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River View and Los Patios

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Sugarland Pressure Washing - Power Washing Specialist Sugar Land, Tx
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Sugarland Pressure Washing - Power Washing Specialist Sugar Land, Tx - Video

Aibo's speech recognition is the foundation for a cloud technology providing itemized power usage

A sensor developed by Sony spinoff company Informetis gathers data for home electricity monitoring. Cloud-based machine learning algorithms crunch the data to chart how much juice major appliances are using, and the results are sent to a mobile app.

What happens to robots when they die? If you're Sony's defunct robot dog Aibo, your technology can return to life in smart homes.

Sony put its sophisticated robot to sleep in 2006 as part of a cost-cutting drive, but a startup spun off by the manufacturer is now using its artificial intelligence to monitor electricity use.

Tokyo-based Informetis is set to begin trials of a sensor, based on algorithms that helped Aibo understand speech, to continuously monitor the current and voltage going into a home or business. The technology can generate an itemized list of how power is being used.

Users could benefit by seeing a detailed account of electricity use by appliance, which could help them save money by consuming less power. They can also use the app to monitor power use when they're away from home, including identifying potential fire hazards such as irons left on.

"Electricity waves are surprisingly very similar to sound," said Josh Honda, a new hire at Informetis for global marketing. "How Aibo was distinguishing the commands it was getting from its owner -- that part of the analysis is the foundation of what we're doing in trying to separate or disaggregate the electricity into different components."

During a recent demonstration, a prototype sensor the size of a pack of cigarettes was attached to a power distribution board on the wall at Informetis. Data gathered by the sensor was sent to a Wi-Fi router, crunched in the cloud and then sent to a TV screen. Electricity used by appliances and lighting was displayed, and when an air purifier and table lamp were turned on, they also appeared.

Informetis has been selling an early version of the sensor to businesses in Japan. It can detect the electricity consumption for appliances such as microwaves, washing machines and refrigerators but not juice-sippers like phone chargers. It can distinguish the type of appliance but not the model.

When the data is uploaded to the cloud, an original codec is used for compression. Then, machine-learning algorithms based on those used for Aibo's speech recognition analyze the waveforms in the data and look for telltale signatures for appliances such as refrigerators using more power at regular intervals.

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Sony spinoff uses robot dog's brain to monitor home electricity

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By: Nationwide tile and Stone

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How to Get New Easy, Fast, and Cheap Countertops! (DIY)
This video gives ideas for freshening up countertops that won #39;t break the bank. If you have solid cabinets, but sick of your outdated countertops don #39;t be afraid to try one of these options...

By: Embellishments By Bre

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How to Get New Easy, Fast, and Cheap Countertops! (DIY) - Video

Imagine you're buying a house. You're driving around with the realtor, who shows you what looks like a very nice option. It has all the features you want -- the pool, the granite countertops, what have you -- and the realtor keeps telling you that it's worth " so much more" than what you'd be paying. You start to think, "Maybe this house is a pretty great deal!"

But what if you found out that the owner of the house could directly influence the realtor's career? Would you still buy it?

As it turns out, the financial industry sometimes works in the same way, and it's yet another reason you shouldn't listen to stock analysts.

Hedge funds and analysts Looking at a database of 19,000 hedge funds and their ownership in public firms between 1999 and 2012, a recent working paper written by three business school professors found that the more hedge fund ownership a stock had, the more optimistic analysts' price forecasts for it were.

Looking at American companies and hedge funds, the paper concluded that hedge fund ownership one standard deviation above the average is associated with a 23% rise in optimism about prices.

The researchers theorize that this happens largely because hedge funds can directly influence analysts' careers. How? Through votes: Most brokers use client votes on analyst performance to determine things like bonuses and career paths. As it happens, a lot of votes are controlled or influenced by hedge funds.

At the same time, more optimistic forecasts mean better trading results for the funds. In other words, the two parties have every reason to please each other, even if they aren't doing it openly.

