EigenGraphs

The company behind the Flexi Dong, Smooth are amongst the the best recognised and liked brands engaged in the manufacture of vibrators. They are producers of a wide variety of alternative high end toys like the Sensual Shapeshifter along with the Rockin Ruffboi. Smooth are always very price competitive, so you can be confident of the fact you would be very unlucky to find any a lower cost deal from a rival.

Not only is it great fun but, the Flexi Dong moulded from non harmful glass, to be sure that it is really very safe to use. The Flexi Dong is also supplied with a hi-octane vibration super booster, making this a sex aid of top standards. The Flexi Dong is produced in many widths, lengths and colours. The flexible material of the Flexi Dong makes penetration possible at angles that are rarely possible during normal intercourse, allowing one to dabble in wonderful new sensations and previously un-found erogenous parts of your body. This dildo vibrator has stimulating gnarly bobbles along its length, to help boost your out of hours fun to another place entirely.

The Flexi Dong has remained one of the top selling dongs over the past three years. It’s success is down to the unit’s mind blowing performance. This sex aid would also make a fantastic first time sex toy for anyone who does not already possess a sex aid. This dong would make the perfect new addition to any dildo enthusiasts collection. The Flexi Dong is perfect for the stimulation of any female erogenous zones. The perfect sex toy for quiet nights alone alone. It is also a particular favorite with guys of both orientations.

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Do we really need more capacity?

Cynics amongst us may say that it’s just another way for the computer and consumer electronics industry to sell us all something new. While there is an element of truth in this, as not everyone needs the additional capacity but computers, software and applications do continue to be increasingly data hungry.

Many users will welcome the additional amount of storage that both formats offer, as they are getting to full capacity with DVD and are starting to need multi-disc sets. The new formats will be the equivalent to five and ten times the size of a DVD. In addition to this, faster broadband speeds are allowing users to download increasingly larger amounts of data.

High definition television will begin broadcasting throughout Europe in 2006 and will allow consumers the best possible television experience in both watching and recording. In the United States over seven million digital televisions have already been sold and Europe is not far behind. In Europe, it is expected that broadcasting the World Cup in 2006 in high definition and will be a major factor for many to make their first purchase of a high definition digital television.

The fast transfer rate of blue laser disc - coupled with the larger capacity on a disc - also makes it ideal for archive applications, medical records and high resolution assets that need instant access or retrieval.

First of all, let’s take a quick look at the differences between the two formats that both utilise blue laser disc recording:

Blu-ray

Blu-ray is backed by over 100 companies who are members of the Blu-ray Disc Association (http://www.blu-raydisc.com). The key members include; Sony, Pioneer, HP, Dell, Philips, Mitsubishi Chemical, Walt Disney, TDK, Hitachi, 20th Century Fox and Apple.

Initial storage capacity of a Blu-ray disc will be 25GB (or 135 minutes of high definition film and two hours of bonus features in standard definition quality) for a single layer and 50GB with dual layer (or three hours of film and nine hours of bonus materials). Prototypes have already been developed by TDK that will take this to 100GB on a single side. The Blu-ray group estimate the technology will be viable as a format standard for 10-15 years.

Similar to CD and DVD, Blu-ray discs will be available as once only recordable (BD-R), re-writable (BD-E) and in a pre-recorded disc format (BD-ROM). There will also be two other types of Blu-ray disc that are contained in cartridges for specific use in the broadcast and data archiving industries. These are called PD and PDD respectively.

Blu-ray disc products will be launched to cover three major application areas:
1. Desktop computer use and home video applications.
2. Professional broadcasting.
3. Professional data backup applications.

Blu-ray discs are manufactured using a single disc substrate, with the recording layer very close to the disc surface. This should result in less potential distortion, higher precision and shorter production times and costs.

In terms of backward compatibility, it is likely that Blu-ray disc products will play both DVD and CD formats. It is also expected that Blu-ray PC and Mac recorders will also be able to record onto CD and DVD discs. Sony have recently announced that their next generation Playstation 3 console will have Blu-ray capability.

High Density DVD

There are fewer companies in the HD-DVD Promotion Group (http://www.hddvdprg.com), but still some significant ones none the less. Companies include; NEC, Toshiba, Sanyo, Thomson and Universal Pictures. The format is also supported by the DVD Forum.

Initial storage capacity is around 15/20GB, 30/32GB and 45 GB as a maximum with dual layer. In its present shape, the capacity is unable to go beyond that due to the position of the recording layer, which is further away from the disc surface.

