EVOKE Mio – an EcoPlus product from PULSE

Welcome to my blog! I am always adding fresh content and hope you will come back again. Please leave your comments as I am always interested to read them and any suggestions my readers might have. Kind regards Steven Dale

EVOKE Mio
EVOKE Mio is a member of the PURE EcoPlus product family. All EcoPlus products are designed and manufactured to minimize their environmental impact, with:

  • reduced power consumption in operation and standby
  • use of materials from recycled and sustainable sources
  • the smallest possible packaging
  • components selected to minimize environmental impact

TheMio uses less energy than other DAB portable radios:
EVOKE Mio power usage graph

EcoPlus

EcoPlus™ is a statement of PURE’s on-going commitment to our environment and its future. It indicates that environmental impact has been considered in the design, manufacture and transport of our products, and has driven both what we do and how we do it.

EcoPlus sets standards within PURE in the following areas:

  • Reduced power consumption

  • Use of materials from recycled and sustainable sources

  • Optimum packaging size

  • Components with minimized environmental impact

Check out the whole range of EcoPlus on the Pulse site here: http://www.pure.com/EcoPlus/index.asp

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 EVOKE Mio   an EcoPlus product from PULSE

Vue 7 Pioneer from e-on software is free and easy to use

0000012222458212db9f4cac004300c0002e001c.Firefox001003 Vue 7 Pioneer from e on software  is free and easy to use

Vue 7 Pioneer is a free 3D graphics program from e-on software. You can use it to create vast expanses of terrains, add trees, select the best point of view and render hyper-realistic images of your landscapes in moody atmospheres… in a few mouse clicks.

Although it is free, it comes with lots of features, too many to list here, but here are some of the highlights:

