10 Mart 2009

International School of European Aviation

International School of European Aviation (ISEA) is pleased to offer you the opportunity to complete your European JAR-FCL ATP pilot training in Australia. With ISEA, you can become a JAR-accredited pilot through the prestigious Lund University integrated Air Transport Pilot (ATP) course while taking advantage of Australia's unique lifestyle and flying conditions.We will take you from complete beginner to professional, European JAR-qualified pilot with the rigorous, integrated JAR ATP training Lund University is renowned for.
ISEA's JAR ATP course has an expected completion time of 18 months, with time at one of ISEA's Australian campuses and at Lund University School of Aviation in Sweden.
Lund University has been preparing some of the world's best aviation professionals for more than 20 years through its integrated JAR ATP course, with many graduates now flying for the world's leading airlines. Enormous worldwide growth is projected to continue in all areas of aviation and the demand is high among European airlines for JAR-qualified pilots.
You will graduate from the ISEA course with a JAR-accredited pilot licence, qualified to fly in Europe and able to apply to major international airlines. You will receive a CASA and JAR Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL), JAR ATPL theory and license (Vocational Graduate Certificate in International Aviation (JAA)).
The ISEA team looks forward to sharing this exciting opportunity with you

ELISEEV PALACE HOTEL

The Taleon Imperial Hotel is the only lodging in St. Petersburg providing accommodations in a czarist-era palace. Restored and modified by some of Russia's finest artistic talent, the hotel opened in May 2003 in time to celebrate the city's 300th anniversary. LOCATION: 59, Moika emb. METRO STATION: Gostinny Dvor / Nevsky ProspectAziendaleader nell’ intermediazione immobiliare e promozione turistica a Porto Rotondoe per le ville di prestigio in tutta la Costa Smeralda. I 25 anni di esperienzahanno ormai consolidato ed affermato l’ azienda a livello internazionale. Lostaff della Socoin, ha raggiunto da tempo un altissimo grado di professionalità,riuscendo a soddisfare appieno le numerose richieste dei propri clienti.La società ha la fortuna di svolgere la sua attività in una delle zonepiù affascinanti del mondo, fra spiagge paradisiache bagnate da un mare colorsmeraldo ed inebrianti profumi mediterranei. Il Nord Est Sardegna meglioconosciuta come Costa Smeralda, è un angolo magico di questa terra antica, dovecultura millenaria e folklore si fondono mirabilmente con mondanità ed eleganza,in una modernissima concezione di vacanze, grazie ai modernissimi portituristici, i campi da golf e le varie strutture ricettive e sportive. Oggi PortoRotondo e Porto Cervo sono luoghi dove gli ospiti vengono coccolati e viziatisia dal lusso che dalla semplice bellezza del territorio.La tradizioneed il carattere di quest’isola collocano l’ospitalità al primo posto fra imolteplici pregi naturali.L’esperienza maturata nei 25 anni di attivitàpermette alla Socoin di poter offrire ai propri clienti una consulenza su misurasia per i loro Investimenti in Costa Smeralda (acquisto e gestione di ville eappartamenti) che per le loro vacanze con una grande offerta di dimore inaffitto ( anche settimanale per gli appartamenti ) dove è possibile godere lalunghissima (da maggio ad ottobre), profumata, fresca estate dellaSardegna.Affinché le vostre vacanze siano ancora più spensierate epiacevoli, siamo tra le pochissime Agenzie Immobiliari in grado di fornire tuttii servizi, quali cuochi qualificati, colf, domestici, giardinieri, manutentori,per il periodo e le ore di cui avete bisogno.Porto Cervo is the main centre of the so-called Costa Smeralda, one of the most prestigious tourist areas in Gallura on Sardinia's north-western coast.Resorts such as Cala di Volpe, Liscia di Vacca and Baja Sardinia are now considered very sought-after tourist destinations.Porto Cervo is a village of multicoloured buildings, recently built in front of the natural port and the surrounding hills.The Porto Vecchio (Old Port) dates back to the 60's and is on the south-eastern side, while the new harbour is equipped with the most modern and complete tourist infrastructures for international marine traffic.The wharves and quays are Porto Cervo Spa's private property and therefore fees must be paid for docking and enjoying the use of the facilities.The Port is visible from the sea and makes reference to Capo Ferro, a 46 m high promontory with a lighthouse indicating north of Porto Cervo. From the sea you can also admire the lights of the numerous tourist resorts present in the area.Anyone not wanting to use the port might anchor in the bay. The entrance is indicated by the lights.Obviously, Porto Cervo couldn't not have a Yacht Club (the Costa Smeralda Yacht Club) and a meeting point for nightlife (La Piazzetta

