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If you are a fan of Steely Dan, you’ll understand that one aspect of Walter Becker’s music is that he’s always been a perfectionist. In much the same way that a top author ensures there are no extraneous words; with Becker, no notes are ever wasted.

It has now been 14 years since Walter Becker - one half of Steely Dan - last offered us a solo studio recording - 11 Tracks of Whack.

It was back in 1994 that 11 Tracks of Whack, Becker’s debut solo outing, was released. It proved that the songwriter and musician had more to offer than he could through the medium of Steely Dan. And that is despite the idiosyncratic nature of the band’s music.

“When I write a song, it matters very much whether it’s intended for me,” Walter explains. “If it is, I can do what I want, within my own frame of reference. I take full responsibility.”

Yet, despite this, the 12 tracks that comprise Circus Money were a collaborative endeavor. During the three years of the album’s creation, he was working with Larry Klein, who produced and co-wrote all but one track.

“Writing songs with Walter Becker,” says Klein, “is like playing tennis with John McEnroe. It keeps you on your game.”

Also on top form were the musicians assembled for the recording sessions. Drummer Keith Carlock and guitarist Jon Herington, have both toured widely with Steely Dan, while keyboardists Ted Baker and Jim Beard were newcomers.

Walter is responsible for all the lead vocals as well as playing bass. “The bass gave me a more powerful position to define the direction I wanted the music to take…I became something of an expert on various sub genres (of Jamaican music), such as songs about motorcycles and/or featuring motorcycle sound effects; songs about the barbers versus the dreads, and songs about various judicial procedures.

It has been noted that the Jamaican influence started on 11 Tracks of Whack. Becker explains, “I had started listening to that (Jamaican music) way back in those days and at one point Donald (Fagen) and I actually experimented with the idea of doing an album with reggae-type beats on it in the Eighties…It’s always fascinated me the way they use the same elements of rhythm and blues playing, but they turn them around in a way and yet they still get a great feel on it, you know? And as a rhythm section guy, those rhythm sections are sort of the ultimate

All of us have our preferred choices. Of these, Yoyo quilt is my obvious choice. Yes admittedly people would differ as yoyo quilts are the most intricate to make of all the varieties.

But then Yoyo quilts are the most intricate for that very reason. Let’s be all clear that Yoyo quilts take impervious time to make and thus are meant for impatient and beginners. During the 1930’s & 40’s these quilts were at the prime in recognition and their time seems to be here again now.

These quilts are basically small rosettes containing cotton. The technique involves assembling and sewing material into a circle. The rosettes are then stitched into a predetermined pattern. Printed materials are commonly used for making yoyos.

The choice of fabric is not limited as ironing is not required for these quilts and therefore batting type can also vary. Many a times a large fabric is used as a cover for yoyos, some do it as they do not like their special yoyo to get spoilt while using it while others just like to preserve the quilt for longer use.

Yoyo quilts like other quilts are the result of our imagination of colors and patterns, they can be made as per your perference . If you like your yoyo to serve as mini cushion on your sofa or like a bed cover then slight adjustments of not adding batting and backpack shall do it.

Be clear that initially the art of making a yoyo quilt can be difficult to learn but gradually once you have got accustomed to the steps it shall not take much time.

It’s always important that the supplies are ready before hand. Beautiful designs added with color variations give the yoyo quilt an elegant look. Here are the steps to craft a yoyo quilt.

1. Before you do anything have the size of the quilt in you mind and thereafter make a spherical cut-out pattern twice that dimension and an extra 1/2″. A cardboard cutout will act as a guide.

2. Place the cut-out pattern to your right or left hand side of the fabric depending on your writing hand and then using a pencil create a highlighted area around it. Allow space of 1/2″ between circles.

3. Create circles of size

:: Choices of connectors

Over the years, a large variety of fiber optic connectors have been designed for most fiber optic installations. Lightwave equipment manufacturers have never standardized on any one connector type, they actually provide a selection of connectors for their equipment interface.

It is very important to choose the fiber connector type for your applications. You should maintain a connector standard throughout a fiber optic project.

:: The components of a fiber connector

For most fiber optic connectors, the major components are ferrule, connector body, connector cap and strain-relief boot.

Ferrule

The ferrule is the center part of the connector. It contains the optical fiber in a center hole. Ferrule can be made from ceramic (Zirconia), stainless steel or composite material.

Ceramic ferrule is the most popular material since it has stable temperature characteristics. The most common ceramic is Zirconia which is a white hard ceramic material. Ceramic ferrule is used for both single mode and multimode connectors. It offers the lowest insertion loss and the best repeatability.

