Le gouvernement français appelle le monde de la santé à se mobiliser car 22 nouveaux décès ont été recensés en une semaine, un record, et les files d’attente pour se faire vacciner s’allongent. Le passage à une seule dose pour les personnes de plus de 9 ans, officialisé par la ministre de la Santé, devrait faciliter la campagne de vaccination.

Ever since the national press devoured the story of a fellow in California whose Lexus accelerated off a roadway, triggering the recall of millions of Toyotas, I have expressed doubt about the risk of stuck accelerators in Toyotas.  I see parallels between this recall and the unfounded claims of unintended acceleration by the Audi 5000 in the 1980s.

First, let’s put some information out there that has been overlooked by the national press, who is eager for a doomsday story affecting millions of cars.  That Lexus that crashed in California was a dealership loaner car.  I did not know this until I did some further reading – the national press has never mentioned this.  The driver was likely unfamiliar with the car, and therefore panicked when the car exhibited odd behaviour.  Another thing that has gone unmentioned by the national press is that the dealership had the wrong floormats in the car.  Incorrectly-sized floormats from a different Lexus model were in place, which increased the risk of the floormat interfering with pedal operation.  And lastly, why wouldn’t a highway patrol officer know to shift into neutral to keep the engine from driving the wheels and accelerating?  I point to unfamiliarity with the loaner vehicle.  Perhaps the driver, in the fog of confusion and panic, could not find or operate the shifter.  As for turning off the car, confusion/unfamiliarity may have played a role there as well.  The crashed vehicle may have had the push-button start system, but I don’t know for sure.  The driver may not have known to hold the button down to turn the engine off.

This crash is what set the ball rolling with this madness, which is why I have taken the time to address it.  I think the fault of the crash rests more with the driver and a poor understanding of how to handle the situation than it does with a design problem.  So why do I think this recall is pure bunk?  Let me explain, from a Prius owner’s perspective.

First, you need to have some really jacked-up floormats for them to trap the accelerator.  In my 2007 Prius, there is a ton of room between the bottom of the accelerator and the floor.

I saw a video where a gas pedal was fully depressed and then it became stuck under the floormat.  I don’t know how this is possible.  I would expect the spring in the accelerator to offer more than enough force for the pedal to push back past the floormat, unless the floormat managed to cover up half the accelerator or the floormat was really heavy.  But again, how would this happen?  Who would have such heavy floormats, and who would be so sloppy as to allow their floormat to slide forward over the pedal?  For years, I have checked the position of the driver’s side floormat before driving.  It’s not out of concern about the accelerator, it’s a concern for cleanliness. I want to make sure the floormat is properly positioned so I don’t get the carpet dirty.  Additionally, if the factory mats are used with the hooks, you have nothing to worry about.  The mats won’t move.  If you look at the above photos of my mats, you will notice I am using aftermarket Wal-Mart all-weather floormats that don’t connect to the hooks.  If they are out of position, I just give the mats a little tug and move them back.  They are never out of position by more than an inch.

I pushed the accelerator all the way to the floor to see if it could get caught on my floormat.  My accelerator ended up pushing down onto the floormat.  Absolutely positively no way the pedal could get stuck under the mat since it was pushing down on the mat.  Could it get wedged against the mat?  Maybe, but not likely.  Even less likely considering it is rare to floor the throttle.

I took the factory floormat out of my trunk and installed it correctly, using the floor hooks.  I was dumbfounded that this recall is even taking place.  The floormat came nowhere near the gas pedal, and the floormat was securely anchored.  Below are pics of the factory floormat correctly installed, and how the pedal is positioned relative to the floormat when it is fully floored.  Apologies for flipping you the bird in one pic.

So to summarize point number one, I think it is really unlikely that your Toyota will get stuck accelerating unless you were silly enough to install the wrong-sized floormat or stacked your floormats.

Point number two – why don’t people know to put their car into neutral when it gets stuck accelerating?  It’s just common sense.  The [D]rive gear position means motive force is being sent to the wheels.  Put it in [N]eutral, and the engine will just rev.  The engine computer has a rev limiter and will not allow the engine to rev to the point of blowing up.  With the engine still on, you will have full power steering and power braking, essential for getting your car safely to a stop on the side of the road.  If you turn the engine off, steering and braking will be more difficult since you no longer have the power assist.

Point number three – people need to be educated about their car.  Related to point number one, people should be aware of proper care and placement of floormats.  The main jist of point three is that there is some unfamiliarity with the push-start buttons on newer cars.  The Prius is the most widespread push-button car, but some Nissan Altimas, Lexuses, and the new Buick LaCrosse also have start buttons.  There are probably more cars I am not aware of.  I knew that simply hitting the power button on my Prius wouldn’t turn the engine off while driving.  I knew I had to hold it down, but I didn’t know for how long.  I’ll fess up to that.  For the record, in a Prius you hold the button down for three seconds.

I don’t think there is a problem with these cars.  It is more of a driver education issue.  Make sure your floormats are installed properly, know how to put your car into neutral while it’s in motion, and know how to turn the car off if necessary.

Toyota is addressing the (unlikely, in my opinion) issue of floormats trapping the accelerator by trimming the bottom of the pedal to make it shorter.  This will give more clearance between the pedal and the floor, but I think there is already sufficient clearance and this modification is therefore unnecessary.

