plague came from the swamp. I can deal with him. Pull your car out a bit, I can't back my car out. I got up at about five. If you take these lozenges, you won't cough so much. I hope Felix doesn't get sick. "How are you doing?" "I'm doing okay." There are many hotels downtown. Where are your grandchildren?
Enjoy your youth while it lasts. She caught hold of my arm so she wouldn't fall. To study English is important for young people. I always carry a bottle of mineral water with me. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory! Even cold oden are pretty good. It's time to call it a night. I wish I could speak French better. When life is too stressful, sexual function decreases. Socorrito has a good ear for music.
She came to my defence when I was accused of plagiarism. I'm happy right now. Did you need a laundry basket? They don't trust her. This is a book. Do you agree or disagree? It's not polite to stare at others. I'll give you anything you want. That country is rich in mineral resources. I am a diploma holder.
Your credit's good. Jisheng woke up feeling grumpy. The children started bouncing up and down on the couch. In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. You may have it for the asking. Because he is rich, it doesn't follow that he is happy. The cafe is run by students. Give me a break, would you? It looked so delicious. Fruits and vegetables are essential to a balanced diet.
His joke killed me. How close are you to them? How are your parents getting along? The china was displayed in a special cabinet. Kirk had trouble remembering what Gary looked like. A merry heart makes a long life. I can't get Serdar on the phone. Peter teaches his friends French. Novo is chopping wood. Wilson gave me plenty to eat.
You're still a neophyte. I fully agree with everything Brooke said. Love is only one of many passions. A heavy rain prevented me from going. I may be right. I don't like any of these records. Her chastity belt set off the metal detector at the airport. Todd failed the test. Have you gone crazy? We used to bathe in this river in our childhood.
I think it's going to take time. He will be sleeping when you get to his house. I don't know what Travis is so worried about. Where's Lex sleeping tonight? They robbed the man of all his belongings. Will is doing quite well. Who makes breakfast for you? I just don't love him. It is too late to watch a film. This is a picture of my painting.


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News / Promotions >
Extension to STIHL chain production plant
STIHL News
Beware of dangerous fakes
STIHL Sponsorship
STIHL chain production plant in Switzerland
The STIHL group is expanding its chain production capacity in Switzerland. A symbolic ground breaking ceremony for the new building took place on May 29, 2015. The extension represents an investment of 40 million Swiss francs and will provide 10,00 square metres of extra floor space for production and engineering. The extension will be operational by the end of 2016.
" The building reflects our confidence in the continuing successful development of our saw chain business," said Dr. Nikolas Stihl, chairman of the STIHL advisory and supervisory boards.
STIHL's executive board member, Dr Bertram Kandziora, pointed out the environmental protection measures of the new building, "The environment also profits from this investment. The new part of the building will be heated exclusively by the waste heat from the production machinery and from compressors. It has thus been possible to completely eliminate the need for fossil fuels and geothermal boreholes."
STIHL produces all its saw chains exclusively in Switzerland and exports them to 160 countries around the globe.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Cosmo Bachelor Bash 2010 was held at the World Trade Center last September 9, 2010. Luckily, I got my friend another ticket, so I didn't came alone at the bash.
We arrived around 8PM(as suppose to the 7PM schedule stated at the ticket) and we noticed a long queue of lines outside. I was surprised with the volume of invited people(way too many compared last year) and the show hasn't started yet(even the VIP and PRESS pips are still in line outside).
If you missed these guys on the Cosmo Bachelor Bash, you can still meet them (in the flesh) at selected GUESS store locations.
My birthday has passed and another year had been added to my age. I'm so happy that this year, I get to celebrate my birthday with everyone I loved. I'd like to thank my father for hosting and arranging the gathering. It was a blast!.
I've bumped into this great offer by UCC at boykuripot's post and I immediately registered myself in Hubert Young's site to get my free coffee. You can also invite friends to experience UCC'c coffee by adding their email for them to get free coffee also.
It was fast, as soon as I have registered, I got my coupon already in the mail.


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Student-run luau brings Pacific Island culture to Portland
Postedby Miles Sanguinetti
Hundreds of Portlanders entered the Stott Center Arena to attend Portland State's Pacific Islanders Club's 13th annual luau. The luau—which was held on May 9 this year—is an evening celebration of Pacific island culture featuring hours of live musical and dance performances and a feast fit to serve all comers.
The luau is the club's largest event and is one of the campus's biggest in general, according to Darren Acoba, president of the PIC.
"It's an event to showcase our culture," Acoba said. "We're the Pacific Islanders Club, we represent Hawaii, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and Tahiti. As part of a mission of our club, it's to expand the diversity here at Portland State and just share our culture while embracing others."
The event's performances blend both new and old traditions, letting culture evolve and stay relevant, Acoba explained.
"Letting people know about our culture," Acoba said. "That's like multiple things: it's language, it's food, it's dance, it's music."
The luau is planned throughout the entire school year, according to Acoba. He added that one of his favorite parts of it is seeing how it brings the PIC's officers and members together.
"For the officers—the students who run the club—for a lot of us, it's our last year," Acoba said. "It's our last luau, we've been doing this for four years now, we're all graduating."
Jessel Galiza, the PIC's vice president, said that the luau's dances are one of the ways in which the PIC showcases Pacific island culture. She added that some of them incorporate the luau's overarching theme of the elements.
"I do know that for this year, anyway, one of our numbers focuses on Tangaroa Whakamautai, which is the goddess of the sea," Galiza said. "At least that way we can incorporate it with the goddesses of the ocean or the goddesses of the fire and protectors of the land and all that."
Galiza explained how the theme incorporates not only the elements as they appear in stories, but also how they relate to the lives of Pacific islanders.
"Also the elements—like the ocean—and how that is really important to all the Polynesian islands and the Pacific islands, because, you know, we're surrounded by a body of water and so that's really important and it [has] a really huge impact on all of us living there," Galiza said.
She added that she was looking forward to the luau's poi ball performance, particularly owing to the powerful song that was chosen for it.
"Sometimes, when I listen to it, I get chicken skin. And so, it's that kind of feeling that you get whenever you come to our luau, especially if it's a powerful song like that," Galiza said. "Experiencing that, you kind of want to go there in person and experience and learn more about their culture and traditions."
Xylia Lydgate—a member of the club—said that during one meeting, club members had to choose between using the elements or royalty as their theme.
"It was a pretty close tie and eventually we came up with the elements, and I'm really glad we did because we have really nice decorations to go along with it, and it all came together really well," Lydgate said.
Lydgate added that the theme of the elements helped to set the atmosphere for the luau in terms of how it relates to island culture.
"A big part of Polynesia and living on the islands is nature is a big standout, like water, and there's lots of greenery, and the mountains are a big standout when you go to visit," Lydgate said.
Volunteers preparing for the luau rehearsed about once per week for most of the year, but rehearsed for the entire week leading up to the luau, according to Leilani Freeman, another member of the PIC.
"Just being a part of a team and putting this all together is a really cool experience because no one person could do this alone, and it really takes a group effort to make it happen, so I think that was the most memorable thing for me," Freeman said.
Freeman added that she liked how the event helps bring Pacific islanders together and explained how the luau's elemental theme was representative of their shared culture.
"I think it helps just connect back to the natural roots of what the earth is made out of and why we're all here," Freeman said. "I think that that's a big part of island culture as well."
Fight the habit
Paintball 101
Examining images of disaster and war in anime
Postedby Jon Raby
Earth Day Spring Festival gets Portlanders back to nature
Viking volleyball vs. Northern Colorado
Postedby Randall Theil


Next month will be the Mobile World Congress that serves as the world's largest exhibition for the mobile industry and a conference featuring prominent executives representing mobile operators, device manufacturers, technology providers, vendors and content owners from across the world. The event, initially named as GSM World Congress and later renamed as the 3GSM World Congress, is still often referred to as 3GSM or 3GSM World.
But before the Mobile World Congress begin, the Samsung S9 (successor of the Samsung Galaxy S8) images and specs leaked online. The device is said to have an almost identical looks that of the S8 and will have two variants – the S9 and S9+ and will still have Bixby, Samsung's revolutionary virtual assistant.
The S9 variant is said to have a 5.8-inch display and be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 in the US, with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage while the S9+ is said to have a 6.2-inch display, and 6GB of RAM with 128GB of storage.
Both Galaxy S9 models are said to include 8-megapixel selfie cameras, alongside stereo speakers at the bottom of Samsung's 2018 handsets.
So all we just need to do is to wait for the devices' official release and we'll see what the S9 and S9+ has to offer. Stay tuned!


