text:
June 14, 2017 PatentAnthony McCain
John Duffy: The Supreme Court Reverses Another Federal Circuit Patent Case
Gene Quinn: Industry Reaction To SCOTUS Decision In Sandoz v. Amgen
Richard Lloyd: The Oil States IPR Case Could Be One Of Those Rare Instances Where SCOTUS Sides With The CAFC
Scott Graham: Lawmakers Plot Next Steps On Patent Reform
Joseph Herndon: Credit Acceptance v. Westlake Services
Van Pelt, Yi & James
Klarquist Sparkman
Armstrong Teasdale
← Issue Preclusion and Disqualification	Guest Post: Secret Software Sales →
Ned Heller says:
Distant, the feigned procedure was not required for an action filed in the Petty Bag.
Chesnin, Harold, and Geoffrey C. Hazard. "Chancery Procedure and the Seventh Amendment: Jury Trial of Issues in Equity Cases Before 1791." The Yale Law Journal 83.5 (1974): 999-1021.
Distant Perspective says:
Petty Bag, as we both know, was common law, not equity.
Indeed I seem to recall reading, probably from Coke, that the Lord Chancellor's common law jurisdiction and the King's Bench together constituted a single court, coram domino rege (translated in Black's Law Dictionary as "before our lord the King", with the King's Bench "division" being denominated coram domino rege apud Westmonasterium and the Lord Chancellor's "division" being denominated coram domino rege in cancelleria.
The Lord Chancellor's equity jurisdiction was a separate jurisdiction. Where remedies for injustice were not available in common law, the King could still order people around, ordering them to do things, not to do things, not to bring complaints before common law courts etc., and would consult Lords Chancellor. In the fullness of time, the Lord Chancellor could sit in equity representing "the conscience of the King", and petitioners would address their complaints directly to the Lord Chancellor, who would sit in equity to dispense equitable remedies in the name of the King.
Thus the dividing line between common law and equity lay within the Chancery, not between the King's Bench and the Chancery.
(This is why briefs misinforming SCOTUS get it wrong, when they quote law review article for the assertion that, because scire facias actions were taken in Chancery in 18th century and early 19th century England, therefore they were suits in equity.)
Moreover, though the Lord Chancellor sitting in equity could not empanel a jury, he, unlike the common law courts, had the power to compel discovery of relevant documents. I recall that is was for that reason that many patent cases were commenced in Chancery, in equity, seeking injunctions against future infringement. Once discovery was complete, a parallel suit could be taken in common law if damages were sought.
But, on the basis of what I read in an early 19th century treatise, if the Chancellor was sitting in equity (not necessarily in a patent case), and if some factual matter arose where a jury verdict was desirable, then an issue triable at common law would be feigned (e.g., the wager where the gambling debt was due in the event of the fact being established), and the trial of the common law issue would take place, maybe in some assize court away from London where witnesses were located, and the result of the trial would noticed by the Lord Chancellor.
Thanks, Distant.
I agree with you that briefs that argue that scire facias actions were in equity simply because they were filed in Chancery are misinforming. Hopefully, in the upcoming briefing to the Supreme Court, those misinforming the court will be called out.
Ned,
Your comment about "being called out" struck a chord with me.
Of what good would any such "calling out" achieve?
It is the current system of amicus briefing that contains NO accountability for misinforming the Court that is problematic.
9.1.1.1.1
anon, interesting question indeed.
If one is shown to intentionally misinform the court, you think there will be no consequences?
9.1.1.1.1.1
There is apparently no such consequences now, why (and how) would that change?
You tell me, Ned: link to patentlyo.com
"coram domino rege in cancelleria, et additio probat minoritatem"
4th Part, Coke Inst., Cap. 8, 79.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Justices wanted to go deep into English procedure in Chancery. The parties will really need to be up to speed.
Distant, in terms of nomenclature, many commentators speak of the common law side of Chancery as the Petty Bag, when it actually is the Chancery division of King's Bench, the Petty Bag being located in Chancery and the place where some records are kept, including patent records.
I will try here to summarize the scire facias procedure, documented in more detail in comments to earlier posts on this blog. The Attorney General (or a lawyer representing him) would prosecute a scire facias action to invalidate a patent. The writ was presented to the Petty Bag Office of Chancery, which handled the common law jurisdiction of the Lord Chancellor. The patent rolls were maintained in the Chancery. The Lord Chancellor had very limited jurisdiction in common law (the most significant being scire facias actions to repeal letters patent, and also habeas corpus, allowing the latter to be considered outside the terms when the law courts sat). Moreover the Lord Chancellor had no authority to empanel a jury to decide questions of fact. Accordingly the record, including the terms of the letters patent and the associated specification, was made up in Chancery, and delivered to the Court of King's Bench for trial. In the event that the jury verdict deemed the letters patent to be invalid, the letters patent could be voided either in the Court of King's Bench (e.g., by the Lord Chief Justice), or else by the Lord Chancellor in the Petty Bag Office. To conclude the proceedings, the Lord Chancellor would cancel the record of the letters patent in the patent rolls by scoring lines across it. The entire proceedings took place at common law.
Note that there is copious documentation of scire facias proceedings in Rex v. Arkwright (1785).
Also, the mere fact that the writ of scire facias, like quo warranto or habeas corpus has a Latin name should, in itself, alert an informed lawyer that it is an action at common law. Indeed the common law side of Chancery was also referred to as the Latin side, whereas the equitable jurisdiction represented the English side of the Court of Chancery.
A quick reminder. Presumably lawyers with high profile cases can afford to arrange for the viewing of public records. Accordingly, if a researcher in London, England wishes to consult the government records in the National Archives relating to scire facias actions to invalidate patents of invention, the records are catalogued here:
link to discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk
I thought I might do a web search to see if I could locate patent cases in the English Court of Chancery, with the Lord Chancellor sitting in equity.
Prior expectation: such cases should involve decisions on equitable remedies (only), particularly injunctions and recovery of profits.
This seems borne out by the first case I have found (two related cases in fact): Bacon v. Spottiswoode and Bacon v. Jones (1839). The plaintiff sought an injunction against infringement of his patent on an improvement in gas burners. Maybe later than 1891, but there would have been on significant change in the applicable law as far as I am aware. Report below.
Reports of cases decided in the High Court of Chancery, Vol 17, pp. 382–390. Google books URL here:
link to books.google.com
Apparently the normal practice would have been for the patentee to seek the equitable remedy of a preliminary injunction, before a hearing on the merits, on the basis of likelihood of success of an action for infringement in a common law court. A permanent injunction might issue subsequently if the patentee established his title in a court of (common) law. In this case the patentee did not seek such a preliminary injunction at the outset. He later sought an injunction at a later stage. According to the Master of the Rolls, this might have been possible if the patentee had proved his title by clear and unexceptional evidence in the hearing in the Court of Chancery. But the Master of the Rolls judged that the plaintiff in this case did not make out a prima facie in this respect. Accordinly, on account of laches on the part of the plaintiff in not taking actions open to him to vindicate his patent rights at the outset, the Master of the Rolls declined to grant an injunction whilst the patentee established his title through infringement proceedings in a law court. Establishment of title would be a prerequisite required for issuance of a permanent injunction.
