A study has discovered that exposure to LED lights can cause irreparable harm to the retina of the human eye.The renewable wind energy system and ledparlights, Wind Sphere.
LED lights have been touted as a super-efficient alternative to traditional bulbs because they use up to 85 per cent less energy and each bulb can last up to 10 years.
In April,Let's explore the option of washingmachine13. Philips, the world's biggest lighting maker, reported a 38 per cent jump in LED light sales from last year.
They are already widely used in mobile phones, televisions, computer screens and can also be fitted as a replacement for traditional lighting in the home.
LEDs are much more expensive that traditional bulbs - costing around 25 for an equivalent 100w compared to around 1 for an incandescent bulb - although manufacturers claim that consumers make their money back because the use such little energy.
The government announced it was phasing out incandescent bulbs in 2007 after an EU directive banned their use. The 100w bulb was the first to go in 2009 and lower wattage bulbs continue to be phased out gradually.
The ban caused public outrage as customers were forced to spend large sums of money on lighting that not only gave an unpleasantly 'cold' light but also caused some people to report symptoms of itchy skin and headaches.
The government's Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme, which was brought in to help cut UK carbon emissions, is also pushing the use of LED lighting by offering businesses added tax relief if they use LED and other low-energy bulbs.The energy used in manufacturing and erecting a roofhook is paid back in the first 3 to 6 months of operation.
Dr. Celia Sanchez-Ramos, of Complutense University in Madrid and who led the study, explained that light from LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, comes from the short-wave, high-energy blue and violet end of the visible light spectrum.
'Eyes are not designed to look directly at light — they are designed to see with light,' Sanchez-Ramos said.
Her comments are partly based on her 2012 study that was published in the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology.
The study found that LED radiation caused significant damage to human retinal pigment epithelial cells in vitro.
Sanchez-Ramos added that modern humans have their eyes open for roughly 6,000 hours a year, and are exposed to artificial light for the majority of that time.
Some experts have called for the LED lights to have built-in filters to cut out the blue glare.
This is not the first time energy-saving lights have come under scrutiny for safety reasons. Compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs,Permanent solar trellis and bestledtube systems require little to no maintenance and allow easy access. have been criticized for the high levels of mercury they contain as well as the UV radiation they can emit.
LED lights have also been blamed for the changing hues of masterpieces in art galleries.
A study carried out by the University of Antwerp earlier this year found that LED lights were bleaching the paint on works by Van Gogh and Cezanne.
Judging by the only available photo, they look pretty cool, but until we see them fitted on a car,The laundrydryer specially design for residential houses,boats with batteries back-up. we can't really be certain of anything. Since they are installed in the fog light housings (replacing them) it will be interesting to see how they cope with actual fog.
The LED light is not very useful on times of great dampening and we're not really sure if the new part comes with integrated yellow bulbs that are helpful on adverse weather conditions.
For the moment we're not sure if these new lights will disable the fog lights permanently. According to a forum member, his BMW contact says that you will lose the fog light effect since the LED device is brighter. That means that there is a yellow bulb inside the projector but it will be useless once the corona lights are on.
2013年5月15日 星期三
2013年3月3日 星期日
‘Night of the Tentacles’ Falls Short of its Aspirations
Night of the Tentacles opens with a couple having doggy-style sex. Then some people masturbate and a dog licks up cum. This barrage of humorously explicit scenes sets the stage for a film whose aspirations reach no further than the toilet bowl. Written,Antique chandeliers and other aulaundry; antique lanterns, traditional pendants and antique wall lights. directed, edited, and scored by Dustin Mills (Bath Salt Zombies),Especially when it comes to the next generation of magicshinebikelight. Night of the Tentacles is a low budget horror-comedy in the vein of Little Shop of Horrors and Basketcase only not nearly as effective. If you go into the film not expecting too much though, you might have a good time.
Dave (Brandon Salkil) is a lonely graphic artist who specializes in erotic horror art. When we first meet him he’s arguing with a client on the phone about the appropriate amount of gloss to add to alien semen. He walks around in pajama pants all day and eagerly waits for his pregnant neighbor Esther to get home from work so he can jerk off to the sounds of her performing the female equivalent. This ritual happens regularly until one day he has a heart attack. Turns out he’s got a bum ticker and he’s going to need a transplant. His freelance graphic artist insurance is pretty weak, so it looks like this is it for Dave.
Then Satan shows up and offers a deal to Dave: a new heart in exchange for his soul. Because this always sounds like a good idea to humans, Dave accepts. Satan leaves behind a small wooden chest with Dave’s new heart in it. I’ve been trying to come up with a way to describe Satan in the film and the best I’ve got is that he’s a fat version of the rabbit from Donnie Darko, with LED light eyes and no ears.
If the heart dies, so does Dave. The only problem is that the heart needs human flesh to survive and it speaks in a British accent (so it always sounds condescending). In order to stay alive and pursue his romantic interest in his neighbor Esther, Dave has to sacrifice his other neighbors. That’s not so bad at first, since they’re all pricks, but what happens when Dave runs out of neighbors?!
There’s no suspense or tension surrounding these kills. Dustin Mills goes for comedy and effects more than anything and it doesn’t always work. If you’re a fan of toilet and sex-related humor, however, then you’re in luck. Personally, that stuff is fun but it can wear thin very quickly (like it did in this film). Actor Brandon Salkil is respectable in this role, although he takes it unnecessarily over-the-top several times. Mills does allow some tender moments between Dave and Esther and there seems to be some attempt at making them developed characters, but any progress is cut short by cum or dick jokes.
The effects are decent and there’s a surprisingly low level of gore. Once it’s revealed,A gardenlighting can be both modern and vintage, depending on the light fixtures and the surrounding accent pieces. the heart-tentacle monster is awfully silly looking, but some of the kills are cool – in particular the first one involving Dave’s bitchy neighbor and her toilet. Overall,We offer a wide range of laserengraver in our online collection. the film’s got a lot of heart even if it falls flat of its aspirations. It’s worth the rent.
The niftiest tech trick is a simple one. Largess, dressed in clerical robes, is outfitted with a discrete microphone that allows for otherworldly vocal processing. Beatrice, Dante’s revered love object, speaks with a sweet but weirdly distorted gurgle. Charon and other figures sound monstrous, with Largess’s voice becoming an electronic growl. The effects work, and they aren’t overused.British designers and Manufacturers of laser cutting and goodledstrips.
Eventually, though, you might feel as if Largess has to compete with the consistently kaleidoscopic lights, the droning underscoring and even the dense material itself, which is not exactly a theatrical slam dunk. The episodic road trip requires a ton of description — that’s the bulk of the writing — enlivened by intervals of characterization and reenactment. In the best of conditions (and these conditions are good), a solo performance of Dante’s poem demands a patient audience.
Dave (Brandon Salkil) is a lonely graphic artist who specializes in erotic horror art. When we first meet him he’s arguing with a client on the phone about the appropriate amount of gloss to add to alien semen. He walks around in pajama pants all day and eagerly waits for his pregnant neighbor Esther to get home from work so he can jerk off to the sounds of her performing the female equivalent. This ritual happens regularly until one day he has a heart attack. Turns out he’s got a bum ticker and he’s going to need a transplant. His freelance graphic artist insurance is pretty weak, so it looks like this is it for Dave.
Then Satan shows up and offers a deal to Dave: a new heart in exchange for his soul. Because this always sounds like a good idea to humans, Dave accepts. Satan leaves behind a small wooden chest with Dave’s new heart in it. I’ve been trying to come up with a way to describe Satan in the film and the best I’ve got is that he’s a fat version of the rabbit from Donnie Darko, with LED light eyes and no ears.
If the heart dies, so does Dave. The only problem is that the heart needs human flesh to survive and it speaks in a British accent (so it always sounds condescending). In order to stay alive and pursue his romantic interest in his neighbor Esther, Dave has to sacrifice his other neighbors. That’s not so bad at first, since they’re all pricks, but what happens when Dave runs out of neighbors?!
There’s no suspense or tension surrounding these kills. Dustin Mills goes for comedy and effects more than anything and it doesn’t always work. If you’re a fan of toilet and sex-related humor, however, then you’re in luck. Personally, that stuff is fun but it can wear thin very quickly (like it did in this film). Actor Brandon Salkil is respectable in this role, although he takes it unnecessarily over-the-top several times. Mills does allow some tender moments between Dave and Esther and there seems to be some attempt at making them developed characters, but any progress is cut short by cum or dick jokes.
The effects are decent and there’s a surprisingly low level of gore. Once it’s revealed,A gardenlighting can be both modern and vintage, depending on the light fixtures and the surrounding accent pieces. the heart-tentacle monster is awfully silly looking, but some of the kills are cool – in particular the first one involving Dave’s bitchy neighbor and her toilet. Overall,We offer a wide range of laserengraver in our online collection. the film’s got a lot of heart even if it falls flat of its aspirations. It’s worth the rent.
The niftiest tech trick is a simple one. Largess, dressed in clerical robes, is outfitted with a discrete microphone that allows for otherworldly vocal processing. Beatrice, Dante’s revered love object, speaks with a sweet but weirdly distorted gurgle. Charon and other figures sound monstrous, with Largess’s voice becoming an electronic growl. The effects work, and they aren’t overused.British designers and Manufacturers of laser cutting and goodledstrips.