On some cars, Toyota is reprogramming the computer so the brake supersedes the accelerator.  If the brake is applied at the same time as the accelerator, the throttle will be cut off so the brake has maximum effect and doesn’t have to compete with simultaneous acceleration.  That makes total sense to me, and the cars should have been programmed this way to begin with.  However, the Prius is not among the cars getting this reprogramming.  In reading up about this recall, I found this video in a PriusChat forum topic:

Amazing.  With a floored accelerator, the Prius’ engine cut back to idle and the brakes brought the car to a stop.  With the car at a stop, brake and accelerator pedals depressed, the driver let off the brake and the car lurched forward toward the end of the video.  This confirmed the brakes were overriding the accelerator.  Is this evidence that the Prius’ computer is already programmed to override the throttle when the brake is depressed?  I don’t know, but it certainly looks that way.  I would like to try this exercise myself sometime.

It would be nice if Toyota would explain why the Prius is lumped in with all these cars for the recall, but is only getting the shortened (eventually replaced) pedal but not getting the computer update or the modified carpeting.  Does this mean the Prius’ engine computer is already smart enough to handle a stuck gas pedal?  Do the Prius owners only need to keep an eye on their floormats?

In that case, it is not necessary for a full-blown recall.  The drivers only need to be educated about their cars.  Properly install and maintain your floormats to eliminate the slim possibility of the accelerator getting trapped.  Know how to put your car into neutral while driving.  And lastly, know how to turn off your car.  In fact, Luscious Garage, the folks who made that earlier video, made two more videos about how to put a Prius into neutral and how to turn it off while driving.

Putting Prius in Neutral

Turning Prius Off

These are all driver education issues.  The Camry, Avalon, and Lexus ES/IS models should have their computers reprogrammed under the recall, but the Prius seems to already handle simultaneous gas/brake pedal action correctly.  Just have all the Prius owners watch the above videos, and tell us to check our floormats.  We’re big boys and girls, we can do this.  There is no need to trim or replace our accelerator pedals.

Personally, I will decline to have this recall work done on my Prius.  My car works fine.  I can maintain it and the floormats fine.  I don’t want the pedal feel of my car to be changed.  I know what to do in the highly unlikely event the accelerator gets stuck.  Of course, I’ll get the work done when it is time to sell the car.  If I trade it in, it’s the dealer’s job to make sure it has all recall work done.

In the end, I think Toyota will be vindicated like Audi.  In Audi’s case, it was found that the cars did not randomly accelerate on their own.  They simply had closely-positioned pedals.  Drivers were hitting the gas instead of the brake before shifting, and were basically doing neutral drops when putting the car into drive or reverse.  The press went to town digging up reports and interviewing people, and almost put Audi out of business.  Fast forward two decades and now we’re hearing stories from people who think their Toyota accelerated by itself.  All of these supposed cases of Toyota unintended acceleration are probably the result of driver negligence (improperly placed floormats) or driver ignorance (not knowing about neutral or shutting off the car).  I wonder if Toyota is including the Prius in the recall as a CYA kind of thing, to show they are doing something for their halo car.

The infamous “hockey stick” temperature graph purporting to show a runaway acceleration in global temperatures beginning in 1850 was never accurate–and the Climatic Research Unit knew it wasn’t accurate when they published it.

A graph made from their own data tells the tale.

Source:
http://www.examiner.com/x-28973-Essex-County-Conservative-Examiner~y2009m11d22-The-Hockey-Stick-was-never-accurateand-CRU-knew-it

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Einstein speaks of his mind processes on the origin of General Relativity; (Nov. 21, 2009)

This article is how Einstein described his mind processes that lead to the theory of restricted relativity and then his concept for General Relativity. In 1905, restricted relativity discovered the equivalence of all systems of inertia for formulating physics equations. From a cinematic perspective there was no way to doubting relative movements; still there was the tendency to physically extend privileged significance to system of inertia.  The question was “if speed is relative do we have to consider acceleration as absolute?”

Ernest Mach considered that inertia did not resist acceleration except when related to the acceleration toward other masses. This idea impressed me greatly. First, I had to establish a law of gravitation field and suppress the concept of absolute simultaneity. Simplicity urged me to maintain Laplace’s scalar gravity potential and fine tune Poisson’s equation. Given the theorem of inertia of energy then inertia mass must be depended on gravitation potential but my research left me skeptical. In classical mechanics, vertical acceleration in a vertical field of gravity is independent of the horizontal component of velocity; it follows that vertical acceleration is exercised independently of the internal kinetic energy of the body in movement. I discovered that this independence did not exist in my draft theory; this evidence did not coincide with the affirmation that all bodies submit to the same acceleration in a gravitational field. Thus, the principle that there is equality between inertia mass and weight grew with striking significance. I was convinced of its validity though I had no knowledge of the results of experiments done by Eotvos.

Consequently, the principle of equality between inertia mass and weight would be explained as follow: in a homogenous gravitational field all movements are executed in relation to a system of coordinates accelerating uniformly as if in absence of gravity field. I conjectured that if this principle is applicable to any other events then it can be applied to system of coordinates not accelerating uniformly. These reflections occupied me from 1908 to 1911 and I figured that the principle of relativity needed to be extended (equations should retain their forms in non uniform accelerations of coordinates) in order to account for a rational theory of gravitation; the physical explanation of coordinates (measured by rules and clocks) has to go.

I reasoned that if in reality “a field of gravitation used in system of inertia” did not exist it could still be served in the Galilean expression that “a material point in a 4-dimentional space is represented by the shortest straight line”. Minkowski has demonstrated that this metric of the square of the distance of the line is a function of the squares of the differential coordinates.  If I introduced other coordinates by non linear transformation then the distance of the line stay homogeneous if coefficients dependent on coordinates are added to the metric (this is the Riemann metric in 4-dimension space not submitted to any gravity field). Thus, the coefficients describe the field of gravity in the selected system of coordinates; the physical significance is just related to the Riemannian metric. This resolved this dilemma in 1912.

