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Environs, tD
Anti-Eco-Friendly Consumption
May 3, 2013 Mike
It should come as no surprise that those who deny the science of climate change and human-propelled impact on the environment would also shirk from purchasing products and services that are friendly to the environment.
A recent study shows how extreme political persuasion sways purchasing behavior of light bulbs: conservatives are more likely to purchase incandescent bulbs, while moderates and liberals lean towards more eco-friendly bulbs.
Joe Barton, U.S. Representative from Texas, sums up the issue of light bulb choice quite neatly, "… it is about personal freedom". All the while our children shake their heads in disbelief.
Presumably many climate change skeptics prefer to purchase items that are harmful to the environment and also to humans just to make a political statement. This might include continuing to purchase products containing dangerous levels of unpronounceable acronyms and questionable chemicals: rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) in milk, BPA (Bisphenol_A) in plastic utensils and bottles, KBrO3 (Potassium Bromate) in highly processed flour, BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) food preservative, Azodicarbonamide in dough.
Freedom truly does come at a cost.
Eco-friendly labels on energy-saving bulbs are a turn-off for conservative shoppers, a new study has found.
The findings, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that it could be counterproductive to advertise the environmental benefits of efficient bulbs in the US. This could make it even more difficult for America to adopt energy-saving technologies as a solution to climate change.
Consumers took their ideological beliefs with them when they went shopping, and conservatives switched off when they saw labels reading "protect the environment", the researchers said.
The study looked at the choices of 210 consumers, about two-thirds of them women. All were briefed on the benefits of compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs over old-fashioned incandescents.
When both bulbs were priced the same, shoppers across the political spectrum were uniformly inclined to choose CFL bulbs over incandescents, even those with environmental labels, the study found.
But when the fluorescent bulb cost more – $1.50 instead of $0.50 for an incandescent – the conservatives who reached for the CFL bulb chose the one without the eco-friendly label.
"The more moderate and conservative participants preferred to bear a long-term financial cost to avoid purchasing an item associated with valuing environmental protections," the study said.
The findings suggest the extreme political polarisation over environment and climate change had now expanded to energy-savings devices – which were once supported by right and left because of their money-saving potential.
"The research demonstrates how promoting the environment can negatively affect adoption of energy efficiency in the United States because of the political polarisation surrounding environmental issues," the researchers said.
Earlier this year Harvard academic Theda Skocpol produced a paper tracking how climate change and the environment became a defining issue for conservatives, and for Republican-elected officials.
Conservative activists elevated opposition to the science behind climate change, and to action on climate change, to core beliefs, Skocpol wrote.
There was even a special place for incandescent bulbs. Republicans in Congress two years ago fought hard to repeal a law phasing out incandescent bulbs – even over the objections of manufacturers who had already switched their product lines to the new energy-saving technology.
Republicans at the time cast the battle of the bulb as an issue of liberty. "This is about more than just energy consumption. It is about personal freedom," said Joe Barton, the Texas Republican behind the effort to keep the outdated bulbs burning.
Read the entire article following the jump.
Image courtesy of Housecraft.
consumptioneco-friendlyelectricityfreedompoliticssustainability
Steam Without Boiling Water
December 3, 2012 Mike
Despite what seems to be an overwhelmingly digital shift in our lives, we still live in a world of steam. Steam plays a vital role in generating most of the world's electricity, steam heats our buildings (especially if you live in New York City), steam sterilizes our medical supplies.
So, in a research discovery with far-reaching implication, scientists have succeeded in making steam at room temperature without actually boiling water. All courtesy of some ingenious nanoparticles.
[div class=attrib]From Technology Review:[end-div]
Steam is a key ingredient in a wide range of industrial and commercial processes—including electricity generation, water purification, alcohol distillation, and medical equipment sterilization.
Generating that steam, however, typically requires vast amounts of energy to heat and eventually boil water or another fluid. Now researchers at Rice University have found a shortcut. Using light-absorbing nanoparticles suspended in water, the group was able to turn the water molecules surrounding the nanoparticles into steam while scarcely raising the temperature of the remaining water. The trick could dramatically reduce the cost of many steam-reliant processes.
The Rice team used a Fresnel lens to focus sunlight on a small tube of water containing high concentrations of nanoparticles suspended in the fluid. The water, which had been cooled to near freezing, began generating steam within five to 20 seconds, depending on the type of nanoparticles used. Changes in temperature, pressure, and mass revealed that 82 percent of the sunlight absorbed by the nanoparticles went directly to generating steam while only 18 percent went to heating water.
"It's a new way to make steam without boiling water," says Naomi Halas, director of the Laboratory for Nanophotonics at Rice University. Halas says that the work "opens up a lot of interesting doors in terms of what you can use steam for."
The new technique could, for instance, lead to inexpensive steam-generation devices for small-scale water purification, sterilization of medical instruments, and sewage treatment in developing countries with limited resources and infrastructure.
The use of nanoparticles to increase heat transfer in water and other fluids has been well studied, but few researchers have looked at using the particles to absorb light and generate steam.
In the current study, Halas and colleagues used nanoparticles optimized to absorb the widest possible spectrum of sunlight. When light hits the particles, their temperature quickly rises to well above 100 °C, the boiling point of water, causing surrounding water molecules to vaporize.
Precisely how the particles and water molecules interact remains somewhat of a mystery. Conventional heat-transfer models suggest that the absorbed sunlight should dissipate into the surrounding fluid before causing any water to boil. "There seems to be some nanoscale thermal barrier, because it's clearly making steam like crazy," Halas says.
The system devised by Halas and colleagues exhibited an efficiency of 24 percent in converting sunlight to steam.
Todd Otanicar, a mechanical engineer at the University of Tulsa who was not involved in the current study, says the findings could have significant implications for large-scale solar thermal energy generation. Solar thermal power stations typically use concentrated sunlight to heat a fluid such as oil, which is then used to heat water to generate steam. Otanicar estimates that by generating steam directly with nanoparticles in water, such a system could see an increased efficiency of 3 to 5 percent and a cost savings of 10 percent because a less complex design could be used.
[div class=attrib]Read the entire article after the jump.[end-div]
[div class=attrib]Image: Stott Park Bobbin Mill Steam Engine. Courtesy of Wikipedia.[end-div]
electricityenergynanotechnologysteam
Environs, Technica
GigaBytes and TeraWatts
October 7, 2012 Mike
Online social networks have expanded to include hundreds of millions of twitterati and their followers. An ever increasing volume of data, images, videos and documents continues to move into the expanding virtual "cloud", hosted in many nameless data centers. Virtual processing and computation on demand is growing by leaps and bounds.
Yet while business models for the providers of these internet services remain ethereal, one segment of this business ecosystem is salivating — electricity companies and utilities — at the staggering demand for electrical power.
[div class=attrib]From the New York Times:[end-div]
Jeff Rothschild's machines at Facebook had a problem he knew he had to solve immediately. They were about to melt.
The company had been packing a 40-by-60-foot rental space here with racks of computer servers that were needed to store and process information from members' accounts. The electricity pouring into the computers was overheating Ethernet sockets and other crucial components.
Thinking fast, Mr. Rothschild, the company's engineering chief, took some employees on an expedition to buy every fan they could find — "We cleaned out all of the Walgreens in the area," he said — to blast cool air at the equipment and prevent the Web site from going down.
That was in early 2006, when Facebook had a quaint 10 million or so users and the one main server site. Today, the information generated by nearly one billion people requires outsize versions of these facilities, called data centers, with rows and rows of servers spread over hundreds of thousands of square feet, and all with industrial cooling systems.
They are a mere fraction of the tens of thousands of data centers that now exist to support the overall explosion of digital information. Stupendous amounts of data are set in motion each day as, with an innocuous click or tap, people download movies on iTunes, check credit card balances through Visa's Web site, send Yahoo e-mail with files attached, buy products on Amazon, post on Twitter or read newspapers online.
A yearlong examination by The New York Times has revealed that this foundation of the information industry is sharply at odds with its image of sleek efficiency and environmental friendliness.
Most data centers, by design, consume vast amounts of energy in an incongruously wasteful manner, interviews and documents show. Online companies typically run their facilities at maximum capacity around the clock, whatever the demand. As a result, data centers can waste 90 percent or more of the electricity they pull off the grid, The Times found.
To guard against a power failure, they further rely on banks of generators that emit diesel exhaust. The pollution from data centers has increasingly been cited by the authorities for violating clean air regulations, documents show. In Silicon Valley, many data centers appear on the state government's Toxic Air Contaminant Inventory, a roster of the area's top stationary diesel polluters.
Worldwide, the digital warehouses use about 30 billion watts of electricity, roughly equivalent to the output of 30 nuclear power plants, according to estimates industry experts compiled for The Times. Data centers in the United States account for one-quarter to one-third of that load, the estimates show.
"It's staggering for most people, even people in the industry, to understand the numbers, the sheer size of these systems," said Peter Gross, who helped design hundreds of data centers. "A single data center can take more power than a medium-size town."
[div class=attrib]Image courtesy of the AP / Thanassis Stavrakis.[end-div]
data centerelectricityhostinginternetpower
Arts and Letters, BigBang
Mr. Tesla, Meet Mr. Blaine
A contemporary showman puts the inventions from another to the test with electrifying results.
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David Blaine, the magician and endurance artist, is ready for more pain. With the help of the Liberty Science Center, a chain-mail suit and an enormous array of Tesla electrical coils, he plans to stand atop a 20-foot-high pillar for 72 straight hours, without sleep or food, while being subjected to a million volts of electricity.
When Mr. Blaine performs "Electrified" on a pier in Hudson River Park, the audience there as well as viewers in London, Beijing, Tokyo and Sydney, Australia, will take turns controlling which of the seven coils are turned on, and at what intensity. They will also be able to play music by producing different notes from the coils. The whole performance, on Pier 54 near West 13th Street, will be shown live at www.youtube.com/electrified.
[div class=attrib]Read more after the jump. Read more about Nikola Tesla here.[end-div]
David Blaineelectricityperformance artTesla
Air Conditioning in a Warming World
September 2, 2012 Mike
THE blackouts that left hundreds of millions of Indians sweltering in the dark last month underscored the status of air-conditioning as one of the world's most vexing environmental quandaries.
Fact 1: Nearly all of the world's booming cities are in the tropics and will be home to an estimated one billion new consumers by 2025. As temperatures rise, they — and we — will use more air-conditioning.
Fact 2: Air-conditioners draw copious electricity, and deliver a double whammy in terms of climate change, since both the electricity they use and the coolants they contain result in planet-warming emissions.
Fact 3: Scientific studies increasingly show that health and productivity rise significantly if indoor temperature is cooled in hot weather. So cooling is not just about comfort.
Sum up these facts and it's hard to escape: Today's humans probably need air-conditioning if they want to thrive and prosper. Yet if all those new city dwellers use air-conditioning the way Americans do, life could be one stuttering series of massive blackouts, accompanied by disastrous planet-warming emissions.
We can't live with air-conditioning, but we can't live without it.
"It is true that air-conditioning made the economy happen for Singapore and is doing so for other emerging economies," said Pawel Wargocki, an expert on indoor air quality at the International Center for Indoor Environment and Energy at the Technical University of Denmark. "On the other hand, it poses a huge threat to global climate and energy use. The current pace is very dangerous."
Projections of air-conditioning use are daunting. In 2007, only 11 percent of households in Brazil and 2 percent in India had air-conditioning, compared with 87 percent in the United States, which has a more temperate climate, said Michael Sivak, a research professor in energy at the University of Michigan. "There is huge latent demand," Mr. Sivak said. "Current energy demand does not yet reflect what will happen when these countries have more money and more people can afford air-conditioning." He has estimated that, based on its climate and the size of the population, the cooling needs of Mumbai alone could be about a quarter of those of the entire United States, which he calls "one scary statistic."
It is easy to decry the problem but far harder to know what to do, especially in a warming world where people in the United States are using our existing air-conditioners more often. The number of cooling degree days — a measure of how often cooling is needed — was 17 percent above normal in the United States in 2010, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, leading to "an increase in electricity demand." This July was the hottest ever in the United States.
Likewise, the blackouts in India were almost certainly related to the rising use of air-conditioning and cooling, experts say, even if the immediate culprit was a grid that did not properly balance supply and demand.
The late arrival of this year's monsoons, which normally put an end to India's hottest season, may have devastated the incomes of farmers who needed the rain. But it "put smiles on the faces of those who sell white goods — like air-conditioners and refrigerators — because it meant lots more sales," said Rajendra Shende, chairman of the Terre Policy Center in Pune, India.
"Cooling is the craze in India — everyone loves cool temperatures and getting to cool temperatures as quickly as possible," Mr. Shende said. He said that cooling has become such a cultural priority that rather than advertise a car's acceleration, salesmen in India now emphasize how fast its air-conditioner can cool.
Scientists are scrambling to invent more efficient air-conditioners and better coolant gases to minimize electricity use and emissions. But so far the improvements have been dwarfed by humanity's rising demands.
And recent efforts to curb the use of air-conditioning, by fiat or persuasion, have produced sobering lessons.
[div class=attrib]Image courtesy of Parkland Air Conditioning.[end-div]
air conditioningclimate scienceconsumptionelectricity
theDiagonal is a personal blog by Mike Gerra, skeptic, technologist, psychologist, artist, author, humanist, collector of eclectic ideas. theDiagonal blog connects and explores big science, disruptive innovation, global sustainability, illuminating literature and leftfield art. It is on this diagonal that creativity thrives, grand ideas take flight and reason triumphs.
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Q: How much energy can be extracted by lowering something into a black hole? If an object is in orbit around a star, the object has gravitational potential energy that could possibly be extracted. For example, when we perform gravitational slingshots around Jupiter, our spacecraft speeds up and Jupiter drops to a slightly lower orbit -- we convert some of its gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy which we use for our purposes. There is only so much energy that can be extracted before Jupiter would drop so low that it would get too close to the Sun for this to work (e.g. hitting the Sun's surface).
Imagine if the planet were orbiting a black hole instead of a star. In this case the process could be continued for longer. How much energy could be recovered? Can this be expressed as some fixed fraction of the lowered object's rest-mass? Is this the same as what you would get by slowly lowering the object directly into the black hole on an idealised rope connected to a turbine?
...
lemon gave an excellent explanation of how the gravitational potential energy difference from lowering a mass, $m$, from far away down to the event horizon is equal to half its mass-energy. This would seem to provide an upper bound for a more realistic answer. Here are a couple of additional things I'd like to see taken into account:
(1) The freed energy would get redshifted as it was brought back away from near the black hole. How does this change things?
(2) Below 1.5 times the Schwarzchild radius, there are no circular orbits (circular travel requires outward thrust). This presumably causes a lot of trouble for my method beyond that stage since I had a mass in orbit that I was slingshotting things around.
(3) Below 1.5 times the Schwarzchild radius, ballistic objects cannot escape the black hole unless they are angled away from it (e.g. light starting travelling perpendicular to the centre of the black hole just spirals in). Presumably this causes trouble for my approach since as far as I understand the slingshotting mainly involves ballistic motion roughly perpendicular to the centre of the black hole.
(4) Lower orbits are also faster, so it would seem that some gravitational potential energy goes into speeding up the lowered object, increasing its kinetic energy. This could be a very large amount if it is lowered close to the event horizon, as the orbital speed there is $c$. Thus assuming you can get all the gravitational potential energy out could be a serious over-estimate. Does anyone know how to adjust for that?
This is not a duplicate of How much energy does lowering an object into a black hole generate? as that question is not concerned at all with lowering via orbits, so for instance, my questions (1), (2), (3), and (4) don't apply there. In addition, the brief answer given there appears to be incorrect, as it contradicts the best answer here so far.

