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iRobotics and Automation, 2008. ICRA 2008. IEEE International Conference on (2008), pp.
583-589./ibr /br /A key problem in the deployment of sensor networks is that of determining the
location of each sensor such that subsequent data gathered can be registered. We would also like
the network to provide localization for mobile entities, allowing them to navigate and explore the
environment. In this paper, we present a robust decentralized algorithm for mapping the nodes in a
sparsely connected sensor network using range- only measurements and odometry from a mobile robot.
Our approach utilizes an extended Kalman filter (EKF) in polar space allowing us to model the
nonlinearities within the range-only measurements using Gaussian distributions. We also extend this
unimodal centralized EKF to a multi-modal decentralized framework enabling us to accurately model
the ambiguities in range-based position estimation. Each node within the network estimates its
position along with its neighbor's position and uses a message-passing algorithm to propagate its
belief to its neighbors. Thus, the global network localization problem is solved in pieces, by each
node independently estimating its local network, greatly reducing the computation done by each
node. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach using simulated and real-world experiments
with little to no prior information about the node locations.
I bought a MacPro 2.66 from Apple as a refurb. months ago. I had the local Apple Store Genius
install a Wifi card and all was well about two weeks ago. Now my Internet speeds crawl and then
bounce back up. I've cut out of the chain Netgear router and switch.
I replaced an Apple Extreme.
I've had Mediacom out three times.
I've been on Apple Care support staff by phone.
I've checked the speed a Mac directly connected to the Apple Extreme via Ethernet, and with a
MacBook Pro. Good speeds there.
Today I dragged the MacPro to the local Genius Bar and they pulled it and reseated it, and made
sure all the antenna wires were tight. In the Apple Store the speeds to two WWW Internet speed
sites screamed.
Back home I got initial joy and then I'm back down in the dumper again with speed. There must be
some environmental thing going on here. Yes I do have a wireless 5.8 mhz phone. But I've dropped
the Extreme to the lower mhz. One of my neighbors has a Wifi network going, but that has been up
for many months.
Time to drill a hole in the floor I guess and drop an Ethernet cable into it. Any last minute ideas
before I put up the construction tape;)
Category: Music
Released: Oct 27, 2008
Price: Free
Description:
Listen to Radio Paradise on your iPhone. Radio Paradise (RP) is a blend of many styles and genres
of music, carefully selected and mixed by two real human beings. You'll hear modern and classic
rock, world music, electronica, even a bit of classical and jazz. What you won't hear are random
computer-generated playlists or mind-numbing commercials. RP's specialty is taking a diverse
assortment of songs and making them flow together in a way that makes sense harmonically,
rhythmically, and lyrically
�
an art that is the very essence of radio. We hope that you'll enjoy RP so much that you'll want to
share it with your friends, your family, your co-workers, your neighbors ... well you get the idea.
Visit Radio Paradise on the web at www.radioparadise.com. For best quality sound, use a WiFi connection. Sound
quality will automatically be adjusted when using Edge and 3G. This app was developed by Stormy
Productions with permission from Radio Paradise.
Note: The description above is the official one supplied by the application
developer and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of this site or its staff.
On Nov. 15, Slovak prime minister Robert
Fico and his Hungarian counterpart, Ferenc Gyurcsány, met in the
border town of Komárno, Slovakia,
in an attempt to ease nationalist tensions that have escalated due to Nov. 1 football game
violence in Dunajská
Streda, Slovakia.
Eva S. Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum has been blogging a lot recently about the
Slovak-Hungarian relations, and here are some of the highlights.
While families made their yearly pilgrimage to cemeteries to place flowers on the graves of
relatives about five hundred Hungarian soccer fans went to the southern Slovak town of
Dunajská Streda (Dunaszerdahely) to create trouble. The town, situated fairly close to the
Slovak-Hungarian border, is predominantly Hungarian. Of the 23,000 inhabitants the Slovak
population is no more than about 3,000.
The soccer match between Slovan Bratislava and the locals was unlikely to be a nailbiter. But the
stadium, seating 10,000, was filled. One thousand people came from Bratislava and there was a
contingent of 500 from Hungary. The Slovak police must have known that trouble was brewing
because about 1,000 policemen were ordered to the scene. […] The Bratislava group was
attacked en route: rocks were thrown at them. Some people were arrested at that junction.
