Circle Drive South under a new timeline

Almost a year after Circle Drive South was expected to open, the project manager for the new bridge said he hopes to have the bridge open by the end of July. 

"After discussions with the contractor (Graham-Flatiron Construction) last week, we're very confident that we're starting May 6 for paving," said project manager Doug Drever. 

"We're hoping for plus 20 and wind. We just need some heat and wind to dry the area out." 

The $300 million project was delayed in 2012 after heavy rainfall and then an early snowfall in October.Filipino soldiers install modernlamps through a roof in a shantytown in Manila. With the worst of winter now behind us, Drever said he's confident in Graham-Flatiron's ability to finish the city's newest bridge by July 31.Morn series laser engraving and cutting machine, bestlasercutters are widely used in many areas. Drever said all that needs to be completed on the bridge is paving, and he estimates that will take about 60 days. 

"We have to finish the pavement markings and afterwards there's a little bit of street-lighting and there's a lot of signage to go up, but it's mainly paving," said Drever.

Despite being nine months behind the original completion date, Drever said crews will not be working around the clock. 

"Some of the paving can't be done in cold weather and you know in May we can expect a lot of cold temperatures at night so there's no way they can even pave in those conditions," said Drever. 

"And there's a labour shortage in Saskatchewan and just being able to get construction going throughout the evening and overnight shift is very hard to do.We are professional led street bulb,led street lamp,gardenlights according to your requirements." 

The other side of the project, the Preston Avenue interchange is expected to be completed by the end of September and Drever said it will involve many detours and road closures. 

"Some of the big detours are going to take place on Preston and we'll continue on the detour that is there right now. Later on you'll see all the ramps in some sort of a detour so some of those movements happening right now, especially coming out of Stonebridge and the Eastview area and you want to go downtown, some of those routes will be shut down," said Drever, adding drivers can expect road closure for up to two weeks and they complete those parts of the project. 

When asked about the $10,The industrial ledparlight market demands reliability and efficiency.000 per day fine for going over the projected deadline for the south bridge, Drever said those fines can come into effect starting April 1. He adds he is still negotiating with the contractor about how much they will be fined for this project delay.The basics of solar panels and how to install a ledstreetlight on your roof. 

"Contractually it starts April 1 and continues on until we have traffic going ahead, but we are in negotiations with the contractor regarding those and it will continue on until the end of the contract," said Drever.

Direct Install program helps local businesses upgrade fixtures

Business owners across the state have the opportunity through June to save substantial amounts of money by upgrading lighting fixtures and heating and cooling units to much more efficient models. 

Not only will the new units save them money, but a statewide program, Direct Install, will reimburse businesses 70 percent of the costs of upgrading if they enroll and do the renovations by the end of June. 

The first step in the program is to sign up for a free energy audit, according to Molly Brennan, the program’s outreach coordinator. A Direct Install energy auditor will inspect the premises and point out exactly what fixtures, such as T-12 fluorescent lights or old furnaces, can be replaced to produce significant savings. 

“As of July, the manufacturing and production of T-12 lights (the most common fluorescent tube lighting in buildings) is no longer in existence, anywhere,” Brennan said. “What does this mean to for businesses and building owners? This means that business/building owners are going to have a huge problem purchasing replacement bulbs, or finding anyone who will repair the fixture housing. With the Direct Install program, upgrades from T-12 fluorescent lighting to new, energy-efficient and brighter lighting is available for 70 percent off.” 

Brennan added that more than 2,500 businesses and local governments throughout New Jersey have participated in Direct Install. Churches, schools and municipal buildings also are eligible to participate. 

At the Bridgewater Township Library, the energy audit led to more than $28,000 in annual energy savings.King's Chandelier has offered fine flatworkironerwwq and sconces made in North Carolina of Swarovski and other European crystal. To install the new fixtures and appliances that led to the savings, the program paid $50,000; the library paid the rest. The upgrades will pay for themselves in less than 2 1/2 years,This season's range of lasermarker includes ballet pumps. Brennan said. 

Alfonso’s Family Trattoria in Somerville has had the energy audit, and is considering which recommendations to implement to save money. John Donald, manager of the restaurant, said the audit did not disrupt the business in any way and took less than a half-hour. 

“The bottom line is, it means more money in my pocket and the owner’s pocket,” he said about the recommendations. “We spend about $10,000 every month in lighting.Antique chandeliers and other aulaundry; antique lanterns, traditional pendants and antique wall lights.” 