  • Global Illumination.
  • NEW! Global Radiosity.
  • NEW! Fast in-depth computation of reciprocal object lighting for accurate indoor lighting.
  • NEW! Radiosity engine optimized for: Indoor or infinite scenery.
  • Global ambiance.
  • Ambient occlusion with user definable occlusion range.
  • HDRI support.
  • Image based lighting.
  • Background and environment mapping.
  • NEW! Sub-Surface Scattering: Absorption.
  • NEW! Sub-Surface Scattering: Multiple Internal Scattering.
  • NEW! Atmosphere presets: Over 160.
  • Ultra-realistic spectral atmosphere model.
  • Choice of 4 different types of atmosphere models.
  • NEW! Volumetric clouds, lights, materials (visible rays, with optional dust).
  • Spectral Volume Cloud layers for extremely realistic cloudscapes.
  • NEW! Extremely detailed Spectral 2 cloud system (for cloud layers and MetaClouds).
  • NEW! Fast indirect lighting in Spectral and Spectral 2 clouds.
  • NEW! God rays in clouds.
  • Fly through clouds.
  • Cloud layers near ground simulate fog.
  • Realistic “peaking” of mountains through clouds.
  • NEW! EcoSystem patented technology to easily distribute millions of objects in scenes.
  • NEW! Use preset EcoSystem materials to automatically populate your scenes with millions of objects.
  • NEW! Create EcoSystems from multiple objects: With EcoSystem.
  • NEW! Create entire forests of trees: With EcoSystem.
  • NEW! Create forests of trees blowing in the wind: With Zephyr.
  • NEW! Scatter millions of animated objects: With EcoSystem.
  • NEW! Mix EcoSystems with standard materials.
  • NEW! Mix several EcoSystems together depending on environment (slope, altitude.
  • NEW! Automatic placement of EcoSystem population according to a user defined SmartGraph density function (that can depend on position, altitude, slope: With EcoSystem.
  • NEW! Ultra-realistic SolidGrowth vegetation: 10+ species.
  • Compatible with modified plant species.
  • NEW! Easy-to-Use Plant Editor for plant customization: With Botanica.
  • Instantly create variations of existing plants.
  • NEW! Plant Editor and Leaf Editor let you modify existing plants or create entirely new plant species: With Botanica.
  • NEW! Create and save new plant species as stand-alone files for future use in your scenes: With Botanica.
  • NEW! Support for new, extremely detailed plant species.
  • Solid3D real-time terrain modeling.
  • NEW! Paint material distributions at the surface of terrains: With 7.4 update.
  • NEW! Import, view and edit distribution maps in the Terrain Editor: With 7.4 update.
  • NEW! Terrain effects optionally affect material distribution map: With 7.4 update.
  • Preset terrain styles: 8.
  • NEW! Erosion types: 8.
  • Geological algorithms: 12.
  • Glaciation, alluvium and dissolve erosion effects.
  • Primitive and Boolean modeling.
  • 3D Text edition tool.
  • NEW! Customizable text beveling, extrusion… and material effects.
  • NEW! Import Postscript and Illustrator data into the text editor.
  • Optimized memory management for handling large polygon meshes.
  • True Metablobs organic modeling from all Vue Boolean primitives.
  • NEW! Adjustable Metablob envelopes and contribution.
  • NEW! Welding of multiple meshes into a single mesh.
  • Random rock generator.
  • Multiple planets (moon and other planets of the solar system).
  • NEW! Create billboards that always face the camera (with a ‘force vertical’ option).
  • NEW! Improved overall rendering speed, up to 20% faster.
  • NEW! 4 times faster rendering in advanced lighting models.
  • NEW! New radiosity algorithms that dramatically reduce low frequency blotches.
  • NEW! Generate high-quality indoor and outdoor renders.
  • NEW! Bucket rendering for lower memory requirements and improved spatial coherence when rendering.
  • NEW! Indirect lighting calculation can be easily re-used between “tweak” renders.
  • NEW! Option to update the Indirect lighting “on demand” only.
  • NEW! One-click displacement mapping.
  • NEW! Material presets: Over 530.
  • NEW! Level(s) of material Edition: 3, 4 With AdvancedGraph.
  • Basic material editor with possibility of importing images as textures and bump maps.
  • NEW! Advanced procedural material creation/mixing.
  • NEW! Advanced Material Editor.
  • NEW! SmartGraph function Editor.
  • NEW! Control all material parameters via function graphs: With AdvancedGraph.
  • NEW! Animation output resolution: Limited to 720 pixels wide, 1920 With KronosFX.
  • Camera animation.
  • NEW! Animate objects, materials, atmospheres, clouds, waves.
  • NEW! Import animated Poser 4, 5, 6 & 7 characters: With 3DImport.
  • Intuitive Animation wizard for easy animation setup.
  • NEW! OpenGL rendering of animations for quick proofing: With KronosFX.
  • Dynamic Motion Reaction™ easy secondary movement setup.
  • NEW! Option to ignore time spline when computing motion (e.g. to look forward even when moving back).

I downloaded it and decided to create a short animation as a test. You can see it below:

Digital Britain Report – Mixed Reception

 Digital Britain Report   Mixed Reception
The recently released UK Government’s report on the future of the nation’s broadband infrastructure has come in for some criticism. The general media have particularly been critical of the proposed ‘broadband tax’ of of 50 pence per month on all fixed copper lines. This would raise £150m a year to go into a so-called ‘Next Generation Fund’. This fund would pay for the extension of broadband coverage to at least 90% of households by 2017.

The universal service commitment that will ensure that every household has access to a 2Mbps service by 2012 will be paid for using funds left over from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme, a contribution from the government’s Strategic Investment Fund, and contributions from the private sector and other public organisations. However, many criticise the fact that the plan is only for a 2MB network. When you look at the current 100MB service that some countries already have, its almost laughable they say!

The provision of superfast broadband universally is going to take a while, but the commitment is at least there.

The whole report is 245 pages long, so it takes a bit of reading. However, there are plenty of ideas to applaud and when you consider the costs other nations face in achieving similar aims, the proposals do make sense.

A more extensive look at the issues can be found here: http://www.itpro.co.uk/blogs/bsg/2009/06/18/digital-confusion/

The report itself can be downloaded from here: http://www.broadbanduk.org/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,1150/

My personal reflection on the current situation in Iran and the Iranian people.

