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» Buying last minute Christmas gifts for someone who has dementia
Buying last minute Christmas gifts for someone who has dementia
Buying the perfect present is a challenge at any time, but what do you buy a loved one for Christmas who has Alzheimer's or another form of dementia?
Maizie Mears-Owens, Care UK's head of dementia services, says that, in many ways, you already have the answer:
"There is a lot to be said for buying presents based on your knowledge of the person's likes and dislikes."
"Smell is a very powerful jogger of memories, so a much-loved perfume, talc, soap or aftershave is ideal because it is a nice gift, it helps to maintain grooming routines and the smell can bring back memories which is also beneficial.
Scents from the past, not just current favourites, are also helpful. Maizie said: "I know myself that if I smell lily of the valley or lavender it takes me right back to my childhood, because it was a perfume my Nan wore. So it can be a good idea to think back and see if any of the perfumes they have worn before are still available."
Care UK's specialist dementia team and its home activities coordinators also know the importance of music in helping to form personal connections and helping people tune in to their past. Maizie said: "CDs make wonderful presents and the internet means we can now get access to some music from many decades ago that you wouldn't find in your average high street."
"The trick is to find out where the person is in their memory. A lady in her eighties may not want to hear music from the 1940s or 1950s despite what people think, because in her mind, she is in her 40s and enjoys listening to Diana Ross, Gilbert O'Sullivan or The Carpenters. The important thing is to keep talking to the person to find out what they might enjoy listening to."
DVDs too make a useful present as they bring back memories of another era and even visits to the cinema. Especially useful are the compilation DVD that have the best songs, dances or scenes from much-loved films as they are full of life and don't require too much concentration.
Rose Elliot, Care UK's specialist triage expert, has spent her career in mental health nursing and research and she offers tailor-made advice to homes and families across the south of England. She said: "Christmas can still be a magical time for families and there is a lot of fun to be had being creative with your gifts."
Rose particularly likes memory boxes, designed to trigger memories and conversations. She explained: "You just need a box that you can cover with nice paper and a theme to work with, such as Christmas, family holidays or the seaside.
"You then collect old photos of the person connected to the theme and then build up mementos. For example, if it were the seaside, you may include postcards, shells, rock and old photos of seaside resorts the person knows, which you can find on the internet."
People with more advanced dementia also like to feel different textures and Rose suggests using different fabrics to make a sensory book. "Fur, silk, material which rustles, leather and the like are really good to use and readily available from most haberdashers," she said.
The Care UK dementia team says that it can be beneficial to involve loved ones in making presents for their family. Rose said: "They are from a generation that used to make presents and sitting down decorating a jar or little box and filling it with bath crystals or small soaps, or decorating cakes, knitting or making cards, is not only creative and rewarding for the person themselves but it gives you a chance to sit, chat and laugh about Christmases past."
Most importantly, the dementia team are keen to remind everyone that the best gift most of us can give to an older person is the gift of time. Time to chat over a cup of tea, to run small errands or simply sit and listen to music together can mean a lot to someone who may be feeling lonely or isolated.
People looking for other activities to do with a loved one living with dementia over the Christmas period might also like to download a copy of the ABC booklet which is packed with suggestions for things to do with a family member with dementia who is staying with you over the Christmas period or on visits to people in care homes.
Care UK runs 109 care homes and also provides care for thousands of people living in their own homes.


The modern business world is one of high-speed transactions. Wire transfers and Internet transactions have combined with the removal of exchange control restrictions to allow a truly global economy to develop. Unfortunately, these undoubted benefits to business have also benefited certain criminal elements in their activities. The response of legislators and regulators worldwide has been to introduce laws and required practices directed at crime prevention as opposed to crime detection. The cornerstone of the efforts has been the "know your customer" principle espoused by the Basle Committee on Banking Supervision and being extended to cover all aspects of financial services activity including company management.
Anguilla is no exception to this trend. Recent legislative developments have made it clear that practitioners who do not have "adequate policies, practices and procedures in place, including strict 'know your customer' rules, that promote high ethical and professional standards in the financial sector"1 will be held partially responsible for any criminal activity pursued through their offices.
C.E.G. Limited agrees with this approach to international financial policing, believing it to be both sensible and practical. Accordingly, we make strenuous efforts to apply the "know your customer" principle in advance of providing services to our clients. Every C.E.G. Limited client is required to complete our Individual and/or Corporate Information Declaration in respect of proposed Shareholders, Directors and Officers of client companies. This information request appears as part of the service request, on a subsequent page.
The information provided to C.E.G. Limited by our clients in respect of this due diligence procedure is confidential and fully protected by the Confidential Relationships Ordinance, 1981 (as amended) which provides for privacy for all professional business relationships. For further client comfort, it is our policy to maintain client confidential files, separate to those for the client company, in which this information will be kept. The information will be used to satisfy regulatory requirements only and will be used for no other purpose.
1 Basle Committee on Banking Supervision, Basle Core Principle 15.


In 1956, The Army acquired the land for and built a Nike-Ajax air defense missile battery on the outskirts of San Rafael in Marin County. During its initial years of operation, the Site was garrisoned by the Battery C, 9th Antiaircraft Artillery Missile Battalion.
In May of 1958, the battery began upgrading to the larger, nuclear capable, Nike-Hercules surface-to-air missile. New structures and operations were installed to aid the new Nike-Hercules air defense system. During the reorganization period, the Army implemented the Combat Arms Regimental System, in which the garrison was re-designated as Battery C, 2nd Missile Battalion, and 51st Artillery in September of 1958.
In February 1959, the battery completed its transition to the Nike-Hercules systems and continued to be an active air defense site throughout the 1960s. Over the years, the threat from manned Soviet bombers became more unlikely and the need for the Nike systems lessened. Due to the dynamic strategic situation in June of 1971, the Army deactivated the Site and inactivated the garrisoning unit.
The U.S. Army's Cold War antiaircraft/air defense artillery sites were identified by an identification system that included the initial(s) of the defense area and a site number (i.e. SF-93 meaning San Francisco Defense Area Site 93). A suffix was added to this basic identifier categorizing the function of the site or portions of the site. These would have included suffixes for gun and missile batteries , administrative and family housing areas, and command and control facilities. Former San Francisco Nike Battery 93 was comprised of three distinct functional areas: the Launcher Area and Assembly Area (SF-93L), the Administrative Area (SF-93A), and the Control Area (SF-93C).
Former SF-93L is situated a top an elongated hill with a few buildings at the base of the east side of the hill . Located adjacent to the Administrative Area, the Launch Area consisted of the missile launchers and magazines (underground storage "bunkers"); missile and warhead assembly; and maintenance and fueling facilities. The Nike-Ajax missiles used high-explosive warheads; with the later Nike-Hercules missiles being armed with either high-explosive or nuclear warheads. As such, this was the most secure area of the Site and also included a Ready Room for missile crews when the battery was in a "hot" or ready status, security checkpoints and a kennel for military working dogs.
Former SF-93A was located at the base of the west side of the hill and contained the Site's administrative and support functions. Normally, this would have included troop housing and messing, recreational facilities, battery administration and supply buildings, and vehicle maintenance facilities.
Former SF-93C was located atop a peak on the southwest border of China Camp State Park. The Control Area (also known as the Integrated Fire Control or "IFC" area) was the location of the battery's radar and fire control systems. The IFC area was distanced from the Launch Area and located atop a hill or mountain. This would allow for 360º "line of sight" radar coverage by the battery's missile, target tracking and search radar systems. The reason for locating the site away from the Launch Area was that the missile tracking radar could "lock-on" to the missiles while they sat on the Launch Pad and would follow them from launch to the impact with the target. The high speed of the Nike family-of-missiles would have destroyed the mechanisms of the missile tracking radar if they were located close to the launchers.around the vicinity of the former Standby Electrical Power (S-410).
The Nike Ajax was the world's first operational surface-to-air guided missile system. Its origins lay in the immediate post-war time, when the U.S. Army realized that guided missiles were the only way to provide air-defense against future fast high-flying bombers. Western Electric became the prime contractor for the XSAM-G-7 Nike missile system and Douglas as the primary subcontractor was responsible for the missile airframe.
The first unguided Nike missiles were fired in 1946, but problems with the original multi-rocket booster (eight solid-fuel rockets wrapped around the missile tail) soon led to delays in the program. In 1948, it was decided to replace this booster pack with a single rocket booster, attached to the back of the missile. The main propulsion of the missile was a Bell liquid-fueled rocket motor, and the flight path was controlled by the four small fins around the nose. In November 1951, the first successful interception of a QB-17 target drone succeeded. The first production Nike (which had been redesignated SAM-A-7 in 1951) flew in 1952, and the first operational Nike site was activated in 1954. By this time, the missile had been designated by the Army as Guided Missile, Anti-Aircraft M1. The name had changed to Nike I, to distinguish it from the Nike-B (later MIM-14 Nike Hercules) and Nike II (later LIM-49 Nike Zeus). On 15 November 1956, the name was finally changed to Nike Ajax.
The Nike Ajax missile used a command guidance system. An acquisition radar called LOPAR (Low-Power Acquisition Radar) picked up potential targets at long range, and the information on hostile targets was then transferred to the Target Tracking Radar (TTR). An adjacent Missile Tracking Radar (MTR) tracked the flight path of the Nike Ajax missile. Using tracking data of the TTR and MTR, a computer calculated the interception trajectory, and sent appropriate course correction commands to the missile. The three high-explosive fragmentation warheads of the missile (in nose, center, and aft section) were detonated by ground command, when the paths of target and missile met.