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Q: ошибка при запуске opencv python Доброго времени суток. Не могу понять, в чём ошибка. Запускал в первый раз - всё запустилось, второй раз - уже нет. В чём может быть ошибка? P.S Скажу сразу, в этом я недавно, ранее лишь на Java сидел. Ошибка может быть элементарной)
Код:
import cv2
import numpy as np
from PIL import ImageGrab

kernelOpen=np.ones((5,5))
kernelClose=np.ones((20,20))

while(True):
    #Get current window
    frames = np.array(ImageGrab.grab(bbox =(0,40,1280,720)))
    #Convert window to RGB format
    framess = cv2.cvtColor(frames, cv2.COLOR_BGR2RGB)
    frame = cv2.GaussianBlur(framess, (17, 17), 0)
    #Convert window to HSV format
    hsvs = cv2.cvtColor(frame, cv2.COLOR_BGR2HSV)
    hsv= cv2.GaussianBlur(hsvs, (17, 17), 0)

    lower_red = np.array([20, 100, 100])
    upper_red = np.array([30, 255, 255])

    mask = cv2.inRange(hsv, lower_red, upper_red)
    maskOpen=cv2.morphologyEx(mask,cv2.MORPH_OPEN,kernelOpen)
    maskClose=cv2.morphologyEx(maskOpen,cv2.MORPH_CLOSE,kernelClose)
    maskFinal=maskClose
    im, conts, h = cv2.findContours(maskFinal.copy(), cv2.RETR_EXTERNAL, cv2.CHAIN_APPROX_NONE)
    center =None
    c=max(conts, key=cv2.contourArea)
    ((x, y), radius) = cv2.minEnclosingCircle(c)
    M = cv2.moments(c)
    center = (int(M["m10"] / M["m00"]), int(M["m01"] / M["m00"]))
    cv2.putText(frame,"Distance", (center[0]+10,center[1]), cv2.FONT_HERSHEY_SIMPLEX, 0.4,(0, 0, 255),1)
    cv2.putText(frame,"("+str(center[0])+","+str(center[1])+")", (center[0]+10,center[1]+15), cv2.FONT_HERSHEY_SIMPLEX, 0.4,(0, 0, 255),1)
    cv2.drawContours(hsv,conts,-1,(255,0,0),3)
    for i in range(len(conts)):
        x,y,w,h=cv2.boundingRect(conts[i])
        cv2.rectangle(frame,(x,y),(x+w,y+h),(0,0,255), 2)
    res = cv2.bitwise_and(frame,frame, mask= mask)

    cv2.imshow('original', frame)

    if cv2.waitKey(1) & 0xFF == ord('q'):
        break

cv2.destroyAllWindows()

Ошибка:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Users\Andrey\Desktop\test123.py", line 28, in <module>
    c = max(conts, key=cv2.contourArea)
ValueError: max() arg is an empty sequence

A: Раз написано is an empty sequence, значит conts пустой:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Users\Andrey\Desktop\test123.py", line 28, in <module>
    c = max(conts, key=cv2.contourArea)
ValueError: max() arg is an empty sequence

Думаю, print(conts) выдаст []
Чтобы ошибки не было нужно добавить проверку, например:
while True:
    ...

    im, conts, h = cv2.findContours(maskFinal.copy(), cv2.RETR_EXTERNAL, cv2.CHAIN_APPROX_NONE)
    if not conts:
        print('Not found contours')
        continue
    ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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A New Zealand company is to begin production of a commercial jet pack which will sell for about 50,000 (about US$75 000). People will be able fly more than a mile high at speeds of up to 60mph - without even a pilot's licence, reports the Daily Telegraph. Martin Aircraft Company, in Christchurch, aims to make 500 jet packs a year.
The 200 horsepower dual-propeller packs are the brainchild of inventor Glenn Martin who unveiled his machine last year. It is capable of travelling 30 miles in 30 minutes on a full tank of fuel. Because it weighs less than 115kg, the jet pack does not require a pilot's licence. And recent tests have seen the newest model reach heights of up to 2,400 metres and top speeds of 60mph.
But only now has sufficient investment been found for the company to begin production of the craft, which will also begin at an undisclosed site outside New Zealand. Martin Aircraft Company chief executive Richard Lauder said the pack could be perfect for the emergency services, private users and even the military. He said: "This could be life-saving stuff. For us this is an excellent commercial step." Mr Lauder would not identify the partner other than to say it was an international aircraft company.
According to Wikipedia jet pack, rocket belt or rocket pack refers to various types of device, usually worn on the back, that use jets of escaping gases (or in some cases liquid water) to allow a single user to fly. The concept of these devices emerged from science fiction in the 1920s and was popularised in the 1960s as the technology became a reality.
But despite decades of advancement in the technology, the challenges of the earths atmosphere, earths gravity and the human body (which is not well suited for this type of flight) remain obstacles to the potential use of jet packs in the military and as a means of personal transport.
Crisis Coalition Elects New Leadership
Casualties on Zimbabwe's roads call for stronger political commitment


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UNFPA Global Site
Adolescents and Youth
Sexual and Gender Based Violence
Home Topics Sexual & reproductive health
Women of childbearing age constitute approximately 23 percent of Liberia's 3.5 million population. The population growth rate is estimated at 2.1 percent with a total fertility rate of 4.6 percent and teenage pregnancy rate of 38 percent. Complications during pregnancy and childbirth remain the leading causes of death and disability among women of reproductive age.
Limited skilled providers, poor geographic access due to bad roads and inaccessible terrains, poor logistical facilities coupled with Gender Based Violence (GBV) is common and harmful traditional practices and general poverty contribute to the unacceptably high maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality.
UNFPA provides technical and financial support to the government through the Ministry of Health and partners toward the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality which currently stands at 1072 per 100,000 live births; one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. These efforts target:
Development of policies, guidelines and strategies on reproductive health including family planning;
Provision of extensive health provider training on life saving emergency obstetric and neonatal care;
Provision of essential reproductive health commodities;
Scaling up of the use of long acting family planning methods;
Refurbishing of public health facilities;
Comprehensive obstetric fistula management;
Strengthening of midwifery education and regulation as well as midwifery association's capacity.
UNFPA Liberia launched State of the World Population 2017
Liberia joined the global launch of the State of World Population 2017 on 17 October with...
The State of World Population 2017
In today's world, gaps in wealth have grown shockingly wide. Billions of people linger at...
United Nations Population Fund


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Getting high to get high marks
Youths find themselves exposed to all sorts of vices. As if alchohol abuse has not been enough of a problem over the years, prescription pills, amongst other drugs, seem to have taken over.
Drug abuse among Botswana's youth seems to have grown in tandem with the the significant spike in alchohol prices and subsequent decrease of liquor trading hours.
From the moment Collie Budd* swallowed Vitamin R first as an experiment, he was hooked. "You'll catch a wake up," he says, wide-eyed.
For Collen, the heavy pressure of academic excellence and the need to keep afloat forced him to take down the little white pill.
After three years of using Ritalin to increase his studying concentration, Collen is now struggling to stop taking the prescription medicine.
"I started using Ritalin in secondary school after some coloured guy introduced it to me," he says.
But since passing his Form Five with flying colours and gaining entry into the University of Botswana, he has won the trust of his parents by his apparent loss of interest in alcohol.
But that has been on the back of an addicion to Ritalin. Things have gone downhill for him. Apart from weight loss, he gets bi-polar, severe mood swings and constantly agitated.
Ritalin is a medical prescription drug that is used to treat patients diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder AD (H) D.
It is a stimulant that acts on dopamine, a chemical that is associated with pleasure in the brain.
During exams period when youths stay indoors, instead of drinking coffee or energy drinks such as monster, red bull or energade to stay awake so as to study, high school and university students now take Ritalin as a way of getting high during study.
Ritalin, otherwise known as Vitamin R is sold at P10 a pill and its sellers do brisk business in Gaborone. It is easily accessible in the numerous Indian pharmacies around town, the suppy source being neighbouring countries like South Africa.
Collen explains that initially students convince unsuspecting doctors by faking illness to get access to sick leaves which they alter.
"As there are no diagnostic tests carried out to examine if a person indeed has AD (H) D or not some people know how to convince doctors," he says. "They even go to the extent of stealing doctor's prescription pads including doctors' stamps in order to get their hands on the pills."
Caroline Gartland, a counsellor at the Botswana Substance Abuse Support Network (BOSASNET) says there are deep emotional problems that may influence a person to take drugs.
She says Ritalin is still a new phenomenon in Botswana that is still hard to monitor.
Mpho Motlhabani, from the public relations office of Botswana National Olympics Committee (BNOC) reveals that the International Olympic Committee has since banned the drug owing to its role as a performance enhancer.
Sebele granted leave to appeal to High Court
Kirby sends unions back to High Court
Gen Fisher appointed High Commissioner to Nigeria


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Prince Harry Admits There's One Thing He's Missing About Life in the UK
"We all miss rugby."
By Stacey Leasca
Prince Harry may seem to be settling into life in America quite well alongside his wife, Meghan Markle, and their son, Archie. But, according to the former senior royal himself, there is one thing he's really missing from his old home in the United Kingdom.
On Wednesday, Harry surprised fans everywhere by making a special appearance in a video for England Rugby on Instagram.
Prince Harry kicks off the 2-minute video by simply stating, "We all miss rugby." He adds, although the coronavirus pandemic has forced the sport to be put on hold, it "hasn't taken away our spirit."
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CBzvbsYHdwM/
As Town & Country reported, Prince Harry has long been a supporter of the sport. He even serves as an Honorary President of England Rugby and as Vice-Patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU). According to the official Royal Family website, Harry has also long been involved in "promoting the participatory legacy for rugby at grassroots level, especially the opportunities for children and young people to enjoy the game."
Britain's Prince Harry walks off the pitch to take his seat in the crowd to watch the annual Army Navy armed forces rugby match at Twickenham stadium on April 29, 2017 in London, England.
| Credit: Adrian Dennis - WPA Pool/Getty Images
The royal website further explained, in 2004, Harry spent part of his gap year training as an Assistant Development Officer with the (RFU). Once qualified, he took his new skills to schools and clubs around the United Kingdom and assisted community rugby coaches in their duties.
"Prince Harry believes that sport has the power to change lives for the better," the royal website added. "He has championed access to sport for children and young people to give them confidence, and valuable life skills. He has also championed the value of sport in helping wounded servicemen become mentally and physically stronger as they recover from injury, through his work with Invictus."
Only time will tell if Harry can make rugby an all-American sport, too.


text:
Куп пет нација 1981. (службени назив: 1981 Five Nations Championship) је било 87. издање овог најелитнијег репрезентативног рагби такмичења Старог континента. а 52. издање Купа пет нација.

