Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Sinkhole swallows part of Florida resort villa

CLERMONT, Fla. (AP) ? It sounded like a thunderstorm as windows broke and the ground shook, but vacationers who were awakened from their rooms at a villa near Orlando, Fla., soon realized that the building was starting to collapse ? parts of it swallowed by a 100-foot sinkhole that also endangered two neighboring resort buildings.

By early Monday, nearly a third of the structure at Summer Bay Resort had collapsed. All 105 guests staying in the villa were evacuated, as were those in the neighboring buildings. No injuries were reported. The villa, with 24 three-story units, was reported as a total loss.

Inspectors remained on the scene Monday afternoon to determine whether the other two buildings near the sinkhole ? a common occurrence in Florida ? would be safe to re-enter.

The first sign of trouble came about 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Security guard Richard Shanley had just started his shift, and he heard what sounded like shouting from a building.

A guest flagged him down to report that a window had blown out. Shanley reported it to management, and another window popped. The resort's staff decided to evacuate the villa.

Shanley said the building seemed to sink by 10 to 20 inches and bannisters began to fall off the building as he ran up and down three floors trying to wake up guests. One couple with a baby on the third floor couldn't get their door open and had to break a window to get out, he said.

"It's a scary situation," Shanley said, and guests credited him with saving lives by knocking on doors to awaken them. Inside, they heard what sounded like thunder and then the storm of water, as if it were a storm. Evacuation took about 10 to 15 minutes, according to staff and witnesses.

Amy Jedele heard screams coming from one of the adjacent buildings around 10:30 p.m., and several minutes later, the sounds of sirens. She and her fiance, Darren Gade, went outside. "That's when you could hear the pops and the metal, the concrete and the glass breaking," she said.

The first portions of the building to sink were the walkways and the elevator shaft, Gade said.

"You could see the ground falling away from the building where the building started leaning," Gade said. "People were in shock to see a structure of that size just sink into the ground slowly. ... You could see the stress fractures up the side of the structure getting wider."

Then, as a part of the leaning building crumbled quickly into the ground, dust shot up around the site, amateur video of the collapse shows (http://bit.ly/1cuOc1u ).

In one of the adjacent buildings, firefighters and police officers knocking on doors woke up Maggie Moreno of San Antonio. She couldn't fully open the door to her unit.

"It sounded like popcorn," said Moreno, who was visiting with her husband, daughter and two grandchildren. "The building was just snapping."

Luis Perez also was staying at a nearby building. He said he was in his room when the lights went off around 11:30 p.m. He said he was on his way to the front desk to report it when he saw firefighters and police outside.

"I started walking toward where they were at, and you could see the building leaning, and you could see a big crack at the base of the building," said Perez, 54, of New Jersey.

Over the next five hours, sections of the building sank into the ground. Paul Caldwell, the development's president, said the resort gave all affected guests other rooms. Some visitors ? many of whom had to leave their wallets, purses and other belongings behind in the quick evacuation ? were given cash advances by Summer Bay.

The Red Cross also distributed food, clothing and medicines to vacationers who had lost their belongings in their resort rooms.

There were no signs before Sunday that a sinkhole was developing, Caldwell said. He said the resort underwent geological testing when it was built about 15 years ago, showing the ground to be stable.

Caldwell said he was awaiting further inspections to determine any damage to the second and third buildings. The resort ? with condominiums, two-bedroom villas and vacation houses in addition to standard rooms ? has about 900 units spread over a large area about 10 miles west of Walt Disney World. It is set on a secluded 64-acre lake.

Problems with sinkholes are ongoing in Florida. They cause millions of dollars in damage in the state annually. On March 1, a sinkhole underneath a house in Seffner, about 60 miles southwest of the Summer Bay Resort, swallowed a man who was in his bed. His body was never recovered.

But such fatalities and injuries are rare, and most sinkholes are small. They are caused by Florida's geology ? the state sits on limestone, a porous rock that easily dissolves in water, with a layer of clay on top. The clay is thicker in some locations, making them even more prone to sinkholes.