09 Mart 2009

Tracerco Diagnostics

Do you want an installed method of regularly assessing the operation of your distillation tower, reducing operating costs and reducing shutdown time?
To meet the changing needs of our customers the Tracerco research and development team has designed an alternative technique to conventional tower scanning. The TRACERCO Diagnostics™ RapidScan technology combines sophisticated wireless detector capability with an easy to install permanent scanning guide wire system.
The TRACERCO Diagnostics™ Tower Scan method has been used for over 20 years by many major chemical and refining companies around the world. The combined data acquisition software from these techniques coupled with TRACERCO Diagnostics™ RapidScan hardware increases efficiency and reliability of scan data by providing fast, consistent data acquisition from fixed orientations. The service allows repeatable tower scanning that can quickly evaluate mechanical or process related problems offering plant personnel a cost effective process diagnostics solution to optimize or troubleshoot tower performance. Even columns with limited or zero ladder access do not pose an obstacle following installation of a TRACERCO Diagnostics™ RapidScan system.
Improved Accuracy - the scans will use a fixed orientation so repeat scans are guaranteed to utilise identical geometries
Better Data Reliability – data will not be affected by weather conditions (wind)
Increased Safety – all scanning operations will be from ground level with no need to climb the tower, eliminating workingfrom heights
Greater Cost Savings – after initial setup, the high costs of scaffolding or cranes for columns that have inadequate or no access is eliminated
Enhanced Efficiency – reduces time needed to conduct a scan lessening the burden on operations to hold column at set conditions
The capabilities of conventional tower scanning are not lost. In fact, the TRACERCO Diagnostics™ RapidScan system potentially improves our ability to diagnose more subtle process changes by stringently controlling and eliminating variability in scan line orientations and paths.
Features Identified
Tray damage
Liquid maldistribution/blockages in packed beds
Tray liquid loading
Jet and liquid stack flooding
Packing damage
Distributor performance
Presence and density of foam
All of the stainless steel pulleys and bracket work will be attached to the existing structure using insulation bands utilising the ‘band-it’ system. No welding or direct attachment to the column walls is required; hence the vessel pressure envelope will not be affected.