Disc manufacturers will be able to transition over to HD-DVD more easily as it is a similar disc structure to DVD. However, the limited capacity could see it end up as an interim solution and manufacturers will inevitably need to invest in Blu-ray production lines.

Like DVD, HD-DVD disc is manufactured by bonding two surfaces (substrates) together. It is likely that HD-DVD devices will also be able to play DVD and CD content. Discs will be available in a recordable (HD-DVD-R), re-writable (HD-DVD-RW) and pre-recorded version (HD-DVD-ROM).

89 film titles will be introduced in late 2005.

Why can blue laser expand capacity?

With the same disc surface size as both CD and DVD a blue laser disc can record and store more information by using a laser beam with a much smaller focus than CD or DVD. This laser can record smaller and higher density pits, enabling more data storage.

A closer look at Blu-ray

Within the Blu-ray family there are three types of discs available, which are optimised for specific applications. The main demand and usage will be for the standard Blu-ray product, but there are also two other types of Blu-ray discs available that have been specifically developed for the broadcast and data storage market:

Professional Disc (PD)

PD has been developed specifically for the news gathering and broadcast markets.
Products are already being introduced by Sony. These include; a recording and editing system - ENG (Electronic News Gathering) - as well as the XDCAM series of professional camcorders.

PD has a faster data transfer rate, 72 Mpbs as opposed to 36Mbps, than the standard Blu-ray product and is seen as a replacement for traditional tape loaded broadcast cameras.
The disc is re-writable and contained in a cartridge for added protection in field use. PD disc media is being manufactured by both Sony and TDK.

Professional Disc for Data (PDD)

PDD has been developed as a replacement for traditional magneto optical (MO) applications, such as data juke boxes for online or archive access and storage. PDD is physically almost identical to Professional disc (PD) and is available as re-writable and recordable. The disc is contained in a cartridge for protection and ease of use by the robotics in any juke box or library system. Typical users will be medical, banking, government and telecom businesses who need fast network access to large amounts of data or information.

Standard Blu-ray

Standard Blu-ray will be the main Blu-ray product for mass use in consumer recorders and players, PC drives and games consoles, such as PlayStation 3. The disc media can be supplied ‘naked’ and is not contained in a cartridge due to the application at manufacture of a hard coat protective layer. The first manufacturer to introduce this is TDK with their ‘Durabis’ coating technology.

Dell and HP have committed to begin shipment of their high end PC’s with Blu-ray by the end of 2005. Blu-ray will have built-in encryption and copy protection within the hardware and at the media manufacturing level to minimise piracy and illegal copying.

Why the need for a protective layer?

One immediate reason for the protective layer is that by packing more and more data onto the same size disc surface the recorded data can be more susceptible to playback problems caused by damage from handling, scratches and static. Also, in order to obtain the highest capacity from the Blu-ray disc format and to ensure higher precision, the recording layer in a Blu-ray disc is manufactured closer to the disc surface than both DVD and HD-DVD. This means that the Blu-ray disc has a far higher capacity than other blue laser discs such as HD-DVD, but this does mean that the disc needs to be encased in a caddy like PD and PDD or protected by an additional coating layer. By being able to manufacture a disc that can be used in its ‘naked’ form without a caddy it will ensure a more widespread use and uptake of the Blu-ray format. This is because the disc will be used in a number of different drives and consumer electronic products. Disposing of the caddy will also dramatically reduce the manufacturing and end user unit costs.

Disc Structure Comparison

With the need to have a protective coating on a ‘naked’ Blu-ray disc, TDK were the first media manufacturer to introduce a ’scratchproof’ coating. This has been available for some time as an option on their DVD product range, but recently they have taken this technology even further with the latest version of coating technology called ‘Urbis’. The advantages of the ‘Urbis’ coating mean that discs can be used without a caddy and are far less likely to be damaged by scratches, UV light, fingerprints and dust attracted by static.

And finally….When will it all become available?

Toshiba Corp. has announced a March 2006 commercial launch date for the first HD-DVD player in the United States.

Blu-ray disc recorders were first launched in Japan in 2003. Blu-ray is available in Japan in caddy format and it is expected to be available in the US by summer 2006.

Professional Disc (PD) for broadcasting has limited availability already. It is mainly being tested and trialled in high definition TV projects by the major broadcast companies and authorities.

Professional Disc for Data (PDD), which is used for archiving and back up also has limited availability.

Both the Blu-ray group and HD-DVD group are talking together about a single format to avoid a format clash. However, as each party’s proposal appears to be that the other one drops their format, it seems unlikely it will lead to ‘peace in our time’.