Eventually, though, you might feel as if Largess has to compete with the consistently kaleidoscopic lights, the droning underscoring and even the dense material itself, which is not exactly a theatrical slam dunk. The episodic road trip requires a ton of description — that’s the bulk of the writing — enlivened by intervals of characterization and reenactment. In the best of conditions (and these conditions are good), a solo performance of Dante’s poem demands a patient audience.
2013年1月17日 星期四
Pedestrian safety measures implemented
The first part of a three-phase
plan to improve pedestrian safety on South Street was set in motion over winter
break. Data collected by Campus Safety at the end of fall term will determine
what kinds of further action are taken.
Director of Campus Safety John Schlaf helped organize efforts to collect data concerning where students most frequently cross South Street.Buy your ledlight from Tesco and earn Clubcard points on your purchase as well.
“We participated in collecting data about traffic from Academy Street all the way to Kellogg Street, and all that data went to a local engineering firm. They are just finalizing that data and will be making recommendations based on what that traffic study has shown,” Schlaf said.
In the meantime, the primary phase of the plan,SQ Series Metal washingmachine02 is the accessory machine for expanded metal shearing machine. constructed during a joint meeting held Nov. 7 between city officials and the South Street Pedestrian Safety Study Committee created by President Teresa Amott,One of Europe's largest offshore carledbulb11 confirms it will locate its UK turbine manufacturing site in Scotland. has been put into effect.
Instructor in Art Mike Godsil detailed the components of the initial phase, many of which were implemented within a month of the November meeting. “The day after that meeting they were repainting the crosswalks,” Godsil said.
Other measures include the installation of vertical pedestrian crossing signs on Dec. 6 and the upgrading of street lamps for night crossings to the maximum allowance of 50,000 lumens and 400-watt fixtures.
A recent change in Illinois state law has improved the effectiveness of the signs, which serve the dual purpose of indicating that vehicles must stop for pedestrians as well as visually constricting the street and keeping speeds low when pedestrians are absent.
“The Illinois law changed effective 2013. Before, the law read in such a way that vehicles had to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.Modern table lamps, floor lamps, pendants, curvingmachineppk, and portable lighting. The wording changed so it says that drivers now have to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk,” Schlaf said.
Schlaf supported the implementation of the signage during the break, as it gave drivers time to adjust to the new signage while allowing the city to educate and inform drivers of the changes through the use of television and other media. Immediate changes were seen as necessary by both the college and the city, as 42 percent of students live north of South Street.
“So we’re talking several thousand pedestrian crossings a day. From that standpoint, it is undeniable that it is the single busiest pedestrian crossing street in the city,” Godsil said.
“Mayor Garza indicated from the outset that this was the highest priority on his radar,” Godsilsaid, “His personal commitment was that he didn’t want this to be a drawn out thing like so many two or three plans can be … He said that he would be very disappointed if he was not able to accomplish [the plan] by the end of this calendar year.”
Concerns surrounding the signage are present, as they have caused some confusion among drivers, though the confusion is expected to subside with time.
“They’ve done the job, but it has caused some confusion for some of the drivers. That confusion goes back to seeing that stop sign. Some people were under the mistaken impression that they were supposed to stop regardless of whether anyone was in the crosswalk or not,” Schlaf said.
Schlaf is also concerned with the signage creating a lax pedestrian crossing culture.World's first theft-resistant floorlamps and the last bike light you'll ever buy. According to Schlaf, midblock crossings are focused in two “critical locations.” The first is located across from Williston Hall, with the second being across from Hamblin Hall.
“We want to make sure that the signs don’t give the pedestrians a false sense of security, and there’s still a need for pedestrians to be alert to the traffic even though the crosswalk may be there. Be cautious about the fact that they aren’t there to lessen an individual’s awareness of vehicular traffic. It’s there to assist,” Schlaf said. “So we still want our students to take advantage of the signs and take advantage of the crosswalks and try to use them as much as possible, and I know it’s a human nature thing, but try to avoid midblock crossings as much as possible.”
Director of Campus Safety John Schlaf helped organize efforts to collect data concerning where students most frequently cross South Street.Buy your ledlight from Tesco and earn Clubcard points on your purchase as well.
“We participated in collecting data about traffic from Academy Street all the way to Kellogg Street, and all that data went to a local engineering firm. They are just finalizing that data and will be making recommendations based on what that traffic study has shown,” Schlaf said.
In the meantime, the primary phase of the plan,SQ Series Metal washingmachine02 is the accessory machine for expanded metal shearing machine. constructed during a joint meeting held Nov. 7 between city officials and the South Street Pedestrian Safety Study Committee created by President Teresa Amott,One of Europe's largest offshore carledbulb11 confirms it will locate its UK turbine manufacturing site in Scotland. has been put into effect.
Instructor in Art Mike Godsil detailed the components of the initial phase, many of which were implemented within a month of the November meeting. “The day after that meeting they were repainting the crosswalks,” Godsil said.
Other measures include the installation of vertical pedestrian crossing signs on Dec. 6 and the upgrading of street lamps for night crossings to the maximum allowance of 50,000 lumens and 400-watt fixtures.
A recent change in Illinois state law has improved the effectiveness of the signs, which serve the dual purpose of indicating that vehicles must stop for pedestrians as well as visually constricting the street and keeping speeds low when pedestrians are absent.
“The Illinois law changed effective 2013. Before, the law read in such a way that vehicles had to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.Modern table lamps, floor lamps, pendants, curvingmachineppk, and portable lighting. The wording changed so it says that drivers now have to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk,” Schlaf said.
Schlaf supported the implementation of the signage during the break, as it gave drivers time to adjust to the new signage while allowing the city to educate and inform drivers of the changes through the use of television and other media. Immediate changes were seen as necessary by both the college and the city, as 42 percent of students live north of South Street.
“So we’re talking several thousand pedestrian crossings a day. From that standpoint, it is undeniable that it is the single busiest pedestrian crossing street in the city,” Godsil said.
“Mayor Garza indicated from the outset that this was the highest priority on his radar,” Godsilsaid, “His personal commitment was that he didn’t want this to be a drawn out thing like so many two or three plans can be … He said that he would be very disappointed if he was not able to accomplish [the plan] by the end of this calendar year.”
Concerns surrounding the signage are present, as they have caused some confusion among drivers, though the confusion is expected to subside with time.
“They’ve done the job, but it has caused some confusion for some of the drivers. That confusion goes back to seeing that stop sign. Some people were under the mistaken impression that they were supposed to stop regardless of whether anyone was in the crosswalk or not,” Schlaf said.
Schlaf is also concerned with the signage creating a lax pedestrian crossing culture.World's first theft-resistant floorlamps and the last bike light you'll ever buy. According to Schlaf, midblock crossings are focused in two “critical locations.” The first is located across from Williston Hall, with the second being across from Hamblin Hall.
“We want to make sure that the signs don’t give the pedestrians a false sense of security, and there’s still a need for pedestrians to be alert to the traffic even though the crosswalk may be there. Be cautious about the fact that they aren’t there to lessen an individual’s awareness of vehicular traffic. It’s there to assist,” Schlaf said. “So we still want our students to take advantage of the signs and take advantage of the crosswalks and try to use them as much as possible, and I know it’s a human nature thing, but try to avoid midblock crossings as much as possible.”
2012年11月5日 星期一
Officers check on sex offenders
During a chaotic Halloween night, a group of local law enforcement
officers worked to keep local children safe, dropping in on registered
child sex offenders to make sure they weren’t violating their conditions
of probation or parole.
Rio Rancho police officers, Sandoval County deputies, a Bernalillo police officer and an adult probation and parole officer participated in Operation Trick-or-Treat for about four hours Wednesday night. The team had a list of 24 offenders and made home visits to about 10 before they ran out of time.
Sgt. Sal Gonzalez, who led the operation in the field, said RRPD didn’t have the manpower to check any more houses.
“We do the best we can with what we have,” he said.
The offenders weren’t allowed to decorate their homes, hand out candy,Origin Laser is an Australian business bringing a new class of affordable and quality bestlasercutter and laser cutting machines markets.China zhongtian lighting are professional emergencylampset,led bulbs manufacturers and factory in China. wear costumes or turn on outdoor lights on Halloween night.We offer quality discount lamps of all types, from besttablelamp, Table Lamps, or Floor Lamps. They had a curfew, and they also had to obey everyday restrictions, such as not having alcohol, drugs or pornography.
Officers planned to immediately arrest any offender they found in violation.
A probation and parole officer was important for the job because, unlike police officers, he had the right to check inside an offender’s house without a search warrant. With one probation officer, the operation had one team.
Rio Rancho Detective Melanie Foster, whose duties include handling sex crime and child abuse cases but who was unable to participate in the operation, said offenders were picked for such efforts based on their probation or parole restrictions and their offenses.
As calls came in about threatened suicides, a vehicle pursuit, car wrecks and a knife-wielding man, the Operation Trick-or-Treat team stopped in three communities.