Two other problems had to be resolved from 1912 to 1914 with the collaboration of Marcel Grossmann. The first problem is stated as follow: How can we transfer to a Riemannian metric a field law expressed in the language of restrained relativity?  I discovered that Ricci and Levi-Civia had answered it using infinitesimal differential calculus.  The second problem is: what are the differential laws that determine the coefficients of Riemann?  I needed to resolve invariant differential forms of the second order of Riemann’s coefficients. It turned out that Riemann had also answered the problem using curb tensors.

“Two years before the publication of my theory on General Relativity” said Einstein “I thought that my equations could not be confirmed by experiments. I was convinced that an invariant law of gravitation relative to any transformations of coordinates was not compatible with the causality principle. Astronomic experiments proved me right in 1915.”

Note:  I recall that during my last year in high school my physics teacher, an old Jesuit Brother, filled the blackboard with partial derivatives of Newton’s equation on the force applied to a mass; then he integrated and he got Einstein’s equation of energy equal mass by C square. At university, whenever I had problems to solve in classical mechanics on energy or momentum conservations I just applied the relativity equation for easy and quick results; pretty straightforward; not like the huge pain of describing or analyzing movements of an object in coordinate space.

I am pleased to announce the transfer of the High Ability Blog to the Ohio Association for Gifted Children (OAGC) effective as of today, November 20, 2009.

I have enjoyed creating this meeting place for advocates of Gifted Children and I know that Ann Sheldon will continue to gather educators, parents, advocates and students in this space.

It’s been a couple of days since I installed the K.A.T. Matrix meter on my windshield. The unit is pretty simple to operate. I normally keep it on the instantaneous g force display and watch the numbers dance around. Normal driving produces around 0.10g of forward acceleration and brisk acceleration can get up to 0.2g to 0.25g. Braking and slowing down in the same style produces similar g values but in the opposite direction since I am decellerating. Turns create between 0.15g and 0.20g forces. Sharp turns with some body roll produce around 0.50g. Really hard turns will create 0.80g.

I tried recording a 0-60MPH time twice as I merged onto the local highway and I noticed that the timer stops when my speedometer is reading 55 MPH. My two guesses as to why this could be happening are…

1) My acceleration rate decreases as I get closer to 60 MPH and I must be crossing a lower g force threshold. The meter thinks I’m done accelerating and there’s no point in running a timer if I will never reach 60 MPH. I need to try accelerating harder and verify with my GPS unit where my speedometer reads at a true 60 MPH.

2) My acceleration includes a left hand bend and the meter may be adding the acceleration of me turning to the overall algorithm. I need to try accelerating in a straight line.

When the mounting hardware and suction cups are cold, the unit hardly vibrates at all. A serious bump will make it jitter but the settling time is quick.  However, after sitting in the sun (even on a cold day) the hardware became warm and it got softer and more flexible. It bobbled up and down pretty good as I drove over the expansion cracks. The display would try to follow the bumps but the increase in g values was small. For example, at a constant speed I get around 0g forces since I am neither accelerating or decellerating. When I hit a bump I will see my forward g force values jump up to 0.05g.

I do find myself glancing at the display a lot as I drive so this is definitely a distraction. Once, during a sharp right hand turn, I ended up looking at the forward acceleration value instead of the lateral acceleration value. My first thought midway through the turn was that the meter was broken until I realized my mistake. Thankfully I know the roads that I drive on fairly well and there is very little traffic in my area. Still, using the device is definitely risky. Thank goodness I don’t have a Camaro or some other power house vehicle. I would probably be even more distracted with the unit! This really makes me want to have the ability to record my data and safely review it at my computer.

And, speaking of data logging, the G-Tech Pro RR arrived today! I’ll do a write up on in the next couple of days.

Depkes RI : Menteri Kesehatan RI dr. Endang R.Sedyaningsih, MPH,.Dr.PH membuka Kongres Asosiasi Dinas Kesehatan Seluruh Indonesia (ADINKES) dan Pertemuan Penyiapan Daerah Dalam Rangka Peningkatan Pelayanan Jamkesmas Menuju Jamkesmas Semesta di Banjarmasin.

Menteri Kesehatan menyatakan pentingnya kegiatan ini, karena di awal jabatan sebagai pemimpin di Departemen kesehatan ini merupakan kesempatan untuk berkenalan dan bertatap-muka dengan Gubernur serta para Kepala Dinas Kesehatan Propinsi dan Kabupaten/Kota dari seluruh Indonesia. Selain itu, dapat memberikan informasi mengenai arah kebijakan pembangunan kesehatan serta sekaligus secara langsung mendengarkan masukan dan pokok-pokok pikiran para Kadinkes dengan pelaksanaan pembangunan kesehatan dalam program 100 hari serta program 5 tahun Kabinet Indonesia Bersatu ke-dua yang berkaitan dengan perluasan kepesertaan jaminan kesehatan agar mencapai jaminan kesehatan semesta bagi rakyat Indonesia.

