Epson Corporate: Newsroom

Grok Headline matches for Epson Corporate: Newsroom

Do Wikis Have a Place in the Newsroom?

Do Wikis Have a Place in the Newsroom? 09/08/2004 09:48 PM
Mark Glaser, in the Online Journalism Review asks a very big question: Do Wikis Have a Place in the Newsroom? He covers the latest tests to Wikipedia authority, the Wemedia Project and gets comment on public wikis: "Most user-generated content...

OuterBay CFO to Present at National
Association of Corporate Directors
Conference on the New Corporate Governa

OuterBay CFO to Present at National
Association of Corporate Directors
Conference on the New Corporate Governa 06/17/2005 04:31 PM
Market Wire Jun 7 2005 3:19PM GMT

Reports rap USA Today newsroom culture

Reports rap USA Today newsroom culture 04/22/2004 09:07 AM

Mood of the Newsroom: Letters from Three
Journalists

Mood of the Newsroom: Letters from Three
Journalists 06/05/2005 11:17 PM
Daniel Conover, a newsroom veteran, and Scott Heiser, a collegiate journalist, ask Tim Porter if he knows what he's saying. Bill Grueskin of the Wall Street Journal responds to Ethan Zuckerman's "Bloggiest Newspaper."

"EO Newsroom: New Images - Massive Solar
Flare"

"EO Newsroom: New Images - Massive Solar
Flare" 10/29/2003 09:21 PM

EO Newsroom: New Images - Massive Solar
Flare

EO Newsroom: New Images - Massive Solar
Flare 10/29/2003 03:52 PM
caughtfor posterity on its way to Earth .. massive solar flare .. hi-rez photos

earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_ id=16345
track this site | 6 links

Bias Critics: Meet Newsroom Joe,
Apolitical Man

Bias Critics: Meet Newsroom Joe,
Apolitical Man 08/03/2004 11:10 AM
Journalists who call themselves "moderates" in surveys are trying to agree with conservatives by declaring: "My political attachments should be irrelevant." And yet this self-report is jeered at, as if it had no significance. I think it does have significance, especially because there's another theory out there: political leanings shoud be transparent. This column ran in Editor & Publisher last week.

Newsroom codes of ethics: Let's pretend
our reporters don't think at all!

Newsroom codes of ethics: Let's pretend
our reporters don't think at all! 08/31/2004 01:04 AM
What are we to make of the absurdity emerging from the Miami Herald, where an editor has apparently told his staff that they'd better not purchase tickets to political benefit concerts, because such activities will taint the sanctity of their news-gathering enterprise?

I've never understood the sort of journalistic code of ethics -- now prevalent in many American newsrooms, particularly those owned by big corporate chains -- that requires newspeople to pretend that they are not human beings with brains and beliefs and emotions and lives. The logic of these rules -- that, for instance, forbid reporters from participating in political rallies or contributing to campaigns or otherwise behaving like normal, politically engaged citizens -- seems to stem from fear. The editors and publishers who promulgate them are worried that, if critics of their institutions get hold of factual evidence that reporters actually hold their own opinions and beliefs, those critics will be able to argue that their news reports are biased. This is the sort of fear that drives executives insane, since -- despite decades of effort -- no American corporation has yet figured out how to find that ideal Employee With No Mind of His Own, and a newsroom is the last place you'd want to hire him, anyway.

This issue, of course, leads one deep into the swamp of the hoary debate over "journalistic objectivity." Me, I can't imagine how any thinking journalist or reader in 2004 can imagine that it's possible for a reporter to so thoroughly suppress his individuality and experiences that he can provide an account of events that's unshaped by who he is -- or that, were it possible, such an account would be desirable. But others disagree, and in fact I hear the "lack of objectivity" charge today less often from journalists than from consumers of journalism, who have -- sadly but understandably -- taken the profession's traditional avowal of objectivity at face value, and then become outraged at its failure to achieve that pristine state.

For clarity here, let's distinguish between the unattainable standard of objectivity -- a scientific absolute poised as subjectivity's opposite -- and the entirely attainable, and laudable, standards of fairness and accuracy and honesty and transparency that any journalist of good mind and heart will subscribe to. Fairness: If you're presenting one side of a story, you owe it to your readers, your subjects and yourself to weigh the other side's case. Accuracy: Observation should always trump preconception, and you just don't publish something that you know is untrue, even if it helps make an argument you cherish. Honesty: You do your best to present the truth as you have witnessed it and understand it, knowing that your witness and understanding are shaped by who you are, yet also knowing that honesty will sometimes require you to report things that make you uncomfortable or call your own beliefs into question. Transparency: You do your best to avoid financial conflicts of interest, and where you have an unavoidable interest in a story you're covering, you reveal it up front.