Luxury Villa



Nominee for "Best Villa in Mexico," 2007 World Travel AwardsTreat yourself to all the amenities of a six-star resort, but with the expansive space and privacy of this stunning oceanfront home. Perched high on a cliff overlooking Land’s End, where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean, Villa Peñasco offers the ultimate in natural beauty and first-class luxury.On the spacious main terrace, take in the magnificent ocean view from the jacuzzi or infinity pool as you listen to the soothing sounds of its waterfall. The terrace also features a palapa shade structure complete with an elegant bar, refrigerator, and barbecue, all perfect for outdoor entertaining.Inside, the villa offers a state-of-the-art gourmet kitchen. The scenic dining room seats 16, and fully opens to the main terrace. After dinner, relax around the large stone fireplace in the living room. When day is done, choose from five beautiful bedrooms. Each has a full marble bath, private terrace, TV, refrigerator, safe, and fabulous view.Fortlands Point is a fabulous villa strategically located at the lookout point where Discovery Bay meets the Caribbean Sea. Two old canons still remain on the shore of this property providing testimony to the role the land of this wonderful property once played in the defense of Jamaica. The views from its peninsula are stunning of both Discovery Bay on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other.The villa boasts seven air-conditioned bedrooms with seven en suite bathrooms, three private beaches, 270-degree ocean views, a squash court, weight room, TV room and many other amenities. The villa can accommodate up to 14 guests with a maximum of 10 adults since two of the bedrooms are only suitable for young children (trundle beds).Entrance to the villa is into a small courtyard with a pond leading to the front door. A reception/sitting area leads though to the pool deck or left to the formal dining room that seats twelve on its 100-year-old 12' mahogany heirloom table. A covered outdoor dining area adjoins the dining room as well providing charming seaside dining.The interiors are Colonial style and feature cut stone, mahogany pieces and an abundance of teak and other tropical woods as well as Italian tile and Persian rugs which complement the dramatic architecture.Textures of teak, cedar, Italian tile and Persian rugs complement the dramatic architecture. With families in mind, seven bedrooms (including two specifically for children) have been thoughtfully designed on individual split-levels. The comfortable verandah is complete with black granite bar, icemaker and television. Sunset cocktail hours here drift into leisurely long dinners under the stars on any of five open-air dining areas. Inside is the formal dining room with 100-year-old 12' mahogany heirloom table. As a special treat, the staff will serve dinner on the very point itself, followed by a seaside bonfire if you wish ~ evenings to treasure and remember.A large, comfortably furnished verandah offers a black granite bar, icemaker and TV and is a popular gathering place for guests to savor sunset cocktails.Built on four levels (one of which is an attic level), the villa offers the living room, verandah, bar with TV, outside dining areas, inside formal dining room and kitchen on the main level. All of these rooms open to the wide stone terrace, infinity style private swimming pool and hot tub. A few steps lead down to the lawn and then to the main beach on the bay beyond. Just across the lawn, steps lead down to two more private beaches on the sea.Another level features a bedroom with a custom designed mahogany king-sized bed plus a day bed. French doors lead to a furnished terrace and the lawn. This bedroom has a TV, ocean view and en-suite bathroom complete with a tub/shower combination and bidet. This bedroom is, also, wheelchair accessible via a ramped entrance and wide doorways.Another level features three additional bedrooms. One of the ocean view bedrooms features a king sized bed plus a daybed, en-suite bathroom with tub/shower combination and bidet and French doors open to a furnished balcony. Another bedroom offers ocean views, a queen sized 4-poster bed and en-suite bathroom with a tub/shower combination. Additionally on this level, there is a children's room with twin beds and en-suite bathroom with tub/shower combination.On yet another level there is the Captain's Room which offers a king sized 4 poster bed, TV, spacious en-suite bathroom complete with a double vanity, bidet and large walk in shower with two showerheads and three water jet body massagers. Additionally, the family room is located on this level and it offers ocean views, a comfortable sitting area, TV with surround-sound and balcony.On the top level there is a spacious loft bedroom under high peaked ceilings. This bedroom features a king sized bed, TV, spacious bathroom with large walk in shower with two shower heads and three water jet body massagers and a bidet. The room provides sea views from the bedroom area, bathroom and shower. Additionally, on this top level there is another children's loft bedroom with twin beds and en-suite bathroom with shower.All of the bedrooms feature remote control air-conditioners and ceiling fans. Additionally, all of the bathrooms in the villa are fitted with stainless steel Kohler fixtures.Please, also, note that the homeowner requests that guests do not smoke in the bedrooms.Other amenities include DSS TV system, sound system with music channels and a Norstar telephone system with intercoms to the bedrooms, kitchen and staff quarters.Outside, the pool deck provides ample seating beside the pool with a 'disappearing edge' and a Jacuzzi that tumbles into the pool.Additional recreational amenities include an indoor, championship, glass backed squash court and a mirrored fitness room that includes a universal weight machine and elliptical cycle.Fortlands Point is a wonderful family home and offers guests the use of two complementary port-a-cribs, one high chair and children's games. The DSS TV system includes Disney and other children's programs.Please note that the home has two German Shepherd dogs on the property that love children.Fortlands Point is an exceptional villa in an exceptional setting.

07 Mart 2009

Winged luxury submarines 'fly' underwater

CNN) -- Most people have had dreams of flying. Graham Hawkes had dreams of flying -- underwater.
The Deep Flight Super Falcon made its maiden voyage in San Francisco Bay in September.

