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Noun: vestry ves-tree
1. In the Protestant Episcopal Church: a committee elected by the congregation to work with the churchwardens in managing the temporal affairs of the church
2. A room in a church where sacred vessels and vestments are kept or meetings are held
- sacristy
Derived forms: vestries
Type of: commission, committee, room
Part of: church, church building
Encyclopedia: Vestry |
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Using PHP to Connect to Microsoft SQL Server
PHP is a server-side web scripting language normally used to communicate with MySQL databases. However, it is also possible to use PHP to access Microsoft SQL (MS SQL) Server databases. Our Unix servers use FreeTDS to communicate with MS SQL Server databases, and this Web Help tutorial discusses how this is accomplished and the known limitations of running MS SQL queries from PHP on a Unix server.
The information in this document is largely specific to MS SQL Server 2000 databases. Although complete testing was not conducted on MS SQL Server 2005 databases, our preliminary testing suggests similar behavior to that of MS SQL Server 2000.
SQL Tutorials
If you are new to SQL, see the following tutorials online to get started.
Policy and Security
In order to Deploy a MS SQL connection script, you must check the MS SQL checkbox under your "Account Information" inside of Deploy. If this box is not checked you will not be permitted to deploy any files that contain MS SQL connection scripts. Checking this box places you on a mailing list for notifications on MS SQL-related issues.
If you do not administer the MS SQL server you will need to contact the database administrator of the system in question. (University IT/Academic & Research is responsible for most of these systems at the University.) You will need to request the following from your database administrator.
1. You will need a username that uses SQL Server authentication to login.
2. Mixed Authentication should be enabled on the server. (This is also called SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode)
3. You will need user permissions on a database and a table.
Remember to use strong passwords. We strongly recommend that you use the same standards that are used on your www.wdev login password.
When you deploy any file that contains a MS SQL connection script, Deploy will automatically set the appropriate permissions on the file to best protect its contents. Deploy will also record the location of the file under "Account Information" so that we have it on record in the event of a security breech. Only you and the system administrator will have access to this information.
Please read this tutorial carefully and completely. Contact for assistance. |
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Sun, 23 Aug 2009
Let's build an object
Permanent link
Building an object in Perl 6 is rather easy. As the author of a class you don't really have to care (at least in the simplest case), you inherit a default constructor from class Mu. As a consumer of that class you just write => $value1) to create an object of class YourClass, at the same time initializing a public attribute.
Running initializations code
If you want to run some initialization code on object creation, you don't have to touch the new method at all. Something like this works:
class C {
submethod BUILD {
say "Created a new instance of C";
The BUILD submethod is called by the constructor automatically, and can do any initialization that's necessary. It also receives the named arguments that the user passes on to new().
(In case you wonder, a submethod is a method that's not inherited to child classes).
Since BUILD is run on an object which is not yet fully constructed, attributes are only accessible if they are declared as named parameters like submethod BUILD(:$!attr1, :$!attr2) { # can use $!attr1 and $!attr2 here }. This syntax also automatically initializes the attributes with the value of the named parameter to new of the same name.
So the following class declarations behave the same:
class D {
has $.x;
# and
class D {
has $!x; # private attribute
submethod BUILD(:$!x) { } # allow => $value)
method x() { $!x } # accessor
Custom constructors
Suppose you're not a big fan of named arguments, and you want to write a constructor that takes one mandatory positional parameter. In that case you'd write a custom new method. To create an object, that method has to call self.bless:
class C {
has $.size;
method new($x) {
self.bless(*, size => 2 * $x);
say; # prints 6
The star * as the first argument to bless tells it to create an empty object itself.
If you want to enable additional named parameters, that's easily done:
class C {
has $.size;
method new($x, *%n) {
self.bless(*, size => 2 * $x, |%n);
Note that these two concepts (custom new() and BUILD() (sub)methods) are orthogonal; you can use both at once, and both peacefully coexist.
Default values of attributes
The most convenient way to provide defaults to attributes is at the point of attribute declaration:
class Window {
has $.height = 600;
has $.width = $.height * 1.618;
The default value will only be used if the underlying attribute has not been touched by new or BUILD.
Understanding object initialization
As demonstrated above you don't need to understand the full process of building and initializing objects to manipulate it. If you still want to know, read on.
Suppose you have a class C which inherits from another class B, then the process of building an object of class C looks like this:
Perl 6 object creation
The user calls (which is inherited from class Object), which in turn calls self.bless(*, |%args). bless creates a new P6Opaque object which is the storage for the newly created object. This is the call to CREATE in the image above.
After the storage has been allocated and the attributes initialized, new passes control to BUILDALL (passing along all named parameters), which in turn calls BUILD in all classes in the inheritance hierarchy, starting at the top of the hierarchy and calling the BUILD method of class C at last.
This design allows you to substitute parts of the initialization with least effort, and especially writing custom new and BUILD methods very easily.
See Also
Perl 6 Reference Documentation on object construction.
[/perl-6] Permanent link
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A gambit is the sacrifice of one thing in order to obtain something else, in a calculated risk. The Passion of Christ was the most significant gambit of all.
As applied to chess, it refers to losing pieces, usually a pawn or two, in order to obtain a strategic advantage. (There are some exceptions, such as the Muzio Gambit, which sacrifices an entire knight, or Bobby Fischer's famous queen's gambit.)
A gambit is also a small tool used to attach a cantle to a sporran.
Mike Gambit was a character in mid-70s British action series The New Avengers, played by coffee salesman Gareth Hunt (d.2007).
Increasingly the term gambit is used to refer to any calculated maneuver.
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RE: Patchfeed burned up
Professionally, large dishes (spacecraft tracking and radio astronomy) are
painted with flat, white Titanium Dioxide paint. In addition to minimizing
reflections that might cause fires, the paint is chose to minimize thermal
gradients that can distort the dish panels and backup structure. You want
the broad-band absorption (how much heat you get from the sun at 5-6000
Kelvin) to match the infrared emission (at ~300 Kelvin).
A good amateur choice is flat-white latex paint.
73, Tom
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Gossip Girl
Chuck Bass
Chuck has a lot of money, but he doesn’t have a mother. She died giving birth to him, which is the sort of poignant, tragic detail you would not associate with Chuck, the Upper East Side’s ultimate bad boy. Chuck’s best friend is Nate Archibald, whom he regularly betrays. Nate always forgives him. In Season 1, Chuck’s Dad, Bartholomew, is a supporting character. He gives Chuck a lot of headaches and a lot of money. Then Bart dies, leaving his widow, Lily van der Woodsen Bass (Serena’s mother) as wealthy as Chuck. Chuck does not squander money. He spends it on things he needs: limos, private planes to Europe, hand-crafted suits, the best restaurants, the best hotels. The best women. In the GG books, Chuck was bi-sexual but not on TV. Chuck prefers the ladies, and plenty of ‘em. His fave is Blair Waldorf, who is as scheming and conniving as he is. Despite the fact that they are clearly soul mates, his and Blair’s romance is so off-again, on-again it might as well be an environmentally friendly light bulb.
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n. the elementary particle of bogosity (the measure of something being "bogus", i.e. bad)
Common bogon sources include politicians,
used-car salesmen, TV evangelists, and suits in general.
by junkyardprince November 11, 2003
1)It is a person that is below the normal status and loves to where tight jeans. Generally they drive older commodores.
2)Port Power supporter
"check out that bogon's mullet."
"dam, those bogon's shouldn't get so upset over loosing again."
by Scotty April 14, 2005
A person who can't quite qualify as a hipster, although strives to; and still holds bogan qualities despite strong efforts to repress such attributes.
(Australia east coast specific) A person that strictly buys fair trade organic coffee, attends 'politics in the pub', studies social science, wears jeans and shoes bought at second hand shops, and then drives their SS ute to a rugby league match and opts for cheaper beers such as VB or Tooheys New.
They attend blue-grass and jazz concerts for the image but would probably prefer to be listening to ACDC polishing their ute at home.
They like the image of appearing environmentally green in social situations, but work down a coal mine and boast about the money it pays with close friends.
"he's definately a bogon"
"Thats a nice vintage fixie he's riding; although that Nixon watch he's wearing reeks bogon"
by novojackson September 30, 2011
the imaginary particle of which something false (bogus) is comprised
The airwaves are full of bogons tonight. (example of bogon)
by The Return of Light Joker August 18, 2011
A gross particle, possibly unidentifiable making it even creepier. Possibly a booger or bogey.
Unidentified disgusting particles stuck to something that has been cleaned by a dishwasher are bogons.
by anco January 08, 2005
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On other operating systems the file chooser dialog in applications lets you do things like:
• see a larger preview of images in the current directory
• create a new folder
• change the view of the current directory between vertical list, horizontal list, small icons, large icons, thumbnails etc
I am in Ubuntu 12.04LTS (Unity) ...As far as I can tell there is no way to do any of these things. My file choosers look like this one I found on Google Images:
File Chooser Dialogue
...except that I don't get the list-detail view, I get horizontal rows of icons.
I had a Google and found this: http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/240/ (and hundreds of duplicate requests for the same functionality)
So apparently this have been fixed since v8? How do I get it to work?
share|improve this question
I have posted a bug report in launchpad # 1175608. Perhaps this will work?!!? The problem is that is basically a Nautilus feature, thus we have to convince the Nautilus/ GNOME developers involved that this should change. Given the fact that Gnome is being dumbed down further and further I don't know if we stand a chance. – Hein Hanssen May 21 '13 at 12:57
2 Answers 2
up vote 1 down vote accepted
Quite frankly you can't "enable" it (file preview). It is an application specific feature, which most developers don't seem to bother with. You will notice that in some applications, (for example the GIMP) you will get image previews, but for the most part you won't see any.
As for other features like creating/deleting folders, these have (for some reason) not been implemented.
share|improve this answer
Thanks for the info. This is very disappointing, especially as it's such a basic usability feature and elsewhere large amounts of time and money seem to have been spent on developing 'me too' cloud services, app stores and visual effects. – Anentropic Jun 14 '12 at 14:56
I've noticed that a lot of applications have identical file chooser dialog boxes though. Is there a particular widget (e.g., in GTK+) that is very often used for this? If so, feature requests filed upstream against the library providing the widget may be productive. – Eliah Kagan Jun 15 '12 at 2:15
@EliahKagan afaik, yes, there is. I believe that has already been attempted, but you know how it goes in Gnome... you can request a commonly missed feature a million times and have it ignored until the developers suddenly want it themselves and then pretend like it was their grand idea... – RolandiXor Jun 15 '12 at 12:24
Not sure if this is an option for you, but Nautilus(called Files) in Ubuntu 13.04 has the image preview, via a "Grid" view of a folder.
Also, you can still create a folder (or delete) using keyboard shortcuts. These are much easier than using context menu selections.
[Ctrl][Shift][N] - create new folder [Delete] - delete folder
hth, V
share|improve this answer
keyboard shortcuts are only easier if they are discoverable via the UI – Anentropic May 22 '13 at 20:05
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Financial Literacy - Financial tuneup
A cartoon man in red handing a wrench to a cartoon man in yellow laying down inside a wallet with a blue and yellow background
Use investments to reach your goals
Many people go about investing in sporadic fashion, without considering their goals, time horizon or risk tolerance. They put together a thousand bucks, call a broker and ask for a stock recommendation. Or they sign up for 401(k) plans -- a good thing -- but plan to tap them early without realizing they'll have to pay stiff penalties plus taxes to do so. Still others dutifully open accounts and invest without truly examining why. And dreams? For many, dreams are for those rare moments of reverie and don't even enter the process.
Figure out your dreams, goals
Instead of following a financial formula and then seeing if it makes sense to pursue your dreams, you should work from the other direction, says life-planning pioneer George Kinder, author of "Seven Stages of Money Maturity" and founder of the Kinder Institute of Life Planning. First determine your dreams, then use financial planning to help you get there.
Use this work sheet to help you determine your goals.
Fine-tuning your investments:
1. Figure out your dreams, goals
2. Balance multiple objectives
3. Consider your time line
4. Invest for your time horizon
5. Determine your risk tolerance
It's important to explore even those desires you wouldn't normally consider discussing with a financial planner. Whether you want to spend more time with your family, play the guitar like Eric Clapton or learn to fly a plane, you'll need to figure out how to free up the resources -- the financial and time components. After all, time is money.
"Write down five to 10 financial objectives," says John Grable, professor in personal finance planning at Kansas State University. "It's unlikely you'll be able to fund them all unless you're very rich. What you've got to do is determine what's important to you and then prioritize meeting the goals."
Balance multiple objectives
It's not all about the pie in the sky.
"Out of your dreams, do some realistic goal setting," recommends Richard Salmen, Certified Financial Planner and national president of the Financial Planning Association. "If your goal is to save up for a down payment on a $240,000 house, you'll need to save $800 per month for the next five years in order to reach it," he says. "Start with the big picture at the end and work backwards to achieve it."
It may be necessary to adjust your goals. Salmen tells the story of one couple who dreamed of buying a ranch in Montana, but after looking at prices and income realized they wouldn't be young enough to enjoy their dream by the time they could afford it. They settled on a smaller farm outside of Kansas City instead.
"Now they have a baby with Down syndrome and they had to readjust again," he says. "'Life happens as you're planning it,' is our favorite saying around here. Planning is a process, not a product."
Use this calculator to run the numbers and see how much you need to invest or save to achieve your goals.
Consider your time line
Another piece of the puzzle is your time horizon. Some goals come with a set time frame, such as education.
"Once you have a baby you know you have 18 years until the first year of college hits," says Shashin Shah, a Chartered Financial Analyst, Certified Financial Planner and president of SGS Wealth Management in Dallas.
Other goals don't have an expiration date, but can depend instead on your financial wherewithal: when to retire, for example, or moving into a bigger house.
"If someone starts with nothing at 35 and wants to retire at 50, they'll either need to achieve a 20 percent return on their investments, work longer or back off their goal savings amount," he says. "They'll need to find out what they are willing to do to achieve their goals."
You don't want investments to get eaten up by taxes, but before funneling every extra penny into tax-deferred investments such as a 401(k) plan or IRA, consider carefully if you might need the money for some other purpose before retirement. Otherwise, you'll feel the bite of penalties.
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Ed Burns alias Maurice Clement
Guess Who?
Linda Rohr was a Black Dahlia roommate. Maurice was the Dahlia's "favorite boy friend." How many newshawks in the Dahlia newsmania interviewed ultra-newsworthy Maurice? Zip. Maurice was the little man who wasn't there: Ed Burns. Look what Ed thought he'd gotten away with:
1. Ed Burns began with a switcheroo: BURNS ED
2. Ed made two anagrams of himself: NBURS DE
3. Ed alphabetically shifted data down v v v v
one place. Shift 2 alphas, skip 2 alphas: MAURR CE
4. Ed put "I/Ed" in the slot he'd saved: MAURRICE
"Maurrice" was "I, Ed Burns" to Ed, and "Maurice" to everybody else. Ed Burns'
Maurrice/Maurice had a last name: "Clement." "Clement" has a decryption which jells with decryption of "Maurice." Ed utilized "Clement" to say and prove that Ed Burns
was the Black Dahlia killer. Here's how Ed got to "Clement":
1. Ed began w/ "Black Dahlia Killer" plus an apology: BDK SM
2. Ed made his Maurice "maneuver." Two anagrams: BKD MS
3. Ed did his Maurice shift. This time, all up 1 alpha: CLE NT
4. Ed did what we expect of him. He injected "I/me": CLEMENT
The full decryption of "Maurice Clement" is:
"I, Ed Burns, Black Dahlia killer, [that's] me. Sorry mare."
Does it seem familiar? It should. It's the same "Sorry, mare" Ed Burns would set up in The Hirsh Apts. and use in his suicide/confession message.
Ed Burns was Maurice Clement! And a Maurice Clement is a hub of chicanery in Donald Wolfe's The Black Dahlia Files . . . In the book are a photo allegedly of and text purportedly about Maurice Clement. But the LA-area man Elizabeth knew as> "Maurice" was not in settings and scenarios Wolfe puts Maurice into. And the photo is of a guy named "Salvadore Torres Vara."