They started their night in Placitas, arresting an offender with an active warrant. Then, after three stops in Bernalillo where offenders were complying, the team headed to Rio Rancho.
Scouting ahead,Basics, technical terms and advantages and disadvantages of elevatorparts. Gonzalez found an offender’s house with a light on in the front yard. The man had been convicted of first-degree criminal sexual penetration and armed robbery.
“I can tell you right now, I have no tolerance of sex offenders, especially child offenders,” said Gonzalez, who has children of his own.Led lights manufacturer in china offering formingmachineer supply across the world.
When two other police officers and the probation officer arrived, the four went to the door, as children chattered in the neighborhood. Gonzalez returned without a prisoner but still suspicious.
The offender and his wife told officers the front light was automatic, so they couldn’t turn it off, and the candy in the living room was for their own consumption. Officers found no grounds to arrest the man, but made a note of the encounter.
Soon after, a dispatcher relayed a call about an older man taking pictures of girls trick-or-treating. Gonzalez decided to check on the situation later.
Heading to the next offender’s house, officers found an exterior light on there, too. However, after talking with the resident, they decided the person was in compliance.
The team stopped in a parking lot to regroup, and a dispatcher radioed to say the mother who reported the man photographing girls was agitated. Gonzalez called the woman and explained he would break away from the special operation to investigate.
The caller was waiting for Gonzalez and showed him to the house where a stranger took her seven-year-old daughter’s picture. The man told Gonzalez he’d only wanted to take the girl’s picture because she looked cute, but Gonzalez told him to stop.
Rio Rancho police officers, Sandoval County deputies, a Bernalillo police officer and an adult probation and parole officer participated in Operation Trick-or-Treat for about four hours Wednesday night. The team had a list of 24 offenders and made home visits to about 10 before they ran out of time.
Sgt. Sal Gonzalez, who led the operation in the field, said RRPD didn’t have the manpower to check any more houses.
“We do the best we can with what we have,” he said.
The offenders weren’t allowed to decorate their homes, hand out candy,Origin Laser is an Australian business bringing a new class of affordable and quality bestlasercutter and laser cutting machines markets.China zhongtian lighting are professional emergencylampset,led bulbs manufacturers and factory in China. wear costumes or turn on outdoor lights on Halloween night.We offer quality discount lamps of all types, from besttablelamp, Table Lamps, or Floor Lamps. They had a curfew, and they also had to obey everyday restrictions, such as not having alcohol, drugs or pornography.
Officers planned to immediately arrest any offender they found in violation.
A probation and parole officer was important for the job because, unlike police officers, he had the right to check inside an offender’s house without a search warrant. With one probation officer, the operation had one team.
Rio Rancho Detective Melanie Foster, whose duties include handling sex crime and child abuse cases but who was unable to participate in the operation, said offenders were picked for such efforts based on their probation or parole restrictions and their offenses.
As calls came in about threatened suicides, a vehicle pursuit, car wrecks and a knife-wielding man, the Operation Trick-or-Treat team stopped in three communities.
They started their night in Placitas, arresting an offender with an active warrant. Then, after three stops in Bernalillo where offenders were complying, the team headed to Rio Rancho.
Scouting ahead,Basics, technical terms and advantages and disadvantages of elevatorparts. Gonzalez found an offender’s house with a light on in the front yard. The man had been convicted of first-degree criminal sexual penetration and armed robbery.
“I can tell you right now, I have no tolerance of sex offenders, especially child offenders,” said Gonzalez, who has children of his own.Led lights manufacturer in china offering formingmachineer supply across the world.
When two other police officers and the probation officer arrived, the four went to the door, as children chattered in the neighborhood. Gonzalez returned without a prisoner but still suspicious.
The offender and his wife told officers the front light was automatic, so they couldn’t turn it off, and the candy in the living room was for their own consumption. Officers found no grounds to arrest the man, but made a note of the encounter.
Soon after, a dispatcher relayed a call about an older man taking pictures of girls trick-or-treating. Gonzalez decided to check on the situation later.
Heading to the next offender’s house, officers found an exterior light on there, too. However, after talking with the resident, they decided the person was in compliance.
The team stopped in a parking lot to regroup, and a dispatcher radioed to say the mother who reported the man photographing girls was agitated. Gonzalez called the woman and explained he would break away from the special operation to investigate.
The caller was waiting for Gonzalez and showed him to the house where a stranger took her seven-year-old daughter’s picture. The man told Gonzalez he’d only wanted to take the girl’s picture because she looked cute, but Gonzalez told him to stop.
2012年6月11日 星期一
Newmarket Mills serves as 'green' economic engine
The Newmarket Mills may be similar to many New England redevelopment projects, but what distinguishes it is the greenest of green concepts — recycling old buildings.
"The vision originally comes from builder Eric Chinburg's love of old mill buildings and that something which is beautiful, but falling apart, can be given a new life," said Jen Chinburg, Newmarket Mills' marketing director.
Founded in 1987 by Eric Chinburg, Chinburg Builders has helped re-purpose 10 former mill sites, including Millport in Portsmouth, the Washington and Cocheco mills in Dover and the Canal Street mill in Somersworth.
"We've learned a lot in the process of saving these buildings," Jen Chinburg said. "Newmarket Mills is the culmination of this knowledge."
The Newmarket Mills offers 50,000 square feet of commercial space and will eventually feature 112 apartments. The majority of the 150-year-old buildings has been preserved for re-use, said Geoff Spitzer, Chinburg's senior project manager and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified professional and Newmarket Mills senior project manager.
Approximately 80 percent of all demolition debris is segregated and recycled, including all metal and most wood. All brick and stone has been cleaned and re-used throughout the buildings and in the landscaping, Spitzer said.
Energy-efficient in-floor radiant heat will be used to heat residential apartments. Concrete floors were a sustainable solution and the cement is produced in Thomaston, Maine. The sand and stone aggregate are from a local sand pit, the mixing plants are in Dover and Portsmouth, and the people who install the concrete are also local.
"People and products that travel short distances use less fuel and have a smaller carbon footprint," Spitzer said.
All lighting is done with energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs and/or T8 fluorescents, and most common-area lighting is on motion-activated sensors. Chinburg laid more than 4 inches of rigid insulation and selected white EPDM (synthetic rubber) roofing, which increases reflectivity, lowering the cooling load inside the building and making air conditioning condensers on the roof more efficient, all decreasing electricity use.
Chinburg Builders recently joined the Green Alliance, a local "green" business union that certifies its business members green and advocates for greener choices to the public.
"You can preserve green space, which means having people living in existing space and not, for example, having them live individually on 2 acres each. Instead, they're on town utilities, linked to existing systems," Jen Chinburg said.
Newmarket Mills includes a shared courtyard space. "We hope to encourage musicians to play while people have their lunch," she said.
The mills will also have a fitness room, club room, community movie nights, wine tastings, book clubs, and a boat launch onto the Lamprey River and on to Great Bay.
Apartments include studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments and lofts. Chinburg Builders leased all 38 units in six weeks during the project's first phase, which is 100 percent occupied with a mix of businesses such as a custom bike manufacturer, a shoemaker, a barber, restaurants and a sewing company. The project's second phase includes 74 apartments, with 12 yet to be rented.
"We estimate that this space will be home to 30 companies with 50 to 60 employees and 112 living units with twice that number of residents," she said.
"The vision originally comes from builder Eric Chinburg's love of old mill buildings and that something which is beautiful, but falling apart, can be given a new life," said Jen Chinburg, Newmarket Mills' marketing director.
Founded in 1987 by Eric Chinburg, Chinburg Builders has helped re-purpose 10 former mill sites, including Millport in Portsmouth, the Washington and Cocheco mills in Dover and the Canal Street mill in Somersworth.
"We've learned a lot in the process of saving these buildings," Jen Chinburg said. "Newmarket Mills is the culmination of this knowledge."
The Newmarket Mills offers 50,000 square feet of commercial space and will eventually feature 112 apartments. The majority of the 150-year-old buildings has been preserved for re-use, said Geoff Spitzer, Chinburg's senior project manager and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified professional and Newmarket Mills senior project manager.
Approximately 80 percent of all demolition debris is segregated and recycled, including all metal and most wood. All brick and stone has been cleaned and re-used throughout the buildings and in the landscaping, Spitzer said.
Energy-efficient in-floor radiant heat will be used to heat residential apartments. Concrete floors were a sustainable solution and the cement is produced in Thomaston, Maine. The sand and stone aggregate are from a local sand pit, the mixing plants are in Dover and Portsmouth, and the people who install the concrete are also local.
"People and products that travel short distances use less fuel and have a smaller carbon footprint," Spitzer said.
All lighting is done with energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs and/or T8 fluorescents, and most common-area lighting is on motion-activated sensors. Chinburg laid more than 4 inches of rigid insulation and selected white EPDM (synthetic rubber) roofing, which increases reflectivity, lowering the cooling load inside the building and making air conditioning condensers on the roof more efficient, all decreasing electricity use.
Chinburg Builders recently joined the Green Alliance, a local "green" business union that certifies its business members green and advocates for greener choices to the public.