A: Note that this is an incomplete answer.
Imagine an object of mass $m$ at a distance $r$ from the centre of a black hole of mass $M$. The gravitational potential energy is
$$ U(r)=-G\frac{Mm}{r} $$
This has its highest value when $r=\infty$ and its lowest value when $r$ is at the event horizon of the black hole, i.e. the Schwarzschild radius
$$ R = \frac{2MG}{c^2} $$
So the maximum amount of energy extractable is
$$ U(\infty)-U(R) = \frac{mc^2}{2} $$
which is an enormous amount of energy even for a small $m$. Note that this answer is independent of the mass/size of the black hole or even the strength of gravity itself.
If you lowered ~1 car into a black hole and extracted all of the energy then that energy would be enough to fuel the entire planet for a year.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


MayFest Indoor Yard Sale Birds In Your Back Yard St. Leonard Creek Church Yard Sale—Indoor—Patuxent Presbyterian, Calif. MD Calvert County Master Gardener Spring Plant Sale Free Document Shredding Car and Bike Show VFW 8810 Annual Putt-Putt Tourn benefit Hero Dogs Car & Motorcycle Cruise In Craft & Vendor Fair / Spring Event Solomons Maritime Festival May Day Southern MD Spring Festival Self Care When You Just Don't Care Garden Smarter: Master Gardener Plant Sale. Drayden African American Schoolhouse Open House Brain Games: Mahjongg, Scrabble & More. New Volunteer Orientation Be a Scientist—Beeping Circuits. MakePlayLearn. Taste a New Book Dressed as Your Favorite Character! SO MD Friends of NRA Event MakePlayLearn. Patuxent Voices Concert Reggie Rice Adults Magic Of Laughter Cinco de Mayo Style!
The annual MayFest at Middleham & St. Peter's Parish will feature a huge indoor white elephant selection with jewelry, antiques, collectibles, housewares, sporting goods, books, toys, plants, baked goods and more. Breakfast and lunch will be available. MayFest opens at 6:30 a.m. and runs until 12:30 p.m. Call the church office at 410 326-4948 for more information.
Take the opportunity to be outside, enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. You will learn a few things about bird conservation and how you can help keep St. Leonard Creek thriving with wildlife.
This program is made possible by a partnership between the Friends of St. Leonard Creek and the American Chestnut Land Trust and funding provided by the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
Please join us at Patuxent Presbyterian Church in California, MD for our huge, indoor Yard Sale & Plant Sale! You will find amazing treasures of children's toys, clothes, books, electronics and household items. You never know what you might find—so stop by for this annual event where you can find something for everyone, at rock bottom prices! Sale hours are 7 a.m. until noon on Saturday 5/4. Questions? Contact the church office at (301)863-2033 or Cindy Romano at romanocindy@yahoo.com. We hope to see you there!
The Calvert County Master Gardeners (CCMG), a program through the University of Maryland Extension (UME) Office, will hold their annual Spring Plant Sale in the parking lot of the Community Resources Building located at 30 Duke Street, Prince Frederick, MD on Saturday, May 4, 2019 from 8:00 a.m. to noon. The event will feature perennials (many native plants), annuals, vegetables, herbs and plants (some from member's gardens). Master Gardeners will be present to answer your gardening questions and will host environmental displays about Invasive Plants, Pollinators and the Bay-Wise program.
Proceeds from this event are used to fund a variety of horticultural projects in the county, our popular Garden Smarter Series, and the many community gardens cared for by CCMG volunteers. The Spring Plant Sale will take place rain or shine.
The Department of Public Works & Transportation will conduct the 7th annual community document shredding event at the St. Andrew's Landfill on Saturday, May 4, 2019 between 8 a.m. and noon.
This community event provides residents an opportunity to shred their confidential, private and important documents at no cost. The shredder truck is capable of holding approximately 12,000 pounds; turning sensitive documents into confetti-sized pieces. This type of shredding ensures confidential material cannot be copied. All paper material shredded will be recycled.
Residents are asked to refrain from bringing materials which are not confidential in nature, such as newspapers and magazines (these can be taken to one of six Convenience Centers around the county). This will cause the truck to fill up more quickly. The shredder can handle simple staples, paper clips, spiral note books and thin metal prongs; however it cannot accept 3 ring binders. Please limit the number of boxes you bring to 3 standard bankers' boxes (10"H x 12"W x 15"D) per person so we can serve as many residents as possible. A total of 11,060 pounds (5.53 tons) of paper was collected from 286 vehicles at the last event held on November 3, 2018.
Sat May 4, VFW Annual Putt-Putt Tournament to benefit Hero Dogs.
Get your registration in. Only 22 4-person teams. $120.00 team / $30.00 per person.
Celebration, prizes banquet following at VFW Post 8810 2310 Old Washington Rd, Waldorf.
Celebrate Southern Maryland traditions with something for every member of the family! Enjoy the Antique Boat and Marine Engine Show, Chesapeake Bay retirever demonstrations, music, carving, home crafts and cooking demonstrations, and boat rides.
Garden Smarter: Master Gardener Plant Sale.
10:00-11:30am. Learn from our demonstration areas and purchase from our large selection of flowering (many native) and vegetable plants. Baked goods and beverages for sale, too. Community Resouces Building, 30 Duke Street, Prince Frederick. 410-535-0291 or 301-855-1862. CalvertLibrary.info.
2:00-3:00pm. Ages 5—10 make circuits using accessible design, especially for those with low vision or blindness. Presented by FutureMakers with support from the Maryland Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and Rural Maryland Council. Adults must attend with child. Please register. Calvert Library Prince Frederick, 850 Costley Way, 410-535-0291 or 301-855-1862. CalvertLibrary.info.
Taste a New Book Dressed as Your Favorite Character!
2:00-3:00pm. Become a character from your favorite book and take part in a book tasting or emoji art to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Children's Book Week! Please register. Calvert Library Fairview Branch, Rt. 4 and Chaneyville Road, Owings, 410-257-2101. CalvertLibrary.info.
So. MD. Friends of NRA Youth Shooting Fundraiser: Games, Guns, Silent auction, Guns, Live Auction, Guns, Oh, and dinner! Table packages come with a firearm! About 30 firearms to be given away! All proceeds stay in the state to benefit MD youth shooting sports. Please contact Frank Fruh for more details!
fruh@comcast.net / (301) 643-3256. Early Bird deadline—4/10.
Reggie Rice Adults Magic Of Laughter Cinco de Mayo Style!
ADULTS ONLY Come out and enjoy a night of comedy with me! Your local Neighborhood Fool!! As we celebrate Cinco de Mayo with some Magic and Comedy you won't forget!
We'll be serving up Mexican inspired munchies, cervezas and signature cocktails as I Comedy Illusionist Reggie Rice performs his Awarding winning adult show live at 5 South Event Center!
Together, The Magic Of Laughter will create moments you'll never forget! If you have Never been to one of my Adult show then you are in for a treat. THAT IS A PROMISE.
I have been called a truly one-of-a-kind entertainer. Because, well no one in their right mind would want 2 of me!
I am 3-time DC Comedy Magician of the Year, which basically means I know how to cheat the competition… just kidding… I stole the whole trophy.
Having appeared on the Travel Channel & having had the distinct honor of opening for First Lady, Michelle Obama for the Last 5 years you'd think I'd know what I'm doing. Blah Blah Blah, my shows filled with magic, music, and comedy will have you all saying there is something wrong with me in the BEST KIND OF WAY.
My approach to comedy and magic will absolutely have everyone BURSTING into laughter!! Pure fun & excitement guaranteed! Don't miss out on this show you'll.
Hope to see you all at the show!!