Hawkes has been in the business of building underwater craft for more than a decade. In the early days, his company, Hawkes Ocean Technologies, built vehicles for researchers and moviemakers.
But in the past few years, the ultrarich have increasingly looked for cool playthings for their ocean adventures.
What better toy to have on the end of your 200-foot yacht than a submarine capable of diving to 1,500 feet below the sea's surface?
Whoops. Did we say submarine? It's a submersible that can "fly" underwater.
The Deep Flight Super Falcon looks like a fighter jet, with its thin body, two seats, two sets of wings and two tail fins.
"We just had to tear up everything we knew about submersibles and start again on winged subs -- underwater flying machines," Hawkes said.
He said Deep Flight submersibles are designed to be more agile than any creature living in the ocean -- with the exception of dolphins. The company says that because of the wings, the Super Falcon can go barrel-rolling with dolphins while traveling at speeds much faster than other private submarines.
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The craft can stay underwater for up to five hours and travel at speeds up to 6 knots, the company says on its Web site.
The first client for the Super Falcon was venture capitalist Tom Perkins, who wanted a toy to keep on his mega-yacht, the Maltese Falcon. The base price: $1.3 million. Another model, which has open cockpits and cannot dive as deep as the Super Falcon, sells for $350,000.
Perkins, writing in Boating International magazine, said he joined the project to take the Super Falcon from prototype to a fully functional craft.
"Like some of my other projects, we didn't finish on time, but also like some of the others, the end result exceeded all our expectations," he said.
The second machine is being built for Hawkes' personal use.
A submarine driver wouldn't recognize the cockpit of the Super Falcon.
"There are no valves, there are no gauges," Hawkes said. "You just power up the thrusters, start your take-off run, put the joystick forward, then the nose goes down. The wings literally pull it down."
That's very different from conventional submarines, which basically dive by changing the ballast of the ship to make it sink.
"It's not just that they look like airplanes, they actually are," Hawkes said. "The machines we build underwater should look like airplanes, not submarines. Airplanes don't look like balloons."
He won't take credit for the idea, saying the idea of a submarine with fins and wings has been thought of before. The 1972 French comic book, "Tintin and the Lake of Sharks," included a shark-like submarine with dorsal fins and a tail. Hawkes said that although the idea of wings may have been obvious, "The prize goes to he that does."
On one of the submersible's first test voyages, Hawkes' team encountered a group of hammerhead sharks. The sharks were curious and swam around the watercraft. One engaged the sub in a game of chicken, only to veer off at the last minute. It was a great reward, Hawkes said.
The craft is powered by batteries and the turbines that drive the ship were made with special care to be incredibly quiet. The maneuverability also lets it navigate in strong currents that stifle other underwater craft, the creators said.
The business plan for Deep Flight includes schools for underwater pilots to fly future versions of the Super Falcon. The next school is scheduled for this summer in the Turks and Caicos, said Karen Hawkes, the company's manager of marketing and communications, in an e-mail.
The three-day course costs $17,000. There is also a half-day, ride-along dive that costs $5,500. Karen Hawkes said the company enrolls 10 to 15 people per course and had open spots for this summer's courses.
She also wrote that while "there really isn't something akin to the FAA governing submersible operations," her company thinks sub manufacturers should offer pilot training to the owners of machine.
Then the owner can load his or her new toy onto their yacht and discover the underwater portion of this planet that most people never see, Hawkes said.
"Do you want to stalk a shark?" he asked. "Do you want to go to a Great White and go woo-hoo? Do you want to do a barrel roll with a whale?
"Shall we go and find some territories that humans have never seen before? ... Get in one of these machines, get below 150 feet -- the deepest that divers go -- and you are the first human eyes to look at that piece of the planet."http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/06/eod.luxury.submarines/index.html

05 Mart 2009

Robotic suit helps paralyzed walk


LONDON, England (CNN) -- A new robotic suit could transform the lives of paralyzed people, giving them the ability to walk again.
The invention, known as ReWalk, acts like a kind of exoskeleton. It consists of lightweight, motorized leg supports and an assortment of intricate motion sensors.
Users wear a backpack that holds a computerized control box which helps the medical device recognize when a step needs to be taken.
"Standing changes my whole environment. I don't have to look from the bottom up. Now I am eye to eye with everybody," Radi Kaiof, who has used the device, told CNN.
Kaiof, a former Israeli soldier, was paralyzed from the waist down 20 years ago. He doesn't have feeling in his legs but is still able to move with the use of the robotic suit
With the assistance of crutches, which offer balance and support, people paralyzed from the waist down can walk, bend, sit and even climb stairs when they wear the suit.
The futuristic invention offers an alternative to using a wheelchair for those who have functioning upper bodies and are capable of standing with the use of supports.
It is the creation of Dr. Amit Goffer, an engineer and founder of Haifa, Israel-based high-tech firm Argo Medical Technologies. Goffer was inspired to create the device more than a decade ago after he became disabled in an accident.
The medical technology that could help paraplegics do what was once considered impossible isn't available for purchase yet. The device wasn't ready for testing until late 2007 and currently is in clinical trials in Tel Aviv.
More trials are planned for the United States and Europe, and if the product receives the necessary approvals, it could hit the market in 2010.
The price of the device hasn't been set yet, but is expected to be comparable with the typical average yearly expense of using a wheelchair.
The robotic suit improves the quality of life of people paralyzed from the waist down, according to Goffer, who wanted to give paraplegics an alternative to using a wheelchair. It also benefits their overall health since it keeps their bodies active all day long, he says.
But when it comes down to it, the invention is all about helping people regain respect. Dignity is "the No. 1 problem" for people who use wheelchairs, says Goffer.
For Kaiof, the former soldier, the robotic suit has changed his life. Before he tried it on, his daughter had never seen him stand before.
When he stood before her for the first time, she couldn't believe just how tall he was, he recounted to CNN.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/09/robotic.suit/index.html

