2011年7月20日 星期三

Wild Ideas Light Company lauds SinkPAD’s new technology

Harry Potter - Ending with a Splash
The release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II on July 15 marks the end of perhaps the most ambitious – and certainly the most remunerative - film cycles in cinematic history. Almost 10 years on from  Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling’s saga is concluded on screen, in 3D. As with Part I, the film is directed by David Yates and produced by David Heyman, David Barron and J.K. Rowling. As always, the film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, supported by a panoply of top British acting talent, both young and old.


For VFX studio Framestore, too, Deathly Hallows: Part II marks the end of an era. The company has been a part of the cycle from the outset, contributing to every single film. Framestore’s work has included the deadly Basilisk in Chamber of Secrets, Buckbeak the Hippogriff in Prisoner of Azkaban and Dobby the House Elf’s moving final performance in Deathly Hallows Part I.

The new film sees Framestore once more facing new challenges, with the company providing a brace of dazzling sequences, as well as – a bittersweet honour and pleasure – helping create the last sequence and shot of this last film.



After destroying one Horcrux and discovering the significance of the three Deathly Hallows, Harry, Ron and Hermione continue, in Deathly Hallows: Part II, to seek the other Horcruxes in an attempt to destroy Lord Voldemort. However, now that Voldemort has obtained the Elder Wand, he aims to complete his final stage to ultimate power and launches an attack on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the trio return for one last stand against the dark forces that threaten to take over the Wizarding and Muggle worlds.

VFX Supervisor Andy Kind led the Framestore team’s work on the film. “Compared to our contribution to some of the other films,DH: Part II was a relatively modest affair, some 90 or so shots,” he notes, “That said, it kept us pretty busy. Not only were there challenging technical aspects to the VFX work, but the creation of our own 3D versions of these sequences to an appropriately high standard meant we had to stay on our mettle.”


Water Palaver


The first of Framestore’s sequences takes place in the Chamber of Secrets, the underground cave system below Hogwarts, first seen in the eponymous second film of the Potter cycle. Ron and Hermione return to the Chamber, seeking one of the Horcruxes, which is in the form of a cup. Finding it, they destroy it by striking it with a tooth taken from the corpse of the Basilisk that Harry slew several years ago. As they strike, the residual malevolent Voldemortian energy possesses all of the water in the Chamber, causing it to rise up (Voldemort’s face briefly forming in it) and pursue Ron and Hermione through the chamber before running out of energy and collapsing in a huge, drenching splash over them. As the waters recede, Ron and Hermione are moved to express their feelings for one another…

Strategies in Light 2012 issues call for papers

Strategies in Light 2012 issues call for papers
trategies in Light 2012 Advisory Board is now accepting abstracts for the conference, which will take place in Santa Clara, CA on February 7-9, 2012.
With the theme of "The Booming LED Market," Strategies in Light 2012 takes place on February 7-9, 2012 in Santa Clara, California.

The Call for Papers for the 2012 conference is now open. Abstracts should be submitted via the online abstract submittal form on the Strategies in Light 2012 website.

All abstracts must be submitted by Friday, August 1, 2011.

The target audience includes buyers of LEDs, lighting designers, corporate R&D, light system designers, product engineers, technical management, sales, marketing and financial analysts.

To identify suitable subject areas, please look at Suggested Subject Areas & Themes (below). All abstracts must be submitted in English, using the on-line form found on the Strategies in Light website.

The main body of your abstract should be between 100 and 300 words. Abstracts will be selected by the Strategies in Light 2012 Advisory Board on the basis of technical content, audience interest and industry relevance. Abstracts with an overt marketing/sales/commercial subject will be rejected. Please do not submit abstracts that are scheduled to be presented at other LED-related conferences.

Please note: In submitting an abstract you are indicating your availability and willingness to attend and present a paper at Strategies in Light 2012, if selected, and to comply with all deadlines. Please ensure that the speaker and author details you are providing when submitting your abstract are correct as these will be used for pre-event marketing purposes. 

