Coinomat, a quick and easy crypto currency exchange that supports BTC, LTC and PPC exchange has announced that they have implemented support for withdraws to VISA and Mastercard credit cards and Visa Electron/Maestro debit cards will not work apparently. The transfer is made in US dollars, if your card is denominated in another currency the funds will be converted into the card currency by your bank using the bank's exchange rates. The transfer of funds to your card takes 2-4 business days to complete and note that there is a withdrawal limit of $2500 USD per one card per week. No word about a fee for the service, though there is most likely some fee associated with the service, but it is probably automatically calculated and deducted from the price you get cited per coin.
Note that the service has been available for a few months already, they launched in Beta in November last year. Recently a similar feature was recently announced by BTC-e exchange. The common thing between the two is that there seems to be some sort of a Russian connection, though both exchanges do seem to remain quite anonymous in terms of where they are based and who is operating them. So this raises the question should you trust these "anonymous" exchanges by sharing your credit card information with them in order to be able to take advantage from the convenience to exchange crypto currencies and get the money directly in your card.
One of the most annoying issue that Cryptsy alternative crypto currency exchange had was the minimum number of coins that you needed to have in order to be able to execute a trade. Sometimes mining for alternative crypto coins you could easily get something like 0.00123456 from a given crypto that you were not able to sell and you had to keep it on the exchange or buy more coins and then sell after meeting the minimum coin requirement. So good news if you were annoyed by the minimum order quantities that were a bit too high for some coins anyway. The only requirement now is the order total to be higher than 0.00000010 and the minimum fee for any order cannot go below 0.00000001. This could lead to some "higher fees" with very small trades, but then again you will not have to be bothered by some alternative crypto currencies with very small amount in your account balance anymore. We have finally cleared our account from a few of these such as the very little CAP that we've had left for quite some time.
Atomic Trade is a relatively new and still not that big crypto currency exchange that has a bit different approach compared to other traditional crypto trading websites. Here you are stimulated to be active on the exchange in various ways and you get rewards for being an active member, including using the chat functionality of the exchange. And unlike other chats on crypto exchanges that are essentially trollboxes with not much of useful or helpful information, on Atomic Trade you can actually find some help and useful information from other members. You can even meet and talk with the exchange admin as well as some pool operators all while you are trading some crypto coins on the exchange itself.
The crypto currency exchange Atomic Trade does support trading of multiple currencies, including some newer and not so popular that you can hardly find on other decent exchanges. Among the standard BTC and LTC trading here you can also trade XPM, FTX, WDC, BLC, HBN, PXL, LOT, MED, FRK, SKC, UNO, VTC and ATP. We have discovered the Atomic Trade exchange while looking for good exchange for trading BlakeCoin (BLC) and since that we kind of liked it a lot and started trading other cryptos there as well. The ATP or Atomic Trade Points are the so called bonus points that you get while trading and generally being active on the exchange in various other ways, but the interesting thing with these is that aside from trading them on the exchange for BTC, while they are in your account balance they bring you profit from the trading fees collected by the exchange. So in a way the ATP are something like shares in the exchange that bring you dividends, and every 6 hours you get your bonus based on the amount of ATP you currently have in your balance. We really like the community that is forming at the Atomic Trade and would definitely recommend you to try it out, especially if you are trading alternative crypto coins such as BlakeCoin (BLC) among others.


text:
Carlos Ghosn's suspected escape accomplices arrested in US
The former Nissan and Renault boss fled to Lebanon at the start of this year with the help of a handful of accomplices wanted in Japan.
Sean Szymkowski
May 21, 2020 10:51 a.m. PT
It all started with Gran Turismo. From those early PlayStation days, Sean was drawn to anything with four wheels. Prior to joining the Roadshow team, he was a freelance contributor for Motor Authority, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports. As for what's in the garage, Sean owns a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and yes, it has Holden badges.
Ghosn remains a free man.
Joseph Eid/Getty Images
While Carlos Ghosn, former head of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, remains an international fugitive, two men suspected of helping the former executive escape Japan were arrested in the US on Wednesday.
Reuters reports the two men, Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor, were arrested Wednesday in Harvard, Massachusetts. Their arrest follows a warrant Japan issued for the two this past January. The Taylors were arrested after US law enforcement learned Peter Taylor booked a flight to Beirut, Lebanon from Boston.
The two men allegedly helped plan Ghosn's escape from Japan to Lebanon and helped execute the elaborate plot. You'll recall this plan is rumored to have included stuffing Ghosn into a musical instrument case inside his home. A third man, George-Antoine Zayek, was also allegedly part of the plan but has not been arrested. Aside from Japan's arrest warrants, Turkey indicted seven individuals supposedly part of the plan, including pilots.
Ghosn remains a free man in Lebanon, his home country, as it does not have an extradition agreement with Japan. The former head of the automaker alliance, and CEO of both Renault and Nissan, has consistently maintained his innocence after Japanese authorities accused him of numerous financial misdeeds and arrested him in 2018.
They include under-reporting his income and moving corporate Nissan funds for his personal use. In the US, the Securities and Exchange Commission also investigated Ghosn over wrongdoings, which Ghosn has since settled. The executive previously said he fled the country to escape injustice.
Nissan told Roadshow on the news, "Nissan notes the extradition proceedings in the US. As previously announced, Nissan finds the former Chairman's flight from justice extremely regrettable. While not a party to these extradition proceedings, Nissan continues to reserve the right to take further legal measures as appropriate."
Now playing: Watch this: AutoComplete: Ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn's "I'm innocent"...
Nissan Kicks gets some new duds in Asia
First published May 20.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
AI Primer
Harbor Lights Blog
Matt Thompson, CFA
Co-Portfolio Manager of the Alpha Seeker Strategy and the Tactical Beta strategy. Co-Founder of Thompson Capital Management LLC (TCM)
BS in Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign.
Matt oversees TCM's Volatility Dashboard and acts as co-portfolio manager of the Alpha Seeker and Tactical Beta strategies. Matt has over 20 years of capital markets and investing experience, focusing on futures trading with an emphasis on VIX-related exchange-traded products. Matt's perspective and insights on risk, the VIX and the broader volatility ecosystem are sought after by peers and members of the financial press alike, with contributions to articles in Barron's, the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. Matt served in an analyst role at Envestnet before joining forces with his brother Mike as the head of operations at Premier Asset Management LLC, a $500M investment advisor spun out of Northern Trust. Subsequently, Matt served in business development and financial modeling roles for a Chicago-based start-up derivatives exchange before being recruited to a family office in 2008 where he co-developed TCM's Volatility Dashboard during the Financial Crisis. Matt subsequently traded the strategy directly in the futures market for the proprietary trading desk of ED&F Man Ltd and as a Commodity Trading Advisor. He co-developed the Alpha Seeker and Tactical Beta strategies with his brother Mike. Matt is a member of the CFA Society of Chicago.
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Keep feet warm on the coldest of days and pull on this pair of Heat Holders for men, the ultimate thermal sock!
Thick, chunky and with a massive tog rating of 2.34, Heat Holders are made from a specially developed heavy bulk yarn which has extreme thermal qualities. With long pile cushioning, these thermal socks will help keep feet fully comfortable and supported.


Homemade Musical Instruments for Kids! - Things to Make and Do, Crafts and Activities for Kids - The Crafty Crow. Recyclart . Recycled Musical Instruments Ideas. DIY: Rain Stick. I've been wanting to try making one of these for so long! A parent of a child I once taught told me how to make a rain stick (or rain maker) while we were doing a project about the rainforest. It is so easy! Recyclart... Shape Banjo – Bring out the music minded genius out of your kids by helping them make musical instruments out of used cereal boxes and some coloring or non-toxic painting materials.
Shape Banjo – Bring out the music minded genius out of your kids by helping them make musical instruments out of used cereal boxes and some coloring or non-toxic painting materials.... Make an anemometer to observe wind speed using #recycled cups (our material of the month!).
Recycling and sustainability are core values at Child's Play Music, so most of our instruments use recycled materials for all or part of their construction. Wherever possible the timber we use is recycled or plantation grown.
Recycled CDs are put to good use in this fun bird craft for kids. Hang these at the window and watch them sparkle! You can even string them above your vegetable patch to scare away the real birds! Hang these at the window and watch them sparkle!
Wish I had thought of this a few weeks ago when the kids made instruments out of recycled/household materials." "It's no secret how much kids love music, but it's also not a secret how expensive instruments are.