Last week, Florida received a $1.08 million federal grant to study the state's vulnerability to sinkholes.

Other states sit atop limestone in a similar way, but Florida has additional factors like extreme weather, development, aquifer pumping and construction.

___

Alma Rodriguez in Clermont contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sinkhole-swallows-part-florida-resort-villa-194010118.html

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China?s Twitter-like Sina Weibo service now has over 50 million active users per day

China?s Twitter-like microblogging platform Sina Weibo has reached 54 million daily active users as of June this year, up 8.3 percent from the figure recorded in March, according to latest figures released in its Q2 2013 earnings today, as spotted in a TechWeb report.

In comparison, Twitter ? which is blocked in China ? hit 50 million daily active users back in 2011 and passed 200 million monthly active users in December 2012.

The figures from Sina Weibo are impressive considering that it is only present largely in mainland China and some Chinese-speaking parts of the world. At the end of 2012, Sina Weibo reached 503 million registered accounts.

However, Sina previously admitted that it believes?time spent on Weibo is down?because of competition from rival Tencent?s WeChat messaging service. It seems like user growth has slowed indeed.?The Chinese service had 46.2 million daily active users as of last December, up 82% year-on-year ? but it is a tough task to get the pace of growth up to that level again.

Source: http://thenextweb.com/asia/2013/08/13/chinas-twitter-like-sina-weibo-service-now-has-over-50-million-active-users-per-day/

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Two suspected al Qaeda militants killed in Yemen drone strike

ADEN (Reuters) - At least two suspected Islamist militants were killed in a drone missile strike in Yemen's southern Shabwa province, the latest in a surge since Washington warned of possible attacks by al Qaeda in the region.

At least 37 people have been killed in just over two weeks in a campaign targeting insurgents linked to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), described by U.S. officials as the most dangerous branch of the global jihadi network.

That campaign has been stepped up after intercepted communication between AQAP leader, Nasser al Wuhayshi and Ayman al-Zawahri, head of al Qaeda, along with other intelligence prompted Washington to close 19 U.S. embassies this month.

"The car was completely obliterated and the two men inside it were killed," a local official said, adding the strike happened late on Monday. He gave no further details.

Yemen is one of a handful of countries where Washington acknowledges using drones, although it does not comment publicly on the practice.

Security in Yemen is of regional and global importance.

AQAP has previously plotted unsuccessfully to attack international airliners and is seen in Washington as a potential threat to Yemen's neighbor Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, and Red Sea oil tankers.

On Monday, AQAP leader Wuhayshi said he would free jailed Islamist militants soon.

(Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf; Writing by Mahmoud Habboush; editing by Sami Aboudi and Elizabeth Piper)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/two-suspected-al-qaeda-militants-killed-yemen-drone-075844878.html

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Monday, August 12, 2013

Inventor Musk to share plans for high-speed travel

File- This June 15, 2012 file photo shows SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk pausing during his commencement speech for Caltech graduates in Pasadena, Calif. Twice as fast as an airplane, cheaper than a bullet train and completely self-powered: that's the mysterious transportation system that inventor and entrepreneur Musk is promising to reveal design plans for Monday Aug. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

File- This June 15, 2012 file photo shows SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk pausing during his commencement speech for Caltech graduates in Pasadena, Calif. Twice as fast as an airplane, cheaper than a bullet train and completely self-powered: that's the mysterious transportation system that inventor and entrepreneur Musk is promising to reveal design plans for Monday Aug. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

(AP) ? Twice as fast as an airplane, cheaper than a bullet train and completely self-powered: that's the mysterious transportation system that inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk is promising to reveal design plans for Monday.

Musk has been dropping hints about his "Hyperloop" system for more than a year during public events, mentioning that it could never crash, would be immune to weather and would move people from Los Angeles to San Francisco in half an hour.

