2016-03-02 by @edent | #hacking #hacks #iot #lights #smart home #wifi | 74 comments | Read ~167,545 times.
I've just got a WiFi light switch.
As I've explained previously, swapping out all my existing light bulbs with Smart Bulbs would be hugely expensive and has the disadvantage of not working when the switches are off at the wall.
WiFi built into the switch means I don't need to use a hub to control my devices - I can connect directly to them and not have to worry about hardware incompatibilities.
The UK has a unique way of wiring houses which doesn't lend itself well to automated control. The switches which work in the USA and EU, simply won't work in a UK set up. This makes switches rare and expensive.
I've gone for the Lanbon WiFi Light Switch - £50 on Amazon - or around £35 direct from China. For more technical information (although not much) take a look at the L5-HSGT1's product page.
The back is slightly weird - this is obviously a fairly generic design which can be re-purposed for multiway switches.
Working with electricity is dangerous. Remember to switch off the power to your lights at your consumer unit. If in doubt, get a qualified electrician to help. I followed this guide to replacing UK light switches.
The depth of the pattress box is insufficient to contain the switch! Obviously microchips aren't quite a tiny as necessary yet.
OK, I can try drilling that deeper later - let's power up this baby and see if it works!
Blinken lights! Touching the light icon provides a satisfying "clunk" somewhere inside the switch, but didn't change the state of the lights. Perhaps it needs to be set up first?
Hmmm... Do I really want to download an app from China over HTTP? Guess I don't have a choice!
Interestingly, the Lanbon website offers a more recent version of the app to download. This obviously isn't an organisation set up with high-quality "it just works" in mind.
These are the permissions my Light Switch app is requesting…!
Those are some ridiculously scary permissions! I can understand wanting microphone access (voice control) and maybe GPS (turn lights on when I get home) - but why does this want to send SMS or place calls? Why does it need my contacts and the ability to take photos?
A quick virus scan showed nothing overtly malicious - but I decided to offer up a sacrificial tablet to run the app on. No way am I risking my main device with this software!
The software is of the usual sub-standard quality I've come to expect from cheap electronics. No set-up wizard, just dumped into a complicated screen.
I held down the light switch button until the WiFi indicator started flashing. I then connected my tablet to the WiFi (a separate network - I didn't want to risk sticking this on the same network as everything else yet). I clicked the "Auto Search" button and, somehow, the tablet found the switch and set it the network's details. Result!
The app presents this rather lazily designed screen. Only the blue icon on the left works as a switch.
And, dear reader, can you guess what happened when I clicked it?
Yup - the square-root of bugger-all!
Before trying it on another socket, I thought I'd crack it open to see what's going on inside.
As I suspected, it's a generic unit which can be used for 1-, 2-, or 3-gang switches. No LEDs are soldered on to the spare ports.
Interesting to note a different part number printed on the inside - L5 HSCL LB v16.
I made a telephone call to Prad - the Amazon seller who supplied me with the switch - he was incredibly helpful but sadly confirmed that the switch requires a neutral wire. Something which had unfortunately been left out of his listing.
It turns out that this lack of neutral wiring is a common problem.
And Vesternet have an excellent page explaining the challenges of fitting smart switches to UK homes.
Short of rewiring parts of my house, it looks like the switch will be useless to me. So back it goes.
Part of the problem with the software is that it is designed to work with a suite of products. It contains references to security cameras, home alarm systems, infrared controllers, fans, curtain controllers, and half-a-dozen other things.
There's no widget support - which is crucial for a lighting app. No one wants to find an app, wait for it to open, find the right light etc. I just want to put a simple toggle on my homescreen - in exactly the same way Lifx does.
As far as I can tell, there's nothing malicious in the software - it's just poorly constructed.
Of course, with Android Lollipop's new permission model, I can deny the app access to anything that I'm uncomfortable with. During my brief use of the app it didn't ask for anything other than WiFi access.
As I didn't get the switches working, I didn't dive too deeply into the API. I did spot this curious activity though.
When the light switch wasn't connected to the WiFi, the app assumes that it is on a different network to the switch and tries to communicate over a cloud service.
That IP is hard-coded into the app.
Ah. So it sends a packet with the light switch's ID number in it. That appears to be all. I assume that the switch makes a similar persistent connection to that IP address so it can listen out for instructions. I was too scared to port scan the light switch.
It looks like I'm going to have to go for the hub and spoke model of smart switches. That is, a light switch which trickles enough electricity to power an RF receiver while keeping the lights off - controlled by a WiFi connected hub.
Hopefully one which is more secure than this!
Would that not electrify the earth wire and trip the RCD?
Nope, where should there be any current leaking? The housing is made of plastic. The RCD just triggers, when not all current that flows out on mains is returned on neutral. That happens only if something has a direct earth-connection. Don't see that.
Wrong, all an rcd can detect is an imbalance in current in the line and neutral conductors leaving the rcd. The cpc (earth) bypasses the rcd and any curent running down it will cause an imbalnce and trip the rcd.
Terrance, totally dumb question. I used jadx to decompile the apk. But couldnt figure out the server information details.
Please can you help me to see where the server information is located.
Not a dumb question at all! I *think* I used dex2jar to investigate the files. I also used Packet Capture for Android to see where traffic was going.
My dad IS sparky, i did this job myself but i didn't turn the power back on until my dad signed it off (and i've worked with him on and off for 25 Years). DO NOT use your earth as a neutral. Fire, fire burning, fire burning and oh.. more fire!!
if you want to run a neutral, make sure your system is wired for a ring circuit on the lights, and then run a new neutral from your ceiling rose (or better yet, replace the entire run to the ceiling rose with a fresh run of 3-core 1 mm flex).
or even better, and by the safest – get a sparky in to do it for you. If the lighting wiring is not set to have a neutral wire, then it's not a like-for like swap and you shouldn't be doing this unless you're qualified AND have part P for domestic installations.
UK domestic lighting circuits are not rings!
You do not need "Part P" to do minor electrical works (like this) in your own house!
Use the earth as the neutral? NO!!!!!. You aren't and never were an electrician.
These can work in either a hub and spoke or an Ad hoc. They are also a reputable company that has an interest in not making a bad name for their products.
Looks interesting, but doesn't seem to work for UK systems.
Nice write up. Is there anything you didn't like about Hub and Spoke?
We make the apps for the Energenie MiHome range, so I get to play with their kit in the office quite a lot! It's a relatively young product but is made for the UK market and works well. Find them on Vesternet and Amazon. There's a Rasberry Pi module for tinkerers too. It's a Wi-Fi hub and spoke setup. There is a light switch too, which I haven't tried yet but someone in the office probably has.
It is mostly the worry about getting stuck with incompatible kit. Look at what happened with the Hue light debacle a few months ago.
May I ask the reasons why you would like to wifi-your-switches? any practical reason?
I really want to do something similar with my home, but I can't find a good enough reason to actually tinker with this stuff. Motion sensors light bulbs in cupboards and the Hive thermostat are the useful automation things I could come up with. Everything else - I struggle for reasons.
Remote controlling switches is very useful for people with mobility issues. It also allows them to be used when away from home. As well as being able to set automated schedules.
I have a switch in my loft and garage, both of witch i have to find in the dark to turn on. It would be nice to switch them on via google home before entering either.
The amount of times i have to constantly go around the house and turn lights off after the wife has been there. Be nice just to go to bed and say google turn all lights off.
When the wife is coming home first and would like to have the lights and heating on as she comes into the house.
When you just cant be bothered to get of the sofa when a good movie is on. Loads of reasons i'd like to do it. Just because we get up and do all these ourselves at the minute doesn't mean theres no practical uses for them. My home is becoming more and more automated and id love all light switches to be wifi.
I know this was long ago.. But no it doesn't it just means literally that this app will be "over other apps" so if u open another app you will still see this app over it. Like facebook messenger.
That's true - but you have no way of knowing what the app will draw. A malicious app could display a username & password field over a different app and steal your credentials that way.
That's a fair point. At home I installed Z-Wave stuff 4 years ago, with Micasa Vera. It's fairly future proof but the problem is the hub software is like something written in the 90's. And SmartThings and Apple HomeKit could in theory be a fairly good interop point with nice app user experience, if more manufacturers supported it.
Perhaps SMS access is need do you can use SMS to turn lights on and off (Hive, for example, allows SMS control)?
If the RCD is correctly wired then current going from active to earth will trip it. The earth-nuetral link *should* (don't assume) be on the opposite side of the RCD to your house wiring.
Disclaimer: I don't live in the UK nor am I an electrician, but it would be stupid to wire the earth-nuetral link on the same side of the RCD as your house wiring. It would not be able to trip if you were touching something earthed and something active simultaneously.
I do not recommend using your earth wire as a return path for current.
Veyrdite is correct, mark has clearly lost his mind.
Wiring a circuit with potential to earth is dangerous and against Part P of the Building Regulations here in the UK.
Informative article. I think I will stick to RF operated switches. Can Switch these from my phone and from all over the world as well with a small hub that has bluetooth and internet connection.
Thank goodness Mark is not still an electrician. Returning power on the earth wire is a potential death trap. If that earth wire ever becomes broken along its path to the neutral the rest will be drawn up to mains voltage and anything else "earthed" on it is now live.
I wonder if there's a risk of obsolescence too; does these switches use a recent wifi protocol?; can you apply software updates to the switch?; in the event of a power cut, how long until the switch "boots up" / does it remember it's previous state? There's no LED, correct? So how do you know for sure if the bulb has blown? Never mind what if the Internet and/or the Hong Kong Windows server is down / DDOsed etc….
Some good questions - I've sent the switch back, but I'll answer what I can.
Didn't read what the idle power draw was. But they didn't get warm and they only have to run a relay, LED, and 2.4GHz module.
The mobility thing is interesting. People - even those with restrictions - tend to move around. Having two switches isn't as convenient as a switch you carry with you. It's also quite expensive to run switches everywhere.
Boot-up seemed fairly instant. If you've ever tried LIFX bulbs they remember state and connect to WiFi within seconds. There was an LED on the switch, and the sound of the relay clicking would probably alert you if there was a dead bulb. The switches still work as physical buttons even if your WiFi network goes down - so no worries on that front.
As you correctly identify - having a DDoS take out the server managing your switches would be unfortunate!
I'd get a timer, but like most people I work irregular hours.
Thanks (sorry – had I looked at your photos properly I could have answered some of my own questions.) Hopefully in a few years things will be better – right now I feel as though whatever option I might choose for lighting/heating etc. will probably need to be replaced.
Sheesh. Matches my own experiences trying to find a reasonably priced wifi switch. I have decided to roll my own based on ESP2866s and Raspberry Pi server.
Great write up! I have been doing some mock testing with Wifi Light Switches here in Mumbai. In India, all homes have a neutral wire and I haven't faced any problems in using these switches. The new iOS app by Lanbon is not very great but still an improvement over the last one.
Lanbon seems to be the only company making direct Wifi controlled switches. Rest all are dependant on an additional host / hub / controller. I wanted to know if you can provide some insight to obtain the Source Code / API from their app as I was working on a project to make a common app for lights & security (I have managed to integrate a camera, wifi door bell & sensors from different makes so far into my app).
Any help shall be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Firstly - do be careful with these switches. They create a permanent connection from your network to a Chinese IP address. You need to isolate the network - if hackers crack Lanbon then they have a direct connection into your network.
If Lanbon go bankrupt or stop supporting these switches, you may not be able to control them.
I suggest asking Lanbon for the API details. If they won't provide them, you can try decompiling the APK and see if that helps.
Copy right............ I told you this product was R&D 8 years ago......We hope all people can respect the designers.
Hi Terrence, great write up.
I'm currently developing a two wire wifi enabled smart switch that can connect to your wifi router or to a home automation gateway using the Enocean 868mhz protocol which I'm hoping to launch on Kickstarter towards the end of summer.
The switch can dim CFL & LED retrofit bulbs and I'm designing it specifically for the uk market.
Any thoughts to help my product development?
1. Incompatibility with existing switches on 2 way and intermediate switched circuits.
I've been looking at designing a switch which uses a mechanical latching relay rather than either solid state switching or single acting magnetic relays. By utilising a double pole double throw latching relay, the contacts can be used for single way, two way or intermediate switching and you would only need to replace one switch in a circuit, no matter how many intermediates were fitted as the latching relay behaves exactly like the physical switch contacts of a conventional light switch.
The wifi receivers I would presume use such little power they could draw from the series connection with the light or lamp and for the relatively higher momentary current draw during relay toggling, a capacitor should store enough energy to avoid the light from flickering on excessively.
I have some plug-in wifi switches which I bought at Aldi (Silvercrest) several years back and these switches report status via the phone App. I was looking to see if I could utilise the circuitry from these to drive the relay but haven't measured the quiescent current draw yet so unsure if they will run on just a switched live without neutral.
If you are in the game of the software end to control, I'd be interested for some contact and possible collaboration.