These principles seem so simple and obvious to me after a quarter century of writing and editing that when I read something like these words from the Miami Herald memo, my eyes roll: "As you know and understand, it is improper for independent journalists -- which we are -- to engage in partisan politics or to advocate for political causes. In this case, buying a ticket to any of these events is tantamount to making a political contribution, which is prohibited by the newsroom's Guidelines on Ethics."

Where to begin here? Note how the newspaper has revised the concept of conflict of interest -- which should apply to situations where an individual can improperly gain material benefit in the course of pursuing her professional responsibilities -- and turned it into a stricture demanding that all reporters neuter their civic selves.

Sure, any "Guideline on Ethics" ought to forbid journalists accepting contributions (i.e., bribes) from politicians -- that's a conflict of interest! But if you accept the logic that a reporter contributing to a political campaign constitutes a conflict of interest, you really can't avoid insisting that the reporter, um, not vote, either.

If you believe that a reporter who contributes to a political campaign can't write about politics, you've set an all-consuming trap for the entire journalistic enterprise. Your rule will keep widening its net: If buying a ticket to a political benefit is verboten, since the money from the benefit will end up in a campaign's coffers, then the reporter should carefully refrain as well from buying a movie ticket from any studio that has used its profits to make any sort of political contribution. For that matter, better stay away from buying any product from any corporation that has chosen to give dough to any candidate. If you pay taxes, you'd better think twice about writing about any arm of the government to which you've contributed. And so on.

It's hopeless; the Herald's staff might as well take vows of poverty, chastity and silence -- and leave their paper's columns blank. (Meanwhile, of course, these corporate codes of ethics never seem to apply any strictures to the folks who own the papers -- and who have far more substantial interests that tend to be far more conflicted.)

Alternately, American journalism's managerial class could accept that reporters are people with lives -- and that their best bet at salvaging their profession is to start from that point, rather than desperately run from it. The vitality of the blogosphere offers one hopeful sign: here's a model of journalism that rests on a foundation of openness, individuality and participation. But the Miami Herald's code of ethics probably bans blogging, too.

Deep Throat, J-School and Newsroom
Religion

Deep Throat, J-School and Newsroom
Religion 06/05/2005 11:17 PM
Watergate is the great redemptive story believers learn to tell about the press and what it can do for the American people. Whether the story can continue to claim enough believers--and connect the humble to the heroic in journalism--is a big question. Whether it should is another question.

Poynter Online - New Year's Resolutions
for Newsroom Leaders

Poynter Online - New Year's Resolutions
for Newsroom Leaders 12/31/2004 05:18 AM
New Year's Resolutions for Newsroom Leaders

poynter.org/column.asp?id=34&aid=76271
track this site | 3 links

The New York Times > Magazine > The War
Inside the Arab Newsroom

The New York Times > Magazine > The War
Inside the Arab Newsroom 01/03/2005 02:47 AM

nytimes.com/2005/01/02/magazine/02ARAB.html
track this site | 3 links

“If You Harbor Terrorists, You Are a
Terrorist”: Newsroom: The Independent
Institute

“If You Harbor Terrorists, You Are a
Terrorist”: Newsroom: The Independent
Institute 09/23/2004 03:09 AM
"If You Harbor Terrorists, You Are a Terrorist": Newsroom: The Independent Institute

independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1364
track this site | 4 links

The amount of office space that
corporations allocate to their libraries
has fallen by 8.36% over the past five
years, according to a new survey of
corporate libraries "Corporate Library
Benchmarks, 2004-05 Edition" ISBN:
1-57440-069-X.

The amount of office space that
corporations allocate to their libraries
has fallen by 8.36% over the past five
years, according to a new survey of
corporate libraries "Corporate Library
Benchmarks, 2004-05 Edition" ISBN:
1-57440-069-X. 09/03/2004 02:51 AM
Reports on results of a major survey of corporate and other business libraries. Gives extensive data on management policies and practices and details on spending trends for salaries, electronic and print materials, and library services. [PRWEB Sep 3, 2004]

Epson printer is more for less

Epson printer is more for less 07/13/2004 01:33 AM
Washington Times Jul 13 2004 5:35AM GMT

Epson Stylus C82

Epson Stylus C82 08/21/2004 03:06 PM
TechTree Aug 21 2004 5:45PM GMT

Epson Stylus C41SX

Epson Stylus C41SX 08/16/2004 07:37 PM
TechTree Aug 16 2004 11:16PM GMT

Epson introduces two new scanners

Epson introduces two new scanners 01/06/2004 12:52 AM
Epson has announced two new scanners: the US$449 Perfection 4870 Photo and the $599 Perfection 4870 Pro...