One of the major disadvantages of the Nike Ajax system was that the guidance system could handle only one target at a time. Additionally, there was originally no data link between different Nike Ajax sites, which could lead to several sites engaging the same target. The latter problem was eventually solved by the introduction of the Martin AN/FSG-1 Missile Master command-and-control system, with automatic data communication and processing. Other problematic features of the Nike Ajax system were the liquid-fuel rocket motor with its highly toxic propellants, and the large size of a complete site with all components, which made Nike Ajax to all intents and purposes a fixed-site air defense system.
By 1958, nearly 200 Nike Ajax sites had been activated in the United States. However, the far more advanced MIM-14 Nike Hercules soon replaced the Nike Ajax, and by late 1963, the last Nike Ajax on U.S. soil had been retired. In 1963, the Nike Ajax had received the new designation MIM-3A. Despite the use of an MIM (Mobile Intercept Missile) designator, the mobility of the Nike Ajax system was more theoretical than actually feasible in a combat situation.
The MIM-3A continued to serve with U.S. overseas and friendly forces for many more years. In total, more than 16,000 missiles were built.
The Nike Hercules was the only nuclear-armed surface-to-air weapon, which was operational with the U.S. Army. Development of an improved Nike missile began in 1952, with the primary goal to develop a missile with a significantly higher performance than MIM-3 Nike Ajax (then known simply as Nike), which could still be used with the existing Nike ground equipment. After it had been shown that the Nike Ajax could not be equipped with then existing nuclear warheads, nuclear armament became another goal for the new missile. The SAM-A-25 Nike B program was formally established in June 1953. As with Nike Ajax, Western Electric was prime contractor, and Douglas was responsible for the missile airframe.
The Nike B (renamed Nike Hercules on 15 December 1956) used many components of the Nike I (Nike Ajax). The booster consisted of four Nike Ajax boosters, and the original design used 4 of Ajax' liqued-fuel rockets as sustainer propulsion. However, the first flight tests with the liquid-fuel sustainer in 1955 proved very troublesome, and a solid-fueled sustainer rocket was eventually used. The first successful interception of a drone target occurred in 1956, and in 1957 the new solid-fuel sustainer flew for the first time. Nike Hercules used the same command guidance as the MIM-3 Nike Ajax, with essentially the same ground components.
The first production Nike Hercules missiles were delivered in 1958, and quickly replaced the Ajax on many Nike sites. By then, the Nike Hercules had been designated as Guided Missile, Air Defense M6. The M6 could be equipped with either an M17 (a.k.a. T45) blast-fragmentation warhead, or a W-31 nuclear fission warhead with yield selectable as 2 kT or 40 kT. The missile performance was such that even very high-flying bombers could not escpe the Nike Hercules. Capability against low-level targets remained rather limited, however.
As the Nike Hercules began replacing the older Nike Ajax, work was underway to improve the acquisition and tracking radar capabilities to fully exploit the missile's greater performance. The major improvement in what was called the Improved Hercules system was the new L-band acquisition radar, called HIPAR (High-Power Acquisition Radar). The TTR (Target Tracking Radar) and TRR (Target Ranging Radar) were also improved, having better ECM resistance. The missiles of the improved Improved Hercules system were designated as M6A1. In June 1960, an Improved Hercules achieved the world's first successful interception of a ballistic guided missile, when a MGM-5 Corporal SRBM was shot down. The new radars were also far more compact than the original ones, which made moving a Nike site a least somewhat practical for the first time. Lastly, Improved Hercules introduced a viable surface-to-surface capability to the Nike system. The first Improved Hercules systems were installed at Nike sites in June 1961.
In 1963, the M6 and M6A1 missiles were redesignated as MIM-14A and MIM-14B, respectively. The MIM-14C (introduced in 1972) was a modified MIM-14B with an improved missile guidance section for higher manoeuverability and better ECM resistance.
All in all, the U.S. Army established 145 Nike Hercules sites over the years. Production of the nuclear-armed missiles ended in 1964, and gradual phase-out of the MIM-14 began in the late 1960's. The Army originally planned to replace the Nike with the new MIM-104 Patriot missile, but this plan was not implemented in the USA. Therefore, after the last active Nike Hercules sites in the continental U.S. had been deactivated in 1974, there are no long-range air-defense missiles fielded in the U.S.. In Europe, the U.S. Army retired its last MIM-14 units in 1984, when the MIM-104 Patriot was introduced.
In total, more than 25000 Nike Hercules missiles of all wersions were produced, most being of the MIM-14B variant.


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Hiring Two Paid Front-End Technomancer Interns!
Wuxiaworld is hiring once again! We are now looking for up to TWO part-time front-end technomancers/programmers/UI designers to assist our current Technomancers in beautifying and improving our front-end functionality. Specifically, we need people with all of the following skills: HTML, CSS, JavaScript (experience with React, Angular 2+).
Since we do have a lot of applicants, priority will be given to applicants with UI overhaul experience, and even better would be expertise in ASPNET Core (NOT regular ASPNET)...
WUXIAWORLD AD CHANGES + FUTURE READING MODEL
First, I want to thank everyone for their opinions and thoughts on how we should overhaul completed novels. We've reviewed nearly 2000 comments across multiple platforms and forum, and while we haven't responded to everything I can promise I HAVE read it all. First, I'm going to briefly go into some of the things which were discussed which may or may not work, because I don't want people to think I ignored anything. I'm putting those in 'spoiler' tags so people who don't care can skip it. Then, we'll talk...
Nine Star Hegemon Body Art
Chapter 93 Painful Farewell
The village was now completely surrounded by hundreds of elite, armored guards. Sharp arrows were pointed at the villagers, Xiao Hua amongst them. Their faces were pale with fright.
There were already three people lying on the ground with arrows stuck in them, their blood dyeing the ground beneath them.
"Speak, have you seen this person?" One of the middle-aged soldiers in golden armor shouted coldly, showing off a piece of paper with a drawing of a handsome youth with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. Who else could it be but Long Chen?
"We've already said, we've never seen anyone called Long Chen and we don't know what you're talking about. Why did you have to recklessly kill our villagers?" Xiao Hua's face was deathly pale as she retorted angrily.
They had no idea where this group of men had come from. But they had immediately surrounded the village, and the three hunters which had just gone out were directly shot to death.
This both shocked and infuriated them. But in front of hundreds of pointed arrows, they didn't dare make any reckless moves. Some of them were grinding their teeth, wishing to charge forward.
"Hmph, looks like you won't cry until you see your coffins. Go slaughter those children first. Let me see if they'll tell the truth." That middle-aged man snorted and ordered some of his subordinates forward. They immediately pointed their arrows at the dozen children.
"Bastards, do you dare?" The village chief roared angrily and threw those children behind him.
"Kill them." That middle-aged man's expression was icy cold, and he didn't even bat his eye at the elder. In his eyes, these villagers were just a bunch of weeds.
"Fine, kill us! We're not afraid! Brother Long Chen will definitely come to kill you as revenge for us!" One of the children suddenly struggled free from one of the adults' guard and angrily pointed at that man.
"Little kid, what nonsense are you saying?!" The village chief hastily shouted at the child to stop, but it was already too late.
That middle-aged man's eyes brightened and he coldly sneered, "As expected, Long Chen really did come here. Kill them all. We'll keep searching; he can't have run far."
Receiving that order, those troops all emotionlessly released their arrows, shooting out a rain of arrows at the villagers.
"Fuck off!"
A harsh shout suddenly shook their eardrums and a figure rushed over like a wild gale, arriving in front of Xiao Hua and the others. With a shake of his sword, a terrifying Sword Qi ferociously fell.
The majority of those arrows were all shaken away by Long Chen. But there were still around a dozen of them that managed to slip through and hit the villagers. Pained cries rang out intermingled with the weeping of the children.
Looking at Long Chen who had suddenly descended from the sky, those elite guards were all stupefied. Even the middle-aged commander was greatly shocked.
"Zhou Weiqing, you damn bastard, all of you can go to hell!"
Long Chen's killing intent overflowed. He recognized that middle-aged man as Zhou Weiqing, the Savage Marquis!
That bastard actually wanted to kill unarmed villagers, including the children. He was truly a bastard amongst bastards, especially in the eyes of Long Chen who had been saved by these villagers.
"Parting Wind Slice!" Long Chen's broadsword cut across the air in front of him, and a Sword Qi invisible to the naked eye shot out like a crescent moon, immediately cutting through those stupefied troops.
That ferocious Sword Qi surged over before those troops had even reacted, immediately cutting them into pieces. Blood filled the air.
Hundreds of elite troops were killed with a single slash of Long Chen's sword. The current Long Chen truly was just like a death god. Unending killing intent overflowed from his body.
Only the Savage Marquis managed to escape that calamity. As soon as he had seen an uninjured Long Chen appear, he knew the situation had turned sour.
The reports had stated that Long Chen was already on his last breaths. Even if he had managed to survive, he should still be heavily injured to the point where he might die at any time.
But the fourth prince had stated that if he was dead, then he wanted to see his corpse, and if he was alive, then he wanted him captured. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to set his heart at ease. He had sent warriors accustomed to pursuing and tracking as well as hunting dogs. After half a month's chase, they had finally found this village.
They were certain Long Chen had either passed through here or was currently hiding within the village, recuperating from his wounds. So the Savage Marquis had wanted to directly kill these villagers who were hiding his existence.
And he had truly guessed right. Long Chen had shown himself. But unfortunately, the result was not what he had presumed. When a perfectly healthy Long Chen had appeared, the Savage Marquis had been scared witless.