What do I do with this information? This is a good reminder that analyst forecasts should be taken with a grain of salt -- especially if there's a large amount of hedge fund ownership involved.

What's most important is that you do your own homework. The best approach to stock picking is to analyze a company's fundamentals, gaining an understanding of its strategy, market, and competition. In other words, rather than relying on biased analysts, come to your own conclusions by investigating the companies you're interested in and evaluating their profitability and future prospects.

When you do your own research, it doesn't matter what the analysts say and whether it is biased by their career concerns or not; you won't be listening.

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The Surprising Relationship Between Analysts and Hedge Funds

Illinois congressman Aaron Schock's communications director had a very bad day Monday when a Washington Post reporter happened to run into Schock's extremely chatty interior decorator.

Post style reporter Ben Terris was admiring Schock's outer officea fiery red affair reportedly adorned with golden sconces and black candleswhen a staffer volunteered, for no apparent reason, that the space was inspired by the popular British period television drama, Downton Abbey.

But then, the best part happened:

A blond woman popped out of an inner office. "Want to see the rest?" she asked.

She introduced herself as Annie Brahler, the interior decorator whose company is called Euro Trash. She guided me to Schock's private office, revealing another dramatic red room. This one with a drippy crystal chandelier, a table propped up by two eagles, a bust of Abraham Lincoln and massive arrangements of pheasant feathers.

Then, my phone rang.

It was Schock's communications director, Benjamin Cole.

"Are you taking pictures of the office?" he asked. "Who told you you could do that? ... Okay, stay where you are. You've created a bit of a crisis in the office."

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Aaron Schock's Interior Decorator Outs His Downton Abbey-Themed Office

The Rayburn House Office Building is a labyrinth of beige offices.

And then, theres ... Rep.Aaron Schocks new digs.

Bright red walls. A gold-colored wall sconce with black candles. A Federal-style bulls-eye mirror with an eagle perched on top. And this is just the Illinois Republicans outer office.

Its actually based off of the red room in Downton Abbey, said the woman behind the front desk, comparing it to the luxurious set piece at the heart of the British period drama.

This was a bold room. But the confidence was a mirage. For on Capitol Hill, caution is king when it comes to the micromanagement of ones image, even in the case of how a congressman decides to decorate his office.

And sometimes, a friendly outsider can inadvertently ruin a communications directors day.

A blond woman popped out of an inner office. Want to see the rest? she asked.

She introduced herself as Annie Brahler, the interior decorator whose company is called Euro Trash. She guided me to Schocks private office, revealing another dramatic red room. This one with a drippy crystal chandelier, a table propped up by two eagles, a bust of Abraham Lincoln and massive arrangements of pheasant feathers.

Then, my phone rang.

It was Schocks communications director, Benjamin Cole.

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Hes got a Downton Abbey-inspired office, but Rep. Aaron Schock wont talk about it.

Judge Jos Luis Castillo Jr. laid out stacks of paper Monday morning as he prepared for trial in his new nest.

A short time later at 9:15 a.m., Courtroom 404 would be host to the first-ever jury trial in the new Consolidated Justice Courthouse at the Pima County Public Service Center, 240 N. Stone Ave. a 272,000-square-foot county complex.

The county vacated the historical courthouse on North Church Avenue with its iconic pink exterior and dome structure, which officials said could not support todays capacity and functions, as it was designed in the 1920s to support the needs of that time.

Castillos courtroom was mostly empty on the first day at the new building, with chairs that have never been sat on and tables that have never been used. He put a familiar touch by setting up pictures of his three children on the judges bench.

The aesthetics are decidedly more modern than those of the old courthouse and his former Courtroom 8, otherwise known as the Dillinger courtroom as the site of the trial of John Dillinger and his gang in January 1934.

I feel nostalgic, but Ill adjust, Castillo said.

The new building is seven stories tall and has two basement levels. It houses courtrooms on four floors to handle the approximately 140,000 cases filed at the Justice Court in a year, with more than 500,000 people passing through the security checkpoint.

