Mike Davidson Enterprises delivered a truckload of furniture, doors, countertops and other potentially usable supplies to Habitat for Humanity-Restore in South Dover Thursday afternoon.

The recycling company hopes this is the beginning of a long relationship with the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity, which constructs homes for the needy, said Davidson Enterprises Marketing Manager Janell Foster.

The goods delivered Thursday were a combination of new and used goods the company had come across as part of its work in the community, she said. The company sorts, reuses, and recycles construction materials and keeps them out of the landfill.

Waste wood is chipped for natural and color enhanced mulches, metal is sorted and recycled and cement is pulverized for crushed concrete reused in construction.

Habitat Restore Manager Shannon Sommeling welcomed the shipment from Davidson. The load came on the heels of recent donations from IHOP and Red Lobster in Dover, he said.

Receiving Associate Joyce Bernard lead a team of volunteers in unloading the Davidson truck. They included Walter Bollech, Howard Macleary, Caitlin and Emily Jaquish, Danielle Tilghman and Rich Bright.

More here:
Mike Davidson Enterprises forms new relationship with Habitat for Humanity-Restore

Jessica Simpson and fianc Eric Johnson are the most un-neurotic people, according to their nursery designer Rachel Ashwell.

The interior decorator was asked to help put together baby Maxwells room months before her arrival on May 1.

And Rachel tells People magazine that Jessica had a very clear vision about how she wanted the room to look.

Jessica is very pretty and feminine, but she didnt want this to be over-the-top frilly, Rachel told the publication. The words she used were gypsy and bohemian, so we brought in lavenders and mauves with a bit of pink and aqua.

The nursery is a mixture of luxury furniture from boutiques as well as items picked up from flea markets and vintage stores.

They were probably the most un-neurotic people Ive ever known, Rachel said. Jessica wanted [the nursery] to be cosy and cute, and she was very respectful of Eric, asking, Do you like this? And he was nicely opinionated.

I found being around them very inspiring to think, Wow, [this is] a real collaborative vision. I even wrote them a little note saying, Its been such a privilege to be part of making your home for you, because I know its going to be a house of substance.

Originally posted here:
Jessica Simpson is ‘not neurotic’

Actress Anna Kendrick has landed some star help to decorate her new home - comedienne and passionate interior designer Ellen Degeneres has offered to take charge of the project.

The Twilight star recently moved into a new property in Los Angeles, but she's struggled to find the time to focus on her decor needs and moaned to DeGeneres about the difficulties she has been experiencing when she appeared on the funnywoman's U.S. talk show on Wednesday (09May12).

She explained, "I just moved in a week ago... Right now I have a mattress on the floor and just suitcases, well, cardboard boxes along the wall...

"When you move into a new house it's like every day you discover, 'Oh, this faucet is leaky' or 'This light's out' and it's my responsibility now. It's terrifying."

Kendrick admits she has no idea where to start when it comes to decorating her home, but she hopes to model her place on DeGeneres' Beverly Hills property, which was featured in trade paper Architectural Digest last November (11).

She told the TV presenter, "I don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm trying to learn. I'm sort of buying design magazines and stuff and I have your Architectural Digest on my vision board. Your house is on my vision board. Is this creepy, or flattering?"

DeGeneres was delighted to hear Kendrick is using her home as inspiration and when the actress jokingly asked if she'd like to do her house, the comedienne jumped at the chance, insisting, "I would love to. I really would... If that's your vision, I will do your house."

She added, "It's flattering, because it's my passion, I really love doing houses. I love decorating and I love buying houses."

See original here:
Anna Kendrick - Anna Kendrick Lands Ellen Degeneres As Her Interior Decorator

Actress Anna Kendrick has landed some star help to decorate her new home - comedienne and passionate interior designer Ellen Degeneres has offered to take charge of the project.

The Twilight star recently moved into a new property in Los Angeles, but she's struggled to find the time to focus on her decor needs and moaned to DeGeneres about the difficulties she has been experiencing when she appeared on the funnywoman's talk show on Wednesday.