Vara was not the man Elizabeth Short knew as "Maurice Clement." How could Wolfe have made this "mistake"? Was it a mistake? Look at this:
In Wolfe's book, pg. 277: "He [Clement] was identified as the person who transported Elizabeth to Mark Hansen's residence on Carlos Street." In John Gilmore's Severed, pg. 94: "[Ed] Burns drove Beth from another hotel to a house [Hansen's] on Carlos Avenue that was situated behind the Florentine Gardens nightclub. 'She had a lot of luggage . . .' " Wolfe and Gilmore collectively endorse the Guess Who theme: Ed Burns and Maurice Clement were one and the same man! On this, they were correct.
The strangest statement in the DA suspect list is under "Maurice Clement." It is suspiciously short. It concludes: ". . . a likely character type but has been partially eliminated by the Los Angeles Police Department. See their report." The statement says "partially"(?) What does that mean? If Ed Burns did drown himself, and is not hiding out in the Sunbelt, he's eliminated. Is that what it means?
The "belongings pack" telephoner had a silky-sounding voice. The Chancellor Apartments-phoning Maurice had a cultured British accent. This points directly at Ed Burns. "Silky" and "cultured British" insinuate deception: Ed's trademark.
Certain Dahlia buffs have claimed that Ed Burns isn't in the LA DA's 1949 Black Dahlia-murder suspect List. But Burns is in said list as his LA-area alias: "Maurice Clement." The double-whammy function of this alias is explained below.
M 'n M
Ed had good reasons for using "Maurice Clement" as an alias. One's a weirdity, not a rarity. It was done by Robert Louis Stevenson in the classic: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It was done by the Suzanne Degnan-dissector, William Heirens: Will was the good guy, George Murman was the bad guy. And it was done by the Black Dahlia- bisector, Ed Burns: Ed was the good guy, Maurice Clement was the bad guy. So Ed's Degnan-murder mimetism went further than we'd thought: Ed/Maurice included the Heirens/Murman thing. And Ed Burns was more cryptically clever in manufacture of "Maurice" than we'd thought. Do you see it, and hear it? They have similarities in look and sound: Murman/Maurice.
In addition to being part of the Degnan mimetism, "Maurice Clement" would've been a cover: an element of Ed's "perfect murder." The DA list said: ". . . working at Columbia Studios at the time of the murder." Maurice was a talent scout. He must have used a phony ID. He likely had a desk he would never use, and an LA-area apartment he'd use when he was in the area on a "one-day trip." The FBI file noted that Ed Burns made the trips. But I'll bet the Bureau was unaware of the apartment or "Maurice," at the time of the interrogation. Maurice probably was out in the field scouting, full-time. The field included Sunbelt states . . . and the Shanghai Dance Hall in Hollywood, where he met the Black Dahlia. Would anybody in the LA area have known him as "Ed Burns"? If not, the link from UnID'd Man in Hirsh Apts. to Ed Burns in the Sunbelt could've been tenuous. LAPD called on the FBI to identify Mr. Barnes . . . If no one in the LA area knew him as "Ed Burns," then so what if everyone in the area deciphers his messages? Initials and names they will find are E, B, Ed and Ed Burns: not M, C and Maurice Clement.
Like other elements of the Dahlia murder, Ed's "Maurice" alias reflects long-term planning. The murder might've been in the works from the time Ed realized the love of his life would never be "his": in other words, from the day Ed Burns and Elizabeth Short met. Maybe Elizabeth never heard "Ed Burns" prior to the trilogy reading. But that's crazy. Yes! Ed Burns was a psychiatrist-certified mental case. And the Black Dahlia murder was stranger than any "true story" Black Dahlia fiction I've read.
Ed Burns must've been a fixture at the top of LAPD's Black Dahlia-suspect list from the day the FBI ID'd him. And Ed told us most of what we would want to know about the murder. But 1947 LAPD did not close the case . . .
Do not follow the bouncing blue ball!
The Fate of the Black Dahlia Murderer
Home | About | Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Epilogue | Appendix |
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Linux move could make Netware a viable alternative to Windows
Linux move could make Netware a viable alternative to Windows
Karl Cushing and Antony Adshead
Novell's decision to offer Netware services on Linux has given existing users a migration path and could revive the fortunes of the Netware operating system, making it a viable alternative to Microsoft's Windows and Active Directory.
Netware 7, due to be released in autumn 2004, will incorporate a set of Novell services, such as file and print and collaboration, that can run on either a Netware or a Linux kernel.
Shackling Netware services to the non-proprietary Linux operating system could help Novell retain its large installed user base while appealing to open source users and those considering a move away from a Sun Unix-based platform or a Microsoft platform.
John Enck, vice-president of server and directory strategies at analyst firm Gartner, said Novell would probably support mainstream Linux distributions such as SuSE and Red Hat, and migrating to Linux would not be an issue for Netware users.
"In terms of migration from a Netware-based product to a Linux-based product, Novell already offers all of the data migration tools that will be needed," said Enck. He pointed out that other Novell products such as Zenworks and eDirectory are already multiplatform and can run on Netware, Linux, Windows, Solaris, HP-UX and AIX.
"The Linux move is a nice counterbalance to Microsoft Windows Server - users who do not want to run Windows or other proprietary operating systems such as Netware now have another option," said Enck. "Novell is not backing off of Netware, it is simply offering another choice."
Ashim Pal, vice-president at analyst firm Meta Group, said, "Don't interpret this as 'Netware is dead' - that is absolutely not the case."
While its share of the operating system market has fallen significantly in recent years, Pal said there are about one million end-users on Netware in the UK, many in the public sector.
Pal said the move would make sticking with Netware more appealing for existing users. Those leaning towards Microsoft for services such as file and print are being offered "an economic alternative" to stay put, he said.
However, Gary Barnett, an analyst with Ovum, said there was "a huge cost" in migrating to Linux and warned that by embracing Linux Novell could be shooting itself in the foot. "Novell is running a risk of creating an exit point from its operating system," he said.
For Barnett, Novell's choice of Linux distribution will be key. There have been suggestions that Novell might create its own but Barnett said this would be inadvisable due to the number of existing distributions available. He also said that if Novell chooses a distribution such as Red Hat it would have to ask how much value it is adding.
For most file and print users it will be irrelevant whether they are running on a Netware or a Linux kernel. Barnett also pointed out that most Linux distributions already come with pretty good file and print capabilities.
"I am not convinced this is going to deliver Novell any major new revenues or have an impact on Linux adoption. I don't think this is the point where Novell's fortunes change for the better," said Barnett.
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The President's Burden
What a burden our president bears. Just ask him. He must bravely fight the depredations of hordes of American doctors who lop off limbs and take out tonsils for absolutely no reason, except to stuff their wallets. And we're talking doctors in all 57 states! He must revive an economy mired in record-shattering depths, pulling against the strain of job-destroying ATM bank machines. True, ATMs debuted in 1968; but only now, during his administration, did their cunningly concealed job-killing effects suddenly explode. And does he have the proper equipment to handle these challenges? Sadly, no. Upon assuming the presidency, he thought he was "gonna have, like, really cool phones and stuff." But it was not to be. "C'mon guys, I'm the president of the United States! Where's the fancy buttons and stuff and the big screen comes up? It doesn't happen," he poignantly remarked. Most tragically, just when he's meeting Queen Elizabeth, he gets sucked into a...(Read Full Post) |
Here Comes IPv6... Guess Who is Not Ready
In about 100 days, the United States Federal Government will be required to be running large portions of their systems on IPv6. Now, for the few non-technical in the crowd, it means that the address your PC uses to connect to the Internet, in most cases, is IPv4. Version 4 has been around almost since most of you started networking your machines to the Internet (it was around in the early '90s when I started doing all of this). IP version 6, which debuted in 1995 was designed to "fix" some of the things that were broken in IPv4, such as the limited address space (it may surprise you but there are only so many addresses in IPv4 that can be allocated). IPv6 increases the address space to some ridiculous number like 1000 per cubic meter of the Earth - in other words A LOT!.
So, as part of my testing, I figured I would call my ISP and request a block. Might as well get while the getting is good right?
So, here is some of my chat with my ISP (try not to laugh):
Me: I want a block of IPv6 addresses. How do I request them?
ISP: As I understand, you wish to block the IP Address of any Domain name. Am I correct?
Me: Negative. I want to request a block (say a /48) of IPv6 addresses.
As you can see, we are off to a roaring start.
But it gets better:
ISP: I apologize for the inconvenience caused to you. I am not getting your concern correctly, could you please elaborate your concern once again for me?
Me: I would like to request a block of IPv6 addresses for use on my home network. How do I do that?
ISP: Alright. As I understand, you wish to block of General Unicast IPv6 addresses for your Home Network. Am I correct?
Me: Correct.
ISP: I would love to assist you however we have a different department...
So, I call the department and they do not even know what I am talking about until they find a supervisor who tells them that the "service" is not supported.
Tell me again why the Fed is pushing to convert?
Now, how do I apply for an IPv6 address block?
Comment viewing options
Frankly I don't blame the
raf's picture
Frankly I don't blame the customer service rep too much. Especially for a non-native English speaker, or even someone who's just not familiar with IPv6, or IPv4's distinction from it, it would be easy to interpret your question as "please block all IPv6 addresses from connecting to my computer." I think you might have tried rephrasing it: "I would like a range/series/group of IPv6 addresses be assigned to my network."
kg4giy's picture
If I had been on the phone, maybe...but since I was typing it (and typed it about four times), once, yes...maybe.
The truly sad part about all of this is it is NOT a new initiative. It has been the focus of dozens of article in the trade press for three years now. If this was a mom and pop organization I would chalk it up to inexperience, but this is a MAJOR telco.
Agree with mburns
brian_'s picture
I have to agree with mburns here. This article is poorly researched, inflamatory, and underlines the author's total misunderstanding of the reasons behind the IPv6 government mandate.
The mandate is there exactly BECAUSE IP6 has not been widely adopted by the public. What it does is force any vendor who wishes to get very lucrative contracts with the government to implement IP6, which means that they will have to create and test products that work with it. Also, any ISP or network company must also implement it on their networks. THEN, because all of that cost has already been forced on the vendors, the next easy step for them is to turn around and offer it to the consumer. By that time, a significant portion of the infrastructure will already be in place, and the chicken/egg problem will have been solved.
It's ALWAYS about economics.
kg4giy's picture
Who's economics? The Federal Governments?
We are talking about an organization that has access to as many addresses as it needs to do business, most of which really are not utilized properly to begin with (on the front side) and are NATed to private addresses on the back side. So, there are no savings here from an address perspective. It isn't like the Fed is going to convert tomorrow and suddenly all these IPv4 address are going to be freed up. In reality, they are going to have to NAT their IPv6 traffic back to IPv4 just to reach the sites on the net that haven't converted. Which is plenty!
Forcing corporations to change, just for the sake of change is a VERY bad idea. Perhaps if it was Cisco leading the way, it might make sense, but from a "let's change the world" prospective, especially when it comes to IT, the United States Federal Government is the most conservative organization on the planet with only a couple of exceptions. Telcos look positively bleeding edge by comparison. The Fed does not do ANYTHING until everyone else forces their hand. So who is forcing the migration to IPv6? It is not coming from the inside. Sure DARPA and maybe some propeller heads over at NIST and NASA might be chomping at the bit, but by and large, the networks inside the bulk of the Federal space are chugging along quite nicely thank you, many still running version of software that have been end-of-life for years. Why? Because they can, they work and there is no reason to change.
Economics has very little to do with the Federal Government. After fifteen years of building their networks, I have a pretty intimate view of what is going on and deploying IPv6 is getting little more than lip service.
There is no money to convert (yes, it costs money - equipment, training, etc). There is not a lot of spare money in most departmental budgets. So where is the impetus? As I have said, there is gear already in production that supports the stack. There is also considerable amounts of gear in the agencies that DO NOT.
From OMB's perspective, this is a mandate that must be met. So the agencies are doing as little as possible to meet it (some more, some less). If ANYONE is under the misconception that this is going to force the Internet to convert to IPv6 overnight, let me help you out and tell you not to rush out and start renumbering. If the telcos are not rushing to meet it and they are not, what is the impetus. Why was this even made a priority in a nation with dozens of other IT priorities? Maybe I don't understand the reasons. I will fully admit there are a lot of mandates the Fed imposes that makes me sit back and scratch my head. Most of them are little more than empire building frankly, but this one is just out of left field strange. If you work for OMB, tell us, why? What were the technical decisions? What was the thought process? Everyone in the engine rooms will tell you that there was no thought process behind this mandate, because if there was, it would have died a quick and quiet death.
Can't see the forest from the trees
brian_'s picture
Again, you've misunderstood. "Economics" is "the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services." (wikipedia) No one entity has "economics" as you seem to be saying. It is the entire marketplace (and ONLY the entire marketplace) that can have "economics".
You also seem to be looking too closely at the problem, and at completely the wrong level. Certainly you must agree that any argument that claims IP4 has enough addresses for the government to use is a completely shortsighted one. The point of the IP6 move is to look into the future, not the present. Your work on the details of networks has prevented you from seeing the big picture. This is a "big picture" sort of thing, so if you haven't, adjust your perspective accordingly for the rest of this reply.
One of the main ways that the US Government can promote changes in the general marketplace is by USING the marketplace. That is the ultimate ideal of capitalism, which is what drives this country (USA).
Because the OMB realizes that there's a looming problem coming on the Internet (running out of addresses), and that the Internet is now such a critical piece of the economy, they decide to do something about it. The market is not taking care of the problem already because there is a chicken/egg problem. No one will use IP6 because it's not implemented anywhere, and no one will implement it because no one is using it.
They need to break this stalemate. I'll spell it out for you:
Before the IP6 edict:
• Vendor knows about IPv6, but is not getting any demand for it, so they don't put any effort or money into implementing it
• Vendor is getting lots of money from its government contracts
• Some in the general public want IP6, but they can't get it because no vendor is making it, and really, (as you said), it's not a problem right now, and they have more important things to worry about.
You see, the general public is worried about themselves, how they are going to put food on the table and pay their mortgages. They are not worried about the looming global crisis of IP4 address exhaustion that might come sometime in the future. That's one of the things governments should be looking at.
OK, finally, the edict comes out that by this year, the government networks must be able to support IP6.
• Vendor realizes that if they want to continue to get those lucrative government contracts, they must invest in and develop products that support IPv6, so they do
• Now that these products are available, the general public can also purchase them, so they now have IP6 support.
The ENTIRE point of the mandate is to force vendors to start making equipment that supports IP6. In the process, it will also cause the kinks to get worked out, and many additional products will begin to show up in the market.
Does it mean that your home-level cable/DSL ISP will implement it right now? No. The next time they buy new hardware, however, it will probably already have IP6 support in it, even if that's 5 years from now.
This is a "long timeline" type of thing. No one is going to be trashing everything they have now just to get IP6. It doesn't make sense. BUT, in a few years, maybe even a decade, all equipment will have IP6 support, then it's just a matter of flipping the switch.
Again down to microsoft.
brendan's picture
From what I've just read Windows XP has very limited support for IPv6. The same has occurred for PNG adoption in internet websites (< I.E 7 little or no support), ODF (no support from Microsoft) and EFI (not supported by Vista (no service pack), XP (all service packs)).
is it just me or are we just pawns in a Microsoft world.
Yes and No
kg4giy's picture
Pawns of Redmond? I would hope we have more free will than that, but when you control large portions of corporate and federal infrastructure, yes, a lot of the decisions are based on what comes out of the Northwest.
XP and Server 2003 have limited support for IPv6, limited to the stack and a couple of text files. The templates and other mechanisms in key pieces of the architecture do not support it. Further, there are some bugs, enough that Redmond had to change the stack for Vista and Server 2008.
We have all heard the old joke, how many Microsoft Engineers does it take to change a light bulb. None, they just declare darkness the new standard. In the old days that might have been the case, but with the deployment of Vista, I think there are some real opportunities to push a different model forward, but it is going to take a lot of work.
Again down to microsoft.
Anonymous's picture
Who is using IPV6?
Michael Eager's picture
I guess I have to ask: Is anyone using IPV6, except
as a response to preparing for a government mandate?
Other than the every-other-year predictions that we
were going to run out of IP addresses, the Internet will
fail, and it will be the end of the world as we know it,
I seldom hear anything about IPV6.
Do any of the main Internet destinations (,,,, have
IPV6 connections? If they do, how would I know?
I guess that the government wants to give us all a
push in this direction, but until the core of the
Internet has IPV6, it's going to be real slow going.
