Let’s say that you’re thinking about renting a place. You’ve called an agent, viewed a couple of places and found one that you can actually imagine yourself staying in. What do you have to pay?

Generally, your first payments would include:

1. A security deposit equalling a month’s rent
2. One month’s advance rent
3. Agent commission, which is half a month’s rent including GST

So let’s say you’ve agreed to a monthly rental of S$1,000 / mth with your landlord. Your first month’s payment would then be:

Also note that you’ll get your security deposit back at the end of your lease, as long as you don’t trash the place of course. And I’ve heard of some companies that charge a month’s rent for their agent’s commission. Doubt that’ll carry on for too long since almost everyone else is charging half a month. Alright, I think that’s about it. Let me know if further details would be useful.

I’m all for new and innovative technology, but the new Google Wave format scares the crap out of me. The concept is great: a real-time multi-person interactive document and media sharing platform, where everyone can chat and collaborate on projects. Beta-testing is currently underway, with invitations flying and everyone getting super excited. Sounds like a great thing, no? The next Twitter or Facebook?

Not so fast, progress!  How does this work, and what’s happening to the information we’re producing?

“complete threads of multimedia messages (blips) are perpetually stored on a central server”

So it can work so fast because you’re keeping a copy on your fancy Google servers in California, but what do you mean by “perpetually”? A further perusal of the FAQ page on the Google Wave website brings up the following disturbing passage:

“Any Waves which have other participants will to continue to exist in the Google Wave system, including all of the content that you provided in those Waves. Any Wave for which you are the only participant will be deleted from the system within 60 days and may remain in our offline backup systems.”

What!??! So you’re keeping a copy of everything we say, do, or create not only so long as we’re working on it, but even after we exit/delete the “Wave”? That sounds pretty fishy. Who’s going to be able to see/use our info? Is it only for use with the Google Wave, or even just Google itself?

There are only certain limited circumstances when Google allows access to your information. We may give access to:

• Subsidiaries or other trusted businesses that help us provide our services to you (we make sure they promise to keep your data private);
• Law enforcement or others when we believe we are required to do so by law;
• Others as necessary to enforce the Terms of Service or our policies, to protect against harm to Google or others, or to prevent or address fraud, security or technical issues.

So basically businesses get to see and use our information – which Google can keep forever – as long as they help Google provide services? What sort of services? Wait, isn’t the way Google provides all of its free services through Ad sales? Does this mean Ad agencies will have access to our information? Also, what about intellectual property? If I’m going over the draft of an academic journal article I’m writing, and you get to keep a copy of it, what does that entail for me trying to publish it? Or what if I’m an inventor and I’m going over schematics with a colleague? You get to keep a copy forever? Why???

Also “Law enforcement or others when we believe we are required to do so by law” – and since the Patriot Act is still in effect, you’ll be sharing our information to anyone with a badge, with or without a warrant, I assume?

Overall, these policies freak me out. I may or may not get Google Wave, but If I do I sure won’t put anything I want to keep ownership of on it, including pictures or academic work. And I sure won’t be saying anything of a sensitive nature or any personally identifying information.

:/

Standard issue shirt for every male bar owner in Columbus.

GERMAN VILLAGE, Ohio – Have had countless people approach me today about how we’re going to make this celebration a reality.

To secure this second Halloween in 2010 (actually, it’d be the first Halloween … because it’d happen in April and on most calendars April comes before October and this probably is the case because all the months go in alphabetical order), we’re not doing much.

We hope to get some word of mouth around the project so one of the bar owners down in the Arena District who always wears those black button-down, short-sleeved shirts thinks it’s a good enough idea to sponsor an evening. Down the line, 2011 or 2012, we’d like to see a city-wide celebration of Evil Easter a.k.a. the first Halloween in the calendar year.

Back to those black button-down, short-sleeved shirts I mentioned a little earlier. I could do a whole blog on that phenomenon. Do they own any other shirts??

Predicting the future, it’ll probably just be Andrew and myself wearing a costume to Club 185 on Saturday, April 24, 2010 just so we can say the whole project wasn’t a total failure.

There is never a shortage of questions about Immediate-Use CSP’s, so today I’ll post a thorough review of the provision, including the six specific criteria for that must be met to qualify as immediate use from USP Chapter 797 itself (and this usually answers most of the questions), distilling it down to a few bullet points, and adding several FAQ’s from USP’s website.

First the criteria:

The immediate-use provision is intended only
for those situations where there is a need for emergency
or immediate patient administration of a
CSP. Such situations may include cardiopulmonary
resuscitation, emergency room treatment,
preparation of diagnostic agents, or critical therapy
where the preparation of the CSP under conditions
described for Low-Risk Level CSPs subjects the
patient to additional risk due to delays in therapy.
Immediate-use CSPs are not intended for storage
for anticipated needs or batch compounding. Preparations
that are medium-risk level and high-risk
level CSPs shall not be prepared as immediate-use
CSPs.