The Aggeo, Entrepreneur of the real estate market and a sports fishermen in the first team. In fact, as he himself claims with good mood today is more fisherman than businessman. The Aggeo, born in Belo Horizonte, started fishing as a boy your father's farm, where today the neighborhood Buritis, in springs that form the ribeirão Arrudas. Have you caught a lot of old rivers and San Francisco, well before the construction of the reservoir of Três Marias. At that time, I used to go camping or on boats cabinados.
In the early 70, built a house in Guarapari-ES, and started to fish at sea, a new experience and bringing to this day many emotions and beautiful trophies. He just returned from a fishing trip at sea off the coast of Guatemala – Central America (see in the first picture the beautiful sailfish-sailfish-he caught with the fishing rod that appears in the photo above).
Aggeo experience is vast: in freshwater fisheries he ever fished in the entire Brazil, including expeditions to rivers like the Teles Pires and Juruena, dating from more than thirty years ago, when neither thought in hostels in the region. He cites as major rivers such as the fish opponents piraíbas and pirararas, and the gold as those hooked in Esteros de Ibera-Argentina. I've fished trout and salmon also in Argentina and Chile, and Costa Rica in the tarpons.
Today, the Aggeo has a house in Santa Cruz Cabrália, Bahia, coastline internationally famous as generating large region trophies in open sea fishing. His collection of fish caught at sea is also complete, if we consider the fish that occur in the brazilian coast, and also in the Pacific Ocean, Central America Although it has caught a Marlin from 236 pounds and another 198 pounds on the Royal Charlotte ", on the coast of Bahia, he cites with pride a mackerel" wahoo "of 25 pounds and a white marlin fish that bring you great memories. But it is not limited to that region: recently been fishing in São Caetano de Odivelas, just over 100 kilometers from Bethlehem, where he discovered a fishing point sick or camarupins, tarpons in fish that he considers extremely combative, and of which we have already captured one of 40 pounds.
The Aggeo is essentially a sports fishermen, in other words, let the fish Slingshot, although I do like to enjoy a well prepared fish. He is a nice person and a good mood, always ready to offer advice and share your experience and knowledge of sport fishing.


I moved to Bellingham a few weeks ago to get away from Seattle traffic for a bit. That means longer drives to some of the best cragging areas around, like Index, but being closer to a slew of opportunities to spend full-days outside in the North Cascades. One such opportunity close to town is Mt Baker and the surrounding areas. I've been wanting to climb the North Ridge of Baker for a long time. I missed the opportunity to ski it a few times, and because we are all such mountain snobs here in the Northwest, I haven't been able to find anyone who wanted to boot down from the summit.
Luckily just after moving here Jimmy passed through town and he had never climbed a Cascade volcano so up we went. Neither, Jimmy or I had a ton of time on our hands, and we were also a little worried about warm temperatures. To eliminate concerns of poor travel conditions and soft snow, and to ensure we felt as blasted as possible afterwards, we decided to start climbing at night and just go car-to-car.
Jimmy guiding me through the broken lower Coleman. And this is where it got better!!
I won't get to long-winded on this one, primarily because everybody and their mother is going "fast and light" these days, or "light and slow (with a mini epic)", but here is the kit we took.
Base layer (Echo men's hoody): I wore this from car-to-car and its my new favorite layer. Its a long sleep breathable "mountain training" shirt as they call it.
Mid-weight down jacket – I only wore the down when we stopped for a brief second before beginning the actual route.
A mid weight alpine climbing soft shell – we both hiked up from the car in our underwear to avoid sweating these out before we starting climbing.
Jimmy and I used this trip to test our some new gear from Petzl that we are planning on using for some other climbs that will require a bit more selectivity later in the season.
Irvis hybrid crampons – Jimmy wore the full automatic toe bails while I wore a strap front with their new "Level-lock" tech. I haven't been happy with how the Petzl crampons marry with my Sportiva Trango Ice Cube GTX boots (bail is too wide and prone to falling off under right angle and after the boot has seem some wear).
3 ice screws (two of the Petzl lazer lights that are incredibly light) and a BD 16cm.
We brought a 60m a picket.
We burned a lot of time navigate bridges on the Coleman, and without any sleep that night I think fatigue really hit us on the Upper North ridge… For the fit and fancy, here are some times you might be able to base your next trip off of.
Jimmy's photo of me on the upper north ridge.
Our route across the Coleman Demming. Up is north.
Me crossing the bridge that unlocked the approach.
Despite the fact that it was supposed to drop to 40* at night, the temperatures and an odd warm wind kept that top layer of snow fairly soft. We were penetrating as much as 3 inches in many places which made travel more tiring than expected.
On the upper north ridge, where the snow was soft as well, careful cramponing was necessary to avoid the energy expenditure of our front points slipping a bit down-hill with a step up. We climbed the entire face in what I will refer to as "double-cane" mode, i.e. holding the top of the axe so it hung vertically and plugging the bottom.
The single ice step we climbed at the top was fairly rotten. We simul-ed the entire thing, with one ice screw at the bottom as I belayed Jimmy (i caught up to him while he was leading more technical terrain) and one ice screw at the top, where he put in a screw with a Micro-Traxion and kept climbing.
There was plenty of water running all over the mountain (specifically at Hogsback and at the bergshrund where the upper route variation starts) so we were able to refill a few more times.
Jimmy walking up towards the upper north ridge.
Jimmy starting the ice step on the upper north ridge.
A picture of me as Jimmy and I simul-ed the ice step. Don't ask me what I am doing with my ask. I have no idea. As the angle tapered off the ice become very rotten.
(2) An updated satellite photo to plan route across the Coleman. The technology is available, might as well use it.
(4) Better sleep and rest leading up to the climb would provide for increased, rather than decreased, aerobic capacity.
(5) Take less photos and gawk less at the huge holes as we walked over them.
I apologize to the guided parties we ran past on the way down 😉 We were excited for coffee and baked goods at the Wake N Bakery in Glacier.
What do you mean by "Next time: (2) An updated satellite photo to plan route across the Coleman. The technology is available, might as well use it." Is there a place to look at updated high resolution satellite photos that you didn't use (if so, where?), or are you just wishing that we could access the satellites and imaging technology that is already out there (and that taxpayers like me paid for :).


text:
package org.jboss.weld.bootstrap.api.helpers;

import java.util.Collection;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.Map.Entry;
import java.util.Optional;
import java.util.Set;

import org.jboss.weld.bootstrap.api.Service;
import org.jboss.weld.bootstrap.api.ServiceRegistry;

public abstract class ForwardingServiceRegistry implements ServiceRegistry {

    protected abstract ServiceRegistry delegate();

    public <S extends Service> void add(Class<S> type, S service) {
        delegate().add(type, service);
    }

    public <S extends Service> boolean contains(Class<S> type) {
        return delegate().contains(type);
    }

    public <S extends Service> S get(Class<S> type) {
        return delegate().get(type);
    }

    @Override
    public <S extends Service> Optional<S> getOptional(Class<S> type) {
        return delegate().getOptional(type);
    }

    public Iterator<Service> iterator() {
        return delegate().iterator();
    }

    public void addAll(Collection<Entry<Class<? extends Service>, Service>> services) {
        delegate().addAll(services);
    }

    public Set<Entry<Class<? extends Service>, Service>> entrySet() {
        return delegate().entrySet();
    }

    public void cleanup() {
        delegate().cleanup();
    }

    public void cleanupAfterBoot() {
        delegate().cleanupAfterBoot();
    }

    @Override
    public <S extends Service> S getRequired(Class<S> type) {
        return delegate().getRequired(type);
    }

    @Override
    public <S extends Service> S addIfAbsent(Class<S> type, S service) {
        return delegate().addIfAbsent(type, service);
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


rnLeicester City's fairytale season continues to be acknowledged as Riyad Mahrez collected the PFA Player of the Year award on Sunday.rnrnMahrez is enjoying a wonderful season for the Premier League leaders - having scored 17 goals and 11 assists in the top flight so far this season.rnrnThe Algeria international has played an integral role for the champions-elect Foxes and was duly rewarded with the top individual award of the night at the Grosvenor Hotel in London.rnrnClaudio Ranieri's side need just five points from their remaining three games to be crowned champions of England for the first time in their history.rnrnMahrez was on the scoresheet earlier on Sunday as the King Power Stadium outfit thumped Swansea 4-0 in the Premier League, and was flown down by helicopter after the game to the London ceremony.rnrnThe forward beat Leicester team-mates Jamie Vardy and N'Golo Kante to the award as well as Tottenham stiker Harry Kane, Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil and West Ham revelation Dimitri Payet.rnrnVardy came second in the voting, while Kane was third.rnrn'All the credit is for them, seriously,' Mahrez said as he dedicated his success to his Leicester team-mates.rnrn'And for my manager and the staff. Without them I wouldn't receive this award and I wouldn't score. It's the team spirit, and I want to dedicate it to them.rnrn'I'm very grateful to receive this award, it's a pleasure. It's extra special because if the players vote for me it's because they've seen I've been great this year so I'm happy.rnrn'But it's more team things. Without my team-mates I wouldn't get this award.'rnrnMahrez has been instrumental in his team's remarkable rise and he now joins a glittering list of former winners that includes Kenny Dalglish, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.rnrnSome bookmakers had Leicester at 5000/1 to be crowned champions at the start of the season, but, with three games left, they stand on the brink of arguably the greatest shock in English football history.rnrn'The secret has been team spirit,' Mahrez added.rnrn'We work so hard for each other. We are like brothers, it's everywhere on the pitch. That's our strength.rnrn'If sometimes we are not good, we know we are going to run and make the effort for our team-mates. That is the secret of our success.' rnrnThe 25-year-old is only the second winner of the PFA award from outside Europe. Uruguay striker Luis Suarez won it in 2014 while playing for Liverpool.rnrnUnlike Suarez, Mahrez was an unknown when he moved to England two years ago, joining Leicester from second tier French side Le Havre for less than £500,000 pounds.rnrnOn Thursday, it was announced that Mahrez was named among a four-man midfield by the PFA as they revealed their 2016 Team of the Year.rnrnElsewhere, Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been crowned with this season's PFA Young Player of the Year award.rnrnThe 20-year-old has enjoyed a wonderful breakthrough campaign with Spurs as they sit second in the Premier League table.rnrnAlli has scored 10 goals and provided a further nine assists for Mauricio Pochettino's side.rnrnThe England international beat Everton duo Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku, Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland, Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho and Tottenham team-mate Kane to the award.rnrnMeanwhile, Ryan Giggs joined a long line of Manchester United greats by winning the PFA Merit Award on Sunday.rnrnThe former United winger followed in the footsteps of Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Matt Busby and Sir Bobby Charlton in picking up the prize, which is given for 'meritorious service to football'.rnrnGiggs made a club record 963 appearances for the Red Devils and remains the most decorated player in the English game, having won 13 league titles, four FA Cups and two Champions League crowns during a glittering career.rnRiyad Mahrez wins PFA Player of the Year 2016 award rnNow assistant manager to Louis van Gaal, winning the PFA Merit award completes the set for Giggs, who was named Player of the Year in 2009 and Young Player of the Year in both 1992 and 1993.


