Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

JOHNSTOWN Rick Jefferson was sound asleep when fate awakened him Dec. 13.

At 7 a.m., the contractor and remodeler was awakened by a stranger knocking on his rear door.

Upon answering the door, he found a young woman asking for help.

I think I am going into labor, Jefferson quoted the mother-to-be as saying.

The woman did not have a telephone or a car so she started walking down the alley until she found someone with a vehicle to take her to the hospital, Jefferson said.

I asked her how far along she was, and she said eight months, Jefferson said.

Thinking that the woman was probably in false labor, he ran upstairs to change out of his night clothes before driving her to the hospital.

So Im upstairs changing clothes and I heard her scream.

I ran downstairs and she was lying on my kitchen floor.

She screamed again and said that her water just broke, he said.

Originally posted here:
Hornerstown man an unexpected hero

SOMERSET, N.J. -- Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), the global leader in lighting, today announced the introduction of their new InstantFit LED T8 that reduces the cost for facility managers replacing fluorescent tube lighting with energy efficient LED technology, known as LED tube lamps (TLEDs). TLEDs use up to 40 percent less energy compared to linear fluorescent tube lighting and require less maintenance due to their long lifetime.

Philips has led the way in designing an instantaneous 'click-to-fit' LED retrofit alternative for linear electronic instant start fluorescent tube lighting. Currently, installers need to re-wire the ballast to replace linear fluorescent tubes with TLEDs[2. This is due to a wide variety of electronic ballasts that exist in fluorescent tube lamps today. The Philips InstantFit LED replacement tube requires no re-wiring as it includes a smart electronic design that is compatible with existing electronic instant start ballasts and sockets. The result is a dramatic reduction in the time it takes to change from fluorescent to TLED lighting - from over 20 minutes per fixture to a matter of seconds and an equally dramatic reduction in installation costs.

''We studied the process for replacing fluorescent tubes with LED technology step by step to tackle those issues that dissuade facility managers and installers from making the switch. We found speed and simplicity were key,'' said Rene van Schooten, CEO Light Sources and Electronics at Philips Lighting.

Ramon Silvero, product manager of the lighting department at Gas Natural Fenosa, a Spanish natural gas utility company, said, "The savings made are spectacular." Mariano Herranz, maintenance technician at Gas Natural Fenosa added, "Using the new LED tube does not need any special operation. You just substitute the old tube for a new LED one."

Philips estimates that the installed base for fluorescent tube lighting today amounts to 12 billion (lamp) sockets globally. Linear fluorescent tube lighting with instant start ballast is one of the most common types of general lighting used in shops, offices and industrial spaces. In the United States, the estimated square footage of office space alone that could be positively impacted by installing the InstantFit solution is 7.4 billion square feet[3. So, the opportunity for energy and costs savings is huge. If current fluorescent lighting was replaced by TLED lamps globally it would result in savings of over 55 billion dollars in energy costs or the equivalent of energy generated by 210 medium sized power plants[4.

The InstantFit breakthrough is a new milestone in Philips' innovation record for the TLED market. In April 2013, Philips announced the creation of the world's most energy-efficient lamp suitable for general lighting, unveiling an LED tube replacement prototype that produces a record 200 lumens per watt of high-quality white light (compared with 100lm/W for fluorescent lighting) without compromising on light quality.

Philips' InstantFit LED replacement tube will be available in the first quarter of 2014. Visit http://www.philips.com/tled for more detailed information about availability.

About Royal Philips: Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people's lives through meaningful innovation in the areas of Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips posted 2012 sales of EUR 24.8 billion and employs approximately 114,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. The company is a leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as male shaving and grooming and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at http://www.philips.com/newscenter.