Connector Body

Fiber optic connector body can be steel or plastic. The body design differs from connector to connector. The connector body provides the mechanism to hold the ferrule and other parts together. It also provides the locking mechanism for connector mating. The most common locking mechanisms are push-pull, snap-in, thread on and twist-on.

Connector Cap

Connector cap often has the same material as the body: either steel or plastic. The cap can be screw on, twist lock or snap-on for connector mating.

Strain-relief Boot

Strain-relief boot is the part connecting the connector body and the fiber cable. It is often made from rubber. Although it looks minimal, it is actually one of the most critical parts in a connector. It provides strain relief on the optical fiber to prevent micro-bending, breakage and provides mechanical support for fiber and connector handling.

:: Legacy Fiber Connector Types

The following list shows the legacy connector types that have been deployed in numerous fiber optic networks for many years.

ST Connector

ST connector was once the most popular fiber connector. It was well-liked for both single mode and multimode fiber connections. The average insertion loss for a ST connector is about 0.5dB.

ST connector has a twist-on locking mechanism which is not susceptible to loosening in vibrating environment. It is most often used in LAN networks.

FC Connector

FC connector is popular for single mode applications. It has the lowest insertion loss and the best repeatability. It has a thread-on locking mechanism.

SMA connector

SMA connector is a pretty old connector type which is mostly used for multimode applications. Today it is still being using on medical equipment.

There are two types of SMA connectors on the market: SMA 905 and SMA 906. The only difference between them is that SMA 906 has a straight ferrule while SMA 905 has a step-down ferrule.

D4 Connector

The NEC D4 was probably the first connector to use ceramic or hybrid ceramic/stainless steel ferrules. It uses a smaller ferrule than SCs or FCs. It was widely used in telco networks in the 80s to early 90s and some may still be in use.

FDDI connector

Besides the SC Duplex, you may occasionally see the FDDI duplex connectors which mate to their specific networks. They are generally used to connect to the equipment from a wall outlet, but the rest of the network will have ST or SC connectors. Since they both use 2.5 mm ferrules, they can be mated to SC or ST connectors with adapters.

Biconic Connector

Biconic connector

When many people think of rose beauty, they think of tea roses. They usually come with fragrant large blooms that are simply elegant, vibrant in color, and with velvet petals. If you want to add tea roses to your rose garden, you

As the number of people that have cell phones is rapidly growing, so is the number of people that are becoming addicted to their phones. When these phones were invented, they were intended to make life easier. Today there are some people that do not have a life because they do not know when to turn them off.

You probably know a person who is a cell phone addict. It could be the person who leaves his phone on in the hospital even if it is against the rules because he is afraid he will miss a call. Or the phone user who sends text messages all day from work when he should be doing his job. These same people will have an anxiety attack if they forgot their phones at home and cannot enjoy what they are doing until that phone is back in their hand.

Unfortunately, cell phone addiction may become more widespread as greater numbers of children are using cell phones. One study showed that Japanese children didn

Laminated flooring is a new type of floor that resembles the look of wood, but you can get it for a lower price. Laminate flooring is also beneficial because it’s built to resist wear. No more worries about dents or scratches, as laminated flooring is built to last and look good. You can use this type of flooring in any room of your home.

Laminated flooring is also easy to install and is safe to use in a hallway, kitchen, any family spaces, or even your bathrooms! Discount laminate flooring is widely available, and comes in a wide array of different finishes. If you decide to install laminated flooring in your home, you can rest assured that you won’t spend any more time trying to protect your floors from damage, especially if you have children.

Although laminated flooring is already relatively inexpensive, discount flooring can be obtained to cut costs even more. Discount flooring can be obtained from a wide variety of sources, including online. You just have to carry out some basic research to find the best deals. If you’re looking for discount laminate flooring outside of the Internet, it’s best to search your local area for large stores or warehouses that sell discount laminate to the general public. If you plan to purchase a large amount of this type of wood flooring, you’ll probably be able to get a good discount and save a significant amount of money.

The great thing about laminate flooring is that you can purchase boards that look like many different types of traditional wood flooring, not just hardwood flooring. For instance, laminate flooring in the style of bamboo flooring is a very popular choice. Bamboo flooring is quite beautiful, which is why its laminate counterpart is enjoying a resurgence. Cork flooring is another type of laminate that’s growing in popularity. Cork flooring matches a wide variety of styles and decors, so consider this type of laminate if your home is very eclectic.

Wood flooring, particularly hardwood flooring, was always the first choice among homeowners in the past, but with the advent of laminate this has all changed. Not everyone can afford expensive hardwoods for their floors - laminate offers the homeowner the opportunity to create the look they want without the exorbitant price tag.