Can anybody recommend a good commercially available hub and spoke setup?
Because This product was passed CB certificate, so that the product must need the neutral wire to connect.
We hope can production without neutral wire intelligent switching products. But Smart switch is electronic product , If the electronic product without neutral wire is very danger.
I have had these switches in my house for a year lucky enough to have the 3 wires. Have them installed in all rooms, how ever some have started flashing not on the WiFi but the small bulb on the switch it's driving me nuts as I can seem to get it to stop. It works fine but any ideas on how to put it back to constant.
I am going to be re-wiring our house as part of a refurb. Could I increase my options if I were to wire the lighting circuits with 3 core and if so, could I use European wifi switches or would that go against any of the current regs?
You should speak to a qualified electrician. Don't rely on randoms on the web!
I was actually looking at purchasing a Lanbon wifi light switch but having read your review scares me.
Im not a computer wizard here so apologies if my question sounds dumb. My question is, if you have installed the apps and deleted it, would it break your network connection to a Chinese IP address?
It would not break it, no. The lightswitch itself is connected to your home WiFi - it makes its own connection to China.
I see that Vesternet says that a dimmer WOULD work in a UK house without a neutral wire at the switch. Although not as safe, why wouldn't a homeowner simply wire up such a dimmer circuit for their lights? This is assuming the bulbs are dimmable. I also assume it would mean you'd want to turn off the lighting ring main at the RCD before any serious work on the bulbs, as you might not be able to rely on full isolation at the light switch, although I guess removing the bulb would simply open the circuit, and the switch could perhaps fail open as a default/safety measure.
No, I returned the switch to the retailer. Sorry.
That IP address pointing to a Vista box in china would really concern me...it's obviously on a static IP as any hardcoding would cause real issues if the address changed..
What the hell are they doing with that kit?!! serial numbers for now but what else could it send/receive under different circumstances?..
You probably just saved me a lot of money. I never even thought about the limitations of switched-live light switches when it came to Wi-Fi. I have mobility issues that will probably just get worse with time & thought individual Wi-Fi switches would be advantageous over a hub & spoke model when using portable devices & Amazon Echo. RF dimmers definitely seem to be the way to go as they will work with switched-live &, hopefully, won't connect to dodgy unknown servers!
I'm so glad your blog appeared on my Google search this morning!
RF is what im trying to get to as well. I have Broadlink RM Pro which controls all my RF plugs andTVs, ACs.
I now want to automate my light switches and i am looking for the best option out there which would be compatible with my current automation.
Don't know though. IR/RF is old. Automating them is the cheapest solution currently, and the only one that can control my TVs and ACs but light switches are different.
I think I would prefer to install wifi light switches and run a secondary smart home solution for those and any other wifi controlled devices, rather than trying to implement everything through RF.
I mostly have 3 Gang - 2 Way switches for my house which makes it even harder to find and replace them with wifi ones.
Also Broadlink itself has a nice App which does some IFTTT style automation but.
a) dont know how well encrypted it is.
b) will it ever be compatible with current smart home kids like Samsung Smart Things?
Luckily before I placed the order I noticed that the sonoff touch also requires a neutral at the switch so that was a non-starter for me in the UK. I then actually did order one of the sonoff basic power switches, wired this into the lighting circuit above one of my lights and pushed it into the void between the joists above. This solution really did work well so I planned to roll this out everywhere..but then found that it simply wasn't possible with some of my lights in some rooms due to lack of space in the void above the light fitting.
So this led me to start looking at switches again and in the end I ordered a bunch of Byron / Home Easy HE107 and HE108 433mhz light switches on ebay because I knew there was a good chance I'd be able to reverse engineer the 433 signal / home easy protocol. This plan worked too, they look ok and I've now got them controllable via WiFi with an ESP8266 433mhz bridging widget that I built. Please note that the Home Easy stuff is now discontinued / no longer being made but there's still plenty of it around to be had.
It's all a bit of a faff to be honest and something tells me that it's only a matter of time before something like the sonoff touch becomes available without requiring a neutral wire..perhaps it already exists? If not it seems as though it should be possible to create a device like this because if Byron can build a 433mhz controllable switch with no neutral wire then I see no reason why some other manufacturer can't build a WiFi controllable switch with no neutral wire.
I'm confused about how it does anything at all without the neutral and curious about how you wired it.
They have a little blue LED on the "touch" part of the switch which is on when the light is off and is off when the light is on.
To be completely honest imo these are not the optimal solution because switching them on and off remotely via 433mhz is basically a "fire and forget" operation. This means that if they're switched at the wall, the remote system has no knowledge about that manual switch action because these type of switches only contain an RF receiver; there's no RF transmitter or anything else that might be able to notify of state change.
I've not used any other similar RF switches like the many available on aliexpress / bangood but I assume these would work the same way. I guess the advantage with the HomeEasy stuff is that it was once-upon-a-time manufactured in the UK and these HE switches really do fit UK type switch boxes (25mm deep).
For me, in the absence of anything else, this is a semi decent solution for now but I'd much prefer something like a hackable WiFi sonoff switch.
Terrence, Fibaro z-wave dimmers work with just a live connection. I had one on my Vera which has now been changed to a Domoticz and working great. Another plus is it's the first dimmer I have had that correctly dims the led bulbs I have. Not cheap (£45) but excellent quality and operation. I have also got a Sonoff Touch light switch (£14) as well as other Sonoff gear but it does need a neutral connection. The sonoff gear can all be re flashed to work with mqtt or http automation systems cutting out the Chinese connection completely.
Hi , hope you are well... can you tell me more about ---> "The sonoff gear can all be re flashed to work with mqtt or http automation systems cutting out the Chinese connection completely."
The sonoff wifi devices can be flashed with new firmware (they are just ESP wifi chips). I used the Tasmota firmware as was relatively easy to get going and supported MQTT to integrate with Home Assistant.
See here for all the info you need.
I am is the same state as Joe with a mix of RF433 switches (Livolo) which look nice and work well but are one way (no signal back to say the light is on - and the RF codes are not great).
My ideal situation would be a wifi version of the livolo switch without call back to China!
Good thread, I'm also looking at the same for a house we haven't moved into yet but that's another story.
As for the light switch polling the server, I would imagine that is to allow the user to register at the server in order to control the switch across the web. The way this works is you send an instruction to the server which is polled by the switch. As the conversation between switch and external server is initiated by the switch and therefore inside your routers firewall it can retrieve the instruction, without the polling your router wouldn't allow anything incoming.
We're over a year on and what do you think? I've just installed a WiFi switch in my bedroom, I was lucky that all my house switches were metal and I guess a neutral is required for metal switches. While I am a little bit suspicious about where the data is going, it's fair to say the whole system has been massively improved and I've fallen in love with it. That app on your device looks dreadful to the one that came along with my device, which is surprisingly polished and functional. You have to register an account and I think there is some end-to-end encryption and a lot of it is handled by Amazon WS.
I'm using LIFX for most bulbs - and WisQo switches for the others. The WisQo work without neutral, which is handy, and also works with Alexa. Mostly! Lots of latency going to China and back it seems.
Have you tried taking apart the device? If it just uses an "off the shelf" chip like ESP8266 you should be able to easily write new code and flash it.
I have recently found tplink bulbs to be running fairly independently, using an app and a Wi-fi connection. They can be linked to Alexa and other smart apps to use as well.
Get yourself down ikea and look at the tradfri range.. much cheaper than hue, lifx, tp link etc and have alexa, homekit & google home integration too. I have both hue and ikea systems that I use together via homekit and it all works seamlessly. Only benefit to hue is the motion sensors are visible in homekit for triggering any other devices, but with ikea tradfri only the bulbs are passed through to homekit.
Can any one help me if I can control them without using its manufacturer app??
PLEASE DO NOT USE THE EARTH AS A NEUTRAL. If you only have a twin & earth going to your light switch, this is called a switch drop. Perm live and switch live. All uk cables need to have a cpc/earth, it is not designed for the use of carrying constant electricity, only short circuit faults for very short periods. Changing it to a neutral would take away the protective earth from the cable. It is also not insulated and will start to melt the grey sheath of the cable. Fire risk, well give it time it WILL become a fire. Get and electrician in and do it the correct way. We follow British Standards for a reason.
To install, solder two wires on each side of the black switch on the sonoff board.
Wire up at ceiling level by taking the live and neutral into the sonoff and then straight back out to your light pendant.
Then connect the wires that go to your light switch up to the two wires soldered onto the sonoff switch using a connector block.
Finally push everything up into the ceiling, make sure there is an anchor for the light pendant especially if you are hanging a heavy light shade.
Easy wire up at the light switch end, one wire in the common and one wire in L1. All this is basically doing is triggering the switch in the sonoff. It makes the light switch very safe because there is no live going to it. Also, if the sonoff becomes disconnected to the WIFI, the light switch should still work.
It will get a bit more complex where you have two way and three way switches but still possible. I have this set up in two rooms, and plan to roll out to the rest of house. Only thing it doesn't do is dimmer - that is a different ball game altogether!
Ditto this, done this to a few lights so far and works very well. I have the switch wired up to a gpio pin that can be configured to handle a traditional switch rather than a press button.
Even if the home automation server or WiFi goes down the switch just falls back to controlling itself so you still get light.
I've been trying to find (unsuccessfuly) a light switch to control wifi light bulbs.
In this situtation the switch on the wall becomes redundant as the bulbs as solely wifi controlled.
The challenge I have found is that all wifi light switches I've found are designed to control traditional bulbs and the comments above while really useful (esp the Youtube videos) do not help my situation.
I am trying to use wifi bulbs because of the colour and brightness controls of each individual light but what if I just want to walk into the room and turn them on and off?
Does anyone know of a solution here?
Lifx Bulbs. You can control them from a normal switch. Turn it off, the bulb goes off, turn it on, the bulb comes back on. You can only control the colour and brightness while the switch is on, obviously.
Thanks for the response and that bit I get so I can turn them on and off manually and they will remember their last setting when they are switched back on.
What I am interested in is dimming etc when they are on which it looks like can only be done from the Smart Life app.
I appreciate I've bought cheap Chinese bulbs in favour of more expensive Hive, Philips etc but I was hoping to be able to be able to program a wifi switch to relay commands to be bulbs.
Maybe I am being optimistic?
In the UK, many domestic electricity installations use THe PME (Protective Multiple Earthing) or TNCS (Terre (Earth) Neutral Combined System).
Only two cables come into the property, the generating utility neutral and the single phase live.
In older systems, the lead sheath of the supply cable provided the earth or the the earth was provided by an earthing rod.
With PME, the neutral line is connected to ground/"soil"/earth at locations like sub-stations.
So, the neutral is at the same potential as earth.
At the premises, an earth cable is connected to the neutral at the company distribution equipment, so now three cables enter the premises. The earth cable is used to all appliances as just that.
The neutral and live connect to an RCD (Earth Leakage) trip device. If, in the premises, a fault develops such that the current flowing in the neutral and live lines flows to earth, an imbalance is generated in the currents flowing through the RCD and the RCD trips at its rated trip current, say 100-mA or 30-mA.
If the property is correctly wired, the earth and neutral are at the same potential and are essentially from the same cable, the difference being the earth does not go through the RCD.
However, you never use the earth as the neutral for all the reasons others have pointed out. The only way it would work is if you have no or a faulty RCD, in which case you run the risk off all earthed metallic appliances becoming live.
With regard to the lack of neutrals at light switches, it depends entirely how the lighting circuit is run.
A UK lighting circuit is run as a radial (star) circuit as opposed to a power ring circuit.
If the ceiling rose is used as a junction, then the light switch is wired as a "drop" with a permanent live from the radial and a switched live back to the rose where the neutral for the lamp is.
If the light switch is used as the junction box, sometimes seen in two way lighting, then you will have a neutral available.
When a dimmer or lighting programmer is used to replace a conventional drop "plate" switch, there is no neutral to power the electronics. Instead, the neutral comes from the neutral at the lamp and the current to supply the dimmer etc. relies on a small (milliamp) current passing through the lamp even in the "off" position. If you remove the lamp, the dimmer etc. does not work. This is why many dimmers etc. specify a minimum lighting load.
This was fine when all lamps in domestic properties were filament and purely resistive. The complication arises when electronic loads like CFLs or LEDs are used. These are not resistive loads and may not pass any or very little current to power the dimmer. I had a programmer that worked fine with three CFLs. When I changed the CFLs to LEDs, the LEDs would not turn off or flickered. The only way it would work was to have one CFL and two LEDs. This was not acceptable. The solution was some electronic wizardry where I substituted a resistor (18K) for the lamp. Luckily I had a neutral to work with. An optoisolator (HCPL3760) detected when the dimmer etc. was on or off. A logic output from the HCPL3760 powered a relay. Thus any load from zero to megawatts could be controlled.