Гренд слем је освојио национални тим Француске.

Учесници

Напомена:

Северна Ирска и Република Ирска наступају заједно.

Такмичење

Табела

Индивидуална стастика

Највише поена

 Дасти Хер 30, Енглеска

Највише есеја

 Лорент Пардо 2, Француска

Референце

Сезоне Купа пет нација
Рагби у 1981.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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UW-Milwaukee students benefit from internships
An internship can be a priceless part of a college education. About 90 percent of employers prefer candidates with work experience, according to a 2017 survey published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Each year, thousands of UWM students complete internships with more than 1,200 Milwaukee-area employers. Those internships mean UWM students get […]
UW-Milwaukee encourages undergraduate research
UW-Milwaukee is committed to encouraging undergraduate research, even starting as soon as the summer before freshman year. More than 1,000 UWM undergrads are involved in research each year, on topics ranging from 3D printing of bone scaffolds to preserving a long-forgotten 16-millimeter film archive. UWM is one of two universities nationwide honored in 2018 by […]
UW-Milwaukee again recognized as a top research university
UW-Milwaukee has again been recognized as one of the top research universities in the nation. The university's $58 million of research last year explored everything from the farthest reaches of space to the inner workings of the human brain, from futuristic 3D-movies of viruses to the energy potential of seaweed. UWM officially earned its status as an […]
UW-Milwaukee helps traumatized veterans, with assistance from Shakespeare
Charlie Walton has been searching for the words since the moment he touched down in Vietnam as an 18-year-old Marine. After a trans-Pacific flight filled with gung-ho songs from boot camp, a Viet Cong sniper welcomed Walton and his fellow recruits by picking off a lieutenant as he deplaned. On his first patrol, Walton was […]
UW-Milwaukee researchers use big data to solve big problems
Big data. On the one hand, it's information overload. On the other, it's gold in the quest for faster, smarter tools that can be applied to automation – and just about everything else. That deluge of data is ripe for enabling artificial intelligence, machine learning and prediction analytics, collectively known as data science, which can […]
UW-Milwaukee geologists uncover Antarctica's fossil forests
During Antarctica's summer, from late November through January, UW-Milwaukee geologists Erik Gulbranson and John Isbell climbed the McIntyre Promontory's frozen slopes in the Transantarctic Mountains. High above the ice fields, they combed the mountain's gray rocks for fossils from the continent's green, forested past. By the trip's end, the geologists had found fossil fragments of […]
UW-Milwaukee developed app to help protect patients' brains during surgery
The work of some UW-Milwaukee (UWM) students is literally helping make people's lives better. The students in UWM's App Brewery worked with doctors at the Medical College of Wisconsin to develop an app that helps guide doctors during the delicate process of brain surgery. Incredibly, patients are awake during the surgery. The app, called NeuroMapper, […]
UW-Milwaukee scientists played key roles in LIGO Nobel Prize victory
The names of UW-Milwaukee (UWM) scientists don't appear in the announcement of the 2017 Nobel Prize winners in physics, but they played major roles in the achievement for which the prize was given – the discovery of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). UWM's Leonard E. Parker Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics is […]
UW-Milwaukee signs pledge to reduce emissions, plan for climate adaptation
On a hot summer morning, the thermostats "know" to air-condition the buildings when the first researchers arrive. Occupancy-sensitive digital temperature controls are just one cost-effective strategy that UW-Milwaukee uses to reduce energy usage. When the state of Wisconsin challenged all UW schools to cut energy consumption by 20% from 2005 levels, the university's Office of […]
UW-Milwaukee joins research center aimed at producing safer, more sustainable energy
UW-Milwaukee (UWM) has joined a federally funded partnership of universities and companies working to make the U.S. electrical grid more reliable, greener and less expensive. The university on Thursday announced its membership in a National Science Foundation-backed research center called "Grid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems," or GRAPES. The center partners with industry to develop new […]


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Populist parties and foreign policy: The case of Italy's Five Star Movement
Here you'll find the link to my latest publication, which deals with the issue of populism and foreign policy. The title of the paper (co-authored with Valerio Vignoli) is: Populist parties and foreign policy: The case of Italy's Five Star Movement. Here the abstract:
The role of political parties in foreign policy is gaining increasing attention. Nonetheless, despite an extraordinary interest in 'populism', the foreign policy of populist parties has rarely been investigated. This article provides an innovative theoretical framework, applying it on a rare example of a 'pure' populist party: Italy's Five Star Movement. How has Five Star Movement positioned on Italian contribution to military operations abroad? What does such positioning say about its ideological leaning? In order to address such questions, the article analyses Five Star Movement's MPs' votes and speeches on foreign policy during its first term in Parliament (2013–2018). We find that, notwithstanding some ambiguities, the Movement's stance has been mostly pacifist and humanitarian, resembling more a 'left-libertarian populist party' than a 'sovereigntist far-right one'. Through these findings, the article contributes to the debate on populist parties and foreign policy in Europe, clarifying also the elusive ideological leaning of the Five Star Movement.