There are many good companies that sell high quality laminate floors. Pergo and Wilsonart are two famous brands. Pergo offers customers quality and durability for a decent price. Wilsonart is also known for providing homeowners with a product they can trust in their homes.

Essentially, it all comes down to choice. Research each company to find out which one offers the type of floor you want for a price you can afford.

Laminate flooring is showing up in more and more homes due to its low cost, easy installation, and beauty. As technology improves, this type of flooring gets even better, coming in more styles and shades. The high quality brands are very good at mimicking the natural look of wood, so you don’t have to compromise looks for cost.

Cell phone rates are as varied as the companies that provide service. To compare rates, you first need to decide what features you want in your plan ranging from how many minutes you want per month to free text messaging. You should also take into consideration the area in which you live, as some service providers may not be able to connect with your region.

Alltell is one of the most popular service providers and is available in most areas. The company now offers the My Circle program which allows you free unlimited calls to any network anywhere. One rate for an individual plan was $49.99 which included 750 anytime minutes with a $.40 rate for additional minutes. There were unlimited night and weekend minutes and mobile-to-mobile minutes. My Circle with this plan included five people.

For a comparable plan from Sprint, this company offered 700 anytime minutes at a rate of $69.99 a month. This plan included unlimited nationwide direct connect and unlimited nighttime and weekend minutes as well as mobile-to-mobile. Additional minutes had a charge of $.45 per minute..

T-mobile, another popular wireless provider, had a rate of $49.99 for 600 minutes. They offered unlimited nighttime and weekend minutes as well as unlimited mobile-to- mobile. The company offered MyFaves unlimited minutes. Myfaves is similar to My Circle and includes unlimited calls to five people. Additional minutes were only charged $.20 per minute.

Verizon only offered 450 minutes in their individual plan at a rate of $39.99. This plan included free nighttime and weekend minutes but mobile-to-mobile calls were charged at a pay-as-you go rate. The company also charges you for text messaging. The rate for additional minutes was $.45.

For a 900 minute individual plan, Alltell charges $59.99 and increases MyCircle to include 10 people. All the rest of the anytime minutes and rates remain the same. Sprint offers 900 minutes at a rate of $69.99 while T-mobile offers 1000 minute plan at $59.99 while the rest of the both of their plans remains the same. Verizon offers a 900 minutes plan at $99.99 and their rate for additional minutes decreases to $.40 per minute.

The highest rated plan that Alltell offers is 6000 anytime minutes at a rate of $199.99 per month. The number of people in MyCircle increases to twenty and the rate for additional minutes drops to $.20 per minute.

Sprint offers a plan for 4000 anytime minutes at $199.99 per month. The only difference in the rest of this plan from the less expensive one is that the rate for additional minutes falls to $.40 per minute.

T-Mobile offers a 5000 anytime minute plan at a rate of $139.99 per month. The rest of the plan remained the same as the less expensive plans.

Verizon offers an Unlimited plan for $139.99 a month. This plan allows you unlimited calling anytime anywhere, which eliminates all charges for additional minutes. This plan also offers all other services such as text messaging for free.

By comparing the above rates, it seems that for regular individual service Alltell may be the wireless provider that you may want to choose, while for the maximum amount of minutes for a reasonable price, you may want to go with Verizon. In the long run, the choice is yours.

The Webkinz phenomenon is producing positive feedback from children and parents alike! These plush toy pets are affordable, offer a variety of associated online activities at no additional cost and have educational benefits to boot!

Webkinz, produced by the Ganz gift company, are marketed similarly to Beanie Babies. And speaking of the Beanie Babies this is an equal if not greater craze never seen before or since until Webkinz! However, Webkinz targeted age group is 6 - 13 years of age in contrast to the Beanie Babies that appealed to more of an adult market.

The marketing strategy is modern and smart. The purchase of one toy earns you a one year membership to the Webkinz World website. Nevertheless, a majority of sales are repeat customers. Children are collecting numerous webkinz.

Webkinz animals are available in a two different sizes. Lil’Kinz which are about two thirds the size of their sister product the full size Webkinz. Lil’Kinz are a little less expensive, approx. $11 as compared to approx. $15. Also, Webkinz are available in domestic animals, wild animals and pretend animals alike. There are a number of special issue Webkinz which are retired after a short release and can be sold for a large profit providing the tag is intact.

Your experience begins with the purchase of a webkinz stuffed animal of choice for approximately $11.99 through $15.99. Each pet has a unique identity in it’s name given by the owner. When you register your pet on the site it receives an online room, food, starter furniture, and starter cash. You can earn cash by playing online games and then purchase clothing for your pet and items to decorate its house. You can also send gifts to other Webkinz World members.