Support the People of Iran

Many years ago I was nursing in London. At the time, I was working in the private sector as a trained Intensive Care Nurse. I was also qualified in Mental health Nursing and General Nursing (i.e. I was RMN, RGN and ENB 100 qualified). Having worked at some of the top NHS hospitals I had moved into the private sector to allow me freedom to follow my dream of being a being a freelance journalist, whilst working a a volunteer with refugees, asylum seekers and the homeless in Hackney. I tell you this not to promote myself as some kind of ’saint’ but as background so you will better understand where I am coming from and give some substance to what I am about to say.

At this time the Iran–Iraq War, also known as the Imposed War and Holy Defense in Iran, and Sadd?m’s Q’disiyyah in Iraq was in it final brutal stages. Many young men with horrible wounds from both countries were being treated in London hospitals, mainly the Cromwell and the Wellington Humana. Generally, the Iranians were treated in the Wellington Humana and the Iraqi’s in the Cromwell, if my memory serves me correct. Obviously, this was to minimise the conflict spilling over into London (how ironic that now seems after the 7/7 London suicide atttacks and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan following 9/11).

These unfortunate young men (many were barely out of their teens, some were still teenagers) had horrific injuries, including chemical burns and lung damage form gas munitions used by both sides. They came to London because the oil wealth that Iran and Iraq had could pay for the private treatment from some of the world’s best hospitals. I am proud of British nurses, doctors and others who cared for these young men and their families. We gave them the very best care available, though many no doubt returned to their countries bitter and disillusioned to who knows what kind of lives.

Now, my personal experience of both Iranians and Iraqis was how much alike they were and how sad that though all Muslims, because generally speaking they were divided by either being Shia or Sunni they were unable to see how much they had in common. The war was a complete and utter waste of human life, talent and of vast wealth. It is estimated that 1.5 million died or were wounded in the war, including thousands of civilians. The financial cost is estimated at around US$1.2 trillion at the time, with the long-lasting effects adding to that. In addition, one has to remember the effect upon the West’s relations with the Arab World, the resulting wars with Iraq, the rift between Iran and the West and the economic impact on the world’s exconomy, particularly regarding oil prices, not to mention the ongoing legacy of environmental damage.

However, in both Iran and Iraq, the war is still seen in different light than in the West and it has profoundly radicalised Iran in particular. we can see this today with the current problems there. The majority of its people don’t remember the war at all, either because they were too young at the time or not even born. They have no recollection of life under the corrupt Shah and so they see the current leadership out of touch with the aspirations and dreams of the youth. They see, via the web, the rest of the world enjoying freedoms undreamed of in Iran and how other young people around the world, not just westerners, but Arabs too in places like Qatar and Egypt are enjoying more freedom, personal if not political. This, I believe, is at the root of the current problems.

Even after the was had ended and the flood of wounded young men became a trickle i to London hospitals, the Iranians still sent  people to be treated in the UK. However, instead of young men wounded in battle, these were now the elite of their society. These tended to be politicians, wealthy business men or religious officials. This lead me to an interesting experience. I was, for a while, the personal nurse of the Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Golpaygani (1898-1993). He was born in Gogad village, near the city of Golpaygan, Iran. He was taught preliminary studies by his father, Mohammad Bagher. At the age of 9, his father died, and he moved to Golpaygan to continue his studies. At the age of 20, he moved to Arak to study under Grand Ayatollah Haeri Yazdi. After Haeri Yazdi and Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Khansari founded the hawza of Qom, he moved there and delivered lectures in the Islamic Seminary.

I looked after him until he died for several months, initially in a private suite at a London hospital, then at the house of a prominent Muslim businessman in London before he returned to the hospital, where he died. This was an interesting time and experience for me, particularly as I am a devout Christian! I had many conversations about the Koran, the Bible, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Jesus and the Prophets. More than once the family (and their accompanying mullahs) offered me a job running a hospital in Iran, complete with a ‘good Muslim wife’! However, I was recently married and very happy living in England.