Something to take away from this case is that infringement and invalidity proceedings would need to be conducted in the law courts. A quote from the Master of the Rolls:
"I apprehend that the plaintiff must show his title clearly: and if he fails in that, and has not previously obtained an injunction, he will not be allowed to use the facts proved in the cause, as evidence of a prima facia case, giving him a right to further delay, for the purpose of enabling him to establish, more satisfactorily, the legal title, upon which alone his equity is founded."
In conclusion, to drive the point home, it was not the business of the High Court of Chancery, sitting in equity, to make a definitive ruling on the legal title to the patent. Such questions of validity are the prerogative of the common law courts.
A little nugget concerning scire facias for what it is worth. At least it highlights a differen
ce in conception between scire facias and proceedings arising out of IPRSs. Source follows.
Sir Francis Buller, An introduction to the law relating to trials at nisi prius (1775), p.285.
(N.B., Justice Buller was the trial judge in the scire facias case Rex v. Arkwright (1785).
URL is here:
link to books.google.ie
"A Scire Facias action was brought by the King to avoid a Patent, and Exception was taken to the Witness, because he was Deputy to the Persons that would avoid it, and the Exception was disallowed, because the Scire Facias is in the King's Name, and therefore it cannot be presumed that the Interest is in another, which would destroy the very being of the Scire Facias, but the Proof of that ought to come on the Defendant's Side, to destroy the Proceedings."
Paul, Polk's Lessee v. Wendal, 13 U.S. (9 Cranch) 87, 3 L. Ed. 665 (1815) has the complete answer to interferences.
Disputes between two claimants to the same property are best resolved in courts of equity for the reasons stated in the opinion. But validity is decided in a court of law — which includes a right to a trial by jury.
Thus the patent owner losing on validity of his patent would have a right to trial de novo and to a jury.
Posted here only because of the filter.
I would like to post this in the Oil States thread, but once again, the filter got me.
Many of us against IPRs pound the "patents are property" table as if it were self-evident that that argument was by itself a constitutional argument that would prevent validity trials in the patent office. But why? The only constitutional provision that the status of property directly affects is the Takings Clause. Simply being property does not prevent Congress from regulating property rights, given the literally thousands of cases that illustrate that point. Congress can assign the regulation of property rights to administrative agencies without any constitutional violation. MCM Portfolio LLC v. Hewlett-Packard, the Federal Circuit cited numbers of examples in support of its opinion.
I know that McCormick Harvesting rested its holding on the fact that patents were property and should be treated like other property. Thus the Supreme Court has consistently held that the validity of land patents has to be tried in courts of law. But why? Why cannot Congress assign the Land Office the determination of whether a land patent was issued by mistake? What constitutional provision prevents this?
I know the answer, but I want you guys to think about it.
Greg DeLassus says:
That is a good question, Ned. I suppose because fools rush in where angels fear to tread, I will venture the response that the prohibition against assigning historically judicial tasks to administrative tribunals inheres in the separation that the constitution creates between Art. III and Art. I.
Art. III judges are endowed with particular job protections (serve for life, compensation may never be diminished) that are intended to insulate them from political pressure, and thus ensure their neutrality. If judicial functions could be reassigned out of the hands of Art. III judges and into the hands of political appointees in administrative agencies created by congress, then this would sap the force of all of those insulating safe-guards that Art. III creates for the judiciary.
Greg – you need one more item: the focus is on land (property).
Make patents into a non-property, and the repercussions must unfold…..
Good thing that literally no one is arguing to make patents not to be property.
Except when you realize that a public right is not property…
anon, whether something is property or not is largely irrelevant to the public rights issue.
7.1.1.1.1.1.1
Just not so, Ned.
See the definition provided for "public right" on another thread.
Feel free to first define the term before you use the term in a legal discussion. And by define, I do not mean to say "what a public right is not."
Once you grasp what the affirmative definition entails, the (purposeful) muckery is greatly reduced.
Should we not be aiming for clarity in our legal discussions?
Greg, Yes. And the case is Murray's Lessee that so holds.
Patent and land validity were uniformly tried in courts of law and to juries in England prior to 1790.
Trump, for months, has bristled almost daily about the ongoing probes. He has sometimes, without prompting, injected. "I'm not under investigation" into conversations with associates and allies.
Sure, that's normal.
This guy was clearly an incompetent ment @l case long before the election. He's like the old a-h0le uncle who does nothing but watch FOX and sports and yell at the TV whenever one of those "colored" people everywhere to ruin his dream.
Thank goodness, though, for "anon's" "protest vote". Very serious stuff. Because it's not life people's lives are at stake or anything.
Independent Inventor says:
Re Oil States:
Unconstitutionality rulings often result in at least a modicum of "chaos."
Nothing new or unexpected there; merely one of the necessary byproducts of righting a wrong in our American system of justice.
And a great byproduct is that once the corrective effects have worked their way through the system, the burdensome IPR/CBM/PGR weight is removed from the backs of the overworked CAFC Judges and their staff.
And that's a very good result indeed.
Because "independent inventor" really really cares about "overworked" Federal employees.
"I do want to put some of [the blame for the shooting in Alexandria] at the feet of Barack Obama," said King [Republikkkan – Iowa]
Good grief, Jason, I hope you didn't vote for this incredible piece of shxt. But I'm sure you know some people who did. Iowa needs to get its collective head examined and dig this t0xic shxthead's political grave deep and wide.
You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history – led by some very bad and conflicted people!
Remember folks: according to "anon" — a hysterical patent maximalist who bends over backwards to kiss Night Wiper's sweet behind ever other day — I'm "the Trump of these boards."
LOLOLOLOLOLOL
"a campaign directed against a person or group holding unorthodox or unpopular views."
It kind of is the single greatest witch hunt in merican political history. At least with McCarthyism there actually were sht tons of commies in the country and in the gubmit. Though the public only recently found out just how many were caught as the documents were just now declassified not long ago.
It kind of is the single greatest witch hunt in merican political history.
Thank goodness we aren't surrounded by pimply mouth-breathing sycophants who blame "liberalism" for their inability to get laid.
Mouth-breathing…?
Blame liberalism…?
Aren't you the one trying to coin the term libertard?
You are the Trump of these boards. And just like him, you just think that you can act anyway you feel and it just does not matter because somehow the "rules" don't apply to you.
And you are just too oblivious to even pick that up.
MM, behaves exactly like the person he detests for acting as he does.
And then denies it.
That's been his M.O. for eleven years now.
It is not changed one iota. Sometimes though you are blinded by your "6-is-a-genius-because-he-agrees-with-me" malady
anon, and there is not a soul who posts here (except perhaps me) that has anything good to say about MM even if they might occasionally agree with him. That is sad, IMHO.
