In an indication of just how seriously North American engineers are taking integrated safety in applications where life and limb are on the line, Walt Disney Imagineering and Siemens Energy & Automation have together been working on a PLC-based safety system for busbar powered rides.
http://www.designnews.com/article/47457-Disney_s_Safety_System_Makeover.php
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
iPhone Sound Level Meter
Not that didn't take too long, did it?
http://www.faberacoustical.com/products/iphone/soundmeter/
OK, it only goes up to 105 dB, it ain't ANSI, but it's in your pocket and it's $20. Another $25 adds a spectrum analyzer.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Wilmington Goes Digital Early
The FCC has swarmed Wilmington to prepare it for next week's roll-out, but February's nationwide changeover looms as a much larger task.
By Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer September 3, 2008
WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The future of broadcast television is set to premiere in this quaint seaside city next week. And the federal government is working hard -- too hard, some say -- to make sure it's a hit here.At noon on Monday, Wilmington's five commercial broadcast stations are scheduled to become the nation's first to permanently switch to all-digital signals, serving as a test of the government-mandated transition that other stations across the country will make in February.
Getting ready for the digital TV switch
Articles, links and info on the digital TV shift
"It's like landing on the moon," said Constance Henley Knox, general manager of CBS affiliate WILM. "We're making history."The change is the biggest for over-the-air television since the advent of color 50 years ago. The more efficient signals, which many stations already are transmitting, provide a much clearer picture and allow broadcasters to offer four or more programs at the same time on new sub-channels.But the end of analog broadcasts could leave many viewers who depend on rabbit ears and other antennas seeing nothing but static unless they upgrade their equipment. That's because older sets can't pick up the digital signals.
Although most people who get TV from cable, satellite or phone companies will be unaffected, viewers who rely on antennas need a digital TV or a special converter box.
So for the last four months, the Federal Communications Commission has lavished disproportionate attention on Wilmington, the nation's 135th-largest media market with 180,000 TV-watching households, to eliminate any chance the test run will flop.
A dozen FCC staffers have spent the summer crisscrossing the region like tourists to raise public awareness. They've visited the Poplar Grove Plantation farmers market and the Pender County Blueberry Festival. They've been to the 30th anniversary party for the public library in Elizabethtown and made friends at the Mae Coffee Shop in Whiteville. FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin has visited five times to spread the word.
By all accounts the region is ready after the unprecedented FCC effort, which supplemented an aggressive publicity campaign by broadcasters. In a recent survey of Wilmington-area residents by the National Assn. of Broadcasters, 77% of respondents knew when the switch was occurring."I don't think I've run into anybody who doesn't know about it," Louis Pillarella, a 68-year-old engineer from Wilmington, said last week during a digital TV expo where Martin and three FCC staffers answered questions.
But the all-out federal effort is a major reason a successful test of what one Wilmington station has dubbed "the big switch" could turn out to be a big illusion."It's great Wilmington has come forward and offered to be the canary in the coal mine," said Joel Kelsey, a policy analyst with Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine. "But we have several concerns about just how good a canary Wilmington is going to be."One is that no other place will get the type of personal oversight that the FCC has showered on Wilmington. Other media markets will be visited by only a single FCC commissioner, accompanied by a few staffers, for a couple of days.Another reason a successful test in Wilmington may not be indicative of success in the rest of the country: Only about 8% of the area's homes rely on antennas, compared with 12% nationwide, according to Nielsen Co.
What's more, its flat topography eliminates the problems some viewers in Los Angeles and other hilly areas could face trying to tune in to digital signals. Poor reception leads to frozen pictures or blank screens.FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps said he hoped a smooth transition in Wilmington wouldn't trigger complacency in Washington."
The worst thing would be if we all get in the airplane Sept. 8 and come home and say, 'That's that,' " said Copps, who proposed the test-market idea. "It's still such a huge leap that we're making. Even though we have this one little test, it still boggles my mind we're going to pull the lever on everyone else in February."
To free up more airwaves for public safety communications and wireless devices, the federal government mandated that all full-power TV stations permanently turn off their analog transmitters and broadcast only in digital by the end of the day Feb. 17. The millions of people with older TV sets who receive signals via antennas will need converter boxes, which typically cost $40 to $70. The government is subsidizing them through $40 coupons.Last year, a coalition made up of broadcasters and consumer and civil rights groups launched a nationwide public awareness effort. But some groups and members of Congress have criticized the federal government for not doing enough to assure an easy transition. The FCC sought a test market, and Wilmington's broadcasters volunteered.