text:
Loper, M. M., Mahmood, N., Black, M. J. MoSh: Motion and Shape Capture from Sparse Markers ACM Transactions on Graphics, (Proc. SIGGRAPH Asia), 33(6):220:1-220:13, ACM, New York, NY, USA, November 2014 (article)
Piryankova, I., Stefanucci, J., Romero, J., de la Rosa, S., Black, M., Mohler, B. Can I recognize my body's weight? The influence of shape and texture on the perception of self ACM Transactions on Applied Perception for the Symposium on Applied Perception, 11(3):13:1-13:18, September 2014 (article)
3D to 2D bijection for spherical objects under equidistant fisheye projection
Ahmad, A., Xavier, J., Santos-Victor, J., Lima, P.
Computer Vision and Image Understanding, 125, pages: 172-183, August 2014 (article)
The core problem addressed in this article is the 3D position detection of a spherical object of known-radius in a single image frame, obtained by a dioptric vision system consisting of only one fisheye lens camera that follows equidistant projection model. The central contribution is a bijection principle between a known-radius spherical object's 3D world position and its 2D projected image curve, that we prove, thus establishing that for every possible 3D world position of the spherical object, there exists a unique curve on the image plane if the object is projected through a fisheye lens that follows equidistant projection model. Additionally, we present a setup for the experimental verification of the principle's correctness. In previously published works we have applied this principle to detect and subsequently track a known-radius spherical object.
Ahmad, A., Xavier, J., Santos-Victor, J., Lima, P. 3D to 2D bijection for spherical objects under equidistant fisheye projection Computer Vision and Image Understanding, 125, pages: 172-183, August 2014 (article)
Tsoli, A., Mahmood, N., Black, M. J. Breathing Life into Shape: Capturing, Modeling and Animating 3D Human Breathing ACM Transactions on Graphics, (Proc. SIGGRAPH), 33(4):52:1-52:11, ACM, New York, NY, July 2014 (article)
Geiger, A., Lauer, M., Wojek, C., Stiller, C., Urtasun, R. 3D Traffic Scene Understanding from Movable Platforms IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (PAMI), 36(5):1012-1025, published, IEEE, Los Alamitos, CA, May 2014 (article)
Freifeld, O., Hauberg, S., Black, M. J. Model transport: towards scalable transfer learning on manifolds - supplemental material (9), April 2014 (techreport)
RoCKIn@Work in a Nutshell
Ahmad, A., Amigoni, A., Awaad, I., Berghofer, J., Bischoff, R., Bonarini, A., Dwiputra, R., Fontana, G., Hegger, F., Hochgeschwender, N., Iocchi, L., Kraetzschmar, G., Lima, P., Matteucci, M., Nardi, D., Schiaffonati, V., Schneider, S.
(FP7-ICT-601012 Revision 1.2), RoCKIn - Robot Competitions Kick Innovation in Cognitive Systems and Robotics, March 2014 (techreport)
The main purpose of RoCKIn@Work is to foster innovation in industrial service robotics. Innovative robot applications for industry call for the capability to work interactively with humans and reduced initial programming requirements. This will open new opportunities to automate challenging manufacturing processes, even for small to medium-sized lots and highly customer-specific production requirements. Thereby, the RoCKIn competitions pave the way for technology transfer and contribute to the continued commercial competitiveness of European industry.
Ahmad, A., Amigoni, A., Awaad, I., Berghofer, J., Bischoff, R., Bonarini, A., Dwiputra, R., Fontana, G., Hegger, F., Hochgeschwender, N., Iocchi, L., Kraetzschmar, G., Lima, P., Matteucci, M., Nardi, D., Schiaffonati, V., Schneider, S. RoCKIn@Work in a Nutshell (FP7-ICT-601012 Revision 1.2), RoCKIn - Robot Competitions Kick Innovation in Cognitive Systems and Robotics, March 2014 (techreport)
RoCKIn@Home in a Nutshell
Ahmad, A., Amigoni, F., Awaad, I., Berghofer, J., Bischoff, R., Bonarini, A., Dwiputra, R., Fontana, G., Hegger, F., Hochgeschwender, N., Iocchi, L., Kraetzschmar, G., Lima, P., Matteucci, M., Nardi, D., Schneider, S.
RoCKIn@Home is a competition that aims at bringing together the benefits of scientific benchmarking with the attraction of scientific competitions in the realm of domestic service robotics. The objectives are to bolster research in service robotics for home applications and to raise public awareness of the current and future capabilities of such robot systems to meet societal challenges like healthy ageing and longer independent living.
Ahmad, A., Amigoni, F., Awaad, I., Berghofer, J., Bischoff, R., Bonarini, A., Dwiputra, R., Fontana, G., Hegger, F., Hochgeschwender, N., Iocchi, L., Kraetzschmar, G., Lima, P., Matteucci, M., Nardi, D., Schneider, S. RoCKIn@Home in a Nutshell (FP7-ICT-601012 Revision 0.8), RoCKIn - Robot Competitions Kick Innovation in Cognitive Systems and Robotics, March 2014 (techreport)
Homer, M. L., Perge, J. A., Black, M. J., Harrison, M. T., Cash, S. S., Hochberg, L. R. Adaptive Offset Correction for Intracortical Brain Computer Interfaces IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 22(2):239-248, March 2014 (article)
A physically-based approach to reflection separation: from physical modeling to constrained optimization
Kong, N., Tai, Y., Shin, J. S.
IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (PAMI), 36(2):209-221, IEEE Computer Society, Febuary 2014 (article)
We propose a physically-based approach to separate reflection using multiple polarized images with a background scene captured behind glass. The input consists of three polarized images, each captured from the same view point but with a different polarizer angle separated by 45 degrees. The output is the high-quality separation of the reflection and background layers from each of the input images. A main technical challenge for this problem is that the mixing coefficient for the reflection and background layers depends on the angle of incidence and the orientation of the plane of incidence, which are spatially varying over the pixels of an image. Exploiting physical properties of polarization for a double-surfaced glass medium, we propose a multiscale scheme which automatically finds the optimal separation of the reflection and background layers. Through experiments, we demonstrate that our approach can generate superior results to those of previous methods.
Kong, N., Tai, Y., Shin, J. S. A physically-based approach to reflection separation: from physical modeling to constrained optimization IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (PAMI), 36(2):209-221, IEEE Computer Society, Febuary 2014 (article)
Simpler, faster, more accurate melanocytic lesion segmentation through MEDS
Peruch, F., Bogo, F., Bonazza, M., Cappelleri, V., Peserico, E.
IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 61(2):557-565, February 2014 (article)
Peruch, F., Bogo, F., Bonazza, M., Cappelleri, V., Peserico, E. Simpler, faster, more accurate melanocytic lesion segmentation through MEDS IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 61(2):557-565, February 2014 (article)
A freely-moving monkey treadmill model
Foster, J., Nuyujukian, P., Freifeld, O., Gao, H., Walker, R., Ryu, S., Meng, T., Murmann, B., Black, M., Shenoy, K.
J. of Neural Engineering, 11(4):046020, 2014 (article)
Objective: Motor neuroscience and brain-machine interface (BMI) design is based on examining how the brain controls voluntary movement, typically by recording neural activity and behavior from animal models. Recording technologies used with these animal models have traditionally limited the range of behaviors that can be studied, and thus the generality of science and engineering research. We aim to design a freely-moving animal model using neural and behavioral recording technologies that do not constrain movement. Approach: We have established a freely-moving rhesus monkey model employing technology that transmits neural activity from an intracortical array using a head-mounted device and records behavior through computer vision using markerless motion capture. We demonstrate the excitability and utility of this new monkey model, including the first recordings from motor cortex while rhesus monkeys walk quadrupedally on a treadmill. Main results: Using this monkey model, we show that multi-unit threshold-crossing neural activity encodes the phase of walking and that the average ring rate of the threshold crossings covaries with the speed of individual steps. On a population level, we find that neural state-space trajectories of walking at different speeds have similar rotational dynamics in some dimensions that evolve at the step rate of walking, yet robustly separate by speed in other state-space dimensions. Significance: Freely-moving animal models may allow neuroscientists to examine a wider range of behaviors and can provide a flexible experimental paradigm for examining the neural mechanisms that underlie movement generation across behaviors and environments. For BMIs, freely-moving animal models have the potential to aid prosthetic design by examining how neural encoding changes with posture, environment, and other real-world context changes. Understanding this new realm of behavior in more naturalistic settings is essential for overall progress of basic motor neuroscience and for the successful translation of BMIs to people with paralysis.
Foster, J., Nuyujukian, P., Freifeld, O., Gao, H., Walker, R., Ryu, S., Meng, T., Murmann, B., Black, M., Shenoy, K. A freely-moving monkey treadmill model J. of Neural Engineering, 11(4):046020, 2014 (article)
International Journal of Computer Vision, 110, pages: 58-69, 2014 (article)
Tang, S., Andriluka, M., Schiele, B. Detection and Tracking of Occluded People International Journal of Computer Vision, 110, pages: 58-69, 2014 (article)
Segmentation of Biomedical Images Using Active Contour Model with Robust Image Feature and Shape Prior
S. Y. Yeo, X. Xie, I. Sazonov, P. Nithiarasu
International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering, 30(2):232- 248, 2014 (article)
In this article, a new level set model is proposed for the segmentation of biomedical images. The image energy of the proposed model is derived from a robust image gradient feature which gives the active contour a global representation of the geometric configuration, making it more robust in dealing with image noise, weak edges, and initial configurations. Statistical shape information is incorporated using nonparametric shape density distribution, which allows the shape model to handle relatively large shape variations. The segmentation of various shapes from both synthetic and real images depict the robustness and efficiency of the proposed method.
S. Y. Yeo, X. Xie, I. Sazonov, P. Nithiarasu Segmentation of Biomedical Images Using Active Contour Model with Robust Image Feature and Shape Prior International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering, 30(2):232- 248, 2014 (article)
Gall, J.
In Encyclopedia of Computer Vision, pages: 737-741, 0, (Editors: Ikeuchi, K. ), Springer Verlag, 2014, to appear (inbook)
Gall, J. Simulated Annealing In Encyclopedia of Computer Vision, pages: 737-741, 0, (Editors: Ikeuchi, K. ), Springer Verlag, 2014, to appear (inbook)
International Journal of Computer Vision (IJCV), 106(2):115-137, 2014 (article)
The accuracy of optical flow estimation algorithms has been improving steadily as evidenced by results on the Middlebury optical flow benchmark. The typical formulation, however, has changed little since the work of Horn and Schunck. We attempt to uncover what has made recent advances possible through a thorough analysis of how the objective function, the optimization method, and modern implementation practices influence accuracy. We discover that "classical'' flow formulations perform surprisingly well when combined with modern optimization and implementation techniques. One key implementation detail is the median filtering of intermediate flow fields during optimization. While this improves the robustness of classical methods it actually leads to higher energy solutions, meaning that these methods are not optimizing the original objective function. To understand the principles behind this phenomenon, we derive a new objective function that formalizes the median filtering heuristic. This objective function includes a non-local smoothness term that robustly integrates flow estimates over large spatial neighborhoods. By modifying this new term to include information about flow and image boundaries we develop a method that can better preserve motion details. To take advantage of the trend towards video in wide-screen format, we further introduce an asymmetric pyramid downsampling scheme that enables the estimation of longer range horizontal motions. The methods are evaluated on Middlebury, MPI Sintel, and KITTI datasets using the same parameter settings.
pdf full text code [BibTex]
Sun, D., Roth, S., Black, M. J. A Quantitative Analysis of Current Practices in Optical Flow Estimation and the Principles behind Them International Journal of Computer Vision (IJCV), 106(2):115-137, 2014 (article)
Automatic 4D Reconstruction of Patient-Specific Cardiac Mesh with 1- to-1 Vertex Correspondence from Segmented Contours Lines
PLOS ONE, 9(4), 2014 (article)
We propose an automatic algorithm for the reconstruction of patient-specific cardiac mesh models with 1-to-1 vertex correspondence. In this framework, a series of 3D meshes depicting the endocardial surface of the heart at each time step is constructed, based on a set of border delineated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of the whole cardiac cycle. The key contribution in this work involves a novel reconstruction technique to generate a 4D (i.e., spatial–temporal) model of the heart with 1-to-1 vertex mapping throughout the time frames. The reconstructed 3D model from the first time step is used as a base template model and then deformed to fit the segmented contours from the subsequent time steps. A method to determine a tree-based connectivity relationship is proposed to ensure robust mapping during mesh deformation. The novel feature is the ability to handle intra- and inter-frame 2D topology changes of the contours, which manifests as a series of merging and splitting of contours when the images are viewed either in a spatial or temporal sequence. Our algorithm has been tested on five acquisitions of cardiac MRI and can successfully reconstruct the full 4D heart model in around 30 minutes per subject. The generated 4D heart model conforms very well with the input segmented contours and the mesh element shape is of reasonably good quality. The work is important in the support of downstream computational simulation activities.
C. W. Lim, Y. Su, S. Y. Yeo, G. M. Ng, V. T. Nguyen, L. Zhong, R. S. Tan, K. K. Poh, P. Chai, Automatic 4D Reconstruction of Patient-Specific Cardiac Mesh with 1- to-1 Vertex Correspondence from Segmented Contours Lines PLOS ONE, 9(4), 2014 (article)
Probabilistic detection and tracking of motion boundaries
Black, M. J., Fleet, D. J.
Int. J. of Computer Vision, 38(3):231-245, July 2000 (article)
We propose a Bayesian framework for representing and recognizing local image motion in terms of two basic models: translational motion and motion boundaries. Motion boundaries are represented using a non-linear generative model that explicitly encodes the orientation of the boundary, the velocities on either side, the motion of the occluding edge over time, and the appearance/disappearance of pixels at the boundary. We represent the posterior probability distribution over the model parameters given the image data using discrete samples. This distribution is propagated over time using a particle filtering algorithm. To efficiently represent such a high-dimensional space we initialize samples using the responses of a low-level motion discontinuity detector. The formulation and computational model provide a general probabilistic framework for motion estimation with multiple, non-linear, models.
Black, M. J., Fleet, D. J. Probabilistic detection and tracking of motion boundaries Int. J. of Computer Vision, 38(3):231-245, July 2000 (article)
Design and use of linear models for image motion analysis
Fleet, D. J., Black, M. J., Yacoob, Y., Jepson, A. D.
Int. J. of Computer Vision, 36(3):171-193, 2000 (article)
Linear parameterized models of optical flow, particularly affine models, have become widespread in image motion analysis. The linear model coefficients are straightforward to estimate, and they provide reliable estimates of the optical flow of smooth surfaces. Here we explore the use of parameterized motion models that represent much more varied and complex motions. Our goals are threefold: to construct linear bases for complex motion phenomena; to estimate the coefficients of these linear models; and to recognize or classify image motions from the estimated coefficients. We consider two broad classes of motions: i) generic "motion features" such as motion discontinuities and moving bars; and ii) non-rigid, object-specific, motions such as the motion of human mouths. For motion features we construct a basis of steerable flow fields that approximate the motion features. For object-specific motions we construct basis flow fields from example motions using principal component analysis. In both cases, the model coefficients can be estimated directly from spatiotemporal image derivatives with a robust, multi-resolution scheme. Finally, we show how these model coefficients can be use to detect and recognize specific motions such as occlusion boundaries and facial expressions.
Fleet, D. J., Black, M. J., Yacoob, Y., Jepson, A. D. Design and use of linear models for image motion analysis Int. J. of Computer Vision, 36(3):171-193, 2000 (article)
Robustly estimating changes in image appearance
Black, M. J., Fleet, D. J., Yacoob, Y.
Computer Vision and Image Understanding, 78(1):8-31, 2000 (article)
We propose a generalized model of image "appearance change" in which brightness variation over time is represented as a probabilistic mixture of different causes. We define four generative models of appearance change due to (1) object or camera motion; (2) illumination phenomena; (3) specular reflections; and (4) "iconic changes" which are specific to the objects being viewed. These iconic changes include complex occlusion events and changes in the material properties of the objects. We develop a robust statistical framework for recovering these appearance changes in image sequences. This approach generalizes previous work on optical flow to provide a richer description of image events and more reliable estimates of image motion in the presence of shadows and specular reflections.
Black, M. J., Fleet, D. J., Yacoob, Y. Robustly estimating changes in image appearance Computer Vision and Image Understanding, 78(1):8-31, 2000 (article)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