Epson HX-20 Portable Computer

Epson HX-20 Portable Computer 02/01/2005 09:08 PM

Almost twenty-five years ago, floppy drives were far from the only removable storage available (and don't even think about hard drives, which were too expensive for home computers for many years to come). While many popular home machines used cassette tapes to store data—including the Radio Shack TRS-80 series that I first cut my teeth on—even those were too bulky to include in some of the first portable computers. Epson's HX-20 used a micro-cassette drive instead, which allowed it to store not only data or audio, but hybrid data/audio combinations that could trigger sound clips recorded to the tape to add audio to a program, such as playing an alarm bell (at least I think it could; its successor the PX-8 can).

First Epson R-D1 samples online

First Epson R-D1 samples online 06/21/2004 05:56 AM
Dpreview.com - Mon Jun 21, 07:57 am GMT

Epson-News Release

Epson-News Release 11/19/2003 08:04 AM
Epson develops world's smallest flying microrobot .. tiny, Bluetooth-controlled, helicopter .. mini-flying robot .. :

epson.co.jp/e/newsroom/news_2003_11_18_2.htm
track this site | 8 links

Two New Value Projectors from Epson:
PowerLite 81p and 61p

Two New Value Projectors from Epson:
PowerLite 81p and 61p 06/03/2004 01:35 PM

Epson has added two new projectors to its low-end "Value Series," the PowerLite 81p (with a native XGA resolution of 1,024 x 768 and pictured right) for $1,800 and the 61p (with a native SVGA 800 x 600 resolution) for $1,500 that should be available around the 20th of this month. The standout feature? A 'blackboard mode' that enables the projectors to detect the color of the surface they are displaying on (let the old school green blackboards (did I just use 'old school' in proper context?)) and adjusts their color output to compensate. I'd like to see that in person. In addition both share a 2,000 lumen brightness rating and quiet fans.
Read [NWFusion]

Epson unveils two new projectors

Epson unveils two new projectors 08/23/2004 10:48 AM
The lightest Epson portable 3LCD projectors to date have been introduced: two pico-portable, XGA (1,024 x 768) projectors...

Epson releases new inkjet and all-in-one

Epson releases new inkjet and all-in-one 02/11/2004 01:36 PM
Epson has introduced the US$99 Stylus Photo R200, an inkjet, and the $349 Stylus Photo RX600, a photographic all-in-one device...

Epson EMP NS software offered for Mac OS
X

Epson EMP NS software offered for Mac OS
X 11/13/2003 11:15 AM
Epson has released a Mac version of its EMP NS Connection Software 1.0. This software allows a Mac running Mac OS X to connect wirelessly via AirPort to Epson PowerLite 735c and PowerLite 7850p multimedia projectors.

Epson introduces new all-in-one device

Epson introduces new all-in-one device 07/13/2004 02:02 PM
Epson has rolled out a new all-in-one: the Stylus CX4600, which features the company's water/fade/smudge-resistant DURABrite inks and has a suggested retail price of US$149 ($129 following a $20 rebate)...

Epson Perfection 3170

Epson Perfection 3170 04/09/2004 05:20 PM
CNET Apr 9 2004 9:38PM GMT

Epson Promotes DuraBrite

Epson Promotes DuraBrite 09/07/2004 01:10 AM
TechTree Sep 7 2004 5:57AM GMT

Epson Stylus Photo 900

Epson Stylus Photo 900 09/06/2004 01:57 AM
TechTree Sep 6 2004 5:40AM GMT

New: Signalize for Epson Stylus Pro 4000

New: Signalize for Epson Stylus Pro 4000 06/07/2004 10:24 AM
Signalize is an integrated software suite for printing, proofing, signmaking, calibration, PDF editing and pre-production.

Epson launches three new photo scanners

Epson launches three new photo scanners 06/28/2004 09:46 AM
Epson on Monday introduced three new Mac and PC-compatible photo scanners: The Perfection 4180 Photo, 2580 Photo and 2480 Photo. The scanners run from US$99 to $199 (after rebate) depending on features, and are aimed at general consumers, amateur photographers and hobbyists. All three scanners ship with software, including Epson Easy Photo Fix, and interface with the computer using USB 2.0.

Epson hits another ink cartridge maker

Epson hits another ink cartridge maker 06/17/2005 03:46 PM

For the second time this week a manufacturer of Epson-compatible ink cartridges is taking its products off the market as a result of legal action by Seiko Epson, the Japanese company said Friday.