2011年7月14日 星期四

How to cut utility bills

How to cut utility bills
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A big shake up in the way that the UK sources its energy is coming, with plans to reduce Britain’s reliance on fossil fuels estimated to cost £200bn by 2020. This could lead to even higher domestic bills.

Chris Huhne, energy secretary, will announce the changes on Tuesday, and has tried to play down concerns that households are going to stump up the cost of the project.

Please respect FT.com's ts&cs and copyright policy which allow you to: share links; copy content for personal use; & redistribute limited extracts. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights or use this link to reference the article - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/153d4dfc-ac84-11e0-bac9-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1RwnCTsxB

But regardless of the future possible price rises, British Gas and Scottish Power have already announced a price hike for this August, which they blame on rising wholesale energy prices, and the rest of the Big Six gas and electricity suppliers are expected to do the same soon.

It seems timely, therefore, to have a quick check of the advice that’s out there from providers, comparison sites and the government, about ways to keep household energy bills down.

One of the clearest I found was from comparison site Energy Choices, which gives a list of ways to cut bills. If you just ignore the corporate plug that makes up the final point (and which I’m going to politely ignore) these are all sensible and focus largely on household habits:

1. Switch suppliers 2. Look after your boiler 3. Insulate your home 4. Turn down the temperature 5. Energy saving light bulbs 6. Change your habits 7. Watch water usage 8. Change your appliances 9. Insure your boiler.

Moneyextra.com has a short but sweet guide that concentrates on ways to save money by getting the best price from your existing supplier:

1. Combine gas and electric bills (these are typically cheaper together than separately)

2. Select paperless billing (many utility providers give reductions for online billing)

3. Where possible pay by direct debit (this will grant you access to better premiums)

4. Read the literature that your supplier will send you with regards to saving costs (insulating your house, etc.)

5. Switch to a fixed-rate tariff to protect from further price increases.

All pretty good - though the point about reading your energy supplier’s literature might not be the most blindingly helpful.

It is certainly true that combining bills can knock off pounds from the average annual bill.

Which? has a good bit of information on buying energy saving devices and points out that moving to the cheapest tariff (currently EDF’s online tariff) can save up to £270. It also advocates low energy lightbulbs (which last 10 years and can knock £11 off annual bills), unplugging chargers when they’re not in use and making sure that appliances are never left on standby.

... of course knocking off a few units of use won’t make any difference to bills unless you have installed a meter that takes a reading of your use and bills you accordingly.

The Energy Saving Trust is advises taking regular meter readings and considering generating your own power as well as recycling and reusing in order to cut energy use.

And if you don’t mind being told by the company that’s going to add £200 to your annual bill how you should be cutting costs then British Gas suggests not putting on half loads of washing. It also has details of the offer of free insulation fitting.

Finally the government’s advice site has some advice that feels like the tips your mother would give you and which would be very simple to implement including not putting hot food in fridges and freezers (it makes them work harder to cool the food down and that drains more power) and turning down thermostats (which could save about £50 a year)

How many Bureaucrats Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb?

How many Bureaucrats Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb?
Retailer Bonnie Haupt sells thousands of light bulbs each year. Her biggest customers are airports, colleges, courthouses and homes.

But many customers are upset over new government rules which will mean that they must switch to low watt, energy saving light bulbs next year.

The change means traditional incandescent light bulbs will be phased out and replaced with those squiggly shaped fluorescent lights or the more pricey LED lighting.

"Yes they are energy efficient, they burn cooler. They've got a little bit of a flicker. They've got a warming up period to go with. We have a lot of people unhappy," according to Bonnie Haupt of Inland Lighting Supplies.

Haupt points out that LED lighting costs about 60% more than other lights.

And environmental groups say the toxic mercury contained in fluorescent lights means contamination of landfills, or even your home if a light bulb gets broken.

"I don't know if I would vacuum the area, partly because vacuuming can aerosolize the mercury even more, and mercury vapor can be quite dangerous if you breathe too much of it, but the exposure from one light bulb should be very minimal and shouldn't be a significant issue," says Dr. Eric Frykman, Public Health Officer.