The Hungarians called attention to themselves by displaying signs saying: Perseverence
(Kitartás). Unfortunately that was the customary greeting of Hungarian Nazis in the late
30's and 40's. The stadium was full about an hour before kickoff, and the two sides spent the
time screaming obscenities at each other. Just before the match began the locals and the
Hungarian visitors sang the Hungarian national anthem. At last play started, but after eighteen
minutes the referee had to stop the match because the people from Bratislava threw a smoke bomb
onto the field. […]
On Nov. 9, Eva
noted that it was “difficult to know exactly what happened” when the Slovak
police chose to interfere:
[…] Each side has its own story. The Hungarian “fans” claim that there was no
disturbance in their sector of the arena and that the Slovak police brutally attacked them
without reason. The videos that circulated on the Internet indeed show Slovak policemen using
their nightsticks rather indiscriminately on the retreating Hungarians. But I'm a cautious sort,
and there is a very good possibility that the video segment we see doesn't tell the whole story.
Moreover, the breakdown of arrestees indicates that the Slovak police were not kinder to their
own extremists. About the same number of Slovaks and Hungarians were arrested and later released.
[…]
In Hungary, people were “outraged” by the presumed actions of the Slovak police:
[…] Yes, they do admit that it was not appropriate to go to Slovakia with pictures of
Greater Hungary, a Hungary that included as part of its territory present-day Slovakia, then
known as the Upland (Felvidék). And, yes, it was provocative to display irredentist
slogans. But, they add, neither justified the use of brutal force. […]
On Nov. 3, an ultra-nationalist rally was held in Budapest:
[…] They gathered close to 1,000 people in front of the Slovak embassy, burned at least one
Slovak flag, and displayed signs demanding “Death to Ján Slota.” Ján
Slota, head of SNS (Slovak National Party), is not a nice man. Hungarians are high up on his hate
list, but Gypsies and homosexuals are not exactly his favorites either. He considers the
Hungarian minority in Slovakia “a cancer in the body of the Slovak nation,” and a
couple of times he alluded to the joy he would feel someday moving into Budapest inside of a
tank. Every time Slota says something outrageous all of Hungary listens. Before the current
coalition which includes Slota's party came to power in 2006, Hungarian-Slovak relations were
cordial. But, of course, then the coalition partner was MKP (Magyar Koalició
Pártja/Strana Mad'arsklek Koalícije), a party of the Hungarian minority. […]
On Nov. 12, Eva
wrote pessimistically about the upcoming meeting between the prime ministers of the two
sabre-rattling neighbor nations:
At last. After months and months of strained relations between Slovakia and Hungary the two prime
ministers agreed to meet. […]
[…]
What can the meeting between Fico and Gyurcsány achieve? As far as I can see, nothing.
[…]
She also commented on the Hungarian politicians' stance:
[…] To wit, the Hungarian government and all the parties condemn the recent actions of the
Hungarian extreme right. They are against Hungarian nationalism, they are against extremists
entering Slovakia in Nazi uniforms. They are also against these little Nazis marching up and down
in Hungary, but what can the Hungarian government do? […]
[…] Predictably, Hungarian politicians are not of one mind on the recent incidents in
Slovakia. To give only one example. A Fidesz member of parliament, Béla
Túri-Kovács, is demanding the resignation of a colleague, Mátyás
Eörsi of [SZDSZ], who is the chairman of
the parliamentary committee on European affairs. Eörsi went to Slovakia for a meeting with
his Slovak counterparts. He said that both sides should accept some blame for the incidents and
did a mea culpa on behalf of Hungary. Well, Túri-Kovács sure didn't like this
admission of guilt. […]
The right-wing Fidesz
– Hungarian Civic Union, mentioned in the passage above, is Hungary's
largest opposition party; an earlier GV roundup of Hungarian Spectrum's posts on Fidesz
politics is
here. Also,
in this post, Eva discussed an article on the “managers of populism” - Austria's
late Jörg Haider, Hungary's
Viktor Orbán, and Slovakia's
Robert Fico - written by sociologist Pál Tamás.
In her
Nov. 15 post, Eva put part of the blame for the Hungarian government's failure to rein in
“small but vocal and active far-right groups” on Fidesz:
[…] One problem is that there is no united political resolve to deal with the extremists.