Even back then during the Phoenix Cry Lantern Festival, Long Chen had still managed to kill Huang Chang, his name shaking the empire. On the other hand, the Savage Marquis was only at the early stage of Blood Condensation. How could he possibly be a match for Long Chen?
He had thought he would be able to capture a tiger on its deathbed, but he had miscalculated. The instant he had seen Long Chen strike, he had quickly retreated without even thinking about it. At the same time, he also took out a shield to protect himself.
By the time Long Chen's Sword Qi had reached him, he had already fled to the edge of the attack. But even so, the shield in his hand was still broken and he spat out blood.
However, the Savage Marquis truly was an expert. He was someone who had already seen blood before. Resisting the intense pain from his stomach, he used his full strength to flee deep into the forest.
"You want to run?"
A sinister ruthlessness appeared on Long Chen's face. Kicking up an arrow from the ground, he flung it forward.
The arrow shot through the air like lightning. The Savage Marquis, who was fleeing for his life, didn't realize that an arrow which could take his life was right behind him.
The arrow pierced right through his armor. The great force behind it had been so great that the golden armor was unable to pose even the slightest bit of resistance.
The Savage Marquis's body was shaken by that force, and he was sent tumbling through the air into a huge tree dozens of meters away.
He violently spat out blood. That arrow had violently shaken his inner organs.
"Don't kill him, Little Snow!" Long Chen suddenly noticed a white light dash towards Zhou Weiqing and hastily shouted out. He was leaving Zhou Weiqing alive because he still had some use for him.
Little Snow stopped when he heard Long Chen's call. He had already arrived right at that huge tree and was motionlessly staring at the Savage Marquis.
Seeing that the Savage Marquis was under control, Long Chen quickly ran over to the villagers, bending over to examine their arrow wounds. There were three people who had been struck through the vitals and had already died. Amongst them was even a seven-year-old child.
This made Long Chen feel as though it was his own heart that was being pierced. This had been brought on by him. He was filled with hate; however, he didn't know whether that hatred was for Marquis Ying, the fourth prince, Zhou Weiqing, or himself.
He quickly gave the injured people some medicinal pills. As long as they hadn't died immediately, Long Chen's medicinal pills would ensure that they would completely recover.
The other villagers also rushed to help the wounded. They also gathered up their dead, and the entire village mourned.
"I'm sorry, village chief." Seeing the old man's tears streaming down his face, Long Chen was filled with regret. This was his own mistake.
"Child, this isn't your fault. Don't feel guilty." The old man shook his head.
But the more he was like this, the worse Long Chen felt. If it hadn't been for him, such a calamity would definitely not have befallen the village.
"Long Chen, your heart is something we all understand. We're all a family, so don't be like this." Xiao Hua's comforting voice came from the side.
Long Chen took a deep breath and said to her, "Xiao Hua, I'm about to leave."
Her body shook and she was overwhelmed with shock. "You… you want to leave us?"
Looking at her desolate expression and her uncontrollable tears, Long Chen could only quietly reply, "I'm sorry, but I must leave. You've also seen that I have enemies. If I don't leave, a huge disaster will befall the village." Brushing back her hair lightly, he gently continued, "The village has already paid too high a price for me. I don't dare to stay with you. I hope… I hope you can forgive me."
Xiao Hua hit away Long Chen's hand and miserably cursed, "You bastard, you liar, I hate you!"
After saying that, she ran off to her own room and slammed the door shut.
Long Chen sighed. Looking at that tightly closed door, he didn't say anymore. Thinking back to when he had just awoken, he recalled Xiao Hua's sweet and satisfied smile when she said he was her man.
"Child, don't feel too bad. If you want to leave, then leave. Remember, if you don't like the outside world, you can always return. This place is also your home," said the old man sincerely as he patted Long Chen's shoulders.
"Thank you, village chief." The village chief's approval did make him feel a bit better.
"As for Xiao Hua, I'll console her. Don't worry, she is a sensible child. She'll slowly come to understand this."
Long Chen nodded. He took out a few medicinal pills from his spatial ring. These medicinal pills were varied in quality, but even the worst ones would still be miraculous medicines in the eyes of these hunters.
Now that the forest god had left, the village no longer had her support. They would only be able to rely on themselves in the future. Long Chen left behind large quantities of healing medicines as well as a recipe for a medicinal liquid that they could make on their own.
The village already had a couple of such recipes, but they were incomparable to Long Chen's. Other than medicinal pills, Long Chen also wrote several experiences and insights that pertained to the Qi Condensation realm's cultivation. He also left behind the Breaking Wind Fist, Windchasing Steps, and other techniques of that level for them.
That was in the hopes that the village would be able to nurture some experts. If the village had a couple of Blood Condensation experts, they would definitely be much safer.
He also left behind a dozen Blood Breaking Pills. As long as someone advanced to the ninth Heavenstage of Qi Condensation, they would immediately advance to Blood Condensation after taking one of them.
Using a medicinal pill to break through was likely to cause your foundation to be flawed. But even so, to these people, that was not something to complain about. Without Long Chen's assistance, most of them would be unable to step into Blood Condensation in their whole life.
Only by doing all of these could he feel at ease. Long Chen trusted that from today onwards, the village would only continue growing stronger.
Now they had medicinal pills, Battle Skills, and weapons. In the future, even if they didn't have the forest god, they would still be able to survive very well.
When they arrived at the village gate to send him off, the entire village gathered over to reluctantly say goodbye to Long Chen. There were even some children who tightly hugged his leg, not letting him leave.
This scene truly did cause Long Chen to feel sad inside, but he had to leave. The only thing he regretted was that Xiao Hua continued to stay locked in her room. It seemed she really did hate him now.
After saying goodbye, Long Chen was just about to leave.
Long Chen paused and slowly turned back. Xiao Hua opened her door and ran right up next to him.
Her originally bright eyes were now red and filled with pain.
"Long Chen, I know I can't keep you. I made this just now. I hope you can forever wear it on your body."
After saying that, Xiao Hua took out a necklace that was made from some multi-colored rocks.
"Haha, perhaps this gift is too poor and will be laughed at." Xiao Hua laughed mockingly at herself. But although she smiled, tears kept falling from her eyes.
"I'll properly keep it in my care. But how about you come with me?" Long Chen couldn't help but feel his heart ache when he looked at Xiao Hua.
Her eyes brightened for a moment, but they quickly dulled again. She shook her head, "We are people who live in different worlds. I can't leave my family. I just hope that when you look upon this necklace in the future, you'll remember that there was once a girl… whose heart… yearned to go hunting with you… and make babies."
Towards the end, Xiao Hua's voice ended up becoming choked with emotion. After forcing out those last words, she fell into Long Chen's embrace and began to weep and bawl.
Long Chen didn't know how he managed to leave in the end. He felt his own heart shattering. This was the first time he experienced being so helpless. This was a helplessness that a higher cultivation base could not resolve.
Dragging the half-dead Savage Marquis, Long Chen disappeared into the depths of the forest.
Xiao Hua's tears continued to flow as she watched that figure disappear from her view. A light breeze blew by, bringing with it the tumbling of dried leaves. The autumn wind was cold.
Dragon Prince Yuan
Novel Announcements
Sponsorship Activated, Chapters/Week Change
First of all, a big thank you to all the readers of Nine Star Hegemon Body Art! You guys got the novel ranked fifth on the top ten most read for the month!
As you read in the announcement post, the plan was to do eighteen chapters a week only for the first month...
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Renegade Immortal - Chapter 1747 - The Third Soul is Him!
Legend of the Dragon King - Chapter 589 - Onslaught
A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality - Chapter 1044: Protection
Emperor's Domination - Chapter 2319: Identity's Riddle
Emperor's Domination - Chapter 2318: Coiling Dragon Young Noble
Against the Gods - Chapter 1443 - Terrible Premonition
Monarch of Evernight - Chapter 688: Heavenly Mystery
Sage Monarch - Chapter 255: Joy and Worry
Sovereign of the Three Realms - Chapter 1838: Destroying Forefather Goldenbell
Heaven's Devourer - Chapter 0107: Death
Trash of the Count's Family - Chapter 286: Without Front or Back (2)
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Post Title: Can Past Research Guide Future Success?
Since the Second Industrial Revolution, innovation adoption has been the subject of research by various academicians across a wide range of disciplines.
Thanks to these researchers, a rich reservoir of academic journals, books, and white papers is available to us today. Over the years, several frameworks and models have been developed to help predict and measure the in-market results of new products, services, and policies.
Entrepreneurs, innovators, marketers, investors, and policymakers can refer to these studies and frameworks to learn about the various elements that impact the rate of adoption for their products, services, and creations.
The most well-known of these theories popularized by Everett M. Rogers, explains the process of social and behavioral change achieved over time by informing people about innovations using specific communication channels.
In his seminal book, Diffusion of Innovations, Rogers highlights the various factors that influence the rate of adoption by focusing on the sociological aspects of diffusion. Other theoreticians have studied this phenomenon through the lens of economics, communications, or systems engineering design.
Despite all the research and knowledge available to us, many innovations fail to succeed.
When it comes to planning and introducing a new product or device into the market, perhaps the existing diffusion frameworks should be regarded more as foundations rather than de facto blueprints for guiding decisions and actions.
To begin with, most of these studies were conducted in the Western developed markets. Consequently, case studies reflecting emerging markets or regions that are culturally, socially, and normatively different from the West are few and far between.
Aside from regional, cultural, and economic nuances that need to be factored into existing diffusion models, there is also the consideration of social and behavioral shifts as well as infrastructure changes that occur over time.