Menurut Menkes, pembangunan kesehatan yang dilaksanakan secara berkesinambungan telah berhasil meningkatkan status kesehatan masyarakat dan status gizi masyarakat secara bermakna. Tentu saja keberhasilan ini merupakan hasil kerja keras semua. Keberhasilan menurunkan Angka Kematian Bayi (AKB) dari 35 per 1.000 kelahiran hidup pada tahun 2004 menjadi 34,0 per 1.000 kelahiran hidup pada tahun 2007. Angka Kematian Ibu (AKI) juga mengalami penurunan dari 307 per 100.000 kelahiran hidup pada tahun 2004 menjadi 228 per 100.000 kelahiran hidup pada tahun 2007. Sejalan dengan penurunan angka kematian bayi, umur harapan hidup meningkat dari 66,2 tahun pada tahun 2004 menjadi 70,5 tahun pada tahun 2007. Prevalensi gizi kurang pada balita menurun dari 25,8% pada tahun 2004 menjadi 18,4% pada tahun 2007 (Riskesdas, 2007).

Dalam sambutannya Menkes menyampaikan bahwa saat ini memang masih menghadapi berbagai masalah dan tantangan dalam meningkatkan derajat kesehatan masyarakat, antara lain yaitu angka kematian bayi dan Angka kematian ibu juga masih tinggi di Indonesia masih tinggi, masalah penyakit menular dan masalah kekurangan gizi yang belum bisa diatasi dengan baik, dan terjadi peningkatan prevalensi penyakit tidak menular, Masalah kesehatan akibat bencana yang selalu mengakibatkan korban, baik korban meninggal, sakit dan cedera; timbulnya pengungsi yang dapat pula mengakibatkan masalah kesehatan seperti wabah penyakit dan balita kurang gizi, disparitas sarana pelayanan kesehatan dan tenaga kesehatan dan pelayanan kesehatan bagi keluarga miskin yang masih perlu terus ditingkatkan agar lebih berkualitas serta mencakup sasaran yang tepat

Menkes juga menyampaikan untuk mengatasi permasalahan kesehatan tersebut, maka beberapa isu pokok yang menjadi fokus pembangunan kesehatan ke depan sebagaimana hasil pertemuan rembug nasional (“national summit”) bidang kesejahteraan rakyat tahun 2009 yang berlangsung beberapa hari yang lalu. Isu-isu pokok tersebut yaitu peningkatan pembiayaan kesehatan untuk memberikan jaminan kesehatan masyarakat, peningkatan kesehatan masyarakat untuk mempercepat pencapaian target MDGs, pengendalian penyakit dan penanggulangan masalah kesehatan akibat bencana dan peningkatan ketersediaan , pemerataan dan kualitas tenaga kesehatan terutama di daerah terpencil, tertinggal, perbatasan dan kepulauan ( DTPK).

Menurut Menkes, isu pokok pertemuan relevan dengan tema kongres ini. Berkaitan dengan Jamkesmas, yang harus diperhatikan perlunya peningkatan pelayanan kesehatan bagi penduduk miskin di Puskesmas dan kelas III rumah sakit baik pemerintah maupun swasta yang dijamin oleh pemerintah termasuk mutu pelayanan. Peningkatan perlindungan financial terhadap risiko kesehatan secara bertahap agar yang mencakup seluruh penduduk Indonesia, perlunya dilakukan diversifikasi dan sinergi sumber pembiayaan dengan melibatkan pemerintah pusat, pemerintah daerah, masyarakat, dan swasta, dengan cara: mengembangkan berbagai inisiatif untuk meningkatkan keterlibatan pemerintah daerah dalam implementasi jaminan kesehatan masyarakat sesuai peraturan perundang-undangan yang berlaku. Mengembangkan berbagai inisiatif agar masyarakat yang mampu dapat membeli premi asuransi kesehatan, dan/atau ikut membayar (sharing) besaran jaminan kesehatan sesuai kemampuannya dan mengembangkan berbagai inisiatif jaminan kesehatan bagi karyawan di perusahaan-perusahaan, tegas dr. Endang.

Selain itu, Menkes juga menyatakan perlunya mengatur kelembagaan, kepesertaan, sistem informasi jaminan kesehatan yang efektif, efisien dan akuntabel serta membagi peran dan tanggung jawab bersama Pemerintah Pusat dan Pemerintah Daerah, perlunya dilakukan jaminan ketersediaan dan pemerataan pemberi pelayanan kesehatan (PPK) dalam jaminan kesehatan serta berlangsungnya pelayanan yang terkendali biaya dan mutunya melalui penerapan INA-DRG dan Perlunya dilakukan perlindungan melalui jaminan kesehatan kepada penduduk miskin akibat bencana pasca tanggap darurat.

Untuk mencapai tujuan pembangunan kesehatan dalam 5 tahun ke depan sangat diperlukan kerjasama dari berbagai pihak, baik Pemerintah Pusat maupun Daerah untuk saling bahu-membahu mewujudkannya. Pada tingkatan Pemerintah Propinsi serta Kabupaten/Kota, maka selaku Kadinkes mempunyai peran sangat penting dalam rangka mengakselerasi pembangunan kesehatan di daerah, ujar Menkes.

Oleh sebab itu, Menkes berharap dukungan dari semua Kadinkes agar berada dalam gerak langkah yang sama dan saling mengisi serta mendukung, sehingga dapat menjalankan program kesehatan sesuai amanat arah kebijakan pembangunan kesehatan. Tanpa kerja sama yang baik dan harmoni dalam pelaksanaan program-program kesehatan, maka tujuan pencapaian pembangunan kesehatan yang berorientasi kepada kesejahteraan masyarakat yang efisien serta akuntabel akan sulit terwujud.