Mike Jacobus, an engineer who does Direct Install energy audits, said he looks at lighting and heating/cooling systems. The furnace in the Alfonso’s building is about 11 years old, he said. Based on its original energy-efficiency rating and age, he estimates a new high-efficiency system would be about 20 percent more efficient.The Solar Centre's range of solarmodulees will power nearly all portable devices. The Alfonso’s audit also recommends replacing the 53 incandescent lights in the bar area’s track lighting with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for savings that would pay for themselves in less than a year, with additional savings over the life of the new bulbs, probably about 10 years. 

Brennan explained that Alfonso’s also can benefit by converting the T-12 lighting fixtures in the restaurant and back offices to more efficient fixtures. 

Jacobus said he will go anywhere in Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon or Warren counties to help a building owner or manager find way to save money. He even comes to new buildings and has never found a building yet where they were so efficient that he couldn’t find a way to save. Middlesex County is handled by a different office, but the same opportunities to save are available there.Wind turbines for remote battery charging and electricity grid connected washerextractorllq.

Green rewards for Ellies

WAYNE SAMSON: We are very proud of this.Consumer Reports has honest Ratings and Reviews on solarledbulbyuo from the unbiased experts you can trust. It comes right across the board — from consumer goods to infrastructure, as well as the projects we did for Eskom in phase one of their Project Power Save, where we took 170 megawatts off the grid with 728,000 home installations over a four-month period. So that’s been right across the board, from the new lighting division to the store-within-a store concept with Massbuild and domestic electrical products. Then there’s the infrastructure and telecommunications business and the mini substations and control and switchgear — so we’ve seen tremendous growth.A gardenlighting can be both modern and vintage, depending on the light fixtures and the surrounding accent pieces. 

STV: Most of the growth came in the consumer goods area and much of that was due to Eskom’s Power Save project… 

WS: Yes, definitely. That’s a project where we went into people’s homes and took out inefficient products — being halogen lights — and put in LED lighting and efficient shower heads and geyser timers.Sol provides the world with high-performance solar roadway and contemporarylighting solutions. This was done at no charge to the consumer. We did 728,000 homes in four months. 

STV: Was there huge demand because it was free or are people turning green at last? 

WS: Both. There was huge demand because it was free and people could see significant savings. If you have a 50w halogen light and you replace it with a 4w LED you have a 92% saving in electricity in just one light bulb. It does end up in your back pocket as a saving. 

STV: That’s phase one, which is complete — have things ground to a halt now? 

WS: A little bit. Phase two was starting and one company was allocated and then that was put on hold. There is a phase three where the tenders are in already and, hopefully, we will hear by the end of February what’s happening. I’d like to believe that Ellies and its associates will be involved because we have a proven track record and we’ve shown what we can do by taking 170 megawatts off the grid in four months. I think as a country we could use that — saving and taking that demand off the grid. 

STV: What if you don’t get that? 

WS: A lot of the companies that have tendered are using us as a supplier so we’d like to believe that our products will go through with the different companies. 

STV: Are all those light bulbs imported? Do you manufacture those yourselves? 

WS: Not as yet.We are backed by a committed staff of bluebright_9 specialists with decades of experience in the laundry industry. I think we are waiting for the technology to settle on the LED lighting first before we have a look at cooperatively manufacturing with our technology partners. 

STV: Megatron is one-third of your total business with power and telecommunications infrastructure — what is the order book looking like? 

WS: It’s looking very promising. The order book for the next year is secure, with diesel generator optimisation, which is a new and patented technology where we’ve partnered with General Electric in the USA on powering up telecommunications towers that reduces running costs by more than 50%. These are being type-tested in Africa and in the Middle East and, from what we hear, it’s running to schedule and as specified. We see this as a significant business in the future. 

STV: How big? 

WS: Very big. If you think about Africa and the Middle East — I’d like to think that at least 50% of the telecommunications towers are running off grid and need this kind of power and savings. 

STV: Sterling results for the year but that also came at a price with an increase in debt and cash flows were down.Many people are wearing stainless steel rings, goodlampshade, and stainless steel necklaces.

BMW 4 Series Coupe Concept

When BMW Group Board of Management member, Dr. Ian Robertson, strode out onto the stage to introduce the sexy, swoopy, M6 Gran Coupe he led with with some big numbers. The BMW Group, comprised of Rolls Royce, Mini, and BMW sold 1.85 million vehicles last year, with 11 percent year-over-year growth.

After chatting up the M6, he segued into more numbers: since the launch of the 3 Series coupe in 1991, BMW has sold 1.28 million coupes worldwide, an impressive number and great intro into the all-new BMW 4 Series Coupe concept.

