Development Tech

LED Technology Expands Outdoor Lighting Options

techmaster1 — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:27:28 +0000

The advancement of LED technology is being seen everywhere like in TV screens and computer monitors. But no place has seen the explosion in LED products like the outdoor and handheld lighting markets. The use of LED bulbs is almost common place in flashlights now due to the long battery life achieved with these low energy consumption bulbs as well as the bright soft beam they produce. Now with the innovation of brighter, more powerful led bulbs, led technology is showing up in spotlights frequently too. Again, due to low energy consumption, rechargeable spotlights can run longer on a single charge than their halogen counterparts making them great for fishing and hunting trips where cigarette adapters may not be found.

Led bulb technology is also showing up in landscape lighting as well. Typically dominated by halogen and incandescent bulbs, more and more manufacturers are incorporating led bulbs into their outdoor lights in order to capitalize on the "green" movement. LED bulbs in landscape lights use less energy than standard low voltage systems creating smaller energy bills. LED bulbs virtually never burn out, so a customer is not having to replace bulbs every couple of years, so maintenance is also reduced.

Looking forward it doesnt appear that LED technology has plateaued, so be on the look out for more widespread use and innovations.

BasicGov Licensing Software Maximizes Local Government Revenues

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:34:54 +0000

(Vocus/PRWEB ) January 13, 2010 -- BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG.V) (formerly CloudBench Applications, Inc.) has launched BasicGov Licensing software to help local governments collect licensing revenues quickly, improve budgeting and manage cash flow. BasicGov Licensing lets local governments maximize revenue by automating licensing tasks related to businesses, contractors, animals and many other license types.

BasicGov Licensing adds to the BasicGov suite of web-based software solutions (City Planning, Permits & Inspections, Code Enforcement) and is hosted on SalesForce.com’s cloud computing platform, Force.com. Online, anywhere, 24/7 citizen access is available through the BasicGov Citizen Portal, which integrates with all BasicGov modules and allows business owners and individuals to manage multiple license applications from home or office.

BasicGov Licensing streamlines license applications, registrations, payments, approvals, and renewals, with minimal effort by staff. New applications can be processed quickly and the time to process renewals is drastically reduced with BasicGov’s high speed letter processor. All license information is stored online so approvals can be automated and consume less paper. Supervisors and public officials have access to centralized reporting to track operational results and staff productivity.

“Governments of all sizes are switching to web-based software to improve revenue generation and productivity while trimming IT budgets,” said Michael Togyi, Vice President, Marketing and Sales. “With BasicGov Licensing, we now offer our clients a complete turnkey package that includes code enforcement, permits and inspections, and planning combined with on-line citizen access. Web-based solutions and the monthly subscription model are ideal for cost-conscious governments and BasicGov is the proven alternative to expensive enterprise systems.”

BasicGov customer Nate Greenberg with Mono County said, “We’re excited about the addition of BasicGov Licensing as it will integrate with all of our other data from planning, code enforcement, permits, and inspections on one common platform which will help our team to make better business decisions.”

BasicGov Licensing is priced at $119 per module.

For more information about BasicGov Licensing go to http://www.basicgov.com/products/licensing

About BasicGov
The suite of BasicGov web-based software, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), allows cities and local governments to streamline their permits and inspections, code enforcement, licensing and city planning processes. BasicGov is a reliable, secure solution delivered for an affordable price and the only web-based software for local governments built on Force.com, the cloud computing platform from SalesForce.com used by more than 55,000 organizations worldwide. BasicGov software requires only an Internet connection and a browser. Users pay a monthly subscription fee of $119 per module and no capital investment is required. http://www.basicgov.com

BasicGov Systems, Inc is a publicly traded corporation and trades under the symbol “BSG.V” on the TSX Venture Exchange.

