Mereja

Category: News

  • Jessica Simpson Confirms Romance With Billy Corgan

    Jessica Simpson has taken to Twitter to confirm her rumored relationship with Smashing Pumpkins rocker Billy Corgan – revealing the odd couple has teamed up for a new song.

    The singer/actress was alleged to be dating Corgan after they were snapped on a night out together last month. The longtime pals remained mum on the rumors, but Jess has decided to go public with the union.

    “I am blessed. Going over a song w (with) @billy…” Jess Tweeted last Tuesday. She accompanied the message with images of the couple in the studio.



  • Hotel Resident Arrested in Manager’s Murder

    Los Angeles.  Los Angeles police detectives announced an arrest in the case of Hideko Oyama, the 74-year-old hotel manager who was stabbed to death at the Chetwood Hotel, January 5, 2010.

    Jian Hong Li, a 39-year-old Chinese national, was a resident at the Chetwood Hotel who checked out Oyama on the day of the murder.  "As a resident of the hotel, we had wanted to interview Mr. Li, but he had disappeared," said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of the detective division for downtown.  "Detectives followed leads from Los Angeles to Camarillo, only to discover him walking on First Street, just east of the Los Angeles River."

    Around 3:30 PM, January 12, one week after the murder, detectives caught up to Jian Hong Li as he walked on the sidewalk near First and Boyle Streets in East Los Angeles. 

    Detectives questioned him at the police station.  "In short order, the detectives were able to compare, confirm, and tie forensic evidence to Li’s presence at the crime scene," Vernon said.  "Once the detectives interviewed Li, they were able to develop enough probable cause to arrest him for the murder." 

    Detectives now believe robbery was the motive for the crime.  Li’s bail was set at $1 million.

    The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office in a couple of days.  Once filed, the police department will announce a time for a news conference with Ms. Oyama’s daughter present.

    "It’s only right to acknowledge the two lead detectives in this case, Thayer Lake and John Thacker," Vernon added.  "Hopefully their tenacity and hard work will give some solace to Ms. Oyama’s family."

    The case remains active, so anyone with information is asked to call Central homicide detectives Thayer Lake or John Thacker at 213-972-1254.  Anyone with information about this crime is urged to call 77th Homicide Criminal Gang Group at 213-485-1383. During non-business hours or on weekends calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crimestoppers at 800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477).  Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters "LAPD." Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.

  • Palm Outs RSS Feeds for webOS App Catalog

    For months after I bought my Palm Pre, I had a daily routine. After my daily cup of coffee, I’d hit up the App Catalog and tap the Recent button to see what new software was out. It was a bit of a chore, so I’m glad to see that Palm now offers RSS feeds to the App Catalog data. There’s quite a few feeds that you can add to your favorite RSS readers — I use Google Reader — and each makes it far easier and efficient to keep up with webOS software developments.

    A full list of feeds is readily available at the Palm Developer site. I’ve already added the one that tracks all applications, but you can watch for just beta apps or updates as well. Clicking through on your reader takes you to the application’s specific web page for more details, a photo and a way to shoot app info to your phone. It’s a solid implementation and I’m actually wishing Google would offer the same for its Android Market. Apple could use this, too, even though I found a third-party feed for the App Store. Unfortunately, it seems out of date, so I hope Cupertino follows in Palm’s footsteps on this one.

  • Is this the next Jawbone headset?

    trackpad

    If you’ll pardon my terrible photoshopping skills for a second (Hey! I was using a trackpad! Also, my hands were tied behind my back, my eyes were closed, and, uh, my house was on fire), you might be looking at a fairly close representation of Aliph’s next Jawbone headset.

    You see, the gents over at HTCPedia spotted a listing for this never before seen, as-of-yet unannounced Bluetooth headset on.. wait for it.. Craigslist. Weird, right? It happens more often than you’d probably imagine.

    According to the original poster of the contraband headset, this guy is called the Jawbone Icon – and according to the few pictures they’ve released, it looks like a weird mash-up of the short-and-stout Jawbone 1 and the sleek-and-textured Jawbone 2. If the pictures are representative of the real deal (that is, if this isn’t just some really, really intense bootleg), it looks like Aliph’s sticking with the same packaging design they’ve used for the past few generations.