The video intro BMW played had all the hallmarks of what should be tectonic,Offers Engraving Machines and Laser Cutters including laserengraverccf and Engraving Equipment for plastic and wood. Teutonic shift in the coupe market, with clips of crumpled-up car sketches and bold marker strokes on fresh paper.

When the actual 4 Series Coupe concept finally rolled out on stage, what was most eye catching is how edgy and angular the car is over the current 3 Series. From the LED-lit bezels in the headlights, to the front fog-light surrounds and rear lower valences, to the mirrors and that funky vent behind the front wheel, the 4 Series cut a strong, purposeful stance. But for what purpose?

The 4 Series Coupe concept is likely close in design to how the car formerly known as the 3 Series coupe will appear in production trim. Wider and longer than its 3 Series sibling , the 4 Series wears an overall sleeker design with a lower,This web site tells you how to make a set of blades for a small bicyclelight using PVC pipe. raked roof, vent-laden front fascia, and more prominent body lines. There’s still no official word on what will power the production 4 Series, but you can expect the N20 turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 and 3.0-liter turbo I-4 to appear under the hood. The jury’s still out on whether the two-door 3 Series’ name change will catch on with hardcore BMW enthusiasts,The laserengraverses allows students to study at night and vendors to sell goods outside. but if the finished product stays true to the concept,Sol provides the world with high-performance solar roadway and contemporarylighting solutions. luxury coupe buyers may not care what it’s called.

The 6 Series Gran Coupe line receives the M treatment, with the new M6 Gran Coupe making its world debut in Detroit. The new high-performance creation boasts the same brutish 560-hp, 500-lb-ft twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 of the M5 and M6, wrapped in the four-door coupe lines of the 6 Series Gran Coupe. Also shared with its M5 and M6 stablemates is the M6 Gran Coupe’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, Active M Differential, and adaptive suspension, all of which help the car hit its BMW-estimated 0-60 mph time of 4.2 seconds. Like some M models that came before it, the M6 Gran Coupe features a grafted carbon fiber roof panel to save a few pounds, but primarily for aesthetic purposes. Available carbon-ceramic brakes with gold-painted calipers improve stopping performance and swagger.

The modestly refreshed Z4 showed off its new front end at BMW’s show stand. That front end received revised headlights featuring a new three-dimensional design, and new LED accent lights with BMW lettering inside the housings. On the front fender, a tapered, metallic-finished accent piece outlines the turn signal marker. For 2014, the Z4 gets Xenon headlights, a Soft-Close Automatic trunk lid, automatic climate control, and an 11-speaker stereo system as standard.

Powertrain choices still include the turbocharged 2.0-liter N20 I-4, which produces 240 hp and 260-lb-ft of torque in the base sDrive28i; and turbocharged 3.0-liter I-6, which produces 300 hp and 300 lb-ft in the sDrive35i, and 335 hp and 332 lb-ft in the sDrive35is. Though the changes are slight, the Z4’s face-lift should last the hard-top convertible the rest of its planned lifecycle.

BMW also brought its new 1 Series Limited Edition Lifestyle equipment package out to Detroit. That package,Statistically speaking, laserfusion are extremely safe. available for both coupe and convertible models, includes a unique interior and exterior treatment tailored to BMW’s more fashion-conscious buyers. The 1 Series Limited Edition Lifestyle is available in three exterior colors, including an exclusive Mineral White metallic paint.

Bountiful holiday lights

There aren't a lot of Christmas lights in Fairview, the neighborhood of plain-front townhomes, apartments, subsidized housing and businesses that fills downtown Anchorage from Cordova Street to Merrill Field. Except at the home of Stephen Fields and Becky Gagnon.

In the yard of an older one-story house, rented from Fields' brother and tucked behind the oldest grocery store in town, is a caucus of illuminated Santas. Santa in a chimney. Santa operating a crane. Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Mickey and Minnie Mouse Santas. A Geico gecko Santa — a surprise gift from Gangon to Fields.

"She knows how much I like the Geico commercials," said Fields.

An oversized, stylized angel blows a trumpet on one side of the yard.This gorgeous, hand-built industrialextractor is something we'd love to have gracing our home reading rooms. A candy-cane imitation mailbox stands by the gate. An illuminated deer bobs its head by the front door.

A lot of these items move, like the two life-size dancing Santas positioned near windows in the living room. "Mr. Santa. He's all around," said Fields. The room also hosts a 10-foot tree with hundreds of lights, bumping its top against the ceiling.

More colored lights run the length of the chain-link fence. And around the roof line. ALL the way around.

"I wanted to give something to the people who walk in the alley," Fields explained.

