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Mini-Review: Katamari Forever
This article was originally published at Kombo.com on October 6, 2009.
When the King of All Cosmos decides to show off for the Prince by jumping high into the sky, he's beaned in the head by a passing interstellar object and knocked out, stricken with impactinduced amnesia. What's a Prince to do? He and his cousins decide to build a robot replacement to fill in for the King, but soon there's a flaming red alert as the newly constructed RoboKing goes off the hook, soaring into space and destroying all of the stars. Now the Prince is tasked with restoring the King's memories and helping RoboKing rebuild all of the stars in the cosmos in Katamari Forever for the Sony PlayStation 3. Both feats can be accomplished by rolling up objects on Earth, of course, as players revisit levels from both the PlayStation 2 title We Heart Katamari as well as the recent Microsoft Xbox 360 release Beautiful Katamari in this tribute to the Katamari franchise.
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Posted at 03:45 PM in Mini-Review, Sony | Permalink | Comments (0)
Big Video Game Sale At Amazon.com Today Only
As we stand on the cusp of all of the major spring season video game releases, Amazon.com has decided that it's the perfect time for you to stock up on a few titles that you may have missed over the past few months. In order to encourage you to buy something, the online retailer is holding another of its Gold Box and Lightning Deals events that shines the spotlight on gaming. Star Wars: The Old Republic for PC is marked down to $39.99 today while other deals will come and go during the day on software and accessories for combinations of the Sony PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Portable, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS products. Every purchase you make via the green link above goes to help support Press The Buttons, and you know that I appreciate your support.
Posted at 09:00 AM in General | Permalink | Comments (0)
Power Button - Episode 76: We're Not Buying PlayStation Vita (Yet); Let's Get This Party Kickstarted
Power Button is back after a three-week hiatus with a new episode in which Brad Hilderbrand and I discuss the recently released Sony PlayStation Vita and why we're both holding back on buying one. Between hidden costs and the hard-earned expensive lessons of the Nintendo 3DS, we have reasons to be wary, but our collective hesitation goes deeper than that. Our second segment discusses Double Fine Adventure and the amazing success that Tim Schafer has enjoyed with his Kickstarter fundraising initiative. Does this crowdsourced funding model make sense for other developers? We explore the possible potential. Joey Davidson is off this week, Brad has a new project that you'll want to check out, and I tell you how you can win The Darkness and The Darkness II for the Microsoft Xbox 360 if you act quickly enough. Fifty minutes of discussion await! Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, or subscribe via iTunes, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach all three of us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow all of us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons, @aubradley84, and @JoeyDavidson or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton.
Posted at 05:15 PM in General, Podcasts, Sony | Permalink | Comments (1)
Mini-Review: Shank 2
Back in 2010, Brad Hilderbrand, Joey Davidson, and I spent a segment of the Power Button podcast discussing Shank from Klei Entertainment and Electronic Arts. The consensus at the time was that while Shank was a solid and fun action game, the asking price was a bit too much considering how quickly one could blast through what the game had to offer. We liked Shank, but felt a little buyer's remorse when all was said and done. If only the game had been a little longer and cost a little less, it would have been a shoe-in to become an unquestionably solid hit. Now Klei and EA have returned to the table with the downloadable Shank 2 for the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, and PC and, in the process, addressed our concerns and improved upon the aspects that we already enjoyed. Shank is back and this time he's exactly where he needs to be.
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Posted at 12:00 PM in Microsoft, Mini-Review, PC, Sony | Permalink | Comments (1)
See Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II Run
Following on from those impressive screenshots of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II from last week comes this trailer of the game in action. Check out Sonic and Tails working together as a team as they traverse snowy mountains, rickety carnivals, and other hazardous zones in pursuit of Metal Sonic. It's impressive stuff and appears to be a definite improvement over Episode I. The game has a release date of Spring 2012 and is headed to the Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, PC, iOS, and Android. If I had to take a wild guess, I'd venture that we'll also see it for Nintendo's Wii U toward the end of the year. That's just an educated assumption on my part, of course.
Posted at 07:45 AM in Microsoft, Mobile, PC, Sony | Permalink | Comments (0)
Mini-Review: Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth
This article was originally published at Kombo.com on January 4, 2010. For more on Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth, be sure to check out the additional video commentary.
First released in 1989 for the original Game Boy, Konami's Castlevania: The Adventure had more problems than pluses. Protagonist Christopher Belmont lurched forward at Frankenstein-like speeds, the trusty Vampire Killer whip powered down with each injury, and the game's four levels were designed with pixel-perfect jumps in mind in a game engine that could not support it. Looking to improve upon this frustrating entry in the Castlevania series, franchise maven Koji Igarashi and his development team have come up with Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth for Nintendo's WiiWare library in which the original game is pumped up with improvements and elements taken from a handful of other Castlevania games. The result is a surprisingly faithful traditional Castlevania adventure in the style of the original side-scrolling action platformer titles. Dracula has risen once again, so it's up to Belmont to enter Castlevania's six stages and slay the beasts. It's a well-traveled road, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Posted at 11:45 AM in Mini-Review, Nintendo | Permalink | Comments (0)
Demonic 3DS Brain Age Could Be A Localization Nightmare
Nintendo struck gold with its Brain Age titles for the Nintendo DS, so it only makes sense that a new installment of the brain trainer series is in development for the Nintendo 3DS. This one, however, might pose a challenge when it comes to North America. See, the hook this time around is that the new puzzles are devilishly difficult, so friendly floating head Professor Kawashima has become a red-skinned horned demon. I'm sure that'll go over well in the Bible Belt. This seems like a localization nightmare when it comes to bringing the tentatively titled Demon Training abroad. Nintendo will never be able to sell this game in highly religious communities. I can already envision the local television news running a story about how Nintendo wants to corrupt your children with its devil game. Stances on religious instances in video games are laxer in Japan than in the states, and while Nintendo of America has censored little aspects of games in the past as part of the translation process, it's also outright passed on games in which the religious iconography is too central to a game's main theme to remove. Remember Devil World, for example? Brain Age was too profitable for the next installment not to come to America, but I wouldn't be surprised if Demon Training were given an exorcism and entirely rethemed by the time it inevitably lands stateside.
Posted at 01:00 PM in Nintendo, Politics and Law | Permalink | Comments (3)
A Brief History Of Handheld Gaming
As Sony officially sends the PlayStation Vita out into the world in North America and Europe this week, 1UP has taken a look back at the many other handheld video game systems that have come before it and points out how each one succeeded, failed, or met somewhere in the middle. You've heard the story of the Nintendo Game Boy before, sure, but the piece also includes some notable also-rans including the Watara Supervision, Wonderswan, Neo Geo Pocket Color, and the infamous Gizmondo.
Gizmondo arrived stillborn thanks to the shady dealings of its parent company. Even disregarding its terrible (and possibly criminal) business model, the Gizmondo wasn't a particularly compelling piece of hardware; its design bore a bizarre resemblance to a black rubberized taco with valves sticking out of the top. Its software lineup featured a handful of noteworthy third-party games and a whole lot of nothing. And let's not forget that Gizmondo's entire existence has been theorized to serve entirely as an excuse for its creators to fund nice cars and have fancy parties with the media.
It's impossible not to notice that the article ends up being a look at Nintendo vs The Other Guys across the history of handheld gaming. If the company wasn't striking down Atari or NEC, it was matched with the likes of Sony or Sega. Through it all, Nintendo is still there and still finding success. There's certainly room in the market for two handheld systems and competition keeps everyone on their collective toes, and it's interesting to see how more recent handheld systems were designed in an attempt not to make the mistakes of the Lynx or Neo Geo Pocket. Lessons have definitely been learned over the years. Those who don't learn their history are doomed to repeat it with a Tiger Game.com.
Posted at 10:00 AM in General, Mobile, Nintendo, Retro/Classic, Sony | Permalink | Comments (3)
Strider And Streets Of Rage Almost Returned
There's a lot of retro love out there for Capcom's Strider and Sega's Street of Rage franchises, but both of those series have been buried and forgotten for quite a while outside of Virtual Console-type re-releases. As Eurogamer reports, both of them almost returned in modern reboots for the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, and PC courtesy of now-defunct developer Grin, but since nobody else bought Bionic Commando back in 2009, both projects were scuttled and the studio closed. This is why we can't have nice things! Sorry; I got up on my soapbox there for a moment. Anyway, here's Eurogamer:
Grin Barcelona helped with Strider, developing assets for the first prototype of the game. The art team made the teaser video, below, with the help of animation studio 23Lunes. Strider was to be a reboot similar to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 Bionic Commando reboot Grin made for Capcom for release in 2009. The Strider reboot was apparently cancelled by Capcom a few weeks after the May 2009 release of Bionic Commando. Grin Barcelona, however, soldiered on, trying to build a prototype based on its work without the Strider license. It pitched the project to Ubisoft, but that deal fell through.
After that setback, Grin Barcelona set upon a remake of Streets of Rage, to be published by Sega. It was intended to be similar to Grin's own Bionic Commando Rearmed, and released as a download-only title. Work on this game didn't last long, however. Only a handful of screenshots and art, below, were unearthed, but apparently a build of the game exists somewhere.
It's a shame that Grin wasn't able to complete either title. My thoughts on the wonderful Bionic Commando are well established by now, so I'd have loved to have seen what the talented folks there could have done with other forgotten franchises like Strider and Streets of Rage. File these away under lost opportunities and What Could Have Been. I'd still like to believe that both properties could return someday when talented studios can crack what makes each title so much fun. Grin understood that Bionic Commando was all about the bionic arm. Someone has to be able to crack the Strider and Streets of Rage codes in a similar manner.