    One interesting twist: it looks like they might be switching toward using a microUSB port on the headset, instead of Aliph’s proprietary magnetic-grappler-thing. That’s good news for the travelin’ folk, as that generally means one less cable to carry (and subsequently lose.)

    Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0


  • Kimbo hits Vegas: Planes, pasta and porn

    Kimbo Slice came out of hiding for an trip to Las Vegas last week. If you follow @kimboslice on Twitter you know he played a little chess, then hopped on a Cessna with "Kimbro," hung with his paisans at Nove Italiano at the Palms and then made an appearance at the AVN Awards show.

    The screengrab on the right via SportsbyBrooks is from a 2008 video where Kimbo taught MMA to adult stars from Reality Kings. 

    Anyone else assuming that Kimbo isn’t training his stamina, footwork and submission defense six days a week right now? 

    Airplane photo via Twitter.com/kimboslice and Nove Italiano photo from N9NE Group

  • Ford Actually Wins Something

    AP Ford Awards

    Ford’s Fusion Hybrid was named Car of the Year at the International Auto Show in Detroit, with the American automaker’s Transit Connect following suit and taking Truck of the Year, Freep.com reports.

    The Fusion Hybrid, which jurors said drove “more like a normal car than many hybrids,” sold 22.4% more units in 2009 year over year, totaling 180,671 vehicles.

    Roughly 20% of the Fusions that Ford sold in 2009 were hybrids, according to the company.

    The Transit Connect, a commercial van that was released just this past summer, is targeted for sale to small businesses, and starts at $20,780. It gets 22 m.p.g. in the city and 25 m.p.g. on the highway.

    According to GreenCarReports.com, Ford plans to release limited numbers of an electric version of the Transit Connect in 2010, which will start at $21,475.

    See Also: Check Out The Concept Cars Of The Future Unveiled At The Detroit Auto Show

    Join the conversation about this story »

    See Also:


  • Haiti Earthquake May Have Released 250 Years of Seismic Stress | 80beats

    Haiti_Quake_MapAs Haiti reels from yesterday’s massive earthquake and its continued aftershocks, and nations rush to put rescue efforts together, scientists analyzing the seismic event say this disaster may have been a long time coming.

    The earthquake in Haiti had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 and it appeared to have occurred along a strike-slip fault, where one side of a vertical fault slips horizontally past the other, scientists say [AP]. This fault, called the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault, may have been slowly building up pressure since the major 1760 earthquake that struck Haiti.

    “It’s been locked solid for about the last 250 years,” said Dr Roger Musson from the British Geological Survey (BGS). “It’s been gathering stress all that time as the plates move past each other, and it was really just a matter of time before it released all that energy” [BBC News]. Chillingly, scientists led by Paul Mann warned just two years ago that such a massive quake could strike Hispaniola, the island Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic. But there wasn’t much the impoverished Caribbean nation could do with that information, Mann said: “The problem with these kinds of strikes is that they can remain quiescent — dormant — for hundreds of years,” he said Tuesday evening. “So it’s hard to predict when they’ll occur” [CNN].

    The BBC reports that the fault system of which Enriquillo-Plantain is a part normally moves less than an inch per year as the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates slide by each other, but this earthquake may have caused the earth’s surface along the fault line to offset by as much as three feet.

    The fact that the Enriquillo-Plantain appears to have released all its fury at once raises further worry for people living near strike-slip fault zones—California’s San Andres fault also falls under this category. However, Caribbean geology expert Grenville Draper says that the Hispaniola fault system doesn’t behave exactly like California’s. The movement along the Hispaniola fault is relatively small compared with plates moving underground in California, Draper said. The effect would be less-frequent earthquakes, but relatively large ones when they do occur [Miami Herald].