The genius in this strategy is that it gives younger children access to the internet on a safe fun site. This toy peaks the interest of children and parents alike being that we are living in an internet culture. It provides a gateway to the internet for a child which is a hugely significant part of the adult culture.

There are various educational benefits to taking care of your virtual pet online. The concept of care taking maintenance is exercised in that the child feeds, bathes and plays with their pet in order to increase it’s happiness. The child also must learn to prioritize “spending” and earn the “cash” needed to purchase items for their pet. Socially, the child can interact with their friends using Clubhouse Chat where they can instant message other webkinz members using a highly restrictive content instant messaging.

Finally, the games are educationally geared appealing to logic and problem solving skills. A feature game titled Quizzie’s Question Corner allows a child to pick from standard school subjects and answer trivia questions in order to earn Kinz cash!

Webkinz Pets are a smart, fun and apparently highly appealing! They take traditional play into the computer age in an affordable package. The associated website is rich with educational activities for children and the traditional stuffed animal is huggable and portable!

Ha! Alas, those who choose not to regularly update their software got a rather nasty surprise when trying to install one of the latest versions of Windows Live Messenger. If you do not have your computer set for automatic updates, you may be one of the unfortunate souls who gets the message

Commercial parking garage lights are extremely important to maintaining a safe, secure facility. Selecting and installing these critical fixtures requires careful attention to many factors that contribute to effective lighting and energy savings. Such considerations as light intensity levels; glare reduction, lumens per watt efficiency, and optimal horizontal and vertical foot candle levels have to be carefully taken into account before making any purchase, as not only front-end pricing, but also lamp life and power consumption over long periods of time determine cost effectiveness.

The three standard types of commercial parking garage lighting fixtures are Metal Halide, High Pressure Sodium, and Fluorescent. Each fixture type offers unique advantages that must be considered in terms of cost, commercial lighting quality, and the size of your parking garage.

Metal Halide Fixtures

Metal Halide commercial parking garage lights are the most commonly used lamps for parking garage lighting. Metal Halide fixtures represent a mid-range price point and offer exceptional quality in visual lighting effect and color rendering. Metal Halide fixtures, however, have the shortest lamp life (only 10,000 hours) and the lowest lumens to watt efficiency rating.

If quality is your primary objective and you have the budget for frequent lamp replacements, metal halide lights will prove an excellent light source for your parking garage.

High Pressure Sodium Fixtures

High Pressure Sodium lights have the highest lumens per wattage output and are the best choice for lighting large commercial parking garages with high ceilings. This is because these parking areas typically have heavy beam supports and other obstructions that pose a potential hazard to drivers. It is important to fully illuminate the front vertical surface of any potential obstructions with HID (High Intensity Discharge) fixtures located at or near the top of the vertical cube.

High Pressure Sodium fixtures are also a very cost effective source of commercial parking garage lighting. Although they rate very low on the color-rendering index, this is normally not an issue in industrial facilities where high lighting levels, minimized replacement costs, and safety are far more important concerns.

They are the least expensive fixtures in terms of initial purchase price point and are ideal for large corporations requiring dozens, if not hundreds of light fixtures.

Fluorescent Fixtures

In warm climates where ballasts will not be affected by cold weather and extreme temperature drops, commercial parking garage lighting with fluorescent fixtures offers both an optimal price point and optimal savings on power costs for companies on tight budgets. Fluorescent lights also provide the very best color rendering of any lighting fixture and feature a lamp life of 20,000 hours. Fluorescent lamps are nearly equivalent to high-pressure sodium lights in cost and consume the least amount of power.

In terms of short-term savings on the front end and long term savings on the back end, they are the most economical source of commercial parking garage lighting.

Glare Reduction and Safety

To ensure not only the brightest levels of lighting in your commercial parking garage, but also the safest possible environment, Be sure to work with a qualified designer who can help you who can help you find the answers to these questions and install your commercial parking garage lighting system. High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide lights can be ordered in cutoff, semi-cutoff, and refractor style designs that will distribute the light evenly down the vertical cube and evenly light your horizontal space with a minimum of hazardous glare.

Glare reduction depends heavily as well on not only what type of commercial parking garage lights you purchase, but also on how you design the lighting system itself. The size of the facility, the height of the ceiling, the amount and type of vehicle traffic, pedestrian presences, and the architecture of your parking garage (underground, above ground, multi-storied) all represent critical factors that must be carefully balanced so your parking area has the brightest possible light with the least amount of glare.