text:
nature energy
Micro-cable structured textile for simultaneously harvesting solar and mechanical energy
Jun Chen1 na1,
Yi Huang2 na1,
Nannan Zhang2,
Haiyang Zou1,
Ruiyuan Liu1,
Changyuan Tao2,
Xing Fan2 &
Zhong Lin Wang1,3
Nature Energy volume 1, Article number: 16138 (2016) Cite this article
Energy science and technology
Developing lightweight, flexible, foldable and sustainable power sources with simple transport and storage remains a challenge and an urgent need for the advancement of next-generation wearable electronics. Here, we report a micro-cable power textile for simultaneously harvesting energy from ambient sunshine and mechanical movement. Solar cells fabricated from lightweight polymer fibres into micro cables are then woven via a shuttle-flying process with fibre-based triboelectric nanogenerators to create a smart fabric. A single layer of such fabric is 320 μm thick and can be integrated into various cloths, curtains, tents and so on. This hybrid power textile, fabricated with a size of 4 cm by 5 cm, was demonstrated to charge a 2 mF commercial capacitor up to 2 V in 1 min under ambient sunlight in the presence of mechanical excitation, such as human motion and wind blowing. The textile could continuously power an electronic watch, directly charge a cell phone and drive water splitting reactions.
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Figure 1: Structural design of the hybrid power textile.
Figure 2: Photovoltaic textile and its electrical output characterization.
Figure 3: Fabric TENG and its electrical output characterization.
Figure 4: Electrical connection- and weaving-pattern-optimized hybrid textiles.
Figure 5: Demonstration of the power textile to drive portable electronics.
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Research was supported by the Hightower Chair foundation, KAUST, the 'Thousands Talents' Program for pioneer researcher and his innovation team, China, National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51432005, 5151101243, 51561145021) and the National Key R&D Project from the Minister of Science and Technology (2016YFA0202704). X.F. and Y.H. also would like to acknowledge the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of China (NCET-13-0631) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (106112016CDJZR225514).
Jun Chen and Yi Huang: These authors contributed equally to this work.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
Jun Chen, Haiyang Zou, Ruiyuan Liu & Zhong Lin Wang
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Yi Huang, Nannan Zhang, Changyuan Tao & Xing Fan
Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), Beijing 100083, China
Zhong Lin Wang
Yi Huang
Nannan Zhang
Haiyang Zou
Ruiyuan Liu
Changyuan Tao
Xing Fan
J.C., X.F. and Z.L.W. conceived the idea, designed the experiment and guided the project. Y.H., J.C., X.F., N.Z., R.L., H.Z. and C.T. fabricated the device and performed electrical measurements. J.C., X.F. and Z.L.W. analysed the experimental data, drew the figures and prepared the manuscript.
Correspondence to Xing Fan or Zhong Lin Wang.
Supplementary Figures 1–22, Supplementary Notes 1–3, Supplementary Tables 1–3 and Supplementary References. (PDF 2169 kb)
Supplementary Video 1
Fabricating the power textile on a weaving machine. (AVI 2139 kb)
Hybrid power textile is sensitive to mechanical excitation. (AVI 3616 kb)
Charging a 2 mF commercial capacitor in the light with mechanical excitation. (AVI 6375 kb)
Charging a cell phone in the light with mechanical excitation. (AVI 6209 kb)
Driving an electronic watch in sunlight with hand shaking. (AVI 1805 kb)
Splitting the lake water under natural sunlight and wind. (AVI 5436 kb)
Power generation on a moving car from weak sunlight and wind. (AVI 5089 kb)
Chen, J., Huang, Y., Zhang, N. et al. Micro-cable structured textile for simultaneously harvesting solar and mechanical energy. Nat Energy 1, 16138 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2016.138
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2016.138
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text:
Q: Why int pointer gives me floating point number? I have such code:
double x = 100.1;
double y;
int *p;

p = (int *) &x;
y = *p;

cout << "y value is: " << y << endl;

I understand that it's wrong and we get 4 bytes instead of our 8 bytes. I also know floating numbers have some tricky representation at memory (but don't know how), but this script gives me such output:
y value is: 1.71799e+09

As I understand it's also value with floating point. By my pointer is int and I also expect int result. Why it's not? What I should read to understand?

A:
By my pointer is int and I also expect int result. Why it's not?

Because y is a double, not an int. Now, if you mean to ask why doesn't y have an integral value, since it should be the result of the conversion of an int (which must* have an integral value) to double, take a look at the output of the following:
std::cout << "y value is: " << std::fixed << y << '\n';

The output you should see is:
y value is: 1717986918.000000

So, y does have an integral value, you simply printed it out using scientific notation. And if you wonder why y has this particular integral value, it's because that's the value *p had.
std::cout << "*p is: " << *p << '\n';

*p is: 1717986918

If you were to look at a memory dump of x with the value of 100.1, you would see:
66 66 66 66 66 06 59 40

And when you access this as an int, you get 66 66 66 66, which, converted to decimal, is 1717986918.

One other thing to note is that none of this is guaranteed by C++. In fact your program is not actually legal, because you're violating the aliasing rules when you access the double x through a pointer to int. Your program could be made legal and get the same results, but C++ doesn't specify the representation of floating point values, so the particular integral value could legally be different.

