SAN DIEGO, Calif. – December 15, 2009 – The Fluke 1735 Three-Phase Power Logger is the ideal electrician or technician’s tool for conducting energy studies and basic power logging. Set up in seconds, with the included flexible current probes and color display. The 1735 logs most electrical power parameters, harmonics and captures voltage events.

Designed to measure the most critical three-phase power parameters, the Fluke 1735 can log rms voltage/current, phase angle, voltage events, voltage and current THD, voltage and current harmonics up to the 50th, active/reactive power, active/reactive energy and more. With memory for up to 45 days of data, the 1735 can uncover intermittent or hard to find issues.

The Fluke 1735 power logger can be used for the following applications: monitors maximum power demand over user-defined averaging periods, proves the benefit of efficiency improvements with energy consumption tests, measures harmonic distortion caused by electronic loads and improves reliability by capturing voltage dips and swells from load switching.

For further instructions on how to use the Fluke 1735, please visit the media section of Advanced Test Equipment Rentals’ News Room and view our Fluke 1735 ‘How-to-Video’.

About Advanced Test Equipment Rentals
Advanced Test Equipment Rentals is a provider of test equipment for Defense, Communications, Automotive, Aerospace and related industries. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Advanced Test Equipment Rentals has over 28 years of experience and services clients worldwide. Additional information about Advanced Test Equipment is available at http://www.atecorp.com.

Contact:
(888) 485-ATEC (2832)
Rentals@atecorp.com

###

It seems that announcements of mergers and acquisitions by insurance technology vendors are made daily, and a recent report by Novarica says this is not likely to change anytime soon.

In June 2008, Novarica predicted that M&A in the insurance software sector would continue, and the recent acquisitions of SceneGenesis by Mitchell, and McCamish by InfoSys proved them right. Also, with the purchases of EZ Data and Peak Performance by Ebix, and AgencyPort by Sword Group, Novarica says smaller, publicly traded companies are beginning to move more aggressively into this market, which has been dominated over the last few years by venture and private equity-[backed firms.

While analyst estimates vary, the general consensus is that U.S. insurers spend approximately $2 to $4 billion or more on industry-specific software applications per year, so it?s important insurers protect themselves.

Novarica suggests insurers understand which category their independent software vendors (ISV) are in, who is likely to buy them and why. For example, acquisitions of a ?Rising Star? (an ISV entering the market with a new approach that will gain traction) or a ?Good Tech, Small Company? (founder-controlled ISV that has a solid but not rapidly growing customer base) is likely to result in increased investment in the product, while acquisitions of stagnating product providers are likely to results in forced conversions or migrations. Insurers should protect themselves as much as possible through contractual means, including demanding base code escrow and service level guarantees that survive change of control.

M&A in the insurance industry can become complicated. Unlike other industries where a technical monoculture has evolved (e.g. banking, manufacturing), Novarica says, the insurance software market is highly fragmented by:

? Size: with a few dozen insurers with more than $5 billion in premium revenue, another 100 or so with more than $1 billion, more than 300 with more than $100 million and close to 1,000 with less than $100 million.

? Lines of business: with personal, commercial, specialty, workers comp, life, annuity, disability, health and other product sets all requiring different types of core software solutions.

? Distribution model: with insurers who sell directly or use captive agents, independent agents/brokers and large brokers such as Aon, Marsh and Willis all having different needs.

©2009 Insurance Networking News and SourceMedia, Inc. All rights reserved

Insurance Jobs Fall for 12th Straight MonthConsumers Missing Out on Discounts

Tektronix, a company dedicated to supply excellent test and measurement solutions and services for communications networks, computer technologies introduced its 5.5 digit and 6.5 digit resolution digital multimeters (DMMs) from the DMM4000 Series, said to be precision measurement tools designed as a solution for debugging complex electronics and validating circuit design.

Tektronix claims that its DMM Series could provide the versatility and precision engineers need for their most demanding measurements as it integrates with its National Instruments LabVIEW SignalExpress. The latter is actually an interactive instrument software that allows quick acquisition, analysis, and presentation of data from multiple instruments, and provides functionalities for measurements and data logging to be exported to Excel. Its DMM4000 Series is a collection of bench instruments that uses this software and has further extended debug capabilities. The series includes DMM4040 and DMM4050, two tools designed with front panel USB port for easy data logging and instrument setup storage. The DMM4050 has a capacity to accurately measure milli or micro volts.