Viktor Orbán and his party, Fidesz, are masters of double-talk which encourages the
extremists. If Fidesz doesn't unequivocally support the extremists, the party doesn't condemn
them either. Or if they say something negative, they add: “but one can understand their
frustration.” After all, Orbán needs their votes. The extreme right is much larger
than the few hundred people who are ready to go out on the street to demonstrate. According to
one recent sociological study, those with extreme right-wing sentiments may be as high as 20% of
the population though only 5% are ready to take part in demonstrations that may end in violence.
The rest just watch and cheer their friends on. […]
[…]
The only hope is the force of public opinion. But it surely would be easier if Fidesz openly and
without reservation stood alongside the government in condemning these extremists. Alas, that is
not in the party's interest at the moment.
As for the meeting between Fico and Gyurcsány, it resulted in a joint statement, in which
the two leaders pledged to take steps towards eliminating “any kind of extremism,
xenophobia, intolerance, chauvinism, nationalism and every manifestation of violence.” Eva
commented on the meeting's outcome in her
Nov. 16 post:
[…] Let's face it, this is not much, although surely it is better than nothing. As far as I
know, the Hungarians wanted to have a satisfactory explanation of “police brutality”
at the soccer match as well as assurances of a more balanced treatment of Hungarian history in
Hungarian-language schools. They were also unhappy about the ban on Hungarian flags at games
[…]. None of these demands was met. Fico didn't arrive with any proof that the Hungarian
soccer fans used physical violence prior to the police attack on their ranks. Fico didn't budge
on the flag issue. […] While Gyurcsány complained about the nationalistic,
anti-Hungarian rhetoric of the Slovak government, Fico voiced his indignation over the appearance
of uniformed Hungarian extremists on Slovak soil. […]
In her Nov. 18
post, Eva wrote about the media coverage of the meeting:
[…] However, it seems that Robert Fico was dissatisfied with the Slovak reporters who were
present at the rather stormy press conference after the Komarno meeting. The same evening he,
together with the president of the republic and the speaker of the Slovak parliament, appeared on
Slovak public television (STV) and accused the Slovak journalists of having tossed softballs to
Gyurcsány; they did not represent the interests of Slovakia. The Hungarian journalists,
perhaps not surprisingly, believed that Gyurcsány came out better from the verbal duel.
[…]
Commentators whose sympathies lie with the right keep repeating an old Hungarian adage that can
be summarized as “nobody understands us.” This is usually uttered when it becomes
obvious that western reporters can easily grasp that police at violent soccer matches often act
violently and that uniformed paramilitary groups have no place anywhere, especially not in a
neighboring country. These commentators usually continue that the West simply can't understand
the complexities of Slovak-Hungarian relations. […]
A Missouri woman's daughter says her mother had wanted an Internet account shut down even before
cruel messages were sent from it to a teenage neighbor who later committed suicide
pimg src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2008/11/walgreenssign.jpg" align="left"
hspace="4" vspace="2" width="800" height="300" style="display:block;float:none;" /In a dusty supply
closet at 1 Times Square, a computer terminal hooked up to hordes of ethernet servers, RAID arrays
and monitors humbly runs the largest LED sign in the world. The sign, a 3-sided, 17,000-square-foot
Goliath, debuted last night at the opening of a Walgreens in New York City. Today, I got to see
what makes it tick. script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" galleryPost('walgreenssign', 3,
''); /script/p pimg src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2008/11/raidarray.jpg"
width="800" height="600" style="display:block;float:none;" /Each side of the sign, designed by D3
LED, requires a 48-drive RAID pumping data at a rate of 3.2GB/second to a custom-built PC. From
there, the data is fed through graphics cards to multiple DVI pipes, which lead to six DVI pixel
splitters (known as a Spyders). The splitters take video data of a specific resolution and upscale
it to the size needed for the display. Once the data is crunched and formatted for the sign, it's
sent out via 4Gbps ethernet to one of more than 12,000 display modules that make up the ginormous
billboard./p pimg src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2008/11/module.jpg"
align="left" hspace="4" vspace="2" width="800" height="600" style="display:block;float:none;" /Each
module is a mini-computer, complete with MAC address, redundant 4-gigabit ethernet ports, power
supply and a fan. Each panel can report all kinds of vital statistics, including its temperature.
