Author: Serkadis

The National

Resembling a giant glass and stone arrowhead resting in the desert sand, the Grand Egyptian Museum will sit two kilometres from the pyramids at Giza. Due to be completed in 2013, and expected to cost about Dh2.2 billion, it will house more than 50,000 of the country’s most prized artefacts, including the Tutankhamen collection. Commissioned by the Egyptian ministry of culture and part-funded by President Mubarak and his wife, the museum is expected to attract 4.8 million visitors every year. Its design, by the Dublin-based Heneghan Peng, is intended to reflect both modern and ancient elements, including thousands of triangular pyramid-like pieces.

Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

So much for pay drivers for US F1! After initially saying that they will definitely not choose pay drivers for their initial campaign in Formula One, the North American team yesterday evening announced the official signing of Argentine driver Jose Maria Lopez.

The rumors suggesting such a move had surfaced in the media since last month. However, the team and the driver’s management had to work out the details of the contract – well, to be more precise, the amount of sponsorship money that the… (read more)

The second generation Opel Movano has been introduced by German manufacturer Opel with the promise of bringing both increased payload and better, more fuel efficient engines. The Movano will be launched on the market this spring, with other variants to be introduced later this year. Prices have not been announced yet.

The new Movano comes in a wide choice of body types, with panel vans available in four vehicle lengths and three roof heights, platform, chassis, crew cabs and combi versions. … (read more)

ethorad alerts us to the news that the UK football/soccer club Manchester United put out a statement insisting that none of its players use any social network accounts. The club apparently says that it’s just stating a fact — to stop people from thinking they’re communicating with real players when they’re actually talking to impostors — rather than forcing the players off of social networks. However, the BBC notes that there were three ManU players who were believed to have real Twitter accounts, and all have suddenly disappeared — which suggests the real issue is that ManU banned players from using social networks to connect with fans. If that’s true, it seems incredibly short-sighted. Yes, players need to be careful when communicating publicly, but blocking them off entirely doesn’t help make fans any more loyal.

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The American University in Cairo (Richard Byford)

The Rhet Herring, Issue 6 Fall 2009

One of the greatest privileges enjoyed by an academic must be that of taking a sabbatical, and I thank all of you who made that possible for me. Sabbaticals conjure up images of freedom, on full pay, where one can keep the hours one pleases; and on the merest of whims one can arise from the keyboard and step outside free to roam the streets or stop off in the bars to re-inspire that temporarily jaded muse. It’s not really like that — although I along with one or two of my colleagues did joke about me in my garret, far from the madding crowds, alone with my muse. The muses in my case, it must be stated, were two very young kittens whom I had the good fortune to watch grow up when I was not huddled over my keyboard; and with a pot of coffee percolating away every morning and a good selection of classical music playing away in the background I was comfortable enough.

A sabbatical however, is hard work strangely enough, for all of you full of envy — it is not without its pitfalls. For a start, if you’re not careful, one can become assailed by those demons that lurk in the back of the mind. I discovered that when alone for long periods of time, many of the slights, insults, grudges, hurts and evils that I have experienced in my lifetime came bubbling up to the surface and I would spend anxious moments, hours even trying to work out the why and the who of many of the problems that I have suffered, trying to make some kind of narrative sense out of it all. This is dangerous as one becomes mentally paralyzed wandering through the house perhaps with coffee in hand sometimes actually talking to one self, and multiple identities begin to emerge, the interrogator, the detective, the bemused puzzled victim etc. This is a threat that one has to guard against; but maybe it is precisely this sewage which emerges from the depths of the psyche that is actually the raw material and the motive force of writing, providing one can discipline oneself. Herein then is the key. Does one actually have the psychological strength and the self-discipline to function on one’s own? Surprisingly, the answer was yes especially when it was a case of becoming engrossed in the reading of the texts of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, particularly when I was in a position to apply my knowledge of hieroglyphs that I had been studying over the last few years. It is though the writing itself, the writing process which helps one out, indeed keeps one out of the hells to which one can consign oneself. Once I started writing I usually couldn’t stop; sentences would appear in front of me in bewildering rapidity; and after I had revised the grammar and developed my ideas further, it was exciting to see in front of me the kind of text that I am more used to seeing when I am reading.

I have not told you yet, but I was writing a series of travel essays about the desert. Each essay was to be concerned with a period of the desert’s history, and part of the research involved visiting the places, many of which I was already familiar, that I was going to write about. Such places included the oases of the Western Desert, the wadis of the Eastern, the religious and pharaonic centres of the Sinai, and most particularly the massif and mountain fastness respectively of the Gilf Kebir and Gebel Uweinat situated across the sand dunes far to Egypt’s south-western frontier.

Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

drhawass.com

A lovely photograph of a lovely place.

Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

The Mustek MER-6T is yet another eBook reader for the masses. It’s not color, but it manages to sport a decent 800×600 resolution. The device has support for most popular eBook formats, including PDF (Free/DRM), ePub (Free/DRM), TXT, RTF, FB2, PRC,/MOBI, and HTML. It also has a built-in 2GB memory that will hold 1600 books, and fortunately the memory is expandable.  Overall, the design is not half bad and you won’t have to deal with reading issues due to glare and even sunlight. But after Wednesday, depending on what Apple comes out with – all the eBook readers may just want to throw in the towel altogether, so this product might be obsolete before it has even launched.  There is no pricing or availability information but if you must own this, I suggest checking the site for updates.

Pepco, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc., a company which provides electric service to 767,000 residential and commercial customers in Washington, D.C., and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, just energized its first charging station for electric vehicles. The company also decided to purchase 10 Chevrolet Volt which will be used for studying the effects of vehicle recharging.

We are excited to be at the forefront of developing an infrastructure to supply fuel for electric… (read more)

Who knows if these are real, but these are easily the most legitimate looking pictures I’ve ever seen of the supposed Apple Tablet/iPad/iSlate/iBook/Whatever It Will Be Called. Further, UI designer Dustin Curtis tells us a friend sent him these pictures — and from what we hear, that friend could work at Apple (he wouldn’t confirm that).

Or maybe Curtis made these himself and he’s just messing with us. If so, you should hire this guy.

Pick them apart in the comments and tell us what’s wrong. At the very least, these are 1000 times better than that video earlier.

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Got nearly $7,000 in spare change and a lust for magnesium-bodied digital rangefinder cameras? Then we’ve got the solution to your itch, dear friend, as Leica has just let the M9 out to dance with credit cards in the courting ritual colloquially known as a pre-order. Claimed as the world’s smallest full frame digital shooter, the latest Leica sports an 18 megapixel sensor, a new cover glass that eliminates the need for IR filters, dual image processors, and a 2.5-inch LCD. You’ll have to be really sure this shooter is for you, though, because the quoted price is for the body only, and the lenses won’t come cheap either. Still, this is the Leica stuff we care to see — not some silly 24 carat-skinned Limited Edition homage to the unholy.

Leica M9 taking pre-orders for its body only originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I love my Sonicare toothbrush, but Panasonic’s imported Sonic Pocket Toothbrush, may give me a little nudge to try something new.  This toothbrush is portable and colorful, yet it manages to vibrate at over 16,000 strokes a minute. As with most traditional motorized toothbrushes the bristles will not only clean your teeth but strengthen your gums. The Panasonic Sonic Pocket Toothbrush comes in five metallic hues with a slim color-matched case. This is ofcourse, perfect for traveling and slipping into your purse or briefcase. The Sonic Pocket Toothbrush retails for $72.

Korenix releases JetWave 2450, the IEEE 802.11b/g/n complaint Outdoor Wireless-N Access Point to provide supercharged speed, range and performance for the most demanding high-bandwidth wireless networking applications.
The cost-effective JetWave 2450 with up to 150Mbps data rate connection by high throughput 802.11n technology allows extending wireless coverage up to 5KM with reduced roaming between APs and stable data transmission. With dual antenna design, wireless clients can flexibly deploy the device for their specific long distance line-of-sight applications and/or extend transmission by overlaying multiple radio signals. Combining advanced management /security features to the rugged IP65 design and -20~70oC operating temperature, JetWave 2450 becomes the ideal solution for expanding reliable wireless data transmission in severe outdoor environments.

Korenix JetWave 2450 Wireless AP supports IEEE 802.11n standard and answers the growing business’ need for access, speed and security. With the Wireless-N technology, it is capable of ensuring triple higher data rate transmission with increased speed and outstanding performance upgrading the existing wireless network to provide more capacity & enhance coverage. The AP, backward compatible with 802.11b/g standard, also allows connecting 802.11n, 802.11g or 802.11b devices to the wired network so that it becomes possible to add PCs to the network with no cabling hassle.

JetWave 2450 wireless AP is equipped with a built-in 8dBi directional antenna to provide long-distance line-of-sight transmission. Besides, users can benefit from the N-type socket for external antenna integration, to attach high gain and wide directional antenna for extending wireless data coverage.

To ensure the secure data transmission, JetWave 2450 supports WEP, WPA, WPA2 and MAC Address filtering. For providing outstanding wireless performance, JetWave 2450 wireless APs support spanning tree protocol to avoid loop storm, QoS (WMM) to prioritize classes for different applications, IGMP snooping for multicast stream filtering and NTP for network time synchronization.