There's a common concept on the internet that runs along these lines: A runaway trolley is heading towards X people tied to the track. If you pull the switch, the trolley will only hit Y people tied to another track. Do you pull the switch? The idea is to present a dilemma which claims to show what a person really believes, often to discredit a moral stance or play on sympathy to decide it's better to do a lesser evil (defined by the person presenting the dilemma).
In another example, a pro-abortion advocate offered a dilemma over whether a pro-lifer would choose to save a child or an embryo from a fire—the intention being to discredit the pro-life position by showing the person holding it to be insincere (if they save the child) or inhuman (if they save the embryo).
The problem is, these dilemmas are artificial. They don't consider the possibility that if this were a real situation, people would be trying to do any number of things to save all the people. Like try to turn the switch part way to derail the trolley, trying to board it to jam on the brakes, trying to stop it in some way other than choosing to kill someone. The torture scenario overlooks the fact that by capturing the terrorist in the first place implies that law enforcement has a number of clues to go by. The child v. embryo scenario ignores too many factors on what we actually believe. If these things were real, our reaction would not be the smooth decision these hypothetical situations demand.
While there can be multiple choices besides the one that the questioner tries to force, there is one option that is forbidden us. We cannot do evil so good may come of it. If something is intrinsically evil (always wrong, regardless of circumstances). If it comes to choosing between suffering evil or inflicting it, we do moral wrong if we choose to inflict it.
We know this, generally. Think of all the shows on television where the villains tortures a supporting character while telling the main character that it is their fault for not revealing the information that causes greater evil. But when it's our own dilemma, we tend to choose whatever favors us, regardless of the harm it causes others.
Whatever the moral dilemma, if we choose to directly do something we know is evil, then it is an evil and unjustified action. But if our action does not intend evil, the evil is less than the good, and we would avoid the evil if possible (this is called "double effect"), then we do not do evil.
Unfortunately, too many confuse the two (or feign ignorance). If a woman chooses to have an abortion (deliberately kill the unborn child), that is an indefensible evil. But if a woman needs an emergency hyrestectomy even though she is pregnant, that is not evil. The intention is to remove the damaged organ to save a life. If it were possible to deliver the baby, saving his or her life, the woman would take that option.
The trolley game and other false dilemmas are never about double effect. They are about choosing to hypothetically perform an evil act. In real life we always have the choice to suffer evil rather than do evil. But we do not have the moral right to choose to do evil.