My Audio Bio Launches New Music-inspired Social Media Platform

techmaster1 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:05:44 +0000

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) November 20, 2009 -- My Audio Bio, a first of its kind social media platform, allows users to share personal stories and experiences as they relate to music, has launched today, Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at www.myaudiobio.com. An online autobiographical catalogue of its users musical histories, My Audio Bio connects people from across the country by encouraging its users to assemble playlists of stories to share with friends. Also giving its users inside access to interviews and stories by their favorite artists, My Audio Bio’s first featured artist is Favorite Gentleman/Columbia Records recording artist, Manchester Orchestra, who created a special band profile on the homepage. Users can sign up for their own My Audio Bio profile at www.myaudiobio.com. Tapping into the idea of 'music as a universal language,' My Audio Bio has set out to inspire individual expression through musical tastes, experiences and emotions. The site is also fully integrated with Facebook – so users can share and tag friends to their playlists, stories, pictures, and videos. My Audio Bio also gives users the option to easily follow other music lovers’ profiles like Twitter and rate their favorite playlists and stories. Unlike other music based social media sites’ such as MySpace and Pure Volume, My Audio Bio will operate as a platform for the individual verses a means to promote. Linked to Last.FM, songs will be recognized by the site and artwork imported for use in stories. “My Audio Bio is more about who you are than what it can do,” says founder Dan Morris. “We wanted to create a social networking platform that would help create the soundtrack to your life. Everyone has a story to tell and My Audio Bio allows you to share with your friends on Facebook, create playlists or just browse other people's stories - this is the music fan's platform.” My Audio Bio is in the final stages of developing applications for both the iPhone and iPod Touch to integrate with and enhance the overall experience. Users will be able assemble playlists on My Audio Bio, that can be accessed on the devices via the branded app. For more information on MyAudioBio visit www.myaudiobio.com.

New Developments Allow for More Efficient Composting

techmaster1 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:42:46 +0000

Not so long ago when people did their own composting, they simply had a pile of yard and kitchen waste in their backyard that created offensive smells and took quite a while to comspot down. In recent years with the increased attention to "going green" and renewable energy, more and more people are starting to compost which has spurred companies to develop new and more efficient ways to compost. Now there are all sorts of composters on the market that allow people to compost right in their backyard with minimal effort and smell. Many compost bins themselves are made from recycled plastic, further enhancing their positive environmental impact. Additionally, composters are now being made to be used indoors so kitchen scraps can be immediately added to a compost pile.

Another great advancement in composting is the compost tumbler. Turning a compost pile can be tough work, but it has been made easier with all the various tumblers on the market. Compost material is placed into the tumbler and the user can easily turn the compost which adds beneficial oxygen into the pil to speed up the decomposition process. There are also tools that can be used to easily aerate traditional piles as well.

Now adays with these recent advancements, rich, fertile compost can be made in less than 30 days in some cases vs a couple of months before. So if you want to make your own soil amendments at homw, give composting a try.

Small Ponds Need Filtration Worse Than Large Ponds

techmaster1 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:26:26 +0000

In a small pond it is even more important than a large pond to have a good filtration system. Larger ponds are better equipped to handle waste and by products of fish their smaller counterparts. This is due to the fact that normally more fish occupy a smaller space than what is commonly found in nature or big ponds. Due to this, more stress is placed on the environment to dispose of this waste before it can compromise the water quality. This is where pond filters come in. To assist in the removal and processing of excess waste, small ponds rely on filters. Filters come in all shapes and sizes. The type of filter most times will be dependent upon the size of the pond. Some filters can be placed within the pond and typicaly are better for very small ponds or ponds with less aquatic life. Slightly larger fish ponds ot ponds with a more dense population will probably require an external pond filter that is larger and capable of removing much more waste.

Now to make a filter work, it needs to be paired with a pond pump that will pull water from the pond and force it through the filter where it can be cleaned and discharged back into the pond. Again depending on the size of the filter or pond, different size pumps can be chosen. If it is a small garden pond, a submersible pond pump will work well. They are simply placed in the bottom of the pond and plugged in. For larger fish ponds and external pump will be b etter due to its ability to pump larger volumes of water with less energy consumption.

So, if you have a backyard or fish pond, but do not have a filter system, look into it. Your fish will thank you.

Objectivity, Inc. and Palantir Technologies Partner to Provide Groundbreaking Link Analysis Technology

techmaster1 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:15:54 +0000

Sunnyvale, Calif. (Vocus/PRWEB ) October 28, 2009 – October 27, 2009 – Objectivity, Inc., a leader in distributed data solutions, announced today that it has entered into a partnership with Palantir Technologies. The combination of Objectivity’s distributed data platform and Palantir’s rich analysis technology will allow analysts to store, access, search, and integrate massive amounts of data, from a few thousand records to hundreds of billions of records.

Palantir supports advanced integration, visualization, and analysis of the world's information and various kinds of data, including structured, unstructured, relational, temporal, and geospatial. Palantir products are built for real-time analysis with a focus on security, scalability, ease of use, and collaboration. The products are broadly deployed in the intelligence, defense, and law enforcement communities.

