Category: News

Here’s another vampire squid worthy of public ire.

The Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) has rapidly grown into a mortgage giant with some questionable mortgage lending partners.

While CEO pay and free markets receive all the heat for the housing crisis, a new report describes in detail how Ginnie Mae was, and is, at leading edge of housing crisis.

What Ginnie has become.

Washington Post: “Mortgage lenders often want to bundle the loans they’ve made into securities and sell them to investors. Ginnie Mae guarantees those securities….

In the past year, nearly one in five new mortgages — both good loans and bad — were put into securities guaranteed by Ginnie Mae.”

How rapidly its grown.

“Only a few years ago, Ginnie Mae was a bit player in the mortgage market, backing just 4 percent of new mortgages. Then the housing market melted down, and many of the banks and other lenders that had made risky but highly popular loans got out of the business….

In the past two years, the total value of Ginnie Mae’s guarantees for principal and interest on home loans jumped 43 percent, to $826 billion.”

Why it’s work is questionable.

“Lenders with spotty histories and poor financial health have sold nearly $100 billion in loans packaged into Ginnie Mae-guaranteed securities in the past two years, according to calculations based on data provided by Inside Mortgage Finance, a trade publication.”

How 60 people control so much power.

“Joe Murin, who recently left as head of Ginnie Mae to return to the private sector, acknowledged that the enormous growth of Ginnie Mae’s portfolio has increased the risk for the agency. He said the main problem is that the agency doesn’t have the staff needed to track the growing number of issuers. Despite the huge increase in issuance, Ginnie Mae’s staffing has hovered at just over 60 employees.”

Read the entire report at the Washington Post here.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac Warn About Dangers At Their Mortgage Insurers (FNM, FRE)
• Fannie Mae Loses $18 BILLION, Needs $15 BILLION More In Aid (FNM)
• Goldman Looks To Buy Fannie Mae Tax Credits (FNM, GS)

The pink cast in HTC HD2 photos are now pretty well documented, but HTC has been unusually fast in acknowledging it, and has now released an official hotfix to address the problem.

HTC says:

This update for HTC HD2 delivers clear digital picture quality like never before. Living up to the name of “HD” this phone and its twin LED flash will take beautiful pictures for you to cherish your memories. Displayed in brilliant vibrant colors on its 4.3 inch screen, HTC HD2 camera will delight you.

The update is only applicable to ROM version is equal to 1.60.XXX.X, or lower.

Download the update from HTC here or use our Microsoft Tag (gettag.mobi). The .exe file is meant to be run from the device.

Here are this week’s H1N1 updates from the HealthMap team of the Children’s Hospital Informatics Program.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that “Disease activity has peaked and is declining in North America and has either recently peaked or is currently peaking in much of western and northern Europe.” In other good news, WHO also reports no signs of widespread resistance to Tamiflu.
• Nevertheless, the WHO has clearly stated it is too soon to call the pandemic over. The global death toll from H1N1 rose to 8,768 as Cyprus, Albania, and the Gaza Strip recorded their 1st H1N1 deaths. The Netherlands saw their first Tamiflu-resistant death.
• In the United States, only half of all states reported widespread flu activity, down from 43 states only two weeks ago. England reported new cases were half of the previous week’s number.

* Please note that this post will conclude our weekly H1N1 blogs. While the pandemic is far from over, reports of first cases and deaths are less common as H1N1 has spread throughout much of the globe. Numerous H1N1 vaccines have been developed in countries all over the world, and the vaccine shortages seen earlier this year have abated.

HealthMap continues to track H1N1 and all other infectious diseases at http://www.healthmap.org. For the latest disease alerts, you can also follow us on twitter. We hope the H1N1 blogs have been informative and helpful.

For more information from Children’s Hospital Boston on the seasonal and H1N1 flus, visit our Flu Information Center.