text:
Ramblin' with Roger
Roger Green: a librarian's life, deconstructed.
Blog Mixed CD Review-Chris2
NAME: Chris Brown
BLOG NAME: LeftyBrown's Corner 6/20 (2nd)
NAME OF CD: Under Cover, Disc Two
NUMBER OF CUTS: 16
COVER ART: Nicely typed
SONG LIST: His post of June 20
SUBSEQUENTLY REVIEWED BY: Gordon on October 6
GENERAL THOUGHTS: If I had heard this independent of the first disc, I'd say it was very good. And it really IS very good. It's just that the sequencing of the first disc was SO outstanding, and it spoiled me; somehow the flow on this one wasn't quite there for me as much. Three Leonard Cohen covers are cool, though.
THINGS I PARTICULARLY LOVED: The fact that he listed the original artists. Uptown Girl. Turning Japanese. I Got You Babe. The Nick Cave cut ends the CD well.
ON THE OTHER HAND: Somehow, the Dead's Queen Jane drags on approximately too long.
OFFICE FRIENDLY: As far as I could tell. (Some guttural pieces are hard to suss.)
ONLY VAGUELY RELATED: I suppose this really is one humungous CD and that I should review the two discs as one entity. But I didn't. So there.
Author RogerPosted on August 13, 2005 Categories UncategorizedLeave a comment on Blog Mixed CD Review-Chris2
3 Ramblin' ?s-Music
This was inspired by this posting by Steve Gerber.
Please tell me:
1. What music do you play when you feel good, happy, or want to feel that way?
2. What music do you play when you're down, melancholy, or want to feel that way?
3. What music do you play when you want to irritate your neighbor, your housemate or anyone within earshot?
Author RogerPosted on August 13, 2005 Categories UncategorizedLeave a comment on 3 Ramblin' ?s-Music
Blog Mixed Bag CD Review-Chris1
In case you haven't a clue what a Lefty Brown is.
NAME: Chris "Lefty" Brown
BLOG NAME: LeftyBrown's Corner
NAME OF CD: Under Cover, Disc One
GENERAL THOUGHTS: I love this album. I love the fact that the cover versions were intriguing. I love the fact that Chris does the linkages: cover of U2 to cover BY U2 to cover of U2, for example.
THINGS I PARTICULARLY LOVED: The fact that he listed the original artist. "One" by Warren Haynes (I was expecting JR Cash, who shows up later). The Duhks. FRED (yee-haw barbershop). The Stanford Marching Band!
ON THE OTHER HAND: What the heck is FRED? 'splain, Lefty.
OFFICE FRIENDLY: Except for Rage Against the Machine
ONLY VAGUELY RELATED: When Otis Redding heard Aretha Franklin's version of "Respect", he reportedly said, "That girl stole that song from me." Trent Reznor said the same thing about Johnny Cash re: Hurt. Well, not EXACTLY that, but: "…that song in particular came from a pretty private, personal place. So it seemed, well, like that's my song… It was a big juxtaposition for me to hear it as someone else's song now. It instantly became his song after that."
Author RogerPosted on August 13, 2005 Categories UncategorizedLeave a comment on Blog Mixed Bag CD Review-Chris1
I've been having this three-year dialogue with a newspaper writer of radio and television issues. Back in June 2002, he noted that the word "dramedy" first came into use in describing "Ally McBeal" in 1997 in the media. This set off an alarm in my brain, which happens every time I read something in the newspaper or see something on TV or hear something on the radio that I know to be incorrect. (So you can just imagine what happens when I hear deliberate lies, which is why I don't often listen to talk radio, or Presidential press conferences.)
I went into the archives of HIS newspaper and found this headline:
NEW HALF-HOUR 'DRAMEDIES' SPELL PROMISE
It cited Hooperman, The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, and Slap Maxwell as dramedies.
He wrote back:
"You are the man.
The man with a lot of free time, but the man nonetheless.
I will remember this down the road. Thanks."
(Actually, it didn't take that long. I wouldn't have looked it up had I not already pretty well known the outcome.)
So, I was actually mildly distressed when he made the SAME ERROR a couple weeks ago.
Naturally, as a librarian, an information specialist, I could not sit by idly.
"I bring this up YET AGAIN because you made mention in your column of 'dramedy' starting in 1997 with Ally Mac, which JUST AIN'T the case."
Being the thorough sort, I even gave him a link to check out.
After he acknowledged his error, I wrote: "I won't bug you again until the next time you mess up." To which he said, "OK, I'll hear from you tomorrow."
Once something sees print, information is often taken as fact by somebody else. "The sun revolves around the earth." "Cooperstown is the birthplace of baseball." "There were WMDs in Iraq." Read it, or hear it often enough, and people will actually start to believe it.
So all of you whose websites or blogs I've offered friendly corrections from time to time, please don't take it the wrong way. It's a librarian disease, and there is no cure, except accuracy.
Conversely, if I make an error in fact, I'd l'd like to know about it so I can fix it. Really. (If I make what you feel is an error in opinion, you can tell me about that too, but it may not, OK, probably won't change anything.)
Author RogerPosted on August 12, 2005 Categories UncategorizedLeave a comment on Dramedy
Pop's Death
I wrote a little about my grandfather's life a couple weeks ago. Here's something about his death. Most of this is from the recovered diaries. I was living in Albany by that time, while Pop was still in Binghamton.
Thursday 6/26/1980: My father [who was living in Charlotte, NC] called to tell me pop died. He sounded incredibly like a newscaster reporting it. Apparently, the landlord hadn't seen Pop in a couple days, so he got the police to get a search warrant. He was DOA at the hospital {I was first told.]
My real regret is that in my 5½ photo albums, I don't have one picture of him. Pictures tell a kind of history, which is increasingly important to me.
Called Betty [family friend in Vestal, near Binghamton, with husband and five kids] and asked to crash at her place Saturday night. She had received a call from my father this a.m.
[My sister] Leslie is coming to the funeral [from California.] I haven't been to [a funeral] in 10 years, and I haven't been to one where I really cared about the person since 1966.
Saturday 6/28: Spent $15.50 for roundtrip ticket to Binghamton – outrageous! After taking with Betty on the phone, I went to the wake. Pop died Tuesday but wasn't found until Thursday, necessitating a closed casket, a fact I was grateful for. Dad arranged a wreath around the picture of him on the wall, which says "The Pride of Bloomsburg, Pa.", [his hometown.] Lots of flowers, particularly from WBNG-TV people [WNBF-TV changed its call letters], who were in abundance at the wake. [My sisters reminded me that one of the arrangements was a wreath in the shape of a horseshoe, probably arranged by my father, in recognition of his love for the ponies.] Also present were [list of many friends and relatives], all people I had not seen in a long time. One man was bawling his eyes out, an old bowling buddy of Pop's…
After a discussion on the problems of Veterans Benefits for burial rights (he fought in WWI but kept no records), and playing with RJ [Becky, Leslie's daughter], Mom & Dad took me down crowded downtown Binghamton. (BC Pops and fireworks.) [I always thought these, in some cosmic way, were for Pop. Why it was incumbent for US to prove my grandfather's veteran's status, instead of checking with the VA to confirm that status, is now lost on me.]
Sunday, 6/29: Mom & Dad called, asked me to seek out a trailer. After striking out with U-Haul, Betty contacted a Mobil station on Vestal Parkway, from which we got a truck. [We all eat at a diner.] Follow Dad to Binghamton, where we discover that the very items we got the truck for, a couple blond dressers and other various items, including his coins, are gone.
Dad was very angry, tho' he tried hard not to show it, and Leslie called the police. The items were present Friday night. It was clear that it had to be a 2- (or more) person job…
Sorting thru his personal effects, looking for discharge papers. (The scent of the bedroom slowly made me ill.) I found obscure items like his failure to pay his 1957 state taxes and court appearances so attached; a letter that I wrote to him some years ago ripped in two (which was how I felt about it when I saw it); and various & sundry pictures, 2 of which I will [and I subsequently did] get made into prints…
At the funeral, I saw lots of Dad's relatives… Pop's brother and sister were there too. The service…was pleasantly brief.
[Subsequently, a couple neighbors were arrested for the crime.]
Well, that's pretty much all I wrote. I can't believe I TOTALLY FORGOT about the robbery. Maybe, my mind decided to hold on to the GOOD things.
Author RogerPosted on July 13, 2005 August 20, 2010 Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Pop's Death
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About Roger Owen Green C'est moi
E-mail Contact E-mail; Blog content c 2005-2020, Roger Green, unless otherwise stated.
Privacy policy Privacy policy of this blog
I Actually Know These Folks
albanyweblog.com Daniel Van Riper from Albany's South End
Christian Harp Corner new blog
Chuck The Writer Chuck Miller
Diana De Avila Digital fine artist and sudden acquired savant
Genealogy of the progeny of Pinches Barosin Berman family in the US
Get Visual David Brickman – Things seen and heard on the Capital Region art scene and beyond
Jeanne Finley: J-Fin photography photography site
Mnldful Teachers Useful activities and resources for practicing and teaching: mindfulness
Rebecca Jade music Music of my oldest niece
Secrets of the Forest Alison Stonbely looks at art and racism
Siren's Crush So Cal hot Top 40 band
The Hydrogen Jukebox Uthaclena
I contribute to these blogs
Comic book Database Roger Owen Green's info in the Comic Book database