We can only hope that Trump grows up — but at his age, that is not likely. The same could be said of MM.
[T]here is not a soul who posts here (except perhaps me) that has anything good to say about MM even if they might occasionally agree with him. That is sad, IMHO.
I had not remarked this state of affairs until you mentioned it, but now that you say it, I believe that this is correct. I agree that this a sorry state of things. I tip my hat to you for holding the lamp high for Christian charity, and I will resolve to emulate your example.
"The same could be said of MM."
merely could?
11 years Ned – and only recently have you come to really "enjoy his swagger"….
As for any sense of "christian charity," cutting Malcolm slack because he happens to align with some of your Windmill Chases is NOT "christian charity." That is merely the malady of "6-is-a-genius-because-he-agrees-with-me."
Greg, Stern v. Marshall split 5-4, with Scalia in the majority, holding that the ruling of the bankruptcy court was not entitled to collateral estoppel effect because it was made without constitutional authority, albeit with statutory authority, on a cause of action that had a right to a jury trial in a court of law.
The minority, Breyer, Sotomayor, Ginsberg, Kagan, would have held there to be no constitutional violation. In doing so, they listed a number of factors guiding the decision of whether there is a constitutional violation. Important among these was the degree of insulation of the judges from improper political influence. The court noted that the bankruptcy judges are appointed by the courts and not by the political branch. Another important factor is degree of supervision by district courts. Here, the court noted that bankruptcy court rulings are subject to de novo review by district courts. An important factor was whether the parties consented to the jurisdiction of the form. The Breyer minority would have also given significant weight to the governmental purpose.
Note that, even considering the Breyer factors, IPRs fail, and considerably fail, the points about the independence of the judges from political influence, the lack of de novo review of by a district court, and lack of consent of the parties.
Even so, I suspect that the Breyer minority might still approve of IPRs because of the congressional purpose, discounting all other factors. That is why I believe the court did not take MCM Portfolio because without Scalia, the result would have been a 4-4 split.
Ned, I agree completely with your last paragraph there.
From the Richard Lloyd piece: Scott McKeown of Oblon pointed out[,] "The decision to take cert now… is the court recognising an oft debated/petitioned issue unlikely to go away absent high court intervention."
I would be delighted for Mr. McKeown to be correct about this, and I will cheerful apologize for doubting him if he proves correct, but this strikes me as so much whistling past the graveyard. It is not as if the Court was ignoring this issue in the past three cert petitions. The Court took the unusual position of soliciting the government's input on the past petitions, and then asked for the government's input again in Oil States (even though it had already had the government's input on the precise question just a few months before). On top of that, even after the government reiterated multiple times that it thought that there was no need for the Court to take up the question, the Court took cert anyway.
The idea that the Court's input is needed here is a stretch. If the Court has dismissed the Oil States petition, I doubt that anyone else would have wasted their time trying the same question again. Indeed, I doubt that Oil States would have felt it worth their while if the Court had not been so obviously interested in the petitions on which it had previously taken a pass. In other words, the Court did not need to take this case to make the question go away. They could have achieved that same outcome simply by ignoring the issue.
Rather, it seems that the much likelier explanation as to why they passed before but took cert now is that before there was a possibility of a 4-4 tie, whereas now there is guaranteed to be at least a 5 vote majority. In other words, they likely waited until now simply because they wanted to reach a decision, and feared that without a full court, they were likely to create another one of those embarrassing tie-votes.
If that is the case, however, then one has to imagine that Justice Gorsuch represents the fifth vote. It seems to me that the smart money has to be betting on the idea that Gorsuch is going to vote for unconstitutionality here. I think that the SCotUS took this case to reverse, just like they take most CAFC cases to reverse. Lloyd's sources saying differently are all just overthinking this one.
If the Court has dismissed the Oil States petition…
Er, sorry. "If the Court had dismissed the Oil States petition…"
Greg: one has to imagine that Justice Gorsuch represents the fifth vote. It seems to me that the smart money has to be betting on the idea that Gorsuch is going to vote for unconstitutionality here
Because Gorsuch is a hack? Or some other reason?
I've yet to hear an argument for the unconstitutionality of a granting agency reviewing its own decision upon a showing that the decision was likely incorrect. And that's after Congress expressly defined the grant in question as one that was subject to review upon a showing that the decision was likely correct.
News flash: sometimes the Supremes take cases and affirm the lower court. Sometimes they do that because the issue keeps getting raised and it doesn't seem to be going away in spite of the fact that the issue is a bigtime l o s e r. Sometimes there's some aspect of the issue that the judges want to clarify, even though they have no intention of affirming the lower court and they find most of the arguments made by the petitioner ridiculous.
Yes, it's true. Shocking stuff, I know.
The Supreme Court is well aware of how the patent maximalists play the game. They know that these same laughably self-described champions of "rights" and "freedom" will turn around in a second and, if they can find a way, sue everybody in the country for thinking about a new correlation while eating breakfast (a method that is "not entirely in the mind!"). Everybody knows this. That's why IPRs were created by Congress in the first place.
Take away IPRs and something else will come along to replace them or the entire system will be shut down. Corvettes and coke are beloved by the gold-chain festooned h0gs trading patents and real estate in Orange County and Silly C0n Valley but, fortunately for all us, the high life tends to cloud the vision of the maximalists. They also end up with their big feet in their big mouths. Watch and see.
And that's after Congress expressly defined the grant in question as one that was subject to review upon a showing that the granting decision was likely incorrect.
Fixed my typo. Apologies.
"I've yet to hear an argument for the unconstitutionality of a granting agency reviewing its own decision upon a showing that the decision was likely incorrect. "
Take your fingers out of your ears.
maxdrei says:
UK PM Theresa May craves authority. Recently she scolded "Enough is enough". SCOTUS also craves respect and authority. I find it very credible that SCOTUS might see this issue as ripe, and seize this opportunity also to declare "Enough is enough". For them a bit of light relief from the more technically difficult and challenging issues of eligibility, patentability, exhaustion and so on.
Enough is enough…?
But in which direction?
For Theresa May it was acts of t3rr0r1sm. Not sure of the exact point when there are "enough" of them.
For SCOTUS, and its self-imposed burden to adjudicate the issue of the moment, time will tell.
anony says:
A subplot here is that the authority of the Supreme Court is under attack by the Federal Circuit and legal academy.
the authority of the Supreme Court is under attack by the Federal Circuit and legal academy
ROTFLMAO
They're just shaking in their boots.
I've yet to hear an argument for the unconstitutionality of a granting agency reviewing its own decision upon a showing that the decision was likely incorrect.
I gather that you consider "this issue was tried in Chancery in 1798 England…" to be an argument beneath contempt, but that is the test for compliance with the seventh amendment. I do not like it any better than you do (I think that the seventh amendment was a bad idea when it was added, and has not improved over the years), but so long as VII is on the books, this is the test that the SCotUS will apply.