Related posts:

1. H1N1 (swine flu) weekly update: Oct. 21 – 27
2. H1N1 (swine flu) weekly update: Sept. 30 to Oct. 6
3. H1N1 (swine flu) weekly update: Oct. 28 – Nov. 3

WITH B DRIVING LICENCE!!!
The new aerial platform Orchid Lift 21-11 is in the forefront of aerial platforms with innovative and advantageous solutions created by Hinowa over many years of construction.
1-Hydraulic variable stabilization, with vertical cylinders controlla-ble and manoeuvrable from the basket.
2-Automatic stabilization and destabilization on inclinations up to 5°.
3-GO HOME Function
Allows the automatic closing and alignment of the arms simply pushing a button. It drastically reduces the time of arms’ closing and excludes any risk of mistake in this delicate working phase. 4-“In shape” rotation with anti-collision control between the struc-ture, the chassis, the cabin and the outriggers.
5-JIB arm.
6-Basket rotation.
7-Interactive display that provides the operator useful information during operation in order to avoid machine stops due to user errors.
8-Visibility of the machine on the web R.A.H.M. that through a satellite system allows the location of the machine worldwide and to verify the state and regularity of use.
9- Lubrication-free pins.
10-Acceleration and deceleration control on all the movements that make the plaftorm extremely manageable and consequently within everybody’s reach.
11-Emergency descent for gravity controlled from the basket.
12-Double pantograph lifting system which assures a vertical movement of the basket up to 11 metres working height.
13-The vertical stabilization reduces any risk of unsteadiness and damage of the ground due to dragging of the outrigger.
14-Electric motor 220 volt.
15-Automatic control of the complete closure of the machine to allow transport of the outriggers avoiding any risk of driving with part of the arm out of the structure with consequent sanction and insurance charges in case of accident.
16-Auto-restoring fuses on the control boards free of maintenance.
17-Planarity control spirit level which automatically controls and prohibits the use of the aerial part if the chassis is not perfectly horizontal.
18-200 Kg fixed capacity.

The TUBA level detectors have been specially designed for tanks and cisterns that require horizontal mounting. They are easily mounted through a gland and can also be fixed to a vertical tube to detect several levels.

The TUBA level detectors are ideal for all types of liquids, including paint, diesel, sewage water, rain water, etc. They are available in 1” or 1 ¼” diameters, and can be connected to several pumps or be used as high/low level alarm. No maintenance needed!

Power supply: 250 VAC/VDC 50/60Hz, Cut-out power: 10A resistive/2A inductive, IP68, Maximum pressure: 5,5 bars, Allowed fluid density: 0.75 to 1.50, 3×0.75mm2 neoprene cable.

Wide span structures (bridges, spectator stands, large stairs, stadium roofs) as well as slender tall structures (chimneys, high rises) tend to be easily excited to high vibration amplitudes in one of their basic mode shapes, for example by wind or marching and jumping people.

Low natural frequencies are typical for this type of structures, due to their dimensions, as is their low damping. With GERB Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD), these vibrations can be reduced very effectively.

The TMD may consist of:
Spring
Oscillating Mass
Viscodamper®

To measure temperatures directly at the sensor in a quick and precise way, ADDI-DATA offers the new intelligent Ethernet system MSX-E3211 with 24-bit resolution. Two versions are available: one version with 16, the other with 8 differential inputs for connecting thermocouples or resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), such as Pt100 or Pt1000. The Ethernet system is equipped with an ARM®9 processor and 64 MB SDRAM. This allows the measurement values to be acquired, processed and stored directly on the spot. The MSX-E3211 can work both in stand-alone operation and with higher-level controls, using standard Ethernet. For reliable use in harsh industrial environments, the MSX-E3211 is protected by a robust metal housing and has been equipped with a number of protective circuits. It also complies with the IP 65 degree of protection and is designed for the extended temperature range from -40 °C to +85 °C. With the DatabaseConnect software, the measurement values are provided in databases.
The parameters of the measuring system can be configured by mouse-click on the MSX-E3211 website. No knowledge of programming is necessary. Directly on the website, the user can also monitor the measurement values which the system acquires. The acquisition is launched either by an external 24 V hardware trigger signal, by software command or by an additional MSX-E-type Ethernet system. Two acquisition modes are possible: Auto-refresh mode, which automatically updates the acquired data in the background, and Sequence mode, with which the data is acquired in packets. The “Autogain” functionality automatically adapts the gain of the signal to the measurement range. Errors can be quickly diagnosed by means of LEDs, which provide information on the current status of the MSX-E3211. For acquiring more than 16 sensors, several MSX-E3211 Ethernet systems can be cascaded using the integrated Ethernet switch. This also makes it possible to acquire different temperature sensors. The channels of the different systems can be acquired simultaneously thanks to synchronisation in the µs range outside the Ethernet network.