Posted at 02:45 PM in Microsoft, PC, Retro/Classic, Sony | Permalink | Comments (4)
CONTEST: Win The Darkness & The Darkness II For Xbox 360
Congratulations to the winner: Brian Lepak!
How'd you like to win not just The Darkness for the Microsoft Xbox 360, but also its recently released sequel, The Darkness II? Courtesy of publisher 2K Games, one lucky Press The Buttons reader will win this special double prize pack that'll have one up to speed on this whole The Darkness franchise in the amount of time it takes to call upon a dark force to wipe out incoming enemies. Up for grabs is a Xbox Live Marketplace code for a download of the original The Darkness game and a copy of The Darkness II: Limited Edition that comes in the mail on a fancy disc and includes extra bonus content such as the Gourmet Hearts and Relic Hunter character abilities, "Crazy Abdul" darkling outfit, and custom illustration by Marc Silvestri, and a free download of The Darkness Origins Volumes 1 and 2 from Comixology. All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is send an e-mail to contests@pressthebuttons.com with "Darkness Contest" in the subject line. For an extra bonus chance to win, follow @PressTheButtons on Twitter and retweet the contest announcement tweet. One winner will be chosen at random and will win both games. The deadline for entries is 8pm ET on Monday, February 27, 2012. Easy enough, right? And now for the customary reading of the rules. Contest open only to those allowed to possess and play M-for-mature rated games and with a North American mailing address, PTB is not responsible for lost or misdelivered entries or prizes, the winner will be notified to provide a mailing address for prize delivery, a powerful enemy now festers within you. Good luck!
Posted at 08:00 PM in Microsoft | Permalink | Comments (1)


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Putin: Russia won't expel US diplomats in retaliation for sanctions
Posted on December 30, 2016, 8:01 am
Saying he will consider U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's actions when deciding on further steps in U.S.-Russia relations, Russian PresidentVladimir Putin said Friday Moscow won't expel U.S diplomats in response to sanctions and expulsions announced by the U.S.
"We will not create problems for American diplomats. We will not expel anyone," Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin.
President Barack Obama on Thursday imposed sanctions on Russian officials and intelligence services in retaliation alleged Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election, as American political sites and email accounts were hacked. Thirty-five Russian diplomats were ordered to leave the U.S. in 72 hours and two facilities closed.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in televised remarks on Friday that the foreign ministry and other agencies had suggested Putin order the expulsion of 31 employees of the U.S. embassy in Moscow and 4 diplomats from the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg.
The Kremlin spokesman said late Thursday that it would be up to Putin to draft retaliatory measures.
'Appropriate response'
Obama called his actions "a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm U.S. interests in violation of established international norms of behavior."
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who had scoffed at allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. election, said Thursday he would meet with intelligence leaders next week for a briefing on the situation.
The president's action coincided with the release Thursday of a 13-page joint analysis by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Securitythat squarely blamed Russia's intelligence agencies for hacks intended to influence the 2016 election and provided technical details, including samples of malicious computer code said to have been used in their cyber hacking campaign.
Among the actions ordered by Obama Thursday are sanctions against nine Russian individuals and entities: the GRU, Russia's military intelligence agency, the FSB, its foreign intelligence service, four GRU officers, and three companies that provided material support to the GRU.
In addition, Evgeniy Bogachev and Aleksey Belan were also sanctioned. The Treasury Department calls them "notorious criminals" who are responsible for the cybertheft of more than $100 million dollars from U.S. banks, companies and other American firms.
Thirty-five Russian government officials in Washington and in the consulate in San Francisco were given 72 hours to leave the United States for "acting in a manner inconsistent with their diplomatic status and consular activities."
Russian officials also will be denied access to what the U.S. State Department calls two Russian government-owned recreational compounds in Maryland and New York. This is after U.S. diplomats in Moscow were harassed and physically assaulted.
"In addition to holding Russia accountable for what it has done, the United States and friends and allies around the world must work together to oppose Russia's efforts to undermine established international norms of behavior and interfere with democratic governance," Obama said in announcing the sanctions.
Additional measures
A senior White House official said Thursday's publicly announced actions are not the end of the American response. He said there will be other measures that will not be publicized.
The official said there has been no debate within the Obama administration over whether Russia indeed interfered in the presidential election, primarily by hacking Democratic party emails to harm Hillary Clinton's campaign and boost Donald Trump's chances of winning the November 8 election.
The official said the White House believes Russia is gong to try to interfere in elections in other countries.
He also said he has no reason to believe Russia will not try the same thing again in future U.S. contests. The next major American election will be in 2018, for the entire House of Representatives and a number of Senate seats.
The Obama administration had warned the Kremlin numerous times in public and private that it knows what Russian hackers are up to and that Thursday's sanctions should not come as a surprise to anyone.
It has also said it is inconceivable that Russian President Vladimir Putin knew nothing about it.
President-elect Trump, who has made no secret of his desires for better ties with Moscow, responded to the sanctions by saying it is time for the country to "move on to bigger and better things." And he intimated that he still has doubts about Russia's involvement in the election.
"In the interest of our country and its great people, I will meet with leaders of the intelligence community next week in order to be updated on the facts of this situation," Trump said in a statement.
Emma Ashford, a foreign policy expert from the Cato Institute, told VOA Trump would face a lot of opposition from Congress if he tries to undo the sanctions.
"Part of why this has been so difficult for the Obama administration is they were also trying to find something that Trump could not on his first day in office undo," Ashford said.
She added that the Obama administration must "try to send a signal that no matter what Donald Trump might say about how much he likes Vladimir Putin and how we're going to improve relations with Russia, that there has to be some sort of penalty for what the Russian tried to do in the election."
A State Department official said Thursday reversing Obama's orders would be "inadvisable," adding that it makes no sense to invite Russian intelligence officials back into the United States.
Thirty-five is the second largest number of Russian diplomats ordered out of the United States at one time since the end of the Cold War. President George W. Bush expelled 50 Russians in March 2001 for alleged spying. President Ronald Reagan deported a total of 80 Russian diplomats also suspected of spying during the fading years of the Cold War in 1986.
Elizabeth Cherneff and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
[jp_post_view]
Donald Trump Vladimir Putin Barack Obama diplomacy Sergey Lavrov
Amazon flying warehouse patent revealed
Turkish commission sets up vote on expanding powers of Erdogan
Economy Minister: Jury still out on whether lower taxes boost growth
Mitsotakis: Tsipras is using constitutional revision to divide country
/ Nov 14
KKE accuses government of 'disgraceful policy'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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August 27, 2009 by EmanuelLevy
(Coco Avant Chanel)
Sony Classics Sep 25
The story of the real Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, the legendary French fashion designer, must have been far more interesting and compelling than the conventional and stodgy biopic we get in "Coco Before Chanel, "Anne Fontaine's selective, partial, and biased biopic of the early life of the internationally famous fashionista.
"Coco Before Chanel" has already opend in France (thus the poster) and in other European countries, such as the U.K. Sony Classics will release the film stateside on Sept 25, after the Toronto Film Fest.
Chanel has intrigued biographers and filmmakers for decades, with numerous books (over 40 they say), stage shows, and movies about her life, personality, and work. In 1969, there was the Broadway musical "Coco," with Katharine Hepburn, then a TV min-series "Coco Chanel," with Shirley MacLaine. And this year alone, there are two biopics about her, though neither satisfying, "Coco Before Chanel" and "Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky," about the rumored relationship between Chanel and the noted musician, which was the closing night of the 2009 Cannes Film Fest in May.
"Coco Before Chanel" suffers from a banal narrative that's too neat, with a clear arch of upward mobility and professional success, if also failure to achieve personal happiness. In Fontaine's version, Coco begins her life as a headstrong orphan, and through a bizarre and extraordinary journey becomes a legendary couturier, an embodiment of the modern woman (she never married), a timeless symbol of success, freedom and style.
Done in an old-fashioned style, with decorative but not sumptuous production values, Coco Before Chanel" is the kind of reserved and tasteful middlebrow entertainment that would make Ismail-Merchant proud. The movie tries to elicit sympathy for, or at least understanding of Chanel without even mentioning (not even in title cards) her controversial politics and collaboration with the Nazis when France was occupied by them).
Born on August 19, 1883, into a modest and provincial home, Chanel was orphaned at a young age and grew up, along with her sister, in a convent school. In the first chapter, set in 1893, we get glimpses of the sad, standing by the window, waiting in vain every Sunday for her father to come for her.
The story then jumps ahead to 15 years later to find Chanel as an assistant in hosiery. She begins to work as a humble seamstress, stitching hems at the back of a provincial tailor's shop. Later, she is employed as embroiderer and sewer, jobs that grow boring and monotonous, motivating her to turn her attention to the local cafés-concerts. As a cabaret performer with a weak voice, Chanel sings to a loud audience of mostly drunken soldiers. But her lean, gracious figure doesn't go completely unnoticed, and she is applauded by an audience who call her "Coco," a name that would stay with her forever.
It was at this juncture that Chanel is spotted and immediately adored by Étienne Balsan, a rich racehorse owner. Indeed, her life changes dramatically, when the slender and pale woman becomes a courtesan protected by the much older Balsan, who offers her a safe life amongst the idle rich and decadent. With him, Chanel discovers the equestrian world, a world that would inspire her throughout her career; she is surrounded with pretentious high-society with women, dressed in hats she thinks look like "pies."
Standing out from the other ladies in Balsan's entourage, she soon catches the eye of the man who was to become the love of her life, Arthur "Boy" Capel. A complex love affair ensues, interrupted by the shocking news (to her) that he's married and has no intention to get divorced. They continue to see each other and "Boy" encourages her to pursue her hat-making, lending her the money to open her first milliner's studio in Paris' rue Cambon, in 1910.