It is Easy Being Green



5 low-cost things you can do to go greener at home
By Dena Kouremetis
When that certain lovable Muppet Kermit the Frog sang “It isn’t Easy Being Green” so long ago, chances are pretty good that he wasn’t referring to how easy it is to help the environment.
Helping the world go greener can begin with you. Anything from purchasing the right appliances to changing out a light bulb can make a huge difference to both the world around you and even your pocketbook in the long run.
1. Reaching for the “stars”What is already in place in your home that could be a drain on energy? Is it that old refrigerator in the garage? Did you know that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that one older appliance (such as your trusty old fridge) can cost you as much as $150 more per year than an energy-efficient model?
Here’s a sobering thought — if just 10 homeowners replaced their older appliances with EnergyStar®-qualified ones, it would be equivalent to planting 1.7 million new acres of trees. Plan a budget to slowly replace all your “energy hog” appliances with new energy saving models and you’ll thank yourself later on.
2. How hot is hot and how cold is cold? Turning down the thermostat in cold weather and inching it up during the warm months can save as much as 3-5 percent for each degree adjustment. In fact, as much as 60 percent of your energy bill may be heating and cooling related. Programmable thermostats can make the most prudent adjustments automatically during any 24-hour period but are grossly underused, according to Ron McClure. of the Pleasant Hill, Calif.-based California Home Energy & Comfort Solutions, a company that sends inspectors to perform energy “audits” for homeowners or buyers.
“About six out of ten households already have programmable thermostats but don’t use the automatic (programmable) function on them,” says McClure, “The first thing they do on a cold morning is head to the thermostat to warm up the place and by the time they are comfortable they head out the door without another thought..” he relates. Even if you remember to shut your heat off before you leave the house, however, McClure goes on to say that it costs more to reheat your home than to maintain the temperature with a properly programmed thermostat.
Other low-cost energy saving tasks to look into:
Get some new clothes for your hot water heater by placing an insulating jacket around it (usually costs under $20) and outfit your pipes for even less.
HVAC (heating, ventilation and cooling) changes can contribute even more – something as simple as cleaning your furnace’s air filter monthly during heavy usage times can make a big difference.
Shade your east and west facing windows to prevent the most brutal heat intrusion during summer months. And if your house doesn’t already possess dual-pane energy-efficient windows, why not start replacing those windows slowly, but start with those that receive the most intense sun exposure first?
Saving heat generating activities such as dishwashers and cooking until the evening hours can help you ease up on cooling costs as well as your local energy grid.
Using ceiling fans to move air on low speeds (even if TV reality remodeling shows think they’re not fashionable) can permit you to push the thermostat in either direction, providing more circulation of either cool or warm air.
3. Water, water everywhere but not a drop to waste You may love the forceful flow of water at your faucets, toilets and showerheads, but did you know that installing aerators on them could cut your annual water consumption by more than half?
And then there is the commode... Toilets installed 15 years ago use more than twice the amount of water than the newer low-flow models. Even if you have older toilets, however, you can adjust your float valves to permit a lower water flow into the tank.
4. Going into the light Replacing your incandescent light bulbs with the EnergyStar®-rated compact fluorescent variety all over the house can save you $100 per year, according to the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH), a voluntary partnership between leaders of the homebuilding, product manufacturing, insurance, and financial industries. They calculate that if every family in the U.S. did this, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by one trillion pounds.
True — buying new bulbs does take an initial investment, but even a recent ad by Starbucks in The New York Times that said if every person who received the newspaper switched one light bulb to a compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb, it would be the equivalent of taking 89,000 cars off the road.
5. Filling in the gapsHave you bothered to look around your attic space to see if all areas contain insulation? According to PATH, even a small area with limited or no insulation — or even insulation that has been damaged or compressed — can significantly decrease overall effectiveness. The U.S. Department of Energy says that adding insulation to the attic is relatively easy and very cost effective. To find out if you have enough attic insulation, measure the thickness of the insulation. If it is less than R-22 (7 inches of fiber glass or rock wool or 6 inches of cellulose), you could probably benefit by adding more. Most U.S. homes should have between R-22 and R-49 insulation in the attic.
An "energy audit" may cost you anywhere from $159 to $359, according to McClure, but PATH figures that you can recoup the cost of the inspection in about a year by implementing the recommendations the audits can provide. Try PATH for a list of inspectors in your area.
Copyright © by Move, Inc.
http://www.move.com/home-garden/home-maintenance/energy-efficiency/easy-being-green.aspx?gate=ibs_fran&source=a12556