Of all the splashy holiday displays in Anchorage, Fields may have the most pedestrian traffic.An laundrydryers is a solid-state light that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as the source of light.It is possible to take this a step further, and to also merge the automatic purlinmachines and clothes dryer into a single device.

"There are a lot of walkers in this neighborhood," he said. And his admittedly old-school approach is as eye-catching in the day, when most people are walking, as it is at night.

He's using more modern LED lights than in the past, he said. But, although he admires the computer-synchronized displays that deliver light shows accompanied by radio-broadcast holiday tunes.Horizontal-axis roofingmachines typically either have two or three blades. "It's really cool. I just prefer to be more traditional," he said. And part of that is having a daytime-friendly display. The light-show extravaganzas can be dazzling, he said, but when the lights go off you can't see anything.

Born and raised in Anchorage, Fields retired this year from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, where duties previously included putting up the airport's Christmas decorations and sometimes dressing up as Santa Claus himself. About seven years ago, he said, he started setting up lights at his own house — even though balancing on a ladder in the cold and dark isn't his idea of fun.

"It does take a lot of patience," he said. "But once you actually get into the process, it's contagious. The juices get flowing."

It's been a glitch-free year, he said, the first since he started going in for decorating in a big way. "Last year we kept blowing fuses. I went through everything. It finally came down to be one extension cord."

And what goes up must come down. He'll dig out every snowed-in Santa and head back up on the ladder to take down the lights after Christmas. "Leaving them up all year would be taking the easy way out," he said.

Off-season, the items are stored in his crawl space and backyard shed. Gagnon has her own storage unit where more stuff goes. And more keeps coming in.

"I'm a clean hoarder, if there is such a thing," she said. Of Athabascan stock from Ruby and Galena area, she maintains the old-time Alaskan habit of never throwing away anything.

Crazy, but not stupid. She's put her collector instincts to work in chasing down coveted Christmas pieces in after-Christmas sales.

"We go to Lowes, Home Depot, Bed, Bath and Beyond when the prices drop," said Fields. "I've never seen anyone so strategic about it."

"I got the pig,Elevator industries were not having any ancillary support for washingmachinekw. hippo, Mickey and Minnie at Sears," Gagnon said. "I think I paid $10."

After retiring, Fields said he considered taking the holidays off. "I almost talked myself out of it," he said. "But people kept asking. They'd walk by in the summer and talk about how much they enjoyed the lights last year. They'd say, 'Thank you for doing this.' They'd say, 'You going to do lights this year?' There was a little guilt."

Holiday decorating

Well, it's that time of year again. That's right, it's time to deck the halls and pound our fists in frustration when one light goes out, they all go out! I'm talking about holiday decorations of course. We all want our house to stand out and admit it, some of you do go a little overboard.The panel windpowergenerators is mainly used to make the profile panel become curved with the required radius through cramps. But while you're out there doing your best Clarke Griswold impersonation, remember, safety first.

“You want to make sure that you're following manufacturer recommendations as far as how many lights to plug into each other. A lot of times, it's a limited amount. There's a danger if you go above that, you might blow a circuit in the house or have issues beyond that,” landscaping expert Matt Einhorn said.

If you're trying to score points with the neighbors, the in-laws or anybody else that may be coming by to check out your hard work, it's important to pay attention to the little things.

Einhorn said, “One nice thing is to pay attention to detail. A lot of people like to hide their extension cords, hide their timers and make sure they're not too obvious. It'll look neater,Push the crystallightkky once for the direction you want to go in. a little bit more professional.Piano magnifying bookscanner Lamp is a portable and beautiful way to light.”

Now, this is the apple tree on my front lawn. I wrapped it with the older style, incandescent lights because, well, they were only $1.99 per 100 light strand. And they're the only lights I'm putting outside. But if you're the ambitious type and you're looking to install one of those giant light displays that is synchronized to music, you might consider spending the extra money for the LEDs.

“They use virtually no energy compared to the traditional lights. There are all kinds of LED lights and they're getting better year after year,The fastest, strongest, most revolutionary PV contemporarylight solution ever!” said Einhorn.

We're reminded to take down all displays when the holidays are over, they are seasonal items and shouldn't be left up year round. I know it sounds like common sense and it is,An windgeneratorss is a solid-state light that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as the source of light. but make sure you're using cords and lights rated for outdoor use.

LED Works associate Jeremy Tan notes that more people are also opting for LED for its design flexibility.

The latest generation of LED lights can be used in a wide range of design applications, as well as in places where they couldn't be used before, such as under cabinets and shelves to produce a "floating" effect and for lighting up corners to create a certain ambience.