Diakhir sambutannya, Menkes mengatakan kutipan arahan Presiden RI pada sidang kabinet yang pertama, yaitu Ada tiga “tagline” yang direkatkan pada kabinet Indonesia Bersatu ke-2 yang diharapkan menjadi landasan bekerja seluruh aparat kesehatan. “Tagline” itu adalah; Pertama, “change and continuity”, kedua, “debottlenecking, acceleration, and enhancement”, ketiga,”together we can”. Dengan siprit “tagline” itu, diharapkan terjadi peningkatan motivasi dan etos kerja seluruh abdi negara termasuk abdi kesehatan di semua jenjang pemerintahan.

Berita ini disiarkan oleh Pusat Komunikasi Publik, Sekretariat Jenderal Departemen Kesehatan. Untuk informasi lebih lanjut dapat menghubungi melalui nomor telepon/faks: 021-52907416-9 dan 52921669, atau e-mail puskom.depkes@gmail.com dan puskom.publik@yahoo.co.id.

Traditionally when we think of application delivery controllers, and what goes on them, traditional services such as  those listed below come to mind.

1. Loadbalancers

2. SSL offload

3. XML offload

4. Asymmetric application acceleration

5. Traffic tracing

The openADC platform will allow developers from the user and consultant community to write services as they see fit, and whenever they need them.  With this in mind we look into the crystal ball and come up with this list of services we anticipate.  This is just a start, and we will keep adding to the list.  Here it is:

1) End to end transaction monitoring, which includes database and other back end transaction monitoring.

2) Data Leakage monitoring and enforcement.

3) Compliance related monitoring and enforcement.

4) Auto-encryption of sensitive information while it is being transmitted.

5) Application usage pattern discovery.

6)Application performance monitoring, proactive degradation sensors and alerts.

7) Web Application Firewalling.

Flexible programmable Deep Packet Inspection engine.

A few weeks ago I sat in a meeting with my colleagues (Gifted Intervention Specialists), and heard our Assistant Superintendent speak to Credit Flexibility which school districts will have to implement starting the 2010-2011 school year. I thought to myself, “I need to know more about this because I am raising two high school students who could take advantage of this opportunity.” So I began to do some research on the ODE website.

As I sifted through some of the Credit Flexibility information on the ODE website I remembered taking classes in high school and seeing no point in them because I didn’t see myself ever using the information after the class was finished. I had no real stake in my education. I was doing exactly what I was told, and in the sequence it had to be done in. Well, the Ohio Senate Bill 311 is going to change that for current and future students.

One aspect of the Ohio Senate Bill 311 raised the amount of credits students will need to graduate. Looking deeper into the law, there is a small gift that gifted students can take advantage of, and that’s the Credit Flexibility Provision.

So what is Credit Flexibility, and how can it benefit gifted students? Credit Flexibility is a change in thinking. According to the ODE website, the “plan shifts the focus from “seat time” to performance.” Students now have several different avenues to get those extra credit hours needed to graduate. This benefits gifted students in several different ways. One benefit is that students can now test out of a class, and get the full credit for the class. This is very similar to the way universities operate. If a student can demonstrate that they comprehend the material at a mastery level they will have the option to test out of that class. Another benefit that is given in this provision is “education travel,” which basically allows a student go to a foreign country and learn the culture and language. The student then completes a project about what he learned and incorporates that into some real-world activity. And the student can get high school credit for that. There are other ways that students can earn those graduation credits:

According the ODE website, students can earn credits by:

* Completing coursework;
* Testing out of or demonstrating mastery of course content; or
* Pursuing one or more “educational options” (e.g., distance learning, educational travel, independent study, an internship, music, arts, after-school/tutorial program, community service or other engagement projects and sports).”

This is great for gifted students, because now they can do an independent study about a topic that would delve deep into the monster of their own education. They can use their gifts and their talents to benefit their education. Basically this is a case for differentiated instruction. I believe the state is using this provision to help the gifted meet their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Every student should have the ability to make the gains they need to, and the State of Ohio is definitely giving the gifted student that opportunity.

According to the ODE website, the Credit Flexibility Plan “is intended to motivate and increase student learning by allowing:

* Access to more learning resources, especially real-world experiences
* Customization around individual student needs
* Use of multiple measures of learning, especially those where students demonstrate what they know and can do, apply the learning, or document performance”

I believe that this is one of the best provisions that State of Ohio has came out with. They are recognizing that the industrialist attitude that has dominated our school districts for decades is outdated. The belief that putting students in a room giving them all the same information and expect them all to come out of that room at the same level just isn’t realistic. This provision is twenty-first century thinking. Believing that not every student learns at the same pace and that all students learn differently is movement in the right direction for education.

I want to encourage all parents, teachers, and administrators to continue to research this topic. As the deadline looms closer for implementation, I know that school districts will be meeting to create a plan that they will be sending out information about Credit-Flexibility for your district. If you live in Ohio do not miss the opportunity to learn about how this option will be implemented in your district. If you have the opportunity to go to a school board meeting when the members are discussing this, I encourage you to participate! Ask questions and get as much information about it as you can. Especially gifted parents and gifted intervention specialists — gather information and give it out to those who could benefit from it.

If you don’t live in Ohio, call your local superintendent’s office to see if they have a Credit Flexibility Plan, and how your child can participate.

Teachers and parents encourage gifted students to take part in this provision. It’s a gift for the gifted.