Environmental Business Products has stopped importing and supplying Epson-compatible printer cartridges as a result of an out of court settlement between the two companies, Epson said in a statement. Epson had brought proceedings against the London company in the U.K. High Court for infringement of a number of patents and registered designs owned by Epson, the statement said.

The company and others like it offer ink cartridges or refills that can be used in Epson printers and are typically cheaper than those from Epson. For printer makers the sale of replacement ink is a major source of profit.

The action couldn't immediately be confirmed with the U.K. company, which has operations in the U.K., France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Spain. The Epson statement included a quote from Environmental Business Products' managing director, saying sales of Epson-compatible cartridges were stopped because the company isn't confident its products would be found not to infringe on Epson's patents.

In addition to the halt in sales, Environmental Business Products will also have to pay legal costs and "a substantial payment" for damages, Epson said. The amounts involved were not disclosed.

Earlier this week Epson reached a settlement with Hong Kong-based Multi-Union Trading Co. as part of a patent infringement lawsuit brought in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon in Portland. That will see 75 of Multi-Union's cartridge models barred from being imported and sold in the U.S., Epson said. The cartridges are sold under the PrintRite brand and other names.

Epson is also pursuing a number of other companies, said Alastair Bourne, a spokesman for the Suwa-based company. They include Armor, a third-party cartridge maker in Nantes, France, which is being sued in the same Portland court as Multi-Union. The spokesman wouldn't name any other companies.

The recent string of court actions and resolutions doesn't point to a crackdown but comes as a result of Epson deciding to publicize the legal actions it takes, Bourne said.

"It's important to send a message out that we are serious about defending our intellectual property and also protecting fair competition," he said. "We believe in respecting other people's intellectual property and we expect other people to respect ours and so we'd like to send that message."

 

SEE ALSO:

Ep son case keeps rival's printer cartriges out of US

ADVERTISEMENT
Oracle
Smile! Here's how to get the full picture of your customers.

Epson Focuses on Multibrand Retail

Epson Focuses on Multibrand Retail 09/08/2004 01:14 AM
TechTree Sep 8 2004 5:56AM GMT

Epson offers Stylus CX6600 all in one

Epson offers Stylus CX6600 all in one 09/07/2004 10:40 AM
Epson America Inc. on Tuesday introduced its Epson Stylus CX6600 all in one device, capable of printing, scanning and copying. It can print up to 22 pages per minute, copy up to 16 pages per minute and scans at up to 1200 x 2400 dots per inch at 40-bit color depth. The camera also features memory card slots compatible with CompactFlash I and II, Sony Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MemoryStick Duo, Sony MagicGate SD, Smart Media, Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, IBM Microdrive and xD-Picture Card media -- you can use the slots to print out digital camera photos directly, or transfer files to your Mac.

Epson intros 4 new PowerLite projectors

Epson intros 4 new PowerLite projectors 06/18/2004 11:28 AM
Epson has announced the addition of four new models -- the 835p, the 830p,61p and 81p -- to its line of PowerLite projectors. All four include twocomponent video ports, one S-Video port and one Video RGB port, with onededicated audio input for each. The 835p and 830p feature XGA resolution,brightness of 3,000 ANSI lumens, six built-in display modes, Ethernetnetworkability and, in the 835p model, 802.11g wireless connectivity. The835p also includes a PCMCIA card slot and a USB 1.1 Type A port, while the830p just has a USB 1.1 Type B port. Epson expects to ship the 835p and 830pmodels for US$3,899 and $3,699, respectively, in mid-July, and the companynotes that the 835p's keynote wireless feature is currently notMac-compatible, although a representative told MacCentral that an upgradewhich will fix the issue is targeted for release in the fall.

Epson PictureMate Printer Review

Epson PictureMate Printer Review 06/04/2004 10:35 AM

Remember the lunchbox-looking Epson PictureMate inkjet printer? Well, Bios Magazine took it for a test spray and found it to be more than just cute -- it's got a great picture quality, as well. Epson is pushing the PictureMate as a competitor to other companies' dye-sublimation printers, and its 6-color inkjet process not only stands up in image quality, but it ends up being a lot cheaper, as well. It also supports all your standard memory card formats, like SD/MMC, Memory Stick, CF, Smart Media, and xD, as well as direct printing from PictBridge/USB On-The-Go devices. It's even got Bluetooth if you want to throw down an extra $100 or so for the adapter.
Read [BIOSMagazine]

Aurelon Signalize! RIP for Epson 4000
5.6.2

Aurelon Signalize! RIP for Epson 4000
5.6.2 07/09/2004 06:21 PM
A versatile print production solution for Mac OS X.