Data Detectives blog of the New York State Data Center Affiliates
Facebook page the one with the duck
Information Without The Bun Not your stereotypical librarian
JEOPARDY! Archive Me on JEOPARDY!
LINKORAMA – my former blog ALL OF MY EXTERNAL LINKS IN ONE PLACE
Notes From The Pandemic A Diary of Struggling for Survival and Sanity in the Season of the Witch
Twitter page me
Other people's blogs
AmeriNZ Arthur Schenck
Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog Laura "Tegan" Gjovaag
Books and brooks Melanie B
Byzantium Shores Jaquandor, the guy with the overalls, from Buffalo
Daughter Chronicles Greg Burgas
Dustbury Charles G. Hill
Johnny Bacardi Show David Jones
Mrs. Nesbitt's Space Happily married and lives in a small village on the North York Moors
Peripheral Perceptions Lisa – a look at life from the corners of my mind
Sharp Little Pencil Amy Barlow Liberatore… stories of lost years, wild times, mental variety, faith, and lots of jazz
Shooting Parrots Random thoughts in a random world
The Dark Glass Anthony Velez
Days left until Trump Leaves Office : Not soon enough
FactCheck.org aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics
Gun Violence Archive information about gun-related violence in the US
Beatles CD and Album List by Douglas Boynton Quine
Coverville Brian Ibbott music podcast
Gold & Platinum Awards RIAA's historic Gold® & Platinum® Program defines success in the recorded music industry.
Ken Levine Ken Levine
News From Me Mark Evanier
Nippertown An online magazine based in the greater Capital Region of New York
PostSecret Share a secret
Progressive Ruin Mike Sterling
Schomburg Center's Black Liberation Reading List 95 titles
Separated by a common language Lynneguist
Sheila Variations Sheila O'Malley is a regular film critic for Rogerebert.com, and her work also appears regularly in Film Comment.
The Richest The richest people, by category
A Guide to Sales Tax in New York State Publication 750
Albany Albany map
Albany International Airport FAA LID: ALB, IATA: ALB, ICAO: KALB
Area Code Maps Printable Area Code Maps for US and Canada
Bullying – Clinical trials on its effects from Policy Lab
Capital District Black owned businesses Black-owned businesses in the Albany, NY area
Career Profiles Explore Careers
Community Sourcebook of Zip Code Demographics Discover Community Lifestyle and Demographic Information
Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases From the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University
Debt clock Commodity.com
Finimpact guide support and help black-owned small businesses:
GetLatLong.net Latitude and Longitude of a Point
Golden Snowball snow season competition in upstate NY
Leanne Brown cookbooks Good and Cheap is a gorgeous, free cookbook in English and Spanish
New York Slavery Index Search more than 38,000 records of slavery within NYS from 1525 through the Civil War.
NYSED Office of the Professions Verification Searches
Periodic Table of Technology How elements are used in everyday tech-use
Senior Discounts Across the US, businesses and service providers are offering discounts for seniors
Stores that Offer Senior Discounts Check Senior Discount Policies by Store
The New York State Education Department publicly reporting educational data
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Upworthy Stories Worth Sharing.
Vital Statistics of New York State 2017 Mortality, marriage, more
E on The word "apothic"
IMPOTUS squared: djt, Please GO AWAY – Ramblin' with Roger on Impeachment nostalgia: 1868, 1974…
Amy Barlow Liberatore on Home, or the lack of it
fillyjonk on Home, or the lack of it
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Amy Barlow Liberatore on "Who we are" about race
A random look at the 2020 blog – Ramblin' with Roger on Legendary New Orleans musician Allen Toussaint
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Brooks Brothers recently held their semi-annual sale. I was hounded by email every day encouraging me to make purchases. Usually I buy a few of their OCBD style dress shirts during the sale. They know that. What I like about Brooks Brothers shirts is that they offer a wide range of fits, sizes and collar combinations. Meaning that you can basically buy a tailored-like shirt off the rack. It helps that years ago a Brooks Brothers sales associate guided me to the perfect fitting shirt. From then on, I always ordered this same size. But as I was ordering new shirts during this sale, I noticed Brooks Brothers offered custom fit shirts. Great. I am a tall guy and having one or two more inches in shirt length would be excellent. I ended up scheduling a fitting in the downtown Seattle store.
Even though I was a "regular" Brooks Brothers customer, I hadn't shopped in the Seattle store for two or three years. When I arrived at the store for the fitting, a staff member directed me to the lower floor which was now closed off and appeared to be used mostly for storage. This was a bit surprising. Nevertheless, I enjoyed getting fitted and picking out the shirt fabrics with the sales manager. At one point, I asked him about a Brooks Brother Egyptian cotton dress shirt I had seen online. He curtly told me he knew nothing about the shirt. He followed that with, "look what online has done to me", pointing to the expanse of empty shelves in disgust.
His "online" comment hit me. I had a sudden guilt for my years of online shirt purchases. I remembered how the sales associates were a bit abrupt with my online returns. Then I gazed again at the empty floor with its bare shelves. And it all came together – I was looking at the death of retail. It was like Bruce Willis figuring out he was actually dead in the Sixth Sense (sorry if I ruined the ending for you … but it has been like 20 years). And the irony was not lost on me that I, Mr. VCleat, purveyor of shoe nostalgia, was contributing to the demise of American retail. I don't think the retail death spiral can be reversed at this point but going forward, I will make a point to get off my phone and come into a store. I swear.
Sorry. That was a long intro but I needed to get that off my chest. But to add to the irony, this post covers a pair of vintage Hanover saddle shoes that I bought online (ebay). I don't feel bad about that because you can't buy Hanover shoes through any retail channel. Pennsylvania based Hanover went through its own death spiral in the 1980s and 1990s. The company stopped making shoes over 20 years ago.
The pair of shoes in this post were made by Hanover likely in the early 1980s. Above is a 1983 catalog image of the model (the ivy in the background was a nice touch and surely made the shoes doubly desirable). According to the description, the 4184 model had a Goodyear welted sole and a steel shank. Good stuff. And if you are a savvy vintage shoe collector searching for a 12 EEE saddle shoe, Hanover appears to have made one in your size.
The pair had very little wear but was dirty from years of inactivity. And neglect. Like my bike in the basement. To clean the upper, I used the suede shampoo process that I documented with the awesome blue Wright suede and horned lizard spectators. I dabbed the coconut shampoo and water mixture onto the leather using a sponge.
The leather dried quickly and the pair looked like new. Almost.
There was a dark spot at the top of the vamp on the right shoe that did not come out with the shampoo treatment. For that spot I used my Allen Edmonds Suede kit. The white eraser took off the stain and then I ran the nylon brush over the rest of the suede.
The saddle portion of the shoe is a British tan colored (coloured in Queen's speak), calfskin. I was somewhat concerned that my shampoo treatment would cause water spots on the calfskin. But once dry, there were no marks. I used light brown Saphir cream to polish the calfskin and was careful not to get any on the suede. Saphir polish is a high-quality product that is a bit like liquid beeswax.
The soles had light wear but had clearly been worn and were a bit dirty. To clean the soles, I used Mr. Clean's MagicEraser. Which is a miracle product. I can't explain how the product works so well but if available, I believe it could have turned the tide in our favor during the War of 1812.
I have stated in past posts that I was not a fan of saddle shoes. Those previous statements are inoperative because I like this pair. The shoes are very comfortable and fit true to size. I have been wearing them frequently during the past couple months. They are a great spring and summer pair.
The 1980s weren't the best decade for Made in USA shoes. Most of the manufacturers were dying or dead. And the shoes that were produced often suffered from inferior materials. Still there were a few gems and I count this pair as one of them. Nice work Hanover.
Below are a few more photos of the pair. Enjoy. And go visit a store this weekend.
Fabulous read David as always now I have to find a pair of these saddle shoes in an 8D.
I was leery of saddle shoes because st my vertically challenged height I was concerned they would make me look like a Peanuts character – Lucy van Pelt. However it may look good on others and I will admire them from a distance with silent jealousy.
It took me awhile to find a pair I liked. I have bought other pairs but they looked like clown shoes. Or so I thought.
Great restore on the suede and leather. It's good to know exactly what works with suede.
However, any advantage gained by Magic Eraser in the war of 1812 would have been outweighed by all the British wearing hand made in Northampton shoes!
The shout out to the Canadian members is appreciated.
Not sure what would have tilted the balance in the war of 1812. Maybe if Alden would send free shoes to all Canadians for life, that would've achieved something.
Thanks. I was bitter for years about the war but then I ate poutine and all was good again.