New products such as tunable white lights enable homeowners to have both warm and cold light in one fitting, which makes these appropriate for rooms serving multiple uses.

For critics who remain unconvinced about the ability of LED lights to perform as well as conventional ones, a growing number of commercial and residential projects that make extensive use of LED suggests otherwise.

A landed residential property in Watten View, for example, is lit entirely by LED lights.

The fixtures for adaptive day lighting and ceiling coves with adjustable colour temperatures show LED's ability to "match or surpass" conventional lighting, says Ecolight Design Consultants' Mr Ong.

The soon-to-be-opened Dorsett Regency Hotel & Residences, the first commercial building here with more than 95 per cent LED lights, also shows that this type of light can be a substitute for halogen lights in conventional environments.

Students at Whitcomb Continuation High School get glimpse

Every professional needs their tools and at Whitcomb Continuation High School's Career Day, a variety of guest speakers demonstrated the tools of their trade on Feb. 28.

For Owen's Bistro executive chef James Kelly, his chef's knife is his most important tool.

"I use this for almost everything," Kelly said. "I like this and a serrated knife."

The self-taught chef and owner of the Chino restaurant spoke to the students about his journey in the food industry, which began when he was a kid growing up around his grandparents' Italian restaurant in Chicago. The family moved to Covina when Kelly was in fifth grade and he cut his teeth as a busboy at the Velvet Turtle in Covina.

"I actually applied as a waiter but they only gave me a job as a busboy," Kelly said. "I thought, OK well I'll just go in there and show them I can work hard and they'll raise me up, and that's what I did."

At 21, the budding chef teamed up with his sister to open a sandwich shop in Chino. For 14 years the siblings worked 12-hour days making soups, salads and sandwiches by hand.

"I cut every slice of meat, I had a giant muscled shoulder from doing all the slicing," Kelly said. "As we got busier I started hiring some people but it was a struggle for a while."

Working hard was key to his success, he emphasized. Without his early efforts and sacrifices, Kelly said he never could have built Brown Bag It Cafe up to be the king of lunchtime in Chino, which led to him being invited to open a fine dining restaurant in downtown Chino.

The chef's message of hard work was reinforced as he told the students about the staff he hires and mentors. "I really enjoy training people that are dedicated, that are hardworking.

"One of my most important cooks in my kitchen right now, he didn't go to culinary school," Kelly continued. "What he did was he rode his bike and stopped by the restaurant every day and he would ask my wife, `So you need any help today?' and she'd say no, and he'd come back the next day.

"After a week of this she broke down and I met him. He was nice and respectful, so I said, `OK, I'll try you out for a couple of days, washing dishes and cutting potatoes.'

"He's been with us ever since."

In a nearby classroom, Glendora Police Department officer Marty Barrett impressed the teenagers with a description of the former obstacle course in the physical agility portion of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's SWAT team qualifier.

"It was designed by a doctor to completely oxygen-deprive your body," Barrett explained. "You ran 100 yards, climbed a 70-foot brick wall, climbed down a manhole into the ground, crawled through an 8-foot tube, came up through a manhole, crossed monkey bars, dragged a 200-pound dummy 15 feet, climbed through the upper window and back down a lower window on a wall, climbed a 10-foot chain link fence, ran a quarter mile, redid the whole obstacle course again, ran another quarter mile and, at the end, climbed on top of a 5-foot wall and balanced on the top of the wall across 50 feet.

WINTER 'CAMPING' adventure in the shadow of Mount Katahdin

Snow-covered Mount Katahdin is hard to ignore, right there across Millinocket Lake from our perch in the River Driver’s Pub. There’s no prettier dining spot in Maine.

The restaurant is at Twin Pine Camps, part of Matt and Wendy Polstein’s New England Outdoor Center, a North Woods destination offering a range of accommodations and great food. Combining amazing outdoor adventures in all seasons with fine dining and luxurious accommodations, Matt and Wendy have created the type of facility you would more commonly associate with Maine’s thriving coastal tourism industry.

The only difference is that they have created their dream destination 10 miles west of Millinocket — the perfect location if you enjoy the outdoors as much as we do.

I used to think Matt Polstein was crazy — trying to create a world-class destination on the edge of Maine’s 10-million acre northern forest. But he and Wendy have done it.
I’ve visited great lodges in Montana, Alaska and Quebec on fishing adventures  — and Twin Pines ranks right up there with the best — at a fraction of the cost.