Immediate-use CSPs are exempt from the requirements
described for Low-Risk Level CSPs
only when all of the following criteria are met:

1.
The compounding process involves simple
transfer of not more than three commercially
manufactured packages of sterile nonhazardous
products or diagnostic radiopharmaceutical
products from the manufacturers’ original
containers and not more than two entries into
any one container or package (e.g., bag, vial)
of sterile infusion solution or administration
container/device. For example, anti-neoplastics
shall not be prepared as immediate-use
CSPs because they are hazardous drugs.
2.
Unless required for the preparation, the compounding
procedure is a continuous process
not to exceed 1 hour.
3.
During preparation, aseptic technique is followed
and, if not immediately administered,
the finished CSP is under continuous supervision
to minimize the potential for contact with
nonsterile surfaces, introduction of particulate
matter or biological fluids, mix-ups with other
CSPs, and direct contact of outside surfaces.
4.
Administration begins not later than 1 hour
following the start of the preparation of the
CSP.
5.
Unless immediately and completely administered
by the person who prepared it or immediate
and complete administration is witnessed
by the preparer, the CSP shall bear a
label listing patient identification information,
the names and amounts of all ingredients, the
name or initials of the person who prepared
the CSP, and the exact 1-hour BUD and time.
6.
If administration has not begun within 1 hour
following the start of preparing the CSP, the
CSP shall be promptly, properly, and safely
discarded.
Compounding in worse than ISO Class 5 (see
Table 1) conditions increases the likelihood of microbial
contamination, and administration durations
of microbially contaminated CSPs exceeding
a few hours increase the potential for clinically
significant microbial colonization and thus for patient harm, especially in critically ill or immunocompromised
patients.

Boiling it down to a few bullet points (thanks to Eric Kastango for providing this summary as part of training at the Baxa STAR Center):

• Exempt from all requirements in <797>
• Only simple aseptic measuring and transfer are needed
• Not more than three drug packages and NO HAZARDOUS DRUGS
• No delays/interruptions
• No contact contamination of ingredients or critical sites
• Dose must be labeled if not administered by the preparer
• Administration must begin within 1 hour after the start of preparation
• Dose must be discarded if adminstration has not begun within 1 hour after the start of preparation. (No storing. No recycling.)

Finally, some questions from the FAQ page on USP 797’s website:

2. What types of sterile compounds can nurses prepare on the floor? Can they draw up IV push medications?

Only Immediate-Use CSPs (Compounded Sterile Preparations) may be prepared in worse (dirtier) than ISO Class 5 environments, such as in clinical patient care areas. Refer to the Immediate Use CSPs section for the six specific criteria.

3. Nurses in our practice currently mix Infliximab in the home just prior to infusion. If we receive an order for 600 mg in 6 vials of 100 mg each admixed in a 250 mL bag of Normal Saline, would this fall outside the Immediate Use CSP as defined in <797>, assuming the bag entry is limited to two?

The standards for Medium-Risk Level CSPs apply, because more than three containers of sterile ingredients are used. When there are more than two entries into one sterile container, this also qualifies as Medium-Risk Level. Increasing quantities of sterile ingredients and manipulations of them increase the risk of dosage and ingredient errors, and microbial contamination.

4. Can nurses draw up IVP medications on the nursing unit? Can they keep the left over drug in a syringe in the patient’s medication drawer for future dosing?

Intravenous medications prepared in worse (dirtier) than ISO Class 5 environments are subject to the standards for Immediate-Use CSPs. Immediate-Use CSPs cannot be stored.

5. Is there a limit of how many times a vial can be entered by a nurse using a single dose vial on a nursing unit within 24 hours?

This practice qualifies as an Immediate-Use CSP. A maximum of two stopper entries is permitted within one hour from when the preparation began for administration to the same patient.

6. Continuous infusion pumps and other devices that are filled with a single ingredient that may require multiple vials and where a Luer lock extension tubing is used to fill the catheter, can this medication be prepared in the operating room in the sterile field? Also can this preparation be administered over several days?

The requirements for Immediate-Use CSPs apply to medications prepared in worse (dirtier) than ISO Class 5 environments. Chapter <797> does not apply to clinical administration practices and conditions; however, the Immediate-Use CSPs section states a warning regarding potential harm to patients from extended administration durations of contaminated CSPs.

7. Can a product be considered immediate use risk level if product/device is administered over multiple days (continuous infusion pumps, insulin pumps, etc.)?

The Immediate-Use CSPs category does not limit the duration of clinical administration of the CSP. Please refer to the answer to question 5.

8. Which risk level would apply to vials with the stopper removed to compound for patient who are allergic to latex? They might be prepared in ISO Class 5 or outside ISO Class 5

The stopper must be removed by contacting only sterile surfaces, e.g., sterile forceps. If stopper and content removal occur within an ISO Class 5 environment, and if the vial is one of three or fewer sterile ingredients, then this qualifies as either a Low-risk Level CSP or a Low-Risk Level CSPs with 12-Hour or Less BUD, depending on whether or not the primary engineering control, PEC or ISO Class 5 source is located in an ISO Class 7 buffer area. If the vial is one of more than three sterile ingredients, then this requires compliance with Medium-Risk Level CSPs standards. If the stopper is removed by contacting only sterile surfaces in worse (dirtier) than an ISO Class 5 environment, then this qualifies as an Immediate-Use CSP.