Martin said Wilmington needed extra resources because it was making the transition early, and he declared that the test was already paying dividends. After seeing the benefits of having staffers on the ground there, Martin announced last month that FCC commissioners would fan out to the 80 markets with the most over-the-air-only households, including Los Angeles, between now and February. They plan to hold town hall meetings and other events to raise awareness and answer questions about the transition.
By Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer September 3, 2008
WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The future of broadcast television is set to premiere in this quaint seaside city next week. And the federal government is working hard -- too hard, some say -- to make sure it's a hit here.At noon on Monday, Wilmington's five commercial broadcast stations are scheduled to become the nation's first to permanently switch to all-digital signals, serving as a test of the government-mandated transition that other stations across the country will make in February.
Getting ready for the digital TV switch
Articles, links and info on the digital TV shift
"It's like landing on the moon," said Constance Henley Knox, general manager of CBS affiliate WILM. "We're making history."The change is the biggest for over-the-air television since the advent of color 50 years ago. The more efficient signals, which many stations already are transmitting, provide a much clearer picture and allow broadcasters to offer four or more programs at the same time on new sub-channels.But the end of analog broadcasts could leave many viewers who depend on rabbit ears and other antennas seeing nothing but static unless they upgrade their equipment. That's because older sets can't pick up the digital signals.
Although most people who get TV from cable, satellite or phone companies will be unaffected, viewers who rely on antennas need a digital TV or a special converter box.
So for the last four months, the Federal Communications Commission has lavished disproportionate attention on Wilmington, the nation's 135th-largest media market with 180,000 TV-watching households, to eliminate any chance the test run will flop.
A dozen FCC staffers have spent the summer crisscrossing the region like tourists to raise public awareness. They've visited the Poplar Grove Plantation farmers market and the Pender County Blueberry Festival. They've been to the 30th anniversary party for the public library in Elizabethtown and made friends at the Mae Coffee Shop in Whiteville. FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin has visited five times to spread the word.
By all accounts the region is ready after the unprecedented FCC effort, which supplemented an aggressive publicity campaign by broadcasters. In a recent survey of Wilmington-area residents by the National Assn. of Broadcasters, 77% of respondents knew when the switch was occurring."I don't think I've run into anybody who doesn't know about it," Louis Pillarella, a 68-year-old engineer from Wilmington, said last week during a digital TV expo where Martin and three FCC staffers answered questions.
But the all-out federal effort is a major reason a successful test of what one Wilmington station has dubbed "the big switch" could turn out to be a big illusion."It's great Wilmington has come forward and offered to be the canary in the coal mine," said Joel Kelsey, a policy analyst with Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine. "But we have several concerns about just how good a canary Wilmington is going to be."One is that no other place will get the type of personal oversight that the FCC has showered on Wilmington. Other media markets will be visited by only a single FCC commissioner, accompanied by a few staffers, for a couple of days.Another reason a successful test in Wilmington may not be indicative of success in the rest of the country: Only about 8% of the area's homes rely on antennas, compared with 12% nationwide, according to Nielsen Co.
What's more, its flat topography eliminates the problems some viewers in Los Angeles and other hilly areas could face trying to tune in to digital signals. Poor reception leads to frozen pictures or blank screens.FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps said he hoped a smooth transition in Wilmington wouldn't trigger complacency in Washington."
The worst thing would be if we all get in the airplane Sept. 8 and come home and say, 'That's that,' " said Copps, who proposed the test-market idea. "It's still such a huge leap that we're making. Even though we have this one little test, it still boggles my mind we're going to pull the lever on everyone else in February."
To free up more airwaves for public safety communications and wireless devices, the federal government mandated that all full-power TV stations permanently turn off their analog transmitters and broadcast only in digital by the end of the day Feb. 17. The millions of people with older TV sets who receive signals via antennas will need converter boxes, which typically cost $40 to $70. The government is subsidizing them through $40 coupons.Last year, a coalition made up of broadcasters and consumer and civil rights groups launched a nationwide public awareness effort. But some groups and members of Congress have criticized the federal government for not doing enough to assure an easy transition. The FCC sought a test market, and Wilmington's broadcasters volunteered.