Coming from almost anyone else, the hyperbole would be hard to take seriously. But billionaire Musk ? who sold his first computer program, a $500 space game called Blastar, at age 12 ? has earned his reputation as an inventor and entrepreneur, co-founding online payment firm PayPal, electric luxury carmaker Tesla Motors Inc. and rocket-building company SpaceX.

During a Tesla earnings call Thursday, Musk said he would reveal plans for the Hyperloop on Monday. But he said he is too focused on other projects to consider actually building it.

"I think I kind of shot myself by ever mentioning the Hyperloop," he said. "I don't have any plans to execute, because I must remain focused on SpaceX and Tesla."

He said he would fulfill his commitment to publishing a design, and he said he invites critical feedback after its release Monday to "see if the people can find ways to improve it." It will be an open-source design, meaning anyone can use it and modify it.

Also Thursday, Musk said during a Google Hangout with Sir Richard Branson about entrepreneurship, "It does involve a tube, but not a vacuum tube."

His hints and promises have prompted a flurry of online speculation.

Canadian John Gardi, a self-described "tinkerer," posted online and tweeted his conjecture a few weeks ago to Musk.

"I believe that Hyperloop is merely a modern day version of the pneumatic tubes used in banks, stores, and industry to move money and small items over long distances or to other floors of a building," he said.

Musk responded, "Your guess is the closest I've seen anyone guess so far."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-08-12-Hyperloop%20Travel/id-ff844e5bbca244e2afc0c9cdef159296

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Sunday, August 11, 2013

Voice over IP is ? | What is this ? - Top definitions

Voice over IP is a methodology and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. Other terms commonly associated with VoIP are IP telephony, Internet telephony, voice over broadband (VoBB), broadband telephony, IP communications, and broadband phone service.

The term Internet telephony specifically refers to the provisioning of communications services over the public Internet, rather than via the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The steps and principles involved in originating VoIP telephone calls are similar to traditional digital telephony, and involve signaling, channel setup, digitization of the analog voice signals, and encoding. Instead of being transmitted over a circuit-switched network, however, the digital information is packetized and transmission occurs as Internet Protocol (IP) packets over a packet-switched network. Such transmission entails careful considerations about resource management different from time-division multiplexing (TDM) networks.

Early providers of voice over IP services offered business models and technical solutions that mirrored the architecture of the legacy telephone network. Second generation providers, such as Skype, have built closed networks for private user bases, offering the benefit of free calls and convenience, while potentially charging for access to other communication networks, such as the PSTN. This has limited the freedom of users to mix-and-match third-party hardware and software. Third generation providers, such as Google Talk have adopted the concept of federated VoIP ? which is a departure from the architecture of the legacy networks. These solutions typically allow dynamic interconnection between users on any two domains on the Internet when a user wishes to place a call.