It depends on what you want
FredR's picture
It depends on what you want to use it for. I've been an IRC addict for so long I lost track of how long it's been. I've literally met thousands of people online, mostly through IRC. When I saw the #linuxjournal channel on freenode, I became a permanent fixture (flrichar in there).
Yet, I could not think of a good reason to use my IPv6 tunnel from Hurricane Electric. What's sad, this is the second one I've had in so many years. The first one, my account was deleted for inactivity. What kinda network nerd is that?
So I sat in a few channels on freenode recently, and someone popped in on an IPv6 connection. I started getting all exicted! I quickly compiled and ran irssi on my IPv6 gateway machine, and jumped in the channels I was in. I had to find a reason to use it. It was there, and what I was already doing supported IPv6 so I took advantage.
Now, to bring IPv6 connectivity to all of my machines, I'm planning on running several tunnels. Even right into several virtual machines I have. I mean, geesh I only have 18 quintillion addresses to play with (/64).
Noone's gonna come by and place a magic IPv6 tophat on your head. If you want to do it, do it. Find a reason to. Find the initiative, the incentive. Vote with your actions. The largest chain reactions begin with the smallest changes.
Organic vs Institutional
kg4giy's picture
What you point out is a feature (the nature?) of the success and failure of applications in the Internet herself. The Internet as we know it has grown more through organic success than institutional edict. Applications that succeed are those that are used by the majority of people.
New protocols are introduced daily and others are dying just the same. Forcing the "adoption" of an application or protocol on the Internet is really like yelling into a hurricane.
Webmistress's picture
We're very glad to have you in #linuxjournal! :)
kg4giy's picture
I know that Verio/NTT are, and I suspect that Sprint and AT&T are in support of the Federal Government Networx network (that passes all the traffic). Beyond that I am at a loss to tell you because they are not advertising it if they are (I know NTT is for example because they are held up as the poster child of ISPs for running it native on their backbone).
A good question to ask is how many of the CABLE companies are running it? With more and more traffic flowing over their networks, they are becoming an increasingly large carrier of Internet traffic.
I would be curious to know as well.
Simple questions...
mburns's picture
"Tell me again why the Fed is pushing to convert?"
We are running out of IPv4 addresses and IPv6 is more scalable, secure and robust.
"Now, how do I apply for an IPv6 address block?"
Get an ISP that doesn't suck, or (if you are an ISP, corporation, university, etc) apply directly with IANA directly, as per their publicly stated guidelines that walk you through the process.
My question: Why are you writing poorly researched, inflammatory articles about your experience with the tier 1 tech support from your local telco?
kg4giy's picture
So, what is missing from this little story:
1) The Federal government is being forced to migrate, not because we are running out of addresses (we are, but that is a different discussion) but because they, OMB, made a unilateral decision three years ago with no technical backing behind it (goes along with the conversion to only 50 gateways that have to be implemented by, I think, the end of June). The problem is that the Fed is in no way ready to make the conversion and IPv6 really is not ready for prime least not the way that the people that managed the federal networks need it to be. I will be the first to agree that the current IPv4 space is becoming limited. However, most of the Federal sector is hiding behind well established NATed address spaces. Converting the backbones to IPv6 is a paperchase.
2) I know HOW to apply. The problem is that I am not technically allowed to go direct to ARIN. My ISP is one of the largest in the United States. Does it suck, yes. Do I have a lot of options? Nope. They are the only providers of DSL in my area. The RFCs and established protocols say I get my addresses from my upstream provider, my ISP. Therefore, I have to apply for them from them. If they are unprepared for those requests, then guess what, they aren't prepared and sadly, they get to say, we do not support this.
3) After two hours of searching the web, the ISPs web site and asking around with those in the know, Tier 1 was my only option. Yes, Tier 1 is not always the best option...sadly, when it comes to the Telcos, it sometimes the ONLY option.
Oh, should I mention that after talking to the ARIN people at FOSE, their recommendation was to contact my ISP first? Generally, one follows the established protocols before violating them.
There's several different
FredR's picture
There's several different ways. Try what I did, a tunnel from or Earthlink has a (Linux-based) firmware for the popular WRT54G Linksys router.
kg4giy's picture
Yes, there are a number of ways around this. I could always piggy back on my agency's addresses. There are a couple hundred available that will never be used in this decade if at all. What I was really attempting was, to validate what I have been, in background, chasing ever since the move to IPv6 was "announced" by the Fed back in 2005 (2004? It has been a while and my memory that far back is fuzzy).
The move, designed to force the Internet in the US to adopt IPv6, is essentially a flop. Beyond the backbones of the Federal Government, adoption of IPv6 is spotty. Cisco and Foundry gear have supported IPv6 for close to 10 years (probably Juniper and other gear, but since I don't work with it, I cannot say for sure. Take it on faith that it probably does). Linux supports it in the current (2.6) kernel, but I would be hard pressed to remember when it was added in initially because I never really looked for it. It was probably there early on. Some ISPs (notably NTT/Verio) have supported it for a number of years, but mainly because the protocol was already deployed in areas OUTSIDE the United States. There are supposed to be millions of addresses available under IPv6 (the theory goes) and you would think that the ISPs would be handing them out like swag at a convention. The sad part is that most organizations are not even close to being ready to implement IPv6 in any capacity and even fewer are really doing it, even those that support the Federal Government.
A while back, when Java was fairly new, Scott McNealy made an observation. He said that when Java was released, there was only a handful of books on the subject. Within 500 days of its release, there were shelves of books. IPv6 is short on books and really good sites with information (sorry, I am an old time network engineer - I have to take it with me - reading on the web is just too painful to old eyes and a four hour commute does not lend itself well to laptop use).
IPv6 has been available, functionally, for close to 15 years. Reference implementations are still few and far between. The 6bone and others have proven the traffic can be routed, but routing traffic is only a small part of the battle. Applications like DHCP, DNS and protocols like HTTP and FTP have to be able to utilize these new addresses. When we talk about the Federal Government, we are talking primarily a Windows world (for better or worse) and it has not been until Windows 2008 that the applications (not just the stack) have supported IPv6. And that does not cover printer NICs and other "devices" that have to support the protocol.
Yes, there are short cuts. Yes, there are somethings that work...but the goal of IPv6 was to reduce the overhead of management, secure the stream (as much as it could be) and increase the address space. What we have discovered is that the personnel are untrained, security requires more thought than we expected and the implementation is more complicated that anyone had foreseen when the protocol was designed in an era before large scale spam, crackers and session hijacking.
And sadly, like most Federal mandates, this one was not thought through...despite all the good intentions. We all have a long way to go.
David, Fantastic points.
FredR's picture
Fantastic points. I, too am an "old school" (albeit not older) network engineer. In my experience, as I'm sure in yours, I see the world in two types: geeks and non-geeks. In fact I moved 800 miles across the country almost two years ago. In my last job, all my coworkers right up to the VP level were geeks. It was great. At my new job, there's very few. In fact, most are non-geeks. It's very difficult for me.
Don't get me wrong. I love the new state, the new house, the new job (and the weather is nicer). But I kinda miss the geek mentality. What I've noticed is these geeks (or tech types, or engineer types) are really a minority. The majority of people out there are average joes, including plenty policy and decision makers. They can barely wrap their heads around IPv4 let alone IPv6.
So I think the issue is primarily social. Noone wants to fix something they don't percieve as broken. They'll let the "network guys" like us handle it and deal with it. I feel at work I'm understaffed to handle the network I have let alone the one I want, so I do the best I can. And shame on me for settling! My insatiable need for efficency drives me to believe IPv6 is better for everyone.
Ever notice our field is the only one where people expect us to fix social problems? First, email was always "make sure the message is delivered no matter what", now it's "I don't like the type of mail I'm getting (spam)". Can you imagine if we complained to the postal service about junk mail, or the telephone company about wrong numbers? They would say one word: tough.
I believe the internet will split. Those of us like you and I who can find ways to take advantage of IPv6 will begin to use it. The IPv4 internet will continue down a messy road. Those too scared of the new technology will not adopt it. There will be the "old internet" and the "new internet". Want a release from all the pain of the old one? Upgrade. Is it a lot more difficult to understand? Yes. Maybe then you'll see large scale adoption.
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Pro-family activism that makes a difference!
A Report on the Pro-life Views of Governor Mitt Romney
POSTED: June 10, 2007
Due to an unusual amount of confusion over the pro-life position of Governor Mitt Romney, MassResistance has issued this report. Much of this confusion is caused not only by the Governor's ever changing positions, but also by the endorsement of Romney by a few pro-family leaders who have apparently failed to do their due diligence before endorsing him. Moreover, this confusion is further compounded by some conservative publications that for reasons unbeknownst to us have refused to report the full and complete story on Romney's pro-life views.
Such obfuscation by conservative leaders and publications does a disservice to the conservative movement and to the pro-life movement in particular. We hope that this report will shed some light on where Governor Romney stands on this culture-defining issue.
THE TOP SIX PROBLEMS: Since Romney's famous pro-life "conversion" in November 2004, note the following -
1. Romney said that he does not favor a federal constitutional amendment banning abortion, but instead favors each state deciding for itself whether to allow abortion or not. (Suppose Lincoln had taken that approach on the slavery issue. )
2. Gov. Romney signed into law a universal health insurance plan that (a) includes increased state-funded abortions, and (b) names Planned Parenthood in the law as an overseer. Romney never challenged any of that.
3. Romney said he would disagree with governmental intervention in the Terri Schiavo forced starvation case, adding "I think it's probably best to leave these kinds of matters in the hands of the courts."
4. Gov. Romney forced Catholic hospitals in Massachusetts to dispense the "morning after" pill.
5. Romney said he does not object to stem cell research using left over human embryos.
6. Although Romney vetoed pro-abortion legislation after his "conversion", it always appeared to be for political effect. The Legislature always overrode the vetoes. We never saw Romney exert any substantial effort to get his vetoes sustained.
Romney's Pro-Abortion History
Mitt Romney hails from a liberal Mormon tradition that supports abortion rights. While this is not a large faction within the LDS Church, it does exist and there have been LDS leaders who have supported Roe vs. Wade ever since its inception.
In the 1960's, George Romney, Mitt's father, was considered one of the key leaders of the liberal wing of the GOP, and along with Nelson Rockefeller and others, worked incessantly to move the Republican Party to a more liberal position on both social and fiscal issues.
Romney's mother, Lenore Romney, was one of the early Republican Party proponents of abortion. During her candidacy for the US Senate in Michigan she announced:
This was in 1970, three years before the Roe vs. Wade decision. At the time, performing an abortion was a felony.
Mitt Romney has a long history of supporting pro-abortion candidates and causes, and aggressively sought the support and endorsement of groups such as NARAL and Planned Parenthood. Indeed, Romney is still listed today as a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group supported by Billionaire leftist George Soros dedicated to shifting the GOP leftward on social issues such as abortion rights and stem cell research.
Romney also has a history of assisting the careers of other prominent pro-abortion politicians. In the 1992 presidential race, Romney endorsed and voted for pro-abortion liberal Democrat Paul Tsongas in the Democrat primary and just three years ago endorsed and made a television ad for Democrat Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson, a former Planned Parenthood attorney.
As Governor, he issued state proclamations honoring "Right to Privacy Day" which until 2005, specifically referenced the Roe vs. Wade case.
Romney repeatedly took extreme stances on abortion throughout his career and consistently made statements such as this one:
There simply is no doubt that Romney was one of the most pro-abortion Republican office holders in the country.
In his current campaign, Romney has sought to play down his prior support for abortion, giving the impression that he never really strongly supported abortion, but new revelations reported by the Los Angeles Times demonstrate otherwise.
Notes taken by key leaders of the nation's most radical pro-abortion group, the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), reveal that at a 2002 meeting, Romney assured them he would work to soften the GOP stance on abortion and said that the GOP's pro-life position was "killing them."
He also promised to fight efforts by conservatives to require abstinence-only sex education in the schools.
These are not the comments of someone who took this issue lightly, but rather the words of a person deeply committed to the pro-abortion issue.
Romney's Conversion. Was it Authentic?
Romney says he became "pro-choice" two years before Roe vs. Wade became law as a result of a death of relative due to an illegal abortion. But then, in November of 2004, at age 57 years old, he claimed to have had a second conversion about the issue while meeting with a stem cell researcher from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Romney claimed the researcher told him,
Look, you don't have to think about this stem cell research as a moral issue, because we kill the embryos after 14 days.
However, the media located the scientist, Dr. Douglas Melton, and he
stated he never said such a thing:
Governor Romney has mischaracterized my position; we didn't discuss killing or anything related to it….I explained my work to him, told him about my deeply held respect for life, and explained that my work focuses on improving the lives of those suffering from debilitating diseases.
It's a troubling conversion story. If Romney was disturbed by the destruction of a 14 day old embryo created in a test tube, then how did he not realized after all his years in politics that millions of unborn babies - some as old as six months -- were being destroyed? How can he walk away appalled that stem cell research kills life but then turn around and
continue to support the killing of embryos for stem cell research? (see below)
And then there's the question of his wife Ann. A long time member of the moderate Republican Party establishment in Massachusetts, one of her jobs while her husband was governor appears to be to reassure liberal voters that her husband can be trusted to support abortion rights. Indeed, a 2002 video has now surfaced on YouTube with Mrs. Romney doing just that:
I think they [referring to pro-abortion women] may be more nervous about him on social issues. They shouldn't be, because he's gonna be just fine.
Romney himself chimes in, "So when asked, will I preseve and protect a women's right to choose, I make an unequivocal answer: Yes." You can watch this at:
Incredibly, Ann is now being assigned by the Romney campaign to speak to pro-life groups about her husband's pro-life credentials. Are we being asked to believe that she also had an epiphany on this issue at the same time her husband did?
We do believe that some people sincerely change their views, but we believe Romney's pro-life conversion to be suspect for many reasons. He doesn't appear to have converted on all issues related to life, the conversion story itself is suspect, and he doesn't appear to understand the moral aspects of this issue. Moreover, his conversion occurred around the same time period when he started to consider running for higher office.
Romney's current view on abortion
1. Romney's current view on abortion appears to be based more on a procedural stance than a moral view and is not necessarily a pro-life view.
Instead of focusing on the moral case against abortion, Romney has repeatedly stated he wants the people to vote on this issue, which, in of in itself is not a pro-life position unless you also agree to use your position to pass pro-life legislation. But when pressed on whether he would support a constitutional amendment banning abortion, he refuses to answer this question. The National Journal (February 10, 2007) pressed him on this point:
If a state wanted unlimited abortion?
On February 28, 2005 - also after his conversion - Romney said:
I am personally pro-life. However, as governor I would not change the laws of the commonwealth relating to abortion.
When the reporter asked if he favors making abortion illegal, Romney stopped the interview by stating:
But that's the furthest I'm going to take you right now.
These statements make it clear he does not favor using his political authority to advance the pro-life position. If he's not willing to do this, then we question his pro-life commitment. His position on abortion appears to be more about democratic voting rights and not about the moral evil of abortion. He never says specifically how he would use his power to protect the sanctity of life nor has been able to clarify the moral reasons why he is opposed to the procedure itself.
2. Romney's 2006 health care plan vastly increases state-funded abortions.
While there are court decisions requiring state health care plans that receive Medicaid funding to fund all "medically necessary" abortions, the Romney plan funds all abortions with no restrictions. Moreover, the creation of a state-wide government entity that widely promotes abortion services will of course increase the number of state-funded abortions.
Furthermore, the Romney administration wrote the health care plan with the requirement that everyone must have health insurance and creates a subsidy for those who cannot afford it. Therefore it subsidizes the insurance of low income women and creates a new category of state-subsidized abortions. Nor, to anyone's knowledge, did Romney make any attempt to exclude or even minimize abortions in the health care plan. Thus, it is a fact that Romney is responsible for the expansion of state funded abortion. With Planned Parenthood serving on the plan's advisory board (as written into the law itself), should we be surprised by any of this?
To understand how a whole new class of people will have abortions paid for by the state, Massachusetts has an uninsured population of 460,000 people which means there are anywhere from 100,000 to 200,000 women not previously eligible who are now eligible for state-funded abortions.
In response to revelations in the media about this, the Romney campaign released a statement claiming that "decisions [about the health care plan] were made separate of the Romney Administration."