She explained, "I just moved in a week ago... Right now I have a mattress on the floor and just suitcases, well, cardboard boxes along the wall...

"When you move into a new house it's like every day you discover, 'Oh, this faucet is leaky' or 'This light's out' and it's my responsibility now. It's terrifying."

Kendrick admits she has no idea where to start when it comes to decorating her home, but she hopes to model her place on DeGeneres' Beverly Hills property, which was featured in trade paper Architectural Digest last November.

She told the TV presenter, "I don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm trying to learn. I'm sort of buying design magazines and stuff and I have your Architectural Digest on my vision board. Your house is on my vision board. Is this creepy, or flattering?"

DeGeneres was delighted to hear Kendrick is using her home as inspiration and when the actress jokingly asked if she'd like to do her house, the comedienne jumped at the chance, insisting, "I would love to. I really would... If that's your vision, I will do your house."

She added, "It's flattering, because it's my passion, I really love doing houses. I love decorating and I love buying houses."

Read more from the original source:
Anna Kendrick lands Ellen DeGeneres as her interior decorator

After a long wait, Starhawk releases this week. The game, a third person shooter and spiritual successor to the game Warhawk, features a rich single player campaign and a deep multiplayer experience. To find out more about the game, we talked to Dylan Jobe, president ofLightbox Interactive, who developed Starhawk for the Playstation 3. Read on to find out more about the games inspiration, why its the best shooter for younger players, and what Starhawk feature is the best addition to any shooter game in years.

Banks:Starhawk has an old-west-in-outer-space feel, reminiscent of Firefly and other great shows, movies, and books. What were your inspirations for the story in Starhawk?

Jobe: We had a lot of inspiration from classic westerns and classic sci-fi. We were privileged to work with a guy who worked on Star Wars characters with George Lucas, a conceptartistnamed Ian McCaig. He designed Darth Maul and a number of other characters. We brought him in and he helped us on the world and universe in the early stages.

When we got into more nitty gritty development of the actual screenwriting with dialogue and the actual story, we brought in a writer from Austin, who had a lot of experience with westerns, a guy named Koen Wooten. His family helped as wranglers for Last of the Mohicans. He did prop work for True Grit and Appaloosa. He was very familiar with the genre, but we were fortunate to work with him because he loves games very dearly.

We often referred to classic westerns when we wanted to tell a story about a man and his family, even though it takes place in the vastness of the frontier. In many respects, the classic western tale pertains to a white half, black half kind of structure, isolated small town in the vast expanding west in the United States. So there were a lot of classic American western influences in the conflict between Emmett and his brother Logan to the industrial expansion of mines and towns throughout the frontier. There were many, many parallels to American history.

Banks:The betas been out for a while now and one of the great things about games, video games especially, is seeing all of the organic things that happen. Was there anything that you saw in the beta or didnt anticipate people doing with the game?

Jobe: On the good side, we were pleasantly surprised to see people build and battle pretty quickly, so that was a good thing. One of the things that was tricky was that not all players were doing good building. A lot of players were excited to build, but they were kind of being dumb when they were building.When youre playing the team mode online, if you go off and build stuff for your personal enjoyment, but not building with a tactical mind or a smart mind for your team, then youre not doing well for the rifters or outcasts, depending on which team youre on.

So, we decided to help combat this by changing the single player campaign. We added the concept of specific beats throughout the story where Cutter, your gear man, might give you a hint as to things you might want to build. We put a faint wire frame in the world, to give you an idea as to where structures should be built. Things like If I want to build a choke-point, this is a good place to do it or I can build my auto-turrets on the ground, but I can see the wireframes up on the top of the bunker, I could put them out of harms way. So we decided to seed the single player with hints to help players build more appropriately for their teams.