VoIP is available on
computers, and on Internet access
messages may be sent over 3G or
many smartphones, personal
devices. Calls and SMS text
Wi-Fi.
The H.323 protocol was
protocols that found widespread
traffic, as well as local area
since the development of
such as MGCP and SIP, H.323
limited to carrying existing
particular, the Session Initiation
VoIP market penetration.
one of the 1st VoIP
implementation for long-distance
network services. However,
newer, less complex protocols
deployments are increasingly
long-haul network traffic. In
Protocol has gained widespread
-
These protocols can be
software, such as Jitsi, or
Google Talk.
used by special-purpose
integrated into a web page, like
-
It is becoming
telecommunications providers to use VoIP
public IP networks to connect
interconnect with other telephony
often referred to as ?IP
increasingly common for
telephony over dedicated and
switching centres and to
network providers; this is
backhaul?.
Because of the
costs that VoIP technology
are migrating from
systems to VoIP systems to
costs. In 2008, 80% of all new
internationally were VoIP.
bandwidth efficiency and low
can provide, businesses
traditional copper-wire telephone
reduce their monthly phone
PBX lines installed
-
VoIP solutions aimed at
unified communications
communications?phone calls, faxes, voice
conferences and more?as discrete
delivered via any means and to any
Two kinds of competitors
space: one set is focused on
enterprises, while another is
business market.
businesses have evolved into
services that treat all
mail, e-mail, Web
units that can all be
handset, including cellphones.
are competing in this
VoIP for medium to large
targeting the small-to-medium
-
VoIP allows both voice
be run over a single
significantly reduce infrastructure
and data communications to
network, which can
costs.
The prices of
for PBX and key systems.
commodity hardware, such as
closed architectures, these
interfaces.
extensions on VoIP are lower than
VoIP switches may run on
personal computers. Rather than
devices rely on standard
-
VoIP devices have
interfaces, so users can often make
changes. Dual-mode phones
conversations as they move between an
internal Wi-Fi network, so that
to carry both a desktop
Maintenance becomes simpler as
oversee.
simple, intuitive user
simple system configuration
enable users to continue their
outside cellular service and an
it is no longer necessary
phone and a cellphone.
there are fewer devices to
-
In the United States the
Administration is converting its field
traditional phone installations to
carried over its existing data
Social Security
offices of 63,000 workers from
a VoIP infrastructure
network.
Communication on the IP
reliable in contrast to the
network, as it does not provide a
that data packets aren?t
sequential order. It is a
fundamental Quality of Service
implementations may face problems
network is perceived less
circuit-switched public telephone
network-based mechanism to ensure
lost, and are delivered in
best-effort network without
guarantees. Therefore, VoIP
mitigating latency and jitter.
By default, network
first-come, first-served basis.
traffic links may introduce
permissible thresholds for VoIP.
controlled, as they are caused by the
travel; however, latency can be
packets as being
DiffServ.
routers handle traffic on a
Network routers on high volume
latency that exceeds
Fixed delays cannot be
physical distance the packets
minimized by marking voice
delay-sensitive with methods such as
-
VoIP endpoints usually
of transmission of
data may be sent. Although it
less important packet in
done, especially on
transmission times are short even for
alternative to preemption on slower
digital subscriber line (DSL),
transmission time by reducing the
every packet must contain
increases relative header
traversed, not just the bottleneck
have to wait for completion
previous packets, before new
is possible to preempt a
mid-transmission, this isn?t commonly
high-speed links where
maximum-sized packets. An
links, such as dialup and
is to reduce the maximum
maximum transmission unit. But
protocol headers, so this
overhead on every link
(usually Internet access) link.
DSL modems provide
equipment, but inside they are
Mode (ATM) modems. They use
(AAL5) to segment each
53-byte ATM cells for
into Ethernet frames at the
identifier (VCI) is part of the
cell, so the transmitter can
circuits (VCs) in any arbitrary
are always sent
Ethernet connections to local
actually Asynchronous Transfer
ATM Adaptation Layer 5
Ethernet packet into a series of
transmission, reassembling them back
receiving end. A virtual circuit
5-byte header on every ATM
multiplex the active virtual
order. Cells from the same VC
sequentially.

However, a majority of DSL providers use only one VC for each customer, even those with bundled VoIP service. Every Ethernet frame must be completely transmitted before another can begin. If a 2nd VC were established, given high priority and reserved for VoIP, then a low priority data packet could be suspended in mid-transmission and a VoIP packet sent right away on the high priority VC. Then the link would pick up the low priority VC where it left off. Because ATM links are multiplexed on a cell-by-cell basis, a high priority packet would have to wait at most 53 byte times to begin transmission. There would be no need to reduce the interface MTU and accept the resulting increase in higher layer protocol overhead, and no need to abort a low priority packet and resend it later.