Martin said Wilmington needed extra resources because it was making the transition early, and he declared that the test was already paying dividends. After seeing the benefits of having staffers on the ground there, Martin announced last month that FCC commissioners would fan out to the 80 markets with the most over-the-air-only households, including Los Angeles, between now and February. They plan to hold town hall meetings and other events to raise awareness and answer questions about the transition.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Don LaFontaine Dies
A short tribute video:
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/showbiz/2008/09/02/bts.lafontaine.obit.cnn
Don LaFontaine, the voice behind thousands of Hollywood movie trailers, many beginning with his trademark phrase "in a world where," has died. He was 68.LaFontaine died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from complications in the treatment of an ongoing illness, said Vanessa Gilbert, his agent.
As the originator of the movie trailer catch-phrase, "In a world where," LaFontaine dominated the voiceover industry. He made more than 5,000 trailers in his 33-year career while working for the top studios and television networks.In a rare on-screen appearance in 2006, he parodied himself on a series of national television commercials for a car insurance company where he played himself telling a customer, "In a world where both of our cars were totally under water..."LaFontaine explained the strategy behind the phrase during an interview last year with The Associated Press.
"We have to very rapidly establish the world we are transporting them to," he said. "That's very easily done by saying, 'In a world where ... violence rules.' 'In a world where ... men are slaves and women are the conquerors.' You very rapidly set the scene."LaFontaine insisted he never cared that no one knew his name or his face, though everyone knew his voice.The voice that America came to know in movie houses and on television developed at age 13, when LaFontaine's prepubescent squeak began to grow deeper.
He went on to work in the promo industry during its infancy in the early 1960s. As an audio engineer, he produced radio spots for movies with producer Floyd Peterson.
When an announcer didn't show up for a recording session in 1965, LaFontaine voiced his first narration, a promo for the film, "Gunfighters of Casa Grande." The client, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, liked his performance.LaFontaine remained active until recently, averaging seven to 10 voiceover sessions a day. He worked from a home studio his wife nicknamed "The Hole," where his fax machine delivered scripts.LaFontaine is survived by his wife, the singer and actress Nita Whitaker, and three daughters.
His funeral arrangements were pending.
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/showbiz/2008/09/02/bts.lafontaine.obit.cnn
Don LaFontaine, the voice behind thousands of Hollywood movie trailers, many beginning with his trademark phrase "in a world where," has died. He was 68.LaFontaine died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from complications in the treatment of an ongoing illness, said Vanessa Gilbert, his agent.
As the originator of the movie trailer catch-phrase, "In a world where," LaFontaine dominated the voiceover industry. He made more than 5,000 trailers in his 33-year career while working for the top studios and television networks.In a rare on-screen appearance in 2006, he parodied himself on a series of national television commercials for a car insurance company where he played himself telling a customer, "In a world where both of our cars were totally under water..."LaFontaine explained the strategy behind the phrase during an interview last year with The Associated Press.
"We have to very rapidly establish the world we are transporting them to," he said. "That's very easily done by saying, 'In a world where ... violence rules.' 'In a world where ... men are slaves and women are the conquerors.' You very rapidly set the scene."LaFontaine insisted he never cared that no one knew his name or his face, though everyone knew his voice.The voice that America came to know in movie houses and on television developed at age 13, when LaFontaine's prepubescent squeak began to grow deeper.
He went on to work in the promo industry during its infancy in the early 1960s. As an audio engineer, he produced radio spots for movies with producer Floyd Peterson.
When an announcer didn't show up for a recording session in 1965, LaFontaine voiced his first narration, a promo for the film, "Gunfighters of Casa Grande." The client, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, liked his performance.LaFontaine remained active until recently, averaging seven to 10 voiceover sessions a day. He worked from a home studio his wife nicknamed "The Hole," where his fax machine delivered scripts.LaFontaine is survived by his wife, the singer and actress Nita Whitaker, and three daughters.
His funeral arrangements were pending.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
RFID is Useful, But is It Safe?
Posted by Carl Weinschenk on August 21, 2008 at 10:08 am
It’s good to see that the government is taking the topic of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) security seriously. This SC Magazine piece, which notes that RFIDs are getting more attention as their use increases, says that the Federal Trade Commission will host a free workshop on the topic next month.
One example cited in the story – a paper written by three MIT students detailing how to beat the Boston subway system’s RFID-based Charlie Card fare collection system — is detailed in this Tech Radar piece.