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The trust deficit in mining
Posted by Dr Ross Harvey | Feb 16, 2018 | 0 |
Brazilian-owned Vale mine in the Moatize coal basin, Mozambique © Gianluigi Guercia / AFP
The prevailing trust deficit between sub-Saharan governments and mining companies could be bridged by better governance on both sides
A dispute between South Africa's Chamber of Mines and the department of mineral resources over the latest iteration of the Mining Charter highlights two major hurdles confronting the mining industry in Africa. The first is a trust deficit between extractive industry companies and host governments. The second is a propensity by host governments to make unilateral decisions.
Suspicion towards the extractive industries is not new. A long history of colonial exploitation of mineral and hydrocarbon resources has led to a refrain – repeated in a background briefing by the International Study Group (ISG) to the Africa Mining Vision in 2009 – that "the extraction industry is characterised by enclaves of mining activities with very weak links to local economies". The general view is that mining companies are foreign dominated, they don't transfer skills, knowledge and technology to local populations, and repatriate their profits to foreign shareholders.
Governments across the continent tend to accuse companies of avoiding taxation and of providing insufficient employment and other benefits for local communities. These accusations are usually a function of some combination of truth, perceptions of unfairness and political expedience.
As far as the truth element is concerned, an independent review of the Marikana Commission of Inquiry by Dick Forslund, senior economist at the Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC), found that Lonmin – the company where a workers' strike in 2012 for a minimum wage of $960 a month resulted in the most notorious police violence against a crowd since apartheid
– could have afforded the increase but chose not to. Furthermore, the financial statements of Lonmin subsidiaries Western Platinum Ltd (WPL) and Eastern Platinum Ltd revealed that WPL was a shell marketing company based in Bermuda, a tax haven.
Forslund notes that: "it is not hard to imagine cases where the transfer of money to a bank account in a tax haven only benefits a self-appointed group of insiders with exclusive access to this account". Lonmin told the commission that WPL was moved out of Bermuda in 2007. Forslund said, however, that this appeared to be contradicted by WPL's financial statements. The truth, he argued, was that WPL was not selling platinum in Bermuda, but was collecting a commission for doing so.
Hessian sack of cocoa beans are placed outside a warehouse in Gagnoa, in southern Ivory Coast. Gagnoa is the chief collecting point for a forest region that produces coffee, cocoa, and timber. AFP PHOTO / ISSOUF SANOGO
"The investigation showed that, starting from 2006, commissions and fees were substantially higher than the 2% and 1.9% of WPL's revenue that was stipulated in the inter-company agreement [between Lonmin and WPL]," the report concluded. More generally, as Martin Meredith shows in Diamonds, Gold and War: the British, the Boers, and the Making of South Africa (2007), the foundations of extractive institutions were laid by colonial mining companies such as De Beers, although many have since cleaned up their governance. Yet, unethical but legal practices remain.
Perceptions of unfairness often result from information asymmetry. In Tanzania, for example, the government recently accused Acacia Mining, a subsidiary of Canadian major Barrick Gold, of "illegally under-reporting the amount of metal in its shipments and evading billions of dollars of taxes", according to the Financial Times. "The revenue authority's assessments said Acacia owes the government approximately $40bn in unpaid taxes, plus a further $150bn in penalties and interest."
The impact has been severe, as Acacia's share price has dropped significantly. In response, the company warned that it would mothball its flagship mine if it could not reach an agreement with the government. This dispute precipitated a unilateral government decision in March 2017 to ban exports of gold and copper concentrates. While Acacia perceives that it is being unfairly treated and that the rules of the game are unstable, the government perceives that Acacia is not fully or honestly disclosing the quantity of gold it is actually exporting, and that it is being dishonest in its tax practices.
Across the continent, geological information asymmetry abounds – largely because governments do not have comprehensive geological surveys. Consequently, governments are unable to auction off sites with proven reserves, as is common in the oil industry. Governments feel aggrieved that they cannot extract rents upfront, but have to instead attract investment by offering exploration and production licences for relatively little money, only earning royalties in the future if a prospect proves successful.
Governments find it is easy to blame foreign mining companies for a host of social ills. Lonmin did itself no favours by failing to provide housing as it had promised in its social and labour plans. Though it may only apply to a small minority of offenders, the growing perception among governments is that mining companies represent neo-colonial exploitation.
This is an expedient political message from which to extract rents from companies already operating in host countries. But, as President John Magufuli's recent actions in Tanzania show, this approach might fail to extract sustainable rents and at the same time deter new investment. While the message that mining companies are guilty of repatriating profits back to shareholders in wealthy countries might resonate with electorates, this one-sided view ignores the benefits that mining could bring to these countries if proper governance was in place.
This trend of unilateral decision-making is being fuelled by a renewed wave of resource nationalism. Despite persistent low commodity prices and the associated difficulty of attracting investment into the mining industry, governments across the continent appear to be reverting to a development model emblematic of the 1960s. The idea is that minerals and metals mined locally should be converted to higher-value products in the country before being exported.
But, as Chris Roberts shows in a recent paper in the Cambridge Review of International Affairs: "The 'other resource curse' – the prevailing assumption that natural resources can easily be monetised to generate public goods and leveraged for industrial transformation – lies behind recurring policy disappointments since the independence era."
Alternatively, governments view the royalties they are charging as insufficient, sometimes increasing them overnight. These ideas have had demonstrable negative consequences. Governments are not unaware of the historical problems with this approach to development, but they insist on it nonetheless, sometimes out of desperation, given the need to fuel patronage machines.
In South Africa, the minister of mineral resources has gazetted a highly controversial mining charter that places the burden on mining companies to "transform" the industry's racial stratification. In the process, it has ignored the response of the Chamber of Mines, whose members ultimately have to implement the charter. The trust deficit has deteriorated to the point where most disputes are now being resolved through the courts.
In another example of unilateralism, in early 2015 the Zambian government raised a mineral royalty tax increase from 6% to 20% for opencast mines. In Guinea, the government kept changing the rules of the game for Simandou, a tier-one iron ore deposit. This led to a number of difficulties and an ongoing court case between Beny Steinmetz Group Resources (BSGR), which initially held the rights to the deposits, and Rio Tinto, which ended up paying a $700m "settlement agreement" to the government after it was awarded rights the government removed from BSGR.
The project looks further away from production now than ever before. We have already remarked on the likely effects of a one-sided decision in Tanzania. Constant changes to the rules of the game of this kind break trust and deter investment.
As Philip Keefer and Stephen Knack note in the Handbook of New Institutional Economics, levels of trust and trustworthiness vary greatly between countries, and lower levels can have a significant negative impact on economic outcomes and development. Without trust, credible commitment to honouring contracts is absent. Investment is consequently unforthcoming.
This might look like an obvious diagnosis, but it is difficult to treat. "The challenge for development theorists and policymakers alike is to identify the mechanisms that will create, nurture and sustain the types and combinations of social relationships conducive to building dynamic participatory societies, sustainable equitable economies, and accountable developmental states," the authors comment.
One such mechanism would be to demonstrate the benefit to companies and governments alike of adopting governance mechanisms such as those included in the King IV Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa, which contains 17 principles of good governance that would create an ethical culture, good performance, effective control and legitimacy. Those outcomes depend on ethical leadership as the foundation upon which the principles can be applied.
Until electorates become more adept at holding their governments to account, however, these and other governance mechanisms remain mere pieces of paper.
Ross Harvey is currently pursuing a PhD in economics at the University of Cape Town. His research examines why Angola and Nigeria have moved in different political directions despite being equally dependent on oil exports and revenues. He is the lead researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs on extractive industry governance, housed in the Governance of Africa's resources programme.
Dr Ross Harvey
Dr Ross Harvey is a natural resource economist and policy analyst, and he has been dealing with governance issues in various forms across this sector since 2007. He has a PhD in economics from the University of Cape Town, and his thesis research focused on the political economy of oil and institutional development in Angola and Nigeria. While completing his PhD, Ross worked as a senior researcher on extractive industries and wildlife governance at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), and in May 2019 became an independent conservation consultant. Ross's task at GGA is to establish a non-renewable natural resources project (extractive industries) to ensure that the industry becomes genuinely sustainable and contributes to Africa achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ross was appointed Director of Research and Programmes at GGA in May 2020.
https://ggamall.azurewebsites.net/author/dr-ross-harvey/
To hell with Shell?
Post COP26: The divestment opportunity
Dr Ross Harvey unpacks what should be top of Africa's agenda at COP26
Governance matters more than ever for South Africa
PreviousModels of public-private partnerships: How (not) to do it
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Turning tradition on its head
Is Africa really open for business?
Getting away with murder
South Africa lagging behind the Asian Tigers


Header image credit: adapted from kivanc.
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text:
package ic2.api.energy.tile;

/**
 * Tile entities which conduct energy pulses without buffering (mostly cables) have to implement this
 * interface.
 *
 * See ic2/api/energy/usage.txt for an overall description of the energy net api.
 */
public interface IEnergyConductor extends IEnergyAcceptor, IEnergyEmitter {
	/**
	 * Energy loss for the conductor in EU per block.
	 *
	 * @return Energy loss
	 */
	double getConductionLoss();

	/**
	 * Amount of energy the insulation will handle before shocking nearby players and mobs.
	 *
	 * @return Insulation energy absorption in EU
	 */
	double getInsulationEnergyAbsorption();

	/**
	 * Amount of energy the insulation will handle before it is destroyed.
	 * Ensure that this value is greater than the insulation energy absorption + 64.
	 *
	 * @return Insulation-destroying energy in EU
	 */
	double getInsulationBreakdownEnergy();

	/**
	 * Amount of energy the conductor will handle before it melts.
	 *
	 * @return Conductor-destroying energy in EU
	 */
	double getConductorBreakdownEnergy();

	/**
	 * Remove the conductor's insulation if the insulation breakdown energy was exceeded.
	 *
	 * @see #getInsulationBreakdownEnergy()
	 */
	void removeInsulation();

	/**
	 * Remove the conductor if the conductor breakdown energy was exceeded.
	 *
	 * @see #getConductorBreakdownEnergy()
	 */
	void removeConductor();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Holy Spirit Encounter 2013 saw about 200 attendees from Zambia, Congo, and Malawi. The speakers were Blake Lorenz and Armando Rodriguez from Florida, USA, and John Kilembo from Zambia. The theme was "Jesus". Blake's powerful preaching encouraged and inspired these church leaders to keep doing their work for the Lord and with the power of the Spirit. Armando led through-provoking and practical teachings that encouraged the leaders to lead as Jesus did - as a servant.


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Jan z Holešov (Holešov, 1366. – Rajhrad, 1436.), češki pisac, jezikoslovac, muzikolog, teolog i jedan od prvih etnografa.

Životopis

Jan iz Holešova bio je sin upravitelja biskupskog imovine u Holešovu. Nakon kratkog (i povijesno neizvjesnog) vremena, koje je proveo djelujući kao svećenik u Slušovicama, on je otišao na studij u Sorbonu, a nakon povratka stupio je u benediktinski samostan u Pragu. Nakon izbijanja Husarskih ratova, kada je samostan bio uništen, on se preselio u benediktinski samostan u Rajhrad. Tamo je i umro 1436.
godine.

On je postao nadaleko poznat po dvijema publikacijama za koje je potvrđeno njegovo autorstvo. Prva, koju je napisao 1397., je teološka, ali prije svega jezična, analiza najstarije poznate češke pjesme "Gospodine, smiluj se" (češ. Hospodine, pomiluj ny), iz 10. ili prve polovice 11. stoljeća. Druga njegova publikacija je "Rasprava na Badnjak", u kojoj on opisuje i analizira narodne običaje vezane uz proslavu Božića. To je jedan od ranih primjer etnografskih istraživanja.