[1 Calculated on the basis of an average sized supermarket that is typically equipped with approximately 1,000 double-tube fixtures and taking an average of 2 minutes to replace which includes every step from unpacking to installing, including positioning and climbing of ladders. The actual physical tube replacement takes a matter of seconds. [2 For optimal operation and maximum lifetime, LEDs need a constant current, which is the main task of a driver [3 Source: Philips [4 Source: Philips

CONTACT: Silvie Casanova, Philips Lighting, Tel: 781-879-0692, E-mail: silvie.casanova@philips.com

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LED T8 Lamps readily replace fluorescent tubes.

13 hours ago

Now it's not just people robots are also connected by internet thanks to RoboEarth. Next week, after four years of research, scientists at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Philips and four other European universities will present this online platform through which robots can learn new skills from each other worldwide a kind of 'Wikipedia for robots'. This brings the development of robots that can carry out caring or household tasks a big step closer.

The greying population means there is an urgent future need for robots to take over caring or household tasks. To enable robots to successfully lend a mechanical helping hand, they need to be able to deal flexibly with new situations and conditions. For example you can teach a robot to bring you a cup of coffee in the living room, but if some of the chairs have been moved the robot won't be able to find you any longer. Or it may get confused if you've just bought a different set of coffee cups.

Worldwide sharing

"The problem right now is that robots are often developed specifically for one task", says Ren van de Molengraft, TU/e researcher and RoboEarth project leader. "Everyday changes that happen all the time in our environment make all the programmed actions unusable. But RoboEarth simply lets robots learn new tasks and situations from each other. All their knowledge and experience are shared worldwide on a central, online database. As well as that, computing and 'thinking' tasks can be carried out by the system's 'cloud engine', so the robot doesn't need to have as much computing or battery power onboard."

Opening a box

It means, for example, that a robot can image a hospital room and upload the resulting map to RoboEarth. Another robot, which doesn't know the room, can use that map on RoboEarth to locate a glass of water immediately, without having to search for it endlessly. In the same way a task like opening a box of pills can be shared on RoboEarth, so other robots can also do it without having to be programmed for that specific type of box.

Explore further: Cloud-computing platform for robots launched

(PhysOrg.com) -- We tend to assume that robots need human input in order to understand the world around them. In the near future humans may not even be a part of the robotic-learning equation. Soon, robots ...

(Phys.org) Researchers of five European universities have developed a cloud-computing platform for robots. The platform allows robots connected to the Internet to directly access the powerful computational, storage, and ...

Read more here:
Robots learn from each other on 'Wiki for robots'

14 hours ago by Nancy Owano

(Phys.org) Philips is offering a new deal in tube lighting that can save on energy, installation time and ease labor costs. Philips' new development, announced earlier this month, offers supermarkets and large stores a proposition difficult to turn down. Philips has announced a drop-in LED bulb design that offers 40,000 hours of life. Called the InstantFit LED T8, the replacement tube is, according to Philips, the world's first LED replacement tube that requires no rewiring. The company said the InstantFit lamps were tested with a variety of ballasts to make sure there was compatibility with most Instant Start ballasts. Philips noted how this replacement involves a simple switch that cuts considerably the time it takes to replace the old fluorescent lights. "We studied the process for replacing fluorescent tubes with LED technology step by step to tackle those issues that dissuade facility managers and installers from making the switch," said Rene van Schooten, CEO, light sources and electronics at Philips Lighting "We found speed and simplicity were key."

The company described the Philips InstantFit LED T8 as "a true Linear LED retrofit that replaces existing 4' T8 fluorescent lamps. No wiring is required when replacing T8 fluorescents with the InstantFit lamp, which helps to reduce maintenance and labor costs." A maintenance worker can perform the task of fitting in the tube lamps in a very short time. According to Philips, "the average supermarket can now switch to LED lighting in four days instead of four weeks."

The InstantFit LED T8 lights save about 41 percent in electrical costs over an equivalent fluorescent tube. Also, the Philips InstantFit LED T8 lamps contain no mercury and virtually no UV or IR light. According to Philips, if current fluorescent lighting were replaced by TLED lamps globally, it would result in savings of over $55 billion in energy costs, or the equivalent of energy generated by 210 medium-sized power plants. (The reference to "TLED" stands for LED tube lamps.)'