Among lots of other fun projects, we're also hard at work designing the next series of art prints for our etsy shop! This weekend we had a little time to play with some good old fashioned paint - how gorgeous is Carrie's hand-lettering?! We can't wait to finalize the design and share these with you....but for now....a few shots of our work in progress.


text:
'Gloriana' in public, paranoia in private – Guest Post by David Field
Published by janetwertman on August 9, 2019
The allegorical portrait of Elizabeth with Father Time and Death behind her; English School circa 1610 (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
After the controversy he stirred up with his last post, I am happy to welcome back David Field to talk about Elizabeth on this anniversary of her formidable speech at Tilbury. David is a writer of historical fiction who is coming out with six Tudor-era novels this year (for you mystery lovers, he already has a great series – the Esther and Jack Enright Mysteries). Hope you enjoy – and there are more details about him following the post…
To her adoring subjects she was 'Gloriana' – the 'Faery Queen' – the warrior princess whose admirals were about to send the Spanish Armada packing, and who on this day in 1588 appeared before her own troops at Tilbury, clad in part of her father Henry VIII's old battle armour in order to proclaim that 'I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king.' She might also have added that she had the troubled mind of someone upon whom the pressures of life had left deep, indelible mental scars that became more obvious as her body began to fail her.
I do not claim any qualifications in psychology, but after a career spent in the criminal law I've learned to recognise deep and disturbing undercurrents flowing beneath a seemingly serene stream. Like a swan, people beset by insecurity can appear to be floating quietly on the surface, while paddling madly underneath in order to maintain their external calm. And it is a matter of record that in the final few weeks and months of her life, Elizabeth 1st of England was behaving strangely, even for someone whose royal status excused some eccentricity.
Her weird behaviour was not, of course, made public at the time, and we know of it only because of records left by those closest to her as her days darkened and her life span came to its natural end. Most notable among these were her Senior Ladies – women such as Elizabeth Throckmorton, Lady of the Privy Chamber during Elizabeth's final year, and Catherine Carey, Countess of Nottingham, a lifelong attendant of Elizabeth's, a good friend to her, and wife of Howard of Effingham, who had commanded England's defeat of the Armada. There were also more menial servants who were not above a bit of gossipy tittle-tattle below stairs, and it is from all these sources that a picture emerges of a once powerful and much-feared monarch in terminal meltdown.
She began by standing upright in her chambers for hours on end, staring at the wall and refusing to speak. She ignored all entreaties to be seated, and eventually her attendants took to lining the floor with cushions for when – inevitably – she finally fell down through sheer physical exhaustion, exacerbated by the fact that she was refusing all food and drink. Even when they managed to get her to bed, she seemed lost to the world, and her few brief and sporadic communications suggested that she had begun to hallucinate.
It is not difficult to map the events in Elizabeth's life that had brought her to this pass, and had obliged her to maintain a stern and self-composed public image that hid a pitiful insecurity. We may begin with the execution of her mother Anne Boleyn when the young and impressionable 'Lillibet' was less than three years old. She was not required to witness it, of course, but what girl of that age was ever equipped with the mental fortitude to be advised that her mother had just had her head cut off on the order of her father? The same loving father who had Elizabeth declared a bastard, and who for a substantial period of her developing years cut her off from the succession.
This taint of bastardy was never expunged in the eyes of the Church of Rome, and was to provide much of the justification of the later persecution of Elizabeth by Catholics. Her former brother in law Philip of Spain, her distant cousin Mary Stuart of Scotland, and finally the Pope who excommunicated her and invited her enemies to take her off the chessboard of English politics – they all used her alleged illegitimacy, as the daughter of a whore and suspected witch, to justify their plots to unseat her. If Elizabeth was of a temperament that left her vulnerable to paranoia, then those would have been its primary causes, insofar as rational reasons are ever required for mental illness.
It might have helped had she received strong emotional support from her family and friends. But older half-sister Mary resented her beauty, her popularity, her light-hearted youthful exuberance and her Protestant Reformist religious beliefs. Far from hugging her little sister to her bosom when she most needed it, Mary accused her of immorality with two high-born noblemen, and of being the person behind at least two plots against her throne. Elizabeth was confined to the Tower, and later to house arrest in a decaying medieval ruin, on false suspicions of seeking her half-sister's downfall. More fuel for Elizabeth's paranoia.
Nor was it safe for her even to enjoy the natural beauty of her teenage years. At an age when most pubescent girls are vulnerable to 'crushes' ('pashes' in modern parlance), Elizabeth fell under the spell of the handsome, charismatic and almost paedophilic Thomas Seymour, with whom she flirted, and perhaps first experienced physical desire for a mature man. When this ended in tears and recriminations because Seymour was married – to the former Queen Catherine Parr, no less – Elizabeth was decried, again by half-sister Mary, as being as big a whore as her late mother, and this may well account for the fact that in later life Elizabeth was constantly fighting a losing battle against allegations of promiscuity that all but forced her to hold in check her natural desire for her lifelong friend Robert Dudley, a handsome courtier who worshipped the very ground she walked on. So we can now add sexual repression to the other difficulties Elizabeth had to surmount during the forty-four years of her troubled reign.
By the time she ascended the throne of England, Elizabeth had learned that her beauty could command the hearts of her subjects, as well as the men around her in her daily life. Then, aged twenty-nine, when women of that era began to regard themselves as past their sell-by date, cruel Fate struck another blow, in the form of a dose of smallpox that left her with the predictable facial scars, and led to a gradual but irretrievable hair loss.
Her remedy for covering the scars in order to perpetuate her beauty may well have added to her mental health issues in later life. In keeping with the fashion of the times she smeared her face with 'Venetian Ceruse', a potentially lethal combination of vinegar and white lead, which would also have intensified the hair loss. Symptoms of lead poisoning include confusion of thought processes, loss of appetite and mood swings, all of which were reported by those who had access to the royal chambers in the final year of Elizabeth's life.
The final blow to her stability came with the deaths, during a very short period, of almost everyone upon whom she had relied to keep her nation afloat and her mind at ease. First came the death of William Cecil, her trusted adviser since her days as a mere queen in waiting during the reign of Mary; this had been preceded by the death of her beloved Robert Dudley, the man she had known since childhood, and who would always remind her of the beauty he could still see beneath the ceruse. Then came the death of her closest Lady since the demise of her bosom companion Blanche Parry – the Countess of Nottingham, Catherine Carey.
The final death that Elizabeth mourned had been on her own order, when she had been obliged to send her close favourite of her declining years, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex and stepson of Robert Dudley, to the scaffold for his rebellion against her, following years in which he had flattered her with assurances of her undying beauty. In the words of one close observer, 'her delight is to sit in the dark, and sometimes with shedding tears to bewail Essex.'
Even her death itself was not without some mystery. It was reported by the Marchioness of Northampton, who was attending her as her life ebbed away, that Elizabeth made her swear that no physicians would be allowed to examine her body after her death. At the time this was put down to the obsession of a lifelong virgin who wished to retain her modesty even in death, but more recent theories for this request have ranged from the fact that she was not after all a virgin, to the most bizarre of all – that she was actually a man!
Another possibility might have been that she was in the final stages of syphilis, acquired from either of her parents, neither of whom had led exactly chaste lives. One long-term effect of untreated syphilis (and of course there was no cure in those days, centuries before antibiotics) is dementia, and this might explain the bizarre behaviour of this previously self-possessed and sternly formal woman in the seventieth year of life, most of which had been spent hiding her insecurity behind a facade of outward confidence.
About David Field
David was born and educated in Nottingham, England, and even as a school student he loved to combine English with History. This former hobby became a new career when he retired after fifty years as a lawyer, and took to writing historical novels on a fulltime basis. By then he had emigrated to Australia, where he now lives with his wife on the borders of New South Wales and Queensland.
David has written a series of six novels set in the Tudor period, all of which will be published by Sapere Books during 2019, and which between them cover the entire era, from the early life and accession of Henry Tudor right through to the final days of Elizabeth 1st. The fifth and sixth in the series, 'The Queen in Waiting' and 'The Heart of a King' relive the life of this most enigmatic of English monarchs.
Published inGuest Posts
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Good morning! I'm back with a new card! Sorry for the delay, I'm in full Convention prep mode! It takes a lot of work to get ready for convention!!
Speaking of convention, one week from today, I leave for Salt lake City. If you would like to receive live updates on new products, awards, and special announcements, make sure you are a fan of my facebook page! This is where I will be "reporting" all of my convention happenings as they happen!
Ok, on to today's card. It's VERy girly! I love this color combo!
I used the following two challenges as inspiration for this card.
Clean and Simple and Cupcake Inspiration Challenges.
I've got some fun promotions for you this month!
This is fantastic and fits our color challenge so well! Thank you so much for sharing it with us at Cupcake Inspirations! Good luck!