Take away IPRs and something else will come along to replace them…
I agree. I think that several of the voices cheering Oil States around here do not care a fig about jury trials, they just want the hated AIA trials wiped off the books. They are in for a rude surprise when they discover that Congress is not going to let this go. There will be a replacement measure enacted if the Court strikes the present system, and these same critics will not like the replacement any more than the present system.
". There will be a replacement measure enacted if the Court strikes the present system, and these same critics will not like the replacement any more than the present system."
That very much depends on facts not present, now doesn't it Greg?
After all, if the other Constitutional protections of property are recognized, then what do you think will be this "so scary" thing that Congress will do?
Do you really think that Congress will revoke the property aspect of patents?
Rude surprise? Please do substantiate yourself (or please conversely, drop the FUD).
MM, you know you are talking about me when you are talking about champions of this issue; and I have never supported patents on business methods and the like, or functional claiming. In fact, I have been one of the strongest opponent of that kind of patenting, and you know it.
However, there awful lot of people supporting the unconstitutionally of IPRs who like business method patents, functional claiming, and the whole 9 yards. They tend to be patent attorneys, not legitimate businesses who have invested in developing new technology and who cannot afford a patent system makes it so easy to invalidate patents by political body sees it as its mission to stomp out so-called trolls.
Among these businesses that need patents, as you well know, are drug companies and the like who need patent protection, reliable patent protection, in order to justify the enormous expense they must make to develop a new product.
If I was talking about you, I'd just use your name.
IPRs aren't negatively affecting drug development or the patenting of drugs.
As Ned notes in #2 above, Stern v. Marshall split 5-4 with Scalia on the side against Art. I judges. This issue is by-no-means on all fours with Stern, but it is close enough that one can form one's Bayesian priors about how Oil States will turn out by looking at the outcome in Stern. Gorsuch is enough like Scalia that one has to figure that if Scalia was against Art. I judges, then Gorsuch will also be.
I will be delighted to be wrong about that. We do not actually know how Gorsuch will vote until he votes. I think that the prior assumption, however, has to be that he will vote like Scalia, and Scalia's ears were known to prick up at the incantation of the phrases "property rights" and "administrative tribunal."
Edward Heller says:
I am so happy that Scott McEeown is suffering a bit of disbelief and angst. After all, when we filed our appeal in MCM Portfolio LLC v. Hewlett-Packard, he said that we should be sanctioned for wasting the courts time.
That's a bit of pot and kettle there Ned, as you recently echoed a call for sanctions against certain filers (who happened not to agree with your Windmill Chases).
Have fun picking up the shards of your former glass house…


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


www.isa.org/InTech DEPARTMENTS 8 Automation Update AVEVA combines with Schneider Electric, valve industry growth 39 Association News In memoriam, new CAPs and CCSTs; certification review 42 Automation Basics Closed-loop control troubleshooting 45 Channel Chat So many security breaches! Are we focusing on the wrong things? 46 Standards New ISA99 standard on developing products that are cybersecure by design 47 Products and Resources Spotlight on controllers COLUMNS 7 Talk to Me IoT, Industry 4.0, Finding value? 38 Executive Corner Why automation slept 50 The Final Say Securing the IIoT: Collaboration can win the day RESOURCES 48 Index of Advertisers 49 Datafiles 49 Classified Advertising © 2018 InTech ISSN 0192-303X InTech is published bimonthly by the International Society of Automation (ISA). Vol 65, Issue 2. Editorial and advertising offices are at 67 T.W. Alexander Drive, P.O. Box 12277, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709; phone 919-549-8411; fax 919-549-8288; email info@isa.org. InTech and the ISA logo are registered trademarks of ISA. InTech is indexed in Engineering Index Service and Applied Science & Technology Index and is microfilmed by NA Publishing, Inc., 4750 Venture Drive, Suite 400, P.O. Box 998, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Subscriptions: For members in the U.S., $10.38 annually is the nondeductible portion from dues. Other subscribers: $175 in North America; $235 outside North America. Multi-year rates available on request. Single copy and back issues: $20 + shipping. Opinions expressed or implied are those of persons or organizations contributing the information and are not to be construed as those of ISA Services Inc. or ISA. Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to InTech, 67 T.W. Alexander Drive, P.O. Box 12277, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. Periodicals postage paid at Durham and at additional mailing office. Printed in the U.S.A. Publications mail agreement: No. 40012611. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, Ontario, L48 4RG For permission to make copies of articles beyond that permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of U.S. Copyright Law, contact Copyright Clearance Center at www.copyright.com. For permission to copy articles in quantity or for use in other publications, contact ISA. Articles published before 1980 may be copied for a per-copy fee of $2.50. To order REPRINTS from InTech, contact Jill Kaletha at 219-878-6068 or jillk@fosterprinting.com. List Rentals: For information, contact ISA at info@isa.org or call 919-549-8411. InTech magazine incorporates Industrial Computing ® magazine. InTech provides the most thought-provoking and authoritative coverage of automation technologies, applications, and strategies to enhance automation professionals' on-the-job success. Published by the industry's leading organization, ISA, InTech addresses the most critical issues facing the rapidly changing automation industry. Setting the Standard for Automation™ INTECH MARCH/APRIL 2018 5 Are you up to date on instrument calibration, cybersecurity, system migration, and industrial communications? Would you like to find out more about ISA events, training, membership, and more? ISA's YouTube channel is your resource for how-to videos on all facets of automation and control, and a great way to hear members talk about their real-life plant experiences and membership networking benefits. www.isa.org/isa-youtube InTech Plus is ISA's online eNewsletter that connects auto- mation professionals to all things automation. InTech Plus has technical content, educational training and videos, industry-related Q&A excerpts, and the latest and greatest on industry technology and news. InTech Plus focuses on a variety of topics, such as fundamentals of automa- tion and control, certification, safety, cybersecurity, the Internet of Things, wireless devices, human-machine interface, pressure, level, temperature, and batch. All editorial content comes from a variety of sources, including ISA books, training course videos, and blogs and bits from ISA's cast of subject- matter experts. InTech Plus is powered by Automation.com, ISA's premier electronic publisher of automation content. Automation professionals can subscribe to InTech Plus at www.automation.com/subscribe.


No More Ghostly Games, Trick or Treat.: Fortune and glory kid. Fortune and glory.
Fortune and glory kid. Fortune and glory.
I could go on about Benjamin Button, but I'm not going to, much. I went to see it and was disappointed that it differs majorly from the short story, for no real reason I could see. It's ok, it looks nice, and the first half was good, but its way too long. Plus the focus seemed to shift onto the Cate Blanchett love interest, and how she has to grow old while Benjamin turns into a child. Whereas the short story sticks firmly with how Benjamin just wants to fit in. He leaves his wife when she starts getting old, not out of sympathy, but because he doesn't like her now she's old. He also cant get into college and things, I liked that aspect. The film obviously plays more into the sentimentality of it all. Plus its massively long.