What I should read to understand?

Here's an article that plays with the representation of floats: http://ridiculousfish.com/blog/posts/float.html
C++ doesn't specify how floats are represented, but most C++ implementations use IEEE-754, so you might also take a look at that specification. Here's the wikipedia page to start you on that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_floating_point
To learn about C++'s aliasing rules you can find and read the spec. strict aliasing is covered in §3.10/10, IIRC. There are also plenty of questions and answers about aliasing here on SO.

A: 1.71799e+09 is the floating point representation of the integer 1,717,99x,xxx.

A:
By my pointer is int and I also expect int result. Why it's not?

Your pointer is int *, and you are getting an int result.
But that's not what you're displaying.  You're displaying y which is a double.
1.71799e+09 is the double representation of the int you got.

A: When you do
y = *p;

The variable y takes the int pointed to by p, and then converts it to a double.
Suppose sizeof(double) is 8 and sizeof(int) is 4
Doing x = 100; you put the double value 100 in x on 8 bytes. Then when you do y = *p; you would only use 4 of the 8 bytes, as an int value, then convert that number to a double.
The binary format of a double and of an int are different. E.g. 100 as double is not represented the same way as 100 int (let alone the size difference, e.g. 8 vs 4).
See this link

A: double x = 100.1;
double y;
int *p;

p = (int *) &x;
// Set a pointer of type integer to point at a floating point. Better C++ style
// would be p = reinterpret_cast<int *>(&x);
// which explains more clearly what you are doing - reinterpreting the pointer as
// a different type.

y = *p;
// *p is an integer. So y is set to the value of *p, which is some crazy
// integer value formed from the interpretation of a double as integer.

cout << "y value is: " << y << endl;

See comments in the code above. You are making a pointer point to data of a different type, then wondering why the binary digits transformed don't represent what it originally represented...
(Technically, this code is in violation of the rules about aliasing - basically, you are using the same piece of memory for two different purposes, and the compiler is not obliged to "do the right thing" in this case - I suspect it does something of what you can expect in this particular case - if what you expect is that you get an integer value represented by the four first bytes of a double, that is).
If you want y to actually contain the integer representation of the number in x, you want:
y = (int)x;

There is no sensible way we can use a pointer to do this conversion.

A: You're triggering undefined behavoir when you run the following line:
p = (int *) &x;

Once you've triggered undefined behavoir the rest of your question is fairly pointless as reasoning about undefined behavoir doesn't make sense (although looking at the rest of your question, it may be that this bit of undefined behavoir doesn't affect what you're really asking. I'm not sure though.)

A: Read C++ pointers and data types documentation
http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/pointers/
http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/variables/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Legal Precedent
Additional Areas of Practice
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© 2016. Cronin, Cronin, Harris & O'Brien, P.C. All rights reserved. Site by Imacomm.

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text:
La communauté de communes des Premiers sapins est une ancienne communauté de communes française située dans le département du Doubs et la région Franche-Comté, qui a existé de 1996 à 2015. Son siège était fixé à Nods.

Historique
Créée en 1996, la communauté de communes cesse d'exister le  quand elle est transformée en commune nouvelle conformément à un arrêté préfectoral du 30 novembre 2015.

Composition
La communauté de communes des Premiers sapins comprenait six communes :

Compétences

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Article connexe
 Liste des intercommunalités du Doubs

Premiers sapins

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text:
Bahrain's Baqer Gets 10-Game Ban for Racist Gesture
FIFA has banned Bahrain defender Sayed Baqer for 10 matches for 'discriminatory behaviour' in a World Cup qualifier against Hong Kong, soccer's world governing body has said.
Baqer, 25, was captured on video making a slant-eyed gesture in the direction of Hong Kong supporters after a goalless draw in the city on Nov. 14.
FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Baqer last month and announced that the player had also been fined 30,000 Swiss francs (23,596.20 pounds) and warned over his conduct.
The suspension follows the governing body's July announcement that it had doubled the minimum ban for racist behaviour to 10 games.
A number of high-profile racist incidents have marred the game this season.
The most recent involved the arrest of a Chelsea fan for allegedly racially abusing Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean forward Son Heung-min in a Premier League match in London on Sunday.
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger also alleged he was racially abused in the same game, prompting the Professional Footballers' Association to call for a government inquiry into the proliferation of racist incidents in English soccer.
Italy has also been front and centre this season with Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku and Brescia's Mario Balotelli being targeted by rival fans during Serie A matches.
In a separate ruling, FIFA ordered Indonesia to play one match behind closed doors without fans and fined the country's soccer association 200,000 Swiss francs over security failings during a World Cup qualifier with Malaysia last month.
Malaysia were fined 50,000 Swiss francs for the behaviour of their fans.
Sierra Leone have also been told to play one game behind closed doors and were fined 50,000 Swiss francs for a lack of order during a qualifier against Liberia in September.
romadong
Sierra Leone's ailing economy – overcoming the challenges – A rejoinder
The ignoble lands minister of Sierra Leone – Dr Sandi has been sacked
Budget vote controllers must submit 2019 Audit Report Implementation Plan in three weeks
President Bio commissions $15 million fish processing plant
Ministry of agriculture signs service level agreement with NGOs
© copyright Africa Press 2017