Tektronix claims to enhance the versatility and precision in measurement of voltage, current, frequency, period, diode, capacitance, resistance and temperature with its 5.5 digit and two 6.5 digit models. Both have front-panel buttons, providing a fast access to functions and parameters that are used most of the times. The 6.5 digit DMM4040 and DMM4050 features a graphical display that can show histogram, trend plotting and statistical analysis features.

All models come with a three-year limited warranty and include a limited edition of the National Instruments LabVIEW SignalExpress Tektronix Edition software.

Big Fluke hittin’ us with yet another grimey mix to listen too! Plenty of fresh stuff on here.. keep an eye out for him in the New Year – I hear big things are a brewin’!

—

Fluke – Vol. 6 // 320k

Which is better; the domestic cat or the domestic dog?  This is a silly question and is like asking which you would prefer; a million pounds or being forced to endure another season of ‘The X Factor’.  One of the choices is a joy, the other an evil feline.  The way I see it is how long it would take my pet to eat me if I died in the flat and left them with no food.  My loyal pooch would begin by lying at my feet and pining for his master; perhaps choosing starvation rather than sully my corpse.  A cat on the other hand would be nibbling on my cheeks faster than you can say, “self obsessed preen freak”.  Cat people like them for their independence and better than thou attitude; these people would be gluttons for punishment and deserving of being ignored by the people in their lives.  Dog people like the friendship and unconditional love a dog brings – even if they do stink and gas up the house.  It’s clear from ‘Fluke’ that James Herbert is a dog person; but would one of the masters of horror make their mutt into Cerberus? 

He became aware when he was amongst others of his kind in a pen.  Instinctually he knew that he had to act cute if he was to be chosen, but he also knew by instinct that he was different.  Fluke is a dog who thinks he is a man, or a man who thinks he is a dog.  His keen intelligence is more than just doggy brains, but the nagging feeling that he was once a man.  He is aware of a wife and child that he had left behind and must try and rediscover, but will they recognise him?  On this journey Fluke will come across other creatures, most of them simple in nature, but others with intelligence like his.  Can the man inside the dog escape before instinct takes over?  Why has he been trapped in this body, or why does he think he used to be a man?

Over the years I have been greatly entertained by Herbert’s tales of horror.  He has a very poetic style of writing and graces the page with a supernatural feel rather than OTT horror.  However, when he needs to portray the macabre he does it brilliantly like the fire scene in ‘The Shrine’.  With his back catalogue in mind I decided to read his 1977 novel ‘Fluke’ only to discover that there are more strings to his bow.  Although there are moments of the supernatural (dogs can see ghosts) they have no impact on the story and this is instead the tale of how a dog thinks it is a man and the journey he takes to discover the truth.

Fluke starts the book as a roaming soul and visits several different homes meaning that it sometimes feels more like a series of short stories than a novel.  The sections in the junk yard and with the aggressive granny are particularly good.  Despite their enjoyable nature the actual central concept of a dog trying to discover if he had a past life is only mentioned off and on until the final third.  Suddenly the book hurtles towards its conclusion as revelations hit Fluke page after page.  This gave the book a slightly disjointed feel as the whimsical nature of the majority is replaced with slight thrills towards the end.  Any sense of conclusion was not really needed as the journey was the enjoyment.

This enjoyment is down to the quality of Herbert’s writing and his portrayal of Fluke.  This is a dog with the instincts of an animal, but also some human intelligence.  Therefore, we are treated to explanations about a dog’s nature straight from the horse mouth (or in this case the dog).  Told entirely in first person from Fluke’s perspective the book should be a struggle to read.  However, I find Herbert to be one of the most skilled horror writers around and he tackles the life of a dog well.

This book is not a horror by any standard and instead is a curio for lovers of dogs.  Herbert captures the joy of what it must be to act like a dog and uses his usual accomplished prose to put it on the page.  As a fan of Herbert I liked ‘Fluke’ just because it was so gentle compared to his other works – almost a love note to the concept of dogginess.  The failings in the narrative to be a complete story is not an issue as the series of tales are better for their piece meal nature and suit the book.  Anyone who has an interest in dogs will enjoy the book and perhaps those looking for something completely different to read (unless they have read ‘Woof’ or ‘The Dog Days of Arthur Cane’.)

Author:                 James Herbert

Year:                      1977

Price:                    amazon uk – £4.49

                                play.com – £5.49

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This is a great book for beginners or even experienced network technicians.  It explained some things that other materials haven’t.  Click here to read the Amazon reviews.