    Related Content:
    80beats: Science Via Twitter: Post-Earthquake Tweets Can Provide Seismic Data
    80beats: Major Earthquakes Can Weaken Faults Around the Globe
    80beats: A Major Quake Could Release Plutonium from Los Alamos Lab
    The Intersection: Ways to Support the Relief Effort in Haiti

    Image: Wikimedia Commons / The Weatherman


  • my new houston showcase

    some stuff ive been working on for the last few months. hope you guys like it.

    now a few from downtown

  • RDX RACEDESIGN Offers Discreet Styling Changes for Peugeot 207

    German Tuner RDX RACEDESIGN has created a subtle aerodynamic package for the Peugeot 207 hatchback and the 207 CC.

    The complete kit includes a new front bumper lip, headlight masks, redesigned side skirts, a rear apron attachment and a roof spoiler.

    The modified front bumper lower part is available for all pre-2009 facelift models. It costs EUR 143  and it comes in a paint-ready form. The headlight masks come in a black colour, they can be installed this way or painted in the car’s colour… (read more)

  • Verizon Wireless: We’ve Got An Open IP Smart Grid Network, Too

    When it comes to smart grid deployments the need for “open” architecture using Internet Protocol has become resounding (IP is one of our Winners of 2009 on GigaOM Pro). Hey, even the phone companies — who have long built closed, proprietary networks — want to offer something in the ballpark of an open network. This morning […]


  • Nakhon Pathom | Mahidol University Auditorium

  • Where the Jobs Are: PayScale Lands New Board Member, Exposes Three Trends in Human Capital

    PayScale
    Gregory T. Huang wrote:

    Whether you’re a startup founder, Fortune 500 executive, or average Joe on the street, everyone is wondering what 2010 will look like for jobs and compensation. Indications so far are not good. Unemployment rates are sky-high. Salary freezes are still rampant. At the same time, nobody can seem to agree on how to pay executives what they’re really worth. ($23 billion in bonuses to Goldman Sachs employees?)

    I took the opportunity to talk about some of these issues with the leadership at PayScale, a Seattle company that provides real-time compensation data to employers and employees, through what it calls “the world’s largest database of individual compensation profiles.” From where he sits, PayScale CEO Mike Metzger has an intriguing view of current trends in “human capital,” which I loosely define to include the talent flow, skill sets, experience, and compensation levels associated with creating economic value.

    PayScale also announced a new board member today. She is Robin Ferracone, the CEO of RAF Capital, executive chair of Farient Advisors, and an expert in human resources with more than 25 years of consulting experience. Ferracone, who’s based in the Los Angeles area, has made a modest but undisclosed investment in PayScale, according to the company. (Metzger and Ferracone first met through another board member, Patricia Nakache from Trinity Ventures.)

    “It’s a very interesting business,” Ferracone says. “When you get pay data directly from the consumers, you then get information about the individual. What PayScale does is it’s able to fill in the gaps about jobs that don’t get picked up by surveys.” That includes things like salaries across different offices and geographic regions for a given company, say—all updated continuously instead of once or twice a year.

    PayScale was founded in 2002 and has been backed by Fluke Venture Partners, Madrona Venture Group, Trinity Ventures, and others. A year ago, the company raised a $2 million Series C funding round. Metzger says PayScale’s staff now numbers in the “high 40s,” and that the company is not yet profitable, but is “driving hard” for profitability in 2010. He adds that it is coming off its best year and best quarter ever, in terms of revenue.

    Here are the top three trends that Metzger and Ferracone are seeing in human capital as we head into 2010. (Metzger prefaced his comments with the caveat that PayScale sells its aggregated data mainly to small and medium-size businesses, so his view is biased towards those customers, versus Fortune 1000 companies.)

    1. 2010 will not revert “back to normal.”

    A lot of organizations in 2009 froze their compensation adjustments, says Metzger. “Flat was the new up. One of the themes we’re starting to hear now is that in 2010, things will not go back to normal.” That means companies are “beginning to sharpen the lens they’re using relative to the cost of human capital” and “taking a conservative posture in when they’ll make adjustments.”

    The days of across-the-board pay increases plus merit bonuses seem to be gone for good. Overall, Metzger calls the situation “a little bit of a reset in terms of comp adjustment strategy.” And Ferracone adds, “We’re seeing [companies] not trying to make up for lost time, on the salary front.”