All of these features in addition to the built-in 12VDC PoE, combined into the JetWave 2450 Wireless AP provide a powerful wireless solution offering extraordinary flexibility, highest data rates and the ability to deploy a wireless network in severe outdoor environments.

Korenix Technology
www.korenix.com; www.korenixsecurity.com
+886-2-8911-1000
[email protected]

Hackensack, NJ. January 15, 2010 -Comprised of an aramid fiber reinforced epoxy adhesive for high performance structural bonding, Master Bond’s EP30R features outstanding dimensional stability and enhanced impact resistance. This two part epoxy is formulated to cure at room temperature or more rapidly at elevated temperatures. Master Bond EP30R produces high strength bonds to metals, glass, ceramics, vulcanized rubbers and many plastics. The structural adhesive is recommended for use over the temperature range of -51°C to more than 120°C and it resists thermal cycling and chemicals. Cure shrinkage of only 0.0003 inches/in preserves precise dimensional tolerances of assembled parts. Severe mechanical or thermal stresses do not weaken adhesive performance. The cured epoxy is an excellent electrical insulator.

Master Bond’s EP30R is a high viscosity, easy to apply compound. It spreads evenly and smoothly and only contact pressure is required for cure. 100% reactive, this epoxy adhesive contains no solvents or other volatiles. Unlike many epoxy reinforced systems, it has superb impact strength values combined with rigidity properties. Master Bond EP30R is recommended for applications where adhesive strength, dimensional stability and impact resistance must be maintained even upon prolonged exposure to adverse environmental conditions.

2 series is cost effective general purpose cylindrical photoelectric
sensor.

– Two types of housing, metal and plastic (PBT), are available.
– Long sensing distance, 20m (thru-beam), 4m (retro-reflective), 80cm
(diffuse reflective).
– You can chose from two types of retro-reflective type, standard type and
a type with built-in polarizing filter.

IP67, CE compliant

Korenix is proud to announce that its substation hardened Industrial Gigabit Managed Ethernet switches fully comply and exceed the IEC 61850-3 and IEEE 1613 environmental performance tests for ensuring enhanced network infrastructures in ruggedized substation applications. Designed to precisely simulate real substation conditions, the IEC 61850-3 report highlights all the networking requirements fulfilled by Korenix substation rated Ethernet switches and testifies the outstanding reliability and performance provided by the switches for use in the critical environments of electric utility substations and field sites.

The Korenix IEC 61850-3 certified JetNet 5628G gigabit modular managed switches are equipped with 3 modular slot design to provide users with maximum flexibility through easy field inst allation in power utility substations. With the exclusive MultiRing technology, users can aggregate up to 12 fast Ethernet and 2 gigabit rings into a single switch and ensure network reliability in applications with increased bandwidth and expended system. Furthermore, JetNet 5628G fulfills the high-end management requirements of IEC61850-3 substation standard by providing LLDP and JetViewPro, 8 QoS, 256 VLAN, IGMP Snooping, DHCP, LACP, and other advanced management and security features to ensure the high quality and reliable network communication. In addition to the fan-less design the JetNet 5628G supports various power input types, including 90~264VAC, 88~370VDC and 24/48VDC for flexible use in field power constructions.

Key features of JetNet 5628G are:
* 3 modular slots for adding up to 24 10/100-TX or 18 100Base-FX
* 4 On-Board Gigabit RJ45/SFP combo ports
* Compliant with IEC61850-3, IEEE1613 Power Substation Standards
* IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol for precise time synchronization
* 12.8G Non-Blocking backplane, 16K MAC table
* Up to 9KB Jumbo Frame for large file transmission
* Korenix MSR, up to 12 x 100M Rings plus 2 Gigabit Rings
* 256 Tag based VLANs segregate IEC 61850 GOOSE message streams from each other
* 8 QoS for prioritizing control and management packet from SCADA
* IGMP Snooping, GMRP, Rate Control for multicast message management
* DHCP Option 82, DHCP Server for IP address assignment
* Network Management Features such as SNMP, RMON, LLDP and event notifications
* 90-264VAC, 88-370VDC, 24/48VDC power input

Korenix Technology
www.korenix.com
+886-2-8911-1000
[email protected]

Removes floating surface oils in industrial or food processing use.

The Abanaki Oil Viper tube skimmer effectively removes floating surface oils by means of a oleophilic (oil attracting) 3/4 inch diameter continuous looped tube. The tube extends out over the surface of the tank or pit and collects the free floating oils.

The Oil Viper has a specially designed method for removing the oil from the tube. It has a unique wiper combination attached to the tube itself in addition to the ceramic wiper on the skimmer.

The result is a virtually oil free tube as it leaves the skimmer for quicker oil removal. Removal rates can be as high as one hundred gallons per hour.