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text:
Detroit Police Chief Plans To Run Against Governor Gretchen Whitmer As A Republican - The Political Insider
Detroit Police Chief Plans To Run Against Governor Gretchen Whitmer As A Republican
By John Hanson
May 10, 2021 at 9:09am
Detroit Police Chief James Craig is reportedly gearing up to run against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in one of the most watched midterm gubernatorial races.
Whitmer has become a frequent target of criticism on the right due to her restrictive COVID measures.
Details of Craig's Republican challenge to Democrat Whitmer were reported in The Hill on Saturday.
Detroit police chief James Craig planning GOP gubernatorial run against Whitmer https://t.co/C1bGB4aSfQ pic.twitter.com/wWW384N1Bd
— The Hill (@thehill) May 9, 2021
RELATED: DeSantis Tells Unemployed Floridians To Look For Jobs, Unemployment Benefits Supposed To Be Temporary
The Hill: 'Craig Is Laying The Groundwork For A Bid'
"A source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill that Craig is laying the groundwork for a bid and has spoken with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R), the chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA)," The Hill reported.
The story continued, "A second source familiar with the matter confirmed that Craig has met with Ron Weiser, the chair of the Michigan Republican Party, and is expected to announce on Monday a plan for his retirement from the Detroit Police Department."
Local news affiliate Fox 2 first reported on Friday that the Detroit Police Department chief was planning to take on Gov. Whitmer.
Craig, a black man, has led a number of police departments across the country.
Before stepping in to his top law enforcement role in Detroit in 2013, his home city, he also led the police departments of Cincinnati and Portland, Maine.
Craig also served as a Los Angeles police officer for decades.
Craig running against Whitmer as a black Republican could be a significant advantage to the GOP, because he would be well-equipped to discuss the national police brutality and bias in the criminal justice system.
Detroit Police Chief James Craig says there was probable cause to immediately charge former cop Derek Chauvin accused of the killing of George Floyd with 'murder'
https://t.co/AY6sJTvDbm
— Bren Allynn Buras-Elsen (@brenisphere) May 29, 2020
Craig Could Be Uniquely Situated
As an African-American who leads law enforcement, Craig could have a unique perspective in tackling these issues as a Republican.
The Hill noted, "Craig has been a staunch supporter of law enforcement throughout the debate but praised the conviction of Derek Chauvin on second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year, saying the verdict was a sign the 'justice system worked' but not representative of police officers across the country."
POLL: Do you think Detroit Police Chief Craig can beat Whitmer?
Yes he can!
No, he can't
"The Detroit police chief also has voiced a slate of policies that would likely endear him to the GOP electorate, including saying that city residents should purchase guns to reduce crime," The Hill added.
Craig would likely draw attention from high-profile Republican backers given that the gubernatorial race is expected to be a top priority for both parties next year.
Major GOP donor Dan Eberhart tweeted, "Michigan deserves better, and James Craig, the current Chief of the Detroit PD, would be an excellent choice!"
While Gretchen Whitmer was forcing people to stay home, she was boarding a private jet to fly to Florda!
Michigan deserves better, and James Craig, the current Chief of the Detroit PD, would be an excellent choice! https://t.co/hi0OKWJi2i
— Dan K. Eberhart (@DanKEberhart) May 7, 2021
RELATED: Mika Brzezinski Claims Texas GOP Pushing 'Big Lie' With Election Law – 'Could Destabilize This Country' For Years To Come
Whitmer has been a primary target for Republicans in 2022 due to her states's controversial strict coronavirus rules throughout 2020 and beyond.
Ana Navarro Claims On CNN That Liz Cheney Has Exposed GOP As 'Eunuchs' Worshipping Trump
John Hanson
Email John Hanson
is a professional writer and editor with over 15 years of experience in conservative media and Republican politics. He has been a special guest on Fox News, Sirius XM, appeared as the guest of various popular personalities, and has had a lifelong interest in right-leaning politics.