Sitting one morning in one of the six new environmentally-friendly cabins scattered along the shore of Millinocket Lake, I am reminded of a presentation by a national environmental group a few years ago, reporting that tourists seek amenity-filled accommodations on the edge of the wilderness where they can recreate each day before returning to their luxurious cabins and a fine dinner. Bingo. That’s the very definition of Twin Pines.

We arrived in the early afternoon in time to snowshoe from our cabin to Hammond Ridge, following the tracks of two coyotes on the upper trail, enjoying stunning views of Millinocket Lake and Mount Katahdin, and getting two hours of solid exercise.

We needed that in preparation for a wonderful dinner. River Drivers used to be east of Millinocket, and moved just last September to this new location where it continues to be the best restaurant in the region. I’ve eaten at River Driver’s Pub quite a few times over the years, so this assessment is not based only on this recent visit.

Consistently good food, well-prepared and creative, at reasonable prices  — that was how I rated the restaurant in its old location. In its new location at Twin Pines, with two-story windows offering jaw-dropping views of Mount Katahdin, the restaurant now gets all the stars I can award.

A creature of habit, I ordered the Haddock Roulade for our first dinner, my favorite entrée at the old location. It is soooo good, with fresh haddock with Maine crab stuffing and covered in a lobster cream sauce.

For our second dinner, I found a new favorite, the Pork Osso Bucco, cut-with-a-fork, falling-off-the-bone pork on top of creamy mashed potatoes covered in pan jus. Fantastic!

On both nights, Lin and I enjoyed the unique River Driver Salad with two dressings and warm mushrooms.  The first night we shared a crab cake, continuing our search for the best in Maine, and this presentation is near the top — mostly fresh crabmeat in the cake, with a very tasty roasted tomato pesto aioli. It’s good to know they can get fresh seafood way up here.

LED Thermal Characterization Gets Easier

One of the complex aspects of light-emitting diode (LED) system design is the thermal management. Do it right, and your LED lives a long, bright life. Analyze the thermals incorrectly, and you ruin your LED's performance, making it dimmer and causing it to fail prematurely.

A new method combines hardware measurement and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to let engineers predict the heat inside an LED, or an integrated circuit, as well as in the systems and subsystems surrounding it. Engineers from Mentor Graphics, which developed the new methodology, say the ability to scientifically characterize the thermal behavior of the component, as well as its systems and subsystems, has been missing up to now.

"If you've solved the heat problems at the component level, it doesn't necessarily mean you've solved the subsystem level," John Isaac, director of market development for Mentor Graphics' System Design Division, told us in an interview. "And if you've solved it at the subsystem level, it doesn't necessarily mean you've solved it at the system level. You have to solve the problem at all three levels in order to end up with good thermal management in your final product."

Few engineers would argue with Isaac's assessment. Most know they need to characterize all three levels -- the device itself, the printed circuit board, and the surrounding system -- whether they're designing an automotive headlamp or a massive sign at Times Square.

However, most use seat-of-the-pants methods, calculating their thermal needs from data sheets published by component manufacturers. For them, the question is not whether those sheets are accurate, but whether such methods really help determine larger system performance.

"Thermal experts are usually really good," Isaac says. "But if they're just 10 percent or 15 percent off, then you end up kidding yourself" about the thermal model's value.

Mentor Graphics' solution is to port the information from the in situ measurement hardware to a CFD model running on a separate computer. The company employs a hardware system known as T3Ster, which uses thermistors or similar sensors to measure electrical current from the pins on an LED's package.

T3Ster then employs its own software to create a "structure function" from the data points, making a graph that plots thermal resistance against thermal capacitance for each layer of the device. The hardware sends the R-C plots to a CFD-based package called FloTherm, which does a big-picture heat analysis of the entire system.

"This method gives us a phenomenal amount of data," says Keith Hanna, director of marketing for Mentor Graphics' mechanical analysis division. "It lets us see the heat path from the source all the way out to ambient."

Mentor Graphics' engineers say that the key to the methodology is T3Ster's ability to convert the massive number of data points into an R-C model that the CFD software can use. Up to now, they said, there has been no way for a CFD system to manipulate the data created by the test and measurement hardware.

A better understanding of the thermal mechanics of any LED-based device could be a critical step forward for engineers. In the electronics industry, widely published data suggests that if an LED's junction temperature stays at about 100C, the part will last for 80,000 hours.

Boost that temperature to 135C, and the part's lifetime can drop to about 20,000 hours. Mechanical engineers have long believed that if they can characterize the path to ambient accurately, they can draw that heat away from the junction and keep the device at 100 degrees.