A boutique in the French seaside town of Deauville quickly follows, as do those in Biarritz and Cannes. Chanel's success is meteoric, and a proud, self-sufficient woman, she soon pays Boy Capel back every penny he had lent her. This particular saga ends on an upbeat note, with Chanel as a firm woman determined never to be anyone's wife, utterly committed to her métier.
Sporadically, we get insights into Chanel's eccentric behavior, depicting her, for example, as a rebel who finds the social conventions and mores of her time oppressive for independent femme like her; she often dresses in her lovers' clothes.
It's impossible to tell whether the usually reliable Audrey Tautou (who was so charming in "Amélie" and other French films but no so good in American ones) is miscast in the title role, or simply out of her element and depth for she often looks lost and comes across as too detached and unmotivated. To be fair, there's no doubt that Tautou's performance is handicapped by the mediocre level of this joyless melodrama, credited to helmer Anne Fontaine and her sister Camille Fontaine, with the collaboration of Christopher Hampton ("Oscar-winner for "Dangerous Liaisons"), which is very loosely based on "L'irrégulière," by Edmonde Charles-Roux.


Washington – The Federal Aviation Administration has extended to April 22, 2015, the deadline for certain provisions aimed at improving safety among commercial helicopter and helicopter air ambulance operations.
FAA issued a final rule on Feb. 21 in response to a trend of injuries and fatalities. Among the requirements originally set to go into effect April 22, 2014, are enhanced operating procedures and training for flying in bad weather and at night or when landing in remote locations.
FAA issued the extension after receiving feedback from the industry indicating that the original deadline would not leave enough time for implementation and conducting pilot training. FAA also will use the extension to create detailed guidance materials, the agency announced in a press release.
Deadlines for other provisions in the rule that already were postponed to later years, such as the requirement that air ambulances install data monitoring systems by 2018, will not be affected by the extension.


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In a continuing dialogue between past, present, and future, Cassina has created the I Maestri collection, revisiting furnishing designs by the twentieth century's best-known architects, including Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, Franco Albini, Frank Lloyd Wright and Marco Zanuso. While the designs and functional concepts have been precisely preserved, the models have been manufactured using evolved technology. This is also the company that has manufactured iconic pieces of contemporary design from the 50's to the present day, ideated by some of the most important international designers.
I Maestri (5)
Charlotte Perriand (3)
Piero Lissoni (1)
Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1)
Patrick Jouin (1)
Afra & Tobia Scarpa (1)
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Lebeau Wood
By Patrick Jouin
Refolo
By Philippe Starck
Berlino Table
By Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Mex Cube
By Piero Lissoni


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Chad Anderson
Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Primary Care and Population Health
Paden Angelo
Maja Artandi, MD
Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine - Primary Care and Population Health
Steven Asch
Professor of Medicine (Primary Care and Population Health)
Current Research and Scholarly Interests Describe your current research interest and activities
Rebecca Aslakson
Associate Professor of Medicine (Primary Care and Population Health) and of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at the Stanford University Medical Center
Bio Dr. Rebecca A. Aslakson is an Associate Professor at Stanford University with appointments in both the Department of Primary Care & Population Health in the Palliative Care Section and the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine where she serves as Division Chief of Critical Care Anesthesia. With a Summa Cum Laude B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, an MD from Harvard Medical School?MIT, and an MSci degree with Distinction from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, Dr. Aslakson completed anesthesia residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and surgical critical care fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she was on faculty from 2008-2017. In 2013, Dr. Aslakson obtained her PhD in Clinical Investigations from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with her dissertation concerning integration of palliative care in intensive care units. Triple boarded in anesthesia, surgical critical care, and palliative medicine, Dr. Aslakson is an active researcher and clinician; her goal is to improve delivery of effective and equitable palliative care, particularly to perioperative and critically ill populations. She has published over 80 peer-reviewed papers, invited editorials, and book chapters and received competitive funding from funders such as AHRQ, PCORI, the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research, and the National Palliative Care Research Society. Dr. Aslakson serves on national committees for professional societies including the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM). Dr. Aslakson has received national awards including the 2015 AAHPM Early Career Investigator Award and the 2014 ASA Presidential Scholar Award. Dr. Aslakson clinically attends at the Stanford University Medical Center in the M4 and E2 Intensive Care Units and on the inpatient palliative care clinical service. She lives in Palo Alto, CA with her husband and two sons.
Mehrdad Ayati
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Primary Care and Population Health
Bio Dr. Ayati completed his residency at UC Davis and his fellowship at Stanford University. During his residency at UC Davis, Dr. Ayati received the Award of Excellence in Clinical Teaching. Dr. Ayati worked at hospitals such as Lodi Memorial Hospital in Lodi, California, and as an Emergency Medicine Attending at Veteran Affairs in Palo Alto, California. Dr. Ayati worked as a Stanford Medical Director at Los Altos and Palo Alto Sub acute and Rehabilitation centers. Dr. Ayati has a broad spectrum of practice and knowledge of general medicine and primary care in various settings, from office to Emergency room and acute and Sub-acute cares. Dr. Ayati?s main areas of research and clinical focus are in the physiology of aging and on finding practical and yet innovative ways of addressing the wellbeing and needs of the population in any age category. Dr. Ayati is an advocate of his patient?s physical and mental health at any age in addition to disease management and prevention. Dr. Ayati is currently the Editor in Chief of the journal of General Medicine, Open Access. Dr. Ayati is the author of ?Paths to Healthy Aging?. Dr. Ayati is also a guest educational speaker on several radio stations such as National Public Radio (NPR) and San Francisco?s KQED and international and national conferences.
Dr. Ayati strives to provide reliable information, effective strategies, and simple guidelines for patients of all ages to avoid or manage chronic diseases and to have a significantly better quality of life.
Rika Bajra
Alan Barkin
Emeritus Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine - Primary Care and Population Health
Michele Barry, MD, FACP
Drs. Ben & A. Jess Shenson Professor, Senior Associate Dean, Global Health, Director, Center for Innovation in Global Health, Professor of Medicine & Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute and at the Freeman Spogli Institute
Current Research and Scholarly Interests Areas of research
Ethical Aspects of research conducted overseas
Clinical Tropical Diseases
Globalization's Impact upon Health Disparities
Hemorrhagic Viruses
Preetha Basaviah, M.D.
Clinical Professor, Medicine - Primary Care and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly Interests Medical education, preparation for clerkship curricula and hospital medicine.
Ali Bassiri
Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine - Primary Care and Population Health
Eran Bendavid
Associate Professor of Medicine (Primary Care and Population Health), Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and Associate Professor, by courtesy, of Health Research and Policy
Current Research and Scholarly Interests Effect of global health policies on health of individuals in developing countries, global health, HIV and TB.
Bruce Allan Benedick
Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Medicine - Primary Care and Population Health
Susan Benedick
Eliza Gaenger Bennitt
Bio Eliza Bennitt is an Internal Medicine physician. She attended medical school at Stanford University and completed internship and residency at Stanford University Hospital. She is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. She has been working at Menlo Clinic since 2006.
In her spare time, Dr. Bennitt enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, running, and cooking.
Ankur Bharija
Current Research and Scholarly Interests Personal and Professional (Clinical, research, and teaching) interests include promoting health and wellbeing for the frail elders and the seriously ill -- through innovation in High-value healthcare delivery systems, Public health-education, Health Information-technology and Social entrepreneurship.
Gordon Bloom
Lecturer, Medicine - Primary Care and Population Health
Bio Gordon founded the Social Entrepreneurship Collaboratory (SE Labs) at Stanford, Harvard and Princeton. He teaches about the design, development and leadership of innovative social ventures in global health and environmental sustainability.
At Stanford, Gordon is director of the Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Lab (SE Lab)- Human & Planetary Health and is a faculty fellow of the Center for Innovation in Global Health. He is a Lecturer in the School of Medicine, Division of Primary Care and Population Health/Dept. of Medicine, an affiliate at the Center for Health Policy and the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and a mentor in the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program.
At Harvard, Gordon taught jointly on the faculties of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health (Health Policy & Management) and the Harvard Kennedy School (Management, Leadership & Decision Sciences) and served as an Expert-in-Residence (EiR) at the Harvard Innovation Lab (i-Lab), and affiliated faculty at the Center for Primary Care, Harvard Medical School (HMS). He was faculty director of the Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Lab (SE Lab) for US & Global Health, an incubator course taught in a new interdisciplinary, collaborative model based at the i-Lab. He has also served as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (2013-2014) at Harvard Business School in the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship, on the Faculty of Arts & Sciences in the Sociology Department, at the Harvard Kennedy School, on the Leadership & Management faculty, and as a principal of the Hauser Center for Non-Profit Organizations (2004-2007). Gordon served as one of the founding faculty of the $10 million Reynolds Fellows Program in Social Entrepreneurship, a Center for Public Leadership and Harvard President?s interdisciplinary fellowship initiative that paid full tuition and stipend for graduate students from the Harvard Kennedy School, School of Public Health and Graduate School of Education.
At Princeton, Gordon served as Dean?s Visiting Professor in Entrepreneurship in 2009-2010. Working together with the School of Engineering & Applied Science, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs, and the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, he launched a new set of programs and prizes in social innovation and entrepreneurship in collaboration with students, faculty and alumni.