"You can preserve green space, which means having people living in existing space and not, for example, having them live individually on 2 acres each. Instead, they're on town utilities, linked to existing systems," Jen Chinburg said.
Newmarket Mills includes a shared courtyard space. "We hope to encourage musicians to play while people have their lunch," she said.
The mills will also have a fitness room, club room, community movie nights, wine tastings, book clubs, and a boat launch onto the Lamprey River and on to Great Bay.
Apartments include studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments and lofts. Chinburg Builders leased all 38 units in six weeks during the project's first phase, which is 100 percent occupied with a mix of businesses such as a custom bike manufacturer, a shoemaker, a barber, restaurants and a sewing company. The project's second phase includes 74 apartments, with 12 yet to be rented.
"We estimate that this space will be home to 30 companies with 50 to 60 employees and 112 living units with twice that number of residents," she said.
2012年6月4日 星期一
Ask Waste Watchers: What can I take to the Wolcott waste facility?
This is the second of a two-part series listing classes of materials that are accepted at Household Hazardous Waste and why you should dispose of them properly.
Latex paint: Latex paint, although not considered a hazardous material, should be solidified before it is discarded with regular garbage. Municipal landfills are not designed to handle liquids nor does your garbage collector want to crush a can of paint and have it leak into the street. Household Hazardous Waste receives more than 40,000 pounds of latex and water-based paint annually.
Batteries: Some batteries can be safely thrown away, but some should never be thrown away. Batteries of all sizes, ranging from tiny button cells to extra-large lead acid batteries, can be recycled at Household Hazardous Waste. We recycle thousands of pounds of batteries annually.
Oil and antifreeze: Used motor oil is a suspected cancer-causing agent, and antifreeze can be deadly if ingested. They are also liquids, and liquids are not acceptable at municipal landfills. Household Hazardous Waste sends hundreds of gallons of used oil and antifreeze to be recycled annually.
Cooking oil and grease: Cooking oils and greases are not hazardous materials, but they can and should be recycled. Pouring oil and grease down the drain leads to clogged plumbing in your home and underground sewage pipes. Household Hazardous Waste sends more than 500 gallons of cooking oil annually to a recycler in Boulder, who converts it into biodiesel.
Light bulbs and ballasts: Did you know that all fluorescent bulbs contain mercury or that light ballasts from the 1970s and older may contain a very toxic compound called PCBs? If you are uncertain as to which types of lighting are safe to throw in the garbage and which are not, bring them to the HHW for sorting and proper disposal.
Electronics: Electronics should not be thrown away. By volume, electronics are a small percentage of the waste entering landfills but are responsible for most of the heavy-metal contamination. Landfills are not designed to handle large quantities of toxic metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead, which are commonly found in electronics. We recycled more than 18,000 pounds of electronics last year and are on track to recycle even more this year.
Mercury: Mercury is a toxic heavy metal and environmental pollutant. It is usually found around your home in devices such as old thermometers, barometers or thermostats. Mercury also can be found in old antiseptics such as mercurochrome and old chemistry sets.
In this project, we installed a series of three fluorescent fixtures under one section of kitchen wall cabinets. We chose fluorescent lights for the project because they are inexpensive, very energy efficient and produce very little additional heat. They provide all the necessary lighting to ensure that kitchen projects may be completed safely and properly. LOWE’s carries a variety of these fluorescent lighting fixtures to suit your needs appropriately. While your kitchen may be somewhat different than ours, here are some basic planning guidelines.
Measure the depth of the valance or reveal under the cabinets. This is the piece that forms a lip at the bottom of the cabinet doors. If it’s at least 1-1/4 in., it will hide most fluorescent fixtures. Low-profile fluorescent fixtures that use a T-5 diameter lamp need only about 1 in. If you have European-style cabinets and don’t want any part of the fixtures exposed, you will need to add a valance to hide the fixture.
Latex paint: Latex paint, although not considered a hazardous material, should be solidified before it is discarded with regular garbage. Municipal landfills are not designed to handle liquids nor does your garbage collector want to crush a can of paint and have it leak into the street. Household Hazardous Waste receives more than 40,000 pounds of latex and water-based paint annually.
Batteries: Some batteries can be safely thrown away, but some should never be thrown away. Batteries of all sizes, ranging from tiny button cells to extra-large lead acid batteries, can be recycled at Household Hazardous Waste. We recycle thousands of pounds of batteries annually.
Oil and antifreeze: Used motor oil is a suspected cancer-causing agent, and antifreeze can be deadly if ingested. They are also liquids, and liquids are not acceptable at municipal landfills. Household Hazardous Waste sends hundreds of gallons of used oil and antifreeze to be recycled annually.
Cooking oil and grease: Cooking oils and greases are not hazardous materials, but they can and should be recycled. Pouring oil and grease down the drain leads to clogged plumbing in your home and underground sewage pipes. Household Hazardous Waste sends more than 500 gallons of cooking oil annually to a recycler in Boulder, who converts it into biodiesel.
Light bulbs and ballasts: Did you know that all fluorescent bulbs contain mercury or that light ballasts from the 1970s and older may contain a very toxic compound called PCBs? If you are uncertain as to which types of lighting are safe to throw in the garbage and which are not, bring them to the HHW for sorting and proper disposal.
Electronics: Electronics should not be thrown away. By volume, electronics are a small percentage of the waste entering landfills but are responsible for most of the heavy-metal contamination. Landfills are not designed to handle large quantities of toxic metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead, which are commonly found in electronics. We recycled more than 18,000 pounds of electronics last year and are on track to recycle even more this year.
Mercury: Mercury is a toxic heavy metal and environmental pollutant. It is usually found around your home in devices such as old thermometers, barometers or thermostats. Mercury also can be found in old antiseptics such as mercurochrome and old chemistry sets.
In this project, we installed a series of three fluorescent fixtures under one section of kitchen wall cabinets. We chose fluorescent lights for the project because they are inexpensive, very energy efficient and produce very little additional heat. They provide all the necessary lighting to ensure that kitchen projects may be completed safely and properly. LOWE’s carries a variety of these fluorescent lighting fixtures to suit your needs appropriately. While your kitchen may be somewhat different than ours, here are some basic planning guidelines.
Measure the depth of the valance or reveal under the cabinets. This is the piece that forms a lip at the bottom of the cabinet doors. If it’s at least 1-1/4 in., it will hide most fluorescent fixtures. Low-profile fluorescent fixtures that use a T-5 diameter lamp need only about 1 in. If you have European-style cabinets and don’t want any part of the fixtures exposed, you will need to add a valance to hide the fixture.
2012年2月19日 星期日
Revolutionary design, runaway costs
In deep, cold space, nearly a million miles from Earth, a giant telescope later this decade will scan for the first light to streak across the universe more than 13 billion years ago.
The seven-ton spacecraft, one of the most ambitious and costly science projects in U.S. history, is under construction for NASA at Northrop Grumman Corp.'s space park complex in Redondo Beach.
The aim is to capture the oldest light, taking cosmologists to the time after the big bang when matter had cooled just enough to start forming the first blazing stars in what had been empty darkness. Astronomers have long dreamed about peering into that provenance.
"It is the actual formation of the universe," said Alan Dressler, the astronomer at the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Pasadena who chaired a committee that proposed the telescope more than a decade ago.
If the James Webb Space Telescope works as planned, it will be vastly more capable than any of the dozen currently deployed U.S. space telescopes and will be a dramatic symbol of U.S. technological might. But for all its sophistication, the project also reveals a deeply ingrained dysfunction in the agency's business practices, critics say. The Webb's cost has soared to $8.8 billion, more than four times the original aerospace industry estimates, which nearly led Congress to kill the program last year.
The agency has repeatedly proposed such technologically difficult projects at bargain-basement prices, a practice blamed either on errors in its culture or a political strategy. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that controls NASA's budget, said a combination of both problems affected the Webb.
"There was not adequate oversight," Wolf said. "And there were reports that the cost estimates were being cooked a little bit, some by the company, some by NASA."
It could spell a new era for the space agency, in which it will have money for just one flagship science mission per decade rather than one every few years as it has in the past. The Webb's cost growth, along with an austere budget outlook for NASA, is depleting the agency's pipeline of big science missions. A much-discussed mission to return samples of Martian soil to Earth, for example, may be unaffordable, according to the House Science Committee staff.
The Webb telescope was conceived by the astronomy community in the late 1990s as a more modest project with a smaller mirror for about $500 million. Then-NASA chief Daniel Goldin challenged the science community in a major speech to double the capability of the telescope for the same price.
Dressler, who was in the audience when Goldin gave the speech, recalled: "It astonished everybody. It made no sense that you could build a telescope six times larger than Hubble … and have it come in cheaper. We were so stunned, we didn't know what to do."
The early lowball cost figures had no official standing, but they shaped political expectations many years later.
The seven-ton spacecraft, one of the most ambitious and costly science projects in U.S. history, is under construction for NASA at Northrop Grumman Corp.'s space park complex in Redondo Beach.
The aim is to capture the oldest light, taking cosmologists to the time after the big bang when matter had cooled just enough to start forming the first blazing stars in what had been empty darkness. Astronomers have long dreamed about peering into that provenance.