I love the old courthouse, but everything was so cramped in there, said Doug Kooi, the Consolidated Justice Court administrator.

The Public Service Center, soon to be home also to the countys treasurer, constable, Assessors Office and Recorders Office, is an improvement in every sense, Kool said.

In the old building, members of the jury and the public often only had standing room only and sometimes had to sit on the floor while waiting, he said. The only jury deliberation room was also used as a conference room, and four restrooms were shared by hundreds of people each day.

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Justice Court leaves historical building for new center

Further new commercial and mixed-use developments planned for initiation in 2015 are a positive re-enforcement of the citys vibrant business district which has successfully evolved over the past decade to incorporate a strong live, work, play ethos and in so doing, attract a burgeoning and complementary residential component.

He says in the commercial property market, where ever-increasing operating (utilities) and rental costs impact on tenants and landlords, the majority of office layouts now favour an open plan environment with boardrooms or small meeting rooms utilised to meet clients and a strong focus on kitchen and staff recreational areas with some offices even installing showers for cyclists and runners.

Security of premises and parking facilities also plays an important role, particularly as users in the IT industry, designers, marketing and creative businesses need to cater for being open longer hours.

Last year (2014) saw considerable progress in projects undertaken and completed. Notable new commercial properties comprising office space with ground floor retail such as restaurants and coffee bars, include the new landmark skyscraper, Portside, which is almost fully occupied by Old Mutual and First National Bank as well as subsidiaries such as Wesbank, and some smaller tenants.

The new 22 Bree Street, anchored by Bowman Gilfillan, is almost fully tenanted, while the top end of Bree Street has become extremely popular, with landlords receiving frequent requests for restaurant, retail and office spaces. A small owner-occupied property in this same street has been modernised with new finishes and parking added, making it impactful and instantly recognisable. A major renovation is under way and nearing completion at 130 Strand Street - to accommodate a college. Touchstone House, near Portside, where commercial, namely office and ground floor retail units, have been sold via sectional title, is also well under construction.

On Foreshore, a new parking garage has been added to the Standard Bank building, enabling it to offer tenants a reasonable parking ratio, while Roggebaai Place, situated behind SARS and comprising a gross lettable area (GLA) of 12500, has just been completed with some space still available. In addition, an eight-storey office block at 19 Louis Gradner Street has been refurbished and now incorporates on-site, secure parking.

In the trendy De Waterkant area, in the sought after Hudson building, where Sharon has concluded 90 percent of the leases, a new triple-storey loft has been added. Available to let at a rental rate of R185 per square metre, this exceptional modern unit of 420m has high end finishes and a large terrace. Opposite The Hudson, the newly completed, mainly residential mixed-use development, The Mirage, incorporates a retail component with a boutique hotel planned.

On the fringe of the central city, on Somerset Road in Green Point, new residential developments have transformed the area, where any small building is being sold, demolished and sectional-titled into predominantly residential units. A new development, 22 Somerset Road, is now complete with tenants moving into this small, modern building with two striking, glass facades. Also on the fringe, the Kloof Street area remains very popular among restaurateurs and small businesses, however very few new buildings are constructed due to heritage issues, high acquisition costs and the absence of large properties to redevelop.

Sharon says Sea Point is also being upgraded at a rapid pace. The refurbished Galleria which is now renamed The Point is an exciting new development with multi-tier retail and P-Grade offices. The building is almost fully tenanted and offers generous, secure parking for both tenants and customers.An apartment building is being built on the corner of Main and Glen Roads, where a McDonalds outlet has already opened.

Other major projects are currently under construction in the city centre and immediate vicinity, with special attention given to parking ratios, green or energy saving technology, P-Grade modern finishes and the latest office design, with emphasis open plan and maximising spaces. In this upper end P-Grade buildings, office rentals in De Waterkant and new city office developments are approaching the R200 per square metre mark. However, compared to other city centres in cities in Europe or the USA, this is still extremely inexpensive.

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Investment in major new developments in Cape Towns city centre