1397. iznio je govor u kojem kaže: "Tu treba najprije znati da mi Česi i rodom i jezikom prvobitno potječemo od Hrvata, kao što govore ili svjedoče naše kronike, i zato je naš češki jezik podrijetlom hrvatski jezik (...) na početku su svi Česi u toj zemlji govorili upravo tako, kao što sada govore Hrvati." (Nos Bohemi et genere et lingua originaliter processimus a Charvatis, ut nostrae chronicae dicunt seu testantur, et ideo nostrum boemicale ydioma de genere suo est charvaticum ydioma.)

Vanjske poveznice

 http://www.hr/darko/etf/ceska.html
 Hrvatska glagoljica - biti pismen, biti svoj (autor Darko Žubrinić)

Holešov, Jan


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The New Corona Vaccine Developed by Pfizer is More than 90% Effective
Comments Off on The New Corona Vaccine Developed by Pfizer is More than 90% Effective
The new crona vaccine developed by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and the German biotech company BioNTech has preliminary test results showing that it is more than 90% effective. However, this vaccine requires ultra-low temperature storage and transportation.
It will take a few weeks at the earliest, and the new vaccine must be determined to be safe. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) usually depends on how subjects react after two months. Pfizer said that so far there have been no serious safety issues. The two-month observation period will be reached later this month. Pfizer will submit the information to the FDA for approval.
● When can people start getting this vaccine?
The Wall Street Journal said that if everything goes well, you can ask the market before the end of this year at the earliest, because production has already started. However, the initial supply will be more limited. Pfizer said that it can produce 50 million doses this year for 25 million people to administer, because each person needs two doses; next year, the output can increase to 1.3 billion doses.
● How is the vaccine delivered? Can people from all over the world get it?
Said that the biggest obstacle to distribution and delivery of this vaccine is that it requires ultra-low temperature delivery and storage: minus 70 degrees Celsius. Such cold chain storage and transportation requirements cannot be easily overcome by even the most advanced medical institutions in the United States. Therefore, in the future, the supply of remote areas and the backward areas of the world may cause problems that cannot be fairly distributed.
● Who can give priority to the vaccine?
High-risk groups such as medical and health care workers and residents of nursing homes for the elderly will be given priority.
● Will the blockade due to epidemic prevention be lifted soon?
Because the first wave of vaccine supply is limited, it will not be possible for the general public to administer all the vaccines soon. Public health experts said that it will not be until next summer at least for the wider public to get the vaccine. Therefore, anti-epidemic measures such as social distancing and wearing masks still need to be maintained.
● Is the safety of the vaccine ensured?
Bloomberg pointed out that if it is widely used without traditional long-term adequate trials, vaccinators are at greater risk of side effects that could have been found in clinical trials. In September, a vaccine jointly developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca showed an unexplained case in the UK, highlighting the safety risks of rushing to produce the vaccine. Later, the test in the UK resumed because AstraZeneca said that the independent review suggested that it was safe, and it was approved by British health officials, and the test was eventually resumed elsewhere. In October, Johnson & Johnson also suspended the trial after a subject developed an unexplained disease.
● How will the vaccine be shipped to the world?
Some people in rich countries are destined to get the opportunity to be vaccinated earlier than others. In order to prevent rich countries from monopolizing new crona vaccine resources, Oslo-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, the World Health Organization and Gavi, a global non-profit organization focused on vaccine distribution, jointly established COVAX. The goal is to raise 18 billion US dollars from middle and high-income countries to ensure All poor countries and donor countries can provide tested and effective vaccines for high-risk groups. Public health experts emphasize that the equal distribution of vaccines around the world is not only about ethics, but also vital to ending this crisis.
UPDATE: We are proud to announce, along with BioNTech, that our mRNA-based #vaccine candidate has, at an interim analysis, demonstrated initial evidence of efficacy against #COVID19 in participants without prior evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. . . . . Click the link in our bio for more.
Pfizer Inc. (@pfizerinc)'in paylaştığı bir gönderi ( 9 Kas, 2020, 8:57öö PST )
new crona
Joe Biden Yönetime Geçiş Hazırlıklarına Başladı "Kabinede Kadınlar Olacak"
YouTube Adds HDR Support for IPhone 12 Users
Pfizer: FDA, Anti-Covid Tableti Onayladı
Pfizer: FDA Approves Anti-Covid Tablet
Punjab Govt' Employees will not Get Salary Without Vaccine
Pfizer Projects $ 36 Billion in Annual Revenue for its Vaccine
Pfizer will Seek Approval from Anvisa for Covid-19 Vaccine in Children Aged 5 to 11 Years
Chanel: 100 Years of its Legendary Perfume
Esad İle Görüşme İçin Komisyon Kurulacak
Kerry: 'Kürtler Kobani'de Türk Askeri İstemiyor"


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Components > Defense Blog
Implications of Robotics and AI on the Defense Sector
by Asif Anwar | Mar 22, 2019
Strategy Analytics will be speaking at the Automation AI and Robotics Forum, which will drill down into the exciting new areas of automation and AI, and examine how organisations are grappling with the challenges and opportunities they are presenting in relationships with their customers. Delegates at the event will hear from global experts, leading edge technology companies and also from organisations implementing automation and AI strategies in the field of customer engagement. Strategy Analytics will discuss the implications of robotics and AI on the defense sector, looking specifically at the increasing use of robotics, in the form of unmanned systems in the defense sector, the impact of a contested and congested RF spectrum of operations upon radar, electronic warfare and communications systems, and the role that AI will play to provide differentiation on the battlefield.
The success of unmanned aerial systems in providing real-time information to military commanders has contributed to both mission effectiveness and in protecting personnel. An expansion of the mission envelope beyond ISR will help drive continued demand for UAS platforms in this realm and this is being paralleled at an even faster rate in the civilian and commercial sectors with a range of applications.
As background, UAS platforms can be categorised in terms of size and weight, as well as the flight envelope and endurance offered:
SUAS (small UAS) – e.g. the Aerovironment RQ-11B Raven
TUAS (tactical UAS) – e.g. the Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle, the Elbit Hermes 450 (used by the UK Army as the Watchkeeper)
MALE – (medium altitude long endurance) – e.g. the General Atomics Predator
HALE – (high altitude long endurance) – e.g. the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk
ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) were the initial application drivers for UAS platforms in the military sector, but as the platforms have improved in capabilities, so has the mission envelope. Airborne ground surveillance and surveillance missions still represent the dominant use of UAS platforms, but potential is also growing for use of UAS platforms to support maritime patrol and EW (electronic warfare) requirements. UAS platforms are increasingly forming part of the total solution supplementing the capabilities offered by manned platforms.
The success of unmanned aerial systems in providing real-time information to military commanders has contributed to both mission effectiveness and in protecting personnel. An expansion of the mission envelope beyond ISR has helped drive continued demand for UAS platforms as well as subsequent demand for RF-based systems including radar and EW systems, but the challenge of integrating these platforms into civilian air space remains to be resolved.
Initial attempts to shoehorn military platforms for use in civilian air space have to date had mixed results, but this is being helped with the growing application of UAS platforms in the consumer and civilian sectors, as well as the development of platforms developed with civilian integration in mind from the outset. The growth in demand for UAS platforms providing commercial services encompasses agriculture, delivery services, media, first responder, media/entertainment and other industries, with agriculture, commercial security and first responder sectors potentially accounting for close to 49% of the forecasted $15 billion market for commercial UAS platforms by 2027.
To achieve mass adoption of commercial UAS platforms across government and enterprises and achieve this $15 billion potential will be almost singularly contingent upon the establishment of favorable regulatory frameworks. Existing regulations that currently underpin the use of UAS platforms will need to evolve and expand to enable applications that require sharing of civilian airspace and the requisite ground infrastructure currently used exclusively by manned aircraft.
Integration will require the implementation of harmonized Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and procedures (PANS) and there is a 2031 target focused on developing a mature and complete set of technologies, standards, regulations, guidance and procedures to support transparent integration of UAS platforms.
This integration will require several technical challenges be addressed, and these will include the man machine interface (MMI), Communications and Control Minimum Operating Performance Standards (C2 MOPS) and Sense-and-avoid (SAA) or detect- and-avoid (DAA) systems. This will dictate additional demand for dedicated sensors and associated technologies including satellite datalinks to allow beyond line of sight flight, sense and avoid systems underpinned by radar, LiDAR and EO-IR technologies.
Crucially, AI will be integral to this expansion and achieving the goal of UAS platforms using civilian airspace routinely without requiring special provisions.
However, the expansion of commercial UAS use also brings a disruptive potential, intentional or otherwise, as well their implementation in the asymmetric threat arsenal. Almost every legitimate use has an almost mirror illegal counterpart. Examples include illicit goods trafficking into prisons and across borders, and disruption to commercial air traffic either through collisions with aircraft or interference to other airport operations such as boarding.
Being able to detect and counter illegal UAS platforms is a growing concern, but unfortunately, the threats in the civilian sector have up until now been largely seen as hypothetical with the early market for counter-UAS systems has been driven by the military market, and no real budgets being allocated for the civilian sector. Recent high profile events in the UK where drones caused severe disruption to airport operations at Gatwick and Heathrow airports have served to bring this issue to the fore. The ability to counter the UAS threat is a prime example of disparate systems being brought together to overcome four key requirements:
Monitoring of the spectrum environment
Finding the signal
Sensing the threat
Neutralizing the threat
These capabilities will be enabled using radar, EW, C2 (command and control) and other technologies typically associated with military systems. Moving forwards, these systems will use AI to enable effective counter-UAS operations.
More immediately, the unabated radio spectrum land grab by the commercial sector will mean that the challenges for radar, EW and communications systems NOW include being able to operate effectively in an increasingly congested spectrum environment and developing sharing mechanisms, while also combating new potential threats such as those presented by illicit use of UAS platforms.
A key challenge will be dealing with the vast amounts of data generated across military and commercial networks which will require better spectrum management, as well as optimising spectrum use through the use of more complex modulation and AESA-based architectures. This will be coupled with wideband RF technologies and a focus on bringing the signal into the digital domain using faster ADCs and DACs to enable faster digital processing. This will be coupled with software that takes advantages of component hardware capabilities to enable systems that feature flexible configurability, field re-programmability and spectrum management.
This is leading to system automation and is providing the evolutionary stepping stones towards systems that are at present adaptive and will eventually feature cognitive capabilities enabled through artificial intelligence that enable faster understanding, insightful decision-making and timely action.
Taken collectively, it is clear that AI-enabled robotics platforms and sensor systems will provide the next generation of differentiation on the battlefield.
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Create exciting school projects or cool promotional materials in seconds. This Habiba logo can be used in endless contexts. Just a sample of use: campaigns, classified ads, folders, signs, business cards, party invitations and banners. All logos can be easily customized to your needs!
These Habiba logos you can use for all occasions. Both for personal or professional use. For example you can use them to create: magnets, ads, photo posters, film editing, blogs, place cards and luggage tags. You can choose from hundreds of various logos!
These Habiba logos you can use for all occasions. Both for personal or professional use. For example you can use them to create: folders, giveaways, image processing, keychains, banners, websites and name tags. And all our logos are of course free to use!
This Habiba logo may be used anywhere. Your imagination is the limit. Create compelling presentations at work or at school. A few usage examples: websites, name tags, spreadsheets, film editing, place cards, luggage tags and christmas cards. Customize the logo for your needs in seconds!