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text:
Galapagos Shearwater Townsend's Shearwater
Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae
© Brian Sullivan
The Manx Shearwater is the nominate member of its genus, that is, the genus Puffinus was created for the Manx Shearwater. This is certainly because the Manx Shearwater is the only Puffinus to breed in northern Europe, where the first taxonomists began to name the biological diversity of the world, it also breeds in the Azores, Canary Island and Newfoundland. After breeding the Manx Shearwater undertakes a direct transequitorial migration which follows the northwest coast of Africa, then by the southwest coast of South America, eventually to spend the boreal winter in the South Atlantic. Its main foraging technique is pursuit-plunging and surface-diving, whereby its uses its wings to propel itself underwater in pursuit of shoaling fish.
Gregory Budney
© Gregory Budney
Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/manshe

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Merseyside Police
Police release details of man shot dead in Netherton
Detectives make plea for man in blue tracksuit seen running near the scene to come forward
Ben Turner-LEBreaking News Editor
Updated 08:48, 8 JUN 2018
Police have released details of a man shot dead in Netherton - as they urge a man wearing a blue tracksuit seeing running near to the scene to come forward.
Emergency services were called to Assissian Crescent in Netherton at around 8pm on Thursday to reports that a man had been shot.
An off-duty nurse is said to have rushed to help the shooting victim who police confirmed was found "injuries consistent with a firearms discharge".
He was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later.
Do you know what happened? Please email news@liverpool.com or message us on Facebook
Police at the scene on Assissian Crescent in Netherton after a 21-year-old man was shot dead
Police have now confirmed the shooting victim was a 21-year-old man from Manchester.
His next of kin are in the process of being informed and a formal identification is expected to take place today.
Police today launched a witness appeal and are keen to trace a potentially crucial witness - a man wearing a blue tracksuit seen running from the scene to come forward.
Detectives Inspector Tony O'Brien said: "The investigation is in its very early stages but we are keen to speak to anyone who may have information which could help us establish the full circumstances and find those responsible. You may have seen or heard suspicious behaviour in Assissian Crescent or the surrounding areas and any information, no matter how small, could prove vital to the investigation.
Police at scene in Netherton after 21-year-old man shot dead
"We are particularly keen to speak to a male who was believed to have run from Finlay Court into Peterborough Drive at the time of the incident. He is described as being a white male, slim build, aged approximately 20 years of age and around 5ft 7 tall, wearing a blue tracksuit.
"This is a shocking crime which has occurred in a residential area on a light summers night and I would appeal again to anyone who may have seen the incident itself, or someone making off on foot or in a vehicle, to please get in touch . I want to reassure the public that gun crime will not be tolerated on the streets of Merseyside and that we will thoroughly investigate any information given to us."
A gang of teenagers were reportedly seen chasing a man on a bike moments before a the man was shot and killed last night.
Man has died following shooting in Netherton - latest updates
One man on Peterborough Drive said he saw a gang of lads chasing one male on a bike moments before he heard a gunshot.
It is not known whether the chase is connected to the shooting.
He said: "I don't know if it was connected but they chased him down towards the green and then I heard one shot."
The witness told ECHO reporter Jenny Kirkham at the scene that the group looked to be between around 17-19 years old.
Residents in the area have praised a woman who they say tried to help the shot man until paramedics arrived.
Police cordoned off Peterborough Drive and Canterbury Way, in Netherton (Image: Liverpool Echo)
Forensic officers at the scene of the incident, in Netherton (Image: Liverpool Echo)
One man told the ECHO: "The nurse was on her way home from work when she saw the commotion and came over.
"She was giving him CPR and did everything she could for him until police and paramedics got here.
"It was incredible how quickly she sprang into action."
A huge police presence, including Matrix officers and forensic support, could be seen in the area after the fatal shooting.
Officers erected a cordon at the scene which extended to Magdalene Square and Canterbury Way.
Another resident said she was devastated by what happened. She said: "It's been getting progressively worse around here with lots of new faces moving in and gangs hanging around.
"I could feel over the past few weeks that things were getting tense and to hear that someone has died is truly devastating.
"A family out there have lost their son and I'm so worried that this will only spur people to carry out more of these shootings."
A police car at the scene at Peterborough Drive, in Netherton (Image: Liverpool Echo)
Police in Peterborough Drive, Netherton, after a major incident (Image: Jenny Kirkham / Liverpool Echo)
Anyone with information on the incident or the offender is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police CC.
You can also call 0151 777 8706 or 101 quoting incident reference 921 of 7/6/18 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.