    2. Talent is still in high demand in certain fields.

    It’s not like nobody’s hiring. “There continue to be sectors and geographies where there are high demands for talent—IT in the Bay Area, nursing everywhere, and accounting in major metro …Next Page »

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  • The Smart Mac: Smart Folders in OS X

    Smart Folder icon

    Mac OS X offers a computing experience that, according to many, is still unparalleled by its competitors. Built on a rock solid UNIX foundation and continually adding refinements that make interaction easier, OS X has a lot of powerful functionality that many users were unaware existed. One of these is the idea of “Smart Folders” and with a little primer, you can begin using them to make your Mac experience easier (and faster).

    A Brief History

    The idea of these Smart Folders are not unique to OS X. In fact, the idea started originally in the mid ‘90s with the now defunct BeOS. When Dominic Giampaolo, a software developer for Be, began working for Apple in 2002, some of the best elements of the BeOS made their way into Apple’s modern operating system. We know these features as “Smart Folders” and Spotlight, both of which launched in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, two years after Giampaolo began working for Apple.

    A “Smart Folder” (or “Search Folder” as Windows Vista calls them when Microsoft introduced its version in 2006) is based on the idea that this folder is basically a “virtual folder” of its actual contents. This virtual folder doesn’t physically store copies of its contents inside but rather utilizes a database to store attributes about the files (defined either by the system or the user). This offers several advantages: they have a small file size, the ability for on-the-fly fine tuning of the criteria used to define the content as well as allowing the content to dynamically update as new files meet the criteria. Whoa. What does all of that mean? We’re getting there.

    Leopard's Default Smart FoldersSmart Folders Save Time

    In short, Smart Folders save you time. You basically give them a list of rules to follow and they automatically fill themselves with content based on the criteria you’ve defined. It’s important though, to realize that these Smart Folders do not actually represent copies of the content, but merely virtually link to them. If you delete a file out of a Smart Folder, you’ve also deleted it from its original location.

    How To Make Smart Folders

    Making a Smart Folder is quite easy. In fact, if you’re running Leopard or Snow Leopard, several of them have already been created. You might recognize them due to their trademark purple folder icon (also used to serve the same role in other applications, but we’ll discuss that in future articles). In the left side of a default Finder window, you’ll see an area called “Search For” with entries for “Today,” “Yesterday,” “Past Week” and some more. These are built in smart folders that automatically search your entire system for files meeting those criteria. But we can do far more powerful things with Smart Folders if we make our own.

    1. To get started, when in the Finder, go to the File menu and select “New Smart Folder.” You’ll have a Finder window that looks like a search window. (You can also start this process simply by searching from a Finder window.)
    2. Next, using the bar beneath the title bar of the window, select the location you’d like this folder to search. The default options are your Mac, your home folder and Shared (any other computers you may connected to). If you’d like it to confine the search to a specific folder, simply navigate to that folder and use the Spotlight function built into the Finder window. (Type something into the field to bring up a search; you can then delete what you typed to move to the next step).A new Smart Folder
    3. Unless you’ve specified some phrase or string in the Spotlight search region in the upper right of the window, at this point you’re not going to be seeing any search results. Let’s give it some actual criteria to search.
    4. Click the round plus (+) icon on the right side of the window to show another bar beneath the search location. Where it says “Kind” and “Any” is your first search criteria. These work in pairs. You can change “Any” to documents, images, movies or anything you want. Instantly, you’ll see your search results start to populate based on your selection. Perhaps instead of searching by kind, you want to search by name, contents or date. Clicking “Kind” will allow these changes as well as a mystical “other” option which gives you tons of options for a plethora of different uses. Since OS X is media friendly, you can also select criteria that corresponds to metadata in your media files, such as aperture value of a photo, sample rate for an audio file, video bit rate for video files and more.A Smart Folder Searching Applications
    5. You can continue to add additional criteria by clicking the plus and adding another row of criterion. Each additional criterion further fine tunes your search. For an item to appear in the results, it will need to meet every rule you have created for it.
    6. If you want to save a Smart Folder search, click the Save button in the upper right of the window. Your searches are saved in “Saved Searches” inside the Library folder of your home folder. There’s also a checkbox to automatically add your new search to your Finder sidebar.Saving Smart Folders
    7. Editing a Smart Folder is as simple as right clicking it in the sidebar and selecting “Show Search Criteria” or selecting the same option from the gears menu once you’ve double clicked a saved Smart Folder.