13. In a code situation with the pharmacist preparing the drugs, what kind of labeling will be necessary?

This will usually be an Immediate-Use CSP for which labeling requirements are described in that section.

15. Is there a standard for preparing intrathecal CSPs?

Standards for compounding intrathecal CSPs are according to the particular microbial contamination risk level. The standards for Low-Risk Level CSPs are, prudently, the least that should be applied to intrathecal CSPs. While not expressly prohibited as Immediate-Use CSPs, intrathecal injections pose the greatest risk of harm and death to patients if contaminated with microorganism and bacterial endotoxins, which is most likely to occur under Immediate-Use CSP conditions.

21. Immediate use CSPs must be administered within one hour following preparation. Must administration be completed within that same hour? With low-risk level CSPs with 12 hour BUD, must administration be completed within those 12 hours?

Administration of Immediate-Use CSPs must begin within 1 hour from the start of their preparation; there is no requirement for the duration of administration. For Low-Risk Level CSPs with 12-Hour or Less BUD, there administration must begin within 12 hours from the start of compounding, but there is no administration duration requirement.

22. If a pharmacy prepares an epidural bag of bupivacaine in 100 mL normal saline, can an anesthesiologist add fentanyl to that same bag on the floor? If so, what would the BUD be?

If fentanyl is added in worse (dirtier) than an ISO Class 5 environment, then this becomes an Immediate-Use CSP, for which there is no administration duration requirement. The Immediate-Use CSPs section states a warning regarding potential harm to patients from extended administration durations of contaminated CSPs.

25. Nursing is known to mix IVPB way ahead of time for administration. What is the BUD?

The BUD for intravenous piggyback (IVPB) infusions depends on the conditions under which they were prepared. For example, when prepared under conditions of Immediate-Use CSPs, infusion must start within 1 hour of starting to prepare the CSP with no time limit to finish the infusion; when prepared under conditions of Low-Risk Level CSPs with 12-Hour or Less BUD, infusion must start within 12 hours of preparing the CSP with no time limit to finish the infusion; when prepared under conditions of Low-Risk Level CSPs, BUD is 48 hours at controlled room temperature (see USP General Notices and Requirements), 14 days at cold temperature (see USP General Notices and Requirements), and 45 days in solid frozen state between -25° and -10°, in the absence of direct sterility testing evidence that supports longer BUDs.

54. Do healthcare practitioners preparing immediate use parenteral products need to gown up, including gloves and mask?

No. Immediate use compounding is exempt from all requirements of the Chapter. That does not preclude the process of performing scrupulous hand hygiene and adhering to appropriate proper aseptic compounding technique.

80. If a nuclear medicine tech prepares a kit from a Tc99m standard preparation sent from a radiopharmacy, would this be considered Immediate Use if it is a single dose? If multiple doses is it considered Low Risk? 12 hr. BUD?

The classification of a radiopharmaceutical kit prepared by a technologist using Technetium 99m Sodium Pertechnetate sent from a radiopharmacy depends upon the environment that is used for its preparation. The kit can be prepared in worse than ISO Class 5 conditions if it is intended for a single dose use within one hour of its preparation. In this case, the technologist must comply with the six conditions specified in the Immediate-Use CSPs category. Also, the prepared radiopharmaceutical kit should not be stored for any anticipated needs.

The kit may be used for multiple doses if it is prepared as a Low-Risk Level CSP with 12-Hour or Less BUD in a segregated compounding area or better environment by a technologist that is properly prepped and garbed.

(For more about USP 797 compliance related to radiopharmacy, visit this website.)

I’d like to share with you a favorite site of mine.  It is:

http://www.raptureready.com

Why is this site important to me?  Well, in my search for end of times prophesy, amidst all of the 2012 rumors, I came upon this wonderful site.  So full of information and facts.  I stayed up all night reading because I was so overcome with the truth of all that they shared.  I realized right then and there that I needed Jesus back in my life, in my family’s life.

They have an absolutely wonderful Frequently Asked Questions page that puts today’s issues in language that’s easy to understand.  It covers just about any subject you could imagine and covers some of those questions that people like me would be too embarrassed to ask at church.  Or even things to think about before joining a church–like how to choose a church.

If you have questions, it’s a great place to start on your search for answers.

Nothing seems as contradictory as buying your first home.  On the upside, you feel very excited at the prospect of finally owning your own house and are eager to call yourself a home owner.  On the downside, buying your first home can be a little frightening and even overwhelming.  Let’s be honest, you haven’t done this before, and the first time doing anything is always the scariest. 

At Catalyst Direct Funding, we understand your feelings of excitement and also intimidation which is why we have created this helpful list of questions and answers.

Should I buy instead of renting?
Honestly, the answer to this question will vary person-to-person.  Both renting and buying have several key advantages.  For example, if your water heater breaks and you rent, you can call your landlord and have him fix it.  However, when you own your home, you are responsible for making repairs and taking on the additional responsibility.  Still, by owning your home you have the freedom and flexibility renters do not have.  You also get tax credits and the satisfaction of knowing you’re investing in yourself and your home, not just writing another rent check.