IC3 and IC3 at Kendal are open from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday. IC3 After School is in operation from 2:00 pm -5:45 pm and on full days our program is open from 7:30 am – 5:45 pm.
How old are the children who attend IC3?
We serve 132 children from eight weeks to five years of age per day at our Main Campus and 16 children from 8 weeks to three years old per day at IC3 at Kendal. Our Infant Program enrolls babies eight weeks to approximately 18 months old, our Toddler Program enrolls children 18 months to three years old, and our Pre-K Program enrolls children three to five years old. We also run an After School and Summer Camp program for up to 50 children in kindergarten through fifth grade.
What is the educational philosophy at IC3?
We believe in child centered active learning, which means that children learn by doing. Children learn best by engaging and interacting with people, their environment, and objects around them. Teachers design an environment and plan experiences that allow hands-on learning for children in a range of developmental areas, social, emotional, cognitive and physical. We provide opportunities for children to work with a variety of materials and people, to make choices and to have some control over their choices and activities. Visit our Philosophy & Curriculum page for more information.
Is IC3 a licensed center?
IC3 is licensed by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. IC3 is also accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). We have also received the "Best of Ithaca" award for childcare, presented by the Ithaca Journal and the Ithaca Times.
How many teachers and children are there in each class?
All of our classroom programs provide at least two full time teachers and one part-time teacher's assistant per classroom. In all age groups, we choose to follow a smaller group size than the maximum allowed by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services. We enroll 6 children per classroom in our infant classrooms with a teacher to child ratio of 1:3, lower than you will typically find at other childcare centers. Our toddler classrooms enroll 10 children per classroom with a teacher to child ratio of 1:5. Our pre-k classrooms range in group size from 12 to 18 depending on the classroom. The teacher to child ratio in pre-k ranges from 1:6 to 1:8. The After School and Summer Camp programs enroll up to 50 children and maintain a teacher to child ratio of 1:10.
What is the teacher turnover at IC3?
IC3 is fortunate to have low teacher turnover. The average number of years a teacher has been working at IC3 is 12 years and 66% of teachers have been working at IC3 for 10 or more years! Visit our Committed Staff page for more details on teacher turnover.
Should I send food with my child?
IC3 has a full-time cook on staff who prepares three meals each day: a morning snack at 9:00 am, lunch 11:30 am-noon, and an afternoon snack at 3:00 pm. The class will dine family-style, taking advantage of the many learning opportunities associated with sharing and good manners. If your child has allergies or dietary restrictions (for instance, if your child may not eat meat or cheese), we can provide substitute foods or you may bring foods to supplement what the Center provides.
How much does child care cost at IC3?
We charge a flat rate for two, three or five days per week enrollment. Scholarships are available on a need basis. If applying for a scholarship, please fill out the Scholarship Application and submit the required financial documents. All applications will be considered, however working families will have priority when awarding scholarships.
If we have a space available for your child, you will need to agree on a starting date with the enrollment manager. The enrollment manager will then place your child in a classroom after talking with the teachers, and will prepare an enrollment folder for your child. At this time, you must pay a registration fee and a security deposit to hold the space for your child. The registration fee is a one-time, non-refundable fee. The security deposit is equivalent to one month's tuition at the time of enrollment and is refunded when you leave the Center as long as your account is up to date and you notify us, in writing, six weeks before your child's last day. For tuition rates please contact us or submit a Scholarship Application.
What if there are no spaces available for my child?
You may place your child on our wait list and when a space becomes available we will call and notify you immediately. It is never too early to get on the wait list! There is a non-refundable fee of $25 for the waiting list, which is applied to your registration fee if you enroll within three months of the date you get on the list. You may fill out the Wait List should you want to place your child on our list, or contact us to inquire about current openings.
How will my child adjust to the classroom?
We require a three-day transition period for new children. On the first day, you will visit the classroom for an hour and a half with your child. You will stay with your child in the classroom the entire time, and then the two of you will leave the Center together. On the second day, you and your child will visit for three hours in the morning. Your child will spend this time in the classroom, and you will be here at IC3 but not in the classroom with your child. (Most parents relax in our staff lounge or lobby. This is also a good time to ask questions about the enrollment forms). On the third day, you can leave your child at IC3 for about six hours and you must be reachable by phone and accessible to the Center in 10 minutes. The third day, when you leave your child at IC3, is the first day for which you pay. If your child takes longer to adjust, we encourage you to take additional times to visit; you will not be billed for extra visits as long as you are here with your child.
What if my child does not speak or understand English?
Many children do not speak or understand English when they come to IC3. It is fine for your child to speak his or her native language, since children will acquire English simply by living in this country and by spending time in our classrooms, where language skills are emphasized for all children. The teachers are experienced and will work with your child to communicate and to learn English words. We encourage you to give teachers a list of important words in your language (for instance, yes, no, happy, sad, enjoy, toilet, mother and father) so that they can use these words to communicate basic ideas to your child.
How and when will I receive a bill? When and where do I pay the bill?
Tuition statements will be sent to you electronically via e-mail each month. If you prefer a paper statement one can be provided upon request. Tuition is due, in full, by the 1st of each month and may be paid at the front desk by check or credit card (MasterCard or VISA).