So mediocre at best. However, I watched Cloverfield on DVD last night. This is the first time since I saw it at the cinema, and although it didn't have the same impact on its second viewing, its still a really good film. Characters, story and premise. All thumbs up.
So what am I truly blogging about. Well, I left my job last Friday (6th February for future reference) and now for the first time in roughly 2 years i find myself with too much time on my hands. I'll be eventually moving away, but until then there's no point looking for work, and I've got somewhere to stay, so I find myself killing time and thinking about what I'm doing, whether the right decisions have been made. In theory, the only reason I'm typing this out now is to think out loud. I know I'm not going to know if I've made the right move until a few more months have passed, at which point I hope to be settled anyway.
At the moment it kind of feels like I've run over the edge of a cartoon cliff, but I 've yet to fall, or make it back to the cliff edge. So I patiently await the outcome, driving myself insane with my thoughts.
I just hope the acme parachute hasn't got an anvil inside.


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I am so excited to share this BONUS episode with Katie Davis Majors, author of New York Times Bestselling book, Kisses From Katie and new book Daring to Hope, which releases October 3rd. Katie is the adoptive mother of 13 Ugandan girls and 1 biological son with her husband – all currently living in Uganda. And to top it off, she is only 29 years old! She has followed God's call on her life in a way that is so inspiring and beautiful, but not without suffering and hardship, which she talked about in our conversation and in her upcoming book. You don't want to miss this special interview or her new book linked below!
Episode 20 of 20,000 Words is with Sibi Riffer, wife and mother to 7, creator of The Pearl Event, writer, speaker, and so much more. This woman is an encourager to women, believing and praying for breakthrough in the lives of many women over the years. Sibi was kind enough to share so much of her story including teen pregnancy, being single mom, her beautiful love story with her now husband, secondary infertility, the births of her remaining children, and so much more. I can't tell you how encouraged I was after our conversation. Her deep faith and rich love for the Lord is contagious.
Keep up with her at the links below and be sure to read her blog post "The New Church Lady" that went viral several years ago. Thanks again for tuning in and be sure to subscribe if you haven't already!
Listen on iTunes or press play on the audio link below!


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Home > Articles > Business & Management > Global Business
Introduction to Foreign Exchange Trading: The Truly Modern Market
A Market for the 21st Century
Opportunity Is Knocking
Everybody's Talking About It
With the economic world drawing together faster, the Forex market has become its most critical market. And for the new breed of global trading and investors, the opportunities in Forex are just beginning. Find out how to get on board in this sample chapter.
Forex Revolution: An Insider's Guide to the Real World of Foreign Exchange Trading
I love Asia: it smells of raw capitalism. Especially at night. Several years ago, I was watching Hong Kong in the evening as the city became a brilliant silhouette of pure commerce against the dark Communist backdrop of mainland China. The rickshaw drivers, rivers of neon lights, open-air markets, and steel high-rises always make me think of foreign exchange, the fundamental transaction of capitalism and the building block of modern globalization.
I couldn't speak Chinese, but as I approached a currency exchange booth on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong, I silently prepared to engage in an ancient conversation. I pulled out $100 in 20s, and the young man behind the counter smiled and said in broken English, "I love LA, Hollywood. All right." He held his smile artificially long. "No," I said, "New York." "Ah," he replied, "Statue of Liberty. All right." And he smiled again. I was sure he could deliver a greeting in every language listed on the board behind him.
The electric board was black with red lights. It displayed the currency prices, a small flag for those who couldn't read the currencies, and a two-sided quote with a buy and sell price. The young man pulled out a beat-up calculator with masking tape holding down the screen and started to punch numbers. Exchange rate, buy side, times the number of U.S. dollars, 100, minus broker fee, equals 778 Hong Kong dollars. He looked up and I nodded in agreement. He unrolled a wad of colorful Hong Kong bills, counted them out carefully, and slid them over to me.
At that moment, it was hard to understand that in this little booth, lit by bad fluorescent lights, next to a vendor selling Peking duck and knock-off Chanel bags, I had access to the world's largest, most liquid, and most influential financial market—Forex.
Since then, the Forex market has only grown more accessible, increased in size, and captured the public's attention. Spurred by investments in technology and communication over the past decade, the world is trading goods and services at ever-faster speeds, a process broadly called globalization. With the economic world drawing together faster, the Forex market has become its most critical market. And for the new breed of global trading and investors, the opportunities in Forex are just beginning (see Figure 1.1).
Figure 1.1 The increased popularity of retail Forex has assisted the sharp rise in trading volume.1
You can see globalization and trading today in cities around the world. Every morning at Grand Central Station in midtown Manhattan, tourists wait in line outside a well-lit and well-designed Travelers Money Exchange to trade their currency for dollars. With dollars in their pockets, they can dine out in Little India, buy cheap electronics in Chinatown, take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry, or do anything else money can buy.
This money fills up local cash registers, but it doesn't stay there for long. It is spent again. Perhaps it is used to buy some of the goods that are carried by ships into America's harbors. With their decks stacked impossibly high with containers, these ships steam past the Statue of Liberty and slide into docks bristling with giant cranes. The containers are whisked off the decks and hitched to tractor-trailers, which pull out onto the New Jersey Turnpike in an endless stream, carrying goods into the nation.
The goods are bought and the money flows back, much of it into New York again. Foreign corporations now look to trade the dollars they've made back into their native currencies. Far above the booths and lines of tourists, floors filled with brokers, traders, bankers, and trading terminals carry out these transactions.
Go to any major city in the world—New York, London, Tokyo, Bombay, Rio de Janeiro—and the same process is being carried out. This time, it may be British pounds or Japanese yen buying American goods and services, or foreign investors buying local stock or government securities. Billions of dollars flow back and forth across national borders every hour—sometimes passed by hand or voice, sometimes at the click of a button. At the end of each day, an average of $1.5 trillion has been traded, dwarfing the daily volume of the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ, the FTSE, the DAX, and the Tokyo Nikkei combined.
It should come as little surprise that the volume is so high. Currencies bind the world together, form the bedrock of globalization, and are the means of exchange of world trade and investment.
But it isn't just the tourists and traders who participate in foreign exchange every day. So, most likely, do you. Take a typical day in the life of a Kansas resident. In the morning, he dresses in underwear made in China, a suit manufactured in Turkey, and a pair of shoes assembled in Italy. He brews a cup of coffee made of beans from Colombia. He drives a car with a transmission made in Japan and a steel frame from Canada. The gas powering the engine is refined from Saudi Arabian oil. At work, he turns on a computer fashioned with components made in Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, and China. The software is American.
All these goods were bought, and a portion of each purchase must be translated back into the currency of the country of origin. Although the Kansan may not be aware of it, his dollars are sent on a journey in which they are traded for yen, euros, baht, won, real, shekels, and yuan. We take this for granted, but without the currency market, our Kansan would be unable to get through the day unless his paychecks were issued in several currencies. Imagine trying to buy a hamburger in Kansas with yen! In short, foreign exchange has become woven into the fabric of our daily lives. It is impossible to be a resident of the modern world and avoid it.