What is the first-time home buyer tax credit?
Congress passed the Worker, Homeownership and Business Act of 2009 on November 6^, 2009.  The new legislation extends and expands previous credits for first-time home buyers.  In order to claim the new credit, first-time home buyers must buy their homes by April 30, 2010 and close by June 30, 2010.  They will have the option of claiming the credit on their 2009 or 2010 tax return.   Under this Act, first-time home buyers qualify for an $8,000.000 tax credit and repeat home buyers qualify for a $6,500 credit.  More information can be found on the IRS website.

How much will my down payment be?
Usually, home loan lenders will require that you pay 10 – 20% of the principal balance as a down payment.  However, if you obtain an FHA (Federal Housing Administration) loan, you will be responsible for around 3%. 

What if I have bad credit?
If you have bad credit, you aren’t alone!  According to myfico.com, 45% of Americans have bad credit or are making late payments on their bills.  That is a substantial amount of people.  If you have bad credit but still want to buy your first home, there may be local home buying programs you can take advantage of.   You may also qualify for some of the FHA programs offered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  

Do I need help from a real estate professional?
Many first-time home buyers find it advantageous to work with a real estate professional for numerous reasons.  First, real estate professional know the ins-and-outs of the business and real estate in your area.  Second, they can help people acquire home loans.  Finally, a real estate professional can guide you through the entire process.  This will save you a lot of time, money and stress!

If you are looking to buy your first home in San Diego, contact the real estate and mortgage professionals at Catalyst Direct Funding for assistance!

1. how to order smart while going out with friends or family to a restaurant (ie: chinese food, bbq resto, japanese resto, shabu2 resto, indo resto, korean resto) Coz mostly I work, I go out and I would eat out. I don’t know if my Lifestyle is suitable for the rawdiet. Any thoughts?

&

3. How to come up with more recipes so the rawfood menu doesn’t get boring? As u know, I work from 9-5 and its difficult for me to prepare my own food. From ur stories, I presume that u become ur own chef and came up with fantastic recipes. But how can I do it? Coz usually my maid already prepared my lunch box.

The most on-the-go or busiest lifestyles I find are actually the most suitable candidates to getting started raw. Sure there are lots of fancy dishes to make and at first sight, it seems like they are the only way to enjoy them; but these are raw ‘cook’ books we’re talking about that present such recipes. They’re not going to sell their books by telling you to just eat an orange. What most people are forgetting is the fact that whole fruits and vegetables can be enjoyed so effortlessly. A whole banana fuels me up better than a food coma-inducing full plate of bacon, eggs, and beans.

If you had to eat out and want to save your digestion, opt for a salad (that consists of mostly greens, not crisps and cheesy dressings). A vegetarian meal would be my second option. My choice always revolves around the digestive systems, in efforts to alleviate its job as much as possible. The lighter its job, the lighter I’d feel post-meal. Raw gets digested the quickest, followed by cooked vegetarian foods, and finally meats and others that do not belong like.. heavily.. deeply.. fried stuff.

Creating your own recipes will be tricky when you’re not familiar with the diet. Just the same way you would be in learning a new cuisine, regional cuisines work with different techniques and ingredients that require almost always new terms of learning. If you want to learn more, I suggest buying yourself a book and get familiarised. Otherwise, start fueling simple with whole fruits and salads. Play around with seasonings too. Toss some greens together with cut up fruits and dress with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar (whichever, lemon/lime juice does the same job), honey, sea salt and pepper, for example..

2. Do u still drink coffee? Eat icecream, yogurt, fancy drinks, etc? Coz I’m a coffee and yogurt lover. I’m curious.

&

4. Do u eat potatoes? Or what about veggies that need to be cooked first to serve? (Ie: potato, yam, bittergourd, eggplant, etc)

I stopped drinking coffee for a while. Only because my body cleansed at one point and made me all jittery over one serving of coffee. My taste to coffee averted. Though, I had started to drink coffee regularly again recently.

I make delicious raw ice creams.

I am very much fond to frozen yogurts. Where ever I can however, I would try to source for a place where they make fresh frozen yogurts from REAL yogurts. Most of the big, corporate froyo big boys use instant yogurt powders that they mix with water, poured into an soft-serve ice machine, which is fine (just not a preference). Yogurts contain friendly bacteria that are good for you. They are not technically raw nor vegan, and if you’re lactose intolerant it will serve you some problems but, if you can handle eating them, they’re not poisonous.

I rarely eat the vegetables you mentioned. Most of my green intakes come in powder forms I whizz into a smoothie with a banana. Chlorella and Spirulina are my top two superfoods. The darkest green, the richest source of amino acids (building blocks of protein) superfoods.

5. Do u get bored with the rawfoodselection? Is it really fulfilling? Coz usually I need to need carbs (ie: rice, noodles, bread) to feel full. Also most of the nuts that I see in grocery stores are salted. Is this okay, or u munch nuts raw and unsalted?