FOREX EDUCATION | FOREX TRAINING

Do you have what it takes to become a successful Forex Trader?Forex trading, or any trading for that matter, is an occupation that requires experience and the accumulation of proficiency not unlike any other highly skilled profession. Whether you are a leading executive at a major publically traded company, a professional golfer or trading from your kitchen table, there are 5 key ingredients that one must possess in order to become successful.1. You must be Passionate about what you do.As Forex traders we all face one unique set of circumstances that does not exist in any other profession. We get rewarded for when we succeed and equally punished when we don’t! Could you image a corporate worker ne quarter receiving a significant accomplishment bonus and the next quarter actually getting money taken from their paycheck for missing performance targets? Not on your life!We do as Forex traders and that is why passion for what you do will carry you through the tough times that are part of your trading business. Asked yourself why you trade currencies and would you still do it if Forex were not potentially lucrative? Your answers will be quite revealing. You’ve got to feel your passion for trading!2. You have to Apply Yourself and work hard at it.I talk to so many people that enter into Forex trading with the aspiration of getting rich quick. Without putting the time and energy into really getting good at trading I see them jump from strategy to strategy looking for the goose that will lay the golden egg and eventually quitting while blaming everything else, except the true cause.I got news for you you are the goose and your Forex education is the golden egg. The magic has always resided with the magician and not some strategy. Work hard at trading and the rewards will ventually come your way. Remember what Tiger Woods said, “Funny, the harder I work the luckier I get.” Apply yourself as a trader and it will be no accident when your account begins to lossom.3. You must Focus to really get good at what you do.Now here is the hurdle most Forex traders struggle to get over. You have the passion and you are applying yourself to your trade, now focus and really get good at just at what you are doing. Be the expert to the experts at just that one thing. Become the master of a strategy or risk management ethodologies. Really focus on getting good at it. Stop jumping around or getting pulled from the last “latest and greatest” into the next “latest and greatest” and focus on one aspect of forex trading and know it inside out. Know it strengths and weakness. Set your sights on becoming expert on just one aspect of trading and watch it spill over in all other aspects foryour currency trading. This is the time to fail forward fast, use every setback as a learning opportunity that will propel you 3-steps ahead!4. You must Push Yourself beyond the point everyone else might have quite.In Forex Trading this is simple. Assume there is someone on the other side of your trade that is pushing themselves and sharpening their edge. To be successful you must you must do the same thing. Now is the time to examine your mental edge. Do you know the single most critical factor in any currency trade? It is you, the trader!Sharpening you mental edge is the most difficult aspect of trading, but also the most ewarding.Start with your Forex education and gain the self-awareness necessary to maximize your strengths and suppress your weaknesses. Any expert will tell you that trading is 80% mental. It’s time to sharpen your trading to the razor’s edge and you do this through Forex education. A constant and never ending process that will become the cornerstone of your Forex experience.5. You must, without wavering, be Determined and Persist to your objective.You will fail. I can state that emphatically. However, you will not be defeated unlessyou allow your failures to control your trading. It is the old adage; failure is not falling of your horse, failure is refusing to get back on. Your success depends on your ability to dismiss the criticism, rejection, self-doubt and pressures associated with Forex trading.Defining what is a winning trade, losing trade and bad trade will go a long way into developing you as a successful trader. Without the determination and persistence in all aspects of your trading life, obstacle will definitely appear closer and larger than they actually are.Take a moment and assess yourself and your trading. Do you have the key elements to succeed? Which areas are presents development opportunities? When conducting a self-evaluation it is critical to be totally upfront and honest with yourself. After all, you will only be dishonest with yourself. One of the most interesting observations you can make is that all key success factors are interwoven. One factor supports the other. This is why your Forex education is a continuous journey of forex strategy, money management and self-mastery. Set these factors as your Forex education goals and take your currency trading to new heights.