Epson Signs UDC OLED Technology

Epson Signs UDC OLED Technology 12/28/2004 07:17 PM
Partners aim to accelerate the development of large-area OLED displays.

Epson aims to turn TVs into printers

Epson aims to turn TVs into printers 08/03/2004 10:53 AM
Ever get so jazzed by a commercial you want information on the product right then? Epson says it has the answer.

Epson Creates World's Smallest MAV

Epson Creates World's Smallest MAV 11/18/2003 11:32 AM
JCN Newswire says that Epson is claiming to have developed the world's smallest flying microrobot. Epson developed the uFR (Micro Flying Robot) to demonstrate the micromechanics technology using an ultrasonic motor and bluetooth module for remote control. The uFR flys via two contra-rotating propellers and ultrasonic motor that has the world's highest power to weight ratio. The flying robot can balance in mid-air using the world's first linear actuator stabilizer mechanism. Epson sold previous Micro Air Vehicle versions such as the EMRos and the Monsieur flying robots, so I'm wondering if this one will be out by Christmas to fly around my living room?
Grok Description matches for Epson Corporate: Newsroom
GrokA matches for Epson Corporate: Newsroom

AValon RF to Present Helicopter
Newsgathering links, digital video links
for Video Signage, COFDM True diversity
Receivers and Transmitters and Diversity
Analog receivers for stationary and
mobile Newsgathering applications at
IBC2004

AValon RF to Present Helicopter
Newsgathering links, digital video links
for Video Signage, COFDM True diversity
Receivers and Transmitters and Diversity
Analog receivers for stationary and
mobile Newsgathering applications at
IBC2004 09/09/2004 03:17 AM
AValon RF, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance wireless links will present its robust wireless video solutions at IBC2004, September 10-14 2004, Amsterdam, NL.Highlights will be a new static antenna tracking receivers for Helicopter news gathering , new 200 Kbit/1 megabit digital transceivers for data, audio video transmissions for Video Signage and digital (COFDM) and analog Video Receivers [PRWEB Sep 9, 2004]

A.I. Helicopter?

A.I. Helicopter? 12/18/2003 11:52 AM
CowboyRobot writes "Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization just launched the Mantis, a 'low-cost, intelligent small ...

Mi-24 helicopter in Afghanistan

Mi-24 helicopter in Afghanistan 07/07/2004 04:43 AM
Custom paint job on Afghan Hind attack chopper .. Mean Looking Mil 24 Hind .. Quote: .. images

usaattacked.com/mi-24_helicopter_in_afghanistan.htm
track this site | 5 links

The helicopter checkride

The helicopter checkride 12/17/2004 06:36 PM

Last Friday I took a checkride to add a Private helicopter rating to my Commercial pilot's certificate.  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will, in theory, examine applicants for this rating but in practice prefers that you pay a Designated Examiner.  The fun started at 9:00 am in Nashua, NH at CR Helicopters with Joe Brigham, a retired legend in the cranberry bogs of New England.  The oral portion of the exam lasted until nearly 11:00 am at which point the winds had picked up from calm to a typically unpleasant New England 10 knots gusting 15.  When the objective is to hold the helicopter steady within a foot or two of a reference point on the ground these kinds of winds make life tricky, especially in the Robinson R22, one of the world's lightest helicopters.

Running the startup checklist on the R22 takes about 4 minutes during which one tests the engine's dual independent ignition systems, the carb heat, the sprag clutch that enables the rotors to freewheel if the engine quits, and the low RPM warning horn that sounds if the blades begin to slow down.  The test complete, I called Nashua Tower to ask for clearance to a grassy area east of the paved 5500'-long runway.  Once we got across the runway Joe asked to see a sideways hover taxi then a backwards hover taxi.  These are done with the skids of the helicopter 3-5 feet off the ground.  I set the helicopter back on the grass and Joe asked me to pick it back up.  When we were 2' from the ground he twisted the throttle on his side of the ship to idle, simulating an engine failure.  The helicopter immediately started a yaw to the left.  I pushed the right antitorque pedal to bring the nose back to where it had been pointed.  As the R22 settled towards the ground I pulled the collective pitch control to use some of the rotational energy of the blades to cushion the impact.  Every time you pull more collective the helicopter wants to yaw to the right so I had to step on the left pedal.  We thumped down on the ground about 1 second after Joe had closed the throttle, reasonably smoothly and within about 5 degrees of where we'd started on the heading.  The standard for a Private rating is 10 percent and Joe declared that I had demonstrated a hovering autorotation.