If there's a problem, the panel reports itself to the main computer for easy troubleshooting. (Like
a good communist, it can report problems with its neighbors, too.) The majority of the electronics
are accessible from inside, so dangerous repair jobs on scaffolding suspended over Times Square are
a thing of the past./p pThe sign's modules are split into three sections, low-, medium- and
high-resolution grids based on their distance from the street. (Why waste pixels for objects way
high up?) The top, as you probably guessed, has the largest pixels, at 24mm, while the middle has
12mm and the bottom has 10mm./p pimg
src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2008/11/buildingslash.jpg" align="left"
hspace="4" vspace="2" width="647" height="530" style="display:block;float:none;" /The animators are
faced with a tough challenge when creating content for the signs, as they must keep the different
display sizes in mind so the animation appears cohesive throughout the sections. To help out the
animators, sign creator D3 LED made a virtual copy of it that is 10,000 pixels high by 4,000 pixels
wide, the equivalent of 43 megapixels. (It's 20 times the resolution of HD, too.) They use an Adobe
After Effects template to help coordinate placement of the animations on the slash-shaped sign./p
pa
href="http://gizmodo.com/5095474/17000-square-foot-led-billboard-flipped-on-at-1-times-square-wraps-around-entire-building"As
previously reported,/a a single 30-second spot on the billboard requires a staggering 150GB of data
transferred through the system. But before you accuse D3 and Walgreens of hogging all of the power
in New York, they attest that they are not. With the Con Ed bill in mind, their design reduced
unnecessary copper wiring by over 300,000 feet and increased the voltage for more efficient power.
They also set up an auto-dimmer (like you might have on your laptop) that adjusts the luminosity of
the LEDs based on the ambient light outside. All of this makes it not necessarily cheap but at
least cheaper than you'd think to operate./p pThe Walgreens sign is a complex, fascinating
testament to the sheer power of LED displays. While most people living in New York avoid Times
Square exactly because of things like this, tourists will undoubtedly flock to the center to
observe the sign up close, even though it can be seen from as far away as Bryant Park and the Port
Authority. For now, it's something that even this semi-jaded NYC resident can appreciate. [a
href="http://gizmodo.com/tag/walgreens"Walgreens Sign on Giz/a]/p br style="clear: both;"/ a
href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=f311ef9a64356d38f89d8892f79aeda4p=1"img alt=""
style="border: 0;" border="0"
src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=f311ef9a64356d38f89d8892f79aeda4p=1"//a img
src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=f311ef9a64356d38f89d8892f79aeda4" style="display:
none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/div class="feedflare" a
href="http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/gizmodo/full?a=4LQNYORK"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/gizmodo/full?d=120" border="0"/img/a a
href="http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/gizmodo/full?a=hquVtdV1"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/gizmodo/full?d=41" border="0"/img/a a
href="http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/gizmodo/full?a=fH8ChAMY"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/gizmodo/full?i=fH8ChAMY" border="0"/img/a a
href="http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/gizmodo/full?a=MzkOUQhV"img
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src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~4/LBVXiPtJ4Tc" height="1" width="1"/
As more Americans turn to charity amid worsening economic gloom, operators of food banks and other
aid groups are relying on the surprisingly resilient generosity of their neighbors and finding that
even when times are tough, people still give.div class="feedflare" a
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src="http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~f/CBSNewsMain?i=duvgn" border="0"/img/a a
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src="http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~f/CBSNewsMain?i=7cu3N" border="0"/img/a a
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src="http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsMain/~4/461038850" height="1" width="1"/
features
There’s always something new to do. In the living, breathing world of Animal Crossing: City
Folk, days and seasons pass in real time, so there’s always something to discover. Catch
fireflies in the summer, go trick-or-treating on Halloween or hunt for eggs on Bunny Day. If
you’re in the mood for something a little faster paced, take a bus to a new urban city area
that’s unique to Animal Crossing: City Folk. There you can catch a show at the theater or
check out the sales at Gracie’s boutique. But if you don’t show your face back home for
too long, your neighbors will miss you
Up to four people from your household can live and work together to build the perfect town. Design
clothes and patterns, write letters and post messages on the bulletin board for each other, or
invite up to three friends to visit your town using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. With the new
WiiSpeak microphone, it’s like you’re all in the same room. The microphone sits atop
the sensor bar and picks up the conversation of everyone in the room to encourage a more inclusive
experience
Get to know your neighbors. The heart of Animal Crossing: City Folk is building relationships with
the animals in your town as well as with other players. Befriend your animal neighbors by
exchanging letters, gifts and favors. Animals can also move from town to town, bringing their
memories and stories from their old towns with them. And since animals are notoriously
loose-lipped, they spill all the juicy details
Express your personal style. Customize your town, your house and yourself by collecting bugs, fish,
fossils, art, furniture, clothes and accessories. You can also go to the salon in the city to
change your hairstyle and get a Mii makeover. Plus, if you design clothes in the tailor’s
shop, animals will wear them and maybe even bring them to other towns
description
If life were an endless vacation, what would you do? Go fishing, collect shells or watch fireworks
with friends? Build a snowman, exchange presents with family or decorate your house for the
holidays? Take a trip to the city, go on a shopping spree or visit friends from all over the globe?