"It is the actual formation of the universe," said Alan Dressler, the astronomer at the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Pasadena who chaired a committee that proposed the telescope more than a decade ago.
If the James Webb Space Telescope works as planned, it will be vastly more capable than any of the dozen currently deployed U.S. space telescopes and will be a dramatic symbol of U.S. technological might. But for all its sophistication, the project also reveals a deeply ingrained dysfunction in the agency's business practices, critics say. The Webb's cost has soared to $8.8 billion, more than four times the original aerospace industry estimates, which nearly led Congress to kill the program last year.
The agency has repeatedly proposed such technologically difficult projects at bargain-basement prices, a practice blamed either on errors in its culture or a political strategy. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that controls NASA's budget, said a combination of both problems affected the Webb.
"There was not adequate oversight," Wolf said. "And there were reports that the cost estimates were being cooked a little bit, some by the company, some by NASA."
It could spell a new era for the space agency, in which it will have money for just one flagship science mission per decade rather than one every few years as it has in the past. The Webb's cost growth, along with an austere budget outlook for NASA, is depleting the agency's pipeline of big science missions. A much-discussed mission to return samples of Martian soil to Earth, for example, may be unaffordable, according to the House Science Committee staff.
The Webb telescope was conceived by the astronomy community in the late 1990s as a more modest project with a smaller mirror for about $500 million. Then-NASA chief Daniel Goldin challenged the science community in a major speech to double the capability of the telescope for the same price.
Dressler, who was in the audience when Goldin gave the speech, recalled: "It astonished everybody. It made no sense that you could build a telescope six times larger than Hubble … and have it come in cheaper. We were so stunned, we didn't know what to do."
The early lowball cost figures had no official standing, but they shaped political expectations many years later.
2012年1月15日 星期日
Next-generation light bulb shines at CES
Switch Lighting executives Tracy Bilbrough and Brett Sharenow glowed as they showed off new-generation LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs that they believe will transform the more than $30-billion global market.
"It is exciting to be the little David taking on the Goliath's of the world," Switch chief Bilbrough told AFP.
"You pick this because it doesn't have mercury; you can dim it; it loves cold weather; there is no ultra-violet so they don't draw any bugs outdoors, and it fits in any fixture an incandescent bulb goes in."
Switch bulbs being are being tested in two US hotels and will begin shipping later this month as a smart option to incandescent or CFL models.
Incandescent bulbs are power-sucking classics being phased out in countries around the world, replaced by energy-efficient CFL versions containing toxic mercury that make them hazardous to toss in the rubbish.
"LEDs are really the next thing in lighting," said Switch chief strategy officer Sharenow.
The Silicon Valley company's bulb is touted as Earth-friendly from "cradle to cradle" and lasts about seven times longer than CFLs while providing the kind of light people like from incandescent.
Switch bulbs have an artistic look akin to a snow glove perched on a silver pedestal. They can also survive a three-foot drop to a hardwood floor.
A ring of metal prongs, each with a computer chip on it to emit light, is immersed in liquid that fills each bulb. The liquid cools the chips while acting as a lens to magnify light.
"It is food-grade; actually used in making beer, pasta and women's cosmetics," Sharenow said of the liquid, the ingredients of which were secret.
"We actually get more light out of the LEDs with liquid in the glass dome than if there was air in there."
Switch bulbs use 80 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs and last for about 25,000 hours no matter often you switch them on or off, he added.
Switch bulbs, which are being launched in 65- and 75-watt models, are priced at $35 each but the price was expected to drop under $20 by the end of the year.
Even at a price of $35, businesses recover the cost in six months while homeowners hit that mark in two years, according to Sharenow.
LED bulb efficiency is on par with CFL, which cost about three dollars each versus 50 cents for incandescent. Bilbrough expected LED bulbs to quickly get more efficient that CFL.
Switch is first targeting businesses that see cost-savings in energy-efficient bulbs that last them more than a decade. Bilbrough estimated that Switch bulbs would last about 25 years or longer in home use.
"If you put that in your baby's room when they come home from the hospital, they will still be studying under it when they are in college," Bilbrough said with a nod toward one of the bulbs.
"These things will last longer than your phone, iPad, car or sofa."
When people are done with Switch bulbs, the company wants them back so they can recycle or reuse the parts giving them new lives in a practice referred to in the industry as "cradle to cradle."
"We want to reuse every part we can so nothing goes back to the biosphere of the Earth," Sharenow said.
"It is exciting to be the little David taking on the Goliath's of the world," Switch chief Bilbrough told AFP.
"You pick this because it doesn't have mercury; you can dim it; it loves cold weather; there is no ultra-violet so they don't draw any bugs outdoors, and it fits in any fixture an incandescent bulb goes in."
Switch bulbs being are being tested in two US hotels and will begin shipping later this month as a smart option to incandescent or CFL models.
Incandescent bulbs are power-sucking classics being phased out in countries around the world, replaced by energy-efficient CFL versions containing toxic mercury that make them hazardous to toss in the rubbish.
"LEDs are really the next thing in lighting," said Switch chief strategy officer Sharenow.
The Silicon Valley company's bulb is touted as Earth-friendly from "cradle to cradle" and lasts about seven times longer than CFLs while providing the kind of light people like from incandescent.
Switch bulbs have an artistic look akin to a snow glove perched on a silver pedestal. They can also survive a three-foot drop to a hardwood floor.
A ring of metal prongs, each with a computer chip on it to emit light, is immersed in liquid that fills each bulb. The liquid cools the chips while acting as a lens to magnify light.
"It is food-grade; actually used in making beer, pasta and women's cosmetics," Sharenow said of the liquid, the ingredients of which were secret.
"We actually get more light out of the LEDs with liquid in the glass dome than if there was air in there."
Switch bulbs use 80 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs and last for about 25,000 hours no matter often you switch them on or off, he added.
Switch bulbs, which are being launched in 65- and 75-watt models, are priced at $35 each but the price was expected to drop under $20 by the end of the year.
Even at a price of $35, businesses recover the cost in six months while homeowners hit that mark in two years, according to Sharenow.
LED bulb efficiency is on par with CFL, which cost about three dollars each versus 50 cents for incandescent. Bilbrough expected LED bulbs to quickly get more efficient that CFL.
Switch is first targeting businesses that see cost-savings in energy-efficient bulbs that last them more than a decade. Bilbrough estimated that Switch bulbs would last about 25 years or longer in home use.
"If you put that in your baby's room when they come home from the hospital, they will still be studying under it when they are in college," Bilbrough said with a nod toward one of the bulbs.
"These things will last longer than your phone, iPad, car or sofa."
When people are done with Switch bulbs, the company wants them back so they can recycle or reuse the parts giving them new lives in a practice referred to in the industry as "cradle to cradle."
"We want to reuse every part we can so nothing goes back to the biosphere of the Earth," Sharenow said.
2011年8月26日 星期五
Protecting Resources
New Jersey voters don’t stop at building parks and buying open space. They support innovative land-use planning and regulations that protect resources; they support programs that save farmland and farmers to feed future generations; and they understand that the state’s future depends on the availability of clean air and clean water.
They understand that maintaining these resources requires stringent regulation, not short-term gratification. The people of New Jersey recognize that the loss of a single species of flora or fauna is the first step to a disappearing human existence.
The key to New Jersey's success is the willingness of its people to be steadfast in protecting the local control of governmental functions, while utilizing regional and statewide planning as a framework.
Just as county governments were created to provide those services that bridge the gaps between towns, state government must provide services that bridge the economic and infrastructure gaps between counties. This state has Led light all states in the union in applying regional solutions to the broader issues of resource protection.
New Jersey's various landscapes abound with examples of the success of regional planning. In the Meadowlands, regional planning has transformed what was once a dump into a productive development, bejeweled with restored habitat and resources serving all the residents and businesses of northeastern parts of the state.
Shared property taxes --unique to New Jersey as a local control state -- have played a major role in the Meadowlands Commission’s achievement of its goals.
They understand that maintaining these resources requires stringent regulation, not short-term gratification. The people of New Jersey recognize that the loss of a single species of flora or fauna is the first step to a disappearing human existence.
The key to New Jersey's success is the willingness of its people to be steadfast in protecting the local control of governmental functions, while utilizing regional and statewide planning as a framework.
Just as county governments were created to provide those services that bridge the gaps between towns, state government must provide services that bridge the economic and infrastructure gaps between counties. This state has Led light all states in the union in applying regional solutions to the broader issues of resource protection.
New Jersey's various landscapes abound with examples of the success of regional planning. In the Meadowlands, regional planning has transformed what was once a dump into a productive development, bejeweled with restored habitat and resources serving all the residents and businesses of northeastern parts of the state.
Shared property taxes --unique to New Jersey as a local control state -- have played a major role in the Meadowlands Commission’s achievement of its goals.
2011年8月25日 星期四
Power line link to asthma, study finds
Children whose mothers had high exposure to electromagnetic fields while pregnant may have an increased risk of developing asthma, US researchers said in a study that adds to an ongoing debate.
Many prior studies have failed to show convincingly that chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields – from power lines and appliances such as microwave ovens, hair dryers and vacuum cleaners – are harmful to human health.