This is not photoshop. This photo is the real deal. Call it chance. Call it luck. Maybe a fluke.

What are the odds that when I was trying to capture the unique look of this stop light in a Sellwood neighborhood in Portland that I was able to get this shot when I pushed the silver button?!…

wait. wait. don’t. tell. me.

Curt Eysink is an unpopular man.

Less than three months after assuming his post as executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, he told a panel charged with overhauling the state’s higher education system: “We’re producing a workforce that we cannot employ in Louisiana.”

The problem? Too many four-year college grads and not enough low-skill and vocational trade workers.

Where is the job growth?

The service industry.

“[O]ccupational forecasts that show the state will produce 10,312 more four-year graduates than there are jobs to fill between 2008 and 2016, while at the same time there are 3,892 more jobs available requiring associates’ or technical degrees than there are people to fill them, ” reports Jan Moller of the Times Picayune.

Fairly or not, such news equates in Americans’ minds with sub par wages. And low-wage prospects make Americans see red.

“If I saw the strongest growth area was ushers, lobby attendants and ticket-takers, I’d leave Louisiana too,” said Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Outside of Louisiana this story has not gained much traction. But it is far from a Louisiana fluke.

“According to the Forgotten MiddleSkill Jobs reports by The Workforce Alliance, middle-skill occupations, which require more than a high school education but less than a four-year degree, make up roughly half of all employment in the nation, compared with only 1/3 of high-skill occupations that require at least a four-year education,” writes Ann Pace in “The Forgotten Middle Worker“, published in September.

Louisiana was not among the states studied but it very well could have been: The Workforce Alliance analysis of middle-skill job demands include Washington, Oregon, California, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Rhode Island — all of which have proven consistent with the national outlook, survey reports show.

Welcome to the future, America.

The mainstream media is either entirely oblivious to real job trends, or chooses to keep Americans in the dark because a future filled with ticket-takers, cashiers, healthcare aides, auto mechanics and electricians isn’t the kind of news we want to hear. To the contrary, syndicated New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, in October, argued that “our schools are failing” to promote American competitiveness, in part, because we allegedly have a shortage of science, engineering, mathematics and other such high-tech grads. The “new untouchables“, by Friedman’s definition, are those who maintain an innovative and stable career in an increasingly cutthroat economy.

Message: Make schools more competitive. This will cure America’s globalized bellyache.

Improving student literacy, of course, is never a waste of time. What Friedman and others fail to take under consideration, however, is that few Americans work in the field they studied in college. That includes so-called STEM grads (science, technology, engineering and math majors).

But wait, it gets better!

Susan Hockfield, MIT’s president, takes the argument to a whole new level of absurdity in an October opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal in which she pleas for immigration reform to allow more foreign-born STEM grads to stay in the U.S. for permanent work as “jobs creators” and “Nobel winners”.

Who hires those foreign grads on H-1B visas? Microsoft, Google and other heavy hitters. This is the last thing most Americans call job creation. Hockfield’s suggestion reeks, instead, of domestic job displacement. Why? Because fewer U.S. citizens are likely to pursue challenging Ph.D.-level curriculum when their post-graduation economic stability is undercut by inexpensive foreign talent (insourcing/outsourcing). American-born students aren’t stupid, they’re pragmatic: What incentive is there to incur massive student loan debts if at best “employment insecurity” is the reward for the effort? And finally, to add insult to injury, independent studies from The Urban Institute, RAND Corp., Duke and Rutgers University, among others, say the so-called demand for high-tech and high-skill foreign workers doesn’t even exist — and that was true before the Great Recession cut loose thousands of qualified workers, dumping them back into the open market:

Is Anybody Safe?

Here’s how Eysink gets it right and the corporate and academic sources often quoted on this subject slant it wrong: Highly skilled foreign students aren’t coming to American universities to pursue jobs as lobby attendants or cashiers on the one hand, or the better paying “skilled trades”, such as auto mechanics, electricians and machinists, on the other. They are pursuing cream-of-the-crop professional skills whereas non-manufacturing jobs that require hands-on skills are relatively unscathed. After all, if your pipes burst you aren’t calling a plumber in China; your hairdresser will not be replaced anytime soon with a computerized robot; and your auto body repairperson is unlikely to be supplanted by a foreign grad student.