Sustaining Growth with Quality

A review of 2009 shows all of us that there have been some great success stories coming out of the last 12 months of a global economic slowdown. Brookville Equipment has been one of those successes as the company has completed a few of the largest projects that have challenged this growing firm. BEC shipped nearly 30% more finished industrial locomotives, streetcars, and mining equipment in 2009 than they did in 2008. Use the link to see an overview of a few highlights of the project successes from the previous year.

Mining and Tunneling

Brookville’s line of underground mining and tunneling equipment has also grown in the past year with continuous improvements. In the past decade, BEC has been increasing the number of diesel units it has been manufacturing for the industry. Engine manufactures have made tremendous improvements in the efficiency and cleanliness of these engines.

This year our engineering department worked with a manufacture of an LED display that is now installed on all of our electronically controlled ultra-low emission Tier 3 engines. This unit will allow the operator and maintenance personnel to use a water-tight dash-mounted LED display screen to view many standard engine parameters as well as active and stored trouble codes.

Note the LED display located in the upper left of the operators control panel.

This display will read the CANBUS from the engine computer and display short messages instead of flash codes, which had been the previous standard. This will greatly improve the operation personnel’s diagnostic capabilities with the engine fault codes by providing a text translation for the most common fault conditions. An example warning may be: “Engine oil pressure low,” which can lead to significantly faster maintenance repairs and less chance of problems going untreated. The unit also features an enhanced alarm indication with an ultra-bright alarm and shutdown LEDs (amber and red). Brookville began installing this display unit on select models in the third quarter of 2009.

No business has ever grown without an internal focus on continuous improvement. BEC has operated over 91 years with its center of attention on the men and women that make
Thursday December 24th 2009 – A review of 2009 shows all of us that there have been some great success stories coming out of the last 12 months of a global economic slowdown. Brookville Equipment has been one of those successes as the company has completed a few of the largest projects that have challenged this growing firm. BEC shipped nearly 30% more finished industrial locomotives, streetcars, and mining equipment in 2009 than they did in 2008. Please use the link for an overview of the highlights of the project successes from the previous year.

Brookville a respected and requested equipment manufacturer. The past year has offered many opportunities for the company to bring industrial locomotives, streetcars, and mining/tunneling equipment into many new areas of North America. Throughout the country word has spread that Brookville has maintained its focus on quality, customer satisfaction, and continued improvement through the past year. Brookville looks ahead to 2010 with its eyes on continuing its substantial period of internal growth and quality improvements for its customers.

Michael White
Brookville Equipment Corp.
Sales / Marketing Specialist
1-814-849-6026 – Direct
[email protected]

Optex FA is going to launch laser displacement sensor CD33-250
Standalone laser displacement sensor

Range: 100 – 400 mm
Linearity: +/- 0.3% F.S.(300mm)
Resolution: 100um (fast mode)
Temperature drift: +/- 0.08% F.S.(300mm)

Dimensions: H 60 x W 20.4 x D 50 mm (cable type)
Weight: 65g (cable type without cable)

Plant managers and material handling supervisors seeking simple ways to demarcate plant walk-through paths can now use a portable, versatile bollard from Sentry Protection Products the Sentry Guard Post™, a re-design of the traditional bollard for a wide range of both indoor and outdoor applications.

The ultralight Sentry Guard Post is 1220 mm (48”), tapering from 125 x 125 mm (5″ x 5″), with a 355 mm (14″) diameter round base. Each side of the post has a 63 x 500 mm (2.5″ x 20″) inset available to place reflective tape or other signage. Watertight and hollow, Sentry Guard Post can be filled with ballast (e.g. sand or water) to increase stability. It can also be attached with fasteners into a floor, dock, or any other flat base. It can be staked to the ground if used away from the pavement. The unit’s removable top is designed to work with plastic chain for traffic control.

James Ryan, Managing Director of Sentry Protection Products, explains that the Sentry Guard Post was developed at the request of several worldwide customers looking to complement the Sentry solutions for parking (Park Sentry® ) or industrial collision protection (Column Sentry® ). Ryan comments, “Sentry Guard Post is a good example at how seemingly small changes in design details can make a product far more practical and versatile for a wide range of users. Lightweight for moving or storing, but with added ballast able to endure real world conditions in a wide range of settings where traffic is being redirected, areas are being marked off-bounds, pedestrians are guided along walkways, or similar uses. The best feature, however, is that its design, combined with the unique colors available, make the product a handsome addition to any venue. This product provides function, without making the site look like a construction zone. Some of the available colors mimic the look of stone or metal, making this lightweight product appear much more permanent. In combination with heavy duty plastic chain, this product offers a solution that looks imposing, but will not harm people or scratch vehicles who come in contact with it.”