At first impression, the variety of raw foods dishes may seem limited, but again this is just unfamiliarity. After learning more about the diet, the creativity in creating raw dishes really goes a far way, and they are more fulfilling in a way that they are satiating at much smaller portion, this is my personal opinion. I find refined starch such as white rice and white bread are less satiating (one bite leads to a crave for the next) than unrefined whole grains such as brown and wild rice, and whole grain bread. I ballpark my theory on “the more processed or refined it is, the less satisfying.”

Salted nuts found in grocery stores have been roasted (cooked). Having said that, raw nuts are coated with what is called ‘enzyme inhibitors’; enzyme inhibitors are the dormant keepers of nuts and seeds in preventing them from sprouting into life before they are placed in the right environment of soil and moisture. Consuming them require a tremendous amount of digestive enzymes, causing an increase workload in the pancreas. In raw food preparations, all nuts have been soaked to remove all inhibitor coatings, and then seasoned and air dried in a dehydrator. The end result is similar in texture to roasted nuts. It is difficult to home-make in some parts of the world for dehydrators are not yet commercially available. So in essence, it is better to eat roasted nuts than raw.

6. I want to try to eat raw, but how can I do it? What shud be my first step? I’m afraid I’ll get bored with the taste after the 3rd day. Yikes. Will I feel the difference of boost of energy if I eat raw every other day?

Read my first week experience post. After that week, it was no longer taste that drove me into the commitment in staying raw although taste do not need to be sacrificed. It’s not all nasty green stuff that most people think. They’re all astoundingly yummy, especially the guiltless desserts..

Get a raw food book. Or wait for my book. Ha!

7. From ur stories of foodculinary, u ate enchiladas (are they raw? I thought they’re cooked), tiramisu, etc etc. Is it because u crave for them? Or u’re actually allowing urself to indulge in normal food once in a while.

They are all raw, only that they have been named after cooked dishes for familiarity of food forms. In answering your second part of the question, I still indulge in whatever I want to eat. 23 years of cooked diet is a long time to reverse and I still get cravings every now and again. There is never a restraint in my choice of food. I’m VERY raw, and I found my point of balance between raw and cooked.

8. I want to be toned. Not rail thin. Is bikram yoga the only solution? Or I can do it another way? Coz usually when I hit the gym, I participate in the classes (cycling, bodypump, bodycombat) but № significant result yet. Boo-hoo.

There’s never one solution. There are plenty of ways in getting around being fit. Just incorporate cardio, strength, and flexibility exercises. The key is consistency to results. Don’t do them on and off, find something you can be comfortable in doing over a long period of time.

9. I’m very much a food lover…I don’t know if I can do this. But it seems that u can manage urself so well. What’s ur secret in curbing ur appetite and crave for normal food? Coz I always give in when I see sumthing I like.

This is the idea of perfection that everyone needs to overcome. A lot of people are taking this way too seriously as if it’s a religion or something like it. Everyone can benefit from every little helping of raw foods when incorporated into their diets. 10% is better than 0%. Get that idea off your head or you’ll go insane.

-Dom

strawberries and chives living together in harmony

Q: In your new Strawberry Companion Beds, why are chives and borage planted with strawberries?

A: Chives are pest repellent to keep pests away from the strawberries. They are also edible. Chives will spread but they tend to be balanced by the spreading of the strawberries. Borage is an attractant for beneficial insects as well as an edible flower.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q: In your new Asparagus Companion Beds, why are alyssum and dill planted with asparagus?

A: Dill is an attractant for beneficial insects. Alyssum is also an attractant as well as good ground cover for suppressing weeds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you have questions about Backyard Harvest, backyard farming or urban permaculture? Just ask and we will do our best to answer!

Data Capacity of CDs [Tutorial]

Abstract
You can fit on a S/VCD without overburning:
- approx. 735 MB of MPEG data onto a 74min/650MB disc
- approx. 795 MB of MPEG data onto an 80min/700MB disc

You can fit on a CD-ROM without overburning:
- approx. 650 MB of data onto a 74min/650MB disc
- approx. 703 MB of data onto an 80min/700MB disc

—————————————————————-

Introduction
Let us ignore for now the terms of megabyte for CD capacity and try to understand how the data is stored on a CD.

As well all know, the data is stored digitally as binary data. This means, however the actual information is actually kept on the disc, this information is in the form of “1″s and “0″s. Physically, the information on a CD is as pits on a thin sheet of metal (aluminium).

An a CD-R disc, the data is physically on an organic dye layer which simulates the metal layer on a real pressed CD.

—————————————————————-

How is the information structured
Now, on the CD, the information isn’t just organised from beginning to end willy-nilly. Otherwise, it would be really hard to find a useful piece of information on the CD.

Rather, the information is organised in sectors. Consider a sector as like a page in a book. Just like you are able to quickly find something in a book if you know the page number, you can quickly find something on a CD if you know the sector number.

Now, remember that the CD was original made to hold audio data. It was decided, that the CD would would 75 sectors per second of audio. Although I cannot guess where this number comes from, it is quite appropriate for the audio CD. It means that you can “seek” an audio CD accurately to 1/75th of a second — which is more than enough for consumer purposes.

Now, with this in mind, we can work out the total data capacity of user data for 1 sector.