But this is deceitful. When Romney gave a speech about his health care plan at the Heritage Foundation, he made clear, as the Heritage Foundation's web site does, that the plan was his idea and his design. He was the main architect of the plan; he lobbied for its passage; he signed it into law, and he boasted about it on the campaign trail for many months. Only after it was revealed that the plan dramatically increases state funded abortions has Romney left it out of his campaign speeches.
3. Romney's current position on the stem cell research issue is NOT the accepted pro-life position
Much has been made of Romney's alleged conversion after meeting with a stem cell researcher, but a total conversion apparently never occurred. The only aspect of this issue he changed his mind on was the creation of human embryos for research purposes (cloning). However, he continues to this day to support research on stem cells:
Stem cell research does not require the cloning of human embryos. Some stem cells today are obtained from surplus embryos from in-vitro fertilization. I support that research, provided that those embryos are obtains after a rigorous parental consent process that includes adoption as an alternative.
In other words, Romney is opposed to cloning but not embryonic stem cell research, but there is no moral distinction between the two.
As Carol Tobias of the National Right to Life Committee recently stated, "He's still in favor of killing the new lives that are in existence right now." Even the pro-Romney National Review magazine states that, "Romney has decided to support experimentation on surplus frozen embryos from in-vitro fertilization procedures."
This position should not surprise anyone since Romney stated in 2006 that his views on stem cell research are NOT grounded in religious or moral beliefs:
I'm not talking about from a religious standpoint. I'm talking about from the medical and scientific standpoint….
4. Romney forced Catholic hospitals in 2005 to dispense the "morning after" pill
When the Massachusetts Legislature passed a law requiring all hospitals to provide women with the morning after abortion pill, Romney's Department of Public Health determined that private religious hospitals were exempt from the statute due to both current law and the religious freedom protections in the Massachusetts Constitution. As Daniel Avila, Associate
Director of Public Policy for the Massachusetts Catholic Conference stated,
The new bill does not expressly nullify the older statute, the conscience protection already on the books still remains in force.
The Boston Globe interviewed State Health Commissioner Paul Cote Jr. and reported that Cote said that "his department felt strongly that the new emergency contraception law did not compel all hospitals to provide the morning-after pill."
However, there was a huge outcry from the pro-abortion lobby and within days, Romney bowed to this pressure and overruled his own Health Department by interpreting the statute to illegally apply to private hospitals.
He then shocked everyone by publicly agreeing with the decision:
I think, in my personal view, it's the right thing for Hospitals [referring to private hospitals] to provide information and access to emergency contraception to anyone who is a victim of rape.
This displays an astounding ignorance of religious freedom. Even if there were some disagreement over whether the new statute applied to private religious hospitals, Romney should have stood firm in favor of religious hospitals. Yes, there may have been litigation, but he had the state constitution, the Bill of Rights, previous statute, and his own Department of Health on his side. Instead, he allowed the liberal attorneys who surround him to advise him to allow an unprecedented attack on religious freedom. This occurred AFTER his conversion.
5. Romney appointed pro-abortion judges
Governor Romney appointed 36 judges but a check of their political affiliation confirms that only 9 of them are Republicans. Two are radical gay activists and 14 are registered Democrats. The remainder are unenrolled. Since Massachusetts Democrats are among the most pro-abortion Democrats in America, we have to assume that the majority of Romney's judicial appointments are NOT pro-life.
Take for example, Steve Abany, a hard left Democrat and a prominent gay activist involved with the effort to legalized homosexual marriage in Massachusetts. Romney appointed him to the bench in May of 2005, which was, again, well after his pro-life "conversion." Any bets that he's pro-life?
Nor can we find any evidence that the Governor tried to recruit judges who respect life. Romney's defenders claim he had no choice because a entity called the Governor's Council controls the process and is composed of Democrats, but we've found that this council serves mostly as a rubber stamp and is set up purely to ensure judicial nominees are qualified, not to oppose them on ideological grounds. Indeed, there is no evidence that the Governor's Council has ever blocked any judicial nominees on ideological grounds.
Many of these judicial appointments were made in the last three years, SINCE Romney's alleged conversion.
The Romney campaign also claims that his judicial selections as governor had nothing to do with abortion and was more about the nominee's stance on local issues such as crime. However, the Los Angeles Times has revealed that notes taken at a 2002 NARAL endorsement meeting attended by Romney, reveal that he assured its leaders his judicial picks would be more likely to protect abortion rights than those of a Democrat governor!
These notes demonstrate that he did indeed use the abortion issue to inform his judicial selections, but not in the way we would have wanted. Once again, the Romney campaign is not being truthful.
With the next president appointing 1-2 justices to the U.S. Supreme Court and a slew of Federal judges, Romney's judicial selections should alarm those who care about family values and the sanctity of life. The fact that only five years ago he assured NARAL's leaders that he would appoint pro-abortion judges should cause every pro-lifer in the country to doubt his sincerity on this issue.
It is also notable that Romney is still listed as a prominent member of the Republican Main Street Partnership which publicly praised Senator John Chafee for his vote against the confirmation of Judge Sam Alito to the Supreme Court. This may be the biggest pro-life achievement of the Bush Administration, but Romney's group was not happy about it. There is no evidence that Romney opposed this action.
It really doesn't matter how often Romney announces he will appoint "strict constructionists" to the bench; if he can't be truthful about the criteria he used to select judges while Governor and didn't even bother to fill all the judicial vacancies in his own state, how can he be trusted to appoint solid judges while president?
6. Romney' opinion on the Terry Schiavo case: Let the courts force euthanasia.
On March 10th, Romney was questioned on television about the Terri Schiavo case in which heroic efforts were made by the State and by Congress to save her life. Without his professional handlers by his side to tell him what to say, here what the press reported him as saying:
He's campaigning hard for support from Republican socialconservatives, but presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Saturday he disagreed with the government's intervention in the Terri Schiavo case. 'I think it's probably best to leave these kinds of matters in the hands of the courts.'
However, this view is consistent with his abortion stance. Forget about the life involved, let the people decide or let the courts decide. Once again, Romney doesn't seem to understand the moral implications involved here.
The Republican Party establishment has a history of promoting candidates to the pro-life movement who often are not pro-life. The pro-life movement needs to be wary of such efforts and needs to remain focused on supporting candidates who share our values and not be misled by candidates whose views are constantly "evolving."
We believe that Romney's recent pro-life statements and public stands are driven by political ambition and the cold calculations about Republican primary voters, not the result of any genuine "conversion."
Governor Romney's failure to fight for the rights of private religious hospitals, his inattention to the types of judges he appointed, his involvement with a health care plan that vastly increases state funded abortions, his inconsistency on the embryonic stem cell issue, his ignorance of the evil of euthanasia and his failure to enunciate the moral objections to abortion have convinced us that he does not fundamentally understand life issues nor is it an important part of his worldview.
In order to justify Romney's extreme flip-flops on the abortion issue, the Romney campaign has issued statements comparing Romney to Ronald Reagan since Reagan signed a pro-abortion bill into law as California governor before becoming pro-life. This is an inaccurate comparison.
When Reagan signed the abortion bill in 1970, very little was known about the procedure as this was before ultra sound and before research showing that a baby's heart and nervous system is developed in utero far earlier than was previously known. Reagan later called that decision the worst one in his career and authored a book, Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation, that went into great detail about the moral consequences of abortion.
In contrast, Romney has had access to the latest research on abortion, has never apologized for his previous stances and cannot seem to carry on a discussion about the moral implications. Moreover, Romney continues to support abortion related issues such as stem cell research and euthanasia and refuses to state if he would use his political position to support actual pro-life legislation. This is a far cry from Ronald Reagan.
Based on our research, we therefore do not believe Governor Mitt Romney will represent the views of the pro-life community if elected President of the United States. |
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Peda or Pedha is a popular and delicious sweet from the Indian subcontinent which is made into soft pieces. Peda is made with khoya or khoa, sugar and traditionally flavored with cardamom powder, pistachio nuts and saffron. There are either made into small ball or thick disk (patties) like shapes.
Peda are like soft milk fudge that is slightly grainy texture is usually served as a dessert or during festive season. The color of the peda varies from slightly creamy white to caramel color or a little yellow color. The word peda is generically used to mean a blob of any doughy substance such as flour or khoa. It is said that peda actually originated in the state of Uttar Pradesh and especially Mathura is considered in making the best variety of peda. From there on, the popularity of peda spread to many parts of India. Another popular variety is the peda prepared in the district of Dharwad in Karnataka state in south India. This was established by Ram Ratan Singh from Lucknow who migrated there in the 1850s. This distinct variety is now famous as the Dharwad pedha.
Peda is another special Indian sweet apart from the ladoos that is usually served as Prasad in religious services. Peda is generally served as Prasad in the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Shirdi. Doodh peda made with milk is also a different variation of peda that is popular all over India. Peda made with Khoya is a milk food that is widely used in Indian cuisine made of either dried whole milk or milk thickened by heating in an open iron pan. Khoya is very similar to ricotta cheese but less in moisture and made from whole milk instead of whey.
There are three types of khoya – batti, chickna, and daan-e-daar. Batti, meaning “rock,” has 50% moisture by weight and is the hardest of the three types; it can be grated like cheese. It can be aged for up to a year, during which it develops a unique aroma and a mouldy outer surface. Chickna (“slippery” or “squishy”) khoya has 80% moisture. For daan-e-daar, the milk is coagulated with an acid during the simmering; it has moderate moisture content. Generally different types of khoya are used for different preparations.
Cardamom is another important ingredient in any Indian traditional sweet. The cardamom has a unique, strong taste with an intensely aromatic, resinous fragrance. In South Asia, green cardamom is often used in making traditional Indian sweets and in Masala chai (spiced tea). Black cardamom is sometimes used in garam masala for curries. It is occasionally used as a garnish in basmati rice and other dishes. It is often referred to as fat cardamom due to its size.
Pistachios in peda enhance the flavor giving a nutty taste to the sweet. Pistachios contain an elongated seed which is commonly thought as a culinary nut and not a botanical nut. The fruit has a hard, whitish exterior shell. The seed has a mauvish skin and light green flesh, with a distinctive flavor. The kernels are often eaten whole, either fresh or roasted and salted, and are also used in ice cream, pistachio butter, pistachio paste and confections such as baklava, pistachio lassi, pistachio kulfi or halva and cold cuts such as mortadella.
To prepare this delicious and yummy Indian sweet, Peda, firstly grate khoya with a steel (not iron) grater. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Put mixture in a large heavy bottomed or nonstick pan. Heat the pan on high for few minutes then on slow till done. Make sure to stir continuously while on heat. When mixture gets thick ad gooey, add cardamom and mix well and take off from fire. Allow the mixture to cool, gently turning occasionally. Use cookie moulds or shape pedas with palms into patty rounds. Mix pistachios and cardamom seeds and press a bit on top of each. If using moulds, first sprinkle some at bottom. Take some mixture and press into mould. Allow them the pedas to set well and then invert them carefully and un-mould the pedas. The pedas are ready to be served.
Saffron in peda imparts a rich golden yellow hue to the sweet. Do try this recipe and you will find the difference and satisfaction of homemade peda from the shop. Click on the below link for detailed recipe:
Unlike the Dharwas pedas, the Mathura peda are very popular throughout North India. They are made of milk which is heated and stirred continuously, with added flavor and sugar. Different types of Pedas are sold in the shops in Mathura.
The Pedas of Mathura are particularly famous due to their purity and great taste. Mathura is a place popular for pure milk products. Due to the large cowherd, different types of milk products are very popular in Mathura. Made of milk, the milk products of Mathura are of high quality and aroma and peda forms the most important milk products of Mathura. Peda first originated in Mathura itself and therefore is named after the place.
Pedas are made in Mathura with great care and there is a particular procedure to make them. Pure milk is boiled for long hours, till the last drop of water evaporates. Then this ‘khoya is used to make peda. There are a variety of different pedas sold in Mathura out of which Kesari Peda is the most tasty and popular of all. Kesari Peda is made of good amount of saffron, which makes them look and taste delicious. Another significance of Mathura Peda is that they are also used as ‘Prasad’. People visiting the temples of Mathura can buy peda from the neighboring shops. Peda as made out of milk taken in moderate is good source of calcium and protein.
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Now That's How You Do A Poster For TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D!!
The Kidd here...
Sometimes simplicity works best, and in the case of anything involving THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, what more is needed to sell fans at first than some relatively easy poster art that features Leatherface. I mean, you don't have to do a lot to the Bat-symbol to sell a new Batman film to audiences, or the Superman logo. People know what it is that they're looking, derive from such imagery that a new movie is coming out featuring a character the recognize and like and then make a mental note that they want to see it.
It's so easy.
Lionsgate must have finally gotten the memo that they should have some Leatherface in their promotional art for TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D, and, so in this New York Comic-Con exclusive poster, they've given it to us. See... now that wasn't so hard, was it?
For the next one though, they might want to look into incorporating a chainsaw while they're at it. I'm just saying... Leatherface looks as if he doesn't know what to do with his hands when he's not slaughtering people.
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EL PASO, Texas -
An emotional sentencing in district court this morning as Eric Barajas was sentenced for killing Angela Gonzalez and Orlando Figeroa as they crossed
a street on October 30th of 2009.
On Saturday a jury found Barajas guilty on two counts of Intoxication Manslaughter. This morning he learned his fate, 12 years in prison.
Barajas's family broke out in tears as the sentence was handed down by Judge Patrick Garcia.
As the sounds of sobbing and crying filled the courtroom , Atilano Barajas, Eric's father, went up to Orlando Figeroa Senior, the father of one of the victms and hugged him telling him how sorry he was. Figeroa replied "esta bien yo comprendo el dolor que estan pasando no tengo rencor" (its okay I understand the pain they are suffering and don't hold a grudge) Both men then broke down in tears.
Eric Barajas's young son hugged his father, crying out loud as his family and friends held Eric's hands and formed a prayer circle in front of the judge's bench. After praying a few minutes they said their last good-byes to him.
Outside the courtroom defense attorney Theresa Caballero told ABC7 there were no winners because of emotions in this trial. Caballero said she and the prosecution agreed to the sentence on Saturday because she didn't trust the jury claiming jurors had been deadlocked 11 to 1 during deliberations Saturday adding jurors had called the one juror who thought Barajas was not guilty unattentive and confussed.
Caballero also mentioned the case was a clear issue of causation since both victims were intoxicated when they crossed the street moments before being struck by Barajas's car.
The attorney then told us she has a study that indicates drinking and walking is 8 times more dangerous than drinking and driving.
Barajas will be eligible for parole in 6 years. |
Price Fixing
What it is:
Price fixing is an agreement among businesses to sell the same product or service at the same price.
How it works/Example:
Price fixing involves the cooperation among two or more business competitors to set or stabilize a price for a product or service. It may involve setting a minimum price, setting a maximum discount on price, agreeing to buy supplies at an "agreed upon" maximum price, agreeing to a standard set of charges or surcharges for a product or service, or even agreeing to a set rate of production of a product. In any case, it involves an agreement that disrupts open market price competition.
Legally, price fixing may involve sharing price information with competitors with the intent to set prices. According to the United States Department of Justice, price fixing does not necessarily involve setting the exact same price for a product or service, nor does it require the participation of every business in an industry.
Why it Matters:
Price fixing works against open, competitive markets that allow prices to reach equilibrium between supply and demand. This disruption can be harmful to consumers, resulting in higher prices. In the long-term, economists believe that price fixing is harmful to producers because it masks an industry's real production and service costs, resulting in inefficient and unproductive industry.
Generally, price fixing is considered illegal, often found in monopolies, cartels, bid-rigging, bid suppression, complementary bidding, and bid rotation schemes. In the US, price fixing is considered a criminal felony under the Sherman Antitrust Act.
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Albanian Opposition Threatens Street Protests
Albania's opposition Socialists charged
Saturday that the ruling Democrats were improperly trying to
influence the country's lengthy vote count by declaring victory
before all ballots from last week's national election were tallied.
Albania joined NATO in April and has been under intense
international pressure to ensure the June 28 vote was free of the
fraud that marred the first six elections held after the Balkan
country's communist regime fell in 1990. But the Socialists
threatened to hold street protests after election authorities
declared late Friday that Prime Minister Sali Berisha's Democrats
had won enough seats to form a government.
The country's electoral commission is re-counting ballots from
some polling stations following complaints about irregularities,
and the Socialists insist it cannot declare that the Democrats won
71 seats while recounts are still pending. They accuse Berisha of
trying to sway the electoral commission.