text:
Plastic Free Florida
Empowering Floridians to take action on single use plastics
Be Part of the Solution
Speaking to your Government
Preemption
Campaign Planning
LTE Writing
Sample Legislation
Emailing Elected Officials
The photo above was taken in Miami, Florida at a VolunteerCleanup.org waterway cleanup.
Single-Use Plastics:
The Problem: An estimated 33 billion pounds of plastic enter the ocean every year — that's roughly the equivalent of dumping two garbage trucks full of plastic into the oceans every minute.
"Plastics never was and never will be disposable".
Jackie Nuñez, the Last Plastic Straw
Plastic harms marine species and shore birds. Plastic hurts and kills endangered and threatened species.
Plastics break up into tiny pieces called microplastics, which are eaten by fish.
Plastics threaten human health.
Plastic is a climate issue. They generate heat-trapping gases at every stage of their life cycle.
Plastic is an environmental justice issue.
Plastic litter travels through storm drains and also clogs storm drains. Cleaning up litter can be costly.
Plastic pollution is bad for tourism and has other negative economic impacts.
A meager 9 percent of all plastic waste generated has been recycled. Six times more plastic waste is burned in the U.S. than is recycled. Recycling alone is not enough to solve the plastics crisis. To have an impact, we must reduce the amount of single-use plastic being produced at the source.
Major oil companies, facing the prospect of reduced demand for their fuels, are ramping up their plastics output, which will increase pollution.
The plastic pollution crisis is too large to be solved solely through individual, voluntary actions.
Pass local ordinances to reduce single-use plastics, including expanded polystyrene foam food containers and cups
Pass local resolutions supporting removal of state preemptions (support home rule for plastics legislation)
Pass a state bill repealing the preemptions that prevent local municipalities from regulating single-use plastics.
Pass federal policy to reduce single-use plastic production and make producers responsible for their product waste (Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act)
Ask corporations for plastic free choices
Create plastic free zones (plastic free workplaces, plastic free schools/universities)
Reduce all waste by reducing disposables, increasing reuse/refill.
Watch Oceana's video about the plastic pollution problem. Hagas click aqui para ver el video en Español.
take action! click here for action items!
email your mayor and/or city council member
contact your florida state rep
contact governor ron desantis
help us pass state bills!
examples: how governments can help reduce plastic pollution
Plásticos de un solo uso 101
Aquí está todo lo que necesita saber sobre el omnipresente (y evitable) desperdicios plásticos: el tipo hecho para ser arrojado en cuestión de minutos. (NRDC)
Plásticos de un solo uso
Author PFFCoalitionPosted on July 16, 2020 September 7, 2021
October 25, 2022- Jacksonville
It is now illegal to release balloons in Jacksonville after the city council approved a city-wide ban on releasing balloons and sky lanterns. Rory Diamond, Jacksonville City Councilmember for District 13, said it was the "most popular piece of legislation ever." Currently, Florida law prohibits the release of more than 10 helium balloons. This means that the state actually allows Floridians to litter up to 10 balloons into the environment. This state law obviously needs to be updated to prohibit any intentional balloon releases, including balloons marketed as "biodegradable." These balloons often include strings that can entangle wildlife.
June 2, 2022- Gainesville
The City of Gainesville passed a Skip the Stuff/By Request Only ordinance. Prepared food providers shall not provide single-use plastic food accessories (such as plastic utensils, condiment packets, portion cups) for dine-in, take-out or delivery, unless the single-use food accessory is specifically requested by the customer or is provided at a customer self-serve station. This "By Request Only" plastics ordinance was passed June 2, 2022 and will go into effect September 2, 2022. The ordinance also included a ban on polystyrene foam on City property, balloon releases, and glitter. (The plastic straws/stirrers portion of the ordinance is older- that portion was passed years ago).
June 8, 2022- National Parks
On World Oceans Day, June 8th, 2022, the Biden administration announced a series of actions it would be taking to protect our oceans. Among them was an announcement that the Dept. of Interior will initiate a phaseout of single-use plastics in national parks and other public lands, which would reduce the procurement, sale, and distribution of single-use plastic products and packaging in 423 national parks, including 88 ocean and coastal parks. Read more here.
April 26, 2022- Broward County
The Broward County Commission passed a resolution to amend the existing administrative code to restrict the distribution, sale, and use of expanded polystyrene (foam) items, and single-use plastic straws and stirrers on County properties – including parks, airport terminals, and cruise ship terminals. The amendment also includes a ban on the use and release of Chinese lanterns, and confetti on County property. The code amendment is effective June 1, 2022 and applies to county contracts, with provisions to address contract renewals and amendments, as well as active solicitations. It was the final hearing.
February 10, 2022- Flagler Beach
Flagler Beach passed a ban on intentional balloon releases as well as sky lantern releases.
January 18, 2022 – St. Johns County
The St. Johns County commission voted 5-0 Tuesday to ban balloon releases and lantern releases. (Sky lantern releases are prohibited also by state statute 791.01). Read more here.
January 10, 2022 – Lauderhill
The City of Lauderhill unanimously passed an ordinance to prohibit single-use plastic/foam foodware on city property and also banned the intentional release of balloons.
December 13, 2021 – Atlantic Beach
The City of Atlantic Beach unanimously passed ordinance 95-21-120 to prohibit the sale and distribution of polystyrene EPS on city property and the beach.
December 2, 2021 – Palm Beach Gardens
The city of Palm Beach Gardens passed a resolution to prohibit balloons, confetti, and glitter on public property. The resolution also directs the City Manager to negotiate to include "no balloons, glitter, and confetti products" provisions into all contracts, as applicable.
November 9, 2021 – Seminole County
Seminole commissioners banned single-use products and plastic bags from being sold or disbursed on county properties by either staff or contracted vendors to encourage the use of biodegradable or reusable containers. The ban includes plastic materials — such as utensils, cups, coffee stirrers, straws and trays — that are commonly used one time to serve food or drinks and then thrown in the garbage. Read more here.
November 1, 2021- St. Augustine Beach
On November 1st, 2021, St. Augustine Beach passed a ban on the intentional release of balloons.
September 24, 2021 – Florida
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has begun rulemaking to phase out the use of polystyrene products in Florida grocery stores, markets, convenience stores, and other regulated businesses. Read more here.
August 9, 2021 – St. Augustine
St. Augustine commissioners passed a ban on the intentional release of balloons. More here.
June 8, 2021 – Boca Raton
On June 8th, World Oceans Day, the city of Boca Raton unanimously passed an ordinance to ban polystyrene foam foodware on city property and city events. The ordinance also prohibits confetti and balloons on outdoor city property. Temporary vendors are prohibited from selling or distributing food and drinks packaged in polystyrene foam products on city property.
June 2, 2021 – Tallahassee
The City of Tallahassee adopted a single-use plastics policy at the June 2 city commission meeting. The policy restricts the utilization of single-use plastics for all food and beverage service at City events and on City property.
April 20, 2021 – Boynton Beach
On April 20th, the city of Boynton Beach unanimously passed an ordinance to prohibit polystyrene foam, balloons, and confetti on all city property, which includes parks and the beach.
March 18, 2021 – Sunny Isles Beach
On March 18, the city of Sunny Isles Beach unanimously passed an ordinance to ban single-use polystyrene foam foodware and cups on city property. Read the ordinance here.
January 14, 2021 – Palm Beach Gardens
On January 14, Palm Beach Gardens passed a resolution prohibiting the use of polystyrene products on public property. It also directs City Administration to negotiate "No Polystyrene" provisions in applicable City contracts, and encourages all residents and retail businesses within the City to reduce or eliminate the use of polystyrene products.
November 17, 2020- Fort Lauderdale
The city of Fort Lauderdale took action to reduce plastic pollution by passing an ordinance prohibiting the use of single-use polystyrene foam food-service products by city vendors, as well as the use of these plastic products on city property. The ordinance prohibits the use of single-use polystyrene foam cups and food containers in places like city parks, city facilities and the beach.
November 11, 2020 – Winter Park
Winter Park's single-use plastic policy bans at city properties specific items, from plastic straws, stirrers and bags, to foam containers. The City Commission was inspired by similar policies of partners like the city of Orlando and Orange County. This 6 month pilot program will go into effect on May 11th, 2021.
October 21, 2020- Hollywood
The city of Hollywood took action to reduce plastic pollution by unanimously passing an ordinance prohibiting the use of polystyrene and single-use plastic food-service products by city vendors, as well as the use of these plastic products on city property. The ordinance prohibits the use of single-use plastic products, such as water bottles, utensils, cups and plates, and expanded polystyrene foam coolers in places like city parks, city facilities and the beach. Included in this ordinance is a ban on intentional balloon releases.
October 6, 2020- Delray Beach
The city of Delray Beach passed 2 polystyrene resolutions. These resolutions encourage local retail stores, restaurant, and all city businesses to reduce the use of polystyrene products and also encourage city staff to negotiate "no polystyrene clauses" into their contracts with vendors.
September 3, 2020- Tampa
On September 3, 2020, the city of Tampa moved toward limiting some single-use plastics that pollute the environment, with council members unanimously supporting a ban on distributing foam cups, plates and other items on public property.
August 25, 2020- Dania Beach
On August 25th, 2020, the city of Dania Beach took action to reduce plastic pollution by passing an ordinance to reduce single-use expanded polystyrene foam food and beverage packaging on city property, city facilities, and city contracts and events.
Author PFFCoalitionPosted on August 25, 2020 October 26, 2022 Leave a comment on Recent Actions
About Plastic Free Florida
Plastic Free Florida is a movement to take action on plastics and foam locally. This website is a resource for residents of Florida to empower themselves to achieve policy victories in their own communities. Together, we can reduce plastic pollution through meaningful legislation.
Organizations and coalitions working to reduce plastics in Florida through policy change
Student PIRGS
League of Women Voters FL
Florida Plastic Free Initiative
Sierra Club FL
Environment Florida
Undivided Planet
VolunteerCleanup.org
Florida Keys Environmental Coalition
Debris Free Oceans
Friends of Palm Beach
Boca Save our Beaches
Surface 71
Suncoast Rise Above Plastics
Rethinking Plastic
Matanzas Riverkeeper
Zero Waste Gainesville
Beaches Go Green
Plastic Free Florida Blog at WordPress.com.