The other thing was we saw in the beta was that some players didnt build at all. They like to play purely as shooters. We would see these players get Starhawkand play online, reaping all the benefits of Build & Battle, even though they didnt build a single structure. But their teammates like to build, so they get the benefit of it, which was a pretty cool thing to see. Truth be told, the fusing of RTS and shooter elements isnt standard first person shooter recipe. So, we were concerned it would be off-putting to pure shooter fans. But to see pure shooter players enjoying the game and being successful, even though they werent actively building. Its good to see those kind of players still have a home in this kind of game.

See the original post here:
GeekDad Interview: Starhawk Developer Dylan Jobe

For those who prefer the plush pile of carpet beneath their feet, new materials and innovative adhesive provide modern options.

A matter of material: Nylon is the most durable of all carpet fibers, according to Valerie Ottaviano, vice president of product design at Bentley Prince Street, Inc., a California-based carpet and rug company.

When it comes to purely natural materials like straw, sisal and wool, she urges consumers to think twice.

They look great but can be tough to clean, Ottaviano says. Sisal rugs dont react well to water or cleaners, for example. Something made with a solution dye may not be natural, but it can give you better performance, depending on your household.

Green is growing: Like all home industries, carpet makers are looking into sustainable options. Post-consumer nylon can be weaved back into new fibers.

We can actually strip previously used carpet, shave off the top and put that back into a new fiber while still creating premium-quality carpet, Ottaviano says.

Theres now carpet available that is made from yarn composed of used fishing nets. The production process is fed by different streams of post-consumer carpets, used fabrics and fishing nets together with industrial discards from all over the world. This is really innovative, eco-friendly fiber and it looks gorgeous, Ottaviano says.

Mix and match: Modular carpet tiles make it easier for those who dont want to make a big, permanent decision about a large area. FLOR, a leading carpet tile company based in Chicago, has gained a lot of momentum in the past few years for its ease of installation, maintenance and durability.

These carpet tiles can be arranged according to each persons preference for area rugs, runners or play areas.

This DIY solution may have a higher up-front cost, but the tiles are removable, washable and can be moved from home to home, which can make it a more cost-effective option.

Read the original here:
The case for carpet

Visitors to the Vernon County Courthouse will be greeted with new signs and sturdier stairs in the near future.

At the April 17 county board meeting, Vernon County Board supervisors approved a resolution, which included spending $60,000 repairing the stairs at the south and east entrances of the courthouse, as well as installing new signs at the courthouse and Banta Building.

The signs were budgeted by the county to cost no more than $10,000 for both buildings and will help direct visitors to county offices and the Vernon County Circuit Court, housed within both buildings.

The courthouse basement will also be painted, but first the basement has to be tested for asbestos and mold.

The countys buildings and facilities committee approved $1,481 for the cost of the tests at its May 3 meeting.

We want to make sure the white fuzzy stuff coming out of out of the cracks isnt mold, its just some calcification or something, Carter Arndt, of MSA Professional Services Inc., said.

The tests will cover the basement and where the stairs at the south entrance of the courthouse will be replaced.

Committee chairman Jerry Cade asked Arndt about testing for asbestos and mold in the countys other buildings.

We can do specific point assessments of areas of concern, Arndt said. Secondarily, if the county wanted to institute a countywide asbestos management plan we know other consultants school districts for an example do this, it is a requirement of state law so there are firms actually out there who will do a management plan and basically help you manage your asbestos.

But if we have to end up doing some remodeling over there [at the Erlandson Building], weve got to check this out ahead of time, so if you can come back with a price for that, Cade said.

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County makes plans to replace stairs at courthouse entrances

SATELLITE BEACH, Fla., May 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Bringing imagination to life through the medium of light, Lighting Science Group (LSCG.OB) today launched three new color changing architainment lighting productsPriZmaline Cove, Graze and Z Series. These new fixtures will help translate the visions of lighting designers, architects and artists alike into standout structures.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120509/NY04393 )

"With PriZmaline, the creator's imagination is the only limit to how distinctive or avant-garde an installation can be," said Jim Haworth, chairman and chief executive officer of Lighting Science Group. "These products will actually push designers to think beyond what they originally considered to be possible for their applications. They feature patented drive technology producing up to 650 lumens per foot in most case, wireless control with full DMX capabilities, robust ranges of motion, and ultra-efficient and unparalleled lighting performance."