CD Team, the authors of this article, are a CD and DVD duplication company based in Oxfordshire. CD Team have been specialists in the supply of CD and DVD duplication services and solutions since 1995. In that time they have gained invaluable experience about CD and DVD discs and duplication equipment and how to assess which solution is the best for each of their customers. Please visit their website for more information: http://www.cdteam.co.uk

This article is also available as a PDF at CD Team’ website: http://www.cdteam.co.uk/blu-ray.htm

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Creativity and Innovation are often used interchangeably, yet they are (and should be) separate and distinct.

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whereas innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

From the above, it is clear that at least six competencies are required (including one holistic).

Problem identification alone requires considerable expertise. Ask five people what the problem is and it is not unusual to receive six answers. Customers, sales, marketing, designers, technicians, finance and managers all have their own ideas regarding what the problem is. Thus any problem identification session should include as diverse a variety of people as possible.

Further, people’s ideas about “what the problem is” are not static. Their views change according to the information they have. The process of information gathering is the first step in the problem identification process and the good decision-making process. Before the group “brainstorming” session, it is wise to ask each contributor to research in depth their perspective of the problem. Thus when they arrive in the group session, their ideas and contributions are more mature.

With a problem to be resolved in mind, the idea generating session begins. This involves generating a large a number of ideas as possible, a large number of diverse ideas and a large number of novel ideas. Competencies in idea generation techniques are a must. For example, creative versus critical thinking is used - where ideas are generated without evaluation and then critically evaluated at a later stage, preferably in a polar opposite environment. Creative thinking is best done in an environment with many stimuli, whereas critical evaluations tend to be more effective in conservative, corporate environments where factors such as the bottom line have more gravity.

Idea selection involves just as many people as the previous sections. All must input their arguments if the best decision is to be made. Many more ideas are chosen than will actually make it through to the final commercialisation stage. The Economist (2003) stated that 3000 bright ideas are needed for 100 worthwhile projects, which in turn will be winnowed down to four development programmes for new products. And four such development programmes are the minimum needed to stand any chance of getting one winner.

Development is the prototyping, experimentation and funnel stage. The best of the best ideas are put through a stage-gate process where their viability is tested. There is a fine line. Keeping an idea in the funnel longer allows it to attain its potential but takes away resources that may allow other ideas to flourish.

Finally, commercialisation is the ultimate testing ground for decisions made thus far. However, commercial failure is not necessarily disastrous. Strategic, technical and other competencies may be learned and may aid in the success of future endeavours. Creativity and innovation infrastructures may blossom that help improvements in the product, process, positioning and paradigm levels. Ridley Scott scored an early failure with Blade Runner but went on to great successes later.

You can read more about this topic, purchase the MBA dissertation, DIY audit, Power Point presentation, Good Idea Generator software and more from http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://www.managing-creativity.com

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Salehoo: Wholesale Candle Making Instructions
In our modern society today, computers and machines have integrated into our lives as one. Practically everything requires some level of technology to function or operate. If I am being asked, “Can we human beings live in a world without computers?”, my answer will be “Yes, but it will be a miserable one.” What does that mean for you? Absolutely nothing I mean how do you tell by verifying someone and making them accept payments through secure methods that they are not dodgy? And if and when you do get ripped off by these suppliers there will be no help or support from the list owners because they can’t do anything if a supplier runs off with your money and you can be rest assured that they certainly will not reimburse you a penny you paid to the supplier so what’s the point of paying for a list? I bet you know many people that view Ebay as a good place to make some residual income and where do you think they will try and locate stock from? That’s right the same premium list you are using to buy yours from and the next thing you know is that half of your category on Ebay is filled with sellers offering the same stuff you are trying to shift, so learn all about Salehoo wholesalers.

Salehoo is not a one-stop-shopping solution instead it provides a locus for buyerssuppliers wholesalers drop shippers and liquidators by facilitating seamless interconnectivity between them which is the real benefit of Salehoo dropshippers. So how do you find these wholesale buyers? And once you do find them how do you attract them to your wholesale business? In order to attract wholesale buyers you need to put yourself in their shoes and also the Salehoo Suppliers. In addition to this the website provides other Online help features including a free library email support live chat support a phone message service and a member’s only forum to keep the user informed and abreast with latest information

Salehoo Wholesale Reef Design T Shirt:
I got my first introduction into the wholesale product pricing in one of my first wholesale consulting gigs. I was going over the prices of their best selling products to see the profit margins when I was impressed with just how low the price of merchandise was. Or so it seemed to me at the time. Ebay powersellers trust Salehoo dropshippers and Salehoo prices.