The RTOS Motto: On Time And On Budget



But is an RTOS always necessary? The answer is application-specific, so understanding what one will deliver is key to determining whether it becomes a requirement or an extravagance..
In general, an RTOS can be used anywhere a non-RTOS is employed. However, it’s rare to find an operating system with a matching RTOS that has exactly the same application programming interface (API). Many of them, though, embed an RTOS within a conventional operating system. For example, Lynux- Works LynxOS and Bluecat Linux share a Linux API. LynxOS is a hard RTOS, while Bluecat inherits its base from Linux.
Linux continues to improve its real-time performance, but its worst-case interrupt latency still doesn’t meet what would be considered hard real time for an RTOS. It all comes down to quality of service (QoS). Platforms like RTLinux Free augment Linux, providing hard real-time class QoS.
It’s important to note that this type of addition often incorporates an RTOS programming environment that’s distinct from the original operating system. An RTOS is typically small compared to a conventional desktop or server OS. They often target more smaller, resource-constrained microcontrollers. For instance, CMX’s CMX-RTX and CMX-Tiny+ can run on 8-bit MCUs up through 64-bit processors.
The increased power and memory capacity of 8-bit processors is making an RTOS more desirable for these platforms. But, an OS or RTOS is usually a requirement in 16-bit platforms and up with RTOS products like Express Logic’s ThreadX, Wind River’s VxWorks, Micrium’s uCOS-II, and Green Hills Software’s velOSity being common selections. Depending on requirements, MontaVista’s Linux meets 16- and 32-bit platform requirements in the low microsecond range.
THE RTOS CORE: SCHEDULING AND PARTITIONINGMost programmers aren’t familiar with RTOS constraints and requirements. Most usually opt for an RTOS due to its performance. Most RTOS products are small and fast, yet an RTOS also adds consistency. Beyond the fact that an RTOS gets the job done quickly, it can guarantee a job will get done.
In many applications, a late result can be catastrophic. Thus, a poor result within the proper timeframe is preferable. These applications are generally called hard real-time systems. Hard real time doesn’t indicate how fast the system may be or how quickly a system may respond. Rather, it refers to how reliably a system can meet the specified requirements.
A hard real-time system may have a fixed cycle time of one minute with a response time of one second. In theory, it’s something almost any operating system could handle. This isn’t always the case, though, as anyone can attest to when waiting for a desktop application to respond within a minute.
Hard real-time systems typically have shorter cycle times and tighter response requirements. Faster processors always help, and multicore platforms can improve response time, too. The trick for developers is to match system requirements to the hardware and software, hence the importance of an RTOS in embedded applications.
An RTOS can implement a range of scheduling policies, and the application will often restrict a programmer’s choices (see the table). Non-preemptive scheduling is trivial to implement but useful in some applications. On the other hand, non-preemptive scheduling within a task can be implemented on top of a preemptive system.
Non-preemptive should not be overlooked, especially in light of new multicore processors. Here, hardware may be tuned to handle an event-based operation in which a thread will wait for an external event to occur. This approach is usually unsuitable for a single-core processor handling multiple threads. On multicore systems with many cores, though, it’s often typical to dedicate one core to handle one peripheral. It then makes sense to have that core idle while waiting for an event to occur.
As a result, preemptive, interrupt-driven RTOS architectures make up the majority of platforms deployed. These platforms have a range of requirements, issues, and solutions (see the figure). Interrupt latency is always an issue, although hardware— multiple register sets, hardware scheduling and task switching, and hierarchical priority interrupt systems—can significantly reduce this overhead.
Several issues coincide with preemption. Most are timing-related, like race conditions, deadlock, starvation, and priority inversion, which occurs when a low-priority task A owns a synchronization resource of a higher-priority task B, and a task C with priority higher than A is running.
Without a feature like priority ceilings, task C can prevent task A and C from running. A priority-ceiling feature changes the priority of task A to that of task C, allowing it to run and eventually release the resource needed by C. At this point, task A’s priority returns to normal and task C can run.
The other timing-related issues, which the programmer must address, are often the sources of bugs that are difficult to locate and correct. Trace tools become valuable assets in locating these kinds of bugs, since symptoms such as blocked tasks are the only indication of the problem