At Stanford in 2001-2002, Gordon created the SE Lab, a Silicon Valley and technology?influenced, interdisciplinary incubator for social ventures and global problem solving. Gordon taught on the Public Policy Program and Urban Studies faculties (School of Humanities & Sciences) and served as a faculty affiliate at the Center for Social Innovation at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a Program Officer at Stanford?s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.
Many of the talented students and fellows in Gordon?s SE Labs have won the top awards of prestigious idea and business plan competitions, including those at Stanford, Harvard, Princeton and MIT.
Gordon is an author in the edited volume Social Entrepreneurship: New Models of Sustainable Social Change (A. Nicholls, ed., Yunus, Drayton et. al., Oxford University Press, 2006/2008) and served as a founding member of the Oxford/Ashoka led University Network for Social Entrepreneurship. His interest in entrepreneurship is informed by work in both the private and nonprofit sectors in the U.S. (New York, Cambridge, Palo Alto), Europe (London, Paris) and Asia (Hong Kong), as CEO of a medical technology company and in international strategy consulting.
Gordon is married to Sara Singer- they on occasion teach together at Stanford, have a daughter Audrey (20) and son Jason (17), and live in the residential section of campus.
Jennifer Bollyky
Samuel C. Bonar


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West Boca Theatre Company: The Women's Minyan (reviews)
The West Boca Theatre Company opened its production of The Women's Minyan on November 28, 2012
Author Naomi Ragen's only play, this is the story of a respected Rabbi's wife in the patriarchal ultra-Orthodox community of Jerusalem. After years of abuse by her husband, she breaks her silence only to find herself excommunicated and forcibly separated from her twelve children. She convenes a Minyan (a quorum) of women asking them to decide her worthiness to be reunited with her children.
Shari Upbin directed a cast that included Jamie Libbert-Smith, Blanca Bassion, Mary Stucchi, Margo Gllert, Renee Roggoff, Merry Jo Cortada, Clelilia Patrizio, Gail Byer, Fern Katz, and Elli Murray.
Naomi Ragen's Women's Minyan is a tough play to watch... the denigrating words aimed by women at one of their own earn gasps, moans or derisive muttering from the audience at Boca Raton's Levis Jewish Community Center.
Certainly, the playwright, producer Myrna Loman and director Shari Upbin aren't suggesting that what happens to Chana Sheinhoff... is a good or just thing. But the truth is that such condemnation, shunning and adherence to rabbinical rulings happens: Women's Minyan is based on a real case.
Threading subtle, mournful live music through the scenes, Upbin gets solid performances from her large cast, though Ragen doesn't make each performer's journey an easy one. Rogoff and Cortada commit fully to women who seem unfeelingly cruel, even reprehensible. Katz and especially Byer provide bits of comic relief, but at a certain point in the darkening story, laughter becomes inappropriate.
Dramatically, what's most challenging about Women's Minyan is that Chana's second-act revelations are things the audience sees coming from the get-go. Adina has a secret too, and when she shares it, you think, "Well, of course." That's not to say that Chana's marital experiences aren't profoundly disturbing. They are. But as Women's Minyan demonstrates, cruelty takes many forms. And sometimes it flows from the similarly oppressed.
"SFGN Staff" wrote for SFGN:
I admit I didn't think I'd like it. A play about the aftermath of a divorce in an ultra-orthodox Jewish family in Israel didn't sound very appealing.
Turns out I was wrong. I loved it. I laughed. I cried. I was captivated from start to finish.
Each of the ten actresses were believable and moving. Beyond the actual performance, the play was a sincere look into the lives of ultra-orthodox Jewish women – their roles in society and their family.
While the entire cast did a spectacular job, and I felt empathy for all of their individual struggles, it was Chana's sister-in-law Adina Sheinhoff (Clelia Patrizion) that brought me to tears during the second half of the play. I believed her, I felt her pain, and was so moved by her performance.
The Women's Minyan plays at the West Boca Theatre Company through December 9, 2012.
Labels: Review, West Boca Theatre Company
The Scene for December 28, 2012
Off Stage Conversations
The Scene for December 21, 2013 (updated)
Kravis Capitulates, signs new contract with IATSE
Miami Beach Stage Door: Side by Side By Sondheim (...
Parade Productions: The Santaland Diaries (2 reviews)
Why JERSEY BOYS Didn't Open Last Night
Broward Center: Sister Act (3 reviews)
Broward Stage Door Theatre: Show Boat (2 reviews)
Theatre at Arts Garage: Exit, Pursued by Bear (2 r...
Plaza Theatre: Luv (2 reviews)
Palm Beach Dramaworks: A Delicate Balance (2 reviews)
Actors' Playhouse: The Last Five Years (2 reviews)
West Boca Theatre Company: The Women's Minyan (rev...
Showtime Performing Arts Theatre: [title of show] ...
The Scene for December 7, 2012.
Maltz Jupiter Theatre: The Music Man (3 reviews)
New Theatre: Happy (4 reviews)
Arsht Center: The Nutcracker (reviews)


Kudzu is a recursive-descent parser written in Kotlin, with the goal of immutability and simplicity. It is mostly an exercise for me to learn more about parsing algorithms, but should work reasonably-well enough to be used for small, non-trivial parsers.
I've got several projects which require custom parsing, and after looking around at the various options available in Java and Kotlin, I've decided that I would just rather write my own. Most of the ones I found either require Java 8 (a deal-breaker if I want to use it on Android), or I found them to be very complex to use, being intended for writing full-blown, high-performance compilers. I needed something simple, and I also wanted to learn how parsers work, so I decided to make my own.
This library is a parser combinator like most of the others, but is focused on having a simpler API and clear separation of concerns. Maybe I just found the other options confusing just because I am still learning how these things work, but Kudzu produces code that is quite a bit easier to read and understand than most of the other options I've found.
Regardless, I aim for this library to have a very strikt (heh) and clean separation between parsing the input into an AST, and the evaluation of the AST. You'll first build your grammar using the parsing primitives provided by Kudzu, which will produce an immutable grammar that will recognize your language. This grammar will parse an input string into an AST. You can then attach visitors to that AST and navigate the nodes in the parse tree, which will allow you to easily get the data you need out of the AST.
Parsing API does not rely on generics, which make your code difficult to read. Instead, it relies on node tagging and helper functions available to all Node types for evaluating an AST, rather than specific properties of specific class types.
Evaluating a parse tree uses the visitor pattern. Strict separation between parsing and evaluation makes each phase simpler and easier to understand.
See tests for example usage of every included parser. A basic example of parsing and evaluating follows.
In Kudzu, a Parser is a class that extends Parser and implements 2 methods: predict, and parse. predict is a method that checks if the parser is capable of consuming the next character, and parse actually implements the parsing logic, and returns a Node.
There are 2 types of nodes, TerminalNode and NonTerminalNode. A TerminalNode typically holds onto the raw text that was parsed from the input, while a NonTerminalNode holds onto other nodes. In this manner, non-terminal nodes comprise the inner nodes of the parse tree, while terminal nodes comprise the leaves of the parse tree.
Unlike some other parsing libraries, Kudzu does not impose any restrictions on the type of node that a parser produces to keep type parameters to a minimum and code readability to a maximum. Instead of evaluating a parse tree by working with specific subclasses, evaluation is done simply by knowledge of whether a node is a terminal or non-terminal node, and the name of the node. There are APIs to aid in navigating the parse tree and finding specific nodes based on their type or their name.
The String text that is to be parsed.
Provides sole API for parsers to consume individual characters. Tracks source position.
Each grammar has a single root rule, which is defined as a simple instance of Parser. The result is a single root Node and a ParserContext representing the text that remains unconsumed. A successful parse is expected to return an empty ParserContext. This root parser will recursively call the same method on other parser objects, each one building more nodes in the full tree and advancing the position in the ParserContext.
The Node can be visited by any number of Visitor objects, which recognize and evaluate distinct nodes in the parse tree and combine the results into the VisitorContext.
This simple grammar will match an input string like one two 1234 asdf 56 qwerty 7890, and demonstrates how complex parsers can be built from smaller ones, and introduces several of the important built-in parses available. Below is a description of some of these parser types.
ManyParser: Takes another Parser and repeatedly consumed input from that parser, for as long as that parser is able to. Since it is itself a Parser, and it takes a Parser as an input, the full grammar is now recursively-defined, and uses a predictive* approach to determining if the next iteration of its parser can continue. You can pass any other Parser to this, not just character-type parsers, and so arbitrarily-complex sub-grammars can be repeated as needed. You'll notice that we gave the parser a name. This name is attached to the nodes it produces, so that when we evaluate the parse tree, we can look for nodes named word or number, and take different actions accordingly.
ChoiceParser: Takes a list of sub-parsers, and predicatively* picks one to continue parsing with.
SequenceParser: Takes a list of sub-parsers, and executes each one a single time in order.
OptionalWhitespaceParser: Consumes and throws away whitespace if it exists. As the whitespace is optional, and input such as two1234 would still match and be parsed correctly.
LazyParser: Some grammars have production rules that themselves are recursive, such as A := B A. The LazyParser acts as a placeholder, simply delegating to another parser. The recursive rules must be built using these lazy types, since we need a concrete instance to pass to another parsers. This lazy parser allows us to create the parser reference, passing it around to the parsers that need it, and at a later point fill in the details of the parser as needed.
A predictive grammar tests if the parser can be used by first calling its predict method. This method is expected to check if it is able to consume the next character, and if it cannot consume the next character, then the entire parser cannot continue. For many-type parsers, this predictability is used to determine when to stop iterating. For choice-type parsers, this determines which sub-production is chosen: the first sub-parser for which predict returns true will be used, and other rules will not be tested. This is to improve performance and prevent infinite recursion.