A rendering of the completed structure 22 solar project. This image does not reflect the 5-degree angle of the truss structure.
UC Santa Barbara continues to take great strides toward sustainability with a project that will ultimately provide solar energy to the student service buildings on campus and reduce reliance on grid-supplied electricity.
Over the summer, work crews have been on top of the multilevel 22 Parking Structure, near the campus's Thunderdome, preparing the area for a major photovoltaic project. The plan is for 1,800 panels, each measuring roughly 5 feet long by 2½ feet wide and divided into two arrays, to be installed on the steel frame. The installation should take a few weeks to accomplish; the entire project is expected to be complete by Thanksgiving and generating power by December.
"This is a great endowment," said Bill McTague, executive director of resource planning and information technology in the Department of Student Affairs. The $2.6 million project is paid for by funds raised from student fees. The solar panels will generate about 425 kilowatts, which is more than enough energy to power the nearby Student Resources Building (SRB).
Within about six months from the panels going on line, and coupled with additional energy-saving measures, the power generated is expected to be enough to offset the energy usage of other student-serving buildings as well, including Student Health and the Children's Center.
The idea behind the project came from two Gauchos, Clayton Carlson and Michael Hewitt, in 2010. Both of them have since graduated, but in their time at UCSB, they had taken an interest in the future sustainability of the campus. Despite the lean years that followed the state's recent economic hard times and subsequent budget cuts, their heavy campaigning resulted in a 10-year referendum on a forward-looking initiative that will ultimately generate around $4 million for renewable energy on campus.
The buildings that the electrical power from these panels will serve are generally office-type buildings, with relatively light electricity usage, said McTague. In combination with retrofits and training people in more energy-efficient practices, each renewable kilowatt will go further, he said.
"As part of our agreement with the students, we are also looking at moving aggressively toward energy efficiency," said McTague, "and so within the next six months, we will be retrofitting all of SRB with new LED lighting and integrated controls." Not only will the photovoltaics provide excess power during the day but, he added, the solar cells will ensure a steady supply of electricity during those hot California days when Southern California Edison requires users to drop their power consumption via the grid during peak hours.
Further down the line, other buildings, including the Student Affairs and Administrative Services Building and Rec Center II (which is host to an existing 155-kilowatt photovoltaic system), could be fully powered with renewable energy. With about $2 million remaining for additional solar power, the goal is to put the seven student services buildings — a little more than 400,000 square feet — fully on renewable energy, sometime in the next three years.
"This is a wonderful grant from the students, and we're pleased to have this long-term partnership with UCSB students," said McTague. Other solar power projects on campus include the photovoltaic cells that power the lights on Henley Gate at the campus's main entrance and the array atop the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management building.
The new solar panels couldn't come at a better time. Electricity rates are expected to rise. UC President Janet Napolitano has also urged UC campuses to move toward more renewable energy. The more energy-intensive buildings on campus — including labs, server rooms and the like — will likely need offsite sources of renewable energy, said McTague, but the installation of these solar panels represents UCSB's big push in the right direction.