"I appeal to Berisha to abandon the idea of imposing himself on
the Albanian people ... unless he wants to meet and face the people
in the street," said Gramoz Ruci, a senior Socialist politician.
Both main parties ran on similar platforms, pledging to lift
Albania out of poverty and secure its goal of joining the European
Election monitors from the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe issued preliminary findings saying there were
improvements and fewer irregularities in this year's voting, but
that some violations such as family voting and the late opening of
polling centers persisted.
Election officials said late Friday that Democrats won 46.69
percent, giving them 71 seats in the 140-seat parliament - the
exact number needed to form a government.
Tirana Mayor Edi Rama's opposition Socialists won 45.36 percent,
or 65 seats, with a former prime minister's coalition in third
place, the Central Elections Commission said.
Berisha, acknowledging that he could at best form a weak
government, if the current results are upheld in the re-count,
invited the third-place SMI to join him in a coalition if the final
results confirm the current vote count.
SMI's head, former Prime Minister Ilir Meta, accepted the
invitation, saying it was "the only one in the country's
Rama responded by calling Meta "Berisha's crutches" and the
deal "the most shameful, humiliating bazaar of the last 18 years"
to create "a monster government."
Full final results are now expected in days, after all disputed
ballots are counted.
Based on the partial count, the election commission said 50
percent of Albania's 3.1 million registered voters had cast
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United States Patent 5,576,951
Lockwood November 19, 1996
Automated sales and services system
A system for composing individualized sales presentations created from various textual and graphical information data sources to match customer profiles. The information search and retrieval paths sift through a hierarchy of data sources under multiple operating programs. The system provides the means for synergistically creating and displaying customized presentations in a convenient manner for both the customer and salesperson to achieve a more accurate, efficient and comprehensive marketing presentation. Organizational hierarchies of data sources are arranged so that an infinite number of sales presentation configurations can be created. Multiple micro-programs automatically compose the sales presentations initiated by determinants derived from customer profile information, sales agent assessment data and operator's entries including the retrieval of interrelated textual and graphical information from local and remote storage sources. A similar system can be used for filing applications with an institution from a plurality of remote sites, and for automatically processing applications in response to each applicant's qualifications. Each multimedia terminal comprises a video screen and a video memory which holds co-related image-and-sound-generating information arranged to simulate the aspect and speech of an application loan officer on the video screen. The simulated loan officer is used to acquire personal loan data from the applicant by guiding him through an interactive sequence of inquiries and answers.
Appl. No.: 08/210,301
Filed: March 16, 1994
Related U.S. Patent Documents
Application NumberFiling DatePatent NumberIssue Date
116654Sep., 19935309355
96610Jul., 1993
752026Aug., 1991
168856Mar., 1988
822115Jan., 1986
613525May., 19844567359
396283Aug., 1989
152973Feb., 1988
Current U.S. Class: 705/26.62 ; 235/381; 705/26.81
Current International Class: G07F 7/00 (20060101); G06Q 30/00 (20060101); G07F 17/16 (20060101); G07F 17/00 (20060101); G07F 17/42 (20060101); G06F 019/00 ()
Field of Search: 364/401,407 235/383,385,381 395/600,650
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
Re32115 April 1986 Lockwood et al.
3718906 February 1973 Lightner
3956615 May 1976 Anderson et al.
4300040 November 1981 Gould et al.
4359631 November 1982 Lockwood et al.
4438326 March 1984 Uchida
4449186 May 1984 Kelly et al.
4567359 January 1986 Lockwood
4648037 March 1987 Valentino
4650977 March 1987 Couch
5241671 August 1993 Reed et al.
5309355 May 1994 Lockwood
Primary Examiner: McElheny, Jr.; Donald E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Charmasson; Henri J. A. Buchaca; John D.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/116,654 filed Sep. 3, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,355 which is a continuation of abandoned application Ser. No. 07/396,283 filed Aug. 21, 1989, which is a continuation-in-part of abandoned application Ser. No. 07/152,973 filed Feb. 8, 1988, which is a continuation-in-part of abandoned application Ser. No. 822,115 filed Jan. 24, 1986, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 613,525 filed May 24, 1984, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,359.
This is also a continuation-in-part of abandoned application Ser. No. 08/096,610 filed Jul. 23, 1993, which is a continuation of abandoned application Ser. No. 07/752,026 filed Aug. 29, 1991 which is a continuation of abandoned application Ser. No. 168,856 filed Mar. 16, 1988, which is a continuation of abandoned application Ser. No. 822,115 filed Jan. 24, 1986 which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 613,525, filed May 24, 1984, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,359.
This is also a continuation of the combination of the above-cited applications Ser. No. 08/116,654 filed Sep. 3, 1993 and Ser. No. 08/096,610 filed Jul. 23, 1993.
What is claimed is:
1. A computer search system for retrieving information, comprising:
means for storing interrelated textual information and graphical information;
means for interrelating said textual and graphical information;
a plurality of entry path means for searching said stored interrelated textual and graphical information, said entry path means comprising:
textual search entry path means for searching said textual information and for retrieving interrelated graphical information to said searched text;
graphics entry path means for searching said graphical information and for retrieving interrelated textual information to said searched graphical information;
selecting means for providing a menu of said plurality of entry path means for selection;
automatic data processing means for executing inquiries provided by a user in order to search said textual and graphical information through said selected entry path means and for fetching data as a function of other data;
indicating means for indicating a pathway that accesses information related in one of said entry path means to information accessible in another one of said entry path means;
accessing means for providing access to said related information in said another entry path means; and
output means for receiving search results from said processing means and said related information from said accessing means and for providing said search results and received information to such user.
2. The search system according to claim 1, wherein said textual information comprise words, phrases, numbers and letters stored in said at least one database.
3. The search system according to claim 1, wherein said graphical information include maps, charts, pictures, and moving images.
4. The search system according to claim 1, wherein one of said graphical and textual information comprises audio information.
5. The search system according to claim 1, wherein said graphical and textual information are stored on a CD-ROM disc.
6. The search system according to claim 1, further comprising a micro-computer for executing operations of said search system, and for storing said graphical and textual information.
7. The search system according to claim 1, wherein said textual entry path means and said graphical entry path means include informing means for assisting a user in searching said graphical and textual information.
8. The search system according to claim 1, wherein said textual search entry path means comprises a topic tree entry path means for dividing said textual information into topics and sub-topics in order to assist in browsing through said textual information.
9. The search system according to claim 1 which further comprises:
title finder entry path means for assisting a user in uncovering titles stored in said stored textual information.
10. A computerized system for selecting and ordering a variety of information, goods and services, which comprises:
a plurality of computerized data processing installations programmed for processing orders for said information, goods and services;
at least one computerized station, said station including:
a micro-processor;
a device for displaying graphical and textual material;
at least one mass memory device controlled by said micro-processor;
means for addressing at least one of said computerized data processing installations, and for sending thereto and receiving therefrom, coded messages and batches of data;
program means for controlling the display on said display device of inquiries and acceptable answers;
user operated means for selecting at least one of said acceptable answers;
means for accumulating a set of said acceptable answers;
automatic data processing means for processing said set of answers as a function of other data;
means for storing in said mass-storing device, interrelated textual information and graphical information;
means for interrelating said textual and graphical information;
a plurality of entry path means for searching said stored interrelated textual and graphical information;
means, responsive to said means for processing, for executing inquiries provided by said user and for searching said textual and graphical information through said selected entry path means;
said means for executing and searching, including means for addressing at least one of said installations and for retrieving data related to said answer; and
means responsive to said means for processing, for transferring orders for said information, goods and services to said installations.
This invention is directed to data processing systems designed to facilitate commercial, financial and educational transactions between multimedia terminals such as automated sales workstations, information dispensing networks and self-service banking systems. Specifically this invention is directed to a tool for augmentation of sales and marketing capabilities of travel agency personnel in conjunction with computerized airline reservation systems. This invention also relates to financial service application processing, and interactive delivery of informative, educational and recreational audio-visual programs to the home, school or office.
In the preferred embodiments of the invention, travel agents are able to synergistically compose individual customized sales presentations and itineraries for their clients, representing thousands of tour destinations and criteria, from multiple permutations of data sources in a fully automated fashion.
During the 1980s airline reservation systems evolved into very sophisticated information networks. A majority of travel agencies in North America subscribe to one of the major computerized reservation systems; Sabre, Apollo, System One, or WORLDSPAN. Prior to the development of computerized reservation systems in the 1970s, a travel agent would read airline schedules from either the North American or International edition of Official Airline Guides (OAG), printed directories which are published monthly, then telephone the specific airline to reserve-and confirm passenger flights and physically write the airline tickets. The advent of computerized reservation systems allowed the travel agent to access computerized travel data banks, reserve, confirm and transact airline, hotel or car rental reservations with a `dumb terminal` comprised of; keyboard entry of customer requirements in conjunction with a display terminal and ticket printer, connected to the centralized reservation service. The Mar. 19, 1985 testimony of Robert L. Crandall, President of American Airlines, Inc., before the Aviation Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation details the evolution of computerized reservation systems in the United States.
A travel professional accumulates extensive knowledge which is extremely valuable to the travel agency business and is in fact, the single most important element which differentiates one agent from another. Unfortunately, this knowledge requires years of experience to acquire. The physical requirements to visit and inspect even a portion of popular tourist destinations dictates a significant investment of time and monetary expense. Additionally, tourist localities are seldom static; new hotels or attractions and changing custom regulations require a constant monitoring of hundreds of potential vacation sites.
A first alternate embodiment of the invention relates to multimedia terminals used by banking institutions to make their services, such as loan processing, available at all hours of the day from various remote locations.
Loan processing has traditionally been a labor-intensive business which represents the major activity of banks and other financial institutions. In the processing of a loan application, numerous forms have to be filled-out, loan officers have to explain payment schedules and generally guide the applicant through the loan application process. The financial institution then has to process the application and either telephone, mail, or communicate acceptance or rejection of the loan in person to the applicant. The complexity of the process has so far prevented the application of automatic terminals to perform this important part of financial institution activities. Interactive multimedia terminals have evolved to a high degree of sophistication as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,631 Lockwood, et al. Yet, this high degree of sophistication has not been put to use in the more complex types of goods and services distribution which require a great deal of interaction between individuals and institutions.
A second alternate embodiment of the invention relates to an improvement of a system for automatically dispensing information, products and services by means of stored prerecorded audio-visual presentations telegenically transmitted from a remote site to sales and information terminals in the home under the command of customers with easy-to-use communication equipment that does not require formal computer literate training.
Service providers have traditionally communicated and marketed information and products to consumers in their homes by way of newspapers, magazines, mail order catalogs, direct mail, telephone, radio and television. None of these communication methods allow consumers to interactively display alternate audio-visual sales presentations for transactional order fulfillment. Lately, videotex has emerged as a supplement to traditional product ordering methods. Beginning in 1978, British Telecom established a videotex service named `Prestel` planned for a mass consumer market. Videotex, a textual display, is not designed nor intended to deliver full color prerecorded audio-visual presentations. Videotex typically requires computer operating knowledge and a personal computer with modem for access. Subsequently several major attempts at introducing videotex in North America have failed and surviving operators have maintained a limited user base. A fundamental reason for the unsuccessful acceptance of videotex is that it requires reading of computer generated text. Conversely, the American consumer has become accustomed to a high degree of television quality programming from sporting events and news to popular movies broadcasted daily.
Interactive delivery of information, goods and services to consumers by means of multimedia terminals is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,359,631 and 4,567,359 using a central processor, audio-visual data sources, CRT, keyboard and remote communication capabilities.
It would be desirable to provide such a system accessible to consumers from their homes or workplace.
Typically consumers have had to travel to multiple stores and shop for products. This is both time-consuming and involves transportation expenses. Certain segments of the population, for example disabled persons and the elderly have been restricted in their ability to compare product features and prices. The system could also allow service suppliers and product manufacturers to communicate directly with consumers and present products, take orders and ship purchases from a central or regional warehouse facility. This would reduce the expense of maintaining retail stores, inventory, sales personnel, overhead and general distribution costs while providing services to hundreds or thousands of homes and offices throughout a community.
Preferably such a system would incorporate; a central data processing center, audio-visual data sources, a CRT for displaying information, communication links and a keyboard for control of the remote data sources. Additionally, such a system would allow consumers an opportunity to communicate with product and service providers to place orders, and to process commercial transactions.
Interactive audio-visual communication systems using television and telephone common carrier networks are now possible based on some of the techniques disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,668,307 Face et al., 3,691,295 Fisk, 3,746,780 Stetten et al., 3,752,908 Boenke et al., 4,054,911 Fletcher et al., 4,064,490 Nagel, 4,251,691 Kakihara et al., 4,264,925 Freeman et al., and 4,553,222 Kurland et al.
Research reveals that the average person retains about 25 percent of what they hear and 45 percent of what they see and hear. Retention levels increase dramatically to 70 percent of what a person sees, hears and performs if an interactive sequence is available. Therefore the persuasive power of interactive full color multimedia presentations would be an ideal means to market products and services. This in-home information delivery system could also provide a conduit for educational, medical and other important informational services.
Accordingly, the objects of this invention, among others are to:
organize a variety of traditional travel and tour references in a comprehensive and synergistic multimedia sales system to effectuate consumer awareness;
These and other objects are achieved by the preferred embodiment of the invention which is directed to a means for automatically creating and displaying customized travel and tour sales presentations from various textual and graphical data sources managed by a multiplicity of operating programs. Sales presentations comprise audio-visual data and computerized reservation system information, presented individually or in combination. The graphical data may include charts, maps and other still images as well as moving pictures with or without sound enhancements.
Individualized sales presentations are requested by the client for specific destinations. The organizational hierarchy of data sources is arranged so that an infinite number of variations or sales presentation configurations can be displayed. Multiple operating programs create the sales presentations directed by:
(2) Travel agent assessment of client profiles; or
(3) Computerized reservation system response to client profiles.
As explained in the first alternate embodiment, another object of the invention is to standardize the reporting and interpretation of credit ratings and their applicability to loan application processing.
A further object of the invention is to reduce the amount of paperwork and processing time required by each loan application.
It is also an object of the invention to offer a more personal way to apply for credit. Many applicants are reluctant to inquire about loans requiring face-to-face interaction with a loan officer, who would not hesitate to use an interactive device to place their inquiry.
These and other objectives are achieved by means of a system that connects financial institution data processing, the computer services of a credit reporting bureau, and a plurality of remote terminals. Each remote terminal displays the live image of a fictitious loan officer who helps the applicant through the interactive series of questions and answers designed to solicit from the applicant all the information necessary to process his loan application. The terminal can acquire credit rating information about the applicant from the credit reporting bureau and make a decision based on all the information gathered about the credit worthiness of the applicant and the amount of loan to which he is entitled. The amount is then communicated to the applicant and to the financial institution for further processing of the loan.
As explained in the second alternate embodiment, additional objects of the instant invention comprise among others, the following:
to provide an automatic and efficient system for dispensing information and services to the general public interactively from terminals in their homes;
to offer such a system which is particularly useful for dispensing information, goods and services for a wide variety of service industries;
to facilitate immediate access to thousands of products and services by the elderly, disabled persons and others limited by travel or time constraints;
to present such services by means of audio-visual presentations for transactional decisions from prerecorded sound, images and synthesized data;
to centralize product distribution, therefore reducing traditional merchandising overhead costs while increasing manufacturer's product selection, target marketing and advertising promotion of products;
to increase service sector productivity while reducing inventories and out-of-stocks by creating an unlimited number of distribution outlets over geographically extended trade areas which operate 24 hours per day;
to maximize information delivery by interactively involving the customer as opposed to passive viewing.
In furtherance of these additional objects, an automatic system is disclosed for dispensing information, goods and services to consumers in their home. The system comprises a central data processing computer and multiple remote satellite facilities linked to the center. The satellite facilities are sales and information terminals, each equipped with a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) for receiving and displaying requested customer information from the computer's data sources at the data processing center. Customers interactively display the audio-visual presentations by selecting various choices and entering the choices on a telephone keypad which directs the computer to select from its data sources the requested information and transmit it to the customer's CRT in their home.
The system operates in the following sequence:
1. The customer dials the data processing center and requests access to the system.
2. The data processing center verifies the customer and selects from its data sources the general instructional audio-visual presentation which is routed through the customer's local cable television communication link and transmitted to the customer's sales and informational terminal.