A VisitorContext is just an empty interface and is used simply to indicate that a Context should be created specifically for a Visitor. A Visitor defines a node class and/or a node name that it should be applied to, and when passed to a node as it is evaluated, will be passed each matching node to do with it whatever it needs.
In addition to passing concrete visitors and matching individually on a given node, you may wish to navigate other nodes in the parse tree relative to a node matched by a Visitor. In that case, there are several helpful extension methods available to you, described below.
node.find(nodeClass?, nodeName?), node.find<nodeClass>(nodeName?): Finds a node of a given type with a given name in the immediate children of the subject node. Throws a VisitorException if there is no such a matching node.
node.has(nodeClass?, nodeName?), node.has<nodeClass>(nodeName?): To accompany find, has will let you know if a matching node can be found before attempting to fetch it.
node.findAnywhere(nodeClass?, nodeName?), node.findAnywhere<nodeClass>(nodeName?): Finds a node of a given type with a given name in the any child of the subject node. Throws a VisitorException if there is no such a matching node.
node.hasAnywhere(nodeClass?, nodeName?), node.hasAnywhere<nodeClass>(nodeName?): To accompany findAnywhere, hasAnywhere will let you know if a matching node can be found before attempting to fetch it.
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Global Animal Partnership has a 5 step certification and rating system. Walnut Keep Farm was audited by Earth Claims using the GAP(Global Animal Partnership) system to determine how well we treat our animals. The higher the step the better the quality of life for the animals on the farm. We just found out we are certified as a STEP 5 farm! WOW! that's like getting an A on a report card. I know we spoil our animals silly here but it feels really good to have experts confirm that.


The Bitcoin Cash price (BCH/USD) has so far managed to defend its Tuesday gains and extend its rally a bit further.
The fourth-largest digital currency on the market posted big gains on Tuesday, building on its strong performance in the past few trading sessions. Having opened at $558.55, the coin saw a sharp uptick in the early afternoon trading that allowed it to break through the $600 barrier for the first time in two months. After the breakthrough, Bitcoin Cash continued on an upward trajectory and eventually finished the session at an intraday high of $628.51.
The coin has edged higher in today's trading, although its rally has started to show signs of slowing down. Bitcoin Cash hit an intraday high of $635.67 in recent trading, which is also its highest level since September 4. At the time of writing, the Bitcoin Cash price was hovering around $630, according to data from digital currency tracker Coinmarketcap.
At the same time, Bitcoin Cash continues to enjoy strong trading volume levels. Yesterday the coin's daily trading volume reached $958 million, which was significantly more than the $907 million generated in the preceding trading session. According to recent market data, just over $1 billion worth of BCH tokens have changed hands over the past 24 hours, which suggests that today's trading activity may have been even stronger.
This is happening ahead of the November 15 Bitcoin Cash hard fork, which is set to introduce scheduled upgrades to the BCH protocol. Unlike previous forks of the same nature, this time there will be a competing proposal from a blockchain group called NChain. This could lead to two BCH chains existing independently from one another.
In today's trading, the Bitcoin Cash price stood at $634.89, as of 13:25 GMT. The digital coin has gained 7.2% in the past 24 hours.


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Tag Archives: International Space Station
ESA promote amateur radio in ISS SSTV video
The space agency ESA has released a video 'How to get pictures from the International Space Station via Amateur Radio' along with a collection of Tutorial videos explaining how to receive ISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) pictures for different computers and mobile devices.
Did you know that astronauts on the International Space Station send pictures from space to ground over amateur radio that you yourself can get at home using your computer? ESA show you how to get them, step by step.
The video features radio amateur David Honess 2E0XDO (ex-M6DNT).
Watch How to get pictures from the International Space Station via amateur radio
See these Tutorials on how to receive SSTV pictures from the ISS for specific operating systems such as Windows 10, Apple iOS & Mac OSX, Android, Raspberry Pi, etc
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Sets/Radio_ISS/(result_type)/videos
YouTube Tutorials Playlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtC-BPcMruA&list=PLbyvawxScNbt5Mjfty4Ik-Tt6du-6N5jD
Read the Raspberry Pi article Pictures from space via ham radio
https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/pictures-from-space-via-ham-radio/
ISS SSTV info and links https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/
What is Amateur Radio? http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio
Free UK amateur radio online training course https://www.essexham.co.uk/train/foundation-online/
By m5aka • Posted in Daily Updates	• Tagged Amateur Radio, Ham Radio, International Space Station, ISS, SSTV
Sarah Brightman to start space flight training in January
Private Spacefarer Sarah Brightman Undergoes Medical Tests
Sarah Brightman hopes to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) for a 10 day mission in September 2015. If the launch were to take place as expected she would become the UK's second astronaut, the first was Helen Sharman GB1MIR on May 18, 1991. Tim Peake KG5BVI is expected to launch in November 2015.
TASS reports the soprano singer Sarah Brightman would begin pre-flight training for her journey to the International Space Station (ISS) as a private spacefarer early next year, instead of this autumn, Yuri Lonchakov, the head of the Russia's Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre, said on Wednesday. "She will begin training in the Star City in January of 2015 and therefore we are all waiting for her," Lonchakov said adding that he believed "her training will be a success."
She is paying $52 million for the flight considerably more than the $20 million that Iranian-American engineer Anousheh Ansari paid for her mission to the ISS in 2006, highlighting the dramatic escalation in launch charges in recent years.
Sarah started her singing career in the 1970's and had hits such as "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper" and "Love in a UFO". She is now a classical crossover artist.
In 2012 in conjunction with Virgin Galactic, The Brightman STEM Scholarship program (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) was launched to help young women in the US pursue STEM education across their four year college careers.
Her album, "Dreamchaser" was released on January 22, 2013. She said "I don't think of myself as a dreamer. Rather, I am a dream chaser, I hope that I can encourage others to take inspiration from my journey both to chase down their own dreams and to help fulfill the important UNESCO mandate to promote peace and sustainable development on Earth and from space. I am determined that this journey can reach out to be a force for good, a catalyst for some of the dreams and aims of others that resonate with me." She intends to become the first professional musician to sing from space.
It is not yet known if she will make any amateur radio contacts while on the ISS. In 1991 the first UK astronaut Helen Sharman was issued with a special callsign GB1MIR by the Radiocommunications Division of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). She was then able to contact radio amateurs on Earth during her stay on the MIR space station.
Read the TASS story at http://en.itar-tass.com/non-political/747859
You can sign up to receive updates on Sarah's mission at http://www.sarahbrightman.com/
Wiki – Sarah Brightman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Brightman
Space Adventures http://www.spaceadventures.com/
International Space Station – Image Credit NASA
By m5aka • Posted in Daily Updates	• Tagged Amateur Radio, Ham Radio, International Space Station, ISS, Sarah Brightman
Amateur radio CubeSats prepared for deployment
Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA installing CubeSat deployers on the Multipurpose Experiment Platform inside the Kibo laboratory of the ISS
NASA reports that on Thursday, February 20, 2014, International Space Station (ISS) astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA worked in the Japanese Kibo laboratory to prepare the second batch of NanoRacks CubeSats for their deployment beginning next Tuesday.
He opened the inner hatch to the airlock and replaced the empty deployers on the Multipurpose Experiment Platform with loaded deployers. The platform and its deployers will be passed outside through the airlock to the Exposed Facility where Kibo's robotic arm can grapple the platform and position the nanosatellites for launch. NanoRacks provides customers with CubeSat deployment services through a Space Act Agreement with NASA.
The deployment of the 12 commercial Planet Labs CubeSats is expected to take place at 1700 UT on Tuesday, February 25. The four amateur radio CubeSats LituanicaSat-1, LitSat-1, ArduSat-2, UAPSat-1 along with the 915 MHz SkyCube are expected to be deployed on Friday, February 28 at 07:30 UT.
Another amateur radio CubeSat the Peruvian Chasqui-1 was sent to the ISS on February 5, 2014. It is understood that Chasqui 1 is scheduled to be hand-deployed during a future Russian Extravehicular Activity (EVA).
CubeSats deployments are streamed live at http://m.ustream.tv/channel/live-iss-stream
For frequencies of the amateur radio CubeSats and pictures of previous deployments see
https://amsat-uk.org/2014/02/20/iss-cubesat-deployments-to-resume-february-25/
By m5aka • Posted in Daily Updates	• Tagged Amateur Radio, CubeSats, Ham Radio, International Space Station, ISS
ISS CubeSat deployments to resume February 25
The first of the Planet Lab Dove CubeSats were deployed from the ISS on February 11, 2014 about 0831 UT
According to NanoRacks the deployment of the second batch of CubeSats from the International Space Station (ISS) will commence at 1700 UT on Tuesday, February 25, 2014. The CubeSats deployments were streamed live at http://m.ustream.tv/channel/live-iss-stream
ISS Kibo Japanese Experiment Module (JEM)
Earlier this month astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA successfully deployed the first part of the Flock-1 constellation comprising 16 Dove 3U CubeSats developed by Planet Labs. The remaining 12 Dove CubeSats along with the amateur radio CubeSats LituanicaSat-1, LitSat-1, ArduSat-2, UAPSat-1 and the 915 MHz SkyCube should be deployed in the second batch.
The amateur radio CubeSats may be deployed on Friday, February 28 at 0730 UT. Another amateur radio CubeSat the Peruvian Chasqui 1 was sent to the ISS on February 5, 2014. It is not yet clear if this will also be deployed on Feb. 28.
Eight NanoRacks deployers are installed on the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP). Each deployer has a capacity of 6U and so can hold up to six 1U CubeSats or two 3U CubeSats. They are carried by Japanese Experiment Module-Remote Manipulator System (JEM-RMS).
