Archive for June, 2009

LEDs in the O.R.

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

According to a recent article in LEDs magazine, LED headlamps are currently being developed for surgeons to use. Given that, I think it’s safe to say that LEDs have well-established themselves as the revolutionary technology of the future. It’s like my granddad always used to say: “If it’s good enough for surgeons, it’s good enough for you.” Okay, so that’s not exactly what granddad used to say, but you get the idea.

Generally, surgeons use Xenon-based systems which require a separate mount with a fiber-optic cable running to the surgeon’s headset. Not only does this restrict movement, but it creates potential electrical and overheating hazards.

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Where for art thou, LEDs?

Monday, June 29th, 2009

LEDs Magazine recently highlighted an interesting student project involving Shakespeare and LED lighting. Liverpool Hope University student Emma Armstrong took on the enormous task of attempting to recreate lighting conditions on a performing stage during Shakespeare’s era using modern lighting technology, that is, light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Armstrong explains that “lighting” in Shakespeare’s day mainly consisted of tallow (pig fat) candles used in lanterns and chandeliers. Her objective, then, was to reproduce the range of color, light, and flame using only LEDs. A difficult and time-consuming task, to say the least.

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Solar-Powered Camping Tent

Sunday, June 28th, 2009

Apparently, Orange is the new “Green” — sort of. Orange, a subsidiary of the French Telecom Group, and American partner Kaleidoscope, are currently developing The Orange Solar Concept Tent, a solar-powered tent (left) that would allow campers to utilize electronic equipment in the Great Outdoors. Slightly counter-intuitive and somewhat defeating the purpose of camping, the concept is undeniably intriguing and “cool,” if you will.

The tent is based off two previous models, the Orange Solar Tent trialed at Glastonbury in 2003 and 2004’s Orange Text Me Home Dome.

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Florida catch — huge!

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

Read all the exciting details of this big fish story below.

When: Friday, June 19, around 1:30 p.m.

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ODFW: Additional Days for All-Depth Halibut

Friday, June 26th, 2009

The all-depth sport halibut fishery off the central Oregon coast will be open July 2 through 4, said an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) news release. Additionally, the fishery may continue on one or more of the following days (if quota is not met): July 16-18 and 30-31.

“The weather did not cooperate during a portion of the previous opening which kept anglers in port or fishing for other species, leaving sufficient quota to keep the fishery open,” said Lynn Mattes, sport halibut assistant project leader for ODFW.

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Camping 101

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Camping is for everyone. And it’s easy. All you need is the right location, the right equipment, and the right attitude.

Location

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Getting Creative with Kids’ Camp Food

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

One of the unfortunate deterrents for parents when they think about taking their kids camping is food. I think some folks are legitimately concerned if their children could survive a week without a visit to Mickey D’s. I mean, of course they would survive, but how much of a headache would mom and dad have afterwards? Thankfully, I think there’s a great solution and compromise in the creativity camp food has the potential to offer.

In fact, there’s a great article on camp food for kids I came across recently. The author lists 30 kid-friendly meals with links to their recipes. Some of the meals are very typical and traditional like blueberry pancakes or macaroni and cheese while others are more unusual and creative such as porcupine stew (don’t worry, no real porcupines are involved) or something the author calls “gunk.”

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Idaho: Chinook season changes

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

This past weekend, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced some changes to its previous Chinook season schedules. Read below for a brief overview of the changes. For more detailed information, visit the Fish and Game web site.

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