A judge ruled that the students couldn’t be forced to withhold the paper detailing their exploit until the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority studied the document. The students said that they planned to delete key details and safeguard the fare system. MBTA now will try to meet with the students.
The story says that a similar situation exists in London, where the Oyster Card system has been hacked by Dutch university students. That vulnerability is discussed in this Control Engineering item. The story says that the SANS Institute reports that the Mifare RFID chip, which is the same one used by the Charlie Card, has been broken. SANS says that Mifare is used to access UK government departments, hospitals and schools. This Heise Online story explains the threat to British ePassports. The Dutch, understandably, have put their use of Mifare on hold.
This well written E-Commerce Times feature details the shortcomings of RFID security. The bottom line is that the technology is evolving rapidly and that its uses are changing drastically.
For instance, RFIDs to this point essentially have been short-distance technologies. Ways are being found to combine RFIDs with Wi-Fi and other long-distance platforms to greatly increase the distance the signals are carried. In many cases, new systems are creative combinations of several technologies. For this reason, end-to-end security is lacking.
Where there are problems, there are vendors offering solutions. Earlier this month, for instance, a British company released a system that prevents “skimming,” or reading, of wireless payment access cards. The new technology has the impressive name Quantum Tunnelling
It’s good to see that the government is taking the topic of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) security seriously. This SC Magazine piece, which notes that RFIDs are getting more attention as their use increases, says that the Federal Trade Commission will host a free workshop on the topic next month.
One example cited in the story – a paper written by three MIT students detailing how to beat the Boston subway system’s RFID-based Charlie Card fare collection system — is detailed in this Tech Radar piece.
A judge ruled that the students couldn’t be forced to withhold the paper detailing their exploit until the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority studied the document. The students said that they planned to delete key details and safeguard the fare system. MBTA now will try to meet with the students.
The story says that a similar situation exists in London, where the Oyster Card system has been hacked by Dutch university students. That vulnerability is discussed in this Control Engineering item. The story says that the SANS Institute reports that the Mifare RFID chip, which is the same one used by the Charlie Card, has been broken. SANS says that Mifare is used to access UK government departments, hospitals and schools. This Heise Online story explains the threat to British ePassports. The Dutch, understandably, have put their use of Mifare on hold.
This well written E-Commerce Times feature details the shortcomings of RFID security. The bottom line is that the technology is evolving rapidly and that its uses are changing drastically.
For instance, RFIDs to this point essentially have been short-distance technologies. Ways are being found to combine RFIDs with Wi-Fi and other long-distance platforms to greatly increase the distance the signals are carried. In many cases, new systems are creative combinations of several technologies. For this reason, end-to-end security is lacking.
Where there are problems, there are vendors offering solutions. Earlier this month, for instance, a British company released a system that prevents “skimming,” or reading, of wireless payment access cards. The new technology has the impressive name Quantum Tunnelling
NSCA Tech Week Cancelled
InfoComm, NSCA Cancel TechWeek
Source: ProAV MAGAZINE
Publication date: August 27, 2008
By Pro AV Staff
InfoComm International announced that the inaugural NSCA TechWeek, originally slated for
Oct. 20 - 24, 2008, has been cancelled.
According to InfoComm, TechWeek was designed to be an accessible training event, offering a variety of networking opportunities. InfoComm and NSCA chose to cancel the event because members of both organizations expressed positive interest in the training component of the event, but emphasized the need for more regional training and did not see the need for exhibits since the annual InfoComm trade show presents an exhibition every June.
NSCA and InfoComm plan to work together to determine how regional training can be provided in multiple locations and dates throughout the coming year, rather than at one location. Future events will not include an exhibit component, according to officials.
Source: ProAV MAGAZINE
Publication date: August 27, 2008
By Pro AV Staff
InfoComm International announced that the inaugural NSCA TechWeek, originally slated for
Oct. 20 - 24, 2008, has been cancelled.
According to InfoComm, TechWeek was designed to be an accessible training event, offering a variety of networking opportunities. InfoComm and NSCA chose to cancel the event because members of both organizations expressed positive interest in the training component of the event, but emphasized the need for more regional training and did not see the need for exhibits since the annual InfoComm trade show presents an exhibition every June.
NSCA and InfoComm plan to work together to determine how regional training can be provided in multiple locations and dates throughout the coming year, rather than at one location. Future events will not include an exhibit component, according to officials.
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