Resources
Ohio Department of Education State Board of Education: Credit Flex Plan

http://bit.ly/364qEV

Inertia…     …isang nakakatakot na termino kung baguhan ka sa mundo ng physics. Panahon pa lang ni Aristotle ay napag-uusapan na ito. Ayon sa kanya kapag ang isang bagay ay ibinato, patuloy ito na maglalakbay kapag ito’y nasa isang kalawakang walang laman o vacuum dahil sa pwersang tumutulak dito. Ang prinsipyong ito at ipinaliwanag ng mas malinaw ni Galileo Galilei at Sir Isaac Newton. Ayon naman sa kanila kahit wala na ang pwersang nagtulak dito ay magpapatuloy ang paglalakbay ng bagay na ibinato. Dagdag pa niya na ang mga bagay ay may nakapaloob na resistensiya sa pagbabago ng paggalaw, bilis o direksyon at iyon ay tinatawag na inertia.

Ayon sa ibang siyentipiko, hawig lamang ang inertia sa momentum ngunit magkaiba. Hawig lang talaga at di magkamukha. Ang inertia daw ay nakasalalay sa mass at acceleration ng bagay habang ang momentum ay sa mass at bilis bagaman kapag tumaas ang momentum ay tumataas din ang inertia. May nagsabi naman na pormula ng momentum ay P=mv…     …P para sa momentum; m para sa mass at v para sa volocity habang ang pormula naman ng inertia ay F=ma…    …F para sa inertia; m para sa mass at a para sa acceleration. Paano naman kung hindi na dumadagdag ang bilis? Ibig sabihin ba’y wala nang inertia? Ang gulo ng mga siyentipiko. Baka malaman na lang natin sa huli na iisa lang pala sila.

Balik tayo dun sa pormula ng inertia. Kung maging zero ito, syempre magiging zero rin ang inertia. Ibig bang sabihin, kapag naglalakbay sa bilis na di nagbabago ay wala nang inertia? Ibig bang sabihin, wala na itong resistensiya sa pagbabago ng direksyon? Maniniwala pa ako kung ganito ang pormula…    …F=ma+ma`. Ang a ay ang huling acceleration na nagbigay ng inertia at ang a` ay ang kasalukuyang acceleration na nagbibigay ng karagdagang inertia. Ibig sabihin manatili ang inertia [hindi nga lang nararagdagan] kahit na ang bilis ay di nagbabago. Siyempre hindi kayang maging zero nito dahil pinaghiwalay na sila ng + sign. Kung magkaroon ng salungat na acceleration siyempre babawas ang inertia dahil magiging negative ang ma`. At dapat pareho ang a` sa a upang tuluyan mawala ng inertia at marating ang complete rest.

Pagdating sa direksyon ang mas malakas na pwersang direkyon ang mananaig ngunit maiipluwensyahan pa rin ng direksiyon ng mahinang pwersa at mabubuo ang pinasanib sa direksiyon. Tawagin na lang natin itong absolute inertial direction. Hindi ko na kayang i-express ang pormula nito dahil nakalimutan ko na ang aking calculus [patulong naman sa mga math majors dyan]. Pero mukhang wala tayong mabubuong matinong pormula dito dahil nga absolute. Nakabatay kase ang siyensiya at matematika sa relativity. Iguguhit ko na lang at ia-upload later kung ma-piktyuran ko na ang aking mathematical model.

Sa pagsalpukan nila ay mabubuo naman absolute inertia. Ipagpalagay na lang natin na ia ang simbolo niya. Ipagpalagay natin na ganito ang pormula ia=F+F`+F“. Ang F ay ang kasalukuyang inertia ng naglalakbay na bagay, ang F` naman ay ang pwersa ng sumalpok na bagay sa kanya at ang F“ ang pwersa naman ng isa pang sumalpok na bagay at aabot ito ng F““““` at mapasawalang hanggan habang may isa pang sumasalpok na pwersa. Kawawa naman ang bagay, lamog sa mga sumasalpok sa kanya.

Ang bawat bagay sa uniberso ay may absolute inertia na siyang kabuuan ng lahat ng pwersang nagpabilis, nagpalihis o nagpabagal sa kanya. Sa aktwal ay walang bagay na nasa zero inertia. At walang sapat na salungat na pwersa na maaring magpahinto dito at ilagay ito sa absolute state of rest. Bagaman hindi pwede sa aktwal, mathematically possible pa rin to. Ito yata ang isa sa mga bagay na nakaligtaan ng mga particle physicist na gumawa ng Large Hadron Collider. Dahil tama sa kanilang kalkulasyong matematikal, inakala na nilang kaya nilang makalikha ng Boson particle. Hindi sapat ang kanilang makina upang tapatan ang pwersang nagtulak sa lahat ng bagay sa uniberso palayo sa sentro nito.

Gusto ko pa sanang isulat ang pagkurba ng direksyon ng inertia. Marami pa sana akong tatalakayin tungkol sa inertia ngunit sumasakit na ang tiyan ko. Siyet! Nasira momentum ko! Sa sunod na artikulo na lang natin pag-usapan ang direksyon ng inertia at ang mga bagay na nakakaimpluwensiya dito tulad ng friction, gravity at tsismis. Bakit tsismis? Sa susunod ko na lang ipapaliwanag kung paano nito naaapektuhan ang inertia. Para naman medyo curious kayo kunwari.

There is a force and motion quiz scheduled for Friday, November 13. This quiz will consist of word problems that the students will need to read, then decide which mathematical formula to use, and then solve. All steps must be shown, the units must be correct and the answer must be boxed. Tutorials will be held this Thursday afternoon for those students who come prepared with questions.

towards a world class rapid application development / deplyment platform…

Prospects, customers, users, developers, designers, disbelievers oftern ask me, “how the heck did you guys build your platform and what was the thinking and the processbehing it’s evolution?”

This post is an attempt to try and answer that question;

Fundamentally, the expanz team believe the software development world needs to adopt a paradigm shift similar to the manufacturing world’s transition from a factory model to an assembly line model.