The PriZmaline Cove, Graze and Z Series are made to fit in indoor and outdoor cove, floodlighting, recessed, and wall grazing installations. With unparalleled lumen performance and precision beam quality, each of the three new product offerings are capable of producing millions of vivid saturated colors, delicate pastels and brilliant whites.

For more information about Lighting Science Group's PriZmaline fixtures, visit http://www.lsgc.com. The PriZmaline products will be on display at Lighting Science Group's booth (#215) at LightFair International held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, May 9 - 11, 2012.

About Lighting Science GroupLighting Science Group Corporation (LSCG.OB) designs, develops, manufactures and markets LED lighting solutions that are environmentally friendlier and more energy efficient than traditional lighting products. Lighting Science Group offers retrofit LED lamps in form factors that match those of traditional lamps or bulbs and LED luminaires designed for a range of applications including public and private infrastructure for both indoor and outdoor use. Lighting Science Group's Advanced Projects Group business unit designs, develops and manufactures custom LED lighting solutions for architectural and artistic projects. Lighting Science Group is headquartered in Satellite Beach, Florida; the Company's European operations are based in Middelburg, The Netherlands; and the Company has a sales office in Sydney, Australia. Lighting Science Group employs approximately 1000 workers building lighting products from domestic and imported parts. Lighting Science Group is a Pegasus Capital Advisors portfolio company. More information about Lighting Science Group is available at http://www.lsgc.com.

Forward Looking Statement. Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the performance of Lighting Science Group and its products and/or use terminology such as "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "goal," "intend," "plan," "project," "seek," "target," "soon," "will," "first of many" and variations of such words and similar expressions. Such statements reflect the current view of Lighting Science Group with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. In evaluating these statements, you should carefully review the risk factors detailed under "Risk Factors" in our most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that may cause our actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements.

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Lighting Science Group Redefines Architainment Lighting With PriZmaline LED Fixtures

SATELLITE BEACH, Fla., May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Lighting Science Group (LSCG.OB), one of the world's leading LED lighting companies, today unveiled some of the most advanced LED products to have been introduced to the lighting industry at LIGHTFAIR International. With a reputation as innovation leaders, the Company's world-class team of scientists and engineers redefined the boundaries of possibility in lighting technology with this year's suite of products and additions, all of which deliver on the efficiency and performance promises of LED.

(Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120510/NY05270-a )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120510/NY05270-b )

In addition to an impressive line up of residential, commercial, infrastructure and custom LED applications, the Company is displaying wirelessly controlled, intelligent luminaires; color tunable lights; advanced product design fixtures; advanced camera motion detection luminaires; and a bulb with integrated motion detection.

Lighting Science Group's new ultra-efficient J5 security light integrates video sensing with Wi-Fi operation and streams real time imaging to home computer or mobile devices making it ideal for commercial or residential applications.The J5 incorporates the Company's new PixelView video occupancy control system, which is also being shown directly integrated into many of Lighting Science Group's other luminaires. Whereas typical exterior occupancy controls using Passive Infrared (PIR) technology to detect motion can be severely compromised in hot or cold environments, the PixelView Occupancy Control system relies on image sensing and video processing. As such, the luminaire's ability to detect and characterize motion is unaffected by ambient conditions.

The Company's Definity Motion Activated PAR 30 is 80% more efficient than the 65-watt halogen lamp that it replaces and integrates both motion and ambient light sensing directly into the lamp, eliminating the need for separate controls. User configuration options built into the bulb include time delay, dimming range, and motion and distance sensitivity.Setting a new standard in advanced lighting control, the bulb won the top LIGHTFAIR International 2012 Judges Citation Award.