After all, in these vast flows of money across borders lies an enormous investing opportunity. This market is old, but for the first time in history, due to a revolution in communication, technology, and credit, this market is available to small investors.
It's no coincidence that we are now seeing an enormous rise in Forex trading by both speculators and users. Forex is not a fad asset class pushed by analysts or created by an exchange to increase dwindling volume. It reflects fundamental market needs in today's environment.
A progressive market must meet two criteria today, and Forex has always met both. The market must be global, and it cannot be controlled by a single entity. The Forex market is truly global. It does not have a center and does not obey the rules of any one nation.
That applies especially to time. As different parts of the world move from darkness to light, trading activity comes to life. Currency is bought and sold in Tokyo while New York slumbers. When night descends on Tokyo, London offices are opening and starting to trade. By the time London approaches mid-afternoon, New Yorkers are arriving at their desks, ready to make money. The markets reflect these rhythms, with trading volume rising and falling depending on when workers are entering work or leaving to go home.
With this ability to trade the exact same currency at any time, the Forex can be called a 24-hour market that is open from late Sunday Eastern Standard Time, when the Forex week starts with the Monday morning open in Wellington, New Zealand, then on to Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Moscow, Frankfurt, London, and then finishing the week on Friday at five o'clock in New York (see Figure 1.2).
Figure 1.2 Daily trading activity of the foreign exchange market.
The Forex market also doesn't obey any one holiday schedule. New York banks don't close to celebrate May Day, but London does. London is open when Americans are sitting down to turkey dinners on Thanksgiving. Tokyo offices are filled on Christmas Day, when most Americans and Brits are at home unwrapping presents.
However, this vast market is united by two characteristics—ancient capitalism and new technology. At its core, the market is nothing new. The Forex market has roots that stretch back thousands of years, where cultures rubbed shoulders and merchants swapped goods at borders and in back alleys of ancient cities. This market grew out of itself—out of the human need to trade for goods that one society had but the other didn't. It grew out of the desire to make a profit.
For most of history, access was controlled by gatekeepers—merchants, bankers, industrialists—who wanted the profits for themselves. In the past 10 years, however, that has changed. Technology allows anyone with an Internet connection—via a terminal or cell phone—to not only trade Forex but also to have access to the information that gives traders a more level playing field.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Welcome Back, Arena Stage
Last night's opening gala was a red-carpet event—and a milestone in Washington theater
Written by Jazelle Hunt
| Published on October 26, 2010
On any given night, there's a black-tie event somewhere in Washington, but last night's celebration of the Arena Stage's new home in the Mead Center for American Theater was something bigger. The opening gala was a milestone for local theater.
"The first time I saw the sketch [for the building plans], I knew it was right because [architect] Bing Thom had all the stages under one roof," said artistic director Molly Smith. "We're an organization that hasn't been together our whole 60-year history, and suddenly all our forces are coming together; there's something synergistic about it."
Managing director Edgar Dobie shared similar sentiments. "I anticipate we'll be able to get a lot more done," he said. "To have everyone under one roof is kind of a utopia for people in theater."
And what a roof it is. The spacious, unconventional facility encloses three theaters in sheets of glass supported by enormous wooden beams. Natural light pours in from 6th Street, Southwest, while dim lighting and smooth jazz from invisible loudspeakers complement the interior's earthy colors. Guests at the gala toured the new building and enjoyed cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and dinner as well as a recognition ceremony and a performance by Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell.
DC mayor Adrian Fenty and wife Michelle, honorary cochairs of the evening, were in attendance, as were people from all walks of Washington life.
Said guests Lori and Scott Marks: "Our parents are on the board, so we feel like we've grown up with Arena Stage, and we're excited to see the building come up. It's beautiful, and it's nice to be a part of the excitement."
Other noted guests included the cast of Oklahoma!, the first production of Mead Center's inaugural season, and presumptive DC mayor-elect Vincent Gray.
"The city has a huge investment in this," Gray said. "It has the potential to be a huge catalyst for the area, and tonight is not something anyone would want to miss."
Last night's gala was the second event in a yearlong string of activities to celebrate the company's new home. Arena Stage officially kicked off its grand reopening last Saturday with free performances, workshops, and more that drew 15,000 people to the Southwest waterfront.
"You can see the collaboration between the artists, administration, architects, and community," said Mitchell. "It's a beautiful mélange and shows what we can accomplish if we work together."
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Being a home to many diverse cultures, the state of Karnataka is a great blend of all its ethnic groups. Boasting of its rich heritage from even before the time of Tipu Sultan, the state has always maintained its lustrous appearance. The state of Karnataka is known for many indigenous products of utmost quality. Here is a look at some of the best products of Karnataka.
KSIC Mysore silk, as it is sometimes called due to the ownership of the silk factory by KSIC for over seven decades now, is a quality silk which is truly unparalleled. Around 70% of mulberry silk produced in India is produced by the state of Karnataka. The quality and richness of the Karnataka silk is something the industry has inherited from the rich cultural history of Mysore. KSIC uses high quality silk and 100% pure zari which looks fresh even after a long time of usage for all its products, be it the saree, salwar kameez, or the likes.
Karnataka is the producer of one of the best Indians sweets; the Mysore Pak. The ingredients are only ghee, sugar and gram flour, but making that needs special skills. Only an experienced chef can get the right taste and softness which imparts a divine sensation to the taste buds of those who take so much as a nibble of it. Crumbling softly under the pressure of teeth, it leaves an aftertaste in your mouth that makes you long for it over and over again.
Sandalwood Handicrafts
Sandal wood is native to the deciduous forests of Karnataka. Intricate carving in sandal wood has been practiced in Karnataka for over 1000 years. This expert skill handed down for generations, is concentrated in the Uttara Kannada and Bangalore districts of Karnataka.
Talking about sandalwood, Mysore charm the fragrance of this soft wood which is extensively used to produce beautiful art pieces. There are vast range of sandalwood product carves by the highly skilled workers, the gudigar families of Shimoga, Uttara Kannada and Mysore districts specialize in this craft. Krishna images are very popular among the devout, besides articles like lamp shades, trays, jewel boxes, decorative articles, combs and even walking sticks with rosewood handles.
Mysore Peta
If you ever happen to come across a painting of the erstwhile Kings of Mysore, you will surely be bedazzled equally, if not more, by the turban, or peta as the colorful and rich attire they wear. Crafted with fine silk and gold threaded lace, the Mysore Peta was an integral part of the royal wardrobe. In the olden days it was used by the king and handed out to those who were appreciated of their value by the king. Although the state is not ruled by a king anymore, the prominence of Peta as a unique Karnataka crafting commodity has never diminished by the slightest of amounts. It is a highly popular product that is produced on a considerably high scale, with people of all classes donning it now and then. Even politicians have developed quite a liking to it.