The next maneuver was the Quickstop, simulating an attempt to take off and then an abort due to failure to clear trees or the appearance of an obstacle.  We had to get over to the side of a small hill about 1000' away.  I accelerated the helicopter to about 40 knots and 40' above the ground and then pulled sharply back on the cyclic to flare off the speed while simultaneously lowering collective to prevent the helicopter from ballooning up in altitude and using the antitorque pedals to prevent yaw.  At the end of the Quickstop Joe asked for a running landing to simulate bringing the helicopter down at a high altitude in which the machine lacks sufficient power to hover.  We slid into the grass.

We were near the hill at this point so it was time to demonstrate slope operations.  One approaches the slope at a 45-degree angle with the helicopter yawed so that the skids are parallel to the slope at all times.  You hover so that the upslope skid is about 2-3' above the ground and then gradually lower the ship until the upslope skid touches.  At that point you push the cyclic into the slope to lock the skid against the slope while simultaneously adjusting collective pitch to hold a level attitude.  After pausing in that position for a moment I lowered the collective to bring the downslope skid into contact with the ground while simultaneously adding addition cyclic towards the upslope to keep that skid locked.

Slope operations complete we started with a normal takeoff and normal approach.  Unless you are all by yourself in a Blackhawk you don't take off straight up in a helicopter.  You bring the ship up into a hover and then push the cyclic forward until the helicopter is flying fast enough that the blades are biting into fresh undisturbed air.  This is called "Effective Translational Lift" (ETL) and the helicopter rapidly picks up speed and then altitude beyond this point.  The normal approach and landing is a reasonably shallow angle coming down toward some traffic cones abeam the Nashua windsock.  Once back on the ground Joe asked for a maximum performance takeoff in which one does try to depart as nearly vertical as is possible.  This involves spending some time under the R22's "deadman's curve", a combination of having a low airspeed and a low altitude such that it would be impossible to make a smooth landing in the event of an engine failure.  Joe asked for a steep approach to the cones.  This is not straight down as you might think but rather just steep enough that you could clear the trees around a mid-size field before landing on someone's helipad.

Next up was an autorotation.  This involves closing the throttle about 700' above the ground and gliding down at about 65 knots and 1500'-per-minute descent rate.  Starting roughly 40' above the ground I began to pull back on the cyclic to slow our forward speed and reduce the descent rate.  When the forward speed was just about gone I leveled the ship with the cyclic so that the tail did not strike the ground and began to let the R22 sink towards the ground with just a bit of forward speed.  At the last minute I pulled the collective to cushion the final impact with energy from the rotating blades.

The final part of the checkride was escaping from a vortex ring state.  Joe took the controls and slowed the helicopter down so that we had lost almost all forward speed.  Then he lowered the collective to start a 500 foot-per-minute descent from our 700' altitude.  The helicopter began "settling with power" into its own disturbed air, falling suddenly much faster than the initial descent rate established by Joe.  The controls became mushy just as he said "You have the controls".  The way to escape from a vortex ring state is by pushing the cyclic forward to try to fly the helicopter forward out of the disturbed air while simultaneously lowering the collective so that the helicopter isn't beating the air so hard.  Once I had recovered some flying speed I pulled on the collective to resume a climb.

That was it.  What can one do with a Private helicopter rating?  Take friends for rides, basically, and that's about it.  I'll be starting work on my Commercial rating next week.

How not to land a helicopter

How not to land a helicopter 03/23/2005 01:19 PM
David Pescovitz: This video may be old news, but I'd never seen it before. A military helicopter tries to land on a ship and, well, fails. Link to 2.6mb WMV file (Thanks, Michael-Anne Rauback!)

Along those same JG Ballardian lines, the House of Rapp has a gallery of links to other aircraft crash videos. Lin k

Two die as US helicopter crashes

Two die as US helicopter crashes 01/23/2004 11:01 PM
Two US pilots are killed when their helicopter comes down in north Iraq, the US military says.

Helicopter Fuck

Helicopter Fuck 08/16/2004 02:15 PM
Please don't try this at home. You may have spotted Japanese web oddity Micky Yanai's -- um -- work on Rotten.com. Now, Fleshbot has more on "the most creative porn actor who invented 'Helicopter Fuck!'," as one fan-site enthusiastically proclaims. Male pattern baldness mullet. Bad '80s novelty sunglasses. Spandex. Sequined American flag codpiece. If that doesn't add up to buzzkill, I don't know what does. Lin k to Fleshbot item, which includes pointers to "Helicopter Fertish" (sic) galleries. NSFW, duh.