    Again, the beauty and power of Smart Folders comes from the fact that once you’ve defined the rules, this folder will automatically continue to update as new files are created or saved that meet its criteria.

    Folder Inspiration

    Smart Folders sound great and once you’ve set one up, you’ll see the process is pretty simple. It’s also pretty powerful but, for inspiration, here’s a few examples of interesting and useful Smart Folders that you could create on your system.

    Recent Documents: To view all your recent documents, set the kind to document and the last opened date to within the last 3 days.

    Important Files: If you use Finder labels, select “Other” and choose “File label.” Then pick the file label that matches your desired results.

    By Device: Have several cameras? You can use “Device make” and “Device model” to specify a particular camera (as well as any other EXIF data).

    Do you use Smart Folders? Have any tips you’d like to share or comments on this post? Let me know what you think; I’d love to hear your feedback.

  • Illinois Lottery Launches ‘Chicago Blackhawks Cash’ Scratch-off Ticket

    Air hockey tournaments scheduled across the state to highlight new ticket and give players additional chances to win cash and prizes

    The Illinois Lottery recently launched the Chicago Blackhawks® Cash scratch-off ticket, and is kicking off 16 air-hockey tournaments across the state through February.

    The winner at each event will win $500 in cash and a Blackhawks jersey.

    “Air hockey is one of those all American games that most people have experienced in their lives at one point or another” said Paul Arnell, director of promotions for the Illinois Lottery.

    “The Lottery loves to give people the opportunity to have fun, play some of their favorite games, and possibly win money at the same time.”

    At each event, participants aged 18 years or older will place their name on an entry form when they arrive.

    At the beginning of the tournament thirty-two players will be randomly selected and placed in a bracket style format in the order in which they were picked.

    The contestants will face-off until the last person standing is crowned the Air Hockey Star. Below are dates, locations and times of each event:

    About Chicago Blackhawks® Cash Ticket

    Each ticket costs $2 and is available for purchase at Illinois Lottery retailers across the state. Winners can win a variety of prizes ranging from a Chicago Blackhawks® jersey up to $20,000 in cash. The ticket also offers second-chance opportunities where players can submit five non-winning Chicago Blackhawks® Cash tickets for the chance to travel with the team, including:

    • Roundtrip travel for two with the Blackhawks on a team charter flight
    • One room in the Blackhawks team hotel
    • 2 tickets to the game
    • A ride on the Blackhawks team bus to the morning skate and the game
    • 2 Blackhawks replica jerseys
    • $500 spending money

    For more information about the second-chance promotion visit illinoislottery.com.

    About Illinois Lottery

    Founded in 1974, the Illinois Lottery is a state agency with annual sales over $2 billion. Since its inception, the Lottery has contributed more than $14 billion to the state Common School Fund to assist K-12 public schools. Players must be at least 18 years old.

    For more information on the Illinois Lottery please visit our Web site at illinoislottery.com.


  • Justin McElhattan Elected President and CEO of Industrial Scientific

    The Board of Directors of Industrial Scientific Corporation has elected Justin McElhattan, 37, as President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2010. In this position, Mr. McElhattan will have full and direct responsibility for day to day operations, and for profitably growing all worldwide business units and subsidiaries.

    McElhattan has served as President and Chief Operating Officer since February, 2008, and as a member of the Board since 2006.

    “Industrial Scientific is fortunate to have so many talented, passionate people around the world committed to highest quality and best customer service. Their relentless dedication to eliminating injury and death in the workplace is a constant source of inspiration for me. I am delighted for the opportunity to serve our employees, customers, and stakeholders through the next phase of what has already been an impressive story,” McElhattan said.