Philips did not specify price but the company announcement said the Philips' InstantFit LED replacement tube will be available in the first quarter of 2014.

Philips overall prides itself as being one of the world's largest manufacturers of lightbulbs and lamps as well as innovators in light emitting diode (LED) lighting. By 2020, Philips has predicted that 30 percent less energy will be used for lighting compared to 2006 due to energy-efficient lighting adoption. They said the savings translates into a 515 million-ton reduction in CO2 emissions.

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Philips Lighting's Harry Verhaar, head of global public and government affairs, said, "With increasing population growth and urbanization, the demand for light is growing. The good news is that the resulting increase in energy demand is being compensated for by gains in energy efficiency as a result of the adoption of energy-efficient lighting.''

Explore further: Philips LED bulb with rad design set for January arrival

More information: http://www.lighting.philips.com/main/led/masterled/ledtube/index.wpd

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Philips eases switching fluorescent tubes with LED replacements

12 hours ago In the future, photovoltaic facility construction firms besides Siemens will be able to benefit from the layout planning software PVplanet. Siemens offers technical consulting along with the software in order to help customers plan customized and optimally cost-effective photovoltaic facility layouts. Siemens Energy developed PVplanet in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM) and Siemens Corporate Technology in order to plan their own photovoltaic facilities more efficiently. Even for installations that only generate a few megawatts, the use of this tool is worthwhile. In a recent example, PVplanet helped to reduce the power generation costs of a planned solar park by six percent.

From now on, photovoltaic facility construction firms besides Siemens can benefit from the layout planning software PVplanet. Siemens offers technical consulting along with the software in order to help customers plan customized and optimally cost-effective photovoltaic facility layouts.

Siemens Energy developed PVplanet in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM) and Siemens Corporate Technology in order to plan their own photovoltaic facilities more efficiently. This planning tool was recently made available to facility construction firms outside the company. Even for installations that only generate a few megawatts, the use of this tool is worthwhile. In a recent example, PVplanet helped to reduce the power generation costs of a planned solar park by six percent. Power generation costs are defined as the total cost per kilowatt hour of generated electricity. If this park is built according to the layout designed using PVplanet, it will achieve an additional yield of 350 megawatt hours per year, compared to the original plan. This patented planning tool optimizes the layout of a solar park by taking into consideration a variety of parameters such as location, weather data, distance between the panels, and their angle of inclination, as well as investment costs and anticipated output.

The software generates hundreds of layouts for a given facility within a few seconds. The planner can then compare the advantages and disadvantages of each variation and select the best solution. Without this type of assistance, planners would only be able to work out and compare a few layouts (if any) at this level of detail, due to time constraints.

Since it was first introduced in 2012, PVplanet has been enhanced with several options. The developers presented a comparison of block planning and individual planning at last year's EU PVSEC photovoltaic conference in Paris. This comparison investigated whether it was more cost-effective to cover a given area with standardized solar panel blocks at a relatively low cost or to use more "fine-grained" and time-consuming planning to take the best possible advantage of a particular site.

The dependence of output on the weather is also considered. Probable outputs are an important parameter for calculating the risk inherent in the business model; thus they are part of the basis on which insurers and investors make decisions. PVplanet takes these uncertainties into account at the planning stage and shows the different levels of impact that fluctuations in the weather would have on various layouts. Planners can then, for example, select the layout that offers the most robust earnings or the one that offers the highest earnings potential.

Explore further: Renewable sources can provide stable power

The photovoltaics industry is booming, and the market for solar farms is growing quickly all over the world. Yet, the task of planning PV power plants to make them as effi cient as possible is far from trivial. ...

Renewable energy sources - an area in which Germany is a leader - are becoming increasingly important for the worldwide power mix. Nevertheless, experts are still deliberating which market model is best for ...