Trade-In Your Old Games, Earn Some New Swag Bucks!
Nowadays, you play a game and then you might be done with it, so it just kinda sits there while you move on to the next game. Instead of letting your old games collect dust, why not let them collect Swag Bucks? That's right – you can trade in your old games with us and earn Swag Bucks while doing it! Just head over to our trade in area, enter your game, and see what we'll give you for it!
Did you just buy MLB '10 The Show for PS3? Give us your copy of the '09 game with the instructions and box and you'll net a cool 428 Swag Bucks! Only have the disc? Don't sweat it – we'll still give you 246 – not bad for a game you're not playing anyway. Once you give us your info, we give you a shipping label to print out – print it, box up your game, and send it in! It's an easy way to earn some major Swag Bucks that you can spend on other games!
Remember, we only accept North American/NTSC games, we DO NOT accept European/PAL games.


Malaria is still one of the biggest health threats in the developing world, with an estimated 300 million episodes per year and one million deaths, most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. Although the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of treated bed nets has been widely reported, little is known about the range, strength, or interaction between different factors that influence their demand at the household level. This study modeled the determinants of bed net ownership as well as the factors that influence the number of bed nets purchased. Data was collected from 1,700 randomly selected households in the Farafenni region of The Gambia. Interviews were also held with 129 community spokespersons to explore the extent to which community level factors such as the quality of roads and access to market centers also influence demand for bed nets. The results of each model of demand and their policy implications are discussed.
World Health Organization, 2001. Antimalarial Drug Combination Therapy: Report of a Technical Consultation. Geneva: World Health Organization, 33.
Goodman C, Coleman P, Mills A, 2000. Economics of Malaria Control in Sub-Saharan Africa. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Warner MW, Al-Hassan RM, Kydd JG, 1996. Beyond gender roles? Conceptualising the social and economic lives of rural people in sub-Saharan Africa. Some evidence from Northern Ghana. Series in Empirical Agricultural Economics and Econometrics. Wye, United Kingdom: Wye College Press, 1996.
Agyepong LA, 1992. Women and malaria: social, economic, cultural and behavioural determinants of malaria. Wijeyaratne P, Rathgeber EM, St-Onge E, eds. Women and Tropical Diseases. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: International Development Research Centre, 176–193.
Reed C, Viswanathan U, 1997. Malaria Intervention for Child Survival in Sub-Saharan Africa: Availability of Bednets and Insecticide for Malaria Control in Sub-Saharan Africa: Market Analysis. Summary report of market analyses in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Tanzania, and Uganda. Seattle: Program for Appropriate Technology in Health.
Turner A, Angeles G, Tsui A, Wilkinson M, Mangnani R, 2001. Sampling Manual for Facility Surveys. Measure Evaluation Manual Series, No. 3. MEASURE Evaluation Project Washingtom, DC: U.S. Agency for International Development.
Deaton A, 1997. The Analysis of Household Surveys. A Micro-econometric Approach to Development Policy. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.
McKenzie D, 2003. Measuring Inequality with Asset Indicators. Bureau for Research in Economic Analysis of Development Working Paper No. 042: Cambridge, MA: Center for International Development, Harvard University.
Wooldridge JM, 2003. Introductory Econometrics. A Modern Approach. Second edition. Edition). Boston: Blackwell Publishers.
Grosh M, Glewwe P, 2000. Designing Household Survey Questionnaires for Developing Countries. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Imoukhuede EB, 2003. Procurement and Use of Bednets for Malaria Control in Rural Gambia: A Case for Community Involvement. MSc Dissertation. London: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.


The Facebook acquisition deal of WhatsApp came in at a whopping $19 billion last October. While the world's largest social network certainly might consider those dollars chump change, the world was astounded to learn that the messaging service start-up only generated 10.2 million in revenue the previous year.
However, on the plus side of the ledger, WhatsApp is currently the biggest instant messaging service in the world, with 700 million users as of January this year.
And now that Facebook is tinkering around with the app's long awaited phone call functionality, things are starting to look a bit more promising, particularly for VoIP users of Telzio. It's been reported that the new interface now comes with a 'call button' that makes it possible to call WhatsApp contacts over VoIP.
When ready . . .
For those who already have the app, when this functionality becomes available, it will be necessary to install the latest Whatsapp version from their website. Presently only the Android OS of 2.1 or above are equipped to download the app. However the WhatsApp Messenger service comes free for a full year and then $0.99 USD/year, thereafter.
It's been rumored for months that WhatsApp has such an offering in development. Reports of the VoIP feature on WhatsApp initially came from one particular user on Reddit named Pradnesh Patil who goes by the handle pradnesh07.
He posted screenshots of WhatsApp with a call in progress and even uploaded a video of it on YouTube.
Other messaging apps, including Skype and Viber, already offer free voice and video calls to users, and it's believed Whatsapp's update is designed to rival such services.
In December, Dutch site AndroidWorld uncovered clues about the VoIP feature on WhatsApp while studying the app's test code. It then extracted layout files from the raw code to create mock-up screenshots (pictured here).
Facebook seemingly has begun a slow rollout of its anticipated voice-calling feature to its users in India. While not officially announced by WhatsApp, these reports state it appears to be operating on an invite-only basis.
Other encouraging news is that Facebook is investing a huge amount of its revenue in revamping WhatsApp's relationship with various service providers and in establishing a better connectivity over the Internet.
But then again, WhatsApp had previously announced the possibility of offering voice calls at Mobile World Congress 2014, when co-founder and chief executive Jan Koum initially positing a Q2 2014 launch for the new feature.
Time will tell on this one, but we will keep VoIP users up to date as the Telzio development team follows the progress of this new technology. As they have been successful with other interfaces, Telzio will continue to stay at the forefront of innovation, which can add value for their customers. In the weeks and months ahead, they will be looking closely to see if integration between WhatsApp users and Telzio users could become a collaborative partnership to benefit all parties.
So return often for updates on this and other developments that will help improve your VoIP experience.