The gains in quality and reductions in development cost and effort would outweigh those in the manufacturing world as no physical materials are actually consumed during production – everything is abstract.

When object oriented technology was first invented, this was its promise, but I think you’d agree OO has miserably failed to deliver on that promise.

The risk with our approach was that the assembly line was simply unachievable as many large companies have spent considerable effort and money towards achieving this goal, although indirectly. There are several known and unknown (don’t you what you don’t know) issues, such as performance, missing platform/language features etc that could prevent the software assembly line from becoming reality.

Attempting something this radical would require a non standard and carefully monitored process.

Plenty of unknowns and risks… Would performance be good enough?

We decided to have a crack and are glad we did.

The solution of course must be scalable. We threw away the stateless model (I can hear you sceptics down my broadband connection) and embraced a stateful application server model, for both ease of end user development and more importantly performance. We built a [stateless] web service facade, a load balancer that only load balances on login (session creation) and an application server to house our code. Off to a nice start…

The core design patterns were envisaged and used in a lightweight walkthrough. Next, code was filled out and simple apps were built, starting with a non-persistent calculator.

Then we added persistence and complex persistence – relationships. This was an absolutely crucial phase of development. To achieve a true assembly line pattern, we could not use explicit collections. There was no way a class could ‘ask’ a child (a many in a 1-many relation) to iterate through itself in a reusable way if held a declared collection of that class. We had to design it so that all relationships were implemented as a single declared instance. This was probably the key single breakthrough that allowed us to continue towards our goal. Every object/class had to satisfy both single instance and set operation requirements.

Since progress was good and all theory still held up, we decided to upscale our experiment as far as we could. We decided to build an ERP system – yes, we are gluttons for punishment.

This would prove our platform, from a utility, performance and code reduction perspective (we achieve code normalisation), as ERP systems are generally considered rigid. We could, through an assembly line paradigm, provide complete customisation at very low cost/effort to an ERP customer – exact fit ERP, now there is a foreign concept.

As development of our assembly line paradigm continued, another opportunity emerged.

Due to the embodiment of the best practice rule of complete separation of the presentation layer from the functional layer (e.g. abstraction), it was hypothesised that multiple client designs and technologies could simultaneously access a single server without any server modifications.

This would mean that a Windows form, a browser form, a Flash form and even a mobile phone could all access the same [server] functionality at virtually zero development effort – only the cost of designing the UI.

We set about abstracting the communications protocol into a set of interfaces, and implemented those for Windows Forms and WPF, those being two technologies we were familiar with and both based on c#. Apart from a steep learning curve for some of the WPF features we required (and a general lack of available expertise) it was ultimately successful.

Next target was a mobile device, as this would be useful in the ERP system for warehouse operations. The MS .NET Compact Framework (CF) has matured to the point where it was only a few days of effort to port the full Windows Forms plumbing to the CF. We rapidly enhanced the set of Interfaces we designed earlier to cope with device-specific hardware such as cameras and barcode/RFID readers.

Finally, to overcome deployment issues (the latest .NET installed on a client PC was a caveat) we decided to embrace the Adobe Flex/Flash technology. We found some local expertise which was commissioned to adapt the standard algorithms and interfaces into ActionScript – the Adobe language. We ultimately had the need to put this into production (after some simple prototypes) for a property inspection and reporting automation system we built on top of the ERP.

We also required a handheld (mobile) device to do barcode scanning and printing for EDI orders (as a full production quality module) which was successfully developed and deployed into large Australian supermarkets and retailers.

All the while, no server code changes were required for any platform-specific technology…

Playing golf in the zone is easier than you might expect or initially believe, however a change of state is just a change of emotion. As those of you who know my work intimately already know emotions are just a mixture of the chemicals you produce in your body at any one time ( http://www.di-sport.co.uk/golfarticles.html )…

And the beauty is that  you store emotions with memories of events, associations etc. and when you recall these associations you automatically put the emotions you felt at the time into your mind in the present.

The Truth of it is…

The zone states are just such an emotion or state of mind and doing something to replay in your mind a specific time when you were in the zone will lead to an automatic recreation of the zone state from that time in you – thus allowing you to play more in the zone playing more consistently and having fun more often

And Here’s the kicker…

For those who need some proof …to believe you can recreate in this way…watch this short video and notice your state change in the same way that we can recreate the zone states in you too!

Now And when you want help with your mental states in golf go directly to http://www.di-sport.co.uk/catalog/item/3280086/2804895.htm after you watch the video

Good States

Today I was surpised about Ericom Blaze again.

From the Sales Team there was an information about Ericom Blaze for Linux. So what I did was testing the new client for Linux systems. I took an Ubuntu 9.10 and started with the debian paket installer (GDebi) and installed the ericom-blaze-client_1.2-0.0_i386.deb:



As you can see there were no errors while the installation process was running.

Ok now let’s start a session to a Blaze server:

first we have to excecute the Blaze client on my Ubuntu (Alt+F2 and just type blaze)

Now fill in the blaze server name or ip address, the credentials (same as in windows remote desktop application under MS Windows) and click Connect.

Ericom Blaze Client for Linux gives the impression of a real remote desktop session client that normally runs only under Windows systems (like mstsc). Now we can say that there is a real altenative GUI based client for linux systems that comes with all the features that windows has.

It is a convenient and easy plain understandable application that enables a Linux PC to a real Windows Remote client.

Ericom Blaze has installers for rpm and deb based systems as well as java based system.

Well done Ericom!