    After completing a BS degree in Environmental Science at Penn State University, McElhattan was based in Philadelphia, PA as a sales representative for Sheridan Safety, followed by two years as a district sales manager for Safeco. He joined Industrial Scientific in 1998 as Manager of Commercial Systems. In 2000 he was promoted to Field Sales Manager, North America and in 2003 to General Manager, Service Operations. In 2005 he was elected Vice President, Operations and in 2007 elected President and Chief Operating Officer.

    McElhattan earned an MBA with a concentration in operations from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business in 2005.

  • Tom Cunningham Joins Industrial Scientific as Vice-President, Global Operations

    PITTSBURGH, PA, USA – 05 Nov 2009 – Industrial Scientific, the global leader in Gas Detection as a Service, is pleased to announce that Tom Cunningham has joined the company as Vice-President, Global Operations.

    In this role, Tom will have responsibility for Industrial Scientific’s operations, including manufacturing, supply chain, quality, manufacturing engineering and operational excellence. He will have direct-line responsibility for the Americas operation team and dotted-line responsibility for the EMEA and Asia-Pacific operations teams.

    Tom most recently held the position of Director of Design and Manufacturing for Medrad’s Cardiovascular Disposable products. While at Medrad, Tom also held positions of Manufacturing Engineering Team Leader and Project Manager of New Product Introductions.

    Tom has a B.A. in Physics from Hiram College, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia, and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Tom is an ASQ-certified Six Sigma Black Belt and a certified Project Management Professional (P.M.P.).

  • Industrial Scientific’s MX4 Gas Detector Receives MSHA Approval

    Industrial Scientific, the global leader in Gas Detection as a Service, is pleased to announce that the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has assigned Approval No. 22-A090001-0 to the MX4 iQuad™ multi-gas detector. The MX4 is now permitted for use in U.S. mines under Title 30 CFR, Part 22.

    Configuring the MX4 to detect carbon monoxide, oxygen, and 0-5% of volume methane makes the instrument ideal for most mining applications. Adding a nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sensor customizes the unit for mines where diesel-powered equipment is used.

    Small, rugged and simple to use, the MX4 is ideal for harsh underground mining environments. A rubber overmold covers its polycarbonate housing to protect the MX4 from high-impact bumps and drops. The housing has also been third-party tested and certified IP66 and IP67. This ingress protection rating indicates that the MX4 is dust-tight and resistant to both water jets and submersion. The MX4 uses a combination of three alarms. Ultra-bright LEDs, a 95 db audible alarm and a powerful vibrating alarm all warn users of hazardous gas levels.

    The MX4 is also compatible with iNet™ to simplify maintenance and data management. iNet offers an alternative to the traditional model of buying gas detectors. It is a software-based service that increases safety by providing visibility into gas detector alarms, exposure and usage. It keeps gas detectors working without costly and time-consuming maintenance. And with iNet, customers do not have to buy the gas detectors. Instead, they subscribe to iNet and receive Gas Detection as a Service.

  • Industrial Scientific’s iNet™ Control Named “Product of the Year”

    In Industrial Scientific, the global leader in Gas Detection as a Service, is pleased to report that Occupational Health & Safety magazine has named iNet Control “Product of the Year.”

    The award honors achievements of health and safety manufacturers whose products are noteworthy in improving workplace safety. Three industry experts independently judged entries in 11 award categories. iNet Control won this award in the “Industrial Hygiene” category.

    iNet Control is the first hosted software platform for managing gas detector fleets. Included with every iNet subscription, iNet Control automatically collects and presents fleet data for complete program visibility. Users can quickly check the overall health of their programs with trend data graphs, a list of items that require attention or comparisons to industry averages. If more information is needed, the user can click into details down to the sensor-level for each gas detector.

    iNet Control organizes gas detector data into three categories – alarms, maintenance and usage. Alarm event data shows users if employees are at risk from exposure to harmful gases. Maintenance data provides assurance that events like calibration and bump testing are performed as scheduled. Usage data gives team leaders knowledge of what’s happening in the field. For example, iNet Control recognizes when gas detectors are used without a bump test or calibration. iNet Control can even tell if a team member turned off a gas detector in alarm conditions.

    iNet Control identifies the source of these and many other potential problems. As a result, users are better equipped to make informed decisions that save lives.