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My phone reminds me today is an easy run. A short, slow run of just under 2 miles. Good. I'm not feeling like a run today, but I want to be able to run a 10k in the fall, so I head out to complete my training run. My phone is kind of bossy.
Tonight, I walk with a friend, so I head up early to pound out a couple miles before she arrives. We walk at a track. Not an official running track, but a .3 mile circle. It isn't the most inspiring place to run, but it is convenient. I should finish my miles just in time for my friend to join me for a walk.
When I arrive at the track, I pull my phone out to start my workout. You might be surprised to learn I do not own a Garmin. I use an app to track my miles and coach me to a 10k. I tuck my phone into my belt (a glorified mini fanny pack) and start warming up on the track.
The shadows are growing longer as the sun lowers in the sky and the heat of the day is starting to fade. Several people are out enjoying the break from the heat to get in a little exercise. I love seeing so many people out trying to better their health. It isn't overly crowded, just a steady pace of people.
I start running around the circle. Since I know this place so well, I do more people watching than nature observing. Often people bring their dogs out, with leashes, to walk with them. I'm used to seeing dogs, I see a lot of families, a couple or a couple of friends walking, and others are alone, like me (at least until my friend arrives).
What I don't normally see are people walking around the track with their phone up to their ear, but tonight I saw it twice. The first was an older man, and by old I mean older than me) and the second was a younger girl (younger than me). I'm not sure why this fascinated me, but I couldn't help but wonder who they were talking to. Did talking to someone while they walked help them forget the number of trips around the track? Didn't they keep count of the number of times they circled?
One part of me thought it made perfect sense to talk to someone on the phone while they walked. They probably walked longer and farther by distracting themselves with conversation. It isn't much different than what I planned to do after running, walk with a friend. It just happens that the person isn't actually present.
Another part of me thought they should put down the phone and be present in the moment. It is just a circle with the same scenery repeating lap after lap, but it still seemed wrong to me to be on the phone. When I walk or run outside and I am alone, I don't have electronic distractions beyond my running app informing me of my progress every mile. I don't listen to music or podcasts like when I'm on the treadmill. When I'm outside, it is just me and the environment.
It started out as a safety thing. People always tell you not to run with headphones so you can hear what is going on around you. It didn't take long before I preferred to run outside without headphones. Music is nice and it does help to develop a rhythm, but I enjoy listening to the sounds of the run. Cars driving by, people chatting, birds chirping, squirrels rustling in the bushes (Ok, the last one kind of startles me sometimes). The point is, I would miss out on the music of the run if I had on earphones.
Though I do like to see runners without earbuds, I don't have the same reaction when I see people running with music. It has to be because these people were on the phone. Apparently, I harbor ill feelings toward phones.
Still, I am happy to see them out, enjoying the day, and getting some exercise. That is the important thing. Whatever it takes to get and stay healthy.
What are your thoughts on phones and music while running/walking outside?


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text:
XNA is dead. Long live XNA!
RogueCode
So, as many of you have heard, Microsoft has killed off XNA and every game written in the framework is doomed.
Except that isn't the whole story.
If you don't know, XNA is a game development framework made by Microsoft to aid developers in rapidly creating cross platform games. The name stands for: XNA's Not Acronymed. Writing a game in XNA enables it to run on Windows, XBOX, Windows Phone, and the [now dead] Zune HD. The only real changes that need to be made are the controls and UI (different screen sizes). Even if you've never heard of XNA, chances are that you've played a game made in it if you've ever used a Windows Phone. One such game is ARMED! - which now has a Windows 8 version made in MonoGame. XNA was loved by a lot of people, and gained popularity because it was an easy entry point into 2D and 3D game development, and it was a good way to reuse code across platforms.
Enter: Windows "m-word" apps.
With the launch of Windows 8 and RT Microsoft has made a major shift to account for modern devices that have boat-loads of sensors, and a variety of different input mediums. Try using Photoshop – or any traditional Windows application – with a touch screen and you will see exactly why Microsoft has made this tectonic shift. Along with making apps more touch-friendly, these new apps will run on both traditional x86 (Intel CPU's for instance) and mobile ARM chips. Microsoft has also made all languages equal, so whether you are writing your app in HTML/CSS/JS, XAML/C#, or even C++/XAML, you will be targeting the same WinRT API's.
Here is a visual representation of the modern Windows platform as it stands today:
Something that bloggers, media, and the internet at large have chastised Microsoft for is the fact that it is not possible to write XNA games anymore. This is 100% correct. However what many people forget is that XNA is still fully possible on Windows 8 as a desktop application. Yes, that won't console many people, but regardless, support hasn't magically vanished.
Secondly, and this is the most important point of this article: It is still possible to make an XNA game or port your existing XNA game to a Windows Metro app. That game will run on both x86 and ARM devices. Microsoft has left us in the lurch – and somewhere deep deep down, I am sure they have a good reason – but all hope is not lost.
Enter: MonoGame.
Here's a description of MonoGame from their website:
MonoGame is an Open Source implementation of the Microsoft XNA 4 Framework. Our goal is to allow XNA developers on Xbox 360, Windows & Windows Phone to port their games to the iOS, Android, Mac OS X, Linux and Windows 8 Metro. PlayStation Mobile development is currently in progress.
At a very high-level, what this wonderful bunch of people is doing is method-by-method recreating the XNA framework with compatibility for the aforementioned platforms. So they create an implementation of each thing that XNA does in each platform. To avoid legal issues, no code has been disassembled from Microsoft's binaries.
As a developer with a bunch of Windows Phone apps written in XNA, this is quite a relief. I've been playing with MonoGame over the past few weeks and it really is as good as it sounds. I timed myself getting Matchy to build and run and it took under 15 minutes. Of course, after getting it to run I still had to change a lot of the UI because of the larger display and varying resolutions. Another game I ported was Relaxify. Once again, an almost trouble-free experience in terms of porting. I did of course beef it up a lot for all these fancy new devices.
It is at this point, dear readers, that this stops being your average Windows Phone Central article. If you are not a developer, you may want to skip the rest and head straight down to the comments.
So how do you, the frustrated XNA developer, use this? Easy:
The installer for MonoGame 3.0 Beta has just been released and you can grab it from here: https://archive.codeplex.com/?p=monogame. If you are reading this at some point in the future, rather go to the MonoGame Codeplex site to get the latest version. If you want to keep up to date with the changes (and you probably should), then you can also clone the repository here.
Install it.
Once installed you can open up Visual Studio 2012 and the new templates will be waiting for you.
Once loaded the project will be pretty much as you expect, with a Game.cs file and a bunch of others. One notable feature is the XAML integration. So along with XNA rendering you can use standard XAML controls.
Now something that seems to trip a lot of people up, and is possibly the only big difference between developing for standard XNA and MonoGame is content processing. Traditionally, along with your game project there was a Content project where you added sounds, models, textures, etc. Upon building those assets were compiled into XNA's native .xnb format and then read through the ContentProcessor for use in the game. And all that was handled by Visual Studio 2010. Fast forward to today; Visual Studio 2012 has dropped this feature because it was a part of XNA.
The workaround is to have a separate content project:
After installing the XNA 4.0 SDK create a new Windows Game (4.0).
Add any assets to the content project and build the solution.
Copy the resulting .xnb file/s from the bin to a new folder Content in bin\Debug\AppX\ of the MonoGame project.
Now just load content like you always have.
Rejoice, for XNA lives!
As mentioned before, XNA is a really easy way to get into game design. Four lines of code after setting up MonoGame and the content project as explained above, we have a rotating 3D model imported from 3ds Max.
Although there is no built in support for XNA in Visual Studio 2012, one awesome feature is an FBX model viewer. FBX is an Autodesk 3D model format which includes support for a bunch of handy things like embedded animations and textures. This is the model format of choice for using with XNA. Installing VS2012 makes it the default application for FBX files, and the viewer is a really welcome addition.
So there you have it folks, XNA is alive and well, albeit unofficially. Something to keep in mind is that long-term you may want to venture out into C++ or Unity.
What do you think of Microsoft's decision, and how has it effected your development? Sound off in the comments below!