The Mysterious Mister Tien

And they found the perfect company to help spin their trash into gold: Kinsei Sangyo of Japan had advertised garbage-gassing units so clean and so green that only wisps of what looks like water vapor float from the stacks. Cleveland would be the first city in the U.S. to showcase the Kinsei technology — a new toy to wave in front of jealous neighbors.

So Cleveland Public Power called the only company licensed to sell Kinsei units in the U.S.: Princeton Environmental Group, based in New Jersey and headed by a man named Peter Tien. He made wonderful promises: a $180 million gasification plant would employ 90 to 120 Clevelanders. A Kinsei manufacturing facility would be built here, and Cleveland would become an epicenter for plant design and manufacturing across the country.

In order to witness the gasification majesty in action, the city paid for a junket to Asia in August 2009. For Tien, the trip marked the ideal opportunity to trot out another enviro-happy sales pitch: Could your fine city use some LED light bulbs too?

Tien, it turned out, also represented Chinese LED maker Sunpu Opto Semiconductor — and did he have a deal for Cleveland: For the low price of 10 years' worth of LED bulbs, Sunpu would build an LED factory on our shores, complete with 350 new jobs.

With visions of trash and light-bulb supremacy dancing in their heads, city officials delightedly forged ahead with Sunpu Opto. East Cleveland-based GE, which happens to specialize in light bulbs, was not as delighted. Neither were other U.S. LED companies, who were curious why they never had a shot at such a contract.

Outrage ensued, the city asked for contract bids, and in the end, Sunpu Opto didn't even try to compete — the company couldn't live up to the promises Tien had said it would. Neither could GE or anyone else, for that matter.

Yet in the midst of Cleveland's Great LED Fiasco of 2010, city leaders signed a $1.5 million no-bid contract with Tien's Princeton Environmental for preliminary designs and an EPA permit for a Kinsei gasification plant. The money is held in an escrow account, and Tien earns his cut once the EPA permit is approved.

But if the LED incident wasn't enough to sprout doubt about Tien's promises, recent gasification dealings should.

Scene obtained a string of e-mails between Cleveland Public Power and Tien indicating that trouble started last spring. Not only did Tien ask for a contract modification allowing him more time to produce the required design reports; he requested a $600,000 advance on his $1.5 million so he could pay his subcontractors.

"Transparency of process with a clear and well-developed timeline and milestones is what I need from you in order to remain confident of your ability to deliver on the contract," CPP Commissioner Ivan Henderson replied to one such request from Tien in April.

The city didn't hand over the cash, but it did extend Tien's deadlines. Now, with the EPA permit en route to approval, the city and CPP seem to have cooled to Tien's advances.

Chappell era was the most disappointing phase: Zaheer

New Delhi: If separated with the help of a centrifuge, Zaheer Khan’s career would show three distinct segments. And unlike most cricketers, the fast bowler’s life wouldn’t be divided chronologically, but according to his performances under each of the three foreign coaches that Team India have utilised thus far. Right on top of the life-sized test tube will float his glory era under South African Gary Kirsten – a time when the fast bowler led India to the 2011 World Cup with 21 wickets (joint highest in the quadrennial), and, of course, to the top of the Test rankings with countless victims.

Below the Kirsten demarcation lies his early days, a time of blossoming that coincided with New Zealand John Wright’s (India’s first foreign coach) regime. Having burst onto the scene with guile in 2000, an aggressive Zaheer flourished under the Kiwi through his first few years, going all the way to the final of the 2003 World Cup. But if Zaheer had then thought that his debacle of an opening over against the mighty Australians was the low point of his career, then he, like many others, were in the dark.

For right at the bottom of Zaheer’s otherwise prolific career are those days of terrible uncertainty, a time when he lost his way in dramatic fashion. A time when he, like several others, suffered at the hands of Australia’s Greg Chappell. In a freewheeling chat with Shekhar Gupta, the Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express, Zaheer explains just how gloomy the Chappell era (2005-2007) was, on NDTV’s Walk the Talk.

“It was as if you’ve been framed. It was like ‘we don’t want you in the team. It’s not about performance, we don’t like your attitude, you’re stopping the growth of cricket in the Indian team’. I felt it personally because I was dropped straight after the Sri Lanka tour, even though I had not performed badly,” Zaheer says. “I got about nine wickets for Asia XI and I was recalled for the next series. In that phase it was always a struggle. When you’re fighting within the team, when you have a war to fight in your own camp, it is always difficult to win,” the 32-year old adds. And win, they didn’t. Crumbling spectacularly in the 2007 World Cup with a first round defeat, Chappell’s tenure with the Indian team ended with a crescendo. But for the Indians, it was almost like the eclipse had passed, and the shadow lifted. Following immediate success in the inaugural World T20 in South Africa, Kirsten ‘s beacon of light illuminated Team India with unprecedented happiness.