Timing is everything in golf – get it wrong and the results can be calamitous, possibly not as bad as for this forklift driver and mate…The turning of the shoulders at a pace that your subconscious can work with allows your acceleration to occur in the right place naturally

And the Truth of it is get that turning and acceleration wrong and this magnifies any errors in direction

http://www.di-sport.co.uk/golfsportsurveys.html

Newton’s Second Law of Motion

(acceleration)

-the applied force on an object equals the rate of change of its momentum with time.

F=ma

(Force = mass x acceleration)

- The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force in the same direction as the net force and inversely proportional to the mass of the object.

If you push on an 8lb bowling ball (apply force) it will accelerate in the direction you push. If you push harder(apply more force), it accelerates faster. If you then apply the same amount of strength (force) to a 16lb bowling ball it will accelerate more slowly than the 8lb bowling ball. Indicating that an object with more mass (16lb bowling ball) requires more force (your pushing power) in order to make it accelerate.

Stanley Fish recently wrote a short blog series on what colleges should teach in writing classes and it got me thinking about what our public schools should be teaching in writing classes as well.  Then I remembered that they don’t teach writing.  Or, if they do, it is part of a smooshed together curricular process of authentic learning. The conjunction-junctions of my childhood are long gone and the structure of grammar and formal composition which so many gifted kids yearn for in the regular classroom simply doesn’t exist. In fact, a friend and master teacher once complained to me that students learn more about sentence structure in foreign language class than they ever do in the study of English.   Composition and grammar are the brushes and tubes of paint an artist uses to create: the artist must, at some point, grasp the function of the tools he or she employs in the process of creating.  The ability to turn a phrase, parry a pun, develop an alliterative line, create rhythm and form – these are the tools of the craft of writing.  And, as Fish says, “writing is its own subject, and a deeper and more fascinating one than the content it makes available.”

November is National Novel Writing Month – at least according to the folks at NaNoWriMo – and I have dithered in a sea of “desire to write and tasks to complete” which have left me unable to officially commit to it this year. But the basic premise of the exercise is very compelling – “National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.” Give yourself a large word count goal each day during the month of November and let your creative muse perch on your shoulder untethered to revisions or edits. Simply let the words flow and create.

There is a young writers component to this as well:

“National Novel Writing Month’s Young Writers Program provides kids and teens with a month-long language arts experience that improves self-esteem, teaches perseverance, and radically alters their relationship to writing and literature.

We do this through a youth-oriented website where kids and teens can mingle with other budding authors, get advice from beloved writers, and find inspiration as they tackle our book-writing challenge. And we do it through free, fun curriculum and lesson plans for K-12 teachers facilitating the Young Writers Program in their classrooms.

In 2008, over 20,000 kids and teens in 600 classrooms worldwide took part in National Novel Writing Month’s Young Writers Program. In 2009, we’re expecting over 1,000 classrooms to spend November bookin’ with us.”

Lifting the velvet rope and stepping inside the room has huge benefits: as a way to encourage expression in written form and explore individual creativity which is limitless in scope; as a touchstone to help battle blank page syndrome in the future; and as a compositional exercise with long term opportunities to teach grammar and form through later revisions.

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program gives schools an opportunity to embrace a collaborative on-line learning environment where students can progress at their own pace. Guided learning through coaches, admired professionals, masters of the craft and an international cast of fellow students creates a very large studio. And so many opportunities to teach composition, editing and craft exist from December on. For so many writers young and old, it’s simply the impetus to begin.

1.1 Motion

1.1 Motion -worksheets

Kinematics

Speed

Velocity and Acceleration

Distance–Time Graphs

Velocity–Time graphs

The Equations of Motion

Dynamics

Scalars and Vectors

Scalars and Vectors (1)

Scalars and Vectors (2)

Dynamics

Dynamics (another site)

1.1 Motion -video tutorials

Motion in One Dimension

Motion in Two Dimensions

1.1 Motion -videos

Physics 2.2.2 – Graphing Distance vs Time

1.1 Motion -animations

Vectors & Scalars

1. A racing car has an initial velocity of 100m/s and it covers a displacement of 725m in 10s. Find its acceleration.
2. An object starts from rest, moves in a straight line with a constant acceleration and covers a distance of 64m in 4s. Calculate: its acceleration and its velocity at what time the object had covered half the total distance, what distance the object had covered in half the total time?
3. A car starts  at 10 m/s and accelerates at 1 m/s²for 10 seconds. What is it’s final velocity?
4. A car starts from rest, and accelerates at 1 m/s² for 10 seconds. How far does it move?
5. A car is going 30 m/s and stops in 2 seconds. What is it’s stopping distance for this speed?
6. A car going at 20 m/s stops in a distance of 20 m/s. What is it’s deceleration?
7. If the car is 1 Tonne (1000 Kg, or 1 Mg) how much force do the brakes exert?

If you’re a fan of the Mercedes AMG C63, prepare to be titillated!

AMG decided to infuse exotic touches to the C63 by adding pistons, crank rods, and a lightweight camshaft from the SLS AMG supercar parts bin. Some techno-geek at AMG got the order to squeeze more power out of the engine and remapped the software raising power output to 487 bhp (an increase of 30 bhp over the standard C63). 0 – 100 km/h is estimated to be 4.4 seconds. Since some C63 owners will want to run their cars on tracks, AMG engineers decided it would be wiser to throw in a brake upgrade too. Geniuses.

Some visual touches are the carbon fiber bootlid spoiler which I personally think adds a nice touch with the silver paint. In addition, the interior has been draped in Nappa leather and Alcantara suede. No price has been mentioned as of yet.

[Source: Mercedes, Autoblog]