text:
"use strict";

var _ = require('../lodash');
var $ = require('jquery');

module.exports = {

  mixinName: "Fetchable",

  initializeFetchable: function(){
    this.withMixin(require('./ajaxable'));
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  fetch: function(options, success, failure){
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        xhr = $.ajax(options);

    this.resetMessages();
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    if(!_.isUndefined(success)) {
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    xhr.always(this.removeQueuedItem.bind(this, uid));

    return xhr;
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Military and Overseas Citizens
Registering And Voting Absentee
Members of the United States uniformed services on active duty and the Merchant Marine, their spouses and dependents, and United States citizens residing outside of the United States may apply for voter registration or request an absentee ballot with a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), which may be obtained from a Voting Assistance Officer or through the Internet athttp://www.fvap.gov. The Federal Post Card Application request for an absentee ballot will be effective for all elections through the next two regularly scheduled general elections. If the FPCA is not available, phone or send a written request by mail, fax, or e-mail to the supervisor of elections and a voter registration application or absentee ballot will be sent to you.
If you are overseas, you may have your absentee ballot either faxed or e-mailed to you, in lieu of receiving it by regular mail. Once your absentee ballot is voted, you may either return it by fax or you may mail it to the supervisor of elections so that it is received no later than 7 p.m. on election day. Voted ballots returned by e-mail will not be accepted. Carefully follow the instructions sent to you with your absentee ballot to ensure that it is counted. You must be sure to not only sign, but DATE the absentee ballot envelope to ensure that your ballot is counted.
If an overseas voter's request for an absentee ballot includes an e-mail address, the supervisor of elections will inform the voter of the names of candidates who will be on the ballots via e-mail. The supervisor of elections will e-mail to the voter the list of candidates for the primary and general election not later than 30 days before each election.
(see sections 101.6952 and 101.697, Florida Statutes)
Additional information for military and overseas voters is available from:
http://www.fvap.gov
Or by contacting:
Federal Voting Assistance Program Office of the Secretary of Defense Washington Headquarters Services
1155 Defense Pentagon
FVAP Fax 703-588-0108
State Write-in Ballot
An overseas voter may request, not earlier than 180 days before a general election, a state write-in absentee ballot from the supervisor of elections in the county of registration. In the request, the voter must indicate that due to military or other contingencies that preclude normal mail delivery, the voter cannot vote an absentee ballot during the normal absentee voting period. In completing the ballot, the overseas voter may designate his or her choice by writing in the name of the candidate or by writing in the name of a political party, in which case the ballot must be counted for the candidate of that political party, if there is such a party candidate on the ballot.
(see section 101.6951, Florida Statutes)
An individual or accompanying family member who has been discharged or separated from the uniformed services, Merchant Marine, or from employment outside the territorial limits of the United States, after the book closing for an election pursuant to section 97.055, Florida Statutes, who is otherwise qualified, may register to vote in such election at the office of the supervisor of elections until 5:00 p.m. on the Friday before that election. Such persons must produce sufficient documentation showing evidence of qualifying for the late registration pursuant to this section.
(see section 97.0555, Florida Statutes)