Two 3U CubeSats (6U total) can be deployed every one to two orbits to prevent collisions. For the first batch of Flock-1 CubeSats about two deployments took place each day.
Planet Labs CubeSat Constellation
LituanicaSat-1 carries a 145/435 MHz FM transponder while LitSat-1 has a 435/145 MHz linear transponder for SSB/CW communications.
Kibo Robot Arm CubeSat Deployment
The IARU coordinated frequencies are listed as:
LituanicaSAT-1
• FM Transponder Uplink 145.950 MHz Downlink 435.180 MHz
• AX25 Uplink 145.850 MHz AX25 Downlink 437.550 MHz
• CW Beacon 437.275 MHz
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Lituanicasat1
LitSat-1
• SSB Transponder Uplink 435.180 MHz Downlink 145.950 MHz
• AX25 Uplink 437.550 MHz Downlink 145.850 MHz
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/palydovas
ArduSat-2
• 9k6 MSK CCSDS data format downlink 437.? MHz
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/575960623/ardusat-your-arduino-experiment-in-space
UAPSAT
• AX.25 Packet Radio uplink 145.980 MHz downlink 437.385 MHz
http://www.uapsat.info/ Twitter https://twitter.com/uapsat Facebook https://www.facebook.com/uapsat
Chasqui-1 (Peru) was launched to the space station on February 5, 2014. It is understood that it is scheduled to be hand-deployed during a future Russian Extravehicular Activity (EVA).
• AX.25 Packet Radio downlink on 437.250 MHz http://www.chasqui.uni.edu.pe/eng.html
Two Planet Labs Dove CubeSats deployed from the ISS February 11, 2014
Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA https://twitter.com/Astro_Wakata
NanoRacks https://twitter.com/nanoracks/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nanoracks
Close-up of Planet Labs Dove CubeSats leaving NanoRacks deployer February 11, 2014
Planet Labs https://twitter.com/planetlabs
A Dove in Space https://twitter.com/adoveinspace
Southern Stars https://twitter.com/south_stars
Video of NanoRacks interview: Deploying CubeSats from the Space Station
https://amsat-uk.org/2014/01/31/video-deploying-cubesats-from-the-space-station/
February 11, 2014 ISS CubeSats deployed
https://amsat-uk.org/2014/02/11/cubesats-deployed-from-international-space-station/
Jonathan's Space Report (JSR) has been covering robotic and human spaceflight activity for 25 years
https://amsat-uk.org/2014/02/09/a-quarter-century-of-jonathans-space-report/
Twitter http://twitter.com/planet4589
Astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA prepares NanoRacks CubeSat Deployers
By m5aka • Posted in Daily Updates	• Tagged Amateur Radio, CubeSat, Ham Radio, International Space Station, ISS
Brazilian students talk to Space Station using Amateur Radio
ARISS PV8DX students at Escola Estadual 'Gonçalves Dias'
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school contact took place at 17:24 UT on Thursday, February 13, 2014.
Students at Escola Estadual 'Gonçalves Dias', Boa Vista, Brazil, using the station of Paulo PV8DX, were able to talk to astronaut Michael Hopkins KF5LJG who was using the callsign OR4ISS. The contact lasted about 9 minutes and took place in English on 145.800 MHz FM.
The school, founded in 1977, works in two shifts, morning and afternoon with a total of 800 students. The school has a specialty program dedicated to Computer Science and related areas – students in this area were directly involved in the ARISS event. These same students were involved in the development of questions and related studies. The school has 70 teachers and 30 administrative support staff.
The students asked these questions:
1. Why did you decide to be an astronaut?
2. How long can a person live in space?
3. How do you communicate with your family?
4. After the mission, what are the most critical physical and psychological effects on your body and mind?
5. If someone is critically injured on the ISS, what would you do with them?
6. In case of illness, how is aid provided?
7. What kind of research are you doing on the ISS?
8. Do you feel disoriented when you return home?
9. Given the incredible committment to become an astronaut, do you ever doubt your choice?
10. How do you bathe on the ISS?
11. What is the most interesting thing you have seen in Space?
12. Is oxygen recycled continually on the ISS or do supply vehicles bring up new oxygen?
13. What is a typical day like on the ISS?
14. Since there are people from different countries on the ISS, what is the language spoken on the Station and what kind of food do you eat?
A recording of part of the contact made by PY2TNA can be heard here https://ukamsat.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/or4iss_via_py2tna_1724ut_13022014.mp3.
Michael Hopkins KF5LJG / OR4ISS
Media coverage can be seen at
http://g1.globo.com/rr/roraima/noticia/2014/02/estudantes-de-rr-fazem-contato-com-astronauta-em-estacao-espacial.html
http://g1.globo.com/rr/roraima/jornal-de-roraima/videos/t/edicoes/v/estudantes-roraimenses-tem-contato-com-astronauta-por-meio-de-projeto-da-nasa/3147827/
http://www.rr.gov.br/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12994:no-espaco-comunicacao-entre-estudantes-de-roraima-e-astronauta-americano-foi-um-sucesso&catid=198:2014fevereiro&Itemid=210
Sign up for the SAREX maillist at http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/sarex
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station http://www.ariss.org/
By m5aka • Posted in Daily Updates	• Tagged Amateur Radio, ARISS, Ham Radio, International Space Station, ISS
ISS Ham Video Commissioning – Blank Transmissions
Front panel of the HamTV transmitter
As announced December 22, 2013 the Ham Video transmitter is onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and stored in the Columbus module. It is slated to be installed February 5, 2014 by Michael Hopkins KF5LJG. Hopkins will also install the camera and the supporting Bogen arm.
The Ham Video transmitter will be connected to the ARISS 41 antenna and to the KuPS power supply. The installation procedure comprises a check of the electrical connections. The transmitter will be powered on and will transmit a signal on 2.422 GHz. This check will be very limited in time, just enough to verify that the control LEDs are nominal. Then Ham Video will be powered off, ready for the first Commissioning Step.
New HamTV Antennas for ARISS Telebridge Station IK1SLD
January 23 and 24, Commissioning Simulations were again performed by ESA, in collaboration with ARISS. The ARISS Team, in charge of receiving the signals during the Commissioning, worked with B.USOC, simulating the four scheduled Commissioning Steps. The procedure was an update of the Simulations performed 5-6 September 2013, as reported in HamTV Bulletin #2.
( All HamTV Bulletins are archived at http://www.ariss-eu.org/ ).
The four Commissioning steps are scheduled February 8, 15 and 16 and March 5. These dates are still to be confirmed and this depends on the signature of the Flight Rules relative to Ham Video (see HamTV Bulletin #4).
Blank Transmissions will start immediately at the conclusion of Commissioning Step 1 and will continue till Commissioning Step 4. This means that the Ham Video transmitter will operate continuously during 25 days.
The DATV signal parameters will be:
* Downlink frequency: 2.395 GHz
* DVB-S standard (QPSK modulation)
* Symbol rate: 1.3 Ms/s
* FEC : ½
* Video PID = 256
* Audio PID = 257
* RF radiated power : approximately 10 W EIRP
Ham Video will operate with a Canon XF-305 camera, but the camera will be turned off during the Blank Transmissions.
ARISS Telebridge Station IK1SLD at Casale Monferrato, Italy
Blank Transmissions
A « blank » DVB-S signal contains all the data of normal DVB-S. The information tables describing the content and the content itself, i.e. the video (black) and the audio (silence), are the same as for the image and the sound produced by a camera.
Receiving a black image and silent sound may seem uninteresting but, from a technical perspective, the digital signal offers an important source of information.
The decoded signal provides many data :
* the video stream can be measured (Tutioune + TS reader)
* the audio stream can be measured (Tutioune + TS reader)
* the DVB tables can be decoded (satellite receiver (Set Top Box) or Tutioune or TS reader or VLC …)
The DVB tables mention the PIDs (content identification numbers) as well as the SDT (Service Description Table) with the TV channel name, which will be « HAMTV »
Even without decoding, several measurements of the received signal provide valuable information:
* analogic HF signal strength (dBm)
* analogic Signal/Noise ratio (dB)
* digital Signal/Noise ratio = MER (dB)
* error/correction ratio = Vber, Cber …
* validation of the received transport stream = TS
Reception Reports
Ground stations with S-band capability can provide valuable information, which will be much appreciated. Basic data such as:
* noise level without signal
* AOS time (UTC)
* maximum signal level during pass
* LOS time (UTC)
can be reported by ground stations without the need of special DATV hardware and software.
ARISS is preparing a Ham Video Internet Reporting Program for collecting reception data from volunteering ground stations. These most needed reception reports will be gratefully accepted.
Basic DATV receiver
A "Set Top Box" or a Television receiver with satellite tuner can be used for receiving Ham Video signals during a pass of the ISS.
When scanning the 2.395 GHz frequency, the DVB stream can be decoded. When this is successful, the channel name « HAMTV » will appear on the TV screen.
Windows computer with TechnoTrend TT S2-1600 card and Tutioune software
A Windows computer with TT S2-1600 receiver card can be used for Ham Video reception. See appended Block Diagram of N6IZW Station.
The Tutioune software, developed by Jean Pierre Courjaud F6DZP, measures and records the Ham Video signals second by second:
* HF signal level
* digital Signal/Noise level = MER (dB)
* error/correction = Vber
The recorded file can be examined and forwarded to ARISS.
Better even, the data can be forwarded during an ISS pass to the TiouneMonitor on the http://www.vivadatv.org/ website. In other words, the data can be observed worldwide, real time.