But many of these studies required people to estimate their exposure levels over several years, says Dr De-Kun Li, a scientist at the Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California.
To get a more conclusive answer, Li designed a study in which 801 pregnant women wore monitors that measured their exposure to magnetic fields for 24 hours.
Measurements were taken from microwaves, hair dryers, fans, coffee grinders and fluorescent light bulbs, power lines, and transformer stations.
It did not monitor exposure to higher frequency electromagnetic fields generated by cellphones or cellphone towers.
The team used medical records to follow the women's children for 13 years. During the follow-up, 130 children, or 20.8 percent of study participants, developed asthma.
Most of these cases were diagnosed before age five.
They then compared exposure levels during pregnancy to rates of asthma and found that children whose mothers had the highest exposure levels were 3.5 times more likely to develop asthma than those who were in the bottom 10 percent.
Many prior studies have failed to show convincingly that chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields – from power lines and appliances such as microwave ovens, hair dryers and vacuum cleaners – are harmful to human health.
But many of these studies required people to estimate their exposure levels over several years, says Dr De-Kun Li, a scientist at the Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California.
To get a more conclusive answer, Li designed a study in which 801 pregnant women wore monitors that measured their exposure to magnetic fields for 24 hours.
Measurements were taken from microwaves, hair dryers, fans, coffee grinders and fluorescent light bulbs, power lines, and transformer stations.
It did not monitor exposure to higher frequency electromagnetic fields generated by cellphones or cellphone towers.
The team used medical records to follow the women's children for 13 years. During the follow-up, 130 children, or 20.8 percent of study participants, developed asthma.
Most of these cases were diagnosed before age five.
They then compared exposure levels during pregnancy to rates of asthma and found that children whose mothers had the highest exposure levels were 3.5 times more likely to develop asthma than those who were in the bottom 10 percent.
2011年5月26日 星期四
Guest Post: Watch Out for Xicato, and Other VC Reflections From Lightfair
Guest Post: Watch Out for Xicato, and Other VC Reflections From Lightfair
Last week I attended Lightfair, North America’s largest lighting show, in Philadelphia. It was my first time attending the show since May of 2008, when it was held in Las Vegas. It was amazing to see just how much had changed -- which until the last couple of years hasn’t been much.
The biggest innovation in lighting (after Edison invented the incandescent bulb) was fluorescent lights, which GE started selling in 1938. The second was probably the invention of the solid state dimmer switch in 1959 by Lutron. Sure there have been improvements since then, but there are few (if any) technical fields that have seen fewer changes than the lighting world (especially when you consider how massive the lighting industry is).
That was true, of course, until LEDs came into the picture. Back in ’08, there was a smattering of LED-based lights (or solid state lights -- SSL), but the majority of them were fluorescent, halogen or based on some other technology. Today, as last week proved, it is all about LEDs. Despite the fact that SSLs are still in their infancy (the biggest use cases today are in street lights, specialty retail and some museums), there was a plethora of lights and enabling technologies being showcased at Lightfair this year. Here are some of the trends that I found most interesting.
The LED version of Edison’s classic
There’s a reason why Edison’s invention is still talked about 100 years after the fact -- the endurance of the original light bulb design is remarkable. Its time may be running out, however, as numerous governments have, or are investigating outlawing the bulbs in favor of more energy efficient versions. At Lightfair, I saw a number of screw-in replacement bulbs made out of LEDs. There were literally dozens of 40W replacement bulbs from behemoths like GE and young upstarts like Lemnis Lighting. As I looked for higher-wattage bulbs, however, the list got shorter. At the top of the range I saw only two 100W replacement LED-based bulbs. One was from Sylvania: it was behind a case and you couldn’t touch it. The other was from a startup that was just out of stealth, Switch Lighting (and you could play with their bulb). Switch’s bulb looks really interesting (check out a picture here) and was one of the few bulbs that was liquid-cooled (i.e., the bulb is filled with a liquid vs. a gas). Switch also claims to have a proprietary driver technology that allows them to achieve the 100W mark.
The big question to me in this market is whether someone will develop technology that gives them a sustainable cost advantage. Markets like light bulbs show tremendous price elasticity. To be successful, I think companies need to show that they can have a cost advantage through some cleverness or distinctive intellectual property in their design. My investment interests aside, it’s clear to me that consumers are about to get access to high-quality LED bulbs that will naturally get cheaper over time.
The desire to educate consumers on light quality
In the past I’ve seen the benefits of SSL marketed in terms of energy reduction (that’s the driver for our investment in Redwood Systems). At the show, however, I saw a number of companies that were aiming to educate consumers on the benefits of SSL to deliver higher quality light. We’ve all experienced low-quality light -- from the dull blue light given off by the 1970s-era fluorescents to the eerie yellow light of a high-pressure sodium bulb. I didn’t fully understand the benefits of higher-quality light until last week, however.
Last week I attended Lightfair, North America’s largest lighting show, in Philadelphia. It was my first time attending the show since May of 2008, when it was held in Las Vegas. It was amazing to see just how much had changed -- which until the last couple of years hasn’t been much.
The biggest innovation in lighting (after Edison invented the incandescent bulb) was fluorescent lights, which GE started selling in 1938. The second was probably the invention of the solid state dimmer switch in 1959 by Lutron. Sure there have been improvements since then, but there are few (if any) technical fields that have seen fewer changes than the lighting world (especially when you consider how massive the lighting industry is).
That was true, of course, until LEDs came into the picture. Back in ’08, there was a smattering of LED-based lights (or solid state lights -- SSL), but the majority of them were fluorescent, halogen or based on some other technology. Today, as last week proved, it is all about LEDs. Despite the fact that SSLs are still in their infancy (the biggest use cases today are in street lights, specialty retail and some museums), there was a plethora of lights and enabling technologies being showcased at Lightfair this year. Here are some of the trends that I found most interesting.
The LED version of Edison’s classic
There’s a reason why Edison’s invention is still talked about 100 years after the fact -- the endurance of the original light bulb design is remarkable. Its time may be running out, however, as numerous governments have, or are investigating outlawing the bulbs in favor of more energy efficient versions. At Lightfair, I saw a number of screw-in replacement bulbs made out of LEDs. There were literally dozens of 40W replacement bulbs from behemoths like GE and young upstarts like Lemnis Lighting. As I looked for higher-wattage bulbs, however, the list got shorter. At the top of the range I saw only two 100W replacement LED-based bulbs. One was from Sylvania: it was behind a case and you couldn’t touch it. The other was from a startup that was just out of stealth, Switch Lighting (and you could play with their bulb). Switch’s bulb looks really interesting (check out a picture here) and was one of the few bulbs that was liquid-cooled (i.e., the bulb is filled with a liquid vs. a gas). Switch also claims to have a proprietary driver technology that allows them to achieve the 100W mark.
The big question to me in this market is whether someone will develop technology that gives them a sustainable cost advantage. Markets like light bulbs show tremendous price elasticity. To be successful, I think companies need to show that they can have a cost advantage through some cleverness or distinctive intellectual property in their design. My investment interests aside, it’s clear to me that consumers are about to get access to high-quality LED bulbs that will naturally get cheaper over time.
The desire to educate consumers on light quality
In the past I’ve seen the benefits of SSL marketed in terms of energy reduction (that’s the driver for our investment in Redwood Systems). At the show, however, I saw a number of companies that were aiming to educate consumers on the benefits of SSL to deliver higher quality light. We’ve all experienced low-quality light -- from the dull blue light given off by the 1970s-era fluorescents to the eerie yellow light of a high-pressure sodium bulb. I didn’t fully understand the benefits of higher-quality light until last week, however.
2011年5月16日 星期一
LED Lights And Kitchen Lights
LED Lights And Kitchen Lights
When decorating and fitting a room, many people have a tendency to focus on the furnishings and the decor, but dont really think about fittings such as lighting. Lighting really makes a difference to how a room looks, and how you can use it.
In the operation of renovation and redecorating your home, choosing the right options for lighting is definitely a perfect final touch to the room's overall aesthetic. However, when deciding on which form to choose for its appearance, this does not mean that you have to compromise on practicality as Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights are not just good to look at, they also have an increased endurance than traditional forms of electric bulbs plus the usage of LED's can bring about considerable energy savings.
Although LED lighting has been around since the 1960's, it is only lately that it has been recognised as 'the next generation of electric brightness'. Regarded as accurate view of such appliances for a number of reasons. The advantages of using LEDs range from the realization they can be purchased in a large selection of colours and have a endurance four times that for fluorescent ones and twenty times that of halogen ones. LED lights are also not only suitable for interior usage, but can also be used in the garden or in fact anywhere outside (for which the long endurance is a large advantage).
The next generation of lighting generally seems to keep developing further as recent advances in LED technology in addition have resulted in much improved energy efficiency in comparison to other styles of bulb, with energy savings of 60% in comparison to compact fluorescent lights plus a staggering 90% in comparison with the halogen version.
The practical uses of LEDs are also several as such lighting can be effectively used around the home, such as in the kitchen. LED kitchen lights can be purchased in a selection of forms to fulfill any possible need, from 'button lights' (obtainable in white, blue and green), to strip lights as well as self-adhesive, colour-changing LED tape.