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Today, we speak with Luis Martin Cabiedes, business angel and founder of Cabiedes & Partners, one of the most important venture capital funds in Spain. Cabiedes, who participated in NoviCap's seed round, which closed in September 2015, also invests his private capital to purchase invoices (short-term debt) through the platform.
In the interview, Cabiedes shares his vision as an investor and explains why he decided to invest through NoviCap as part of his portfolio. A decision in line with his diversification strategy. NoviCap enables a short-term investment, with high profitability and moderate risk, representing "one more asset in a super-diversified portfolio".
1. How do you select the asset class to be included to diversify your portfolio?
L.M.C.: There is no bad asset class, but there are asset classes which are misplaced in your portfolio. In my venture capital business I take calculated risk, however when managing my private capital I adopt a more prudent and risk-averse strategy. I diversify the portfolio by investing in as many asset classes as possible. I think the focus should be on "Asset Allocation" rather than the "Stock Picking". The truth is that there are few asset classes that I do not like, I invest a limited amount in all assets, but what changes is the weight that I put on each one depending on the risk profile.
2. How do you decide the weight you give to each asset class in your portfolio?
L.M.C.: There is an investment theory coined by Harry Markowitz amongst other economists. The weight that you want to give to every assets class in the portfolio depends on your aim, if you want to increase the level of risk (and therefore to increase your returns), you have to invest more in variable assets and less on fixed. I believe as golden rule you should not dedicate more than 25% of the portfolio on Alternative Assets. When I speak about Alternative Assets I refer to a new type of assets that has not traditionally been considered to be a part of an investment portfolio, such as investments in real estate or in commercial debt through alternative financing platforms like NoviCap.
3. How do you look for new asset classes?
L.M.C.: I keep myself informed, reading and looking for new investment trends. I am speaking as a private investor and not as Venture Capital. Looking for new asset classes is a game of finding a hole in your portfolio. You have to analyse what type of asset it is, which is the risk profile and how it can fit within your portfolio. The aim of including Alternative Assets in your portfolio is to increase profitability, as these assets tend to be riskier and have higher returns. To mitigate the risk of the portfolio I diversify investments in different types of asset classes: real-estate, venture capital, emerging markets and direct lending, and I limit the exposure in each one.
4. Why are you interest in investing in short-term assets?
L.M.C.: Investing in invoices, plays a small role in my portfolio but as a short-term investment it allows me to maintain a high level of liquidity. Apart from diversifying into different assets, you have to diversify in time. To analyse an investment there are three main criteria: profitability, risk and liquidity. NoviCap has a high yield, moderate risk and a high liquidity. Instead of having a current account deposit with an average return of 2%, you can invest through NoviCap with a yield of 8-10% per annum. This way you can place the most liquid portions of your portfolio as a depoit with NoviCap. However I would never invest more than 5% of my portfolio in liquid assets.
5. Why do you think there is a growing interest towards investing in FinTech platforms?
L.M.C.: FinTech startups emerge as a response to an unsatisfied demand in the market. Only an automatic and technological process allows you to access a certain type of asset class, which would otherwise be much more expensive and complicated in the traditional form used by banks. For example, when investing in commercial debt, a professional investor does not have the time nor the risk analysis instruments to be able to analyze an X number of invoices. NoviCap solves this problem since it enables automated trading in hundreds of invoices, grouped and arranged according to the risk profile.
6. When was the first time that you heard about NoviCap?
L.M.C.: Managing a Venture Capital fund I am well acquainted with the Alternative Finanancing models which have been emerging in the last 10 years, starting with Prosper in the US amongst others. I got to know NoviCap thorugh the SeedRocket Accelerator and today I am a "double" investor. I never use the products or services of the firms I invest in, but with FinTech I make an exception. With NoviCap and with Kantox I am both an investor and a client. It is very different to value a company as investor or as consumer. For example, as a client you can like a restaurant for the gastronomic offer or for the ambiance, but as investor a fast-food business model such as McDonald's can bring greater profitability. Warren Buffet claims he only invests in companies of which he is a client, but in my case it's the opposite. A company creates value but another thing is where that value is chanelled. Another example is the airlines industry, it created an immense value for the consumer, but the investors have lost. Many investors get confused with these two perspectives.
7. What are the risks of investing through NoviCap?
L.M.C.: When you are investing in a diversified form, individual risk is covered. Therefore the risk incurred is cyclical, it depends on the economy and macroeconomic conditions for SMEs in Spain.
8. What are the advantages of investing in commercial debt?
L.M.C.: Invest in invoices is attractive because as a short-term investment it allows for high liquidity. The high profitability is of course one of the principal appeals, investing in the stock market also gives you similar returns but only in the long-term (7-8 years). In addition, the commercial debt is an investment with moderate risk, as SMEs have the urgency to discount invoices and are thus willing to pay a commission for this service and secondly the client has the obligation to pay the invoice for a service or product that has already been delivered by his suppliers.
9. Which are the principal advantages and limits in investing in invoices across NoviCap compared to another class of assets?
L.M.C.: NoviCap is one of the first Spanish platforms to offer access to a new asset class with high liquidity. The great advantage is that it is growing rapidly, and the limit is that it is still early. More SMEs and more invoices, results in a more diversified investment. For a professional investor in NoviCap the best strategy is to begin with an initial deposit, and gradually increase it as the volumes in the platform grow. It works like a Network Effect, the more people participate, the better for everyone. NoviCap's key is the liquidity that is obtained by size and by concentration.
10. Do you use the automated trading functionality to invest with NoviCap? Which are the advantages?
L.M.C.: The time and cost needed to analyse a single invoice is not cost-effective, therefore the automated trading feature results as the best solution for investors looking into diversified short-term corporate debt investments. The automated option allows you to select the parameters of investment and diversify your portfolio in a simple form. In my opinion the strategy is to invest small quantities in the maximum number of invoices. The diversification is the only strategy, which allows you to increase the profitability adjusted to the risk.
11. Do you invest in other asset classes with an 8-10% annual return like with NoviCap?
L.M.C.: Yes, there are other assets classes with a similar return range. The stock market is an example, however the difference is that it consists of a long-term investment. Similarly, investments in Venture Capital have high returns but it is not a liquid investment.
If you want more information on how to invest with NoviCap, visit the investors section in their web page here.