Nobody is arguing that these are ideal aspirations for Americans — only that middle-skill jobs are relatively safe from the insource/outsource phenomena. But when lettuce pickers and high-tech whiz kids are both here on work visas — if legally at all — watch out.

That should scare us.

When Eysink says that vocational and low-skill jobs are where much of the growth projections are, he’s only saying what everyone working on behalf of community and state employment agencies already knows.

What is telling is that Eysink’s neck has been slashed for sticking it out too far.

Eysink’s blunt outlook flies in the face of the education-as-a-panacea argument that has been the politically correct solution to all that ails the U.S. economy for at least 30 years now. Might tax incentives drive U.S. corporations to seek greener pastures offshore? Naw. Might looser environmental and human rights standards make foreign labor attractive? Naw. Might this be a predictable outgrowth of border-free trade? Naw. Let’s just dismiss all those larger-than-life realities and jump on the little guy at a state agency for saying what we already knew but are too afraid to admit.

The School of Hard Knocks

Following the conventional go-back-to-school advice, unemployed Americans are enrolling in schools of all stripe. Those educational pursuits often involve taking out student loans. If obtaining anything short of high-demand professional or trade skills isn’t going to cut it in this Brave New Economy — and the national jobless rates hover above 10 percent as many economists project — it suggests that many freshly minted grads and their return-to-school adult counterparts will not secure stable employment by which to repay educational debts.

The next consumer debt “bubble” to burst the American economy before the effects of the Great Recession are entirely behind us may well be a student lending bubble. Louisiana state Governor Bobby Jindal isn’t the only one reading the writing on the wall. Other states are following suit, attempting to prevent a tsunami of student loan defaults at a time when more prospective students are clamoring for a university education and the academic loans to fund them.

What makes misguided career advisement particularly unforgivable, in the end, is that we Americans are only doing what we’ve been told to do by media, educators and the President himself: Earn new or improved academic credentials in hopes of securing a better future even if it means a prohibitive amount of debt.

Higher education is never a waste in the aim of creating an informed, well-rounded citizen. Economic betterment is also a useful reason to invest in education — assuming one’s skills aren’t so easily ravaged by globalization. As for the rest of the American public?

A rude awakening. And another swipe at an already ailing economy to boot.

Ah, but thankfully there is a silver lining: All hope is not lost for children who fail to become the academic superstars this Brave New Economy demands. Friedman and his pontificating friends may not appreciate it now, but America’s new untouchable may be Joe the Plumber.

Judging from the state of America’s aged and crumbling infrastructure, we’re going to need more Joes than we know.

###

Resources

State Labor Department Says LA Has Too Many 4-Year College Grads/AP

The Workforce Alliance

Skills2Compete

America’s High-Tech Sweatshops/BusinessWeek

The H-1B Visa Lull Is Only Temporary/BusinessWeek

Is This Why I Went to College?/BusinessWeek

Congress’ H-1B Program Displaces Daughter of Programmers Guild President Out of Job Market

There is No High-Tech Shortage/The Social Contract

The Science Education Myth/BusinessWeek

The Myth of the Math and Science Shortage/Mises Institute

Another Scientist Shortage?/Science Careers

Nine Myths About Public Schools/Gerald Bracey of the Huffington Post

A Look Back: The Near-Myth of Our Failing Schools/The Atlantic

by Brendyn Schneider

The ’87 Lincoln pulled up to the curb, slowly, warily. My grandfather sat next to me in front of his garage, shaking his head.

“Hi Ed!” came from the driver’s side window.

“Whaddaya say, Ed?” my grandfather called back.

When I was ten, everyone was named Ed. I was once painting the main room of my grandfather’s VFW with my brother when he turned to me and said, “Hey, Bren! You’re the only guy here not named Ed!”

He was right. My brother, my father, my grandfather and his two best friends – all Ed. “Brendyn” wasn’t “Ed.” It wasn’t even close. When you’re ten, the last thing you want to be is different.

Back in front of the garage, my grandfather and I watched his friend pull back and forth against the curb in a painstaking search for the perfect parallel park.

“Remember,” my grandfather said, “Herkins can’t hear outta his left ear so talk on the right side, loud. Betcha five bucks he talks about the goddamned peas. The guy gets up at dawn, drives 10 miles out of his way just to save a nickel on a can of vegetables. The jerk.”

I grew up thinking my grandfather hated his friends. They were jerks, dummies and morons. Yet, these dummies never failed to visit my grandfather. Maybe that’s why he complained. They never failed to visit. They were there every day.