By leveraging Palantir's open, extensible platform and Objectivity/DB's flexible architecture, developers can now build applications that allow analysts to process massive amounts of data, as they scale their infrastructure. In addition, Palantir is the only analytic platform that was designed from the beginning specifically to protect civil liberties and enforce privacy rules.

“Objectivity has a distributed data engine that enables massive scalability, and Palantir has developed an impressive information analysis platform” said Jay Jarrell, Objectivity’s president and CEO. “The alignment between our two companies will make a lot of customers very happy.”

The two companies recently worked together to demonstrate a combined analysis application in the context of Palantir’s Intelligence Infrastructure that can analyze millions of relationships in a matter of seconds on a standard laptop, and can scale to hundreds of millions of relationships with minimal hardware.

About Palantir
The company’s two products, Palantir Government and Palantir Finance, are platforms that encompass the entire analysis stack, including data integration, search & discovery, knowledge management, and collaboration across the enterprise. Our platforms support many kinds of data including structured, unstructured, relational, temporal, and geospatial. Our products are core components of any organization’s intelligence infrastructure built for real-time analysis with a focus on security, scalability, ease of use, and collaboration.

Palantir is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA with offices in Tyson’s Corner, VA.

About Objectivity, Inc.
Objectivity, Inc. provides distributed, real-time, cloud-ready database management solutions for mission-critical applications. The company’s flagship product, Objectivity/DB, has a fully scalable, distributed processing architecture that manages localized, centralized or distributed object databases by synthesizing large, complicated streams of data into a single logical view. Objectivity works directly with clients in government, security, complex manufacturing, commercial services, science, and engineering organizations to build customized programs, find solutions to complicated challenges and seamlessly integrate technology across multiple platforms and languages.

Objectivity, Inc. is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, USA. Please contact us by visiting Objectivity.com or calling (408) 992-7100. A 60-day free trial of Objectivity/DB is available on the website, and Objectivity also provides free web-based Object Database Training Courses.

Note to editors: Objectivity/DB is a registered trademark of Objectivity, Inc. All other company, organization, product or alliance names mentioned herein remain the property of their respective owners.

Video Imaging and Compression Performance Breaks the Price-Performance Barrier in Three VID300 Series PMCs Launched by 4DSP

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:12:49 +0000

Reno, Nevada (PRWEB) October 4, 2009 -- Three new Altera Cyclone III FPGA based video image and compression boards have been released by 4DSP Inc. The new VID300 PMC series offers excellent cost-performance with abundant FPGA logic resources for specialized image processing.

VID375

First in the series and the most capable is the VID375, a unique image processing platform providing two high-speed video streams for real time JPEG2000 compression. Powered by dual Altera Cyclone III FPGA image processors and two Analog Devices ADV212 hardware devices, the VID375 video image processor promises better image compression to meet the needs of next generation digital video cameras as used in medical, military and other precision imaging applications where improved throughput and high quality are vital.

The VID375 features a dual JPEG2000 hardware compression engine based on the dual ADV212 CODEC devices. The VID375 is suitable for on-the-fly compression prior or after the imaging processing. Low-cost dual Altera Cyclone III devices are closely coupled to fast on-board DRAM memory resources, providing the most efficient hardware compression available for the embedded image signal processing market. With the flexibility of the architecture and the use of an industry standard Camera-Link interface, the VID375 makes possible the lossless compression and high-speed storage of video as used for satellites and UAVs. With two Camera Link inputs the VID375 can also be used for stereoscopic vision on vehicles operating in a rugged environment. Two of these boards on a VME, cPCI or VPX carrier board will provide support for up to four video camera inputs, ideal for 3D applications such as 360 degree situation awareness on combat vehicles.

The VID375 produces a JPEG2000 wavelet-based digital compressed image, superseding the older discrete cosine transform-based JPEG compression method. Up to 140 Mega Pixels per second from two independent cameras can be compressed on the fly from a single VID375 board. It can either encode the video frames prior to or after applying an advanced video/imaging algorithm.

"This flexibility can be used to correct effects such as local brightness or barrel distortion to enhance image quality and filter out elements that may reduce the compression effectiveness," commented Erik Barhorst, 4DSP's Senior Hardware Design Engineer and Manager of 4DSP's Image Processing Center of Excellence.

Douglas Sherrod, Business Development Manager at 4DSP told reporters, JPEG2000 is the preferred compression format for storage of vital digital images, "We see a growing application from our defense industry customer base, where UAVs need high performance and real-time compression and decompression. Remote operators that need to select 'subjects of interest', track and display them all in real-time with high resolution images benefit from our experience in delivering such solutions." Mr. Sherrod was referring to 4DSP's extensive engineering services where 4DSP provides 'build-to-spec' development of specialized image processing VHDL algorithms for their many image processing platforms.