text:
Now convert fine words into action
LORD Davies talks a lot of sense with his call for north-west Wales to reinvent itself as a centre of excellence and hi-tech innovation.
We live in an era when even the remotest, least accessible parts of the country are being equipped with high-speed broadband internet.
This is the information super highway in which communication with the rest of the entire globe is possible within seconds. It is a technology which does not rely on cumbersome road links, thundering lorries or proximity to sprawling urban areas.
Computer companies and other firms in related, hi-tech sectors can be based anywhere these days. There is no reason why the north-west of Wales should not become a leader in the field, at the forefront of today's technology just as it was once at the forefront of the industries of yesteryear.
We have to find a way for people in areas like Gwynedd and Anglesey to be able to stay in the communities in which they were brought up and not to feel they need to move away in order to put food on the table.
It's particularly important bearing in mind that these two counties are the heartland of Welsh-speaking culture. We cannot afford for their brightest and best to up-sticks and leave.
Sadly, this has happened all too often in the past and with Anglesey Aluminium closed and Wylfa to shut next year, the outlook isn't rosy.
On a brighter note, we have in Lord Davies a trade minister at Westminster who understands and loves North Wales – in particular the west of the region in which he grew up.
He understands how different it is from the north-east of Wales, and the lack of prosperity from which it currently suffers.
Lord Davies talks of investment, regeneration, cutting red tape, innovation. These are buzzwords much-loved and over-used by many politicians. In his case, however, there is reason to believe he really means them.
Let's hope that with his empathy and love for this "magical" part of the world, as he puts it, and his understanding of what it so badly needs, he will back up his fine words with decisive action to make these changes come to fruition.


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text:
Capitol Supply's "Like" to Give Campaign Continues
Sunrise, Florida – July 2, 2012 – Capitol Supply launches a "Like" to Give Campaign devoted to raising funds for the A-Rated military charity, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
Starting July 2, 2012, the company will donate $1, for each Facebook "Like" on its Facebook company page(www.Facebook.com/CapitolSupply) to IFHF. Each month a different charity will be featured. The company will donate a maximum of $1, 000 per month.
The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund was started in 2003. It has provided close to $120 million in support to families of military personnel lost in service to our nation and for severely wounded military personnel and veterans.
Capitol Supply's "Like" to Give Campaign is designed to bring awareness to military charities that are serving military personnel, and their families – and hopes other business will find creative ways to both donate to charities and provide inspiration.
Capitol Supply, founded in 1983, is a privately owned company based in Sunrise, Florida. Its main focus is providing supplies and equipment (through GSA contracts) to the U.S. military and other government agencies. The firm has more than 2 million products on its website – http://www.CapitolSupply.com.
David Ostan, the company's vice president of sales, formerly worked on quality of life initiatives on Air Force bases in Germany. And, he's travelled to almost every military installation in the world. He's seen the effects of returning and active duty soldiers, airmen, seaman, and marines. He personally chose the "Like" to Give charities.
Ostan commented, "Military charities provide a valuable and much needed resource for injured soldiers and their families."
Ostan explains Capitol Supply's role – "We provide products to facilities on military installations that support quality of life; fitness centers, child development centers, and libraries. The "Like" to Give Campaign will enable us to improve the quality of life for severely injured military personnel."
Posted on July 20 2012 in News