I am pretty lucky myself, I realized, looking up in the stands at my mom, dad, and little brother. My dad had somehow managed to get the night off, and I was thrilled to have him there. It was moments like this when I realized what was really important in life. My family and friends were everything to me, and I never wanted to lose them.
So far, my freshman year of high school had been eventful, to say the least. Looking around the gym at some of my classmates, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen next in my lovely town of Harrow Hill…I'd heard a rumor around town that people had nicknamed my school "Horror High" after the incident with Ashleigh. I sincerely hoped that wasn't true.
The game was getting ready to begin. As I was reaching for my pompoms, I noticed my iPhone flashing. I glanced at it quickly, seeing a missed call from an unknown number. I was suddenly reminded of Ashleigh's creepy phone call that night weeks ago, when she threatened that I would die if I went to a game.
Suddenly, my phone chimed again, alerting me that I had a voicemail. With only a minute to go before the game started, I lifted the phone up to my ear to listen. Horrifyingly, I recognized the creepy, robotic voice instantly. But it can't be Ashleigh, because she's locked away in jail awaiting trial! I thought frantically.
I can't believe that idiot Ashleigh actually followed through with my orders. I might be even smarter than I initially thought. Now that she's locked away, I'm going to lay low…biding my time, toying with my prey. This is more fun than just blowing them away with my gun.
When the time is right, I'll kill them all. One student at a time.
The cheerleaders are first on my list.
If you'd like another best selling thriller for FREE! Sent straight to your inbox.
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Thank you to my mother, who attended every single game and rooted for me at every stage of my life.
Thank you to Flocksdale's Finest street team and all of my fans for your love and support!
Thank you to Jennifer O'Neill and Jessica Gunhammer for letting me share my stories with the world. I feel grateful to be a part of Team Limitless.
Thank you to Lori Whitwam for your help, guidance, and support at every step of the process.
Thank you to my amazing editor, Toni Rakestraw. I don't know what I'd do without your help.
Thank you to Ashley Byland of Redbird Designs for my beautiful cover art. You always nail it and I appreciate all of your hard work.
Thank you to Elise Balt for your daily help with all of the small and big things.
Thank you to Dixie Matthews for formatting my books and being so kind and helpful.
Thank you to Lydia and Crystal for all of your help with promotions.
Thank you to Mitsy Princell for helping me organize events and for being an awesome friend and fan.
Thank you to Mia of happianarky.com for designing promos for me and setting up my website.
Thank you to all of my beta-readers; your feedback is invaluable to me and I can't thank you enough.
So many people to thank! Thanks to all my family and friends, and all of the other staff at Limitless Publishing for your incredible support along the way.


text:
Q: MYSQL: Create list of distinct column value per record Ticket_Number    Entered_By    Responded_By    Closed_By    Touched_by
----------------------------------------------------------------------
10001            John          NULL            Mike         John, Mike
10002            Sally         Mike            Mike         Sally, Mike
10003            NULL          George          Amber        George, Amber
10004            John          Holly           Timothy      John, Holly, Timothy

My data looks like the above.  What I am looking to do is add the last column, Touched_By.  Essentially I know I need to concatenate, remove the duplicates and then build a list without duplicated separators.  I just don't really know how.

A: Could you try this? you can test here http://www.sqlfiddle.com/#!2/7a4d2/1
SELECT number, GROUP_CONCAT(by_whom)
FROM (
    SELECT number, entered_by AS by_whom FROM ticket
    UNION
    SELECT number, responsed_by AS by_whom FROM ticket
    UNION
    SELECT number, closed_by AS by_whom FROM ticket
) x
WHERE by_whom IS NOT NULL
GROUP BY number;

+--------+-----------------------+
| number | GROUP_CONCAT(by_whom) |
+--------+-----------------------+
|  10001 | Mike,John             |
|  10002 | Mike,Sally            |
|  10003 | Amber,George          |
|  10004 | John,Timothy,Holly    |
+--------+-----------------------+

Please note that there is max length of GROUP_CONCAT() return value. Default value is enough for you which is 102400.
mysql> SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'group_concat_max_len';
+----------------------+--------+
| Variable_name        | Value  |
+----------------------+--------+
| group_concat_max_len | 102400 |
+----------------------+--------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)

A: The function concat_ws() has the nice feature that it skips NULL arguments.  That makes it useful for this:
select t.*,
       concat_ws(', ', Entered_By,
                 (case when Responded_By = Entered_By
                       then NULL else Responded_By
                  end),
                 (case when Closed_By = Entered_By or Closed_By = Responded_By
                       then NULL else Closed_By
                  end)
                ) as Resolved_By