—————————————————————-

The total data capacity of user data of 1 sector on a CD
CD audio uses uncompressed PCM stereo audio, 16-bit resolution sampled at 44.1 kHz.

Thus 1 second of audio contains:
16 bits/channel * 2 channels * 44100 samples/second * 1 second
= 1411200 bits
= 176400 bytes

Since there are 75 sectors per second
1 sector
= 176400 bytes / 75
= 2352 bytes

One sector on a CD contains 2352 bytes max.

—————————————————————-

The concept of different MODES and FORMS of burning
Now, audio CD was well and good, but the medium would become much more useful if you could store other data on the disc as well. This became to be know as CD-ROM of course.

Now, the audio-CD uses the ENTIRE sector for audio data.

However, for CD-ROMs this caused a problem. Simply, CDs and the CD reading mechanisms were not 100% faultless. That is, errors (indeed frequent errors) could be made during the reading. For audio CDs, this does not matter as much as you could simply interpolate from the adjacent audio samples. This will obviously NOT DO for data CDs. A single bit error could lead to a program being unexecutable or ruin an achive file.

Thus, for CD-ROMs, part of each sector is devoted to error correction codes and error detection codes. The CD-R FAQ has the details, but in effect, only 2048 bytes out of a total of 2352 bytes in each sector is available for user data on a data CD.

This burning mode is either MODE1 or MODE2 Form1.

—————————————————————-

MODE2 Form2 sectors of VCDs and SVCDs
Now, for VCDs and SVCDs, the video tracks do not necessarily require the robust error correction as normal data on a CD-ROM. However, there is still some overhead per sector that is used for something other than video data (e.g., sync headers).

S/VCDs video tracks are burnt in what is called MODE2 Form2 sectors. In this mode, only 2324 bytes out of a total of 2352 bytes in each sector is available for user data.

This is MUCH MORE than for CD-ROMs, but still less per sector than audio CD.

—————————————————————-

The disc capacities of CD-ROMs, audio-CDs and VCDs
Now, obviously what ultimately determines the capacity of a disc is the total number of sectors it contains. This is similar to the total number of pages in a blank exercise book (if you recall the book analogy).

The secondary determinant is the burning mode of the disc.

For audio CDs, it is as if you could fill each page from top to bottom with audio data as the entire sector is used for audio data.

For CD-ROMs, it is as if you need to first rule a margin and then leave the bottom part of each page for footnotes (headers + ECC + EDC). The amount of text you can actually write per page is then less due to these other constraints.

For S/VCDs, we still need to rule a margin on the page, but we don’t have to worry about the footnotes (headers). We can fit MORE text than a CD-ROM, but less than an audio-CD.

Now remember, 1 second on a CD = 75 sectors.

Thus:
- 74 min CD = 333,000 sectors
- 80 min CD = 360,000 sectors
Data capacity in Mb for an audio-CD
74 min
= 333,000 sectors * 2352 bytes / sector
= 783216000 bytes
= 746.9 Mb

80 min
= 360,000 sectors * 2352 bytes / sector
= 846720000 bytes
= 807.5 Mb
Data capacity in Mb for a CD-ROM
74 min
= 333,000 sectors * 2048 bytes / sector
= 681984000 bytes
= 650.4 Mb

80 min
= 360,000 sectors * 2048 bytes / sector
= 737280000 bytes
= 703.1 Mb
Data capacity in Mb for a S/VCD
74 min
= 333,000 sectors * 2324 bytes / sector
= 773892000 bytes
= 738.0 Mb

80 min
= 360,000 sectors * 2324 bytes / sector
= 836640000 bytes
= 797.9 Mb

—————————————————————-

Conclusions
As you can see, the often quoted capacities of 650MB and 700MB refer to CD-ROM capacities.

Due to the fact that S/VCDs use a different burning mode where MORE of each sector is available as user data, the relatively capacities are HIGHER.

Now, since S/VCDs are not composed of PURELY video tracks and have some unavoidable overheads, the actually total capacity left for video tracks is a few Mb less for each disc (about 735 Mb for 74min discs and 795 Mb for 80min discs). This is where the often quoted capacities of 740MB and 800MB come from. They are quite accurate.

All these capacities are available BEFORE overburning. Overburning is where you burn MORE sectors than the disc is rated for. If you overburn, you can typically achieve about 1-2 minutes of additional capacity (depending on your drive and media).

—————————————————————-

@tweetitow is having problems signing up for unlimited text services of Smart and Sun. For now, ‘receiving updates’ is temporarily disabled until we figured out the best way to get back at them to renew the unlimited text subscription for Smart and Sun. We’re going lie-low for now with the ‘receive updates’ feature for the Sun and Smart users.

Yesterday, when we try to renew the SMARTEXT (unlimited text service) of the Smart gateway, we received a message that our account can no longer avail of the said service.

Smart's message

While Sun cellular has cut off our 1-month subscription of unlimited text to 2 weeks. Then, we reloaded it with a 1-week unlimited text, and they again cut it off after 2 days.

The GOOD news is you can still send you tweet updates via @tweetitow’s Smart and Sun gateway (Of course, they earn from that so they will not cut it.).