He didn’t have a choice, really. With no driver’s license and two hip replacement surgeries, mobility didn’t play a very central role in my grandfather’s life.

“They’re thinking about you, you old grouch,” my grandmother would say, a deep knit in her brow.

When his friends dropped by, they were being thoughtful. Then again, maybe visiting my grandfather was like taking that back pill or asking the men down at the pier if they were catching anything. Maybe it was just another box to check off on the Daily Things To Do list. If that was the case, I’d be ticked off too.

Herkins got out of his car and started down the driveway.

“Fer crissakes, here he comes,” my grandfather mumbled.

“Hey Eddie, I was just over at the A&P.”

“You don’t say.”

“Hey!” Herkins came to an exaggerated stop, smiled big and pointed at me. “Who’s this – your grandson Edward?”

“No, I’m Brendyn,” I said.

Herkins cupped his ear. “What’d he say?”

“I tol’ya,” my grandfather said, “the right ear.”

“His right or mine?”

He waved his hand and said, “Edward and Graham aren’t here, Ed. This is the middle guy, Brendyn.”

“Ohhh. How are you, Brian?”

“It’s Bren-”

“Skip it,” my grandfather mumbled.

“I’m fine, Mr. Herkins. How are you?”

“How am I?”

Old people always repeat the last thing said when they’re upset about something.

“I’ll tell you how I am,” Herkins said, sitting down. “The goddamned A&P up on Hempstead Turnpike – you should see the price they’re asking for lima beans. What a racket!”

“Worse than the peas?”

“Worse than the peas? I gotta drive all the way to East Meadow just to save a couple dollars.”

My grandfather frowned and looked at me. I tried not to laugh.

“You gotta watch these people,” Herkins folded his arms. “They’ll stab you right in the back.”

Ed Herkins was once at his doctor’s office and the conversation turned to his bedside radial clock. This was the old fashioned kind where the hands and numbers glow in the dark. Herkins had heard somewhere that the clock emitted “radiation beams.”

“Is that true, Doc?”

“It is, Ed, but it’s not enough to cause you any harm. Don’t worry about it.”

Herkins did worry. With this confirmation, the clock would have to go. He wanted this radiation machine as far away from him as possible. When he got home, he went straight to his bedroom, grabbed the clock…and moved it to his wife’s side of the bed.

An ’89 Bonneville rumbled to a rest behind Herkins’s car. Ed Goldberg got out and started down the driveway.

“Whaddaya say, Ed?” my grandfather waved.

“Who’s that with you, Eddie – Josephine?” Goldberg asked.

Josephine was my grandmother.

My brother Ed always said that Goldberg sounded like Deputy Dog. For me, his coke bottle glasses got in the way of the comparison.

“Oh! It’s your grandson!” Goldberg said, shaking my hand.

“Hi, Mr. Goldberg.”

“When the hell you gonna get those goddamned eyes fixed?” my grandfather asked.

He had good reason to be concerned. One night, about a year before, my grandfather and his fellow veterans were spilling from their VFW hall. It was just a block from my grandfather’s house so he walked home after the meetings. As he stepped from the curb, Goldberg backed into him with the Bonneville, knocking him down.

“Eddie! I just didn’t see you!”

“You jerk!”

There was no lasting damage but my grandfather never let him forget the incident.

Back in front of the garage, Goldberg began waving his hands. He had pressing news.

“You know who passed away, Eddie?”

Ed Goldberg was Elmont’s obituary column.

“What’s that, Ed?” Herkins cupped his ear.

My grandfather turned to him. “Shaddap!”

“The Commander at Malverne’s American Legion,” Goldberg said. “Lou Goner.”

“Yeah, well, good,” my grandfather replied. “Goddamned pain in the ass.”

I knew who Lou was. My dad and I once dropped in on one of my grandfather’s lodge meetings. There weren’t any stag films going, as I imagined on the car ride over. It was just a bunch of old men hanging around. One of them was Lou Goner. When we arrived, he walked up to me, very excited.

“You’re Duke Schneider’s grandson!”

It wasn’t a question. He declared it.

“Yes. Yes I am.”

“You’re the guy who works on the fishin’ boat! How’s the fluke fishin’ right now now? Still low?”

Another declaration – this one wrong – followed by two questions I had no idea how to answer.

“Uhh…no, that’s Ed, my older brother. He’s a mate on the Laura Lee.”