Here is a SQL Fiddle.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Justia Patents For Multiple Memory Modules (e.g., Banks, Interleaved Memory)US Patent for Logical-to-physical address translation for a removable data storage device Patent (Patent # 9,286,243)
Logical-to-physical address translation for a removable data storage device
Apr 11, 2014 - Imation Corp.
A method for making memory more reliable involves accessing data stored in a removable storage device by translating a logical memory address provided by a host digital device to a physical memory address in the device. A logical memory address is received from the host digital device. The logical memory address corresponds to a location of data stored on the removable storage device. A physical memory address corresponding to the local address is determined by accessing a lookup table corresponding to the logical zone.
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The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/958,186, filed Aug. 2, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,725,985, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/441,359, filed Apr. 6, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,510,532, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/426,917, filed Apr. 20, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,176,295, which is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/426,924, filed Apr. 20, 2009, and entitled "Static Wear Leveling," each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, in its entirety and for all purposes.
The present invention relates generally to removable data storage devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to logical-to-physical address translation for a removable data storage device.
2. Related Art
In various types of memory, such as NAND flash, for example, reliability problems arise. As such, there is a need for a method and system for making memory, such as NAND flash, more reliable.
Embodiments of the present invention allow for making memory, such as NAND flash, for example, more reliable. Embodiments involve the accessing of data stored in a removable storage device by translating a logical memory address provided by a host digital device to a physical memory address in the removable storage device. Some of the data in the removable storage device is encrypted in one embodiment.
In a first claimed embodiment, a method is disclosed for making memory more reliable and for accessing encrypted data stored in a removable storage device by translating a logical memory address provided by a host digital device to a physical memory address in the removable storage device. The method includes receiving a logical memory address from the host digital device, the logical memory address corresponding to a location of encrypted data stored on the removable storage device. The method further includes determining a logical zone of memory on the removable storage device, the logical zone corresponding to the logical memory address. Additionally, the method includes determining a local address within the logical zone of memory on the removable storage device, the local address within the logical zone corresponding to the logical memory address. The method also includes determining a physical memory address corresponding to the local address by accessing a lookup table corresponding to the logical zone. The method still further includes determining a decryption key corresponding to the encrypted data stored at the physical memory address. The method further includes decrypting the encrypted data stored at the physical memory address using at least the decryption key to produce decrypted data. The method also includes transmitting the decrypted data to the host digital device.
In a second claimed embodiment, a method is disclosed for making memory more reliable and for accessing encrypted data stored in a removable storage device by translating a logical memory address provided by a host digital device to a physical memory address in the removable storage device. The method includes receiving a logical memory address from the host digital device, the logical memory address corresponding to a location of encrypted data stored on the removable storage device. The method also includes determining a logical zone of memory on the removable storage device, the logical zone corresponding to the logical memory address. The method further includes determining a local address within the logical zone of memory on the removable storage device, the local address within the logical zone corresponding to the logical memory address. The method still further includes creating a lookup table in random access memory coupled with a processor of the removable storage device based on memory map data stored in flash memory corresponding to the logical zone, the flash memory coupled with the processor. The method also includes determining a physical memory address corresponding to the local address within the logical zone by accessing the lookup table in random access memory. The method further includes determining a decryption key corresponding to the encrypted data stored at the physical memory address. The method still further includes decrypting the encrypted data stored at the physical memory address using at least the decryption key to produce decrypted data. Additionally, the method includes transmitting the decrypted data to the host digital device.
In a third claimed embodiment, a removable storage device configured for making memory more reliable is set forth. The removable storage device includes a flash memory that includes a plurality of non-volatile memory storage blocks. The removable storage device includes a processor coupled with the flash memory and configured to read data from and write data to the non-volatile memory storage blocks. The removable storage device further includes a communications interface coupled with the processor and configured to communicate the data to and from a host digital device. The removable storage device additionally includes a memory having stored thereon firmware executable by the processor to perform a method. The method includes receiving a logical memory address from the host digital device, the logical memory address corresponding to a location of encrypted data stored on the removable storage device. The method further includes determining a logical zone of memory on the removable storage device, the logical zone corresponding to the logical memory address. The method also includes determining a local address within the logical zone of memory on the removable storage device, the local address within the logical zone corresponding to the logical memory address. The method further includes creating a lookup table in random access memory coupled with a processor of the removable storage device based on memory map data stored in flash memory corresponding to the logical zone, the flash memory coupled with the processor. The method further includes determining a physical memory address corresponding to the local address within the logical zone by accessing the lookup table in random access memory. The method still further includes determining a decryption key corresponding to the encrypted data stored at the physical memory address. The method also includes decrypting the encrypted data stored at the physical memory address using at least the decryption key to produce decrypted data. Additionally, the method includes transmitting the decrypted data to the host digital device.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary logical memory addressing scheme.
FIG. 2A is an illustration of an exemplary memory page organization.
FIG. 2B is an illustration of an exemplary alternative memory page organization.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of accessing encrypted data stored in a removable storage device.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of managing master table lookup blocks and lookup table blocks during logical zone changes.
FIG. 5 is an exemplary block diagram of a system including a host and a portable data storage device.
FIG. 6 is an exemplary block diagram of a host including a processor, memory, storage, a communications interface, an input/output interface, and a bus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
Systems and methods are described for logical-to-physical address translation for a data storage device. The data storage can be a portable and/or removable data storage device, or other storage device. In exemplary embodiments, the data storage device can be removably and/or communicatively coupled with a host computer system. Embodiments relate to secure storage of data for access by a computer operating system, such as Windows.®., when a computer running the computer operating system is communicatively coupled with the portable data storage device. It is noteworthy that the data storage device need not be portable or removable in various embodiments according to the present invention. For example, the data storage device could be a disc drive in a computer or other device.
In various embodiments, the portable data storage device may include one or more physical memory integrated circuits or chips. The physical memory chips may include NAND flash, NOR flash, or other nonvolatile memory (NVM) technologies. The portable data storage device includes electronic circuitry, a processor, and/or firmware configured to map a logical memory address space to one or more physical memory chips such that each logical memory address within the logical memory address space might map to a single physical memory location of an equal memory capacity. In some embodiments, the physical memory chips have a larger total memory capacity combined than the logical memory address space to allow for some amount of defective or otherwise nonfunctional physical memory.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary logical memory addressing scheme. A logical memory addressing space 100 comprises a plurality of logical zones including logical zones 102 and 104. The logical memory addressing space 100 may have a maximum data storage capacity which is divided among the plurality of logical zones. In some embodiments, the maximum data storage capacity may be divided equally among the plurality of logical zones.
Each logical zone may include a plurality of logical blocks, such as logical blocks 106 to 108, or logical blocks 110 to 112. For example, a logical zone may include 512 logical blocks. Some logical blocks included within the logical zone may be utilized as spare blocks to replace other blocks. Additionally, some logical blocks included within the logical zone may be utilized for storage of address translation lookup tables or implementation of data storage management functions. Therefore, the actual number of logical blocks that may store data within the logical zone may be a smaller number, such as 500 logical blocks or fewer. However, it is also contemplated that a greater number of logical blocks can be included according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
In various embodiments, the extra data associated with each data sector might include data bits allocated to parity checking or forward error correction (FEC) of memory stored within the data sector. For example, the extra data might include 10 bytes of storage capacity for a four-symbol FEC of the data stored in the sector. In alternate embodiment, more or less storage capacity can be used. It is contemplated that BCH or various other error correction algorithms can be used. The extra data might also include information regarding how the data sector is utilized by the removable data storage device and the type of data stored in the data sector. The extra data can be used to create a logical-to-physical address translation table, or a lookup table.
In an embodiment according to the present technology, a data sector might have a memory capacity of 512 bytes. In alternative embodiments, the memory can be larger or smaller. There can also be 16 bytes of extra data associated with the data sector. In alternative embodiments, the extra data can have more or fewer bytes, and can include parity bytes, the IV, BL0 and BL1. Therefore, if a page includes eight sectors of data, the page might have a total data storage capacity of 4096 bytes and a total memory capacity of 4224 bytes.
In various embodiments, the extra data associated with each data sector might include data bits allocated to parity checking or forward error correction (FEC) of memory stored within the data sector. For example, the extra data might include 10 bytes of storage capacity for a four-symbol FEC of the data stored in the sector. In alternate embodiment, more or less storage capacity can be used. It is contemplated that BCH or various other error correction algorithms can be used. The extra data might also include information regarding the how the data sector is utilized by the removable data storage device and the type of data stored in the data sector. The extra data can be used to create a logical-to-physical address translation table, or a lookup table.
FIG. 2B is an exemplary illustration of an alternative memory page organization 212. In the memory page organization 212, a plurality of pairs of data sectors and extra data sectors are mapped adjacent to one another. More particularly, sector data 214 is mapped adjacent to sector extra data 216 within the memory address space corresponding to the page. Similarly, sector data 218 is mapped adjacent to sector extra data 220.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 300 of accessing encrypted data stored in a removable storage device. The method for accessing encrypted data stored in a removable storage device may include translating a logical memory address provided by a host digital device to a physical memory address in the removable storage device.
The removable data storage device may include multiple logical volumes when communicatively coupled with a host computer system. A first logical volume can be a read-only volume, which the host computer system may recognize or functionally interact with as a CD-ROM drive. A second logical volume can be a read/write removable data storage volume. In some embodiments, the read/write removable data storage volume includes a secured volume such that the host computer system is not granted access to the secured volume until the secured volume is unlocked. The secured volume may be considered locked until a user enters an appropriate password into a security software application configured to control access to the secure volume, for example. In one embodiment, the security software application includes a control panel application for the removable data storage device.