MATERIALS

Wetted parts AISI 316 Bearings SiC / Special Carbon Bracket WCB Special alloy: Hastelloy, Incoloy, Titanium

TECHNICAL DATA

Flow Rates up to a 10m3/h Total delivery heads up to 110m Temperature Ratings up to 200°C Pressure rating up to PN 25

CONSTRUCTION

Horizontal Peripheral Pump for general applications Permanent Magnet Drive system Separation of liquid chamber/atmosphere by means of an isolation shell Synchronous drive transmitted by inner magnet and outer magnet system Self-balancing impeller Sintered Silicon Carbide Bearings / Special Carbon Two executions: Close coupled standard,Close coupled for high temperature ( up to 350°C)

APPLICATIONS

Pumping acids, hydrocarbon, diathermic oils, liquid gases, dangerous fluids, explosive, toxic.

FURTHER MATERIAL AVAILABLE IF REQUEST

Various materials from the standard special Constructions

The newest addition to the Fandis family of thermo-regulators is a mechanical hygrostat, developed and produced in its laboratories.

This new model has been renewed fundamentally in the aesthetical aspect, engineering a more fashionable design with rounded shapes and optimizing visually the temperature setting system by pad printing of the values directly onto the housing.

The new change-over hygrostat is suited for application on 35mm DIN rail and offers a setting range from 10 to 90% relative humidity, satisfying the demand of the industrial automation sector.

Gefran has renewed its series of magnetostrictive transducers with SSI interface, increasing performance to satisfy market demands. The electronics has been completely redesigned to improve the linearity and communication of all models.

Among Gefran’s magnetostrictive transducers, SSI interface models have an extremely wide range of application. This protocol, with its immunity to noise and high adaptability to the communication interface, provides very precise measurement reads.

Among the principal innovations is the new “internal linearization” option, which provides linearity up to 4 times higher than the standard version by performing linearity compensation in the electronics.

The entire SSI series has been given new electronics compatible with EMC standards and is more resistant to power surges. The reduction in overall noise improves transducer communication. In addition, the communication structure has been aligned in all versions (with and without the oversampling algorithm), making the entire series more compatible with SSI sensors made by other companies.

With regard to technical specifications, maximum working temperature has been raised to 90°C and current input has been halved, dropping to 50 mA, the lowest level on the market for this product!

As for the models, the version with MK4-S profile maintains its mechanical characteristics, with the addition of a new model with M16 Binder 7-pin DIN 45329 connector.
On the other hand, the rod version has been completely redesigned, evolving from the IK2 series with hexagonal head to the IK4 series with innovative cylindrical head, from which it acquires all its mechanical specifications. As in all of the other IK4 models, the entire electronics of the IK4-S transducer can be removed by unscrewing the ring-nut seal on the head and extracting the connector head to which it is attached. This means that in case of damage, the electronics can be replaced without removing the transducer, an essential feature in applications such as installations inside hydraulic cylinders. Working on the transducer without removing it avoids opening the cylinder, oil leaks, and resetting the hydraulic system at the end of maintenance.

Filed under: Technology, Ferrari

Lying somewhere in the thin-and-light category between the well-defined netbook and the traditional full-featured notebook is the new Acer Ferrari One. The latest installation of the successful partnership between the famous Italian supercar manufacturer and Acer America, there isn’t really anything exceptional about the computer other than the bright red color and matching Prancing Horse badge on the lid.

Still, it’s a well-equipped 3.31-pound laptop with (take a deep breath) an AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor, ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, 4GB of DDR2 667MHz system memory, a 250 GB hard disk, an 11.6-inch HD widescreen display and Windows 7 Home Premium.

If the lure of the latest Ferrari-badged Acer is too much for you to handle, the Ferrari One notebook is available now with a starting price one cent shy of $600. Feel free to peruse the official press release after the break.