“Oh,” his face sunk then sprang to life. “Oh! You’re the trumpet player! You’re in the marching band and play in all those competitions, you betcha!”

I smiled. “No, that’s Ed too.”

“That’s Ed too. So, what do you do?”

What did I do? I didn’t know what I did. What do you do at 12? I was confused by pretty girls and fiery old men.

“I act,” I said, finally. “I wanna be an actor.”

“An actor?”

Lou looked away, squinted, then turned toward the group of guys next to the pool table and said, “Okay, let’s get the cards.”

My grandmother came out from the back door with four cans of soda. Herkins and Goldberg cheered.

“Hey, hey! There she is!”

“Here’s your better half, Eddie!”

“Hi Ed. Hello Ed.”

She handed out the sodas and turned to my grandfather. “Well, that’s it. Ron Gilman will have to find his own way down to A.C. The Ladies Auxiliary just voted him off the bus. Forty-two years old. He oughta be ashamed of himself.”

“What happened, Grandma?”

My grandfather turned to me. “What happened? Huh!”

“Ron is the young fella in our group,” my grandmother explained. “We all go down to Atlantic City every few weeks and he’s always been in charge of the movies on the bus. They’re usually pretty good. Well! Coming back on Tuesday, he put on an X-Rated movie.”

Think of it. Forty old people on a Greyhound, just south of Perth Amboy. Their eyelids are heavy, the credits to Yes, Giorgio are just wrapping up, the air is hot and stagnant, and the faint aroma of Bengay floats just above the seats. Ron, completely ripped over the life choices that have brought him to that bus decides to become an historical fact.

“That’s awesome!” I threw my head back and laughed.

“It’s not awesome!” my grandfather replied. “We don’t need to see that! We’re old!”

I get to thinking about my own friends. I wonder whose garage we’ll be sitting in front of when we’re in our seventies. Will the A&P still be cheating people with their peas? Who’s going to hit whom with their car? Will any of us be offended when Ron’s son throws on a porno?

I do know that history likes to repeat itself. If we’re anything like my grandfather and his friends, I’m looking forward to that new first name majority.

***
Read more about my grandfather here:
The Duke
You Get No Bread With One Meatball
Basement Archaeology
***
More stories by Brendyn Schneider can be found at www.brendynschneider.com

© 2009, Brendyn Schneider, reprinted by Dadity.com with permission. Use or reprint not authorized without permission of the author.

Publicado em Portl Fator Brasil em 26/09/2008

São Paulo– A Fluke do Brasil, líder em tecnologia eletrônica portátil de testes e medição, está lançando a Missão Verde, uma nova campanha, com a qual pretende dar sua contribuição para preservar o meio ambiente, diante do aquecimento global.

Segundo Juliana Dalben, gerente de marketing da divisão industrial da Fluke, “a cada multímetro vendido no período de setembro a novembro, será plantada uma árvore e o comprador receberá um brinde como lembrança de sua participação na Missão Verde, após cadastro na Internet”.

Com essa ação, a Fluke reafirma seu compromisso em prol do meio ambiente, ajudando a dispersar os gases do efeito estufa (GEE). “O plantio de árvores em áreas que estão à espera de reflorestamento ajudará a absorver o carbono da atmosfera e ainda preservará o solo, a água e a biodiversidade”, frisa Juliana, lembrando que os multímetros poderão ser adquiridos junto à rede de distribuidores que aderirem à campanha. A lista dos distribuidores participantes pode ser encontrada no site da missão: www.fluke.com.br/missaoverde

Essa iniciativa será realizada em conjunto com a empresa Iniciativa Verde, que ficará responsável pelo plantio e manutenção das árvores, durante dois anos, na Região da Mata Atlântica. A Fluke arcará com todo o investimento para a compra das mudas e o plantio. Conheça mais sobre a Iniciativa Verde e, a partir de outubro, acompanhe essa Missão no site da Iniciativa verde: www.thegreeninitiative.com

Perfil da Fluke – A Fluke Corporation é líder mundial em ferramentas eletrônicas de teste e software para manufatura, distribuição, e serviços elétricos e eletrônicos. Fundada em 1948, a empresa tem alcançado posição de destaque em todos os mercados nos quais compete e sua marca é reconhecida pela portabilidade, robustez, segurança, fácil utilização e padrões rígidos de qualidade. Pertencente à holding Danaher Corporation, a Fluke tem sede em Everett, Washington, EUA. Os complexos fabris estão situados nos EUA, Reino Unido e Holanda. A Fluke Corporation possui subsidiárias e canais representantes em mais de 100 países na Europa, América do Norte, América do Sul, Ásia e Austrália e emprega aproximadamente 4.000 pessoas no mundo.