3. The customer views the presentation and selects from the menu presented on the screen the next display.
4. The customer enters on the telephone keypad the selection which is transmitted to the data processing center via the telephone communication link.
5. If the customer decides to purchase a product or service he also enters on the keypad the payment information.
6. After verification and acceptance of the payment, a confirmation message is displayed on the customer's CRT video screen.
7. Information on the transaction is transmitted from the data processing center to the relevant product or service company for fulfillment.
This second alternate embodiment of the invention is directed to a system for automatically dispensing information, goods and services from multiple retailers, and from travel, financial, and other service providers. The data processing center is linked to data sources of various product and service providers for order processing. The data processing center is programmed to respond to customer's directions, select requested audio-visual presentations from its data sources of prerecorded information segments and place them on a television network from where they will be decoded, captured and displayed by the customer's home receiver.
If the customer elects to purchase a product or service, his order is processed by the data processing center. After validation and acceptance, confirmation of the order is displayed on their CRT monitor.
The data processing center stores information about the products and services offered by each supplier, and tabulates sales. The data processing center is programmed to transmit periodically to each institution's data processing terminal, either directly or indirectly, for example through an automated telecommunication network service such as TELENET.RTM.; up-dated information on sales made by the system for that institution.
Suitable data links, such as phone line, cable television and optical fiber data links can be used between the sales and information terminals and the data processing center, and between the service provider's data processing terminals, either directly or indirectly via common carriers. In the latter case, each institution will have its own particular account number with the service to which information on sales made by the system will be delivered. Similarly, the system itself will have an account number to which each institution can deliver information on any changes in prices or services offered.
The data processing center is suitably also linked to a remote credit information center for checking the credit of a customer in response to a sales order and charging a customer's account via debit card, credit card or alternately customer accounts that are also stored at the data processing center for monthly billing.
FIG. 1 represents a general block diagram of the overall system for creating customized travel sales presentations of the preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a detailed information selection process;
FIG. 7 is a general block diagram of the system for automatically processing loan applications according to the first alternate embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the major components of the terminal;
FIGS. 9 to 11 are detailed flow diagrams of the system operation.
FIG. 12 is a general block diagram showing an overview of a system for automatically dispensing information, goods and services according to the second alternate embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 13 to 16 are detailed flow diagrams of the system; and
FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram of a home or office station.
FIG. 1 represents a general block diagram of the overall system for creating customized travel sales presentations according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. It will be understood that such a system may be used in a variety of other service-oriented industries, such as retail sales and real estate, various financial services and the like.
The system basically comprises one or more special information and sales terminals 2 linked to an airline computerized reservation system 1 which gives access to the data processing installations of various travel suppliers 4. The terminals are all linked to the computerized reservation system by any suitable remote telecommunication links. This automated travel and tour sales system is preferably achieved according to the teaching of U.S. Pat. Nos. Re. 32,115 and 4,567,359 whose specifications are hereby incorporated herein by this reference.
REMOTE 30 represents textual information which is accessed from the computerized reservation system 1. This information; airline flight times 32 and hotel availability 33 is critical to the tour sales presentation if transportation or lodging is required. Therefore, LOCAL 20, and REMOTE 30 act in conjunction to present an integrated and individualized travel and tour sales travelogue. REMOTE 30 creates dynamic presentations of transitory information such as weather conditions 35 or currency exchange rates 37.
Organizational chart FIG. 3 describes a secondary selection format which further delineates tourist destinations in multiple subsets. If the client selected Canada 41, the microprocessor would define a Canadian province such as British Columbia 43 as a function of the client's characteristics. Additional organizational A1 format can define cities within the selected province and then tourist features within cities.
Three types of randomly accessible segments of data are thus stored in the data source 9, the audio-visually displayable narrative chapters, the inquiries to be sent to the reservation system and the essentially textual reservation systems answers to be combined with the narrative chapters.
Thus, the programmation of the entire sales presentation resides in the programming of information access paths in the PROM 16. In other words, the PROM assist the user in his quest by performing automatically and almost instantly, the sequential and time-consuming information accessing, gathering and organization that a travel agent must process using conventional reservation and information sources.
For example, a typical sales presentation for selecting hotel accomodations 23 which would include displaying pictoral representations of hotels i.e., overview, rooms, restaurants, sporting facilities, swimming pools, and tennis courts. Applicable textual travel information such as Canadian custom and immunization 28 regulations correlatively stored with the hotels information would be displayed textually. This textual information would be backed by maps of the area.
In FIG. 2, if client selects Senior 25 the chapter identity subset numbers would be; Senior/Barbados 25/39 chapter 5100, Senior/Bermuda 25/40 chapter 5300, Senior/Canada 25/41 chapter 5500 and so forth. If client selects Sports 26 the chapter identity subset number of one sport Golf 26-A which would include Golf/Barbados 26A/39 chapter 8200, Golf/Bermuda 26A/40 Chapter 8500, Golf/Canada 26A-41 chapter 8800 and so forth.
An important advantage of the highly efficient hierarchical organization of the data bases is the ability of retrieving interrelated information either textual or graphical, by accessing one topic. For instance, the selection of a particular hotel by name would trigger the display of its accommodations along with a touring map of the area fetched from the same local database, as well as data on available airlines services to that area derived from a remote database. Similarly, starting from the graphical display of a touring map, the user may retrieve textual and graphical data about a particular hotel in the area.
It will be understood that this automated sales system may be applied to many other types of customer service and sales industries. Some examples are retail sales and real estate and various financial services, as illustrated by the first alternate embodiment of the invention disclosed below.
There is shown in FIG. 7 the general block diagram of an automatic loan processing terminal system. This system may be considered an improvement of the system disclosed in parent application Ser. No. 613,525, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,359 whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
The system links a financial institution 101, a plurality of self-service terminals at various remote sites 102 and a credit rating service 103 by telephone lines or other means of telecommunication. The financial institution 101 is provided with a central processor 104 which is used primarily to process loan applications and handle other financial transactions. The central processor 104 has a communication interface which allows it to access the various terminals 105 at the remote sites and be accessed by them at any time of the day. A communication control unit 106 associated with the central processor 104 assures an orderly sending and receiving of information between the terminals and the central processor. The communication control unit 106 provides for a quick transfer of batches of information to and from the terminals 105 under direct access memory mode. Direct access memory modes are achieved by means of high speed data exchange units such as those manufactured by Metacomp, Inc. of San Diego, Calif. and sold under the mark METAPAKS. The central processor 104 is also provided with a terminal monitor and update unit 107 which is programmed for periodically polling the various terminals 105 in order to verify their status and proper operation and to update the data stored in those terminals as may be required. The memory 108 of the central processor 104 holds some files 109 in which are stored textual information about the various loans available to customers from the institution. This information includes loan rates and repayment schedules. These loans include real estate loans, loans to finance the purchase of automobiles, boats and other vehicles, personal loans secured by certificates of deposit, stocks and other assets controlled by the financial institution 101 and unsecured personal loans. Loan packages which have been quoted to customers are stored in a quoted case file 110 pending acceptance and execution by the applicant. Once a loan has been approved and accepted it is processed and monitored through an active case file 111. The credit rating service 103 is an institution such as TRW CREDENTIAL SERVICE which maintains financial files of consumers based on past and current loan payment obligations, credit card uses and balance sheets provided as part of loan applications, and makes that information available to a membership of merchants and financial institutions who need to access the credit worthiness of a particular customer. The credit rating service information is processed automatically by a data processor 112 equipped with automatic communication interface. This interface allows direct access through telephone lines or other communication networks by any subscribing member. The confidentiality of the credit rating service files is guaranteed by use of identifying codes which must be provided with each request.
The system operates as follows. The central processor 104 of the financial institution 101 periodically sends to the terminals 105 at the various sites 102 loan rate information and other data pertinent to the loans available from that institution which are extracted from the loan rate file 109. That textual information is stored in the various terminals and can be reviewed by an applicant in need of a loan. Once the applicant has selected a type of loan which is available from the institution, he is asked to provide the pertinent personal information data which will be necessary to process his loan application. The information provided by the applicant is supplemented by a financial profile obtained directly from the credit rating service after being automatically requested by the terminal 105. The terminal 105 is programmed to compute the credit worthiness of the applicant and to approve or disapprove the loan. Once the loan has been approved the applicant is requested to accept it or reject it. Accepted loan information is transmitted to the central processor of the financial institution and stored in the active case file 111. Information about loans which have not been accepted on the spot, are also transmitted to the financial institution and stored for a period of time in the quoted case file 110. The customer can return to one of the terminals and accept that loan anytime during the validity period.
Turning now to FIG. 8, there is shown a block diagram of the various components of a terminal 105. The operation of the terminal is controlled by a data processor 113. To the left of the processor, various blocks represent the peripheral equipment which interfaces with the applicant. To the right of the processor there is shown a videodisc 114 on which are stored all the permanent data necessary for the operation of the terminal including the data necessary to effect the interactive and automatic request of information by the terminal from the applicant. A modem 115 provides a two-way communication channel with the financial institution 101 and the credit rating service 103. The modem is controlled by the data processor 113 and handles a batch of information through a direct memory access unit 116, to and from a RAM memory 117. Thus, the RAM memory can be used to hold textual data obtained from the loan rate files 109 at the financial institution as well as applicant's financial profiles obtained from the credit rating service 103. The RAM memory can also be used to store some of the operating routines necessary for the operation of the terminal.
Communication with the applicant is done mainly through the video screen 118. The video screen 118 displays the picture of a fictitious loan officer who informs the applicant about the various types of loans available as well as the manner in which the application can be filed. The applicant answers the request of a loan officer by means of a touch pad 119 or a keyboard. Any entry made by the applicant on the touch pad 119 is processed and orally repeated immediately by means of a voice synthesizer 120 and loud speaker 121. The oral expression of the answers provided by the applicant is a way to assure that no false entry is made. A magnetic strip reader 122 may be provided so that the applicant can give an account number or an identification by means of a credit card. A printer 123 is used to deliver to the applicant a hard copy of any loan quotation as well as a confirmation of his accepted loan.
FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of the system operation during the initial phase of the loan application process. The start 124 of system operation is triggered either by the applicant pushing a start button or by the automatic detection of his presence in front of the terminal. Once the system is activated 125 the recording of an image and sound of a fictitious loan officer is read from the videodisc 114 and graphically appears on the video screen 118. The fictitious loan officer takes the applicant through a language selection routine 126-129. In this case the applicant is asked in both English and Spanish in what language the loan transaction is to be conducted. In this phase of the operation as well as all interactive communications between the loan officer and the applicant, the loan officer explains to the applicant how to enter his answer by means of the touch pad 119. The applicant is then asked whether a previous quotation has already been prepared for him 130. In the affirmative, he is then requested 131 to enter a pass number or identification number either by entering the number on the touch pad or by running his credit I.D. card through the strip reader 122. The terminal then addresses the financial institution and requests 132 the prior loan quotation stored in the quoted case file 110 of the central processor 104. This is done by the data processor 113 of the terminal dialing the institution phone number through the modem 115 and sending a request message. The terminal goes into a standby mode with its DMA unit 116 waiting for a transfer of information from the line into the RAM memory 117. The continued operation depends on whether or not the previous quotation is found 134 to be on file. If the answer is negative, the fictitious loan officer instructs 135 the applicant how to proceed to apply for a loan. In the case where a previous quotation is found to be on file, that quotation is transferred to the terminal according to the program routine B illustrated in FIG. 11.
FIG. 10 is the flow diagram of the system operation during the acquisition of information by the terminal from the applicant. The applicant is first asked to select 136 the type of loan in which he is interested. In this case, he is offered a menu allowing him to choose between a real estate loan 138, a vehicle loan 139, a personal loan 140 secured by an asset held by the financial institution or a personal unsecured loan 141. Any invalid selection 137 triggers a new request. Once a type of loan has been selected, a real estate loan, for example, the fictitious loan officer asks a series of inquiries corresponding to the questions that would be found on a standard loan application form. For each question the system performs a subroutine 142-145 designed to guarantee proper input of the information into the terminal memory 117. If a problem develops during the question and answer period, the applicant is invited to call 144 the loan service at the financial institution. If the answer to a question is not received within fifteen seconds 145, the process of application is presumed to have been abandoned by the applicant and the system returns to its initial standby state. Once all the proper answers have been accepted they are processed 146 by the terminal data processor 113. This process may involve analyzing certain key answers in order to identify any element or data that would automatically disqualify the applicant. Depending upon the result of that first analysis, more questions 147 may be presented to the applicant in order to refine the data necessary for a thorough assessment of his qualifications, or to provide additional information for the applicant.
For instance, the fictitious loan officer may ask, "Are you familiar with our loan repayment schedule?" If the customer desires to read the loan repayment schedule, he would indicate his choice. The loan schedule would then be textually displayed. After reading the text, the applicant would proceed to more questions 147 presented by the fictitious loan officer. The customer could continue to additional textual displays about legal responsibilities of obtaining a loan or return to the fictitious loan officer who would continue the presentation.
Turning now to FIG. 11, the B subroutine used to receive a previous quotation from the financial institution is illustrated in the first flow diagram. Once the previous quotation is requested 148 the DMA unit 116 of the terminal is allowed to receive a batch of information containing the previous quotation. This batch of information is stored in the RAM memory 117 from where it is fetched 150 and displayed 151 on the video screen 118. The applicant is then asked if he wants a hard copy 152 of the quotation. In the affirmative, the previous quotation is printed 153 on printer 123. The second flow diagram corresponds to the acquisition of the applicant's financial profile from the credit rating service 103. Once a loan quotation has been presented to the applicant he is asked whether or not he wants to apply for the loan 154. If his answer is negative, the fictitious loan officer expresses final greetings 155. The loan quotation, if not already in storage at the financial institution, is transmitted there for temporary storage in the quoted case file 110 of the central processor 104. If the applicant wishes to apply for the loan, he is asked to provide a password or identification 156 which will allow the terminal to access his file at the credit rating service 103. As previously explained, this number can be entered directly by means of an identification card run through the strip reader 122 or entered manually 157 by means of the touch pad 119. The terminal requests a rating 158 from the credit rating service 103 in a manner similar to the one used and described previously for obtaining a previous quotation from the financial institution. The applicant's financial profile is received as a batch of information through the DMA unit 159 and then read from the memory 160. The financial profile is then analyzed by the terminal in order to compute 161 a debt ratio or other criterion devised by the financial institution to access the credit worthiness of the applicant. The debt ratio is the ratio of the applicant's current expenses to his current income. Other parameters such as debt to equity ratio or fixed assets to debt may be computed by the terminal data processor 113 and used in determining the qualifications of the applicant. It should be noted that the entire decision whether or not to grant the loan is performed automatically and onsite by the terminal 105 without intervention whatsoever from any of the financial institution personnel, except in case of breakdown in communications requesting a direct phone call by the applicant to the financial institution.
The last flow diagram on the drawing represents the final phase of the loan application transaction. Once the terminal equipment has determined that the applicant qualifies 162 for the loan, the applicant is so notified 163, and instructed how to obtain the loan funds. The institution is also notified 165, and the loan is processed through the active case file 111 by the central processor 104. The fictitious loan officer closes the transaction by giving his final greetings 166 before the system is returned to a standby condition. If the applicant does not qualify for the amount of loan requested, he is first asked whether a lesser amount 167 would be acceptable to him. He is then instructed to enter the lesser amount 168 through the touch pad 119. That new amount is then checked against the determination already made by the terminal. The process is repeated until an acceptable amount is requested by the applicant, or until such time as the applicant declines to proceed with the loan application.
It should be noted that the system as described could be applied to other forms of transactions in which information has to be acquired from a customer then processed to a decision or into the performance of a particular task. A similar system could be used, for instance, for the preparation and filling-out of income tax returns. In such case, the assistance that the fictitious person who appears on the video screen can give to the applicant in filing the tax form can be easily programmed on the videodisc.
A system adapted to the sale of real estate properties would use interrelated textual and graphical information stored on the videodisc 114. The inquiries 142 displayed on the video screen 118 would consist of real estate information designed to both inform and address applicants needs. To facilitate customer interaction, the graphical display could include city maps designated by zip code areas so the applicant could indicate the location of his or her current residence. Other interrelated displays would present types of dwellings, i.e., single, family or commercial, of pictorial representations which aid the applicant in determining his or her loan needs.