RC Helicopter Simulator 1.0.12

RC Helicopter Simulator 1.0.12 04/21/2004 06:35 PM
A fully configurable radio-controlled helicopters simulator.

Helicopter Anthropology

Helicopter Anthropology 02/10/2004 02:44 AM

Today was my 20th and last hour of helicopter instruction in Panama (tomorrow morning I'll get on an American Airlines flight to Toronto, staying at www.metropolitan.com).  After a couple of autorotations in which one learns how to land the helicopter after the engine quits we proceeded up the Rio Chagres.  This is a national park, established to protect the rainforest in the Canal's watershed.  In the past few decades Embera Indians have moved up from the remote malarial province of Darien, on the border with Columbia, to this region where the jungle environment is the same but access to health care and tourism jobs is much easier.

Our approach to the little village of grass huts involved flying up the center of the twisting river, about 10' above the water, at 50 mph.  Steep hillsides with big trees constitute the banks of the fast-flowing Chagres and constitute a bit of a distraction for a beginning student.  Thanks to the lack of development in Panama one is safe from powerlines, those perennial killer of helicopter pilots, but we rounded a couple of corners to find people motoring along in dugout canoes.

The little Embera village that we visited contained 84 people from 17 families, each of whom lived in an elevated grass hut.  A traditional anthropologist might spend God knows how long paddling around looking for this village and then 12 months living here in one of those huts.  The  helicopter anthropologist sleeps in an air-conditioned bed in a modern hotel overlooking the Canal, takes a 30-minute flight into the village, and waits for Johnson, the one resident who speaks English, to come down towards the riverbank as the rotors spin down.  Here's what we learned...

The Embera sustain themselves by catching fish in the river, killing wild pigs in the surrounding rainforest, growing some crops, and harvesting various wild plants.  They manufacture their own clothing, which is nada for the young kids, a loin cloth for the adults, and a beaded bikini top for women.  They make some cash by guiding cruise ship passengers on package tours and selling them handicrafts.

Technological comforts are limited to three hours of electricity per night and one channel of broadcast television that can be received through a gap in the ridge.  Cable and Wireless, the telecom monopoly that has been restricting Panama's economic growth (it cost $7 to make a one-minute phone call from my hotel to Canada), installed a pay phone around which the Embera built a thatch phone booth.  It has been broken for six months.

There are no shops.  You can't buy bottled water, Diet Coke, or any other packaged food.

At the center of the village is a single concrete building:  the schoolhouse.  The Panamanian government sends a teacher out for the wet season so that the children learn Spanish.  Imagine the dedication of this woman, a Latino from Panama City, to live in such a small isolated community in which many residents speak only the native Embera language.

[http://www.photo.net/philg/digiphotos/200401-panama-embera/ has some snapshots from the trip]

Second Helicopter Crashes in NYC in 4
Days (AP)

Second Helicopter Crashes in NYC in 4
Days (AP) 06/17/2005 04:37 PM
AP - A helicopter with at least five people aboard crashed Friday afternoon in the East River near the United Nations, police said. There were no immediate reports of any injuries.

Viagra and Helicopter Gunships

Viagra and Helicopter Gunships 05/02/2004 07:36 PM

The most powerful tools for conservationists in the Galapagos turn out to be Viagra and helicopter gunships.  Introduced goats consume all of the vegetation that formerly fed the giant tortoises.  Efforts at eradication were unsuccessful until the authorities brought dogs over from Switzerland to herd the goats into headlands whereupon they were shot from helicopters.  Island after island is being declared free of goats and the tortoises are coming back.

Sea cucumbers are highly sought after in traditional Chinese medicine because they supposedly help us older guys, uh, "perform".  With Viagra as close as one's inbox, however, perhaps the illegal harvesting of these animals will stop.

(Off the boat now, in Guayaquil and headed for Peru...)

U.S. helicopter crashes near Fallujah

U.S. helicopter crashes near Fallujah 04/13/2004 10:09 AM

Helicopter rescue from waterfall

Helicopter rescue from waterfall 08/29/2004 01:45 AM
A girl and her father are winched to safety after falling into a river below a waterfall in mid Wales.

Helicopter to Catch Satellite

Helicopter to Catch Satellite 08/20/2004 08:42 AM

NASA prepares to catch a falling star sample: This is awesome. It's rare that the world of geeks and the world of action movie stars collides so enjoyably.

To increase understanding of the sun's composition, NASA in 2001 launched the $264 million Genesis mission to collect samples from the solar wind — electrically charged particles blown out from the sun at up to 2 million mph. [...]

To prevent contamination and damage to the fragile silicon wafers that collected the star dust should the Genesis capsule hit the ground, NASA will try to snare the capsule in midair as it descends.