When decorating and fitting a room, many people have a tendency to focus on the furnishings and the decor, but dont really think about fittings such as lighting. Lighting really makes a difference to how a room looks, and how you can use it.
In the operation of renovation and redecorating your home, choosing the right options for lighting is definitely a perfect final touch to the room's overall aesthetic. However, when deciding on which form to choose for its appearance, this does not mean that you have to compromise on practicality as Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights are not just good to look at, they also have an increased endurance than traditional forms of electric bulbs plus the usage of LED's can bring about considerable energy savings.
Although LED lighting has been around since the 1960's, it is only lately that it has been recognised as 'the next generation of electric brightness'. Regarded as accurate view of such appliances for a number of reasons. The advantages of using LEDs range from the realization they can be purchased in a large selection of colours and have a endurance four times that for fluorescent ones and twenty times that of halogen ones. LED lights are also not only suitable for interior usage, but can also be used in the garden or in fact anywhere outside (for which the long endurance is a large advantage).
The next generation of lighting generally seems to keep developing further as recent advances in LED technology in addition have resulted in much improved energy efficiency in comparison to other styles of bulb, with energy savings of 60% in comparison to compact fluorescent lights plus a staggering 90% in comparison with the halogen version.
The practical uses of LEDs are also several as such lighting can be effectively used around the home, such as in the kitchen. LED kitchen lights can be purchased in a selection of forms to fulfill any possible need, from 'button lights' (obtainable in white, blue and green), to strip lights as well as self-adhesive, colour-changing LED tape.
2011年5月11日 星期三
Android meets LED bulbs in Google smart-home push
Android meets LED bulbs in Google smart-home push
By the end of this year, people will be able to buy an LED light bulb controllable from an Android device, part of Google's move into home automation.
At the Google I/O conference today, Google demonstrated how Android devices, including tablets and smartphones, can act as a hub for controlling multiple devices in the home, including lighting, appliances, thermostats, and music.
Coming to a home network near you: a Lighting Sciences Group A19 LED bulb controllable by Android devices.
Google concocted a lighting demo system with Lighting Sciences Group, which developed an LED bulb that can talk to Android. It uses a new mesh network wireless protocol rather than Wi-Fi, ZigBee, or the other proprietary home automation protocols.
The hope is that software developers will create applications that use the home automation system of connected devices. The demo at Google I/O was of a person playing a shooting video game with the lights turning on and off as shots were fired, said Eric Holland, the director of electrical engineering at Lighting Sciences Group.
"Lighting is very visible and prevalent so it made sense for it to be first foray for the platform," Holland said. "Every one of the lights has a radio integrated inside the lamp so there's no additional equipment."
Many companies are building home automation systems built around connected objects, which give people a way to set up schedules around lighting and heating/cooling. People can also turn plugged-in items on and off from a central point, such as a tablet or small dashboard.
Having many devices communicating using ZigBee or Wi-Fi could create interference problems, one reason why a new protocol is being used, Holland said. Since it is open-source, Google and Lighting Sciences Group hope it will be adopted by other lighting and home automation companies. The networked bulbs will be available by the end of the year at the same cost as their general-purpose LEDs, for which prices range from under $20 to about $35 for a 60-watt equivalent.
Google enters a crowded field of home automation and consumer smart-grid companies that are trying to get a foothold for smart-home products.
By the end of this year, people will be able to buy an LED light bulb controllable from an Android device, part of Google's move into home automation.
At the Google I/O conference today, Google demonstrated how Android devices, including tablets and smartphones, can act as a hub for controlling multiple devices in the home, including lighting, appliances, thermostats, and music.
Coming to a home network near you: a Lighting Sciences Group A19 LED bulb controllable by Android devices.
Google concocted a lighting demo system with Lighting Sciences Group, which developed an LED bulb that can talk to Android. It uses a new mesh network wireless protocol rather than Wi-Fi, ZigBee, or the other proprietary home automation protocols.
The hope is that software developers will create applications that use the home automation system of connected devices. The demo at Google I/O was of a person playing a shooting video game with the lights turning on and off as shots were fired, said Eric Holland, the director of electrical engineering at Lighting Sciences Group.
"Lighting is very visible and prevalent so it made sense for it to be first foray for the platform," Holland said. "Every one of the lights has a radio integrated inside the lamp so there's no additional equipment."
Many companies are building home automation systems built around connected objects, which give people a way to set up schedules around lighting and heating/cooling. People can also turn plugged-in items on and off from a central point, such as a tablet or small dashboard.
Having many devices communicating using ZigBee or Wi-Fi could create interference problems, one reason why a new protocol is being used, Holland said. Since it is open-source, Google and Lighting Sciences Group hope it will be adopted by other lighting and home automation companies. The networked bulbs will be available by the end of the year at the same cost as their general-purpose LEDs, for which prices range from under $20 to about $35 for a 60-watt equivalent.
Google enters a crowded field of home automation and consumer smart-grid companies that are trying to get a foothold for smart-home products.
2011年5月9日 星期一
Adaptive Micro Systems enters receivership and plans to close Milwaukee headquarters
Adaptive Micro Systems enters receivership and plans to close Milwaukee headquarters
Adaptive Micro Systems, a designer and manufacturer of electronic signage, LED displays and related control systems, has entered Wisconsin Chapter 128 receivership and plans to close its headquarters and manufacturing facility at 7840 N. 86th St., Milwaukee.
All of Adaptive Micro Systems’ 71 employees will be terminated, according to a letter sent to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development by attorney Michael Polsky, the court-appointed receiver in the matter. Layoffs are expected to begin July 6.
According to the letter, the company has experienced unforeseen business circumstances and was in the process of seeking capital or business to prevent or postpone the plant closure and to continue operations.
Uline
Ladish acquisition set to close this week after shareholder approval
The shareholders of Cudahy-based Ladish Co. approved the acquisition of the company at a special meeting last week, another step in its planned purchase by a wholly owned subsidiary of Allegheny Technologies Inc.
Approximately 99.9 percent of the Ladish shares voted at the meeting were in favor of the transaction. Ladish expects to close the transaction with ATI today or shortly thereafter.
Ladish is a leading producer of highly engineered, technically advanced metal components for the jet engine, aerospace and general industrial markets.
Milwaukee lures another Spanish manufacturer to town
The Spanish firm Sic Lazaro, a producer of industrial counterweights, is establishing its first manufacturing operation in North America on Milwaukee’s far north side.
The company will occupy a 138,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at 7044-7100 N. Teutonia Ave.
Sic Lazaro expects to open in fall 2011 and hire about 30 employees within a year.
Privately held Sic Lazaro targeted Wisconsin as a location because of the state’s manufacturing heritage and base. “We think Milwaukee is an excellent location for manufacturing and an ideal place from which to serve the U.S. market,” said Cliff Ratza, who will manage the company’s Milwaukee plant. “We appreciate the help of the M7 and the City of Milwaukee in providing resources and assistance as we evaluated potential locales.”
Lazaro is the third Spanish manufacturer that M7 has worked with in the past year to locate in the region. The others are wind energy firm Ingeteam, which is opening its North American headquarters and manufacturing plant in Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley, and train manufacturer Talgo, located on Milwaukee’s north side at the former Tower Automotive plant.
M7 officials say they are luring European manufacturers because of the region’s strong base of manufacturing companies, suppliers and skilled workers, including a high percentage of engineers. Wisconsin ranks first nationally for concentration of manufacturing employment, and Milwaukee ranks second regionally. The region’s proximity to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is another selling point for European companies.
As part of our global attraction strategy, M7 representatives and Racine County and City of Milwaukee economic development professionals recently attended the Hannover Messe trade show in Germany, one of the largest industrial shows in the world with more than 200,000 attendees.
Milwaukee 7 was part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Invest in America booth at the Hannover Messe trade show in Germany.
More than 30 prescheduled one-on-one meetings with European manufacturers were organized to sell the region’s manufacturing expertise in automation, power, energy and electrical components, which aligns well with Europe’s advanced manufacturing sector. The trade show also served as a base for visits to a number of neighboring regions and countries.
M7 executive director Pat O’Brien said the trip was a valuable step in the region’s foreign direct investment strategy.
“We’re getting the word out about the region, companies are impressed with our manufacturing attributes and we’re adding more European projects to our pipeline,” O’Brien said.
The Milwaukee 7 investment campaign has just surpassed $6.4 million. New investors include: Bank Mutual; Consolidated Construction Company; DeltaHawk Engines; GenMet; Patrick Horne; Northwestern Mutual; and Quarles & Brady LLP.
Adaptive Micro Systems, a designer and manufacturer of electronic signage, LED displays and related control systems, has entered Wisconsin Chapter 128 receivership and plans to close its headquarters and manufacturing facility at 7840 N. 86th St., Milwaukee.
All of Adaptive Micro Systems’ 71 employees will be terminated, according to a letter sent to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development by attorney Michael Polsky, the court-appointed receiver in the matter. Layoffs are expected to begin July 6.
According to the letter, the company has experienced unforeseen business circumstances and was in the process of seeking capital or business to prevent or postpone the plant closure and to continue operations.