Other applications of the system include the selection and purchase of stocks and other securities, the selection and opening of so-called `self-directed investments` such as Individual Retirement Accounts, and other complex transactions which normally require a great deal of time and attention on the part of the officers of an institution.
FIG. 12, a second alternate embodiment, shows an overview of an automatic system for dispensing information, goods and services from multiple retail, travel, financial, grocery and other service industries.
The system basically comprises a data processing center 201 linked to various remote sites, including one or more information and sales stations 202, a credit reporting service terminal 203, and data processing terminals 204 of various goods and services providers. The station and terminals are all linked to the central data processing center by any suitable remote links such as phone line data and cable television communications 209. The provider's terminals 204 are indirectly linked to the data processing center 201 via a computerized telecommunication network service such as TELENET.RTM. 205. Each of the providers and the system has its own specific account number with the service, which can be accessed by either party to submit or retrieve information at periodic intervals.
In this embodiment of the invention, numerous sales and information stations 202 are provided at a series of locations such as homes or offices. The terminals are all remotely linked to the data processing center. The information and sales terminals 202, typically comprise a CRT monitor, audio-speaker device and controller located in the customer's residence or office. The CRT monitor receives selected prerecorded audio-visual segments via the cable television company's communication links 209, generated at the data processing center 201. As illustrated in FIG. 17, this equipment may consist of a common television receiver 274 and a dial tone telephone, also located in the customer's residence or office, that functions as the entry device allowing selection of various audio-visual presentations to be displayed on the television screen.
Once a voice communication has been established between the telephone handset 275 and the data processing center, the tone generating keypad 276 is used to generate and send to the processor by way of the telephone network 280, coded instructions representing a request for information to be displayed on the television receivers 274. After viewing the requested information on his television set, the customer can use the telephone keypad 276 to order goods or services selected among those displayed on the television receiver. The customer also can transmit a credit account number against which the purchase can be charged. Voiced requests, orders or payment authorization could also be transmitted by means of the telephone handset 277 to be automatically recognized and interpreted by an automatic speech recognization device at the data processing center. Since the data processing center transmits a great deal of information to be accessed by a large number of stations through a common cable television network 281, the television receivers 274 must be coupled to an information selector unit 279 which looks for information which has been specifically addressed to that particular station and routes it to the television receiver 274. The address code which is used as a key by the information selector 279 to select data on the cable television network 281 may be a fixed number permanently entered into the information selector, or a variable number which is generated from the keypad 276 as part of the requests for goods or services and temporarily stored in a key code register 278 to be fed to the information selector 279. The same key code is also stored at the data processing center as it is transmitted on the telephone network 280 and is used to frame the specific information which is transmitted over the cable television network 281. Preaddressed information may also be periodically transmitted over the cable television network 281. The address or access number to available products or services may be published in printed catalogs for use from the various stations to request specific displays of information. The information selector 279 and key code register 278 may be part of the cable television signal descrambling device 282 such as those commonly used with pay cable television services. This type of communication system is based on the well-known technology such as was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,780 Stetten et al. and other patents cited in the background of this specification.
The data processing center 201, basically comprises a tone or voice response system, host computer and data sources. The tone or voice response system 221 receives the customer's selections in audio signal form and converts the signals to messages which are transmitted to the central processor 222 for selection of data sources. Additionally, the tone or voice response system allows customers the ability to enter requests on their keypads and receive audio information in the form of synthesized human speech which is transmitted via the standard telephone communication links. Features of voice response systems include; interfaces with all major host computers, high quality digitally encoded voice, extended storage capacity of synthesized speech, support for multiple software applications and the ability to handle dozens of simultaneously incoming calls. A suitable voice response system is the VCT Series 2000.RTM., manufactured by Voice Computer Technologies Corporation, although many alternatives are available.
The host computer can be one of those manufactured by IBM, NCR or Digital Equipment Corporation, which has the ability to direct the incoming requests, store and manage the data sources and generally perform data processing functions.
The data sources typically consist of prerecorded audio-visual segments stored on optical discs and transitory alphanumeric price and stock information stored in the host computer's memory. Although several data storage technologies can perform the audio-visual product presentation including digitized information, the preferred choice is optical disc storage. Optical disc storage technology is commonly referred to as videodisc and CD-ROM. Suitable optical storage discs are Scotch.RTM. Laser Videodiscs manufactured by 3M Corporation. Industrial videodisc players which are designed for allowing sequential or random access of 54,000 individual video frames or the playback of 30 minutes of full-motion on a single disc, include model LD-6200 manufactured by Pioneer Communications of America, Inc. The LD-6200 has the extensive capabilities of the IEEE-488 parallel interface port which is particularly well suited for multiple player control with a single external computer. Multiple laserdisc players controlled from a single external computer offer a flexible configuration allowing simultaneous access from numerous users with system expansion a factor of customer demand. To increase the enhancement of still-frame video presentation, audio compression technology is utilized. Still-frame decoder technology which allows 30 seconds of audio compression in an individual video frame is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,332, Television Compressed Audio. This technology increases the optical disc data sources communicative capacity with audio compression and is available in model VAC-300 manufactured by EECO, Inc.
Although several alternative transmission technologies exist, it is assumed that cable television operating companies can provide one of the most reliable, high quality audio-visual transmission networks. Cable television transmission of selected audio-visual segments can be achieved by multiple means including addressable video signal encryption configured at the cable head end and downloaded to a decoder at the home terminal for program descrambling.
The customer activates the audio-visual presentations by dialing the keypad 276 requesting access to the system through the telephone network 280 to the data processing center 201. A voice response system 221 at the data processing center accepts the customer's inquiries and audibly answers questions from its voice synthesis storage. Customer requests for audio-visual presentations are relayed from the voice response system to the central processor 222, which selects the appropriate data sources for transmission to the local cable television company 210 and routed via the cable network 281 to the customer's terminal 202. The customer upon viewing the presentation, which includes a menu, selects from the displayed menu on the video screen his next selection which is then entered on the keypad and is transmitted to the central data processing center for assembly of the requested informational segment to be routed to the sales and information terminal. This circuitous sequence continues until the customer; decides to abort access, is terminated due to preset time allotments or purchases a product or service. If he decides to order a service or product he would then enter his purchase and payment by either an account identification or credit card number on the telephone keypad 276, which would be authorized upon verification of the customer's credit worthiness by a credit information service or the central data processing center. Upon acceptance of the customer's order, the central data processing center would transmit to the customer's station a confirmation number and order fulfillment information which is displayed on the video screen. Customer orders for goods or services are then transmitted to the provider 204 for order fulfillment.
The interfacing of the various components of the system described above is done according to standard practices well known to those skilled in the electronic arts.
The data processing center 201, includes a central processing unit 222 and memory 223. The memory 223 stores graphical program information, management of the audiovisual sources and textual information on prices of products and services acquired from the providers, which are periodically updated from the terminals 204 of the various companies, and information on customer requests and orders which can be accessed periodically by the respective providers. The processing unit 222 operates in response to program instructions for performance of product and service calculations in response to customer information and orders received from any of the stations, to send audio-visual product and service data to the respective stations, to receive credit account numbers from the stations and access the credit reporting terminal for credit approval or disapproval of a particular account. If a customer places a purchase order from a station after credit is approved, the data processing unit stores the information and sends a confirmation to the terminal.
The various programs for executing the operations of the sales and information terminal and the data processing center computer 222 are of a `menu-type` and can best be understood with reference to the flow diagrams of FIGS. 13 through 16. FIGS. 13 and 14 show the sequence of operations executed at the sales and information terminal 202 and FIGS. 15 and 16 show the operations performed by the data processing center's computer 222 for the on-line and off-line processing and communications with the providers.
The sequence of operations basically comprises the following steps:
(1) The customer activates the system by entering a sequence of numbers, on the keypad device, which are transmitted to the data processing center;
(2) A voice response system at the data processing center acknowledges customer's inquiry, verifies his authenticity and interrogates the customer to determine the desired services;
(3) The voice response system transmits the customer's requests to the central processor;
(4) The central processor selects the appropriate data storage sources and transmits the audio-visual information to the customer's local cable television company communication links;
(5) Requested information and menus are relayed through the cable channel and displayed on the CRT video screen;
(6) If the customer wishes to purchase a product or service he proceeds with the payment protocol as displayed on the CRT and enters the form of payment, on the keypad, which is then transmitted to the data processing center;
(7) Upon authorization of payment, a confirmation message is transmitted from the data processing center to the sales and information station's video display monitor;
(8) Upon completion of customer access the system disconnects;
(9) The data processing center stores the information on products or services sold;
(10) At the end of every day, the data processing center transmits information on the daily sales activities for each provider to the appropriate files of the Telenet.RTM. computer;
(11) The sales information for each provider can be accessed from its terminal linked to the Telenet.RTM. computer. At the same time, the service providers can transmit updates on prices and products to their system account at the Telenet.RTM. computer.
These steps will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 13 to 16.
Referring now to FIG. 13, each sales and information terminal will be in an inactive state with system activation initiated by the customer entering a number on the keypad 276 and requesting access to services 224 from the data processing center 201. If access is available through an open line, the customer logs on 225 and begins a synthesized speech dialogue with a voice response system 226. For example, the voice response system may ask, "Are you interested in connecting to our shopping service?", "If yes, please press key #3" or "Do you have a question about a previous order?", "If yes, please press key #4." The audio interaction verifies the customer's identification 227 and determines their geographic location for routing of requested presentations. The dialogue also determines if emergency access 232 to the system is required. The customer responds to the questions by entering his answers on the keypad 276. If a customer is unable to dialogue with the voice response system, he may enter a specific key for communication with a human operator 228. The human operator would assist the customer with questions, emergency access or selections of program material. If the human operator is unable to provide assistance, he thanks the customer 229 and the communication would cease 230.
If data sources are available for access 231, the voice response system begins a transmission of signals to the central processor 222, for selection of data sources. If the customer has an emergency 232 the voice response system activates a priority mode to the central processor and begins an immediate routing of presentation of an emergency menu display 233, on the customer's video display screen.
An important aspect of the present invention is its ability to transmit emergency life-saving instructions to consumers. For example, a mother whose young child has just ingested poison or received a serious cut could access the system, state that an emergency has occurred and the system would interrupt any current user on conflicting transmission links and begin presentation of emergency first-aid medical information. Simultaneously the system would alert medical authorities or personnel as to the injury. In many instances, audio-visual medical emergency procedures can serve critical needs during the first few minutes of injury, drowning or heart attack. Consumers would have instantaneous access to a comprehensive first-aid `assistant` in the form of audio-visual presentations specifically addressing medical needs in their home or office.
The menu display 233 presents a series of selections in which choices are available to navigate through the numerous decision-making branches of possible interactions. The main menu 233 presents the general categories of products and services which are available such as: retail, travel, financial and grocery. The interactive sequence of customer-selected information displayed on the television receiver is continuous and a typical audio-visual presentation would include choices accompanied with numbers which correspond to the keypad 276 of the telephone or similar control device. For example, key #5 would be--repeat, key #6 would be--return to main menu, key #7 would be--new selection and so forth. The customer would then be able to enter on his controller device the next desired sequence of information. The customer can quickly locate a specific product or service by defining his selections through the menu. For example, if the customer is interested in lamps he would begin with a retail display menu 234. The customer would then select from the second frame, home furnishings 235 and from the third frame of home furnishings the customer would select lamps 236. Therefore, within three consecutive interactions the customer commences evaluation of various lamp features. The current price of the lamp and other transitory information is stored in the data sources 223 and by use of an overlay, this timely textual information is superimposed and displayed simultaneously, with the prerecorded audio-visual presentations. Therefore at all times current price and product availability are maintained by the central data processing center 201 and presented to the customer.
If the customer encounters any problems in operating the system he or she can enter a specific command on the control device to communicate with a human operator for assistance.
Referring now to FIG. 14, during the selected presentations the menu also displays a numbered key for entry on the control device for an order of a product or service 240. Product ordering menu questions would include; quantity, color, sizes and styles. If the customer decides he doesn't wish to continue or order products or services he is offered a final greeting 241, and the system access is disconnected 251. Once the customer has completed his selection 243 the data processing center tabulates the orders and other relevant information and transmits the desired purchase summary to the sales and information terminal 244. The menu asks the customer 245 if the ordered items are correct? Assuming the customer proceeds with the purchase, he would examine the listed items textually displayed on the monitor's screen and either accept or correct the list. If incorrect, the customer would continue the interactive menu sequence or contact the human operator for assistance 228. When the customer has completed his selections he would proceed to the payment process menu 246. This menu explains the various forms of payment, typically the customer has an established account number on file 247. The customer would enter a PIN (Personal Identification Number), credit card number 248 or other suitable payment data manually on the keypad. Once the payment data has been obtained by the central data processing center a payment verification procedure is initiated, as will be described in more detail below in connection with FIG. 15. The procedure results in either rejection or acceptance of payment and corresponding data is transmitted from the data processing center to the terminal and displayed on the television screen.
If payment is rejected, the customer can either insert additional payment information 248 on the keypad or call the customer service for assistance 228.
If payment is accepted, 249 the customer receives a confirmation number that is displayed on the television and is asked to enter any additional delivery information, such as a person or address that is to receive the product or service ordered or a specific time of the day for delivery. The customer is then thanked, the dial-up line to the data processing center 201 is disconnected, and the terminal communication to the data processing center returns to an inactive state 224.
The sequence of operations conducted by the data processing center 201 performing product and service selections, executing credit checks and issuing sales confirmations will now be described with reference to the flow diagram parts, shown in FIG. 15.
When the data processing center receives a product or service request B from one of the sales and information stations 202, it first determines the type of product or service required 252. The central processor 222 then locates the appropriate graphical and/or textual information for that product from its transitory and audio-visual data sources for assembly and transmission to the selected communications company 254 and subsequently to the terminal 255.
Upon receipt of payment verification request C from a terminal 256, the data processing center locates the customer's account file 257 from its memory or transmits the account number to the credit information terminal 258. The results of the verification process 259 are received by the processing center and relayed to the terminal. If payment is rejected, the customer is notified at the terminal 260. If payment is accepted, a product or service information record 261 is created at the data processing center and the customer is notified at the sales and information terminal 262.
After the data processing center has processed D the product payment 263, it issues a confirmation at the terminal and the product or service information file is updated with the name and address of the customer 264. The product or service confirmation is transmitted to the terminal for acceptance by the customer 265.
The data processing center 201 performs a number of programmed off-line operations at periodic intervals, as illustrated by the flow diagram in FIG. 16. The product and service information files stored in the memory are updated daily.
The data processing center routinely performs a series of daily activity status reports E. The daily reports include a sales activity report 263 listing all sales and service transactions for the particular day's processing, payment verification reports 264 listing all payments verified by company number sequence, and audit trail reports 265 listing all sales for a particular company or geographic regions, customer profiles and other marketing information.
A sales data file 266 is created for all sales transacted for each company in that particular day's processing. This file is forwarded to the appropriate service provider's computer terminal 204 via Telenet.RTM. to be entered in their automated billing system. The data processing center dials a central computer such as the Telenet.RTM. computer 205 to which all the service provider company's terminals are linked, logs-on to the appropriate account for each company, and transmits the appropriate daily reports and sales data files to each company's specific Telenet.RTM. account. The product or service provider can then retrieve the information in its account at its pleasure by dialing the Telenet.RTM. computer from its own computer terminal 204, to process and complete order fulfillment.
The data processing center also performs monthly processing programs F, these routines 267 consist of valuable sales data compilation which includes a payment verification report listing all payments verified for a given company during that month 268 and a sales activity report listing all sales processed for a specific company for a particular month 269. These reports are transmitted to the relevant account numbers of the Telenet.RTM. computer for subsequent retrieval by the respective companies and the daily reports.
Data requests G can also be made by the individual service providers via their terminals 204 and the Telenet.RTM. computer 270. When a service provider wants a certain program to be performed, a memo is sent from the company's terminal to the specific Telenet.RTM. account number for the data processing center, stating which report is to be processed. The reports G which can be requested in this way are the sales analysis reports 271 and reports for each type of product or service for a specific company. The sales reports allow each company to update its price rates and product availability in the system as necessary. The sales analysis reports can provide listings by company, product type, date, and time of day. Therefore service providers can obtain valuable market research and analyze their advertising and sales promotion for specific products.