Channapatna Toys
A very subtle yet famous all the same type of Karnataka craft are the particular form of wooden toys called Channapatna toys. The commencement of their production occurred during the reign of Tipu Sultan, who had invited artisans from Persia to train the local artisans in the aforementioned craft. The glossy and attractive dolls and other toys have been playthings for children for a long time now. Although the industry faced stiff competition and possible extinction, it is back on track with the aid of the Karnataka Handicrafts Development Corporation, which provides assistance and marketing efforts to the craft, thereby reviving the artisans and preserving the one of the most famous of all Karnataka crafts.
These are only a few of the best products of Karnataka which top the list. The sheer demand of these products is enough indication of their uniqueness and quality. Craftsmen producing these goods have been excelling in their art, and backed by the state government, have kept the name of Karnataka untarnished as the state that produces even the simplest of products with the highest levels zeal and subtleness, imparting an elegance in such products.
Karnataka Mysore Paintings
The story of Karnataka's arts and crafts is never comprehensive without a reference to the traditional Mysore paintings. The art dates back to the Ajanta times and to the reign of the Vijayanagar kings. It was a ruler with a creative vision-Mummadri Krishnaraja Wadiyar-who revived the art of painting. The delicate lines, the graceful delineation of figures and the discreet use of bright vegetable colors and lustrous gold leaf, make the traditional paintings of Mysore very stylish and attractive. Many senior traditional painters have now started schools to teach this art to the younger generation. Chitrakala Parishat in Bangalore, which has a fantastic set of old paintings, has also started a school headed by the living doyen of traditional painting, Subramanya Raju.
Ivory Carving
Lvory carving is another well-liked craft prevailing in the entire state. Articles carved delicately without excessively ornate image adjoining the figures, mostly showcasing the figures of god and goddess. Some of Mysore's work of genius in ivory is now preserved in the Heritage Museum in Russia and in the South Kensington Museum, London.
The Craft of Wood Carving
Karnataka has come to occupy pride of place in the field of wood carving. Holding a Vast densely populated forest reserves, the State provides enough raw material for its craftsmen who continue to employ age-old techniques for carving, inlay-work, coating, painting and lacquer articles in wood.
Ancient temple wood structural design is the foremost variety of wood carving, where wood has been used comprehensively and carved finely into delicate sculptures.
The ceilings and gateways of royal homes and the temples showcase hundreds of intricately carved images of gods and goddesses. Rosewood articles are a one of the shopper's delight, and tourist take home with them articles or sculpture carved out of rosewood, beautifully carved rosewood elephant is most famous of all.
Mysore craftsmen have acquired expertise in wood inlay work making exquisite articles delineating picturesque beauty, tranquil scenes and lot more. The Maharaja's palace in Mysore and the mausoleum of Tipu Sultan in Srirangapattna is the foremost specimen of master craftsmanship where visitors get stun by the startling delicacy in the work.
Courtesy from http://www.karnatakatourism.org and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnataka


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Dawn French >
Dawn French Marries New Beau Mark Bignell
By Hayley Avron in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 22 April 2013
Follow Dawn French
Dawn French Alison Moyet Richard Curtis Sue Perkins
Eco-hotel plays host to celebrity wedding in Cornwall for Dawn French and Mark Bignell
Picture: Dawn French - Dawn French walking through the Soho late Saturday night - London, England, United Kingdom - Saturday 6th April 2013
Dawn French has married her partner Mark Bignell at a lavish eco-hotel, with Alison Moyet providing entertainment for the guests. The comedienne has been dating Bignell for just over a year, following the break-up of her marriage to fellow comedian Lenny Henry three years ago. The ceremony took place at hotel on the Cornish coast, The Daily Mail reports and guests included the screenwriter Richard Curtis, as well as Jennifer Saunders, Sue Perkins and Kathy Burke.
Scarlet Hotel, near Newquay, played host to the happy couple and their guests and the 37 bedrooms were reportedly decorated with custom-made floral jam jar arrangements of Lily of the valley and peonies. After the ceremony, the guests attended a firework display on the beach in the evening. A source told the newspaper "The wedding was up in the lounge with the white leather seats, looking out over the water. At about 9.30pm everyone went outside and watched fireworks from the hotel. They were on the beach below, big shells that went up to 400ft high in all different colours. Inside in the hotel garden there was a red heart, five foot wide and high, with the letters M and D in white in the heart. They all let off lanterns later. It was quite small – probably about 100 people there – but it was a proper celebrity wedding."
French and Bignell began dating just over a year ago and the comedienne has claimed previously that he did not know who she was when they met. "I'm not boasting, but you'd actually have to have not watched television for the past 20 years to have avoided me, and he'd managed to do just that," she joked.
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On Sunday, the 1st, we went over to the Norwoods and had a nice walk along Lake Anne over to Cafe Montmartre. We had a lovely brunch there, Jill and I both got eggs benedict, and helpful pregnancy tips and gifts from the Norwoods, who just had their second.
Sue and Dave came down for the week on Thursday the 5th and I grilled some steaks I'd picked up from the farmer's market the day before. The next day we headed to Alexandria (after Jill and Sue went baby registry shopping), had some cajun appetizers at RT's before heading over to the Birchmere and introducing them to Paul and Storm opening for Jonathan Coulton. We were in the mood for dessert afterwards and went to Old Town for cones at Scoop Grill.
Saturday the 7th we returned to Old Town where we had drinks at the Chart House in Old Town. Then Sue and Dave took the Washington by Water Monuments Cruise. We needed to end up in Georgetown, so they took the cruise one way and we drove over and met them at the dock. We had a huge dinner at 1789, and were too full to even consider dessert.
Mother's Day Sue was not well and was out of commission for several days. I made Eggs Benedict and artichokes for us, Mom and Dad and Dave, then we Skyped my sister in Boston while she was babysitting an energetic 5 year old. During the week, Sue recovered and Dave fished, I went and saw My Chemical Romance at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday the 10th.
On Friday the 13th, we all went out for a giant breakfast at Eggspectation before Sue and Dave headed home.
Saturday the 14th I headed to Merriweather Post Pavilion for the M3 Rock Festival with a lot of 80s bands. Got to see the first ever performance from Gary Cherone's Hurtsmile, Mr. Big for the first time in over 20 years, and knocked Joe Lynn Turner, Lita Ford and Whitesnake off the concert bucket list.
The next day Jill was supposed to join me to see Mom (with the Reston Chorale) and the FSO perform Mahler's 2nd Symphony in Manassas, but was feeling under the weather. So I went, and they were pretty good (I'm a Mahler fan). Later she still wasn't better, so I picked up some pho for dinner at Pho 99.
Wednesday the 18th I was back at the 9:30 Club to see Blackfield, always nice to see Steven Wilson from Porcupine Tree. Not as fond of their third album as their second, but any chance to see Once live is worth it.