The BEST NEWS is 2-way SMS update (send and receive) is still working with GLOBE. Mabuhay ang Globe!

If you have any suggestions on how to solve this David and Goliath story, please drop them as comments or email @owrange at rbuenconsejo@gmail.com.

Thanksgiving means two things: lots of food and lots of dirty dishes. And more dirt requires more soap, right?

WRONG.

Despite what you might think, too much soap can actually prevent your dishes from getting clean — especially on the top rack.

You should only use about half the amount of detergent recommended on the package. And if you have a water softener, you need only 1-2 teaspoons of powder — even less if you use liquid.

I think these people may have used too much detergent.

Too much soap can cause over-sudsing. Our customer service representative Maghan explained to me that the dishwasher tries to drain as much of the soap suds and food residue as it can. But when too much soap is used and it produces  so many suds, the dishwasher can’t drain it all in the time allowed.

So instead of draining, the soap bubbles pop inside, redepositing tiny food particles back onto the dishes, which show up most on glassware and silverware.

How do you know if you’re over-sudsing? Run a cycle without any soap. If suds are left at the bottom of the tub, you’re over-sudsing.

To remedy, we suggest a “vinegar cycle”:

• Empty any dishes and shut soap door, without adding any detergent
• Run dishwasher until it gets to the wash cycle
• Open the door and check if the dispenser flap has opened
  • If it hasn’t, run for another minute or so until the flap opens
  • If the flap has opened, add the 1 cup vinegar and run through the full cycle.

You might have to repeat the process two or three times to ensure you’ve eliminated the build up of soap. Maghan also suggests trying a dishwasher cleaner like Glisten or Dishwasher Magic.

And I’ve said it again but I will continue to harp on about using rinse aid. It’s not just for looks, people! Maghan reminds us dishwashers today come designed to use rinse aid to help dry, as they lack a built-in fan.

So remember: gorge on turkey, just go easy on the soap, OK?

Photo credit:

Thankfulness Brunch

Just a reminder that tomorrow is our Sequoia Team Thankfulness brunch.  If you have not already volunteered to donate something, you can still send in a healthy snack to feed 20 tomorrow morning.  Also, the students will still need to bring a lunch as they will be having healthy snacks, not a full meal for the brunch.

Book Orders

Book orders are due this Friday! Please make sure to have your order in by then if you are interested.

Fill-A-Stocking

This year instead of a classroom gift exchange we will be participating in a Salvation Army program called Fill-A-Stocking.  The letter regarding this program came home on Friday, November 20th and is also posted on our blog.  Donations for this care project are due to the classroom by Dec 4th.

Canned Food Drive

Canned and boxed food donations are due by December 11th.  If you are able to help out with worthy cause please send in your donation by the 11th.

Please Join Us! I will be exhibiting 5 monotype paintings in this exhibit along with many diverse, talented artists. I have had a sneak peak at the work and guarantee you will not be disappointed! The exhibit is held in the Converse Gallery at the Norwich Free Academy. I would LOVE to see you at our opening reception! If you have never been to the NFA and the Slater Gallery you are in for a treat as their collections are expansive, informative gems.

The reception for the artists, friends and the public will be held

Saturday, December 5, 2009 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The reception is open to all and free with museum admission. Light refreshments will be served. Click here for directions to the museum.

Printing demonstrations will be held:

Saturday, December 5, 2009 (The day of the opening!!!)

Sunday, January 10, 2010 &

Sunday January 17, 2010

Hope to see you there! ~Laura

You must be clear about your real motivation for being in business as this will help in all stages of growth.  You will need to assess your past business-related and inter-personal skills to see how well you are prepared before starting.  You could also identify and compare personality and business traits common to successful entrepreneurs.  These traits are personal attributes that are important for anyone to have who is starting or running a small business. This can include persistence and full commitment to doing what is needed; having the ability to face facts of the marketplace; being able to minimize risks as you start and grow; being well organized for all operations; being a hands-on learner as you take on new risks; and being able to understand and use the “numbers” of a business.

Paul

Next time: What business should I choose? How do I know I have a viable business idea?

As baratas vão dominar o mundo?

As baratas são animais extremamente resistentes. Um indivíduo adulto pode viver até 1 mês sem alimento, 2 semanas sem água e pode ficar 40 minutos submerso; a casca dura de quitina pode suportar várias chineladas; patas perdidas podem ser regeneradas após alguns dias. Além disso, características anatômicas, ou seja, o formato achatado do corpo, possibilitam deslocamento por fendas de 1,6 mm e proteção em vãos muito pequenos. Existe a discussão sobre o possível domínio do mundo pelas baratas após uma guerra nuclear. É claro que isso é uma lenda, mas, como todas as outras, tem uma base na verdade. De fato, as baratas, em especial suas ootecas, se mostram com uma resistência acima da média para a radioatividade e altas temperaturas. Além disso, elas poderiam se esconder facilmente em casos de desastres globais, garantindo sua sobrevivência, e também podem produzir um grande número de descendentes, cerca de 100 mil por casal.

As baratas são irmãs dos cupins?