Voice, and all other
IP networks with fixed
may be more prone to
traditional circuit switched
system of insufficient
connections while carrying the
while the quality of
conversations on packet-switched
dramatically.
data, travels in packets over
maximum capacity. This system
congestion and DoS attacks than
systems; a circuit switched
capacity will refuse new
remainder without impairment,
real-time data such as telephone
networks degrades
-
When the load on a link
switches experience queue
data packets are lost. This
like TCP to reduce its
congestion. But VoIP usually uses
recovering from congestion
usually entails too much
avoid the undesirable loss of
transmitting them ahead of any queued
link, even when that bulk
grows so quickly that its
overflows, congestion results and
signals a transport protocol
transmission rate to alleviate the
UDP not TCP because
through retransmission
latency. So QoS mechanisms can
VoIP packets by immediately
bulk traffic on the same
traffic queue is overflowing.
The receiver must
out of order and recover
late or not at all. Jitter
random changes in queue
path due to competition from
transmission links. VoIP receivers
incoming packets briefly in a
deliberately increasing latency to
packet will be on hand when it is
play it. The added delay is
excessive latency and excessive
interruptions.
resequence IP packets that arrive
gracefully when packets arrive too
results from the rapid and
lengths along a given Internet
other users for the same
counter jitter by storing
?de-jitter? or ?playout? buffer,
improve the chance that each
time for the voice engine to
thus a compromise between
dropout, i.e. momentary audio
-
It has been suggested to
nature of media in VoIP
of packets from the source
phone simultaneously across
temporary failures have less
quality. In capillary routing it
the packet level Fountain
codes for transmitting extra
communication more reliable.
rely on the packetized
communications and transmit the stream
phone to the destination
different routes. In such a way,
impact on the communication
has been suggested to use at
codes or particularly raptor
redundant packets making the
-
Rural areas in
their ability to choose a VoIP
generally down to the poor access
rural country areas. With the
potential for corporate users
areas to switch their
which is comparatively as
broadband connection. This
quality & user experience
areas. This method was already
surpassing all expectations.
particular are greatly hindered in
system over PBX. This is
to superfast broadband in
release of 4G data, there is a
based outside of populated
internet connection to 4G data,
fast as a regular superfast
greatly enhances the overall
of a VoIP system in these
trialled in rural Germany,
-
The Media VoIP Gateway
stream, so as to complete
well as data media. It
connecting the standard PSTN
Protocol networks. The Ethernet
modern systems, which are
that are passed via the VoIP.
connects the digital media
creating the path for voice as
includes the interface for
networks with the ATM and Inter
interfaces are also included in the
specially designed to link calls
-

Related Sites for Voice over IP

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged (ip), over, packets, voice, Voice over IP, voip. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://topdefinitions.com/2013/08/10/voice-over-ip-is/

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Saturday, August 10, 2013

OUYA's Free The Games Fund now live, offers $1 million toward crowdfunded titles

OUYA Free The Games Fund now live, offers $1 million toward crowdfunded titles

OUYA has launched its promised fund-matching campaign to spur development of games for its recently launched Android console. Now known as the Free the Games Fund, the effort rewards successful Kickstarter campaigns with a matching $50,000 to $250,000; OUYA will back as many games as its $1 million pool allows. There are a few conditions, of course. Producers have to meet that $50,000 minimum, end their campaigns within the next year and agree to a six-month OUYA exclusive. The console maker will also stagger payments across the development cycle, although the company promises an additional $100,000 to the most successful project. If you're looking for help in building a game and are willing to take a chance on a young platform, full details of the fund await at the source link.

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Source: Free the Games Fund

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/09/ouya-free-the-games-fund/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Perry Capital to ask J.C. Penney board to replace Ullman: CNBC

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Perry Capital LLC will ask the board of J.C. Penney to replace its interim chief executive, Mike Ullman, CNBC reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The New York-based hedge fund will file a 13-D regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission later on Friday asking J.C. Penney to immediately seek to name Allen Questrom as chairman and Ken Hicks as chief executive, CNBC said, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Perry Capital will report a roughly 7.3 percent stake in J.C. Penney, CNBC also said.

Thomas Engibous is currently the chairman of J.C. Penney.

(Reporting by Sam Forgione; Editing by Diane Craft and Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/perry-capital-ask-j-c-penney-board-replace-172026227.html

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