The EUR/ANG converter is provided without any warranty. Prices might differ from those given by financial institutions as banks, brokers or money transfer companies.
The best day to change euros in Netherlands Antillean guilders was the Friday, 20 April 2018 . At that time the currency had reached its highest value.
The worst day to change euros in Netherlands Antillean guilders was the Monday, 12 November 2018 . The exchange rate had fallen to its lowest value.
History of daily rates EUR /ANG since Friday, 1 January 1999.


After more than 100 years of constant striving to give you more, KentuckyOne Health now invites you to expect less. Less pain, less hospital time, less recovery time and whole lot less inconvenience.
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These minimally invasive procedures provide surgeons with an alternative to traditional open surgery, enabling them to perform even the most complex and delicate procedures through very small incisions with unmatched precision.
Laparoscopic procedures are available at both the downtown Jewish Hospital campus and St. Mary's Surgery Center and the da Vinci® Robotic program is available at Jewish Hospital, providing you and your physician the highest level of convenience without sacrificing the highest level of quality.
Ask your doctor if minimally invasive surgery is right for you. For more information about scheduling a minimally invasive procedure, call 888.229.4206.


CHENGDU, CHINA--(Marketwire - March 17, 2011) - Colasoft, a leading provider of network analysis solutions, is happy to announce the arrival of Capsa 7.4 WiFi Edition network analyzer to the public.
Capsa 7.4 WiFi Edition is a powerful and professional wireless network analyzer designed for complete 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless network troubleshooting, monitoring and analysis, with any of the most popular wireless network adapters. Capsa 7.4 WiFi Edition focuses on evolving its solution to enhance the security level as well as improve the reliability and visibility of services for wireless networks, and therefore maximize the value of the IT organization.
"After two months beta testing, we received many professional test reports from Colasoft Testing Group, which help making great improvement to this wireless network analyzer", said Eddie Gao, CTO of Colasoft, "The beta version has proved to be fully functional and very successful. It has gained very high recognition in network community for its high reliability and great packets capturing and analyzing ability of 802.11 a/b/g/n networks. And based on testers' feedbacks and suggestions, interfaces and user experiences have been enhanced magnificently. You will enjoy a much cleaner and friendly interface, especially a simple start page which straightly guides you to your wireless network analysis journey."