On Sunday I was sat with Sibyl, my grandparents and another friend as we ate a lovely meal. The subject of my Taid (Grandad)’s cousin; Robert Maynard Jones (Uncle Bobi) to me came up. Taid spoke about how multi talented he was, that he could speak fluently in Welsh & French as well as being good at painting, and rugby and being one of the most prolific writers in the history of the Welsh language on top of that.

I recalled that he had once been given the task of teaching Prince Charles some Welsh; a surreal experience I’m sure. Apparently he was uninterested in talking about theological matters, but very ready to share his dissatisfaction with Prime minister Harold Wilson.

This conversation sparked my interest and as sonn as we’d finished eating, I dashed to the front room where I found a biography of his life written by John Emyr.

This is a well written, easy to read English book all about the man’s life and work.

Here’s an extract from the book:

“Bobi Jones is an author of great significance, not least for non-Welsh speakers. Himself having learnt Welsh, his work offers an insight, more so than the work of most authors whose first language is Welsh, into the significance of Welsh language and culture, particularly because of the strong intellectual or reflective element in his work. Deeply involved with the language and its culture, passionately committed to the best things in Welsh life, there is in his work – even at moments of high intensity – an element of detachment, an ability to step aside and see the wonder of Wales, its beauty and its tragedy, with an outsider’s reflective, almost analytical gaze.”

- John Emyr.

I’d never really taken the time to think about or look at who this guy was and only heard about him in passing so this was quite an eye opening experience for me. Everyone is researching who their families are these days, I should too.

I was about a third of the way through the book when the doorbell rang. Neither of my grandparents were around so I went and answered the door. I open the door to see the smiling face of an elderly man, standing upright, looking straight at me saying (in Welsh) “You don’t know who I am do you?”

Immediately I think to myself, “It’s not..? Could it be..? What!?”

“I’m Bobi!” He says holding out his hand for me to shake it.

…

“Unbelievable! I was just sitting in there reading your biography!”

Then in walked Aunty Beti, his wife. She grabbed hold of me and gave me a peck on the cheek.

“Well, actually I was just reading the bit about how he met this stunning brunette, Beti!”

“Oh, sorry to disappoint.” She said, laughing, and handed me what looked like a wedding present.

They stayed for no longer than five minutes and were on their way.

What a special providence! Of all days for them to turn up out of the blue!

Crazy.

Why ground? Poor grounding not only contributes to unnecessary downtime, but a lack of good grounding is also dangerous and increases the risk of equipment failure. Without an effective grounding system, we could be exposed to the risk of electric shock, not to mention instrumentation errors, harmonic distortion issues, power factor problems… (more)

Got to love a weekend. A chance to kick back and relax. Enjoy what’s left of the decent weather. Brings to mind a favorite quote of mine from noted philosopher and nature lover, Rick Ross:

It’s time to spend my thrills cuz I’m spinnin’ wheels
I ain’t drove in a week them bitches spinnin’ still
Talk about me because these suckers scared to talk about me
Killers talkin’ bout me, there ain’t no talkin’ about me
It ain’t no walkin’ ’round me, see all these killers ’round me
Lot of drug dealin’ ’round me goin’ down in Dade County
Don’t tote no twenty-twos, Magnum cost me twenty-two
Sat it on them twenty-twos, birds go for twenty-two
Lil’ mama super thick, she say she twenty-two
She seen them twenty-twos, we in room two twenty-two

Hell yeah. Ross knows. Ross recommends the back catalog available here:
The Heavy Rotation Archives

Fluke – Bullet
A couple of weeks back, I was giving some respect up for Syntax, which is comprised of a couple of former members of Fluke. They said Fluke just wasn’t dark enough. I begged to differ. Here’s the case in point: Bullet. It’s a slow builder but once it gets up and running, it’s an actual banger, as they say across the pond.

Death Set – Negative Thinking
Nothing like a good-natured kick in the teeth courtesy of Baltimore’s finest electro-punksters. The f-bombs make it fun for all ages and the polaroid conceit of the video allows it to confuse some ages. The power of fuckin’ positive thinking.