Home > G-sleeve Art > "Crazy Lady" Prints by David > "Little Blue Dress"
13" x 19" with a foam core backing.
This print is one in a series of "Crazy Lady" paintings which are similar in style and bear an uncanny similarity to the strange women of one's imagination. They reflect David's whimsical style and his quirky view of the universe. Much like Pablo Picasso, David doesn't rely on conventional depictions of people in this series of paintings. They are distinguished by the wild hair and ethereal gown sported by a prim and proper lady, and the aloofness of any other characters involved. As a hanging, they add color to any room and stimulate conversation as viewers speculate on the identity of the lady and the sanity of the artist.


Intima (Pvt) Ltd, situated at Panadura (Western Province, Sri Lanka) has been manufacturing bras and briefs for M&S, Victoria's Secret, Jones New York, Panache UK.
Our current customer profile includes Tchibo, Hunkemoller, Landmark etc.
Ornamento (Pvt) Ltd, situated at Payagala, (Western Province, Sri Lanka) also has been manufacturing bras and briefs for the same customers and it's current customer profile includes the same buyers as above of Intima (Pvt) Ltd.
lingerie accessories including, textile ornaments such as bows, rosettes, ultrasonic cut motif etc.
Accessories for swimwear and kidswear.
This factory also specializes in hand embroidery and embellishment such as sequins/beads attaching by hand. We are planning to use this facility to make value added garments for our customers.
This trading company is a joint venture between intima's shareholders, Ciel Dazur of Korea and Bonitex Fareast of Hong Kong. Textrim supplies fabrics and accessories to the garment industry in Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Morocco, specializing in raw materials for lingerie. It operates offices in China, Hong Kong and Korea. We will make use of this facility to obtain our fabric and accessories at the best available prices and quality.