VID372

Second in the line up is the VID372 which supports two BASE Camera-Link interfaces. It is suitable for on-the-fly imaging and video processing in the most demanding applications. The VID372 also supports two cameras simultaneously, which is essential for 3D vision applications with high frame rate and resolution.

The VID372 has two Altera Cyclone III FPGA devices with 512 Mbytes (up to 2 Gbytes) of on-board DDR2 memory. The VID372 has a flexible FPGA-Memory architecture which produces a best-in-class product for implementing application specific FPGA IP cores for customers' proprietary embedded image solutions.

VID371

Finally, the VID371 offers a robust communication link for video and imaging systems. The VID371 is the most flexible Camera-Link processing board, offering best performance for machine vision and metrology systems, all at an affordable cost. The applications such as robotic visual inspection systems, statistical pattern recognition, target recognition and tracking system, UAV vision and information processing of a 360 degree situational awareness system and object detection as used in IED detection are a few of the many applications for the VID371.

The VID371 features the Camera-Link Full standardized communication protocol, suitable to implement advanced image processing algorithms for ultra-high bandwidth video. This product supports Infrared (IR) cameras and airborne video surveillance.

All VID300 PMC Series platforms are complimented by 4DSP's available engineering services program, the VID300 PMC Series are specifically designed to permit customer development of specialized VHDL algorithmic video signal processes to meet a customer's unique and specifically defined requirements. Details of this service can be found at www.4dsp.com/services.php.

For technical information about the 4DSP VID300 series products e-mail slaes@4dsp.com or visit:

www.4dsp.com/vid375
www.4dsp.com/vid372
www.4dsp.com/vid371

USA
Douglas Sherrod, Director of Marketing & Business Development
Tel. +1 (775) 233-5784 Fax. +1 (775) 473-9928
Web: www.4dsp.com
4DSP Inc, 955 South Virginia St, Suite 214, Reno, NV 89502, USA

Europe
Erik Barhorst,
Tel. +31-172-782-190 Fax. +31-172-891-261
Web: www.4dsp.com
4DSP BV, Ondernemingsweg 66f, 2404HN, Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands

High res image can be downloaded from: www.clickintopr.com/editors/articleDetail.asp?pjID=575

Notes:
Altera and Cyclone III are a registered trademarks of the Altera Corporation a pioneer of programmable logic solutions.
ADV212 is a registered trademark of the Analog Devices, Inc.

About 4DSP Inc
4DSP is an innovative hardware, software and VHDL IP Core manufacturer specializing in low power, low weight and compact FPGA based video image processing systems. Headquartered in Reno Nevada, USA, with offices in the Netherlands, 4DSP offers hardware that delivers unmatched performance for advanced digital signal processing (DSP) applications in embedded computing systems.

Turtle Beach® Announces Ear Force® XLC Low-Cost, High-Fidelity XBOX 360® Stereo Gaming Headset

techmaster1 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:01:46 +0000

Elmsford, NY (PRWEB) September 28, 2009 -- Turtle Beach, the leaders in XBOX 360 gaming headsets, today announced the latest addition to their growing line of Ear Force gaming headsets--the Ear Force XLC. Designed as a cost-effective alternative to the basic "one ear" communicator headsets typically used with XBOX Live®, the Ear Force XLC combines stereo game sound, XBOX Live communication and unique noise-reduction ear cushions to help block out distractions from the surrounding environment. The Ear Force XLC is the ideal audio peripheral for cost-sensitive gamers who want to enjoy immersive game sound with popular titles such as Call of Duty 4® Modern Warfare® 2, HALO® 3: ODST, Left 4 Dead® 2, Grand Theft Auto® IV, BioShock 2, and Guitar Hero®.

"Our goal in creating the Ear Force XLC headset was to provide XBOX gamers a superior playing experience without breaking the bank. Unlike a simple communicator headset that only lets you hear XBOX Live chat in one ear, the XLC lets you hear stereo game audio plus XBOX Live chat so you don't need external speakers. As an added value, the noise-reducing ear cushions help to block out distractions so you can concentrate on the game." said Peter Ronick, Director of Marketing. "For not much more than the cost of a simple communicator headset, the XLC lets you play any time, day or night without being disturbed or disturbing others. The combination of features and affordability make it an unbeatable value for XBOX gamers."