Uline
Ladish acquisition set to close this week after shareholder approval
The shareholders of Cudahy-based Ladish Co. approved the acquisition of the company at a special meeting last week, another step in its planned purchase by a wholly owned subsidiary of Allegheny Technologies Inc.
Approximately 99.9 percent of the Ladish shares voted at the meeting were in favor of the transaction. Ladish expects to close the transaction with ATI today or shortly thereafter.
Ladish is a leading producer of highly engineered, technically advanced metal components for the jet engine, aerospace and general industrial markets.
Milwaukee lures another Spanish manufacturer to town
The Spanish firm Sic Lazaro, a producer of industrial counterweights, is establishing its first manufacturing operation in North America on Milwaukee’s far north side.
The company will occupy a 138,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at 7044-7100 N. Teutonia Ave.
Sic Lazaro expects to open in fall 2011 and hire about 30 employees within a year.
Privately held Sic Lazaro targeted Wisconsin as a location because of the state’s manufacturing heritage and base. “We think Milwaukee is an excellent location for manufacturing and an ideal place from which to serve the U.S. market,” said Cliff Ratza, who will manage the company’s Milwaukee plant. “We appreciate the help of the M7 and the City of Milwaukee in providing resources and assistance as we evaluated potential locales.”
Lazaro is the third Spanish manufacturer that M7 has worked with in the past year to locate in the region. The others are wind energy firm Ingeteam, which is opening its North American headquarters and manufacturing plant in Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley, and train manufacturer Talgo, located on Milwaukee’s north side at the former Tower Automotive plant.
M7 officials say they are luring European manufacturers because of the region’s strong base of manufacturing companies, suppliers and skilled workers, including a high percentage of engineers. Wisconsin ranks first nationally for concentration of manufacturing employment, and Milwaukee ranks second regionally. The region’s proximity to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is another selling point for European companies.
As part of our global attraction strategy, M7 representatives and Racine County and City of Milwaukee economic development professionals recently attended the Hannover Messe trade show in Germany, one of the largest industrial shows in the world with more than 200,000 attendees.
Milwaukee 7 was part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Invest in America booth at the Hannover Messe trade show in Germany.
More than 30 prescheduled one-on-one meetings with European manufacturers were organized to sell the region’s manufacturing expertise in automation, power, energy and electrical components, which aligns well with Europe’s advanced manufacturing sector. The trade show also served as a base for visits to a number of neighboring regions and countries.
M7 executive director Pat O’Brien said the trip was a valuable step in the region’s foreign direct investment strategy.
“We’re getting the word out about the region, companies are impressed with our manufacturing attributes and we’re adding more European projects to our pipeline,” O’Brien said.
The Milwaukee 7 investment campaign has just surpassed $6.4 million. New investors include: Bank Mutual; Consolidated Construction Company; DeltaHawk Engines; GenMet; Patrick Horne; Northwestern Mutual; and Quarles & Brady LLP.
2011年4月20日 星期三
Lemon lamp a bright idea
Lemon lamp a bright idea
When life gives you lemons — make electricity.
Well, that’s what 10 year old Gabe Davey must have heard, because instead of fixing a refreshing summer drink, the Claude E. Garton Public School student MacGuyvered a lamp using little more than the sour fruit and an LED bulb.
Davey’s experiment was one of over 100 science projects on display at Lakehead University’s C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse gym on Tuesday. The Northwestern Ontario Regional Science Fair had students from grades 4 to 12 from across the region showcasing a diverse range of experiments.
“My goal in this was to examine how many fruits it would take to light the bulb, and my question was what fruit would take the least,” explained Davey, who pitted lemons, oranges and grapefruits against each other in a battle of citrus supremacy.
Lemons came out on top with only three needed to light up the bulb.
Fionna Fenlon’s eye-catching experiment titled “How Haunted is Your House?” dealt with a phantom of the energy kind — the electricity that household items waste even when turned off, often referred to as phantom energy.
“It’s nothing about Ghostbusters, sorry to disappoint,” Fenlon joked before explaining the worst perpetrators of phantom energy, such as old TVs, desktop computer towers, and laptops that are kept plugged in after they have finished charging.
Fenlon, a Grade 10 student from Sir Winston Churchill high school, tested different electronics using a voltmeter and said that by unplugging rarely-used electronics, money can be saved and our carbon footprint can be reduced.
Students could choose any topic they liked, and like Fenlon, many had an environmental angle. Proof of the importance that environmental protection was on the students’ minds.
For the record, there were no exhibits either proving or disproving the existence of ghosts, so that mystery still remains.
Chelsea Kubinec’s experiment may have lacked a fun prop like a vinegar-fuelled volcano — and yes, there was a volcano — but her experiment on how age correlates with gender stereotyping was just as intriguing.
Kubinec said she was bothered by the way gender is portrayed in marketing as well as the stereotypical jokes she heard from others, so she created a survey that tested people’s beliefs based on their age.
“I focused on gender stereotyping because I hear so many people make stereotypical jokes, so I wanted to make people aware that they are hurtful, and I wanted to display it with actual results,” Kubinec explained.
The St. Ignatius High School student found that older adults tend to believe gender stereotypes, but that the trend rapidly declines for the 17- to 24-year-old demographic, a promising result to be sure.
Michael Kisro, a Grade 6 student from Sacred Heart School in Sioux Lookout, built a miniature steam-powered boat using only copper tubing and a candle to propel it forward, demonstrating the properties of steam and water pressure.
“I wanted to do a steam train but that would be a bit harder,” said Kisro, who spent one day building the boat and another two constructing his board of information.
Brendan Sawanas and Kansis Mandamin, two grade 10 students from Thomas Fiddler Memorial High School, ran a series of tests to see if humans could develop echolocation, the biological sonar used by bats and dolphins to “hear their surroundings.”
Indeed, tests showed that blindfolded students could make sounds and hear echoes to navigate. High-frequency clicking sounds worked best, and young students fared better than teachers, supporting the belief that hearing degrades with age.
Awards for the Northwestern Ontario Regional Science Fair will be given out tonight from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Lakehead University’s Bora Laskin Auditorium.
When life gives you lemons — make electricity.
Well, that’s what 10 year old Gabe Davey must have heard, because instead of fixing a refreshing summer drink, the Claude E. Garton Public School student MacGuyvered a lamp using little more than the sour fruit and an LED bulb.
Davey’s experiment was one of over 100 science projects on display at Lakehead University’s C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse gym on Tuesday. The Northwestern Ontario Regional Science Fair had students from grades 4 to 12 from across the region showcasing a diverse range of experiments.
“My goal in this was to examine how many fruits it would take to light the bulb, and my question was what fruit would take the least,” explained Davey, who pitted lemons, oranges and grapefruits against each other in a battle of citrus supremacy.
Lemons came out on top with only three needed to light up the bulb.
Fionna Fenlon’s eye-catching experiment titled “How Haunted is Your House?” dealt with a phantom of the energy kind — the electricity that household items waste even when turned off, often referred to as phantom energy.
“It’s nothing about Ghostbusters, sorry to disappoint,” Fenlon joked before explaining the worst perpetrators of phantom energy, such as old TVs, desktop computer towers, and laptops that are kept plugged in after they have finished charging.
Fenlon, a Grade 10 student from Sir Winston Churchill high school, tested different electronics using a voltmeter and said that by unplugging rarely-used electronics, money can be saved and our carbon footprint can be reduced.
Students could choose any topic they liked, and like Fenlon, many had an environmental angle. Proof of the importance that environmental protection was on the students’ minds.
For the record, there were no exhibits either proving or disproving the existence of ghosts, so that mystery still remains.
Chelsea Kubinec’s experiment may have lacked a fun prop like a vinegar-fuelled volcano — and yes, there was a volcano — but her experiment on how age correlates with gender stereotyping was just as intriguing.
Kubinec said she was bothered by the way gender is portrayed in marketing as well as the stereotypical jokes she heard from others, so she created a survey that tested people’s beliefs based on their age.
“I focused on gender stereotyping because I hear so many people make stereotypical jokes, so I wanted to make people aware that they are hurtful, and I wanted to display it with actual results,” Kubinec explained.
The St. Ignatius High School student found that older adults tend to believe gender stereotypes, but that the trend rapidly declines for the 17- to 24-year-old demographic, a promising result to be sure.
Michael Kisro, a Grade 6 student from Sacred Heart School in Sioux Lookout, built a miniature steam-powered boat using only copper tubing and a candle to propel it forward, demonstrating the properties of steam and water pressure.
“I wanted to do a steam train but that would be a bit harder,” said Kisro, who spent one day building the boat and another two constructing his board of information.
Brendan Sawanas and Kansis Mandamin, two grade 10 students from Thomas Fiddler Memorial High School, ran a series of tests to see if humans could develop echolocation, the biological sonar used by bats and dolphins to “hear their surroundings.”
Indeed, tests showed that blindfolded students could make sounds and hear echoes to navigate. High-frequency clicking sounds worked best, and young students fared better than teachers, supporting the belief that hearing degrades with age.
Awards for the Northwestern Ontario Regional Science Fair will be given out tonight from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Lakehead University’s Bora Laskin Auditorium.
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