South Central – Higher State
Nothing like a ill-tempered kick in the teeth courtesy of Brighton’s finest electro-rockers. A blistering cover of that old rave fave, Higher State of Consciousness by be-dreaded house producer, Josh Wink. Featuring the old-timey acid sounds of the Roland 303 and tons of distortion and strobe lights. Everything you would want in a batch of brown acid.

Glasvegas – Geraldine
Scottish shoegazers with a crippingly beautiful ode to social workers. I know you don’t believe me so I’ve attached a video with lyrics. So there. Anyway, this comes recommended by a certain whipsmart pup (and his crotchety owner) I know, as well as by the genius over at The Lost Turntable (who referred to them as “Jesus wrapped in awesome”).

The Knife – We Share Our Mother’s Health/Silent Shout (William’s Acidic Circuits Mix)
I’ve got a two-fer going on here. I spent several minutes bouncing back and forth between the two tracks and their accompanying videos. After several minutes of indecision, I decided that fuck it, bandwidth’s cheap.

Not to overuse a word, but some more electro here, but in an altogether more disturbing fashion. Featuring some pitched-down vocals, some pitched-up tempos and some seriously strange videos. You won’t be able to tear your eyes or ears away. Some brilliantly fucked-up Swedish weirdness. Those Nordic countries and their bizarre musicians. Must be the constant cold.

We Share Our Mother’s Health

Silent Shout

All tracks bound and zipped into one downloadable folder of rockin’ good times (link opens in new window):
Heavy Rotation Vol. 16

-CLT

[All music posted on Fancy Plans... is kick ass and too awesome to be contained. All music is also posted temporarily and, due to it's high level of ass-kicking, should not be distributed without a prescription and care should be taken while operating heavy equipment or dancing around the living room (clothing optional, but do remember that the blinds are open/kids are still awake).
Should you wish to have your brilliant artistic statement forced back into confinement, please email me at 2timegrime@gmail.com. Feel free to leave a comment, as that will probably be noticed sooner.
By all means, if you like what you hear (and you will), please support the totally rocking artist(s) by purchasing some music or heading out to see them live.]

New Jersey Fish and Game officials are cracking down on anglers flouting saltwater fishing regs.

A report in the Press of Atlantic City has this eyebrow-raising quote:

“We sit and watch at the Point Pleasant Canal (in Ocean County) and find an 80 percent violation rate with (tautog),” Chicketano said.

80 percent violation rate with blackfish? Wow.

An, no, it’s not the economy, stupid. The conservation officer in the story said many of the violators have nice boats and cars, and many are in it just for the money fish like sea bass get from Asian restaurants in Manhattan.

A bunch of party boats are in trouble and could lose their filleting priviledges for filleting undersized fish, the Press reports.

With the regs getting tougher and tougher, it’s only natural that enforcement steps up. But we here from captains and anglers every week that the laws have gone too far, especially for fluke, and the tickets being handed out have gone overboard as well.

(Image via photobucket)

New England is poised to put on quite a Fall Foliage display this year – Fall 2009. Hurricane Bill has passed with minor damage – the leaves are still on the trees waiting for the autumn weather to arrive. Its just around the corner – by mid-September, the show starts at the higher elevations.  As in the past, we have to stay flexible – we suggest visiting our friends at Foliage Network for the latest Fall Foliage Reports.  The best fall foliage viewing in the US is in New England (fans of the golden Colorado fall colors may disagree), so we will pick from these destinations for a few weekend “Fall Foliage Staycations” this year:

• Around Columbus Day more people show up in Vermont than have ever lived there.  Vermont Fall Foliage is truly world-class.  Combined with some harvest festivals and visits to quaint towns and you can’t go wrong.  If the kids are not impressed by the views, take them to Ben and Jerry’s factory of overload them on maple sugar.
• Maine Fall Foliage is best along the coast.  You get the colorful leaves as well as a rocky coast. Something you will not get in Vermont.
• If Vermont is too quaint and Maine too far, go for some historic and urban Boston Massachusetts fall foliage, which is also a good idea once the Vermont colors have peaked. Another choice urban spot, on the border of New England is New York City – think Central Park, the Cloisters, the Ice Age ponds of Alley Pond Park and more for some subway-accessible NY foliage.
• Also bordering New England – Hudson Valley and Catskills Fall Foliage is a great day trip from New York. Try a biplane ride in Rhinebeck or enjoy the views from the Hudson River mansions.

Have a fun fallstaycation!  Save some vacation time for ski season.

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