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What is the Mexican Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos)?
On 1st and 2nd of November, Mexico celebrates its Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos). This is a festival that begins on 28th October and ends on a public holiday on 2nd November. During this time, Mexicans believe that the deceased have permission from God to visit friends and relatives on earth, and once again enjoy the pleasures of life. It isn't seen as a time of sadness and mourning but as a celebration of life.
Where Does the Tradition Come From?
The Aztecs believed that death was just a part of the circle of life and offered gifts to the goddess Mictecacihuatl ("Lady of the Dead") for deceased children and adults. This tradition was incorporated into the Catholic celebration of All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day when the Spanish conquered the country. You might know All Saint's Day by its other name – Halloween!
How is Día de los Muertos Celebrated?
In modern-day Mexico, there are regional variations of celebrations – the southern state of Chiapas is known for processions and public events, while the valley of Mexico decorations of altars in homes and the tombs of the deceased is more popular.
Lots of families make their altars in the graveyard and spend both nights there waiting to see their loved ones. The altars are decorated with flowers, paper decorations and sweets (candy) in the shape of skulls, to remember family members and friends who have died and also usually include the dead person's favourite foods.
In schools, each class makes their own altar and often there is a prize at the end for the class with the best altar.
Italian missionaries brought sugar art to Mexico in the 17th Century. The first figures were little sugar lambs and angels, made to decorate side altars in the church. Mexicans quickly learned how to make the fancy sugar art, with clay-moulded figures going back to the 18th Century. Sugar skulls represent a departed soul, whose name was written on the forehead, and the skull was placed on the gravestone to honour the return of the spirit.
The Calaveras (Sugar Skulls) are part of a strong cultural tradition in Mexico, so some people may be offended by what they see as 'cultural appropriation' by those in other countries. Remember, they are used in celebration of relatives and friends who have died, so aren't quite the same as decorating your house with pumpkins or ghosts. Here is a good article on this topic – if in doubt, proceed with caution when using sugar skulls in your decoration, and consider the feelings of others.
Great job, well explained. I think most kids are fascinated to learn about Mexican culture and DOTD is especially fascinating. Once kids have grasped the basics of the customs around it, they tend to follow them in a meaningful way, often integrating them into their own grief and mourning rituals I find this really moving actually.


text:
package com.projectdolphin.activities;

import android.content.Intent;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.CheckBox;
import android.widget.CompoundButton;
import android.widget.EditText;
import android.widget.Toast;

import com.projectdolphin.R;
import com.projectdolphin.data.database.DBAccessHelper;
import com.projectdolphin.data.model.Assignment;
import com.projectdolphin.data.model.Category;

import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.List;

public class SaveAssignmentActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_save_assignment);

        CheckBox checkBox = ((CheckBox) findViewById(R.id.save_assignment_is_grade_valid_box));
        checkBox.setOnCheckedChangeListener(new CompoundButton.OnCheckedChangeListener() {
            @Override
            public void onCheckedChanged(CompoundButton buttonView, boolean isChecked) {
                if(isChecked)
                    findViewById(R.id.save_assignment_grade_entry_form).setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                else
                    findViewById(R.id.save_assignment_grade_entry_form).setVisibility(View.GONE);
            }
        });

        long assignDB_ID = getIntent().getLongExtra(DBAccessHelper.ASSIGNMENT_DB_ID_INTENT_KEY, -1);
        long parDB_ID = getIntent().getLongExtra(DBAccessHelper.CATEGORY_DB_ID_INTENT_KEY, -1);
        if(assignDB_ID >= 0) {
            isEditMode = true;
            assignment = DBAccessHelper.getInstance(getApplicationContext()).getAssignmentByID(assignDB_ID);
            ((EditText) findViewById(R.id.save_assignment_title_field)).setText(assignment.getTitle());
            ((EditText) findViewById(R.id.save_assignment_grade_field)).setText(String.format("%.2f", assignment.getGrade()));
            ((EditText) findViewById(R.id.save_assignment_weight_field)).setText(assignment.getWeightAsString());
            ((EditText) findViewById(R.id.save_assignment_time_field)).setText(Long.toString(assignment.getTimeSpentMillis() / MILLIS_PER_MINUTE));
            checkBox.setChecked(assignment.isGradeValid());
        } else if(parDB_ID >= 0) {
            isEditMode = false;
            assignment = new Assignment(parDB_ID, "Empty Assignment", 1.0, -1);
        }
    }

    public void onAddAssignment(View view) {

        List<String> errors = new LinkedList<>();

        boolean isValid = ((CheckBox) findViewById(R.id.save_assignment_is_grade_valid_box)).isChecked();
        assignment.setGradeValidity(isValid);

        SaveErrorChecker.processTitle(assignment, (EditText) findViewById(R.id.save_assignment_title_field), errors);
        SaveErrorChecker.processWeight(assignment, (EditText) findViewById(R.id.save_assignment_weight_field), errors);
        if(isValid)
            SaveErrorChecker.processGrade(assignment, (EditText) findViewById(R.id.save_assignment_grade_field), errors);
        SaveErrorChecker.processTimeSpentMillis(assignment, (EditText) findViewById(R.id.save_assignment_time_field), errors);

        if(!SaveErrorChecker.shouldContinue(errors, this))
            return;

        //Need to udpate the parent categories' list of assignments here
        DBAccessHelper.getInstance(getApplicationContext()).putAssignment(assignment);

        if(!isEditMode) {
            Category category = DBAccessHelper.getInstance(getApplicationContext()).getCategoryByID(assignment.getParentDB_ID());
            category.getAssignmentsIDs().add(assignment.getDB_ID());
            DBAccessHelper.getInstance(getApplicationContext()).putCategory(category);
        }

        Intent intent = new Intent(this, AssignmentViewActivity.class);
        intent.putExtra(DBAccessHelper.CATEGORY_DB_ID_INTENT_KEY, assignment.getParentDB_ID());

        startActivity(intent);
    }

    private final int MILLIS_PER_MINUTE = 60 * 1000;
    private boolean isEditMode;
    private Assignment assignment;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Sly Collection Receives an ESRB Rating for PlayStation Vita
John Llewellyn Martin Published: April 21, 2013
The Sly Collection has received a rating on the ESRB's website, which wouldn't really be news since the collection's already been enjoying quite some time on the PlayStation 3. But wait! This rating's for a PlayStation Vita version, folks.
As pointed out by JoyStiq, the ESRB has slapped an "E for Everyone 10+" on the collection, now coming to the PlayStation Vita. While there haven't been any proper announcements for a port of Sly's digest of adventures, this rating leak is as good as any confirmation.
The Rating Summary points out that the game has a few instances of crude humor/bathroom humor in its dialogue. The example the ESRB uses is, "You've got some fuzzy dice to come around here." Oh, my.
Once official word of the Vita release comes out, we'll update you with more information, such as when the collection will be released. Until then, take a look at the game's listing on the ESRB site and let us know which part of the Rating Summary made you giggle.
25 Best PSN Games
Filed Under: Sanzaru Games, Sucker Punch Productions, The Sly Collection
Categories: Action Games, News, Platform Games, Stealth Games