Estudos têm mostrado grandes similaridades entre as baratas e os cupins, sendo estes últimos algumas vezes considerados como “baratas sociais”. Além de corpos e fisiologia parecidos, ambos os grupos apresentam simbiose com protozoários para digestão de madeira, ou seja, eles possuem esses microorganismos no intestino para produção da enzima celulase. Características moleculares (de DNA e RNA) também apontam grau de parentesco.

Baratas podem viver sem cabeça?

Diferente dos mamíferos, os principais órgãos vitais dos insetos e, é claro, das baratas, não estão na cabeça: os corações estão ao longo de um vaso dorsal no tórax e abdome, o sistema nervoso é formado por gânglios espalhados pelo corpo, o ar para a respiração entra por meio de espiráculos laterais no abdome. Tudo isso, somado à baixa pressão interna que evita grandes perdas de hemolinfa (o “sangue” dos insetos), permite que as baratas vivam até um mês sem cabeça, morrendo de fome após esse período. Vale usar essas informações também para explicar o que é aquela melequinha branca que sai das baratas esmagadas: principalmente gordura, que envolve as víceras.

Qual é a maior barata do mundo?

A maior barata do mundo foi encontrada em uma caverna de Bornéu, no sudeste asiático, medindo 10 cm. Apesar de ser uma barata muito bonita, com coloração azul-metálica, foi inicialmente chamada de “barata monstro” pelos pesquisadores. Porém, a maior barata do mundo já conhecida já não existe mais. Ela somente foi vista em um fóssil encontrado em Ohio, Estados Unidos, e tem o tamanho de um rato. Já as menores baratas do mundo têm de 2 a 4 mm e, por serem tão pequenas, vivem em ninhos de formigas. Algumas baratas d’água possuem mais de 10cm de comprimento, no entanto, apesar do nome, elas não são baratas, mas hemípteros, como os barbeiros. Quer dizer, elas são grandes percevejos aquáticos.

Por que as baratas morrem de pernas pra cima?

Não existem estudos científicos que justifiquem esse fato, mas há duas explicações aceitáveis. A primeira, do entomologista José Henrique Guimarães, da Universidade de São Paulo, diz que as baratas morrem de barriga para cima porque geralmente os insetos andam em paredes e superfícies verticais, e quando sentem os efeitos do veneno, caem dessas superfícies. Dessa forma, é bem provável que a barata caia de costas. Nessa visão, se borrifarmos veneno em uma barata andando no chão, ela morrerá na posição normal, com as asas para cima. A segunda explicação, do departamento técnico da fabricante de inseticidas Reckitt Benckiser, diz que os insetos viram de barriga para cima para poderem respirar melhor e se recuperar da ação do veneno.

Baratas curam doenças?

De acordo com a Agência Nova China, cientistas do Instituto Médico de Yunnan, no sudoeste da China, afirmam ter encontrado nas baratas componentes químicos que podem auxiliar na luta contra a AIDA, pois possuem efeitos similares aos do AZT. Os testes conduzidos em laboratório mostraram que a descoberta pode ser realmente eficaz, porém o grupo ainda não garante se os insetos poderão ser usados para produção de medicamentos.

Por que é tão difícil caçar uma barata?

A barata é a campeã de velocidade no reino animal. A dificuldade que se tem para caçar uma barata foi objeto de pesquisa na Universidade Hebraica de Jerusalém, Israel. Os cientistas descobriram que ela pode percorrer um metro por segundo. Considerando-se o seu tamanho, proporcionalmente para um homem, equivaleria correr a 150 quilômetros por hora. A barata é também campeã de dribles. Ela é capaz de desviar o rumo, em plena corrida, 25 vezes por segundo. O registro foi feito com uma câmera de vídeo especial.

Crediti: Shay Stephens

Quando la Luna piena è molto bassa sull’orizzonte ci sembra più “grande” di quando è alta nel cielo, specie se la vediamo vicino ad un oggetto noto come un albero, una casa, una collina o un grattacielo.

Si tratta di un effetto ottico di percezione, non ancora ben chiarito dagli scienziati che studiano questi fenomeni legati alla visione. Sembra che il nostro cervello, quando vede la Luna accanto ad un oggetto noto, tenda a restituircene un’immagine ingrandita. Non bisogna infatti dimenticare che i nostri occhi sono solo l’apparato tecnico della visione, ma è il cervello che ricostruisce e “giudica” l’immagine che gli occhi gli passano.

Per convincersi che in realtà le dimensioni della Luna non cambiano, basta fare una prova molto semplice: in una notte di Luna piena, mettersi in posizione da cui poterla vedere fin dal momento in cui sorge sopra l’orizzonte. Con il braccio teso misurane il diametro apparente, ossia quello che si vede: basta ad esempio tenere un righello in mano e leggere il valore del diametro apparente. Poi si aspetta che la Luna sia alta in cielo e si ripete la stessa misura, sempre con il braccio ben teso per poter fare un confronto con quel che si è fatto nella prima fase della osservazione. Le due misure del diametro lunare (compatibilmente con un po’ di approssimazione dovuta al fatto che la tecnica di misura usata non è precisissima!) risulteranno uguali.