Few houses have such a magnificent situation as Leiter Fearn, on the Aberchalder Estate, with its commanding position above the Caledonian Canal and Loch Oich.
Between Inverness and Fort William in Scotland's incomparable Great Glen, the house is set in its large, enclosed garden, with views of the boats passing through the canal lock below you and sailing off down the loch.
This substantial, detached Victorian farmhouse has been completely refurbished and offers spacious accommodation, with an excellent balance between restrained elegance and comfort, where families as well as parties of adults can feel perfectly at ease.
The cosy sitting room has a wood-burning stove to keep it warm and the large windows that not only let in plenty of light but also afford wonderful views down to the canal.
The spacious farmhouse kitchen also has a dining area that is easily large enough to cope with a full house in comfort or for more formal dining the elegant dining room provides just the right atmosphere. Also on this level are a WC and a handy utility room.
Upstairs there are four excellent bedrooms, three double rooms and a twin room, each with their own little 'suite' with an adjoining bath or shower room. The bedrooms are all comfortably furnished with some very good antique pieces which are just right for such a house and with TVs in every bedroom, getting the children off to bed shouldn't be too much of a problem! Having the bedrooms arranged in separate 'wings' of the house, each with its own facilities, means that each group has its own space.
Outside there is plenty of room for four cars in the gravelled parking area and there are also extensive grassed garden areas.
Reached by a short track and well away from the road, Leiter Fearn is ideal for families and walkers as guests are welcome to walk on the Estate's two miles of loch frontage.
Fort Augustus, just a few miles up the road, is a most attractive village with the Caledonian Canal descending in a series of locks almost through its centre. The lawns and towpath there, not to mention some restaurants and hostelries, make it a lovely spot to sit out with a coffee or dram and watch the yachts working their way through the locks.
Other interest are catered for too, as the estate offers clay pigeon shooting, fishing and stalking in season. Loch Ness is a short distance to the north and you are also near the junction where fast roads cut off to the north west. Further up Loch Ness, at Drumnadrochit, there is pony trekking and boat trips on the loch if a bit of monster-spotting appeals.
The Great Glen Way offers excellent cycling while down towards Fort William (28 miles). Aonach Mor offers skiing in winter and world championship mountain biking trails in other seasons. Why not trek up Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain, while you're there? The pretty Isle of Skye (54 miles) is also easily accessible for a day trip.
Kitchen/dining room with electric range cooker, dishwasher, fridge-freezer, microwave, etc.
Double bedroom (king-size) + TV.
Twin bedroom (zip-link converts to double) + TV.
Bed linen and towels are INCLUDED. Electricity is INCLUDED. Heating is by oil central heating (INCLUDED) and wood-burning stove (logs INCLUDED). WiFi is INCLUDED (subject to a fair usage policy). Water is from a private source which is UV filtered and regularly tested; however (as is typical in many parts of Scotland) it can become discoloured, particularly after heavy rainfall. Guests may therefore prefer to bring bottled water to drink. A maximum of 2 dogs are welcome at an additional charge (2 large, 2 medium or 2 small). If you wish to bring any other pets please contact us and we will see what we can do. No smoking.
Wonderful farmhouse, beautiful location for exploring Scotland.
Great amenities. Everything you could possibly need.
Nice location; very welcoming, clean, bright; cottage as per description; mentioning should be made that internet was available! (not mentioned in advert). Good base for exploring this part of Scotland.
Amazing place to stay. Best ever! Comnfortable, well equippped, considerate, kindly allowed us our pets, fabulous location and cannot fault. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to experience highland walking with such comfort at the end of the day. Love this place so much.


Marine veteran Ron Horton was known as "The Tasmanian Devil" for his intensity as a drill instructor. Horton said it's better to have a recruit break during boot camp than to break on the battlefield.
Ron Horton is a local veteran who was a Marine drill instructor from February 1977 until August 1978. Horton was drafted into the military at the age of 19 in February 1970 and tested into the Marines.


text:
Q: "aurelia-polyfills" doesn't work (or we cannot import it correctly) We are using Aurelia JS in our project.
On IE11 we get error conntected to missing "includes" method:
Object doesn't support property or method 'includes'
We've installed aurelia-polyfills plugin but it doens't work (or we use it in wrong way).
In main-webpack.js:
...
import 'aurelia-polyfills';
...

bootstrap(function (aurelia) {
    aurelia.use
        .standardConfiguration()
        .defaultResources()
        .developmentLogging()
        ...
        .plugin(PLATFORM.moduleName('aurelia-polyfills'));

    aurelia.start().then(() => aurelia.setRoot(PLATFORM.moduleName('app-webpack'), document.body));
});

Our import statement is correct?
Should we do it in the same file?

A: SOLVED:
aurelia-polyfills handles only includes for Array object, not String.
My error concerned on String, so I needed to create separate JS file with polyfill and use this code snippet: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/String/includes


text:
set -e

add_trap() {
  git clone http://jenkinsci:password@gitlab.pocci.test/example-nexus/$1.git
  cd $1
  sed -ie "2a trap 'curl http://gitlab.pocci.test:9898/\$?' EXIT" build.sh
  git commit -am "[ci skip] [ci-skip] Update build.sh"
  git push origin master
  cd ..
}

build_lib() {
  git clone http://jenkinsci:password@gitlab.pocci.test/example-nexus/$1.git
  cd $1
  sed -ie "2a echo 'start'" build.sh
  git commit -am "Update build.sh"
  git push origin master

  timeout -sKILL 600 node /tmp/server.js
  cd ..
}

verify_job() {
  GITLAB_BUILD_STATUS=`curl "http://gitlab.pocci.test/example-nexus/$1/pipelines.json" | jq .pipelines[0].details.status.group  | sed 's/"//g'`
  if [ "${GITLAB_BUILD_STATUS}" != "success" ]; then
      echo "gitlab: invalid build status: $1"
      exit 2
  fi
}

git config --global user.email "jenkins-ci@localhost.localdomain"
git config --global user.name "Jenkins"

cp ./server.js /tmp

if [ -d src.tmp ]; then
    rm -fr src.tmp
fi
mkdir src.tmp
cd src.tmp

add_trap java-app
build_lib java-lib
sleep 10
verify_job java-lib
verify_job java-app

add_trap nodejs-app
build_lib nodejs-lib
sleep 10
verify_job nodejs-lib
verify_job nodejs-app

exit 0

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The thermocouple (TC) is the device that we use to measure the grills overall temperature and report back to the Pellet Boss controller. It has stainless steel braided sheathing to protect the wire from the heat, the probe itself is stainless steel as well. These types of measuring instruments are used mostly in industrial settings because they are very accurate and stable. We have very few issues with these sensors as they are made for the hot environment of the grill. They can go bad however if the wire is compromised (e.g. caught on fire or pinched/cut etc.). They have a grounded connection so it is important to have your MAK Grill plugged into a properly grounded GFCI outlet for the sensor to read correctly.
Location of the TC in the grill has been tested and proven for many years, it is the best spot to serve these important functions for the grill.
1)	Gives the best overall temp reading for the grill, not to close to the heat vents and away from the exhaust vents.
2)	It is out of the way of most objects and food that could bend or damage it.
3)	The wire is protected the most in this area from the fire in the grill.
Tips: Keep your TC clean of smoke, grease and food by scrubbing the tip with a piece of steel wool or tear off the green part of a sponge and hang on your tool hook for easy access. The top inch should be metal color to read the temperature accurately.
The TC is made in the in the great state of Illinois USA.
We have used the same TC since the very first MAK Grill and it is used in all grill models we manufacture.
We have another configuration of the TC used as the flame sensor in the fire pot of the 3 Star.
I learned the hard way (years ago) the importance of keeping the Temp Sensor (thermocouple) clean or it can cause a myriad of temperature-related issues.
An easy way I've found to clean it every few cooks is to use a small piece of Brillo or S.O.S steel wool pad dampened with some warm water. The powdered soap on those cuts right through the greasy build-up so you don't have to scrub hard at all. Next, wipe the soap & grease off with a damp paper towel, followed by a dry paper towel. It works like a charm!
so my TC looks like metal, ie clean. yet I have a 60 degree difference between set and grill temp?
Contact us so we can work through what you are seeing.


We hire out asphalt paving machinery all over South Africa. We have milling machines, recycler, asphalt paver, steel rollers, pneumatic rollers, water carts, trucks etc.
Find plant hire in Gauteng! View Gumtree Free Online Classified Ads for plant hire in Gauteng and more.
Penny-Farthing Engineering SA (Pty) Ltd, began operations in 1994 as an Engineering Management company, with a Road-Sealing contract in Lesotho.


Archer is one lucky dog. The border collie mix survived massive flooding in the Houston area, and she was rescued from rising waters when a news crew boat from KPRC was surveying damage along the Brazos River. Her near-death experience turned into joy just a week later.
Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls adopted Archer after he and his family came to check on the pooch at a local shelter. Archer licked all over the Nehls family for an entire afternoon. The Nehls family decided, by a unanimous vote, to add Archer to its pack. The family already has two dogs, and Archer seems to fit right in. One adorable photo on the sheriff's Facebook page shows Archer asleep on the floor with one of the girls. Nehls said the only water Archer swims in now is the swimming pool in the back yard, thanks to the pup's new owners.
The former owners have yet to come forward to claim Archer, who was found in water up to her neck and chained to a front porch. Nehls says he plans to visit the owners after seeing the infuriating situation. The owners may face animal abandonment charges.
The original story of Archer made national headlines as the KPRC crew rescued the dog and a few others along the swollen Brazos River. The exhausted dog recovered at the Houston Human Society, where she was exhausted and very frightened. When Archer arrived, she kept her tail between her legs. Officials at the agency believe the dog would not have lasted much longer in the flood waters because she was so tired of fighting the current of the river. A week after her harrowing incident, the Nehls family took Archer home.The news crew rescued Archer in the team's airboat with the sheriff alongside. This video shows the original story of the adorable dog left in a deplorable situation.