  • Industrial Scientific Tells the World, “Don’t Buy Gas Detectors”

    Industrial Scientific, the global leader in Gas Detection as a Service, has announced the theme “Don’t Buy Gas Detectors” in support of iNet™, a software-based subscription service for gas detector fleets. Industrial Scientific currently supports over 24,500 gas detectors and 3,600 DS2 Docking Stations™ in over 930 iNet customer sites around the world. iNet enables organizations to keep workers safe from gas hazards without actually owning gas detectors.

    Kevin Miller, Industrial Scientific’s Vice President of Global Sales, Services and Marketing, said that for many people, buying and maintaining gas detectors is like buying and maintaining tires. “No one likes to do it, but everyone has to,” he said. “All tires look simple and similar, yet they are surprisingly complicated. You have to track tire data – air pressure, wear, and rotation schedule. They have to be serviced. This is painful for busy people. And, if you buy the wrong tire or fail to maintain it, accidents may happen.

    “It’s the same with gas detectors,” he continued. “No one likes to buy and maintain gas detectors, but historically, there were no other safe options. Gas detectors look simple and similar, but selecting the right one and setting it up correctly is often tedious. Like tires, gas detectors also have to be serviced regularly. You have to track lots of data – equipment usage, calibration records, sensor life, and most importantly, alarm events. This is painful for most organizations. And, if you don’t properly manage your gas detectors, your expenses go up and accidents may happen.”

    iNet offers customers an escape from the original model of buying and maintaining gas detectors. It eliminates the costly, up-front purchase. And it mitigates time-consuming, out-of-control maintenance costs. iNet offers support from the Gas Detection People, Industrial Scientific employees who have dedicated their careers to gas detection. It also gives customers complete visibility into their gas detection program, including the knowledge of potentially deadly alarm events. Finally, customers do not have to buy the gas detectors. They subscribe to iNet. In exchange for a monthly fee, they receive gas detection as a service.

    iNet is a better way to do gas detection. As customers dock Industrial Scientific-owned gas detectors on DS2 Docking Stations, iNet automatically performs record-keeping, bump tests, and calibrations. It e-mails real-time alerts, and when iNet detects a problem, Industrial Scientific rushes a replacement gas detector to the customer.

    All “Don’t Buy Gas Detectors” and iNet materials are available at www.dontbuygasdetectors.com.

  • Introducing the First Hosted Software for Managing Gas Detectors

    Industrial Scientific, the global leader in Gas Detection as a Service, has introduced iNet Control as the first hosted software application for managing gas detector fleets. This service is included with every iNet subscription, providing visibility into alarms, maintenance and usage.

    When alarm events happen, iNet Control shows which gas detectors had an alarm, when the alarms happened, and where they happened. It also tells what the gas hazards were and how much gas was present. This data can show users if employees are at risk from exposure to harmful gases. Equally important, it helps in identifying and monitoring high-risk areas.

    Providing visibility into gas detector maintenance can help keep a program in top working order. iNet uses Industrial Scientific DS2 Docking Stations to automatically perform gas detector testing, calibration and bump testing. iNet Control provides assurance that these functions are performed as scheduled. Users also know when gas detectors were last calibrated; if a sensor is about to fail or expire; and when calibration gas is low, empty or expired.

    Visibility into equipment usage helps eliminate operator mistakes that may compromise safety. iNet Control shows team leaders if any gas detectors were used without a bump test or calibration. It shows if any team member turned off their gas detector in alarm conditions. It also shows if any alarm settings or datalog intervals are not set correctly.

    Users may view trend graphs for a quick overview of the health of their program or sensor-level detail for each gas detector. These tools help safety professionals identify the source of potential problems and take steps to save lives. iNet Control also allows users to compare their program to industry averages. Or, users can customize their data to measure performance to internal standards.

    Because iNet Control is hosted over the Web, it does not require organizations to install any hardware or software. All ongoing upgrades are included; when a new feature is added, iNet subscribers will have instant access to it the next time they log in.