Many of the diffusion models that are currently in use were developed during the pre-Internet, pre-Smartphone and pre-Social Media era.
Futurist Alvin Toffler, the author of such prophetic works as Future Shock and The Third Wave, said: "the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn." Perhaps it is time for us to unlearn what we know about the diffusion of innovation and adoption and relearn new perspectives.


Are all the numbers on the ground the same font?
Plants, seeds, weeds, trash, rocks? Can we match what is associated with each number on this back cover?
BUT ARE ANY OF THEM TRUE?
- but didn't use because my initial measurements for it were wrong, wrong, wrong. Duh, me.
Woa, that EYE drawing is very interesting. Grapple with that will ya.
I don't think this isn't the alternate, the black and white drawing above it in the blog is the alternate. This one appears to be the back cover as printed except for the McSweeney's label and the authors.
PQ: The answer, or close to it, is written in white on black.
The white writing on the back cover could be the place to look for "the answer, or close to it" mentioned by Quello in the July 13 post on the Twintig website.
The white writing includes several obvious numbers - 12, 1, 12, first, and 13. Could these numbers (or some combination of them) be S/H/M clues?
I'm not sure who or what the hero would be, unless it is telling us to pay attention to Dodge. Or is Gus our hero?
Otherwise, these instructions (if accurately decoded) seem to reflect the kinds of patterns in the clues that have been discussed on various threads on this site.
wish I had more to contribute. Being this was my first arm chair treasure hunt, i certainly have learned much from your posts, keep up the good work.
This was my first armchair hunt, too! I'm flattered if you learned anything from my posts - maybe the only lesson is that text clues have an infinite number of possibilities.
It's usually fun, though, and frustrating only once in awhile. I do wish someone would find these last two treasures!


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Call Us: (+91) 22 6638 7272 MON- SAT 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
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Shri Naveen Patnaik, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Odisha inaugurates World Trade Center Bhubaneswar
State of Odisha is poised for a significant growth with the inauguration of the world class project the World Trade Center Bhubaneswar along with a Convention Centre and Trade Zone today at Bhubaneswar. The World Trade Center Bhubaneswar is promoted by the World Trade Center Mumbai with the support of Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation, the industrial promotion agency of the State Government of Odisha
Delivering the inaugural address, Shri Naveen Patnaik, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Odisha said that Bhubaneswar is a highly planned city with a vibrant knowledge base with a rich heritage.The establishment of the WTC Bhubaneswar adds another feather to its cap. Bhubaneswar will now emerge as a leading city at par with other major cities in the country to enhance and facilitate trade and commerce. With the establishment of the WTC Bhubaneswar, key sectors like IT, electronics, manufacturing, metal based industries, handicrafts, sea food and other export oriented units will receive a major boost. Later in the day, Shri Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation for establishment of a Convention-cum-Trade Zone to be developed at Bhubaneswar. This facility is being set up by the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation with a view to provide a commercial center with international standards.The Convention Centre to be established with an investment of Rs.300 crores will be an urban land mark and one of its kind in India.One of the unique features of this project is a sky walk which shall connect the WTC Tower to the adjacent Hotels and the Convention Centre.The Chief Minister added that with the launch of the WTC Bhubaneswar the State of Odisha will join the international network of 330 WTCs in over 100 Countries.
Hon'ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik ji announcing the commencement of operation of the World Trade Center Bhubaneshwar at the Inaugural Ceremony. L-R: Dr. Patsanji, Member of the Parliament, Shri. Jugal Kishore Mohapatra, IAS, Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha, Shri Debi Prasad Mishra, Hon'ble Minister, Industries, School and Mass Education, Government of Odisha and Mr. Y. R. Warerkar, Executive Director, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai.
On this occasion, Shri Debi Prasad Mishra, Hon'ble Minister of Industries, School and Mass Education mentioned that over the last few years, the economic growth of Odisha State has been surpassing that of the national growth. WTC Bhubaneswar will spur trade, commerce and tourism in the state with industrial, infrastructure and development corporation acting as a facilitator. Shri Mishra expressed that much more business will follow with the WTC Bhubaneswar acting as a major catalyst. The WTC Bhubaneswar, the fifth project in the country, will help improve the business climate in the State.
Mr. Y. R. Warerkar, Executive Director of World Trade Center Mumbai mentioned that the WTC Bhubaneswar will provide a vital platform to local trade and industry to reach out to global markets and global investors thereby placing Bhubaneswar on the global map of trade and industry. WTC Bhubaneswar will play an active role in strengthening the trade and industrial activities in the state.
Earlier in his welcome address, Shri Vishal Dev, Secretary Industries, stated that the establishment of WTC will significantly improve the trade and investment climate in the state and catapult Bhubaneswar as a leading commercial state in the country.
Shri Dev extended all support to WTC Mumbai in the operation of this new venture.
Mrs. Rupa Naik, Director – Projects, World Trade Center Mumbai proposed the Vote of Thanks.
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You are here: In the News Health Sin of Others at our Expense!
Sin of Others at our Expense!
Tuesday, 22 May 2012 21:41	K B Napier
You might remember that Britain's oldest woman to have a child via IVF, Sue Tollefsen, was in her early sixties; and it caused quite a bit of argument in the media. Earlier this year, she admitted it was a big mistake – at her age she simply can't keep up with the energy that a baby and young child demands (Telegraph, 21st March 2012). There are good reasons why a woman's reproductive system stops working at a particular age!
IVF has also, in the past, been given to couples (many of them unmarried) who already had children. And all this is at the expense of the tax-payer. But, the worst is yet to come...
Today, the government vowed to open up free, automatic, IVF treatments to same sex couples!!
Apart from the perversity of the acts they indulge in, there is a definite perversity in using tax monies to fund IVF for these people. Why? Because they are more than capable of producing babies on their own!!
They choose to circumvent the proper and natural order of reproduction, and, though physically able to become pregnant by normal means, they ignore it; and instead, expect everyone else to fund not just their nasty sexual habits, but also their desire to have babies.
It cannot be justified. This is not acceptable.
This kind of thinking also applies to other cases where tax is used to pay for someone else's sins – such as drug addiction. David Cameron has even said he'd like to give young thugs on rough estates money to buy branded trainers, in the hope this will change them!! All this is so unrealistic and wicked.
Drug addicts go to a clinic to get new needles or to be given heroin substitutes... and then go and get stuff illegally on the street anyway. And young thugs will just laugh at these efforts to make them into model citizens by paying them... they'll just go out and terrorize anyway.
Paying for same sex couples to have babies is both derisory and evil. These couples rarely stay together for more than two years. They are known to be very promiscuous and violent. Therefore, babies are being brought into a world of sexual depravity, violence and insecurity. Now that really is governmental stupidity at its height. They may as well hand babies over to paedophiles, or killers. Due to the erosion of Christian morals, there is already a problem with normal couples who abuse children and put them at risk. Now, this will be increased by giving babies to people whose lives are already risky, dangerous and unhealthy.
Meanwhile, Christians refuse to live holy lives, righteous before the Lord. Soon, we will reap the whirlwind for allowing it all to happen without so much as a weak whisper. God will indeed punish these wicked couples. But he will also wreak havoc in the lives of those of us who know better, because we do not stand up for truth, honour and God's demands. Already, God gave the world of homosexuality AIDS, which affected everyone who lived a sinful sexually-promiscuous life. But, the world did not listen, and homosexuals ramped-up their activities, making matters far worse.
Because of this wilfulness, we have now been given a second wave of homosexually-produced disease, so awful it can affect those who do not indulge in perverse or unnatural sex, and even Christians. It is our just penalty. It is certainly a grave judgment on all homosexuals. But, they won't stop what they do, because Satan has grabbed them by the throat and they have been given the green light to be even worse than before. We are under the direct punishment of God. The only answer is repentance. As for homosexuals, God will soon stop them in their tracks with a decisive and awful judgment.
© 22 May 2012
---oOo---
Published on www.christiandoctrine.com
Bible Theology Ministries - PO Box 415, Swansea, SA5 8YH
AIDS Summary, 1996
Response to the Civil Partnerships in Places of Worship Consultation
UK Blood Transfusion Service has agreed to accept blood donations from homosexuals.
Blood Terrorism - Gays donating blood.
USA300 – a Deadly MRSA Spread to Everyone by Homosexuals
Clubbing and Partying: More Shame on Christians
Christians Have No Right To Wear Crosses At Work, Says Government
Ukraine and Russia propose legislation to put the gay 'genie' back in the bottle
Letter of Opposition to Geriant Davies MP and his support of Same Sex Marriage
Letter of Objection to Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) to Helen Grant MP
The Biblical Approach to Public Denunciation of Sin
The heathen rage against Christian opposition to homosexuality
Footballer's 'coming out' is foul!
Gay Propaganda – Deception from Start to Finish
Gay Secrets
BBC – Again! Superficial Attitude Towards Immigration
Liberal Depraved Party: Prostitution as Career Choice at School
UK Government and its Warped Values
The New Virus: My Thoughts, 20th April 2020


Don't be alarmed by the disclaimers of liability on every shop, bridge and footpath in the country! It's not half as dangerous here as such legalese might lead you to believe ;).
Get used to the art of braaing (having a BBQ). It's basically a national pastime!
If you plan on heading to the Garden Route during the summer months make sure you have your accommodation (and even buses) booked well ahead. December and January sees the kids off schools and the locals flocking to the nicer spots along the coast.
If you have a tip about South Africa and would like to share that information with the community, contact [email protected] and we'll post it right here in the directory.