In step 302, a logical memory address is received from the host digital device or any other type of suitable device. The logical memory address may correspond to a location of encrypted data stored on the removable storage device. In one embodiment, receiving a logical memory address from the host digital device comprises receiving one or more read/write commands. In one embodiment one or more read/write commands can be implemented. These can be SCSI read/write commands or other commands, in various embodiments.
In step 304, a logical zone of memory on the removable storage device is determined. The logical memory address is analyzed to determine the logical zone that corresponds to the logical memory address. In one embodiment, firmware can identify the logical zone number and the residual number of the incoming commands.
A local address within the logical zone of memory on the removable storage device is determined in step 306. The local address within the logical zone may correspond to the logical memory address. For example, the local address may be an offset from the first logical address within a range of addresses included within the logical zone. In this example, the local address may be determined by subtracting the first logical address within the range of addresses included within the logical zone from the logical memory address.
In step 308, a physical memory address is determined. In one embodiment, a physical memory address corresponding to the local address within the logical zone is determined by accessing the lookup table in RAM. In one embodiment, the lookup table is in RAM of the device. In another embodiment, the lookup table is in RAM of the host.
In one embodiment, the lookup table corresponds to the logical zone. The physical memory address corresponding to the local address within the logical zone might correspond to a different flash memory chip than a physical memory address corresponding to a different local address within the logical zone.
In step 310, a lookup table is created in RAM. The current logical zone information is saved from a table buffer. The current LTB and MLTB status is then updated. MLTB is a master lookup table block. LTB is a lookup table block, and holds the lookup table for the logical zone.
It is noteworthy that the lookup table can include address translation between logical memory addresses received from the host digital device and physical memory addresses corresponding to the non-volatile memory chips within the removable storage device.
In one embodiment according to aspects of the present invention, two copies of a lookup table block (LTB0, LTB1) are set aside for a given logical zone. The LTB of the selected logical zone is stored in a table buffer area of RAM for speed optimization.
The LTB status is handled as follows, in one embodiment. When the device is provisioned or when the device is completely up-to-date and at rest, LTB0 can be active and LTB1 can be inactive, or vice-versa. When the device is accidentally removed or when the device is accessing the current logical zone, LTB0 can be inactive and LTB1 can be inactive.
In keeping with embodiments according to the present invention, when the firmware begins accessing a logical zone, it flips the active bit to inactive and accesses the logical zone. When it changes to another logical zone, then firmware updates the logical zone and sets the corresponding LTB entry to active. If the user unplugs the device before making LTB update, then both LTBs would be inactive and firmware will rebuild the logical-to-physical table if it encounters LTB0 and LTB1 inactive.
In one embodiment, a provisioning or manufacturing tool first writes MLTB, LTB0, and LTB1. In another embodiment, firmware can create default states by writing MLTBs and LTBs.
Next, when firmware accesses a new logical zone (e.g. the firmware switches from logical zone X to logical zone Y), it saves the current logical zone X LTB data and changes its LTB state in the MLTB from inactive to active.
The firmware subsequently loads a new logical zone Y to the table buffer, and flips the corresponding LTB from active to inactive in the MLTB. If the access switched to a new logical zone, then the procedure gets repeated from the point in the procedure where the firmware accesses a new logical zone. If a user unplugs the device or a surprise removal of the device from the host occurs in-between, the firmware knows from its MLTB status that both LTB0 and LTB1 are inactive and indicates the firmware to rebuild the table, as mentioned herein. In one embodiment, upon a sudden loss of power, the system loses at least the latest updated logical-to-physical table buffer.
Upon power on, firmware checks whether both LTBs are invalid. If both LTBs are invalid for a logical zone, then firmware picks one invalid LTB of the corresponding logical zone from MLTB information and reconstructs the updated logical-to-physical lookup table. In the case of a partial write, the firmware may identify the multiple physical blocks for a given logical block. The firmware can then reconstruct the logical block.
From the master lookup table block, the firmware knows the invalid LTB. In one embodiment, the firmware reads the old invalid LTB into a temporary buffer in order to identify the chip select, zone number, and physical block numbers of the 512 blocks in the LTB.
The LTB is then rebuilt by scanning those physical blocks. This is noteworthy because the firmware doesn't have any idea about the physical location of the logical block. The logical block can be across zones or chips, etc.
In some embodiments, a lookup table corresponding to only one logical zone may be stored in RAM at a time. In one embodiment, creating the lookup table in RAM is responsive to determining that a lookup table previously stored in the flash memory corresponding to the logical zone is invalid.
If a lookup table corresponding to a different logical zone than the logical zone corresponding to the current logical memory address is presently stored in RAM, the processor may save the lookup table to non-volatile memory and then create the new lookup table. If the lookup table corresponding to the current logical memory address is already stored in RAM, then the processor might skip step 310.
The non-volatile memory chips might be communicatively coupled with a processor of the removable storage device. The lookup table can be created based on memory map data stored in the flash memory corresponding to the logical zone.
In one embodiment according to aspects of the present invention, a table buffer rebuild process includes several steps. First, the appropriate inactive logical zone's lookup table buffer is loaded to another buffer. Next, firmware reads BL0:BL1. These are block status bytes that hold a block type, logical-to-physical information, and a decryption key. In one embodiment, this is accomplished using four-byte logical block address (LBA) cluster block information (i.e. chip select number, zone number, and physical block number). Subsequently, with BL0:BL1 information, firmware can re-establish the table buffer.
In one embodiment, the flash memory is communicatively coupled with the processor. It is contemplated that the processor might allocate two kilobytes of data for the lookup table, in one embodiment. Alternatively, other amounts of data greater or fewer than two kilobytes can be allocated.
The lookup table might include one entry per block in the logical zone. The entry might include some information bits that provide status information pertaining to the block. These information bits may include whether the block has been assigned as a memory block or whether the block is currently a spare block, whether the block is defective or otherwise nonfunctional, whether the block contains an active or inactive lookup table, or whether the block contains a master lookup table. The entry may also include a number of times that the block has been erased. The entry may also include physical address information for the physical memory in which the block is stored, such as a chip select number, a physical zone number, and a physical block number.
There may be two copies of the lookup table for each logical zone stored in physical non-volatile memory. A status of each copy of the lookup table may be marked as active or inactive. Normally, one copy is marked active while the other copy is marked inactive. Typically, when a logical zone is accessed, the lookup table in NVM corresponding to the logical zone is marked as inactive.
When a different logical zone than one corresponding to the present logical memory address is accessed, or the removable data storage device is properly decoupled from the host digital device, the lookup table presently in RAM is written to NVM in place of one of the copies. In various embodiments, RAM can be located on the host and/or the device. When the lookup table is written to NVM, the written lookup table is marked as active, while the copy is marked as inactive. If both copies are marked inactive, data stored within the lookup tables may no longer be accurate. This inaccuracy may be due to the removable data storage device being removed from the host digital device prematurely or incorrectly. If both copies are found to be marked inactive, a new lookup table may be created in RAM by analyzing the two inactive lookup tables corresponding to the logical zone as well as extra data corresponding to the data sectors within the blocks of the logical zone.
In one embodiment, one or more copies of a master lookup table may be stored on a block within the logical memory addressing space 100. The master lookup table is a table indicating where all the lookup tables for all of the logical zones are. This information can be stored in one place. However, it is contemplated that this information could be stored in more than one place in alternative embodiments.
The firmware can access the master lookup table in order to determine where the lookup tables of the logical zones are. Then the firmware can access the lookup tables of the logical zones. Based on their status, the system can make a decision. If one of the lookup tables is marked active then it can be used. If they are both marked inactive then the lookup tables should be created again from scratch. The system then creates them.
In one embodiment, there are two copies of the lookup table. There are also two copies of each of these lookup tables for each logical zone, in one embodiment.
In one embodiment, there are two copies of the MLTB designated MLTB 00 and MLTB 01. These two copies exist at the final chip select, and the manufacturing (MFG) or provisioning tool provides the whereabouts of the MLTB 00.sup.th physical block number and chip select number.
Upon doing a power cycle, firmware identifies the MTB block area and makes it ready for flash input/output (I/O) operation. In order to minimize the erase cycle, firmware can hit an erase command when it runs out of free pages in the LBA cluster block. The MLTB block gets updated when there is a change in the following parameters: (1) active/inactive LTB status; (2) average LTB erase count; and/or (3) LTB erase multiplication factor.
In one method according to exemplary embodiments, a typical MLTB 00 update sequence might include several steps. First, the current MLTB 00 is read to a buffer, say, Buffer2. Next, new data is updated onto Buffer2. Then the firmware then determines if free page availability is found in MLTB 00.
If free page availability is found in MLTB 00, then new data is updated onto a new page in MLTB 00. If free page availability is not found in MLTB 00, then MLTB 00 is erased and the system restarts from the first page.
Subsequently, MLTB 00 is erased and new data is updated onto a new page in MLTB 00. MLTB 01 is also erased, and new data is updated onto a new page in MLTB 01.
The master lookup table might include one entry per logical zone. Each entry of the master lookup table might include an address for the lookup table, the average erase count for the lookup table, and a cycle count for the lookup table indicating how many times the average erase count has been reset. The master lookup table can be stored in a consistent place on the physical non-volatile memory so that it may be readily accessed without address translation. For example, the one or more copies of the master lookup table may be stored at the last physical zone of the last chip select number.
In keeping with embodiments according to the present invention, if the firmware encounters an error during erase or write operations, it marks the block as bad. The firmware then and makes an entry in the LTB so that the block will not be used in the future.
Turning to step 312, a decryption key is determined. The decryption key corresponds to the encrypted data stored at the physical memory address. In one embodiment, the decryption key is determined by accessing the lookup table in RAM. The decryption key can be determined according to a range of logical memory addresses corresponding to the logical zone. In one embodiment, the decryption key corresponding to the encrypted data stored at the physical memory address is different than a decryption key corresponding to encrypted data stored at another physical memory address to which the logical zone corresponds. In one embodiment, the physical memory address corresponding to the local address within the logical zone corresponds to a different flash memory chip than a physical memory address corresponding to a different local address within the logical zone.
In step 314, the encrypted data stored at the physical memory address is decrypted. This is accomplished using at least the decryption key to produce decrypted data.
In step 316, the decrypted data is transmitted to the host digital device.
In one exemplary embodiment, a method for logical-to-physical address translation, or mapping, can be summarized. First, the host issues SCSI read/write commands. As mentioned herein, the read/write commands do not have to be SCSI read/write commands. Next, firmware identifies the incoming commands' logical zone number and the residual number. The current logical zone information is then saved from a table buffer, and the current LTB and MLTB statuses are updated. Subsequently, the incoming logical zone's LTB is moved to the table buffer and the MLTB status is updated. Next, using the residual number and logical indexing, firmware picks up the exact chip select, physical zone and physical block number. Firmware then calculates a starting physical address. Subsequently, firmware loads the physical address to hardware registers and enables data transfer.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 400, illustrating a typical logical-to-NAND-physical address translation, according to one exemplary embodiment. FIG. 4 illustrates one way that the MLTB and LTBs might be managed during logical zone changes. It is contemplated that other technology than NAND may be implemented in various embodiments according to the present invention.
In step 402, the system gets the logical address from a SCSI command. The new logical zone is calculated. The logical offset for the incoming logical address is also calculated.