The attractive Ear Force XLC headset complements the look of XBOX consoles and sports an ultra-light design for enhanced comfort during extended game play. The soft, noise-reduction ear cushions reduce external sounds and are so comfortable, gamers may forget the Ear Force XLC is on their head during game play. Twist-style ear cups and a multi-pivot folding design let the headset conveniently rest on the shoulders between gaming sessions, and store away easily when not in use, or when traveling. A 12-foot cable provides freedom of movement and a convenient in-line microphone mute and volume control allows quick adjustments. Premium sound is delivered by over-sized 40mm ear cup stereo speakers.

The XLC does not require any batteries or power adapter. A 3.5mm jack connects the stereo headset to the headphone output found on most TVs and sound systems. A 2.5mm jack connects the microphone with a rugged, oversized, flexible boom, to the XBOX controller for XBOX Live communication. An RCA stereo adapter cable is also included for use with TVs that do not have headphone jacks.

The Ear Force XLC headset has an MSRP of $29.95 and will be available in October at major US retailers and from the Turtle Beach web site www.turtlebeach.com. Turtle Beach Ear Force headsets are distributed in Europe by Mad Catz® Interactive, Inc. (AMEX/TSX: MCZ www.madcatz.com.)

Turtle Beach (www.turtlebeach.com ) designs and markets high-quality audio peripherals for PC and video game platforms, including its growing line of Ear Force gaming headphones and headsets for XBOX, PS3 and Nintendo game consoles and for personal computer games. Turtle Beach, with headquarters in Elmsford, New York, is a brand of Voyetra Turtle Beach, Inc. which has been at the forefront of music and audio technology for more than three decades and is recognized as a pioneer of today's PC audio industry.

Turtle Beach, Voyetra and Ear Force are registered trademarks of Voyetra Turtle Beach, Inc. XBOX is a registered trademark of Microsoft, Corp. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.

Editor Note: Artwork is available at http://www.turtlebeach.com/press/artwork.aspx

Teachers Can Now Use Their iPod touch to Diagnose and Improve Reading Skills in the Classroom

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:31:43 +0000

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 22, 2009 -- Reading teachers around the country can now transform their iPod touch® into a powerful tool for diagnosing, assessing and improving student reading skills. Pearson, the education and technology company, today announced that its award-winning DRA2 Handheld - Tango Software Edition is available for Apple's popular handheld device.

Pearson collaborated with Liberty Source, developer of the Tango handheld software, to take the leading reading assessment for grades K-8, the Developmental Reading Assessment™, Second Edition (DRA2), and combined it with state-of-the-art handheld technology to create the DRA2 Handheld - Tango Software Edition. Built on more than 20 years of research and development, the DRA2 is an accurate assessment that helps identify a student's reading ability and level, document progress, and tailor teaching to drive effective reading instruction. Earlier this year, DRA2 Handheld - Tango Software Edition took top honors in the Software & Information Industry Association's 24th Annual CODiE Awards as the winner for Best Educational Use of a Technology Device.

With DRA2 Handheld, teachers can use their iPod touch to measure student reading ability and link the results to instruction. This easy-to-use, portable technology allows teachers to administer DRA2 quickly - with no software installation required. Teachers easily and accurately identify student reading achievement, analyze the data and communicate the results to administrators, parents and students.

"By taking the nation's most widely adopted K-8 reading assessment and optimizing it for today's innovative handheld technology, we are putting a complete set of tools for fostering successful young readers right in teachers' hands," said Doug McCollum, Pearson's General Manager for Literacy. "Now educators can add the top assessment tool for improving student reading achievement to the hundreds of other applications that are available for the iPod touch."

DRA2 Handheld - Tango Software Edition qualifies for funding under a number of the current federal education stimulus programs, including Title I, IDEA-Special Education, Title II-D/Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT), School Improvement, and professional development funding for data-driven decision-making.

For more information about the award-winning DRA2 Handheld - Tango Software Edition, visit www.pearsonschool.com/dra2handheld orwww.fundingforschools.com.

About Pearson
Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education and education technology, reaches and engages today's digital natives with effective and personalized learning, as well as dedicated professional development for their teachers. This commitment is demonstrated in the company's investment in innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry. The company's respected brands include Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, Addison Wesley, Benjamin Cummings, PEMSolutions, Stanford 10, SuccessNet, MyLabs, PowerSchool, SuccessMaker and many others. Pearson's comprehensive offerings help inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of every student at every level of education. Pearson's commitment to education for all is supported by the global philanthropic initiatives of the Pearson Foundation. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. For more information, go to www.pearson.com.