Please use this forum to tell us about any new or out-of-date information about South Africa or to ask or answer any questions specific to this page. Or join our World Forum for more general information.


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Automechanika Frankfurt press releases
Automechanika expands its online programme for an international audience with a new talk series for industry and trade: 'Let's Talk Business'
Frankfurt am Main, 26 October 2020. A new English-language talk series is being launched under the Automechanika brand in late October: 'Let's Talk Business'. In the first talk on 30 October, leading international suppliers will be getting together to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on the automotive aftermarket.
Automechanika to launch digital offensive in September: Online workshops and networking with a Who's Who of the industry
Maintaining contact is more important now than ever – Automechanika is offering new digital networking opportunities for everyone who had been looking forward to coming to Frankfurt this September. Starting on 10 September, there will be a series of online training courses for workshops available at sneak-preview.automechanika-frankfurt.com. Visitors to the website will also find updated company profiles for exhibitors, while users of the new 'Connect' tool in the Automechanika app will be able to contact other automotive professionals directly.
New date: Automechanika Frankfurt to be held from 14 to 18 September 2021
Due to difficult conditions resulting from the corona pandemic and measures taken to stem its spread, including event bans and travel restrictions that are regularly being extended, Messe Frankfurt and its customers, partners and supporting associations have agreed to postpone the Automechanika Frankfurt event that was originally scheduled to take place from 8 to 12 September 2020.
Real and up close: Automechanika launches workshop campaign with insiders and influencers
An industry gathering in Würzburg gave rise to the idea of an advertising campaign featuring testimonials that is targeted directly at workshops. Unique advertising motifs and video clips were created featuring professionals in the field, workshop owners who are passionate about their profession and blazing new trails, and influencers.
The knowledge advantage: experimenting and learning for the future in the Future Mobility Workshop 4.0
Innovation showcase, training centre and test lab for car dealers and workshops: the Future Mobility Workshop 4.0 at Automechanika Frankfurt – organised in cooperation with the Institute for the Automotive Industry (IfA) – showcases the technologies, processes and business models of the future, offering automotive professionals valuable expertise and new ideas for their own work in future.
Cooperation with APRA Europe: Remanufacturing – the highest form of recycling – to be featured at Automechanika Frankfurt 2020
In collaboration with the Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA), Automechanika Frankfurt will be presenting this diverse theme as part of a special 'Automechanika Remanufacturing Day'.
A strong team: Automechanika Frankfurt and RETRO Messen continue their successful partnership
Automechanika Frankfurt and RETRO Messen have decided to continue their partnership this year, and the Classic Cars area – a lucrative aftermarket sector – will be expanded further at Automechanika Frankfurt 2020.
Winners chosen at the Automechanika Body & Paint Championships in Shanghai
The Automechanika Body & Paint Championships have selected one more finalist for the 2020 competition: Sun Xiao Shuai, a painter sponsored by SATA, became the last finalist selected in 2019 for his creation entitled 'The 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China'. The people's choice award, for which trade fair visitors and paint enthusiasts had until 17 December 2019 to vote for their favourites online, went to Ian Lai. His car hood is an homage to the R-M paint brand, which is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year.
Automechanika Body & Paint World Championships: Round 2 in South Africa
Following its successful debut in Great Britain, the Automechanika Body & Paint World Championships are moving on to South Africa for round two. The next national winner for the grand finale in Frankfurt in 2020 will be determined at Automechanika Johannesburg, which is taking place from 18 to 21 September 2019.
Automechanika Body & Paint World Championships: The first finalist has been chosen!
Anthony Fryett of the UK is the first finalist in the international Automechanika Body & Paint World Championships. Fryett impressed the panel of judges at Automechanika Birmingham with both his design idea and his painting skills – which he applied to a bonnet. He will be joined by five other national winners for the grand finale in Frankfurt in September 2020. The next round of the competition will be taking place soon at Automechanika Johannesburg, with the remaining finalists being chosen at the upcoming Automechanika shows in Shanghai, Dubai, Mexico City and Frankfurt.
New cooperation between Automechanika and IBIS
The IBIS (International Bodyshop Industry Symposium) global conferencing platform and the international Automechanika trade fair brand are coordinating their schedules: the upcoming Automechanika fairs in Shanghai and Frankfurt will each feature an IBIS regional event.
Automechanika Frankfurt broadens its scope
The leading international trade fair for the automotive aftermarket is creating new structures for the 2020 event, both thematically and physically on the exhibition grounds. The portfolio will now be more clearly organised, particularly in the areas of workshop equipment and future mobility.
Automechanika releases calendar for 2019
Automechanika's new annual companion captures the industry's visions for the future and stages them in the form of spectacular vehicles. The result: complex, futuristic motifs composed solely of car parts from Automechanika exhibitors.
New exhibitor record and more visitors at the 25th Automechanika Frankfurt
Automechanika Frankfurt concluded on 15 September following five trade fair days with a record number of exhibitors, more visitors than in 2016 and a new record for the amount of exhibition space. The event drew 134,622 trade visitors from 184 countries – another record . Of these, approx. 10,000 were at the event for the first time. 82 percent of exhibitors said they had achieved their goals for the event (2016: 78). The megatrends at the fair were digitisation, clean vehicles and classic cars.
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Looks like she's afraid to face the crowd after her stupid remarks.
Nepal's already-shaky and unreliable power grid was dealt a severe blow when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Asian nation on April 25. Now, satellite data shows us just how widespread the outages were.
I'm not a boxing fan, but apparently this is a big deal.
I think this demonstrates two things. One, how the President has virtually no respect. I think that the comment was very disrespectful, but Obama seemed to like the attention. Two, the fact that we have to hesitate and wonder, was he really drunk? That shows what we think of our leader, and how we think he has disrespected the office.
Our prayers go out to those impacted by this tornado.
Watch the upper left hand corner of the screen, the guy goes nuts! It doesn't appear that anyone gets hurt, but you can bet that one of the cars was pretty smashed up.
Thank goodness for his fast thinking instructor!


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New Nintendo Wii Model Expected to Arrive for Holidays
Despite of almost inevitable success during holiday season later this year, Nintendo still seems to have some hidden aces up in its sleeve. Apparently, the Japanese game expert has applied for a new universal product code (UPC) in the
U.S., meaning that the manufacturer had changed certain features of the product.
It currently unknown what exactly Nintendo plans to add to its highly-successful Wii game console. On the one hand, the company can enable DVD playback functionality, something which it promised to do ahead of the launch. On the other hand, the maker of Wii can bundle a new game controller type to enable end-users to play new game titles.
Given that Nintendo has no interest in promoting DVD, but is more than interested in attracting new customers and promoting new games, it is likely that the key feature of the new model will be the product bundle consisting of games and/or new game controllers and, perhaps, new colour of the console.
Retailers call the second version of Nintendo Wii game console with 045496880088 UPC as "New Pack", though, it is unclear what does the new pack contain, reports Codenamerevolution web-site.
Nintendo Wii, the most successful new-generation game console, features IBM's custom PowerPC architecture-based microprocessor named Broadway clocked at 729MHz and code-named Hollywood chip with built-in graphics core, DSP and I/O features from ATI that operates at 243MHz, earlier reports suggested. Nintendo Wii uses 91MB of memory in total:
23MB of "main" 1T-SRAM, 64MB of "external" 1T-SRAM and 3MB texture buffer on the GPU. Nintendo's Wii does not feature a hard disk drive, instead, it boasts with 512MB of flash memory, but the console will also have a card reader, which will allow installing more memory.
Posted by Nikesh Bernardshaw 0 comments
Elpida Intros XDR Memory Chips at 4.80GHz
Elpida Memory, a leading manufacturer of memory products, Friday said it had begun sampling of XDR memory at 4.80GHz. The claim emphasizes advantages that the XDR memory architecture from Rambus has, however, given that currently just a few devices actually use XDR, it is unclear whether the new chips from Elpida will face any tangible demand.
"The industry's demand for memory bandwidth in next-generation products is growing rapidly as high-definition image data becomes more popular. Working with Rambus on XDR DRAM, we can provide the most cost-effective, high-bandwidth memory solution to our customers," said Yoshitaka Kinoshita, officer for the digital consumer division of Elpida Memory.
The new 4.80GHz memory chips sport 512Mb capacity and can provide 9.6GB/s bandwidth per device. Elpida's new memory devices are organized in 8-banks (x16/x8/x4 programmable) and are available in a 104-ball FBGA package. The new XDR chips are manufactured using Elpida's 70nm process technology.
Elpida and Rambus claim that the new memory chips are "ideal" for high-performance, high-volume applications such as high-definition televisions, gaming consoles, PCs, servers and workstations. However, so far the main client for XDR memory has been Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., which uses XDR in its PlayStation 3 game console.
Elpida's 512Mb 4.80GHz XDR DRAM devices will be available for sampling in December 2007. Volume production is expected to begin in April 2008. A datasheet is available upon request.
Microsoft and Toshiba to Form Advanced Interactivity Consortium
In a bid to popularize HD DVD in particular and interactive XML-based technologies for consumer electronics in general Microsoft Corp., Toshiba and a number of studios announced late on Thursday intention to form the so-called Advanced Interactivity Consortium (AIC), an open forum aimed at the promotion of interactivity for a wide range of next-generation applications.
"Creating attractive consumer experiences with advanced interactivity is critical to bringing digital home entertainment to the next level. In order to create these ecosystems, we wanted to bring together a group of companies committed to extending these scenarios across a wide variety of platforms. The AIC will advocate for these platforms as well as help ensure interoperability of HD DVD players and services," said Hisatsugu Nonaka, corporate executive vice president at Toshiba.