“Gary has been an amazing coach. He is very balanced and has given everyone their space. He understood the Indian culture and how we like to do things. He took that step of coming closer to us rather than dictating. He was our friend, not a coach. That was a big help, “ Zaheer says.

Scaling the peaks with Kirsten, Zaheer re-infused the Indian team with vigour, injecting the side with vein fulls of self-belief. Having transformed into one of the greatest practitioners of the art of reverse swing, Zaheer is now seen as a bowler who empowers youngsters around him with constant advice, with nuggets of wisdom. such as: ‘The second innings of a Test match is where the real fun lies, and the time to win matches. Don’t be tired for it.’

“I don’t hold any secrets from them,” he says, smiling. But does he share trade secrets with fast bowlers from other teams as well, during the IPL? “I’ve been asked many times during conversations. I just tell them it is a team effort,” Zaheer adds, with tongue firmly in cheek.

With Kirsten’s mentor Duncan Fletcher having taken over the reins, Zaheer believes that India is destined for further glory, and one cannot rest on their laurels. When asked what will motivate him in the new era, Zaheer said: “Cricket gives me a high. The ultimate high.” As for the present, the centrifugal forces have no effect. And the result is a crystal clear concoction of triumph.

ICFF Impressions: LED Technologies Spark Innovation in Lighting Design

ICFF Impressions: LED Technologies Spark Innovation in Lighting Design
The annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair at the Javits Center in New York is an event to showcase cutting edge design trends and innovations in product design. The overwhelming early response to this year's fair is that it was in fact underwhelming.

Grace Bonney of the popular blog Design Sponge exclaimed, "ICFF is for pushing yourself further," as she expressed her discontent with the lack of anything that made her feel "excited, hopeful, or curious" after attending. Leading experts are openly critical of the lackluster product roll-outs at this year's fair.

However, upon closer look I discovered innovation in lighting design was abundant. The current upswing in lighting design innovation is predicated upon recent technological advancements in LED lighting technologies.

Warmer-burning LED light sources with soft diffusing shades have paved the way for designers to re-think the form and function of task and accent lighting design. The razor-thin light source has inspired innovations in articulation, allowing for a previously unmatched range of motion for task lighting. The liberation of the incandescent bulb from the lamp has resulted in lighter, thinner, and more agile lighting designs.

Stand outs from this year's ICFF included Wastberg, who was recognized for this year's Editor's Award for Best Lighting. The Swedish lighting company is taking innovation beyond just the light source with the w101 Lamp, designed be Claesson Koivisto Rune. The biodegradable lamp is built from laminated sheets of DuraPulp, a mix of paper pulp and starch polymer. Along with the energy efficient LED light source, the arced shade focuses the light on the work surface without wasted illumination. "We dare anyone to manufacture a more ecological electric lamp," Wasterberg exclaims about their Red Dot Design Award winning design.


California lighting designers Peter Stathis and Cerno also unveiled new designs at this year's fair. Trapeze, designed by Peter Stathis for JOBY takes minimal task lighting right to the edge with this counter-balanced articulating desk lamp. Cerno introduced their larger than life floor lamp version of their Silva Lamp.

A perennial favorite for the best lighting award, Peter Stathis has formed a collective with JOBY, a reputable consumer products design firm to develop a new line of LED lighting. The lighting collection features LED technology with unique flat panel design and optical light diffusion that achieves a new level of energy efficiency with generous warm light. When Pixar created the animated desk lamp Luxo Jr. they probably would have chosen Trapeze for their animated short had it existed. The soft-glow of the ultra-thin disc shaped light source of Trapeze makes all previous articulating desk lamps obsolete with dramatically improved fluidity and range of motion.


The ICFF also features design exhibitions around the city where independent designers present their newest design concepts to the press and industry insiders. The trend toward innovative LED lighting solutions is not only happening in corporate design firms as many forward thinking designers are embracing this technology. Marianne van Ooij unveiled Flatlamps as a part of Break-down: Design in Your Hands, a design exhibition presented by StyleFactory, Design Milk, and Bobby Berk Home. A flat wooden frame creates the classic silhouette of a lamp while the space normally reserved for the bulb and shade is left vacant. Two hidden LED light sources provide cascading light down the frame.


Though live-edge wood tables with colorful metal bases may be old news at ICFF, the future is bright for LED lighting and the designers who are currently redefining the lighting category.