In decision step 404, if the current logical zone is equal to the new logical zone then the process proceeds to step 406. If the current logical zone is not equal to the new logical zone, then the process proceeds to step 408.
In step 408, the current table buffer data is saved to the current logical zone lookup table block, and its status is updated from inactive to active. The process then proceeds to decision step 410.
In decision step 410, if both lookup table block statuses for the new logical zone are inactive, then the process proceeds to step 412. If both lookup table block statuses for the new logical zone are not inactive, then the process proceeds to step 414.
In step 412, the table buffer is rebuilt. This rebuild, described herein, can be accomplished using inactive lookup table block data. The process then proceeds to step 416.
In step 414, new logical zone lookup table data is loaded to the table buffer. Its MTB status is updated from active to inactive. The process then proceeds to step 416.
In step 416, the current logical zone is set equal to the new logical zone. The process then proceeds to step 406.
In step 406, using logical offset, the LBA cluster entry is picked up from the table buffer.
In step 418, from the LBA cluster entry from the table buffer, the flash address structure is loaded with the exact NAND physical address and chip selection.
In one embodiment, a key can be assigned to each LBA range. It is contemplated that each key can be unique.
FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system 500 employing embodiments of the present invention. As depicted, the system 500 includes a host 502 in communication with a portable device 504, which in turn includes a non-volatile memory controller 506 and non-volatile memory 508. In alternative embodiments, the host 502 and the portable device 504 may be combined into a single device.
The host 502 may be any device that can interface with a removable data storage device such as portable device 504. Examples of the host 502 may include personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and various other computing devices. Examples of the host 502 may also include printers, digital cameras, scanners, and other devices that may store and retrieve data from the portable device 504. Many of these examples may have a software-based or firmware-based operating system that sends write commands to the portable device 504.
The portable device 504 may include any device that includes non-volatile memory in which stored information is retained whether or not the portable device 504 is powered. An example of the portable device 504 is a removable data storage device. For illustrative purposes, non-volatile memory is discussed herein in the context of flash memory. Flash memory is used in a number of applications such as universal serial bus (USB) flash drives and various memory cards. Flash memory may also be used in personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, digital audio players, digital cameras, and mobile phones. The portable device 504 may be communicatively coupled with the host 502 either physically or wirelessly.
The non-volatile memory controller 506 might include a small microcontroller. The non-volatile memory controller 506 might also include some amount of on-chip ROM and/or RAM. The non-volatile memory controller 506 might include software and/or firmware that may execute various modules described herein. As such, the non-volatile memory controller 506 can function as an intermediary between the host 502 and the non-volatile memory 508. The non-volatile memory controller 506 can comprise one or more integrated circuits configured to provide the functionality of the non-volatile memory controller 506.
The non-volatile memory 508 can include any type of memory that may be electrically erased and rewritten such as NAND flash and NOR flash. The non-volatile memory 508 can comprise other memory technologies as they become available. NAND flash technologies include single-level cell (SLC) and multi-level cell (MLC) technologies. Typically, SLC NAND may have a longevity of approximately 100,000 write cycles, while MLC NAND may have a longevity of approximately 1,500 write cycles. SLC is typically faster and more reliable than MLC NAND technologies.
The non-volatile memory 508 can include a plurality of physical memory chips. Each physical memory chip might be individually addressable using a chip select. In an exemplary embodiment, the portable device 504 can include N physical memory chips, with each physical memory chip assigned a unique chip select value from 0 to N-1. In some embodiments, N may range from 1 up to 8. It is also contemplated that N can be greater than 8.
NAND flash physical memory chips can typically be organized by memory blocks, memory pages, and memory sectors. In some embodiments, a NAND flash physical memory chip may have two kilobytes or four kilobytes of data storage capacity per page, and 64 or 128 pages per block. A NAND flash physical memory chip might also support multi-plane or multi-plane multi-chip memory addressing functionality. Multi-plane memory addressing functionality can enable two NAND physical memory blocks to represent a single logical block, whereas multi-plane multi-chip memory addressing functionality can enable four NAND physical memory blocks to represent a single logical block.
Accordingly, a data storage capacity of a single logical block may equal up to four NAND physical memory blocks. Multi-plane memory addressing functionality might include a dual-channel configuration, in which a single physical memory address is allocated across two physical memory chips with one physical memory chip representing the most significant byte (MSB) of the physical memory address, while the second physical memory chip represents the least significant byte (LSB) of the physical memory address. A dual-channel configuration may have double the memory capacity compared to a single-channel configuration.
FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary host 600. In one embodiment, the host 600 comprises at least a processor 606, a memory 608, and a storage 610, which are communicatively coupled with a bus 612. The host 600 can also comprise a communications interface 602 and an I/O interface 604. The communications interface 602 may couple with a network via a network communications medium 614. The bus 612 provides communications between the communications interface 602, the processor 606, the memory 608, the storage 610, and the I/O interface 604.
The processor 606 executes instructions. The memory 608 permanently or temporarily stores data. Some examples of the memory 608 are RAM and ROM. The storage 610 can include a hard disk, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), a floppy disk, or a flash memory card. The I/O interface 604 can include any device that can receive input and provide output to a user. The I/O interface 604 can include, but is not limited to, an interface to a keyboard, a mouse, a video monitor, a touchscreen, a keypad, or a biosensor. The I/O interface 604 might also communicate with a removable data storage device, such as the portable device 504 via an I/O communications medium 616. Examples of the I/O communications medium 616 include a USB cable, a FireWire cable, an eSATA cable, and free space for wireless communications such as WiFi and Bluetooth. In some embodiments, the host 600 comprises a graphical user interface to be displayed to a user over a video monitor in order to allow the user to control the host 600.
The embodiments discussed herein are illustrative. As these embodiments are described with reference to illustrations, various modifications or adaptations of the methods and/or specific structures described may become apparent to those skilled in the art.
The above-described modules can be comprised of instructions that are stored on storage media (e.g., computer readable storage media). The instructions may be retrieved and executed by a processor (e.g., the processor 606). Some examples of instructions include software, program code, and firmware. Some examples of storage media comprise memory devices and integrated circuits. The instructions are operational when executed by the processor to direct the processor to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art are familiar with instructions, processor(s), and storage media.
While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. The descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular forms set forth herein. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred embodiment should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the above description is illustrative and not restrictive. To the contrary, the present descriptions are intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and otherwise appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.
1. A removable storage device comprising:
memory configured to store encrypted data at physical memory addresses within the removable storage device;
a processor coupled with the memory, the processor configured to: receive logical addresses from a host device; determine the physical memory addresses corresponding to the logical memory addresses via a lookup table; determine a decryption key corresponding to the encrypted data stored at the physical memory addresses, wherein different decryption keys correspond to encrypted data stored at other physical memory addresses within the removable storage device; and decrypt the encrypted data using the decryption key corresponding to the encrypted data stored at the physical memory addresses, wherein the different decryption keys correspond to encrypted data stored at different physical memory addresses in the memory of the removable storage device; and
an interface coupled with the processor, the interface configured to communicate the decrypted data from the removable storage device to the host device.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the different decryption keys are assigned to different logical block address ranges within the memory, the different logical block address ranges corresponding to different physical block numbers of the different physical memory addresses within the memory.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the lookup table comprises block status bytes that hold unique decryption keys for each of the different logical block address ranges.
4. The device of claim 2, wherein the physical block numbers correspond to sets of memory pages, each of the memory pages comprising sector data mapped to the physical memory addresses and extra data mapped adjacent the sector data.
5. The device of claim 4, wherein the extra data include parity bits allocated to parity checking of the sector data.
6. The device of claim 4, wherein the extra data include error correction bytes allocated to error correction of the sector data.
7. The device of claim 4, wherein the extra data include data sector utilization information used to create the lookup table.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the different physical addresses correspond to different physical blocks of the memory.
9. The device of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of memory pages mapping sector data to the physical memory addresses in each of the different physical blocks, and further comprising extra data mapped adjacent the sector data.
10. The device of claim 9, wherein the extra data include data sector information used to create the lookup table.
11. A removable storage device comprising:
a lookup table configured to map the physical memory addresses to logical memory addresses;
a memory controller configured to: determine a decryption key corresponding to the encrypted data stored at the physical memory addresses, wherein different decryption keys correspond to encrypted data stored at other physical memory addresses within the removable storage device; and decrypt the encrypted data using the decryption key corresponding to the encrypted data stored at the physical memory addresses, wherein the different decryption keys are assigned to different logical block address ranges corresponding to different physical blocks of the memory on the removable storage device; and
an interface coupled with the memory controller, the interface configured to receive the logical memory addresses from a host device and communicate the decrypted data from the removable storage device to the host device.
12. The device of claim 11, wherein the lookup table comprises block status bytes that hold unique decryption keys for each of the different logical block address ranges.
13. The device of claim 11, wherein each of the physical memory blocks comprises a plurality of memory pages, each of the memory pages comprising sector data mapped to the physical memory addresses and extra data mapped adjacent the sector data.
14. The device of claim 13, wherein the memory pages map a plurality of adjacent data sectors comprising the sector data adjacent an extra sector comprising the extra data.
15. The device of claim 13, wherein the memory pages map adjacent pairs of data sectors and extra sectors to the physical memory addresses within the different physical memory blocks, such that the data sectors comprising the sector data are adjacent the extra sectors comprising the extra data.
16. The device of claim 13, wherein the extra data include parity bits allocated to parity checking of the sector data.
17. The device of claim 13, wherein the extra data include data sector utilization information used to create the lookup table.
18. A portable storage device comprising:
memory configured to store encrypted data at physical memory addresses with different physical block numbers within the portable storage device, the memory having a page organization wherein sector data are mapped to the physical memory addresses and extra data are mapped adjacent the sector data;
a lookup table for mapping the physical memory addresses to logical memory addresses, the lookup table assigning different decryption keys to different logical block address ranges corresponding to the different physical block numbers;
a processor coupled with the memory, the processor configured to determine the different decryption keys assigned to the different logical block address ranges within the memory of the portable storage device, and decrypt the encrypted data, using the different decryption keys; and
an interface coupled with the processor, the interface configured to receive the logical memory addresses and communicate the decrypted data to a host device.
20. The device of claim 18, wherein the extra data include storage bytes allocated to error correction of the sector data.
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Assignee: Imation Corp. (Oakdale, MN)
Inventor: Arunprasad Ramiya Mothilal (San Jose, CA)
Primary Examiner: Jae Yu
Current U.S. Class: For Multiple Memory Modules (e.g., Banks, Interleaved Memory) (711/5)
International Classification: G06F 12/14 (20060101); G06F 12/02 (20060101); H04L 9/12 (20060101); H04L 9/30 (20060101);