But consumers like Rada Thomas say it's not about the environment or safety. Thomas believes Americans should be able to buy any light bulbs they want, and calls the mandate government intrusion.

"I think it's a catch 22. Isn't the government in everything? Pretty much, got their hand in stuff? But, do I really want the US government in everything and where do we draw the line. Where do we say enough is enough, and all right, we're not going to do light bulbs. Don't they regulate toilet paper," according to Rada Thomas, a consumer.

Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill agree.

Republicans in the House brought a vote to the floor on Tuesday night which would have overturned light bulb energy-efficiency standards, scheduled to take hold on December 31st of this year, and keep the marketplace clear for the cheap, energy-wasting bulbs that have changed little since Thomas Edison invented them in 1879.

That measure needed a 2/3rds majority to pass, but Republicans weren't able to get enough yes votes.

The vote was 233 to 193.

Some manufacturers are trying to bridge the gap by offering advanced energy-saving 72-watt incandescent bulbs that meet the new standards, yet look like traditional bulbs.

But no matter what the outcome of this high-wattage battle, Bonnie Haupt will still be selling light bulbs of some sort.

"Everybody needs lights," says Haupt. "We're here to educate people. We're constantly getting educated ourselves."

2011年7月7日 星期四

In Tokyo, Energy-Saving Lessons for Kids and Parents Alike

In Tokyo, Energy-Saving Lessons for Kids and Parents Alike
This week, GoTo Mom goes global as my kids are in the midst of their annual pilgrimage to Tokyo to visit their grandparents.

For the past few years, I have somehow managed to muster up the stamina to endure a 12-hour flight with two young children as soon as school lets out in June. There are usually about half a dozen mothers like me on board, all traveling for the same reason: to get their dual nationality children into local schools before they shut down for the summer holidays in mid-July. Even amid continued worries about nuclear exposure and possible earthquakes, my fellow parents are like swallows, going back to their country of origin for a season.

U.S. schools have one of the longest summer vacations in the world, running from mid-June until late August or early September. Japanese schools, on the other hand, are off only for the month of August, and even during that time, public schools offer swimming classes and study camps to all students for free. So instead of sending their offspring to costly and often fun-only summer camps in the United States, many Japanese mothers encourage their children to go to a Japanese school when they are in session and get a good education for free, not to mention the added benefit of being immersed fully in the Japanese language and culture.

And gaining first-hand experience on how schools’ expectations for its students differ from country to country alone has been an eye-opening experience not just for the second-grader and preschooler, but for me as well.

In Tokyo, for instance, children all walk to school. There is no busing system, and parents are banned from driving to school to avoid congestion. The schools make sure that most streets near the school are closed to traffic from around 8am to 9am when the students walk to school, and again from around 3pm to 4pm when they walk back home. They are also divided into groups according to where they live, and teachers lead walking groups back to students’ homes.

Fostering greater independence doesn’t stop there. All students have a notebook in which they take down important messages for their parents by copying down what the teacher writes on the blackboard at the end of the day. So my daughter’s notebook yesterday noted that she would be going on a field trip the following day, and she needed to bring a snack and thermos. It also listed the worksheets that would be due the next day as well. My second grader also wrote down that she would have to bring in a couple of empty containers for a math project by the end of the week. Of course, truly important messages are photocopied and distributed to parents, but by learning to take down notes from the teacher, the children are forced to improve their penmanship and to pay attention in class. It also cuts down considerably on wasting paper and parental confusion about what kids should be bringing in the next day.

Lenovo India launches IdeaCentre A320

Lenovo India launches IdeaCentre A320
Lenovo India announced the launch of the Lenovo IdeaCentre A320 - an ultra light and super slim All in One PC. With innovative features to better suit consumers’ dynamic lifestyles, this fully loaded PC is an iconic style symbol and can be used without any hassle.