He’s selling it on eBay and this one product alone is making him $400 a week profit after the eBay selling fees, so try to join the Salehoo forums. The only difficulty the risk involved using non-secure payment methods such as Western union and Wire Transfer, which will be the Salehoo customers. See Salehoo.

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The number one selling service provided by DIRECTV Programming is for everyone, entertainment. Entertainment is the DIRECTV Programming Prime Directive and an essential component in our culture. Sports is second to entertainment, and even though sports are considered a part of entertainment, they are actually a subcategory all their own due to their gargantuan market size. People just seem to love sports. Art and up-to-date news broadcasting is the runner up in the area of information and education. These three areas blend with a passion in digital satellite DIRECTV Programming that makes competing cable companies remorse.

DIRECTV Programming is Entertainment

DIRECTV Programming is entertainment without the shadow of a doubt. The kind of entertainment that DIRECTV Programming offers is superior in high-quality digital multi-channel sound, imaging and movement. What we are talking about here are stories. People love stories. Movie Channels, Primetime reruns, Family & Children Channels that take us to other places and times are essential to DIRECTV Programming. Very different from the competition, DIRECTV Programming offers seven HBO channels, 4 Starz, 8 Encore, 5 Showtime, 2 TMC, 1 FLIX and 3 Cinemax along with pay per view that is interactive through the remote control.

DIRECTV Programming is Sports

The second major service offered by DIRECTV Programming is sports. All channels want to be sports channels, because so many people are into competition. There is a lot of money to be made in sports by anyone willing enough to take on the competition. Sports Networks and Sports Subscriptions offer the latest up to date live action sporting events from coast to coast and all over the world. No other digital satellite high-quality multi-channel Sports service is like DIRECTV Programming today, none. DIRECTV Programming in live coverage sporting events from all the different walks of human interest are possible at exactly the moment you need and want them for a small monthly fee, with free installation and equipment that can be viewed in up to three different channels in three different rooms in the house at any given time. Looking for the exact Sports Editorials for that day? Sports Schedules? What about Pay Per View Sporting Events? DIRECTV Programming offers everything in Sports you could possibly find.

DIRECTV Programming is Art

For painting, dance, martial arts, culture and up-to-date reporter coverage of what is going on in the world today; DIRECTV Programming is art. Live radio station coverage, audio only music, audio-visual music television, CNN, Discovery Channel, Biography Channel and more, DIRECTV Programming offers every facet of broadcasted art through special digital compacting informational transmissions of the future known as MPEG-2 (Moving Pictures Experts Group), the quality digital broadcasting media of the future. DIRECTV Programming literally is the future.

Movie Channels, Sports Subscriptions, Sports Networks, Family & Children Channels, Arts & Entertainment Channels, News & Information Channels, XM Satellite Radio on DIRECTV? Service, Music Video Channels; DIRECTV Programming is for everyone and offers a monthly service with free equipment and installation nationwide. Entertainment for the whole family, all possible Sports coverage in the continent and even from outside and Art as a media for changing the world, DIRECTV Programming has everything.

Gary Davis is owner of http://www.dtv-satellite.com an authorized DIRECTV retailer, has over five years experience in the Satellite TV business and has written numerous articles on the subject.

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If one is to step back from the daily grind a bit one sees things that are not the way they should be. It doesn’t take long to see negative things out there that we wish were not so. Do you want to fix the world? Do you want to have those potholes in the road fixed? Do you think we should be using better materials for the roads? Do you think the country is becoming divided and that bothers you? Would you like to fix it?

Have you seen the pictures and heard of the problems of children around the world be sold as sex slaves, not having enough food to eat and dying of things like Malaria and AIDS? Have you ever said to yourself; “I want to fix the world” and simply not known where to start or what to do? Knowing that you would gladly volunteer what little time you have to the cause, but also know that you have your own local obligations as well to deal with, perhaps a job, family and so on? Not to mention taking care of yourself, as if you fail there, well you know you cannot do any good for anyone else anyway.

If you feel this way then you are not alone, in fact I myself feel the same way, as I too have said to myself; “I want to fix the world” and thought, how best could I do that? Well here is the plan. We all get together online and use all of our wisdom and knowledge, connections and resources to figure out a comprehensive non-linear thinking strategy to solve all the issues the plague mankind in the present period to set things right. What do you think? Think on this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

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