In Animal Crossing: City Folk, life moves at a relaxed pace, but the world brims with endless
possibilities.
features
There’s always something new to do. In the living, breathing world of Animal Crossing: City
Folk, days and seasons pass in real time, so there’s always something to discover. Catch
fireflies in the summer, go trick-or-treating on Halloween or hunt for eggs on Bunny Day. If
you’re in the mood for something a little faster paced, take a bus to a new urban city area
that’s unique to Animal Crossing: City Folk. There you can catch a show at the theater or
check out the sales at Gracie’s boutique. But if you don’t show your face back home for
too long, your neighbors will miss you
Up to four people from your household can live and work together to build the perfect town. Design
clothes and patterns, write letters and post messages on the bulletin board for each other, or
invite up to three friends to visit your town using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. With the new
WiiSpeak microphone, it’s like you’re all in the same room. The microphone sits atop
the sensor bar and picks up the conversation of everyone in the room to encourage a more inclusive
experience
Get to know your neighbors. The heart of Animal Crossing: City Folk is building relationships with
the animals in your town as well as with other players. Befriend your animal neighbors by
exchanging letters, gifts and favors. Animals can also move from town to town, bringing their
memories and stories from their old towns with them. And since animals are notoriously
loose-lipped, they spill all the juicy details
Express your personal style. Customize your town, your house and yourself by collecting bugs, fish,
fossils, art, furniture, clothes and accessories. You can also go to the salon in the city to
change your hairstyle and get a Mii makeover. Plus, if you design clothes in the tailor’s
shop, animals will wear them and maybe even bring them to other towns
description
If life were an endless vacation, what would you do? Go fishing, collect shells or watch fireworks
with friends? Build a snowman, exchange presents with family or decorate your house for the
holidays? Take a trip to the city, go on a shopping spree or visit friends from all over the globe?
In Animal Crossing: City Folk, life moves at a relaxed pace, but the world brims with endless
possibilities.
As
children we may all have heard the Golden Rule expressed in many different ways, but the basic
idea is: Treat others as you would like to be treated. This is Karen Armstrong's TED wish, to
create a platform in which the different Abrahamic faiths could focus on what was common to all,
the moral backbone of all their faiths towards a greater unity and better communication among
people of different faiths. The Charter of
Compassion is requesting stories of unity and compassion to be uploaded on their site,
written or in video form, and that together, people may write this Charter of Compassion a
document where this new image will be established, signed by sages and religious leaders.
Different sections of the charter are opened on different dates, so feel free to stop by the site
and write your perspective on the issue.
Karen Armstrong is a British born former Catholic nun who has written many books on Muslim
faith and has taught in the Leo Baeck rabbinic college: this inter-faith knowledge led her on the
path towards bringing this project into fruition. Her acceptance speech video is on YouTube, and in it she speaks about
this desire of hers to work for the unity of the different faiths, to make religion work towards
universal harmony:
The Charter for Compassion's YouTube
channel already has some inspirational videos by people in Pakistan. Samia Shoaib shares her own personal compassion
story of how we are all interconnected and what happens to our neighbor or someone down the
street does concern us:
Arshad Mahmood also speaks from his Muslim faith, in how people should concern themselves
about the fate of others, and how discrimination against those of a different faith should not
take place:
The Charter for Compassion has opened the call for
submissions where people can also tell their stories of compassion and change the image of
religion as a harborer of intolerance, showing the world that compassion is and will be the
cornerstone of religion, and the way towards change. You can participate by offering information
in different languages so the message can get to more people, and by making a video with a story
where compassion is featured, or writing your opinion or perspective on the Charter itself.
A website that sorts everyday the most relevant information to you.
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Show this to people who share the same interests as you,
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