The new organization will focus attention on ways to bring advanced interactivity scenarios to other services and platforms, including digital downloads to DVD players, PCs, TVs, cell phones, portable media players and game consoles.
In addition to Microsoft and Toshiba the Advanced Interactivity Consortium will also include major Hollywood studios DreamWorks Animation SKG, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Bros., which have given their commitment to these advanced scenarios and experience bringing new features to consumers. Each studio currently distributes or will distribute HD DVD titles with HDi-enabled features, from advanced in-movie navigation, bookmarking and picture-in-picture, to Web-enabled communities, content downloads and e-commerce stores.
"The AIC has its roots in the work we've done with HDi and HD DVD, but is open to all companies interested in bringing a broader set of experiences to consumers on different platforms. We look forward to contributing to this effort with HDi, our implementation of HD DVD's interactive layer, and to collaborate with AIC members on how to extend interactive compatibilities to the consumer electronics market. The goal is to ensure a high-quality experience not only through optical discs but also through new digital download services," said Robbie Bach, president of the entertainment and devices division at Microsoft.
The AIC founding member companies plan to formalize the organization shortly and to extend additional partner invitations.
Intel Proclaims No Core Wars for Itanium, Plans Gradual Single-Thread Performance Improvements
Even though without much hype, Intel Itanium is still here and will be in the coming years. However, the evolution of the family may just take a little bit different route than other microprocessors of our times, says Intel.
Intel Itanium was not widely presented at Intel Developer Forum last month, but this does not mean that the IA64 micro-architecture is fading away. During a dedicated Intel Itanium conference principal engineer of Itanium processor architecture at Intel said that the company continues to work on improvements for its 64-bit chips. But rather than quickly increase the number of cores, Intel aims to boost single-thread performance of each core for the Itanium.
"We have not abandoned single-core performance and we're looking to increase that with each generation (of the Itanium processor) as we go forward, some with greater transitions than others," said Cameron McNairy, principal engineer of Itanium Processor Architect at Intel at Gelato Itanium Conference and Expo held in Singapore, reports Cnet News.com.
Intel is now working hard to deliver the code-named Tukwila processor in 2008. The new Itanium 2 will be made using 65nm technology process and feature four physical processing engines with Intel Hyper-Threading technology. The new chip will have onboard memory controller and will support Intel Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) bus (previously known as common serial interconnect or CSI) in order to be compatible with platforms developed for Intel Xeon processors.
But despite of rather significant platform architecture change, Intel stresses its intentions to boost single-thread performance of the forthcoming Itanium 2 microprocessors as there are still certain applications that mostly rely on single-threaded execution.
"There are some workloads that you just need to have single-core performance in order to carry and to get the job done, and those are the kinds of things we are targeting. Not everything can scale and, truth be told, if you don't address the single-core performance segment, you're going to miss out on some opportunities," said Mr. McNairy.
Given that Itanium was developed specifically for multi-processor systems, putting more cores on a single chip may not be a crucial task for Intel as those who need multiple processing engines can obtain more processors. Therefore, increasing the efficiency of each core may lead to higher performance boosts overall.
Vertu Ascent Titanium Gets 3G, Camera, Worldwide Roaming
Vertu, a subsidiary of Nokia that makes luxurious cell phones, has announced its new Ascent Titanium collection of mobile phones that will boast not only with unique design, but with advanced features inside. For the first time Vertu phones will get a camera as well as proper Internet connectivity.
The new Vertu Ascent Ti phones are made of titanium and, like other Vertu phones, have leather insertions, sapphire crystal screen as well as precision-engineered stainless still keys. The new Ascent Ti is radically different from previous Vertu models, as it has large screen, ergonomic shape as well as joystick, but more importantly is that the new Vertu has quite a lot of features never before available on luxury cell phones.
Vertu Ascent Ti is based on a latest edition of Nokia 40 platform. Features 4GB of built-in memory, 3MP camera with flashlight, Bluetooth connectivity, certain pre-installed applications and so on. The new Ascent Ti phones will work almost everywhere in the world provided there are GSM850/900/1800/1900 or WCDMA2100 network coverage, another feature not available on previous-generation Vertu phones.
Even though the new high-end cell phone is made of metal, Nokia still advertises 5 hours GSM talk time, 3 hours WCDMA talk time and 300 hours of standby time for the device.
The manufacturer especially notices that Vertu Ascent Ti was "engineered for strength", meaning that the phone can survive in tough situations. However, like all Vertu phones, the new one is focused around exceptional design and premium user experience with such additional services as concierge and fortress.
While currently Vertu still lists Ascent phones on its web-site, it is quite clear that eventually Ascent Ti will replace its predecessor. As a result, the new Ascent phones from Vertu is the first series of devices from the company that underwent a major redesign. Going forward, Vertu will inevitably perform facelifts for its Constellation and Signature collections, however, in case of the latter it will hardly be even nearly as radical as the redecoration of the Ascent.
Initially Vertu plans to sell three versions of the Ascent Ti with black, brown or red leather insertions for the price of about $6500.
Sony PlayStation 3 Sells Worse than Nintendo GameCube in the U.S. – NPD
CORRECTION: Correcting life-to-date sales numbers, making other minor corrections.
Plagued by initial production issues, extremely high manufacturing costs and excessive retail price, PlayStation 3 from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is even less successful than heavily-criticized Nintendo GameCube. At least, in the first ten months of sales Nintendo GameCube was sold in larger quantities than Sony PS3.
According to data from NPD, based on the first ten months of availability, the troubled PlayStation 3 sold 22% less than the Nintendo GameCube for the same period, reports GamePro web-site. In the first ten months of availability about 2.12 million Nintendo GameCube were bought by end-users, whereas only 1.742 million Sony PlayStation 3 gaming machines were sold in from November '06 to September '07.
Nintendo GameCube was released in November 2001 and sold in 21.6 million quantity worldwide, below sales of Microsoft Xbox, which reached 24 million, and five times less compared to Sony PlayStation 2.
Sony PlayStation 3 is currently available at $599 in the U.S., the price-point that is widely considered to be too high. Despite of the fact that Sony's PS3 comes with built-in Blu-ray drive and features high-quality graphics games, the price is believed to be one of the major factors that keep gamers away from PlayStation 3. By contrast, Nintendo's GameCube could offer neither DVD playback, nor high-quality graphics, nor unique motion-sensitive game controller, like that of Nintendo Wii.
Sony PlayStation 3 console is based on the Cell processor developed by IBM, Sony and Toshiba, the RSX graphics chip by Nvidia Corp., wireless network and Bluetooth connectivity and is equipped with Blu-ray optical disk drive. There are several versions of the consoles available around the world with 60GB or 80GB hard disk drives and variable compatibility with PlayStation 1/2 games. In the U.S. PlayStation 3 80GB is sold for $599, whereas the hard-to-find 60GB model retails for $499.
Gateway Unveils High-Resolution Display with Hardware Image Upscaler
Nowadays a lot of monitors offer resolutions that exceed that of full-HD TVs, but while they can easily display high-definition movies the way they were meant to be displayed, all the other videos become truly blurry on such monitors due to low-quality upscaling that modern graphics adapters and software players can provide. But Gateway says it solved the problem in its new 30" monitor by integrating an advanced hardware video processor.
The new Gateway XHD3000 30" monitor that has native resolution of 2560x1600 features Silicon Optix Realta HQV video processor that can upscale standard-definition videos as well as high-definition videos from 1920x1080 to panel's native resolution. Gateway hopes to considerably improve video playback quality on its display thanks to Realta HQV video processor, which can reduce noise, enhance details and perform other operations using robust algorithms developed by leading video processor developer Silicon Optix.
Even though it remains to be seen whether the high-end HQV chip can truly dramatically improve the quality of standard-definition and high-definition videos on a display that sports beyond-full-HD resolution, the fact that manufacturers paid attention to this problem is already positive in general. Besides, it also once again emphasizes the convergence between the consumer electronics (CE) and the personal computer (PC).
Gateway's XHD3000 display features S-PVA panel and offers 1000:1 contrast ratio, 400 cd/m2 brightness, 6ms (grey-to-grey) refresh rate as well as 178° wide viewing angle both horizontally and vertically. The new monitor can be connected to a PC or other electronics using a wide-range of connectors types, including HDMI, single-link/dual-link DVI-D, D-Sub, component, s-video and composite interfaces.
"The Gateway XHD3000 takes a dramatic step forward in expanding Gateway's award winning line of HD displays and raising the bar for display technology. Its combination of leading-edge technology and usability features makes it the most advanced and versatile display on the market, and the only display available that is truly equipped to handle any PC or CE video device," said Gary Elsasser, senior vice president of products, Gateway.
The new Gateway XHD3000 30" extreme HD display will be available via Gateway's Direct channels as well as technology and electronics retailers that sell Gateway products. It is priced at $1699.
Toshiba Shows Off Spurs Engine Capabilities
In order to demonstrate capabilities of its SpursEngine processor, Toshiba exhibited its Qosmio notebook with special FaceMation application installed at CEATEC exhibition in
Japan. As expected, the new chip can easily perform geometry morphing and other operations given that it features four processing engines.
The FaceMation application by Toshiba can create a 3D model of a face and then perform various transformations with it as well as with hair. When face morphing and other operations rely on software, Toshiba Qosmio notebook powered by dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo processor was loaded by 80% while only rendering at 16 frames per second speed. When the same task was carried out by Toshiba SpursEngine, rendering speed rose to 30fps, whereas CPU load was 30%, according to a news-story at PC Watch web-site.