Amongst the entourage accompanying the Grand Ayatollah were some doctors and I got to know them quite well, drinking tea with them, discussing life in Iran and the effects of the Revolution. Because of the current situation I feel I cannot speak totally frankly about everything, but I would like to make the following points:

  1. Iranian people are very friendly and hospitable… even the mullahs and the Grand Ayatollah and his family were nothing but courteous, polite and friendly.
  2. They respected my personal religious views… amazing when you think that I was a Christian looking after the intimate needs of one of the highest-ranking religious leaders of the Muslim world at that time!
  3. There was a sort of pervasive sadness affecting both Iranians and Iraqis whom I met, whatever age, position or background. I believe this was a result of the war between their two nations. Their religious culture also tended to make them fatalistic… something I saw when looking after other patients from the Arab world.

Finally, my sincere hope is that change will come to Iran, change for the better but that it will come peacefully. Whether the political elite will allow that to be the case remains to be seen. My fear is that they will make the same mistake as the Shah and we will see a period of violent upheaval and instability… something that I think we all want to see avoided.

 My personal reflection on the current situation in Iran and the Iranian people.

Bloggers Unite for a Free Iran

352 Bloggers Unite for a Free Iran
This day is “Bloggers Unite for a Free Iran” Day.

Objective:
Bloggers Unite for a FREE IRAN on Mon. June 29th.

Bloggers Unite to support Human Rights in Iran on Monday June 29th.

Violence, arrests, crackdowns and media blackouts continue to increase in Iran in the aftermath of the recent presidential elections. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Iranian_election_protests

On Monday June 29th, we ask Bloggers from around the globe to Unite for a Free Iran. Please JOIN this event and use your blog to educate your readers and spread the word about how we can help support a Free Iran.

Tweeting about this event use hash tag #FreeIran.

What can you blog about? How can you help?

  • write a post about the lack of basic human rights and freedoms
  • ask democratic leaders from around the world to unite and stand up for the citizens of Iran
  • let the people in Iran know that we are supporting them and their fight for freedom
  • do what we can to help highlight the disappearance and inhuman treatment of Iranian citizens
  • arrange/promote Blogger & Twitter Meetups in your town on Monday
  • write a post offering moral support to the people of Iran
  • call on the Iranian government to stop arresting peaceful protesters and opposition supporters, and to free those it has already detained
  • blog to get the people of Iran free and open Internet access
  • blog for a fair and just election
  • write a post asking your readers to email the United Nations Human Rights Commission to hold an Emergency Meeting
  • blog to free the press and remove the controls that have been placed on media and bloggers
  • call for an end to the violence in Iran
  • blog to ask your readers to turn all avatars black to mourn those killed in the protests
  • add an Action Badge to your blog before June 29th and ask other bloggers to join in.

Please post any other ideas you have for how bloggers can use our blogs to make a difference on Monday June 29th.

To discuss the event visit www.bloggersunite.org/discuss/entry/what-can-we-do-to-help-in-ira…

Tweeting? Use Hash Tag #FreeIran

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WolframAlpha Search Engine not yet firing on all cylinders.

I tried out one of the new search engines on the block, WolframAlpha (the other is Bing from Microsoft). I found its results a bit mixed.. as you can see below, when I typed in ‘celtic christianity’ I got the following result:

Firefox001005 WolframAlpha Search Engine not yet firing on all cylinders.

Not sure what to do with my input… what kind of search engine is it? However, when you input a single query term you get a better result, as ith my search for ‘Oldham’, my home town:

Firefox001007 WolframAlpha Search Engine not yet firing on all cylinders.
It seems from the many examples they give on their site (http://www44.wolframalpha.com) that its good for scientific data (including calculations) and very specific searches (such a dates, places and the like). Whether it will be better able to cope with more than a single search term in one query remains to be seen. I’ll certainly keep using it and monitor things.

Next up is Bing.

 WolframAlpha Search Engine not yet firing on all cylinders.

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