Friday the 20th I went to the Nebula Awards book signing in DC – got books signed by John Scalzi (met him for the first time) and Chris Claremont (the second time, but the first time was 25 years ago at the only Comic-Con I've been to – he said "I had more hair then"). I then headed straight to Herndon for Friday Night Live with Fools And Horses, had dinner at the Jimmy's Old Tavern booth (Jambalaya and a hot dog).
Sunday the 22nd I was at Merriweather Post Pavilion again. Matt Nathanson was opening so of course Linda and Sue showed up, and after he finished I met them at the merch booth and we talked to his guitarist. Sue had to get up incredibly early the next day and needed to leave, but before they did Linda gave me her pass to the pit and walked me up to her spot in the front row. I like Little Big Town a lot and enjoyed the rest of their set, but the real revelation was Sugarland, they really put on a great show (and I could see how much they sweat to do it).
Monday the 23rd I crossed a big band off the concert bucket list as The Cars had reunited, and were playing the 9:30 Club (my third show there, and my fifth IMP one in three weeks). Stuart joined me, and the new songs were good, but the old ones were classics. I had my first meal at BGR before the show – damn good burgers.
The Thursday and Friday before Memorial Day we had painters in to strip the rest of the wallpaper from the dining room and mid-level bathroom, then paint them and the nursery. They did a good job, but the primer smell after the first day was intense. Memorial Day weekend was pretty hot, we mostly stayed inside except to visit the Norwoods as they had a cookout with their new baby.


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Amadis 3GP Video Converter is a powerful video convert tool for playback on 3GP. It can convert almost all video formats, e.g. DivX, XviD, AVI, WMV, MPG, MPEG, ASF, RM, RMVB, MOV, ASX, SVCD, VCD format. It can provide batch file convert.
4Videosoft iPod Manager for Mac also acts as Mac to iPod Manager and iPod to Mac Manager.
X DVD Ripper is an easy to use DVD Copping and Ripping software which can convert DVD to VCD,SVCD,AVI,Divx with execellent video and audio quality. X DVD Ripper provides you superb features and clear interface.
Dvd to mpeg converter is an easy to use tool to convert a DVD movie to a mpeg file With extremely high quality! It is powerful and you can use it to rip any sectioin of DVD video to MPEG file you want.
You probably have found that your iTunes doesn't accept all the video in your collection, and even if iTunes accepts it, it will give an annoying "Cannot transfer to Apple TV" message when you want to transfer the video to Apple TV.


AshleyNewell.me: Big Announcements Coming Soon!
Hehe, I'm such a tease! I forgot to mention in my last post that I have some BIG announcements coming up for everyone. Ohhh, they are so exciting! What could they be? Personal announcements? DT announcements? Who knows? Come back soon and all will be revealed!
Geesh girl...why are you keeping us in suspense?!? Inquiring minds want to know!!!
Is the suspense killing you?!? There's just a couple things that I'd like to fall into place before I announce.
okay... what about now?? can we know now???
are you talking about the "winn is the most awesome ever" announcements? because i already made those.
Love the new page!!!! Lindsay rocked it with this one!!


Scene: Monique is trying to relax from all the stress that her son gives her by doing some yoga. But when her son comes in the room with his friend and interrupts her so he can play video games she explodes and kicks him out of the house. However, she makes her sons friend Johnny stay so she could get another type of workout that will relax her more than yoga.


Are you a serious gamer that still is looking for a reputable gaming headset? Are you also still hyped after seeing Thor: The Dark World? Well, what if Turtle Beach launched a Thor: The Dark World inspired headset with their latest Earforce SEVEN line equipped with an in-line amplifier? What if I stopped asking questions as an intro!?
Turtle Beach is a frontrunner in gaming audio solutions and their SEVEN series of headsets holds no punches with its Professional Tournament Grade Sound. Alongside the launch of the latest Marvel movie, Turtle Beach released a multi-platform headset that endeavors to quench any gamers thirst for high-quality sound, no matter which direction they are looking.
When looking at an "inspired" headset, the appearance is what soaks up the bulk of the inspiration. Here you have a standard SEVEN series model with the Thor-esque color palette. You have Marvel's logo on each side, some "Marvel"-red stitching and red padding on the inside of the ear cups. Turtle Beach takes advantage of the much-advertised customizability of the headset's speaker plates. The headset comes with Thor speaker plates for you to slap onto the sides of your headset. (Warning, Thor speaker plates do not grant you the power to lift hammers that others cannot. ) Furthermore, those speakers aren't just for show as those ear cups house premium 50mm drivers that rest comfortably on your head thanks to soft memory foam cushions. But in case you still want to show off, you can do so easily since the ear cups rotate to allow you to wear the unit around your neck.
The headset is supported on a wide variety of platforms. Confirmed platforms include: Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, PC, Mac, and mobile devices. Connectivity for each was executed well with any connectivity nuances thoroughly considered. The boom mic is removable, allowing for proper transition between console, PC, and mobile use. With the in-line amp control, you can tweak treble and bass on the fly, separately manage game and chat volumes, adjust the volume of your own voice to avoid shouting, and toggle the mic between mute, in-game, or phone call mode. I found the phone call mode to be particularly interesting. You can connect your phone to the amp and hear your own music during gameplay. Should someone call you, switch your mic mode, answer the call, and now you are using the headset to casually have your phone conversation without breaking away from the game. The in-line amp has everything you need to manage every gaming scenario. Not to mention that the cable housing the amplifier is VERY long – ready to navigate almost any console or computer scenario.
Having seen many multi-platform headsets, one factor that was always hit or miss was how they handled use for mobile devices. Some headsets actually expected you to roam around with a 10 foot long (plus) cable connecting to your handheld game or mobile device. Sure, they came with cord-wraps. But who walks around with a spool of wiring? As mentioned before, the boom mic detaches.; however, so does the epically long in-line amp cable! You can replace it with the included, reasonably-sized mobile adapter cable which includes a multi-purpose button for answering calls on your phone, or controlling your music player.
I find myself leaving the commanding sound quality for the end because Turtle Beach seems to never drop the ball on this front. The sound is beautiful coming in as it is going out. The unit uses USB to power the unit which allows for two scenarios worth mentioning. Should you have a PC with a respectable sound card that you do not want to bypass, the headset's instruction manual shows you how to ensure that your machine is driving the sound and not the headset. But should you be using a machine that is not blessed with such sound-powering internals, you can allow the headset to take over and work solely as a USB headset. In either event, the headset will install its own drivers the first time you plug in the USB on a PC. High quality Turtle Beach sound coupled with every conceivable listening scenario thoroughly hashed out. At $199, this is the headset to buy for any gamer. You'll only gain additional points if the lucky owner is a fan of Thor. If not, which would be shocking, they are always free to browse the Turtle Beach library of speaker plates and plop in new ones closer to their liking.
Want to buy your own? Go to their site and check it out for yourself!
Wires! More than any budding electrician could ever want… Maybe!
† Some images taken from Turtle Beach product page.