The SpursEngine can also unload decoding and encoding of MPEG-2 and H.264 from CPU, whereas synergetic processing engines (SPEs) can detect user's motion commands, e.g. "stop playback".
SpursEngine is a co-processor that integrates four of Cell high-performance RISC core SPEs, half the number of the full configuration, hardware dedicated to decoding and encoding of MPEG-2 and H.264 video, XDR memory interface as well as PCI Express interface. By combining the high level, real time processing software of the SPEs with the hardware video codecs, the SpursEngine realizes an optimized balance of processing flexibility and low power consumption. The prototype of SpursEngine operates at a clock frequency of 1.5GHz and consumes power at 10W to 20W.
Spurs Engine can be used in both consumer electronics and computer applications. For example, in the PC space it could process graphics or physics. Nevertheless, considering that four SPEs can offer tangible advantages over dual-core x86 chips, but would hardly rival contemporary graphics processors that feature 64 – 128 or even more processing engines, Toshiba's new development will hardly find home in general-purpose PCs.
Nvidia to Revise Its Performance Mainstream Lineup, Add New Models
Nvidia Corp. plans to release a new version of its popular GeForce 8800 GTS graphics product with increased amount of computational power and also finally unveil the long-discussed GeForce 8800 GT based on the code-named G92 graphics processing unit (GPU) in late October or early November, according to market rumours and media reports.
The world's leading supplier of graphics chips is said to activate 16 additional unified shader processors in the GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB graphics cards, which means that the newer versions of the product will come with 112 stream processors activated. By contrast, current 8800 GTS models feature 96 shader processors, whereas the 8800 GTX comes with 128 shader processors.
It is unclear whether the new version of the GeForce 8800 GTS features, like before, 24 texture units and 20 render back ends, or the numbers will increase to 28 texture units and 24 raster operation units, but what is known for sure is that the new 8800 GTS will retain 320-bit memory bus.
"Nvidia will not be doing any formal launch activities, press announcements, web-site updates, or any other marketing around this new SKU. Partners can conduct their own marketing activities around the SKU as they see fit," an Nvidia statement for partners cited by Mobile01 web-site reads.
While the revamped Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB board is claimed compete in the high-end segment with its $399/$449 price-tag, Nvidia is projected to offer a new performance-mainstream GeForce 8800 GT product, which will be based on the code-named G92 GPU made using 65nm process technology. The novelty is rumoured to have 64 stream processors, 256-bit memory interface and come with 256MB or 512MB memory onboard.
Prices of the new products are not clear yet. What is certain is that by improving the GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB and introducing the GeForce 8800 GT the graphics chip designer is trying to offer a broader lineup of discrete graphics solutions with higher competitive potential.
Nvidia did not comment on the news-story.
Microsoft to Discontinue Xbox 360 Core, Offer Xbox 360 Arcade
In a bid to popularize the Xbox 360 among novice and casual gamers, Microsoft will cease to offer Xbox 360 "core" flavour, but will offer "arcade" version at the same price-point instead this Fall. The novelty will feature free arcade games, but it remains to be seen whether free arcades from Microsoft will distract gamers from Nintendo Wii.
The world's largest software developer already has a portfolio of arcade games in its Xbox Live service, however, as novice gamers will hardly access it easily to experience their new Xbox 360 game consoles, Microsoft decided to bundle five free arcade games along with 256MB memory card and Xbox Live Silver subscription with a special version of the console, according to reports from various web-sites.
The new Xbox 360 arcade can be pre-ordered at Amazon.com online store even today, but the device will officially begin shipments on the 23rd of October. The price of the arcade version of Xbox 360 will remain on the level of "core" flavour and will be $279. Given that no hardware changes are projected to the console itself, the only difference between "arcade" and "core" is product bundle, which is more attractive in case of the new version of the Xbox 360.
Executives at Microsoft recently acknowledged that the company needs to attract casual gamers to the Xbox 360 platform to compete against Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 arcade seems to be one of the first tangible actions to fulfill the intention. Probably, at $279 the new console from Microsoft may seem as attractive as Nintendo Wii at $249, meaning that the software giant finally managed to match Wii in terms of pricing. However, another advantage that Wii has is unique motion-sensitive wireless game controller, something that Xbox 360 does not have. As a result, Microsoft will need to promote the obvious advantages of its latest gaming platform: technical excellence and realistic graphics, something that is not really important for arcade games.
Microsoft is also projected to bundle Pro and Elite versions of the Xbox 360 with Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance titles, indicating their target market of experienced gamers.
Microsoft Xbox 360 console is based around microprocessor developed by IBM, high-definition visual processing unit designed by ATI Technologies, I/O controller engineered by SiS and some other key components. The gaming machine provides a broad set of multimedia capabilities in addition to games. The game console also features an HD DVD drive and other peripherals that should be acquired separately.
Qimonda and Sony to Jointly Develop High-Performance Memory Technologies
Leading consumer electronics company Sony Corp. and Qimonda, a leading developer and producer of computer memory, have announced intention to form joint venture called Qreatic Design that will create innovative memory technologies for different kinds of applications. While no details are clear, the fact that Sony and Qimonda plan to establish a company that will inevitably compete against companies like Rambus brings in an intrigue.
According to the agreement, the 50:50 joint venture is intended to start with up to 30 specialists from Sony and Qimonda, bringing together their first-class engineering expertise for the mutual benefit of both companies. Qreatic Design, which will be located in Tokyo, Japan, is planned to start operations by the end of the calendar year, subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions, and to substantially expand its capacities by hiring additional designers.
Qreatic Design will develop high-performance, low power, embedded and customer specific dynamic random access memory (DRAM) for consumer and graphics applications. The companies did not elaborate whether it plans to tailor existing technologies, such as DDR, GDDR or XDR, for specific needs of the market, or the joint venture will develop brand-new memory solutions. Considering that initially the company will have only 30 engineers, it is unlikely that it will create high-end proprietary memory solutions, but will rather concentrate on leveraging existing technologies and/or speed-up their implementation in consumer electronics and graphics applications.
By joining forces, the two companies begin to share research and development costs, something that has been increasing rapidly in the recent years. Additionally, Qimonda will be able to reach Japanese customers easier with Tokyo-based Qreatic Design, whereas Sony Corp. may tap into the market of high-end memory.
"We believe that the joint venture will support our future product design and solutions development and will further pave the way for our product diversification in non-PC applications. The set up of a new design center in Tokyo in cooperation with Sony is a strategic step to accelerate the worldwide R&D capabilities in that area. As Japan is an important and dynamic market for us and shows excellent R&D talents especially in the consumer and graphic area, we are glad to consistently expand our successful activities here," said Kin Wah Loh, president and chief executive of Qimonda.
Tsuyoshi Kashiwagi from Sony has been appointed as president and chief executive of Qreatic Design, Thomas Seifert from Qimonda will serve as chairman of the board.
AMD Plans to Slash Pricing of Dual-Core Chips Shortly
Advanced Micro Devices has notified its partners that starting from next Monday, the 8th of October, it plans to decrease the pricing of some of its dual-core AMD Athlon 64 X2 chips. The price corrections will allow the world's second largest maker of x86 microprocessors to get better positioned for holiday season.
"As we begin a new quarter and prepare for the busiest time of the year, selected AMD dual-core desktop processors will have a reduction in suggested prices effective next Monday, October 8. This will be a great opportunity to upgrade customers to dual-core, as the AMD Athlon X2 5000+, 5200+, 5600+, 6000+ and 6400+ processors all will feature new pricing," a statement by AMD sent to partners published by AMDZone web-site reads.
The new exact new prices for the higher-end AMD dual-core microprocessors are unclear, but given that the fastest chip from the company is currently sold for $251, it is highly likely that the price corrections will not be substantial and will be generally meant to align pricing of AMD Athlon 64 X2 processors with mainboards based on AMD chipsets so that to attract attention of system integrators to AMD's platforms.
Potentially, price reduction should increase sales of central processing units and chipsets by Advanced Micro Devices. The campaign is aimed at the mainstream market in general, as the high-end and enthusiast markets are waiting for AMD Phenom processors due out late in 2007 and early 2008.
AMD did not comment on the news-story.
Windows Vista Continues to Increase Market Share
Microsoft Windows Vista operating system (OS) managed to substantially increase its install base in September, whereas both Windows XP and Windows 2000 saw their market share decreased. While Apple Macintosh platforms also increased their share last month, the growth for Vista was considerably higher.
In September the share of Windows Vista-based personal computers used to browse the Internet was 7.38%, up more than one percent from August, according to data collected by Net Applications, a provider of Web tools. The shares of Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems decreased to 3.32% and 79.32%.
If Windows Vista continues to gain momentum in the coming months, in December considerably more than 10% of personal computers will use the new OS from the world's largest maker of software. However, further Vista's market share increase may be restrained by Microsoft's decision to allow customers to downgrade Vista to XP and to order the XP till mid-2008.
The share of systems based on Mac OS increased to 6.61% in September, up considerably from August's 6.15%, which could be a result of successful sales of new Apple Macintosh computers in August and September as well as seasonality. "Other" operating systems, namely outdated Windows versions, Linux OSes and so on, which have been losing market share for many months now, are now used in 3.39% of devices that are used for Internet browsing.
It was unclear at press time how many computer systems Net Applications tracked in August, 2007.
Microsoft Introduces New Zune Digital Media Players
Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday unveiled two new Zune digital media players along with updates to its Zune-related services. Starting from mid-November consumers will not only be able to get sleeker or more capacious Zune devices, but will also get new functionality for existing Zune 30GB.