One of Marquette County's little known lakes for good fishing & great friendships. Lake Emery is a no wake lake, but cruise on your pontoon, electric motor boat or your kayak/canoe. It is hard for sellers to move on but will be a great place for your family to make their memories. Inside you find open concept, loft & plenty of windows on the lake side to enjoy the views. Or sit on the deck for a relaxing evening. Did I mention the gas fireplace for those cooler evenings? LL provides entertaining space with a full 2nd bath & sleeping space. 2 car detached garage, metal roofs & large lot complete the property.
5 Acres on Buffalo Lake with 387 feet of water frontage. The 5 acres is currently divided into 5 separate tax parcels with 1 parcel on the Buffalo Lake side and 4 parcels on the opposite side of Freedom Rd. Several preliminary building sites with soil tests on file. Bring your own plans and build a custom home with lots of elbow room. Pick your perfect lot and resell the remaining or divide up and start your own subdivision. The possibilities are endless.
11 acres with 400' of Mecan River waterfront, this updated ranch awaits new owners. 3 bedroom 2 bath features a large bright kitchen with dinette, living area that has a walkout to a new wrap around deck. Partial basement offers good dry storage. 2 car detached garage and additional 3 car detached offers a heated, insulated workshop and loft for added storage. Land offers the perfect blend of open agricultural field and wooded forest adjacent to the stream where wildlife abounds. The Mecan River is a popular destination for the fly fisherman chasing brown and rainbow trout.
220' of Buffalo Lake Frontage & almost 3 acres to spread out. Single wide mobile home has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. 2 car detached garage, fenced yard for pets, separate 12x15 building for extra accommodations, play room or man cave/she shed. Above ground pool & deck with newer liner. Seller has previously used this as a summer place, but could be used year around with natural gas, forced air heating & cooling. ATV & snowmobile trails in the area as well as close to the Dells, Amish country, flea markets & many other lakes. Convenient I39 access. Make this your weekend getaway or next home on the lake for fishing.
71 Acres boasting 1/2 mile of frontage on the Fox River. This property is best suited for nature lovers! Pristine condition 3 bed 2 bath manufactured home with attached 2 car and detached 3 car plus 20X12 shed. Full basement awaits your finishing touches. This property includes 4 tax parcels, fenced orchard with plum, pear, and apple trees. The pond is absolutely beautiful...enjoy while dining/on deck.
REDUCED! Beautiful 4 bdrm 3 bth, year round home on an aerated channel full of game & pan fish right off dock on north shore of Puckaway Lake. This home is in move in condition with new Floors, the huge Kitchen is amazing. Wood FP, Central Air, 10x36 upper screened porch with patio doors, as well as lower 10x36 screened porch with patio doors walkout to Lake. 2 car garage, lean too. Huge Family room in lower level with bdrm, full bath and workshop. Swim, fish, ski, or just cruise along this 5400 acre lake. Many places to stop and dine along the way. Golf carts legal on 25 MPH roads, ATV routes at road.
Looking for a great weekend retreat or year round home!!! This is it. 32 X 40 pole Shed with 200 amp electric, 22 X 20 Garage w/electric, 16 X 12 party house with gas fireplace, bar room, screened in porch and fire pit area that have awesome views to the river, car port, 2 BD/1Bath mobile home that has been well cared for and all on the Montello River. The moble home has newer siding, roof and windows and the landscaping is all done for you. This property has everything you need and is move in ready. Come and check it out for yourself!!
Silver Springs Lake - 90 Feet of sand beach frontage and some of the best lake views you'll ever find on the lake! Expansive views! 3 Bedrooms. 1 1/2 Baths. Large Living Room with stone fireplace. "Wisconsin Room" faces lake where you'll spend so much of your time---- loads of windows. Full Basement with huge Family Room and more! Blacktop driveway.
250 FEET OF FRONTAGE ON NEENAH LAKE! - 2 piers. Loads of great fishing for trout, northern, bass, perch, bluegill and more! Beautifully wooded double lot in secluded locale. 2 bedroom A-frame. Private well and septic. 2 sun decks. 2 sliding patio door sets leading to lake side 16x18 deck off the living room. Firepit. 10x20 ft. storage building with front and rear entrances. Secluded setting on dead end street yet within a couple miles of town.
White Lake Retreat! This one owner property offers gentle sloping lake frontage, 3 bedrm home, out building for pleasure/work & another lot for privacy. 3 parcels comprise this one of a kind opportunity. Home has A-frame appeal with windows to the lake, loft, full basement/walk out, 6 inch walls, Anderson Windows, main floor laundry, douglas fir floors, 3 sources of heat & lots of room for your family. The out building main floor (40x75) was used as a machine shop with 6 in concrete in that area. 2nd floor (25x75) was a studio. Each floor has a bathroom & heat. Walls & ceiling are knotty pine. This is a must see!
This rustic log home sits on 1.51 acres with 100 feet of waterfront on Harris Pond. Enjoy the peaceful views from your four season room that is all windows and tile flooring. Rustic interior finish and hardwood floors throughout most. Large master bedroom has lots of extra space. A detached 2 car garage with extra storage, along with an attached 2 car garage. Shaded with mature trees.
ANOTHER PRICE REDUCTION! 4 SEASON mobile home on beautiful Lake Puckaway....situated on 1.37 acres of beautiful frontage. Fruit and shade trees, kitchen appliances and washer/dryer included. Fabulous duck hunting, swimming, fishing.
This one-of-a-kind beauty is located on the Fox River with easy access to Puckaway Lake! Custom-built with love, this home features fiber cement siding, a steel roof, geo-thermal heating/cooling, radiant in-floor heat with modern design and high-end finishes throughout. The dramatic wall of windows in the great room and master suite seamlessly blend the indoors and outdoors. With marble flooring throughout the main level, custom lighting, cabinetry and fixtures, a gorgeous open-concept and amazing river view on a dead-end street - this one is not to be missed!
LAKE EMERY Home ready for new owner. All major costly items in the home have been removed,replaced or upgraded. New roof on home and garage (11/2017). New furnace and central air (6/2018) New pressure tank and pump for the well (2018). The main floor interior living space has been cleaned and painted together with new floor covering throughout. This property has 2 1/2 lots on the lake and a 2 car garage with a concrete driveway. Great buy for year round or seasonal use.
Adorable & affordable cottage with a lakefront lot on Buffalo Lake. Home is well maintained and ready for you to enjoy. Lake front lot is 60'x186' and is equipped with a pier and 2 storage buildings. This is a beautiful wooded lot and has perked for a conventional system. There is an additional 60'x167' wooded lot next to the home. Use the property as is or live in your cottage until your new home is constructed on the lakefront lot. Priced to sell with 3 lots and water frontage.
YEAR ROUND WATERFRONT LIVING CAN BE YOURS FROM THIS MODERNIZED 3 BEDROOM HOME ON THE SHORES OF A 2200 ACRE GREAT FISHING LAKE. COMFORTABLE LIVING ROOM WITH A GORGEOUS STONE WOODBURNING FIREPLACE & KNOTTY PINE ACCENT. COMPLETELY UPDATED INTERIOR INCLUDING FLOORING, FIXTURES, FURNACE, CENTRAL AIR AND APPLIANCES. BRIGHT KITCHEN WITH VIEWS OF THE WATER AND A SUNROOM FACING THE LEVEL 120' OF WATERFRONT FOR SPECTACULAR SUNSETS. SOME FURNISHINGS INCLUDED TO MAKE THIS A TURN-KEY OPPORTUNITY. 4 SEASON RECREATIONAL PROPERTY IN A PEACEFUL SETTING, NOTHING TO DO BUT BRING YOUR FISHING POLE.
Chalet on Buffalo Lake with 90 feet of water frontage. On a beautiful one acre wooded lot set for privacy. The property is being sold "as is" and "priced to sell" with a motivated seller. Can be a turnkey property, just add family and friends. Well is operating, but not to code, septic is functioning, but not to code. Home is totally usable and could be used year round. Large over-sized garage and shed. Come take a look, this can be a special property!
WATERFRONT FUN!! Build that dream home or a cute little cabin with fabulous views of Buffalo Lake. 2000 plus acres of excellent fishing and boating lake. Buffalo Lake is a 2179 acre lake located in Marquette County. It has a maximum depth of 8 feet. Along with bass and northern pike, pan fish such as perch, blue gill, sunfish, crappies and the occasional muskie are caught. Near-by golf courses, other boating, horseback riding, and the world-famous Wisconsin Dells with all its exciting attractions within a quick 20 minute drive.
Enjoy the views of Buffalo Lake from the very spacious open concept kitchen, dining and living room area. This year round home hosts two bedrooms and one full bath. First floor laundry area. Partial basement. Attached 2 car heated and a detached one car garage. All of this and more on 2 1/2 acres. 1.5 acre level lot across the road. Great spot for a garden.
Tuttle Lake, south shore, water ski lake. Year round cabin/home on full recreational lake in very good condition. Property consists of almost an acre which includes 22' of Tuttle Lake frontage. This provides the lake access without the significant tax burden. The home has full basement, newer roof & siding, wood floors with 2 bedrooms & 1 bath. There is a 1 car garage. Beautiful trees and views of wonderful Tuttle Lake.
4 Bedroom, 2 bathroom home on Montello River with lots of outdoor living space!. It is in a very quiet and relaxing location where you feel like your away from everything, but then a less than 10 minutes to town. Metal Roof. Front and back deck with beautiful view of the water. 100 feet of waterfront on the Montello River. This is a Fannie Mae property.
turn key, 3-br 3.5 bath, full log, cathedral ceilings. Living room w/ 2 story stone wb fireplace, kitchen w/ quartz counter tops, custom maple cabinetry & pantry, a dining area, 4-season room overlooking Lawrence Lake. br/sitting room w/ full bath & closet, 2 upper bedrooms, one is a lovely master w/ a private balcony a master bath w/lovely tile & a Kohler jacuzzi tub. Bunkroom w/ private bath & balcony, & a loft room with wood burning free standing soapstone stove, lower level has a laundry room & 2 large game rooms w/ heated tile floors, bath. Set on a 1.5 acres wooded lot with 254 of gorgeous lake front.
Lakefront Paradise! Rare opportunity to purchase this secluded Wisconsin Lake Property with 160 /- feet of frontage on spring fed Glacier Lake! This Low maintenance ranch features - 3 bedroom 2 bath home, open floorplan, large living room with wood burning fireplace, large 4 season sun room, main level laundry, an oversized 3 car garage and fantastic views from every window. All of this situated on a large .87 private wooded lot at the end of a Cul-de-sac! Enjoy wildlife, awesome fishing and peaceful living on this incredible property! 60 miles north of Madison, 20 miles to WI Dells!


In 2012 we launched our first commercial publication: "Solutions to Cracking in Houses & Other Small Buildings". This is a practical book aimed at assisting forensic structural investigation aimed primarily at the lay reader. It may be of practical assistance or for use as a training manual.
A free download of selections and more information is available at the Solutions to Cracking in Houses & Other Small Buildings e-book website.
Remedial Solutions to Reactive Building Movement, BDPS News, July, 2010.
Soil and Buildings - Grounds for Dispute, presentation, BDPS discussion evening September 2010.
Electronic Document Exchange (with John Browning), BDPS News, October, 2011.


A Buzz in the Building.
How much of a buzz is there in your building?
Do you know where your organisation is heading and how your leadership will take it there?
Do people working in your organisation always do what you want them to do?
Is your team consistently enthusiastic, engaged and motivated to do its best?
A Buzz in the Building will change the way you think about your business. The wisdom and stories gleaned from Kate Mercer's lifetime of working with business leaders make this book an engaging and inspirational read. Kate takes you through the mindsets and skills that are required to create an organisation that functions as smoothly and organically as a beehive.
Find out more about Kate Mercer and Leaders Lab. Or to discover why this book is "a really useful handbook for someone who wants to better understand the nature of change and how it can affect people" then visit the book reviews page.
The book is published by SRA Books, priced at £14.99.