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How to write to a professional Press Release. 7 Simple Steps.
By James Williams of PostcodeAnywhere is an ex-journalist and professional PR.
Having worked in both the private and public sectors for companies promoting postcards to computer programs, I always find it incredible how poorly put-together press releases can be. Writing is a craft, but it's not difficult to nail the perfect press release – in fact, the golden rule is to keep it simple.
Probably the biggest problem with most press releases is that they're not simple enough. When cooking up a release, don't serve up fiddly Michelin-starred monstrosities. We're after egg and chips. So how are releases overcomplicated? They'll nearly always have overlong sentences.
Even worse, they'll probably be flooded with jargon or industry terms as well. Remember, there is no shame in presenting your story in easy-to-understand terms. Break down long, sprawling compound sentences into smaller, easier-to-digest ones. Replace industry jargon with language normal people will understand.
The main body of a press release should be no longer than one page – anything over that is just not necessary. News is a fleeting commodity and journalists are pressed for time. It can sometimes be a lot harder to keep content to one page, but after you've stripped out all the repetition and marketese you'll probably be fine.
Your headline will almost certainly be rewritten by the sub-editors who work over your release, but it should still engage the interest of the reader. Make it informative and punchy, and don't try too hard to be clever. For online releases it's good practice for SEO (search engine optimisation) to put the company name in the headline too.
Details follow after. Think of the the "pub test": if you were talking about the news to your friends, it would be the first thing you'd say to introduce the story.
Although this sounds like dreaded marketing-or-management-speak, the "inverted pyramid" is a visual way of describing how a press release should be structured: with all the important stuff at the top and the less important, but nonetheless interesting, stuff at the bottom.
At the very end of a press release should a telephone number or web address for people to get more information. If you look at other press releases and news stories you'll see they follow this pattern. Emulate them.
There's often conflict between the creatives and the management in an organisation. You'll take time eliminating all the jargon only to find the quote from the marketing guys has bundled it all back in, with interest. Quotes are the beating heart of a press release.
It's good practice for your press releases to mainly comprise quotes. It's an excuse to present the story with a personal and punchy angle, as the release itself must appear neutral. Make sure your quotes are doing the spadework and telling the story rather than being bolt-on, jargon-filled puffery, or they'll be ignored.
Every release should have a standard "boilerplate" appended with your notes to editors on it. This should contain interview contacts and a backgrounder about your company. It should answer any questions a journalist might ask about your organisation and give them contact details so they can find out more if necessary.
If at all possible, have a good JPEG photo ready – but don't email it out as this will irritate people. If you don't have a media centre on your website, get one – then set up a photo database and add a link to it in your releases.
You simply must check for any typing errors. Use a spell-checker, but be warned: they aren't right 100% of the time on the grammar front. If your release is riddled with errors it makes you look sloppy and unprofessional. Proof it yourself and then get someone else to cast a fresh pair of eyes over it.
Although very few people can write a good press release, they aren't rocket science: they simply follow a prescribed formula. Look at published news items and releases from well-established companies, then emulate the style.


Wearable electronics are the hottest thing in tech right now and with things like fitness trackers, smartwatches, and head mounted displays being released every week, it was only a matter of time before the DIY community joined the party. Today, MbientLab has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for its new MetaWear development and production platform that is designed to make DIY wearables easy, cheap, and fun!
MetaWear is designed around a small ARM processor and Bluetooth LE platform that is small enough to fit in arm bands, watches, headbands and more. MbientLab has optimized Metawear for cost and shrunken the Bill of Materials, so that use can take its design and move straight into production with your finished product. The entire development board is about the same size of a US quarter and is CE and FCC certified by TCB lab in California, meaning that no additional paperwork needs to be filled out.
Additionally, MetaWear has been designed with smartphone and mobile device integration in mind. This allows the end-user, product designer, or every day maker to quickly and easily integrate custom built apps that interface with the board. MbientLab has created a custom developer friendly API that easily allows integration into iOS and Android platforms, and use smartphones and tablets to control sensors, peripheral or feed back data to the device.
Finally, MetaWear has had its firmware pre-written by a professional engineer, saving the user both time and money, and allowing them to focus more on integration than making the hardware work at basic levels. MbientLab has also provided downloadable cad files that make creating custom enclosures using 3D printing, something we all know I am quite fond of. As far as Kickstarter campaigns go, MetaWear is seeking a relatively small goal of just $8,000, and as of this writing, it was already 1/5th the way there at $1400.
Obtaining your own MetaWear board is as simple as backing the campaign for at least $20, which lands you a MetaWear Board plus basic accessories. For those wanting the full kit which includes the board, sensors, LEDs, a battery and a bonus surprise, $35 is the magic number. I have been in touch with the MetaWear's creators and their commitment to DIY electronics, the Maker Movement, and and empowering others to make awesome stuff is second to none. I have jumped in and backed the project at $35 and challenge you to do the same. I will have a full review of the MetaWear development kit shortly after the campaign is over, so stay tuned to TweakTown for more on that.


The Sassy Pack Rat: Worktable Wednesday: Pattern Making, Blog Changes and More!
Worktable Wednesday: Pattern Making, Blog Changes and More!
I'm making some changes to my blog, the way it looks and what I blog about. I'll also have some free little felty type tutorials, printables and more here for you to enjoy.
I will still show works in progress (wips) of my work for sale, people seem to like to see that, but I'll be offering you something beyond that as a reason to come and see what going on here.
I'm currently working on 2 to 4 new patterns for St. Patrick's Day and Easter. Two of these patterns are only for my newsletter subscribers (those are a little more complicated and detailed) and the other two are fun free patterns and tutorials just for my blog readers.
This is one I'm designing for my newsletter subscribers.
I hope you'll continue to stop by and visit for a bit.
Sounds good:) I always enjoy seeing how your work progresses.