Microsoft announced three new models of Zune portable digital media players: black Zune 80GB hard disk drive-based model, which has a 3.2" screen and comes with premium headphones as well as ultra-portable Zune 4GB and Zune 8GB flash-based models, both available in pink, green, black and glossy red. The new Zune players will have the same functionality as the first 30GB model, including Wi-Fi support, FM radio, music sharing and so on and will add more with forthcoming software updates. More precise technical specs were not disclosed.
The two new models of Microsoft Zune portable media players feature the new Zune Pad, an innovative touch-sensitive button for navigating on the device, as well as wireless sync, a feature that allows Zune devices to automatically sync over the device owner's home wireless network when it is connected to an AC adaptor, in a dock or speaker dock accessory. Existing Zune 30GB owners will automatically receive new software features, the redesigned PC and device software and access to the new Zune Marketplace when everything is released to the public in mid-November.
Microsoft Zune 80GB will have manufacturer suggested retail price of $249, whereas Zune 4GB and 8GB will be available for $149 and $199, respectively, when they become available in mid-November.
In addition to improving design and functionality of its portable digital media players, Microsoft also plans to launch Zune Social service that will allow end-users to share their music tastes, knowledge and experiences with others. Members of Zune Social can send song links and messages to each other, post comments on a friend's profile page or on their favorite artist pages.
"By tapping into customers' passion for music with Zune Social, we're starting to change the game. This lets us start building a new, more valuable kind of relationship with consumers that, combined with other Zune innovations, will start to drive the entire music industry forward," said J. Allard, Microsoft corporate vice president for design and development, entertainment and devices division.
AMD Licenses Mobile Graphics Technology to Qualcomm
Advanced Micro Devices on Wednesday said it had agreed to license mobile graphics technologies, originally developed by ATI Technologies which AMD acquired a little less than a year ago, to Qualcomm. The intention pushes graphics technologies to the market, however, it reduces AMD's abilities to sell its Imageon graphics chips for handhelds in the long-term future.
"Qualcomm's licensing of AMD's industry-leading OpenGL ES 2.0 IP for integration into our chipset solutions allows us to continue our leadership in providing the highest quality graphics application experience in the industry. We look forward to seeing devices that leverage this technology to deliver the full potential of what wireless has to offer," said Steve Mollenkopf, senior vice president of product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies.
Under the terms of the agreement, Qualcomm incorporate AMD's industry-standard OpenGL ES 2.0 and OpenVG 1.0 graphics core technologies in advanced Mobile Station Modem (MSM) chipsets, which are used in cost-effective mobile handsets with 3G technology.
The new generation Imageon mobile graphics architecture – which AMD licenses to various companies throughout the industry – features unified shader architecture in addition to native hardware acceleration for rendering vector graphics and flash-like applications. This architectural design delivers high-quality graphics, while consuming less power than either software rendering or rendering using a traditional 3D graphics core. According to AMD, this combination is unique for the company.
Advanced Micro Devices and Qualcomm did not disclose terms of the deal.
As a result of AMD's mobile technology licensing spree, an untypical action of a company that sells microprocessors and other chips, ATI Imageon technologies will eventually be found in 2.5G/3G mobile phones, personal digital assistants and other portable wireless products with multimedia capabilities powered by ST Nomadic multimedia processors; portable media players, portable navigation, home electronics and automotive infotainment applications based on Freescale i.MX chips; and a variety of cell phones and other handhelds based on Qualcomm's MSM chipsets. It remains to be seen whether there will be customers left interested to buy AMD Imageon mobile graphics chips.
Sony Readies PlayStation 3 40GB for Launch, Axes Backward Compatibility
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. will reportedly release its long-awaited cost-effective PlayStation 3 game console in late October, in time for late year sales. However, the new console will supposedly not be compatible with PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games at all, a significant drawback to experienced PlayStation gamers.
Documents from Best Buy retail network in the U.S. published by Engadget web-site reveal that starting from the 28th of October the retail chain will sell Sony PlayStation 3 40GB with Spider Man 3 movie on Blu-ray disc for as low as $399, the lowest price for a PlayStation 3 ever in the USA. The new "low-cost" model will also be on sale in Europe, however, its price in the region remains to be seen.
Play.com, an online store based in the UK, also lists Sony PlayStation 3 40GB model, however, it claims that the part only features 2 USB ports and "is not backward compatible with PS2 games" based "specifications supplied by manufacturer". Besides, there are rumours that the low-cost Sony PlayStation 3 lacks Wi-Fi controller as well as memory card reader.
Given that modern PlayStation 3 60GB (PAL) and 80GB (NTSC) do not feature build-in PlayStation 2 processors for backwards compatibility, but rely on software-based approach, it is unclear why would Sony reportedly axed this feature, if PS2 games are still supported on more expensive PS3 versions. It is also uncertain whether the console will finally revitalize sales of SCEI's latest game machine, which have been lagging behind Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. did not comment on the news-story.
Leading Graphics Card Supplier to Help Fighting Cancer
CORRECTION: Removing Tul's name from the story as JV Logic Inc., the owner of PowerColor and Zogis brands in the U.S., said Tul Corp. has no relation to the initiative.
JV Logic, the company mostly known for its PowerColor and Zogis trademarks and a leading supplier of graphics cards, said on Tuesday that it would donate portion of its sales in North America in October to the Lance Armstrong Foundation in order to help fighting cancer.
Additionally, PowerColor and Zogis will be including Livestrong Wristbands with select products for a limited time at participating online retailers.
"Cancer affects all of us regardless of age, gender or social status. With more than 10-millon Americans affected by this disease, chances are that someone you know or met is battling, has battled or will battle cancer. PowerColor wholeheartedly supports the Lance Armstrong Foundation in their efforts on finding a cure. We must continue to support those who are on the font lines of this fight until humanity is rid of this disease," said Jeremy Chang, PowerColor president.
PowerColor is a leading supplier of graphics cards based on ATI Radeon graphics processing units. The PowerColor product lineup includes the highest-end offerings, such as ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT 1GB GDDR4 products, as well as affordable options, such as ATI Radeon HD 2400-series.
PowerColor, while being a leading popular global brand for PC graphics cards for more than a decade and has been supporting charitable funds worldwide since its inception.
Zogis is a relatively new trademark under which JV Logic supplies a broad range of Nvidia GeForce-based solutions.
Founded in 1997, The Lance Armstrong Foundation was formed by professional cyclist Lance Armstrong soon after his successful personal battle with testicular cancer. The foundation has been successful in raising cancer awareness as well as money towards cancer research and care.
AMD Quietly Launches New Single-Core AMD Athlon LE Processors
Until now Advanced Micro Devices was not planning to release any new single-core Athlon processors, however, recently the company quietly started to ship its new Athlon LE chips for entry-level systems with only one processing engines.
Several stores across the world recently started to sell AMD Athlon LE-1600 and LE-1620 central processing units with 45W thermal design power and 1MB of secondary-level cache. The new chips use the same type of marking as most AMD processors launched in the second half of 2007 with the first units released being new dual-core Athlon X2 BE-2000 and single-core Sempron LE-1000-series.
The new AMD Athlon LE processors 1000-series will offer considerably higher performance due to higher clock-speed compared to AMD Sempron LE 1000-series chips, however, the new central processing units will still be considerably less speedy than dual-core offerings. Initially the fresh family will contain two solutions:
Athlon LE-1620 (ADH1620IAA5DH): 2.4GHz frequency, 1MB L2 cache, Socket AM2, TDP=45W
It is likely that the new chips will be made using 90nm process technology and will be based on the familiar F3 core stepping, but this time their TDP will be reduced to 45W.
For some reason the processor listings in the distributor price-lists do mention that they will have 1MB L2 cache although all existing Athlon 64 processor models feature only 512KB L2 cache onboard. Maybe the new processors are designed from dual-core Windsor based CPUs with F3 stepping by disabling the second core and half of the L2 cache.
The official wholesale pricing for these processors hasn't been revealed yet, but they are unlikely to be priced higher than the existing Socket AM2 Athlon 64 solutions. AMD may also launch another model in the LE-16xx family with higher clock speed. On-line stores are already accepting pre-orders for Athlon LE-1620 at about $60-$70. Athlon LE-1600 should be priced a little less than that.
Nintendo Offers Free Safety Jacket for Remote Controller to All Wii Owners
In a bid to exclude possibilities of injuries as well as damages of various equipment, Nintendo now adds special safety Wii Remote Jacket to every wireless controller of the Wii game console. Current owners of the device may also order the soft cover free of charge.
"We're always looking for ways to improve our products and make sure everyone has a safe and fun experience. Many electronics manufacturers provide similar protective covers for products like cell phones, PDAs and MP3 players," said George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications.
Nintendo Wii game consoles utilize wireless motion-sensitive game controllers that have a wrist strap to avoid their damage in case users release them from their hands accidentally. Late last year it was discovered that the initial batch of straps that were supposed to preserve against flying "Wiimotes" sometimes break off, causing damage or even injuries of users. Nintendo replaced the straps free and now will also provide a special "jacket" that will preserve the remote controller in case the new straps also break off.
Nintendo is now including the Wii Remote Jacket for the Wii Remotes in all new hardware being shipped. Nintendo Wii owners who purchased their systems prior to this addition should request a Wii Remote Jacket by completing the information form at Nintendo's web-site.
Nintendo's Wii does not feature a hard disk drive, instead, it boasts with 512MB of flash memory, but the console will also have a card reader, which will allow installing more memory.
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