[Source: Acer via Engadget]

Continue reading Acer and Ferrari edge closer to the netbook game

Acer and Ferrari edge closer to the netbook game originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Newly revised with a new chapter on trends in fuel and energy, this book will address many of the factors affecting our energy use, including the availability and desirability of various fuels-especially the use of hydrogen. Topics include energy policy, fuel supply trends, statistics and projections, oil reserves, alternative scenarios, energy utilization, sustainable energy, cost analysis, fuel escalation, energy and development, regulatory issues, barriers to implementation, conversion systems, storage systems, thermodynamic efficiency, fuel chain efficiency, life-cycle efficiency, technology issues extracting, refining, air emission issues, safety, natural gas hydrogen gas, methanol, ethanol, steam reforming and fuel cells.

In the light of ever-increasing global energy use, rising costs of energy services, concerns over energy supply security, climate change and local air pollution, the book, put together by Shell Hydrogen’s Michael Ball and Martin Wietschel of the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, Karlsruhe, Germany, published by Cambridge University Press, centres around the question of how growing energy demand for transport can be met in the long term.

Responding to sustained interest in and controversial discussion of the prospects of hydrogen, this book highlights the opportunities and the challenges of introducing hydrogen as alternative fuel in the transport sector from an economic, technical and environmental point of view, and with a global geographic scope. Through its multi-disciplinary approach the book provides a broad range of researchers, decision makers and policy makers with a solid and wide-ranging knowledge base concerning the hydrogen economy.

Particular highlights include:  assessment of the benefits and downsides of hydrogen compared to other alternative fuels, strategies and scenarios for a hydrogen infrastructure build-up,  interactions between hydrogen production and the electricity sector, long-term global hydrogen supply scenarios and their impact on resource availability, the potential of hydrogen for decarbonising the transport sector,  macro-economic impacts of introducing hydrogen, assesses the virtues and downsides of hydrogen compared to alternative fuels in the transport sector, enabling readers to have an informed opinion on this controversial issue, discusses long-term global hydrogen supply scenarios and contribution to CO2 emissions reduction, increasing awareness of the consequences of the hydrogen economy, comprehensive literature review and overview provides a road-map for more detailed reading

More about the Hydrogen Economy book on Cambridge University Press website

Review by Lauryn Abbott

This was a difficult book for me, as a mother, to read. The Silent Gift, (Bethany House/ Oct 2009): Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley have written a moving book that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Set in the time of the Great Depression of the 1930s, it’s a painful reminder of how bad things once were for children who weren’t “normal” and the parents who didn’t want to merely institutionalize them.

From beginning to end, the story is gripping, emotionally charged, and dramatic. If you’re looking for an easy, lighthearted read, The Silent Gift is not for you. But if you’re looking for a book with depth and heart, filled with twists and turns, that thoroughly captivates you, then The Silent Gift is definitely the one for you. I highly recommend it!

Michael Landon, Jr. is an American actor, director, and producer.  He is the son of the late actor, Michael Landon.  He is also well known for his writing:

Love’s Unfolding Dream (2007) (Teleplay)
The Last Sin Eater (2007) (screenplay)
Love’s Abiding Joy (2006) (teleplay) (television story)
Love’s Long Journey (2005) (TV) (teleplay)
Love’s Enduring Promise (2004) (TV) (teleplay)
Love Comes Softly (2003) (TV) (teleplay)

Book Review: The Power of Respect By Deborah Norville

Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

“I painted the frame with a simple white acrylic paint. Quickly covered the black for intended imperfection.

Used a spray paint primer for glass, then a couple coats of chalk board spray paint.

(the empty frame even looks kind of cool on the wall).

Assembled!

Note: The glass is not cut into a perfect oval shape. Make sure the side you are painting fits into the frame right side out!”

While the Le Web conference in Paris was focused on startups, there were a lot of big names talking and making announcements as well. Google was represented at the highest level with VP of Search and User Experience Marissa Mayer discussing some of the new products from Google, as well as some future plans in an interview with TechCrunch’s Mike Arrington.

The interview starts off with a look at Google’s most recent products which all seem to be pointing to its plans beyond the text search. It recently launched Google Goggles, its experimental approach to visual search which allows users to take a picture of an object and get more information on it automatically from Google using a variety of technologies with the focus being on OCR (optical character recognition) and image recognition. Mayer said that visual search was still very much in the early days and that the technologies had to get significantly better before it became a viable alternative for the mainstream.