Siemens has developed an energy-storage system that can act as a buffer in electrical power grids. The aim is to provide a buffer against short-term fluctuations in output from renewable energy sources. Such ...

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Planning extremely cost-effective solar parks

12 hours ago by Patchen Barss Professor Matt Ratto with a conventional prosthetic (at left) and (at right) one printed by his lab. Credit: Ginger Coons

A University of Toronto lab is partnering with an international NGO and a Ugandan hospital to use 3-D scanning and printing to speed the process of creating and fitting sockets for artificial limbs.

While three-dimensional printing has been around for some time, a new generation of fast, cheap 3-D printers offers up a world of possibilities for highly-customized products.

Prosthetic limbs are a natural application for the technology. Although they can be mass-produced, prostheses must be customized to suit a recipient's individual physiology. Traditional assessing and fitting procedures take many days or weeks, and require specialized knowledge of an on-site prosthetic technician.

"The major issue with prosthetics in the developing world is not access to the materials of prosthetics; it is access to the expert knowledge required to form and create them," says Matt Ratto, a professor in the Faculty of Information. "We're lacking prosthetic technicians, not prosthetics themselves."

Today, though, a 3-D scan of a Ugandan's residual limb can be sent within seconds to another part of the world where a prosthetist can digitally design a replacement, sending that file back to Africa to be printed. Printers are increasingly sophisticated, capable of using a wide range of resins and polymers to create three-dimensional objects.

The implications of such a system are many, but one is the capacity to make a prosthesis in less than 24 hours. For many Ugandans, speed is more than a matter of convenience; it's the difference between getting a prosthetic limb or not.

"The underserved population is largely rural," said ginger coons (who spells her name in lower-case), a PhD student in Ratto's lab. "People have to come to the hospital. Not many can afford the long stay. We want to make their stay a lot shorter."

Ratto and coons hope that what they learn from the Uganda project will help them develop similar solutions in other parts of the world.

Their research also explores the increasing blurriness between physical and virtual realms. While the loss of a leg and its replacement with an artificial limb are fundamentally bodily experiences, the body scans and prosthetic designs are digital.

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Using 3D printers to create prosthetic limbs for Ugandans

Gang Beasts Test #7 - Window Cleaning Gondolas
Experimenting with permanently suspended window-cleaning scaffolds as battle arenas. Follow us and find out more about the game at: http://indiedb.com/games/...

By: Boneloaf

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Gang Beasts Test #7 - Window Cleaning Gondolas - Video

So you want a pure water window cleaning system

By: Window Cleaning Resource

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So you want a pure water window cleaning system - Video

Residential Snow Removal as a Add on Service

By: Window Cleaning Resource

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Residential Snow Removal as a Add on Service - Video

As winter settles in, NorthWestern Energy is offering free home energy audits that can help customers save money on their utility bills.

As part of NorthWesterns E+ program, a team of energy experts will be working in Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley the week of Jan. 27-31. The team has a number of openings for the audits, which provide a detailed report on a homes energy use, weatherization tips and information on energy-efficient practices. In some cases, the experts may, at no charge, install water-heater wraps, low-flow shower heads, low-flow faucet aerators and insulation of hot-water pipes.

The auditors will also inspect natural gas-fueled appliances and perform blower tests to spot areas of air leakage in homes.

Audit appointments are available in Missoula, Lolo, Stevensville, Corvallis, Victor, Florence, Hamilton and Clinton.

The free audits can be scheduled by calling 1-800-823-5995.

Residential customers whose space or hot water heating fuels are delivered by NorthWestern Energy, have not had an E+ audit in the past and whose home is more than five years old are eligible for an on-site energy audit. Other restrictions may apply and funding for the audit program, provided by the Universal System Benefits program, is limited.

Reach the Missoulian newsroom at @missoulian, at newsdesk@missoulian.com or at (406) 523-5240

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NorthWestern Energy to perform free energy audits in Missoula, Bitterroot