Mimicking the lumen (light) output of a 50-watt incandescent or halogen bulb in a downlight, the Company's 4 inch 9.5-watt Glimpse LED downlight maintains the same top-tier performance that has come to differentiate the company's LED products from its competitors, while offering an improved, innovative thermal design that reduces the volume of raw materials needed for assembly by up to 70%.The product was selected as a 2012 Next Generation Luminaires (NGL) Solid State Lighting (SSL) Indoor Competition winner. The competition is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Illuminating Engineering Society, and the International Association of Lighting Designers.

"While other companies are struggling to develop performance LED lighting products, we are bringing to market some of the most advanced and exciting lighting products in the world," said Jim Haworth, chairman and chief executive officer of Lighting Science Group. "Demonstrating our speed to marketmost of these new innovations that we are showing at LIGHTFAIR will be in the market by the end of this year or the beginning of next year."

The new product line joins the Company's suite of products that have found applications ranging from use inNASAouter space ventures; to artistic designs that span skyscraper silhouettes; to everyday, practical implementations for American homes and businesses that save families and business owners significant amounts of money on electricity bills. On the global stage,Lighting Science Grouphas become synonymous with the ultra-efficient lighting revolution, and at home the Company is most commonly viewed as the fulfillment of America's clean technology promise.

"At Lighting Science Group, we continue to push the innovation and performance envelope so our customers benefit from long-lasting, high output and environmentally responsible LED lighting products that make economic sensewelcome to the light ages," added Haworth.

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Lighting Science Group Ushers In The Light Ages With Advanced LED Lighting Intelligence, Control And Design

LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire -05/10/12)- Digital Lumens, developer of the industry's first Intelligent Lighting System, today announced that its latest 18,000-lumen intelligent fixture has been named a "Recognized Winner" in the Indoor Category of the Next Generation Luminaires (NGL) Solid State Lighting (SSL) Design Competition. The awards were announced at Lightfair 2012 and Fritz Morgan, Chief Product Officer at Digital Lumens, accepted the award on behalf of the company.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Illuminating Engineering Society, and the International Association of Lighting Designers, the NGL competition was launched in 2008 to promote excellence in the design of energy-efficient LED luminaires for general illumination in commercial lighting applications. The idea is to make it easier for lighting designers and specifiers to find LED lighting products that are worthy of specification.

"We are honored to be recognized by the Next Generation Luminaires Competition for a third year in a row," said Michael Feinstein, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Digital Lumens. "Our team works diligently to deliver innovative, high-quality LED solutions that maximize energy efficiency. By building intelligent highbay LED fixtures -- all with integrated sensors and controls -- we are able to deliver the highest possible energy savings, which helps accelerate LED adoption among industrial facilities."

Designed for industrial lighting applications, the Digital Lumens fixture features:

Part of the Digital Lumens Intelligent Lighting System of smart lights that are wirelessly networked and centrally controlled, the system routinely saves industrial lighting customers up to 90% on their lighting energy costs.

About the NGL Design CompetitionNGL-recognized products are judged on both suitability and quality, not just energy-efficiency. "This is not just a beauty contest," said DOE Solid-State Lighting Program Manager Jim Brodrick. "The winners also have to perform well."

In 2012, the Competition was separated into two separate events: Indoor and Outdoor. 187 indoor products were proposed for submission to the 2012 NGL indoor competition.

About Digital LumensDigital Lumens develops Intelligent LED Lighting Systems that are proven to reduce industrial customers' lighting-related electricity expenses by up to 90%. With this System -- smart lights, wirelessly networked together and centrally controlled -- the company is defining a new class of networked LED lighting that maximizes both delivered light and energy efficiency. Digital Lumens has been recognized as a 2011 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and a 2011 Global Cleantech 100 Company. For more information, please visit http://www.digitallumens.com/.

Note to editors: Digital Lumens and Intelligent Lighting System are trademarks of Digital Lumens, Inc.

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Digital Lumens Named 'Recognized Winner' in Next Generation Luminaires Competition