Are you ready to make the best whiteboard animation video?
Well, let's see. Do you want to have a tool that has an educational value, helps you convert more leads into customers and improves your SEO? Then yes, you're ready!
A whiteboard animation video is a type of explainer video that mixes great storytelling (it creates a story in front of your audience's eyes), high-quality animation and educational value; and they're highly engaging.
Originally, it was made by an artist drawing on a real whiteboard, and recorded by a camera. Right now, whiteboard videos have become fully digital, but they still keep the essence of the classic process. This evolution is great because now a whiteboard animation production looks more clean and you can add 2D character animation and special effects.
But there's a catch. Even though whiteboard videos are a great tool, you must make them correctly: a poorly done whiteboard video will backfire on you, leading to poor audience engagement. If your whiteboard video isn't right, you won't get the results you want, and this will be reflected in your video metrics and marketing objectives.
To avoid this, you must know the rules of the whiteboard video production process, or even better: find a high-quality Whiteboard video production company.
If you want your video to be great and you want to avoid the typical mistakes throughout whiteboard video production, let me give you some tips!
First of all, there are three basic elements that make up a whiteboard video. The first one is the drawing hand.
You see, in the ancient, prehistoric times of the original whiteboard animation, everything was drawn by hand! Ok, maybe not prehistoric, but you get my point. The world has evolved (thankfully!) and now the animation is created digitally, but still, a whiteboard animation is not the same without the presence of a drawing hand.
The drawing hand is essential! It can even be an active part of your story, becoming a character on its own.
Ok, you were probably expecting that. A whiteboard video is, obviously, not a whiteboard video without having a white background to draw on.
Of course, you can get creative and change it, if that change is relevant to your story, but be careful! Changing can erase (pun intended) the whole meaning of the whiteboard video style.
The third classic element of a whiteboard animation video is an interconnected drawing, which will give continuity to your story.
Also, this will create the feeling of anticipation in your viewers, and spark their interest. How? Well, the story is going to be created in front of their eyes! So they will be always wondering what comes next.
These three basic elements are what helps your audience recognize the style of a whiteboard video. The traditional style!
You're, of course, allowed (and encouraged!) to add some specific elements, to make the whiteboard style more like your brand's style; but even then you should keep it as traditional as you can.
#5. … but not that traditional!
Well, now that you know the rules, let's break them!
You can stray a little from that white background with black marker drawings… it's time to add some hints of color!
Not too much, anyway. Remember balance: it's not about making a full color video (if you want full color, you can use another type of explainer video, like a cartoon animation). This is about accentuating some parts of your messages with a little bit of color.
Of course, you get bonus points if you choose your brand color! Add it to some key points to make your brand present during the video.
Remember your buyer Personas? They're the representation of your ideal customers, and they've got an important place on your whiteboard video!
Introduce them as animated characters on your video, as representations of your audience. They contribute to the continuity of your video, because you'll build your story around them.
Animated characters make your story move forward, and make it entertaining and fun to watch!
It's so important to do this, because emotion is what will engage your audience, and catch their attention.
By appealing with their emotions, you'll make them identify with your message. If you strike the right cord, they will remember your video, and be interested in your brand.
Whiteboard videos are perfect for attracting and retaining your audience's attention. This is why they make great educational videos, because people learn things better when they're interested, and having fun!
This explainer video style has a great potential for education, so use that in your favor. Because, what could be more educational than scribbling on a whiteboard?
A great story comes with a great script. It's the core of any animated marketing video. In the specific case of whiteboard animations, you've got your three classic visual characteristics (white background, black drawing and hand), but they can't create a great video on their own! This is where the power of storytelling comes in.
As human beings and audience members, we love stories. There's nothing more engaging for your audience than to feel enchanted by your story, and to achieve this, you must have a clear goal when writing a script.
This goal should be focusing on your potential customers and their needs. They've got answers and problems that need to be solved, and that's the most important thing for you, when writing a script for a whiteboard video.
Actually, we've created a free e-book, just for you, with the information you'll need about writing the best explainer video script. Go take a look, to learn about the script writing process in depth!
But, right now, what you have to remember is that your prospects have come to you looking for answers, and your goal is to be helpful to them.
Provide your prospects with the answers they need.
#10. Read your script out loud!
So, now you have a great script, focused on your audience's needs. Now, when you've finished your script, how can you really know that it's ready? Read it out loud!
No, you will not look like a crazy person; yes, it will help you a lot! This is because you want to have a script that sounds natural, so you must read it out loud to be sure that your choice of voice inflections, speed of speech, and emphasis on some words, sound as natural as possible.
Overall, all these tips can be summed up into one, the most important one! Your animated whiteboard video, as all of your online marketing content, must always be the best quality.
If your marketing video is not of the highest quality, the credibility of your brand will suffer. So, what you're looking for is expertise.
What you need is a team that is capable of turning your complex concepts into the best custom whiteboard video! Look for a whiteboard video production company that has a solid portfolio and good references. Do your research to choose the best company.
There are great video production companies out there, with different prices and different styles, so choose the one that fits your needs the best.
Now you know all the elements you need to make the perfect custom whiteboard video.
Whiteboard explainer videos are the best way to simplify complex concepts: they're highly educational, interesting and effective.
You can start from that to create a world of possibilities. You can be more or less creative, depending on your brand's interests and what you're looking for: add characters and use storytelling, emotion and education to make your video memorable.
And remember: if you want a high-quality whiteboard animation video, that will help your brand get the results they want, hire a professional, specialized in whiteboard animation.
So, that's it! Are you ready to have the best whiteboard explainer video for your business? Let's chat!


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Jake Gyllenhaal in First Trailer for Dan Gilroy's Film 'Velvet Buzzsaw'
"No originality. No courage." Netflix has debuted the first official trailer for an indie drama titled Velvet Buzzsaw, which is premiering at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival in just a few weeks. Velvet Buzzsaw is the latest feature from screenwriter-turned-director Dan Gilroy, following up Nightcrawler and Roman J. Israel, Esq.. He teams up with Jake Gyllenhaal again for a film that is described as "a thriller set in the contemporary art world scene of Los Angeles where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce." That sounds quite enticing and very provocative. The film's cast includes Rene Russo, Toni Collette, Zawe Ashton, Tom Sturridge, Natalia Dyer, Daveed Diggs, Billy Magnussen, and John Malkovich. Ahahaha this looks so killer, totally wild and wicked and mysterious. I really can't wait to see this and find out what's really going on here. You have to check out this vivid trailer.
Here's the first official trailer for Dan Gilroy's Velvet Buzzsaw, direct from Netflix's YouTube:
All art is dangerous. Velvet Buzzsaw is a thriller set in the contemporary art world scene of Los Angeles where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce. Velvet Buzzsaw is both written and directed by American writer-filmmaker Dan Gilroy, his third feature film after directing Nightcrawler and Roman J. Israel, Esq. previously; he also worked on the screenplays for Chasers, The Fall, Real Steel, The Bourne Legacy, and Kong: Skull Island. This is premiering at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival coming up later this month. Netflix will then release Dan Gilroy's Velvet Buzzsaw streaming exclusively starting on February 1st, 2019 next month. First impression? How does that look?
Find more posts: Indies, To Watch, Trailer


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Mercurial is an adventure published by FASA in 1989 for the near-future cyberpunk role-playing game Shadowrun.

Plot summary
The adventure is set in Seattle in 2050. The Runners are hired to protect the rock star Maria Mercurial from her former manager, who apparently wants to harm her after she broke their contract. Soon it becomes clear that this is not a simple bodyguarding gig, as first a Yakuza gang and then a second group appears, and details of Maria's unhappy past begin to surface.

Publication history
Following the publication of the role-playing game Shadowrun in 1989, FASA immediately followed up with the first adventure supplement Mercurial, an 80-page softcover book written by Paul Hume, with interior art by Joel Biske, Timothy Bradstreet, Barry Crain, Tammy Daniels, Tara Gallagher, Earl Geier, Rick Harris, and Jim Nelson, and cover art by Jeff Laubenstein.

Reception
In the January 1990 edition  of Games International (Issue 12), Lee Brimmicombe-Wood admired the production and layout, especially the "debugging" instruction for gamemasters in each section, "for getting players back on track if they wander off course." Although Brimmicombe-Wood thought the adventure "fairly straightforward and unchallenging [...] little more than  a linear shoot-em-up", he admitted that the adventure possessed "enough pizzazz and ideas to make it rattle along at a furious pace [...] it's loud and noisy enough to keep a largish group of players happy for a couple of sessions." Brimmicombe-Wood didn't like an element of fantasy included in the thriller plot, "confirming that FASA have yet to get the cyberpunk/fantasy blend right." Brimmicombe-Wood concluded by giving the adventure an average rating of 3 out of 5, saying, "for a referee who is not afraid to handle plenty of action and turn up the style this is a tight, compact little scenario to throw (grenade-like) at his or her group. Handle with care."

In the May 1990 edition of White Wolf (Issue #20), Stephan Wieck gave it an above average rating of 4 out of 5 overall, stating, "Mercurials only weakness may be that some of its storyline transitions are difficult for the players to follow and for gamemaster to run."

References

Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1989
Shadowrun adventures


Now Beetle is getting bigger, the Phil & Ted's Nest that we were using as a portacot isn't really an option any more – it's a fantastic little bed, and so quick & easy to set up, but being low & bendable, the little rotter can just push down & crawl out of it, and had, on more than one occasion recently, simply rolled out in his sleep. So it was time we looked at options, but being our last baby, and probably not all that long off wanting to move into a bed, I wasn't keen on the idea of buying a new portacot. So with the holidays upon us, and a roadtrip in the works, I found an hour to closet myself in the studio & whip up a little bed wrap I have had in my mind for a while now to stop him from rolling off the camp bunks.
Just two long strips of cotton from my stash, a square added to the bottom & attached to each side (so he can't roll under the sides & fall out), and then bound around the top. It worked really well, he didn't fall out at all, though I want to come back to it and add fabric between the base & sides at end, because Beetle, it seems, is a wriggler extraordinaire, and I would often have to pull him back into bed properly after finding him halfway to the end of the bed when we came in at night. The only downside is, being fabric, he can still easily pull it down & climb out, so I do need to sit with him, but once he is asleep, it works like a dream – no more babies on the floor!
Isn't that part of the fun of camping though. Find went the kids have ended up sleeping. Last time we went away I think Master L slept in a different spot each night. In B stretch, half in his ready bed half on the floor and my favourite right in the middle of our blow up bed.
Less fun when you have to play "find the baby" in the dark when he's crying though!!