Programs H are provided for maintaining current product and service prices stored by the data processing center. The prices are updated by checking the rate files for each company's product line offered 272. Utility programs are maintained for all product and service providers 273.
The system of this invention allows a customer convenient access to numerous products and service providers in a variety of industries and allows the customer to make a selection and purchase products on a self-service or operator-assisted basis. All the necessary operations of obtaining information, checking credit and transmitting information to the respective companies are performed automatically. Significant savings in time and money will be realized for both the consumer and companies that will potentially result in more sales and increases in productivity because thousands of consumers will have greater accessibility to the service providers in their homes.
The general public will benefit from direct marketing communication channels with manufacturers and monetary savings will be realized as traditional retail product sales overhead is reduced.
It will be clear that this system may be applied to many other types of customer service and sales industries. Some examples are the educational industry, many types of governmental services, and the medical and health industries.
* * * * *
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Lawmaker working to get rid of speed cameras
POSTED: 5:51 PM Feb 15 2013
A local lawmaker is leading an effort to get rid of some area speed cameras, but Bluff City officials say the cameras have likely saved lives.
Representative Timothy Hill has brought a bill to the state capitol in hopes of getting rid of the speed cameras in Piney Flats. "We have a city that has come along and they've corridor annexed an area that has no governing body and said their traffic is high enough to support the activity of these cameras. Unfortunately the people in Piney Flats don't really have a voice whether or not to remove these or not," said Hill.
Bluff City manager Judy Dulaney says nearly 30,000 vehicles drive on 11-E in Piney Flats and only one percent of the people driving ever get cited. She also says 90 percent of the first-time offenders never get another ticket. "It's doing its job. It was put there for safety and no other reason," said Dulaney.
"People have slowed down. We've worked less wrecks than we ever have through there," said Greg Depew, Chief of Police.
Representative Hill tells us he's not buying it and believes it has to do with money. "I know that the majority of what is discussed seems to have little to do with safety and more to do with the money they generate," said Hill.
Dulaney tells us they only generate 18 percent of their funds through the cameras and she expects that number to continue to drop; but the money they do gain, Dulaney says goes back into the community. "Because of the extra revenue we were able to put it back into the town and be able to give more to non-profits," she said.
Another issue Hill brings up: he says cameras should not replace police officers. "There is no comparison. There's no training a camera that takes photos with a flashing light. The officer is well trained, they're good at what they do," said Hill.
However, Depew says he only has eight officers in his department and they can't monitor just one roadway. "We have different calls we're on or other highways to patrol or different duties we're doing," he said.
"If those cameras are taken away, it will turn back into the dangerous area that it is," said Dulaney.
Dulaney told us that if the cameras are taken away and replaced with officers, the speeding citations will go from $50 to $123.50.
As of now, the bill still sits in the transportation sub-committee. |
Livingstone aides 'broke rules on poll campaigns'
Former adviser to the London Mayor sparks a row by claiming he raised large sums for the 2004 election while being paid by the taxpayer
A former key adviser to Ken Livingstone today tells how he and others breached the strict rules governing political campaigning, including raising money from donors for the Mayor of London's election campaign.
The claims have prompted a ferocious rebuttal from the mayor's office, which yesterday described Atma Singh, 47, Livingstone's policy adviser on Asian affairs between 2001 and 2007, as an 'embittered ex-employee' who was 'removed' from his job.
Initially an enthusiastic supporter of Livingstone, Singh - who last year accepted an out-of-court settlement after alleging that he was the victim of racist bullying while working at the Greater London Authority (GLA) - has decided to speak out in a forthcoming Channel 4 Dispatches programme. He had become concerned at what he claimed was the mayor's lack of accountability.
In his first newspaper interview, Singh told The Observer he was one of around 20 key advisers to Livingstone employed by the GLA, the strategic body that helps the mayor and elected members of the London assembly to carry out their duties.
Even though his salary was paid for by the taxpayer, Singh said that he, like many of the advisers, raised large sums of money for Livingstone's successful 2004 re-election bid in breach of local government rules barring the authority's employees from working on political campaigns during office hours.
Emails seen by The Observer also show how Livingstone's office asked several of the advisers to draft responses to questions raised during the election campaign - another apparent breach of electoral guidelines. Singh said he personally raised more than £50,000 for Livingstone's 2004 mayoral campaign by targeting wealthy Asian donors when he was employed by the taxpayer to give the mayor policy advice.
'During the election I did what every-body else was expected to do, which was raise money for Ken,' Singh said. 'I vigorously pursued that [approach] from all the main Asian donors.'
The mayor's office said policy advisers were allowed to campaign during their free time, but Singh said most of the work had been done in office hours, and the advisers had used the GLA's offices at City Hall to hold campaign meetings.
Asked why he did not question at the time whether his fundraising might have been in breach of local government rules on campaigning, Singh said: 'There was an atmosphere, it was more about loyalty. It was almost impossible not to do these things. All the policy advisers were in Ken's gift. People were clear they were not doing their jobs unless they could show they were being loyal.'
Dispatches alleges that the mayor's office spent more than £14,000 of taxpayers' money running a public relations campaign to stop the head of the Commission for Racial Equality, Trevor Phillips, from becoming the chair of the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights. The revelation has prompted calls for a public inquiry, but the GLA has said that, as an elected politician, Livingstone is allowed to take a position on such matters.
The programme also examines Livingstone's relationship with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the changing role of the congestion charge and expenses run up by the mayor on a trip to India.
But Singh's allegations are likely to provoke the most controversy, coming after the recent funding rows that has rocked the Labour party. Singh claimed the GLA's advice on election campaigning for officials had been vague, making it hard for them to know where they stood if they did not want to raise funds for the mayor. 'If people had been given clear guidelines, they would have been given strong opportunities not to do it [raise funds],' Singh said.
Despite initially being a close ally of Livingstone, Singh said he grew disillusioned with life at City Hall. 'Ken's a much weaker man now,' Singh said. 'He's less committed to equal opportunities and he's not such a strong defender of the poor. London has become the city of the wealthy; it's unhealthy.'
However, a GLA statement accused Singh of making 'unfounded allegations' about senior officials in the mayor's office. It said: 'Atma Singh was removed from his job for failure to discharge his duties, most seriously in failures to meet requests for assistance from the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorism Unit. This person is an embittered ex-employee who refuses to accept that this record of disregard for London's security makes it impossible for him to work for the mayor and Greater London Authority, which was why he was asked to leave for reasons that are self-evident.'
Singh strenuously denied failing in his duties, saying he had paid the price for refusing requests from the police to meet extremist Muslim groups that he believed were perpetuating terrorist ideology. Last year Singh accepted £20,000 in an out-of-court settlement from the GLA after alleging he had been subject to racism and bullying because of his reluctance to meet with the Islamist groups.
He said he was a 'neutral' in terms of political allegiances and that, prior to talking to Dispatches, he had approached senior politicians at the GLA and a government minister to raise his concerns, but nothing had been done. 'The scrutiny of the mayor is very weak,' Singh said. 'The mayor is making executive decisions that are without parallel. Similarly, the mayor's advisers aren't accountable to anyone. One of the most common things I heard [while at City Hall] is assembly members saying, "We don't have any power in the GLA. The checks and balances in London are missing".' |
HOME > Chowhound > Greater Boston Area >
Symphony Hall Area Meals
• a
I have two occasions where I will be attending events at Symphony Hall-one a Sunday afternoon and the other a Friday evening. I am looking for places for chowhoundish meals before those events. There is no limitations in cuisine or price (though the higher the price the longer the meal at least in my experience) Also any suggestions for after the Friday night concert would be appreciated. Thanks
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1. Taste of India on Hunt. Ave. just got a good review in the Calendar. I always like Dixie Kitchen on Mass Ave. It's usually not jammed with Symphony people like Betty's Noodle place is, which is fair. There's always Bangkok on Mass Ave. for dependable Thai food. Has anyone been to Stars on Huntington? That's a step up from the other restaurants mentioned.
6 Replies
1. re: Joanie
I have been to Stars several times and love it. It is basicaly dressed up diner food - but done really well. They dare to serve homemade tater Tots - gotta love it. I have never had a bad meal there, for brunch, lunch or dinner.
1. re: Howiecat
I've eaten at Taste of India twice, and been very pleased. The flavors are very rich, and the portions are generous.
Taste of Asia, slightly closer to the Hunt. Ave. entrance to Symphony Hall, is also very good. If you're in a hurry, they do a good pho, but the also have a full menu with both Chinese and Vietnamese specialties.
1. re: peregrine
Avoid Tiger Lily on Westland at all costs. The food is terrible and overpriced. We've had the noodle dishes and the dim sum. The most frequently used adjectives have been gummy, gluey, and salty. Betty's Wok & Noodle is adaquate, and Tiger Lily is several notches down from BWND.
1. re: Lindsay B.
There is a new Thai place RIGHT next door to Tiger Lily, on Westland, which is great. Unfortunately, i can't find my receipt, and can't remember the name to save my life...It is in the spot that used to be a bare-bones Thai place, now they've upgraded, and we found the food really spicy and enjoyable, and reasonable(!) before "Betty's Summer Vacation".
1. re: galleygirl
The Thai place galleygirl mentioned is called Pan Thai. I've eaten there twice. So far, I've found that the curries and stir fries outshine the noodle dishes. The vegetables are fresh and the sauces are flavorful. I recommend the green curry with eggplant and green beans. Unfortunately the tempura tastes like it came from a food court. The batter is heavy and chalky-tasting. The Pad Thai is thoroughly lackluster as well. The noodles were mushy and the sauce was greasy and overly sweet.
1. re: Lindsay B.
Hmm, well we DID just have stir-fries..They were very fresh and tastey,perhaps "great" was a little too strong a word to use....I just get excited whenever I find anything decent in that immediate area, because I'm always running late, and never have time to squeeze in dinner anyplace not in the neighborhood..Thanks for the name....
2. r
Roejimmy (formerly Matt)
South End Galleria is three blocks over and three blocks up from Symphony Hall on Columbus Avenue. They have great chow. It is owned by the same women who owned Galleria Italiana, and they have a late night menu as well if you decide to eat after Symphony.
1 Reply
1. re: Roejimmy (formerly Matt)
Find any excuse to go to South End Galleria. The menu is inventive and changing; the staff and owners friendly and efficient. For bread pudding fans, hurry on down for their particularly lucious version with turkish figs.
2. I finally tried Bangkok City on Mass Ave. It's now my new favorite for Thai food in Boston and I have to recommend it if you love Thai. Make sure to ask for the "other" menu featuring Northern and Central Thai dishes (not Lotus of Siam but great nonetheless!). I'm addicted to the cold spicy glass thread salad with plenty of cilantro, lime, and ground chicken and shrimp. The duck curry is the best I've had.
1. w
Win (Boston)
Brasserie Jo in the Collonande Hotel is nearby. It is one of my favorites. They do a lot of Symphony business. Ideal for light appetizers or a completre meal. Not cheap, but a real value in terms of quality.
Link: http://colonnadehotel.com/hotels/colo...
Image: http://www.colonnadehotel.com/hotelsi... |
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Software seer shows companies path to cheaper databases
DBSeer cuts through clouds with predictive database performance model
The DBSeer predictive modeling method, described in two academic papers authored by researchers at MIT and Microsoft, gives companies a way to model the ins and outs of their particular database so they can save on data center infrastructure and avoid downtime.
The DBSeer modeling method helps administrators spot DB problems without having to manually test out different configurations of the database under different load environments, the researchers write (PDF).
Its creators hope DBSeer can deal with the main shortcoming of running a database-as-a-service in an on-premise virtualized environment, which is that the isolation of compute power, per-VM billing, and the lack of information about the particulars of the underlying infrastructure makes tuning a database in the private cloud "more challenging than in conventional deployments."
"You can now answer many questions about your database that were previously only answered through 'try it and find out for yourself'," the lead author of the papers, Barzan Mozafari, tells The Register via email.
"Now in many cases we can predict what will happen without actually trying those configurations out. This can dramatically reduce the cost of testing and deploying your database configuration."
So far, the researchers have created an implementation of DBSeer that can help model performance for transactional MySQL workloads, but they believe it can be extended to other databases as well.
The system has proved so efficient that it has already piqued the interest of Teradata, which has tasked several of its engineers with the job of porting the DBSeer algorithm to its own software.
The system works by observing query-level logs and the OS statistics generated by a live database management system.
"It's a non-intrusive approach, i.e. it doesn't require modifying the database engine," Mozafari says. "It simply observes the load that comes into the database and the performance and resource consumption of the database and tries to understand the relationship between the two."
This allows DBSeer to model the CPU, RAM, network, disk I/O, and number of acquired locks per table, for various MySQL configurations.
To test the algorithm, the researchers generated 20 mixtures of the transaction processing performance council (TPC-C) benchmark with different ratios of transaction types. The average error rates of DBSeer's predictions ranged between 0 and 25 percent, with its I/O model performing best, with an average margin of error of 1 percent.
With a variance that low, we can see why Teradata would be interested in porting the technology to work with its own.
The researchers are due to deliver a further paper (draft PDF here) at the SIGMOD conference in June in New York, which will give further information on how to apply DBSeer to performance and resource modeling in highly-concurrent OLTP workloads.
The researchers hope that DBSeer can be extended to still other databases, including NoSQL ones.
"Row-store (NoSQL) ones are much simpler to model/predict because they are more linear (due to lack of locking) than a traditional transactional DB," Mozafari says.
If technologies like DBSeer are adopted, companies will be able to automate some of the tasks done by DBAs and make sure they're not provisioning more hardware for their databases than they actually need.
What has got El Reg's database desk all a-flutter is the thought of DBSeer being integrated into an off-premise rentable cloud, like, say, Amazon Web Services.
This would give database developers a technology that could give them real anticipated I/O performance for an off-site database, and go some way toward solving the numerous reliability concerns people have over running a database in the cloud. ®
Sponsored: 5 critical considerations for enterprise cloud backup |
Sports Trivia >> Golf Trivia
Golf Trivia Questions
1) What professional golfer has won the most majors?
A: Tiger Woods B: Jack Nicklaus C: Ben Hogan D: Gary Player
2) Who of the following golfers has never won a PGA Championship?
A: Arnold Palmer B: Gary Player C: Phil Mickelson D: John Daly
3. What Major golf tournament schedules it's final round on the 2nd Sunday in April every year at the Augusta National Golf Club.
A: The US Open B: The British Open C: The Masters D: The PGA Championship
sports trivia golf swing
Copyright © 2007 | Back to homepage for Sports Trivia |
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide whether police must get a search warrant before forcing a drunken driving suspect to have blood drawn, accepting a case that will shape privacy rights on the road.
The justices said they would hear Missouri's contention that the Constitution doesn't require police to take the time to get judicial approval given how quickly alcohol dissipates in the bloodstream. The Missouri Supreme Court disagreed, saying officers typically must seek a warrant.
That decision “actually requires police officers to stand by and allow the best, most probative evidence to be destroyed during a drunk-driving investigation,” Missouri argued in its appeal. Lower courts are divided on the question.
The case might have widespread day-to-day implications. More than 1.4 million people are arrested each year in the United States for driving under the influence, according to FBI statistics.
San Antonio, which implemented its “no refusal” program in 2008 with the District Attorney's Office, has always included a search warrant as part of the blood draw process. That was one of the major hurdles to getting it implemented on a full-time basis two years ago, First Assistant District Attorney Cliff Herberg said.
“We had to train patrol officers ... to draft a search warrant,” Herberg said.
The Texas Legislature has allowed for blood draws without a search warrant for intoxication manslaughter cases, third-time DWI offenses or intoxication assault cases in which someone has been sent to the hospital. But that's different from the “exigent circumstances doctrine” — the idea that evidence needs to be collected immediately to avoid its destruction — that Missouri is arguing, Herberg said.
Tyler McNeely, the defendant in the case, was pulled over for speeding in 2010 by a state highway patrolman in southeast Missouri and refused to take a breath test after failing field sobriety tests. The officer took McNeely to a nearby medical laboratory, where a technician drew blood over his objection.
McNeely's lawyers say the Supreme Court shouldn't categorically exempt drunken driving cases from the normal rule that police must get a warrant for intrusive bodily searches.
“While every drunk-driving investigation will involve the eventual dissipation of a suspect's blood alcohol content, not every case will involve a risk of losing evidence of intoxication before search,” argued McNeely, who is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Craig Kapitan contributed to this report from San Antonio. |
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