She added that voice recognition technologies were much further along. Google Voice search also got updated recently and the tool is becoming a viable option, especially on mobile devices. This is even more important now that mobile search is seeing a huge growth in usage spurred by the increasingly powerful mobile de… (read more)

Here’s one of the problems with carbon credits — It is very easy for developing countries to game the system. They can essentially say that they were planning to do something environmentally damaging, then switch to a ‘greener option’ and collect carbon credit income. Yet if the greener option was their original intent then the credits haven’t actually created any additional carbon savings.

The latest evidence comes from China where the U.N. on December 4th refused to approve ten wind farms near Harbin due to the fact that the  projects would have happened with or without the sale of carbon credits.

Projects like these get paid for doing absolutely nothing extra. To be fair though, it’s not clear whether the real problem here is China, or rather the way carbon credits are calculated. They didn’t write the rules after all.

Business Week:The 10 Chinese wind farms were rejected, in part, because U.N. officials fear Beijing is actually reducing its financial support for wind power as a gambit to help the country’s clean-energy projects qualify for carbon payments from abroad.

The Chinese government may be doing this by cutting the rates the wind farms will be paid for electricity, according to the U.N. officials.

The Harbin wind farm’s developers initially estimated the project would earn an annual profit of 8.76%. That would have made the wind farm ineligible for carbon funds, since the cutoff to benefit from credit sales is 8%.The Chinese government apparently responded to the situation by reducing what it had been expected to pay for Harbin’s electricity, pulling the project’s profit margin below 8%.

On Dec. 4, the U.N. announced that it would stop what appears to be China’s attempt to game the system. Lex de Jonge, chairman of the U.N. committee overseeing carbon credits, said in a statement that his panel “must safeguard the environmental integrity of the [carbon market].” He added: “This means registering only projects that would produce emission reductions that are additional to those that would take place without the project.”

Read the entire article here.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Obama Will Promise To Radically Cut Carbon Emissions
• How China Thinks China Can Reduce Carbon Emissions
• Let’s Plant Fake Trees To Capture Carbon

SMAC Inc., Carlsbad, California. SMAC aims to replace 5 percent of pneumatic devices that are used in today’s industrial applications within the next 5 years. SMAC electric direct drives utilize moving coil technology, are versatile, long life, robust, and provide high reliability in comparison to conventional pneumatic devices.

The linear movement is generated by a voice coil and high strength neodymium magnets. The coil is mounted on a linear guide which is the only contacting part; increasing the life of an electric actuator to more than 10 times that of a pneumatic actuator. SMAC moving coil actuators have no mechanical backlash which significantly increases position accuracy and speed. Some units can reach acceleration up to 50G.

The position repeatability of +/-2 encoder counts is controlled by a linear encoder with a resolution of 20, 5, 1, 0.5, 0.1 or 0.05 microns. SMAC electric actuators combine high precision and accurate control of force, speed and position. They are utilized for high precision applications such as laser cutting, part feeding and component pick and place. Precise force control eliminates any damage when soft-landing on a surface.

Complete direct drive systems with actuator, controller and cable are priced from 1000 US dollars. This price favorably compares when taking into account the unit’s long life, low maintenance costs, and exceptional reliability. The low power consumption of SMAC actuators means that the energy they use is typically less than 5 percent of a comparable pneumatic device.

The ultraminiature SRF300 and SRF303 relays are designed to provide a practical surface-mount solution with improved RF signal repeatability over the frequency range. These relays are engineered for use in RF attenuator, RF switch matrices, ATE and other applications that require dependable high frequency signal fidelity and performance.

Features/Benefits
– High repeatability
– Broader bandwidth
– Metal enclosure for EMI shielding
– High isolation between control and signal paths
– High resistance to ESD

Teledyne Relays is the world’s innovative leader in manufacturing ultraminiature hermetically sealed switching products, with more than 40 years heritage in military programs. Our comprehensive product line meets wide-ranging requirements for the defense and aerospace markets, also offering high-performance solutions for industrial, professional, commercial and medical switching applications.