Tutioune also shows the constellations during signal reception (see HamTV Bulletin #4). The TS stream can be recorded, but this is less interesting since richer information is already available.
Tutioune also decodes the DVB tables and provides the PIDs and the channel name (« HAMTV ») recovered from the SDT table.
Gaston Bertels, ON4WF
ARISS-Europe chair
Annex: http://www.ariss-eu.org/N6IZW_Station.pdf
ARISS minutes regarding ISS HAMTV frequencies http://www.ariss.org/1/post/2013/05/may-18-2013.html
ARISS-Europe http://www.ariss-eu.org/
By m5aka • Posted in Daily Updates	• Tagged Amateur Radio, Ham Radio, HamTV, HamVideo, International Space Station, ISS
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text:
Best Forex Trading Academy
Technical Outlook
This single-country stock picker has beaten the S&P 500 over the past 10 years. His strategy can help you diversify
ByJarratt Davis
Nov 7, 2020 AAPL, Alphabet Cl C, Amazon.com, AMZN, apple, article_normal, Business, Business/Consumer Services, C&E Exclusion Filter, commodity, Commodity/Financial Market News, computers, Computers/Electronics, Consumer Products, consumer services, Content Types, E-commerce, electronics, Equity Markets, Etailing, Facebook Cl A, Factiva Filters, FB, financial market news, Financial Services, financial vehicles, funds, GOOG, Industrial Goods, internet, Internet/Online Services, investing, Investing/Securities, machinery, Machinery/Industrial Goods, Microsoft, MSFT, online services, Retail, Retail/Wholesale, securities, Technology, trusts, Trusts/Funds/Financial Vehicles, Warren Buffett, wholesale
Almost all investment advisers tell clients to own diversified portfolios, but many investors hold concentrated positions, notably in technology stocks.
A way to diversify holdings is to find out how concentrated your index is and do something about it: Lower that concentration, increase your exposure to stock markets outside the U.S. or both.
An overlooked country is Japan. Masa Takeda has helped manage the $750 million Hennessy Japan Fund since 2007. He follows a "best ideas" large-cap strategy. During an interview, he explained how Japan's stock market makes it easier for active managers to outperform broad indexes than it is for U.S. managers.
S&P 500 isn't diversified
Getting back to diversification, an easy way to track the S&P 500 Index
SPX,
is by purchasing shares of the Spider S&P 500 ETF
-0.02%.
The $294 billion ETF holds all 500 stocks in the index, weighted by market capitalization. Its top five holdings — Apple Inc.
AAPL,
-0.11%,
MSFT,
+0.19%,
AMZN,
and Alphabet Inc.
GOOGL,
— make up 23% of the portfolio. Those are great companies, but the index isn't so diversified after all.
A better way to diversify an S&P 500 investment is with an equal-weighted index fund, as Mark Hulbert explained recently.
But you may also be surprised how easy it is to invest in another developed market with completely different equity exposure to quality companies that has been competitive with the S&P 500.
Keeping up with the U.S. index
First, look at this performance comparison for the Hennessy Japan Fund's investor class shares
HJPNX,
and its institutional class shares
HJPIX,
(after expenses) against the S&P 500 ETF and against the Japan Nikkei 225 Index
and the Topix Index
+0.51%.
The data were provided by FactSet:
Scroll the table to see the longer-term average returns. For five and 10 years, both of the fund's share classes outperformed the S&P 500 ETF after expenses, while beating the two Japan indexes significantly for five, 10 and 15 years. Annual expenses for the investor shares are 1.44% of assets, and for the institutional shares it's 1.04%. Both funds are rated five stars (the highest rating) by Morningstar, within the financial research firm's "U.S. Fund Japan Stock" category.
We have a government [in Japan] that is very reform-minded and pro-growth. We also have a central bank that is pro-business and pro-inflation. Never in the past have we had this combination.
— Masa Takeda, portfolio manager, Hennessy Japan Fund
Why Japan? An advantage for active managers
Some U.S. investors may still think of Japan's economy and stock market as places where growth is hard to come by. Over the past 10 years, the Nikkei 225 Index has underperformed the S&P 500:
Most U.S. equity investors are probably aware that the great majority of active mangers in this market underperform the S&P 500. But things are different in Japan, where about 40% of active managers outperformed the Topix Index between 2010 and 2019, according to this chart on Morningstar's Japanese website.
Takeda, who's based in Hong Kong, explained that Japan's stock market is "inefficient."
"Japan is still a great market for active managers to make money. If you look at Nikkei or Topix Indexes, they are full of mature, large, sleepy companies that have no growth prospects, whether they are financials, utilities or traditional car companies. If you avoid those, you can still find great investment ideas," he said.
Takeda is also upbeat about the condition of Japan's economy, because of the government's stimulus efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan's unemployment rate increased to 3% in September from 2.5% in March.
For the longer term, Takeda cited the economic reform policies of Japan's prime minister Yoshihide Suga, a close ally of the former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who resigned in August for health reasons.
"We have a government that is very reform-minded and pro-growth. We also have a central bank that is pro-business and pro-inflation. Never in the past have we had this combination," Takeda said.
Buffett and the trading companies
Takeda also pointed to Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
BRK.B,
which recently purchased 5% stakes in each of Japan's five trading companies, known traditionally as "sogo shosha," including Mitsubishi Corp.
MSBHF,
Mitsui & Co.
MITSY,
Sumitomo Corp.
SSUMY,
Itochu Corp.
ITOCY,
and Marubeni Corp.
MARUY,
(For the five trading companies, there are two tickers included, with the second being the American depositary receipt, or ADR.)
Takeda described the five companies as originally importers of raw materials and exporters of finished goods — a business model that became obsolete in the 1980s and 1990s. So the trading companies are now direct investors in various companies and securities portfolios. And Buffett has made a major vote of confidence in Japan's economy.
Mitsubishi is the sole trading company held by the Hennessy Japan Fund, which originally bought the shares in 2007. Takeda said the trading houses have "moats," consisting of networks of experts in various industries making deals around the world.
"Mitsubishi has compounded [its book value] at 8.3% per annum after paying out 20% of net income, on average, over the 10-year period ending in fiscal year 2019," he said.
The shares have a yield of about 4.7% and Takeda expects annual returns "in the low teens" in the future.
Other fund holdings
Takeda discussed six other stocks held by the Hennessy Japan Fund:
Keyence Corp. JP:6861 KYCCF was the largest holding of the fund as of Sept. 30, making up 6.6% of the 24-stock portfolio, according to Morningstar. The company makes and sells factory automation systems worldwide. Takeda called Keyence a "great" company and said the pandemic was accelerating growth trends for its products and services.
Sony Corp.
SNE,
exemplifies one of Japan's great advantages, according to Takeda: high-quality manufacturing as a "reliable, sustainable competitive moat." He has been impressed with the company's turnaround over the past 10 years, as it has evolved from a focus on consumer electronics to content distribution, through Sony Music, Sony Pictures and the PlayStation.
Takeda said Daikin Industries Ltd.
DKILY,
is the world's largest manufacturer of air conditioning systems by revenue and that the company has been gaining traction in the U.S.
Shimano Inc.
SHMDF,
is "the Intel of the bicycle industry," according to Takeda. There is a good chance your bike has at least some Shimano parts. This is another industry that has benefited from ballooning sales during the pandemic.
Nitori Holdings Co.
NCLTY,
is a furniture retailer in Japan, China and the U.S., which Takeda described as "vertically integrated," because it designs products to be manufactured by contractors, for a business model "similar to Ikea."
Unicharm Corp.
UNICY,
makes paper-based consumer products, such as toilet paper and diapers. Takeda called the company "the Kimberly-Clark" of Japan, emphasizing Unicharm's high-quality manufacturing.
Don't miss: These dividend stocks have the potential to give you more money over time
CFTC Commitments of Traders – USD Index Futures to Return to NET SHORT Next Week as US election Results Get Clearer
Earlier, faster and deadlier: Science sleuths track the arrival of COVID-19 to New York City
By Jarratt Davis
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Stop-planks were used to block-off a section of the canal so that it could be drained for maintenance or to conserve water in the event of a major leak. The planks were used to build up a wall by slotting their ends into a pair of vertical grooves on each side of a narrow section of canal. Usually these slots were cut in the stonework of an existing narrow point, such as the underside of a bridge; but where there was no convenient structure, a pair of stone walls was built out from the canal banks for the purpose - this structure was known as a 'stop-plank narrows'.
When the planks were not needed, they were stored in a nearby rack. This particular rack has been salvaged from scrap and is no longer at its original location - the nearest 'narrows' being about half way between Dundas Basin and Brassknocker Basin.
The rack is an interesting example of the re-use of materials: it is constructed from lengths of 'fish-bellied rail' which were recovered from redundant stone tramways in the district. The handrails at Darlington Wharf in Bath are also made from fish-bellied rails.


Yesterday I went on a trip to the far north and took in some awesome sights, just look at the photos and you know what I mean. Especially 90 mile beach and Cape Reinga. Now about that fairly long and quite wide 90 mile beach, in the old days nobody knew just how long it was so people asked a guy with a lot of cows, who often took them south for selling, how long time it took the cows to walk the hole beach. It's not difficult math, because cows walk about 30 miles pr. day, and it took them about 3 days, so the beach must be 90 miles long. Easy!
But no.. The cows cheated, the beach is only 64 miles long... How about that!
Just a silly story, but true none the less.
After 90 mile beach we drove to the giant sand dunes further up north, and then lay down on some sort of surfboard and off we went! And pretty fast too!!!