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Overview of frequently asked questions and answers related to the complex service of electronic toll collection
On which roads will there be an obligation to pay tolls from 1 July 2022?
The range of toll sections is extended by the government decree by 373.3 kilometers of 1st class roads. Specifically, the following sections of 1st class roads will be tolled in both directions:
road I/16 Řevničov - Bezděčín, length 88,4 km
road I/22 Vodňany - Klatovy, length 75,2 km
road I/27 Plzeň, Litice - Klatovy, length 38,8 km
road I/34 Havlíčkův Brod - Koclířov, length 81,5 km
road I/38 Jihlava - Hatě, length 89,4 km
You can find a clear map of toll roads as well as contact and distribution points where the necessary registration of the vehicle can be made can be found here.
I returned the on-board unit. Is the registration of the vehicle cancelled?
In the a post-pay mode, the return of the on-board unit does not automatically mean the termination of the vehicle registration. Registration of the vehicle remains open in case that the Vehicle Operator wants to pick up another on-board unit in the future. If the Vehicle Operator no longer needs any on-board unit for the specific vehicle in the future (for example, he sold the vehicle), it is necessary to cancel the registration of the vehicle in one of the following ways:
The User with the post-pay terms agreement with deferred maturity terminates the registration of the vehicle in the Customer Zone.
The User with the post-pay terms agreement with a fuel card payment contacts the Fuel Card Issuer.
In both cases, the vehicle registration can also be terminated at the Contact Point, where the authorized person (statutory representative of the company or authorized person) will arrive.
In a pre-pay mode, the return of the on-board unit also terminates the registration of the vehicle.
Does charging new sections mean that the vehicle must have an on-board unit on these roads?
Yes, for driving on toll roads (thus also newly charged from 1 July 2022) the carrier must meet the necessary requirements. In particular, to register the vehicle in the Electronic Toll System and equip it with an on-board unit. Registration can be done online or at one of the points of sale. If the carrier uses one of the fleet cards, the carrier can also ask the fleet card issuer for assistance.
You can also get all the necessary information on the customer service line +420 243 243 243.
How do I install the new electronic device?
The procedure for installing the electronic device can be found here: here.
What do I need to register a vehicle?
In order to register a vehicle in the electronic toll system, the vehicle operator is obliged - in accordance with the act and the decree - to provide the system operator with the data necessary to register the vehicle and submit the vehicle technical certificate or the vehicle registration certificate.
Which vehicle categories are subject to toll payment?
A vehicle in the Electronic Toll System with at least four wheels, the maximum permissible weight being over 3.5 tons, shall be subject to toll payment for using a toll road.
Where can I get the required onboard unit?
The on-board unit is provided to the carriers in exchange for the deposit. It can be picked up at points of sale. You can find a list of distribution and contact points (including outages) in the Documents to download section (https://mytocz.eu/en/documents).
How can caravans and campers with maximum permissible weight of more than 3,5 tons be registered into the toll system?
According to the Czech law, this type of vehicles must be registered as truck. It is not a bus.
What signature to use for electronic submissions?
If the originator of the submission is a company, entrepreneur or citizen with domicile in Slovakia, it may use a qualified signature or a recognised signature (i.e. a signature based on a qualified certificate, which is not necessarily stored on a qualified device)
If the originator is a public authority (public institution) in the Czech Republic, it must use a qualified signature with a qualified time stamp
If the originator of the submission is a company, an entrepreneur or a citizen with a domicile in the EU, it must use a qualified signature
If the originator of the submission is a company, an entrepreneur or a citizen with a domicile outside the EU, it can use any signature issued by a trusted certification body
I want to return the on-board unit by post. How should I proceed?
The on-board units can be returned personally at the distribution or contact points or eventually they can be sent by post to the address (no Premid OBU!): Annex NET s.r.o., České družiny 5, 160 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic together with a duly completed claim form including complete bank details, that can be downloaded from our websites. The on-board units should be shipped by post well in advance of the expiration date. If you send the on-board unit by mail and you will need a new one again in shorter time than 6 months, there will be a risk that the return process of your on board unit will not be finished yet and new registration of your vehicle at that time will not be possible. If you are sending multiple Onboard Units at once, pack them so that they do not come into physical contact with each other during transport. This will prevent possible damage to the devices. We do not recommend sending on-board units outside of the European Union due to the customs duties. Pre-pay units for which funds were paid in cash are recommended to be returned in person at service points.
Is it possible to apply for toll discounts in the new toll system?
The system of toll discounts continues to work; the rules for their provision are determined by Government Regulation No. 240/2014 Coll. and specified in the General Terms and Conditions.
The carrier has to register the vehicle to the toll discount system in the Customer Zone using an electronic signature (accesses were generated by the carrier when registering the vehicle) and complete the Discount information provision form, which can be downloaded from the Documents for download section. The carrier can also register the vehicle to the toll discount system without an electronic signature at the contact point where the authorized person will bring the completed Discount information provision form and a copy of the vehicle registration certificate. The discount system can be used by all operators with their vehicles operating both in postpay and prepay mode.
In order to approve the registration for discounts, it is necessary that the applicant for the discount is stated in the vehicle registration certificate as the owner or operator of the vehicle. Otherwise, it is necessary to submit a lease agreement or a leasing contract.
I operate an electric or hydrogen-fuelled vehicle. Am I entitled to an exemption from toll payment?
Yes, according to the amendment to Act No. 13/1997 Coll., which came into effect as of 1 January 2020, (a) vehicles using exclusively electricity or hydrogen as fuel, and (b) vehicles using electricity or hydrogen in combination with another fuel, if the CO2 emission value in the combined operation does not exceed 50 g/km, are entitled to toll payment exemption.
Vehicles already registered as toll free on the basis of an amendment to Act No. 13/1997 Coll. are entitled to a toll refund of tolls paid from 1.1.2020. The entiltement for a reimbursement of toll payment arises by submitting an application, i.e. by completing a claim form sent by email to info@mytocz.eu, creating a submission in your customer zone, or submitting a claim form through the Contact point. The application must contain:
Vehicle licence plate number
Account number to which funds will be transferred (funds can only be returned by bank transfer)
Proof that the applicant is the owner or the operator of the vehicle (large technical certificate, leasing contract)
I have a means of electronic identification. Does that mean I can log in to the Self-Care Portal?
In order to be able to log in to your Self-Care Portal, it is first necessary that you have established user access to the Self-Care Portal (it is generated automatically when registering your vehicle) and know the login details (you will find this information in the e-mail sent to you during registration or you can request them at info@mytocz or +420 243 243 243). Subsequently, it is necessary to connect your user access to the Self-Care Portal with the means of electronic identification. Only then will it be possible to log in to the Self-Care Portal via electronic identity.
What does a damaged electronic device mean?
"Damaged electronic device" means an Electronic device that is mechanically damaged (eg broken, scratched device or missing power cord or degraded or otherwise damaged bar / numeric code) or has visually visible signs of damage (eg labelled, dirty, burnt, leaked / appearing signs of liquid penetration into the device or contaminated with glue or equiped with a cable other than that specified by the manufacturer or received at the Distribution or Contact Point or by post). A damaged electronic device is assessed regardless of the functionality of the barcode or the Electronic Device as such. The damaged electronic device is such an electronic device, which malfunction was caused by the Vehicle Operator or the Driver, this fact is confirmed by authorized persons.
What tool should I use to sign a document?
We recommend to use e.g. Adobe Acrobat Reader.
The procedure for signing in Acrobat:
The PDF file opens which you want to sign.
At the top left, click the "Tools" tab.
Click the "Certificates" item.
Acrobat switches back to the open PDF and the "Certificates" panel appears at the top.
Click the "Digital sign" button.
The signature field is drawn manually to show the visible portion of the signature.
A dialogue box opens where you need to select the certificate to create the signature.
Click the "Sign" button.
September A dialogue box for saving the resulting document with the signature opens.
Acrobat creates a signature and saves the document. Alternatively, you may see a dialogue box for entering the PIN/password for the signature key, depending on the specific device used for signing.