The Lenovo IdeaCentre A320 is the best AIO for customers seeking a compact, space-saving PC, simple-to-use PC for play or study and also for those wanting a second or third PC in the home, maybe in the bedroom or kitchen. The Lenovo IdeaCentre A320 is packed with an array of features, is highly energy efficient and offers great value proposition to consumers. Equipped with an ultra slim double shell design and a wide 21.5” LED screen, the stylish Lenovo IdeaCentre A320 is powered by 2nd Generation Intel? Core? i3/i5 processors, Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 which provides an effective computing experience with up to 8GB DDR3 memory and a 750 GB hard disk. It has USB3.0, USB2.0, 7-in-1 card reader, Integrated Bluetooth?, high-speed 802.11n WiFi, SRS Premium Surround sound enabled integrated speakers and External USB DVDRW for unlimited fun & entertainment.

Offering an unmatched computing experience, Lenovo IdeaCentre A320 comes with a trendy design, wireless keyboard & mouse to de-clutter the desk, making the PC fun and simple to use. The new Integrated Lenovo HD High-Sense Webcam offers a better resolution and improved video chat. The new YouCam advanced webcam software enables facial tracking and image effects. Lenovo IdeaCentre A320 comes with 3 Years onsite warranty and one year of McAfee Antivirus Pack for complete peace of mind.

Pricing and Availability

Lenovo IdeaCentre A320 will be available at all Lenovo Exclusive Stores (LES), LES Lites (a smaller version of LES), Lenovo Multi Brand stores (LMB) and Large Format Retailers (LFR) like Croma and Reliance

About Lenovo: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $US21 billion personal technology company serving customers in more than 160 countries, and the world’s fourth-largest PC vendor. Dedicated to building exceptionally engineered PCs and mobile internet devices, Lenovo’s business is built on product innovation, a highly-efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services. Its product lines include legendary Think-branded commercial PCs and Idea-branded consumer PCs, as well as servers, workstations, and a family of mobile internet devices, including tablets and smart phones. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina.

2011年7月1日 星期五

DBNライトパークライフフェスティバル

DBNライトパークライフフェスティバル
メインアリーナ内のすべての4つの段階のこの時点コーディネイト機器 - マンチェスターベースの照明レンタル会社DBNは、2年連続で都市新たなパークライフのライブ音楽祭供給する DBNはまた、生産が通常ローカルに基づいて、ダンスパーティー現象倉庫プロジェクト管理する人地面には、通常のクライアントのために働いていた

パークライフ再びPlattFieldsパークマンチェスターで上演そして今年メインヘッドライナーは、2つのドアシネマクラブは、土曜日とチェース日曜日の状態にあったプラスマークロンソンDJセットアニーマックケリスケイティを含む他人印象的な配列されたBおよび多数の他

プロジェクトはまた、ヘッドライナー特定の要件に対応し、LDを訪れるの周りに基づくDBNが関与しているすべての段階のための生産設計作成したニックウォルトンによってDBNのために管理されていました

メインステージ

""リグ強化する実質的なパッケージに持ち込ま両方見出しバンドはその前面にこの知識をウォルトンデザインは、明らかに保った。二つのドアシネマクラブはまた、屋根彼らのエキストラの一部を掛け、彼らはまっすぐにトラスを望んでいたのではなく曲がったシステムより軌道屋根形状に合わせている規定なので、これは、DBNは、供給されたものです

32個のムービングライトクレイPakyアルファビームアルファスポット700番台アルファウォッシュ575sを構成する使用されていたこれらは、すべてのトラス上と4ドロップの光源異なるレベルを提供し、むしろ、それらすべて屋根同じ高さでリグしなくても全体像分割して接続した2つムービングライトそれぞれ点在していた

DBN信頼できるDiversitronicストローブいくつかは、xのi - PIXのBB7が自分の明確な花びらの形目の保養のために使用された洗浄ライトLEDの聴衆6を"ウォーム"4 - liteの目隠しと一緒にインストールされています両方見出しの芸術家はまた、i- PIX BB4s持ってきて、DBNはpiを完了