The trick is to stop before you hit something or someone, and the breaks is your poor feet. It was extremely fun, and I climbed the dunes three times! Perhaps it does not sound like much, but see the photos and how big thees dunes really are, and three times is a LOT! But it was really fun sliding down it.
After that we went to Cape Reinga, the tip of New Zealand where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. It's also a very religious place and sacred to the Maori people. Cool experience.
Next thing was the Kauri forest. Kauri trees are not the tallest in the world, but they are the largest in wood mass. The grow very very thick and tall, and does not thin up in the top at all! They get about 4000 years old, but the oldest in the country is only 800 years old and still a baby... Only a few forests are left, so DOC does a lot to protect them.
Last event of the day was Fish & Chips as New Zealanders call Fush & Chups. Not Cod, but Blue Nose fish, very delicate and tasty!


text:
Solar Panels are the most accountable and important part of getting access to solar energy. The solar panel manufacturers are making strides in this area in the present day due to the rising strides in the demand for solar panels. As, the industrial and technical side of this aspect of energy is concerned, along with the lessons and its outcomes being analyzed at a great length on how it can help in the development of the industry with itself becoming a major industry that can create a room for opportunities as well.
India, being a growing base of trade, industry and technical innovation or engineering where the solar panel manufacturers from all around India, especially in the East, the solar panel manufacturers in Kolkata can create a strong area of competition. Considering the future of Solar Energy in India, where a report of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences of Boston, US has stated in its report saying that Renewable Energy can gain a strong foothold in India by 2040, which would help in the reduction of emissions and cost of the emissions.
Compared to all other parts of the world, where carbon Dioxide Emissions are counted at the global stage, thus India stands to be trailing by China and the United States. In India when we look at the energy demands, we only find that an enormous amount of it comes from natural resources like coal and natural gas. The report of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has also brought out the facts stating that India has already got committed and marked its point of achieving the ambitious goals to transitioning around 60 per cent of the renewable energy in terms of electricity consumption by 2030s. In the current context, India's demands over solar energy consumption have achieved a strong demand over the five most important regions of India which are in the North, North-East, South, West and East, rather than the whole of India. But the highest importance comes over the rural areas. Therefore, by looking at all the different areas and its prospects that are concerned around the development of renewable energy in future India, some factors can be understood, which are;
Understanding the Geographical suitability- India lies at a very vital geographical location which gives an added advantage of both using and producing energy. As India falls at a region which is located under a tropical cover, where India receives a generous amount of solar radiation due to long sunshine.
Cheap cost of solar energy-based equipment- At the beginning times, solar energy-based equipment and solar panels are indeed quite expensive in terms of their cost. In general solar panels can serve a lifespan of up to 25 years if maintained and used properly without any side effects.
Making up an employment opportunity- As solar energy is becoming a prospect and an opportunity of use, it can be really interesting as an employment source. Engineering graduates will get a good opportunity to work in industries that focus on solar panel manufacturing. The solar panel manufacturers in West Bengal have made a way for a great opportunity in the solar power sector. This sector will create a long-term impending transition with the utilization of solar energy in an imminent manner.
Understanding the future of solar power projects in India- India has a good future indeed, the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra have a strong potential and ground to tap on solar energy for some of their strategic locations. Currently, in India, the Thar Desert Region of Rajasthan is harbouring the largest and best solar power projects in India generating 2,100 GW of Power, which is followed by Gujarat. Based on this the Government of India has kept on approving the plan for up-gradation of some of the notable Indian cities as the future solar city.
Understanding the use of Solar Panels in our daily lives around us- harnessing solar energy to the best possible outcomes is known by the ways and means to use it in the right direction to benefit strongly. Electrical appliances like Street lights, fans, lanterns used at home, road safety equipment, solar cookers, inverters and Solar UPS systems, etc, can be used.
So, with understanding the means and ways associated with Solar Energy and Solar Panels, we must understand that a bright future is lying ahead of us and our country to integrate the use of solar panels in our daily lives.
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Thanks for the good article, I hope you continue to work as well.


text:
Delft view
Painting, 1661, 96.5×115.7 cm
Description of the artwork «Delft view»
Magnificent Veduta "View of Delft" has always been considered one of Jan Vermeer's masterpieces. At auction in 1696, it was the most expensive painting sold for 200 guilders. It was acquired by the Mauritshuis Royal Gallery in 1822 for an impressive 2,900 guilders. The purchase is said to have been initiated by the first king of the Netherlands, Willem I. In the mid-19th century, View of Delft inspired French critic Théophile Toret to rediscover Vermeer.
View of Delft is the most famous 17th century landscape in Western art and one of the largest paintings by Vermeer. The interaction of light and shadow, an amazing cloudy sky and subtle reflections in the water make it an absolute masterpiece. It is a calm day and the city has a calm atmosphere. Vermeer reflected this serenity in his composition, breaking it into four horizontal stripes - coast, water, city and sky.
On the embankment on the left are a mother with a child, two fashionably dressed men and a woman conducting a conversation, and closer to the center there are two more women. The water is part of the Schee which flows into the Rhine. The water area depicted by Vermeer was expanded in 1614 to become Delft's harbor. The artist chose a north view. The picture is dominated by the fortress walls with two gates of the XIV century - Schiedam and Rotterdam. On the left, on the horizon, in the distance, you can see the spire of the Old Church. Much of the city is hidden in shadow, except for the sunlit tower of the New Church. More than half of the painting is devoted to the dramatic morning sky; a tiny clock on the Schiedam Gate shows the time after seven. "Vermeer also painted the buildings a little tidier than they actually were. "- notes Mauritshuis.
The top view of the city of Vermeer was probably painted from the second floor of the hotel. To convey the flickering reflections on the water, he used a point technique - it is easy to see it in the area of the two boats on the right. Some art historians consider this to be evidence that the artist used a camera obscura: diffuse reflections like these appear in partially focused images transmitted by the device.
Proof of how carefully Vermeer worked on this masterpiece is the fact that he mixed sand into some colors to achieve a certain effect. Examination of the painting revealed that sand was added to the ocher used to paint the window frames of the long building to the left, behind the fortress walls. This increased the reflectivity of the paint surface.
Despite the impression of precision that the painting produces, Vermeer did not strive for documentation. He seems to have shifted the buildings a bit in order to build a more harmonious composition. In topographic drawings taken at about the same time and from the same point of view, the buildings look taller and stand tighter to each other.
Today, the area that Vermeer wrote looks completely different, although the shape of the old harbor remains the same. The ramparts disappeared long ago, and the gates were demolished in the period from 1834 to 1836. Most of the medieval buildings along this part of the river have also been lost. The spire of the New Church burned down in 1872 and was replaced by a higher neo-Gothic one. The original tower of the Old Church has been preserved, although now it has a pronounced slope.
In 2019, a team led by Professor Donald Olson of Texas State University applied astronomical techniques in an attempt to pinpoint the exact date of the writing of "View of Delft." The key was the octagonal tower of the New Church, by the shadows on which scientists determined the position of the sun, and then fixed the time on the current tower clock. Previously, it was believed that the scene was depicted just after seven in the morning - as mentioned above, this time is shown by the clock on the Schiedam Gate. But this is only approximately, because minute hands appeared only at the end of the 19th century (what appears to be a minute hand in the picture is actually a counterweight to the hour hand). So the alternative reading gave the result "closer to eight".
Further, the researchers found out that the bells on the tower of the New Church were installed in 1660, and the picture shows an empty belfry. Hence, the landscape was conceived before. By entering the angle of the sun's position and time into the astronomical software, they narrowed the date ranges to two options - April 6-8 and September 3-4. And, since deciduous trees in the northern climate of Delft bloom only at the end of April, and the painting depicts thick foliage, spring dates were excluded. So astronomers concluded that Vermeer's View of Delft was inspired by the scene he observed on September 3, 1659 (or a year earlier) at about 8 am local time.
"It is known that Vermeer worked slowly. The transfer of all the details on his large-scale masterpiece could take weeks, months or even years, Olson emphasizes. - His surprisingly accurate portrayal of the characteristic and fleeting play of light and shadow on the New Church suggests that he painted at least this detail while directly observing the sunlit tower that towered over the walls and roofs of Delft. ".
Author: Vlad Maslov
ADDITIONALLY: In 2015, it was announced that art history professor Frans Griesenhout determined the exact locationworld famous"Little street in Delft" Vermeer. This is Vlamingstraat - the place where houses number 40-42 are now located.
I like23 To the selection35
Art form: Painting
Subject and objects: Urban landscape
Style of art: Baroque
Technique: Oil
Materials: Canvas
Date of creation: 1661
Size: 96.5×115.7 cm
Location: Mauritshuis, The Hague
Artwork in selections: 35 selections
Exhibitions history
Alone with Vermeer. "The most beautiful picture in the world"
September 26, 2020 − January 3
Mauritshuis, Plein 29
Restorations in Mauritshuis
July 2 − October 26, 2020
Dutch painting of the Rembrandt era
October 20, 2019 − January 12, 2020
Saint Louis Art Museum, Fine Arts Drive, 1
riverskypromenadethe clouds


Large summer house with windows and doors, plenty of storage space, in used good condition. 290cm x 430cm wide Glass missing from windows. Double door to the sitting area on the left Single door to the storage shed on the right. I have added as much detailed pictures as i can, of the front, sides, inside space and roof.
The item "Garden Summer House, Shed, Windows/Doors, Good condition, size is 290cm x 430cm" is in sale since Thursday, July 12, 2018. This item is in the category "Garden & Patio\Garden Structures & Shade\Garden Sheds".
The seller is "koltee" and is located in Leicester. This item can't be shipped, the buyer must pick up the item.