Click here to comment on this entry

Pixelito: Even Lighter Helicopter

Pixelito: Even Lighter Helicopter 08/19/2004 09:44 AM

So just a little while ago I mentioned that Epson had created the world's smallest flying robot. And while that may technically be the case, depending on how you define robot and if you define smallest by weight or by length or whatnot, this Pixelito helicopter hand-crafted by Alexander Van de Rostyne is pretty amazing. The frame is a single, twisted tube of 1mm carbon (fiber?), minus the tail boom which is 1.33mm in diameter, powered my a 6mm motor from the inside of a pager. It's remote controlled by infrared, and weighs in at a total 6.9 grams (stupid Most Bestest Whatevers titles beside,the Epson robot is 12.3 grams, although it has more features, too).

The Pixelito is the pinacle in a long line of tiny helicopters Alex has designed, but he is starting to question how much smaller they can go, due to the difficulty modellers will have constructing small machines. I'm confident that love will find a way, however.

And how can you hate on anyone who films their tiny, R/C helicopters with a hamster? I'm fairly sure that's scientifically impossible. (Thanks, Sebastian!)

Read - Home Page [Pixelito.ReferenceBE]

X2 Technology Demonstrator Helicopter

X2 Technology Demonstrator Helicopter 06/05/2005 11:46 PM

Super-copter:

Sikorsky Aircraft today announced plans to build and test a demonstrator for a new class of coaxial X2 Technology helicopters that maintain or improve on all the vertical flight capabilities of rotorcraft and whose high speed configuration will cruise at 250 knots.

Via PhysOrg. (The original article is posted here.)

US helicopter downed over Najaf

US helicopter downed over Najaf 08/05/2004 06:52 AM
A US helicopter is shot down in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf during fighting between US troops and militia.

Thirteen die as US helicopter downed

Thirteen die as US helicopter downed 11/02/2003 08:43 AM
US helicopter shot down in Iraq

news.bbc.co.uk/go/click/rss/0.91/public/-/1/hi/world/middle_eas t/3234543.stm
track this site | 5 links

Human Powered Helicopter

Human Powered Helicopter 08/06/2004 10:17 PM

"At Least 15 Killed When U.S. Helicopter
Shot Down "

"At Least 15 Killed When U.S. Helicopter
Shot Down " 11/03/2003 10:03 AM

"U.S. helicopter shot down in Iraq"

"U.S. helicopter shot down in Iraq" 11/03/2003 10:03 AM

BXFlyer Four Rotor Helicopter

BXFlyer Four Rotor Helicopter 12/09/2003 03:46 PM
Bruce J. Weimer, MD decided to build an autonomous flying robot a few years ago and the SRS recently published an article he wrote about the results. He chose an electric powered, four rotor design similar to the Dragon Flyer. Bruce's robot is controlled by a BX24 microcontroller programmed in BASIC. His robot also looks very similar to the original prototype of the Dragon Flyer, which makes an occasional appearance at DRPG meetings.

Helicopter crashes in Highlands

Helicopter crashes in Highlands 09/19/2004 05:46 PM
A helicopter with two people on board crashes into a hillside in the Scottish Highlands.

Three Killed in Calif. Helicopter Crash

Three Killed in Calif. Helicopter Crash 12/24/2003 04:08 AM
Reuters via Wired News Dec 24 2003 3:41AM ET

downing of a military helicopter outside
Fallujah

downing of a military helicopter outside
Fallujah 11/05/2003 03:01 AM
long, hard war, .. Unshak'n .. NYT says

nytimes.com/2003/11/03/international/middleeast/03IRAQ.html
track this site | 5 links

Farmer Builds Helicopter From Scratch
(AP)

Farmer Builds Helicopter From Scratch
(AP) 02/16/2004 10:42 AM
AP - With directions from the Internet and an old Russian truck motor, a Vietnamese farmer fulfilled his dream of making his own helicopter. The job took two friends, seven years and $30,000.

British military helicopter crashes

British military helicopter crashes 07/19/2004 09:33 AM

Some photos from the Richmond helicopter
experience

Some photos from the Richmond helicopter
experience 04/02/2005 01:49 PM

Here are some photos by David Rafner, who grew up in my old neighborhood in Bethesda, Maryland and now lives in Richmond.  He rode in the back seat with a camera while Kevin Peterson and I flew Sky 12.

We start off with Sky 12, a 15,000-hour Bell 206 Jet Ranger sitting on its dolly, my nemesis at the end of every flight.

Part of the preflight process involves climbing on to the top of the helicopter to check the nuts and bolts holding the rotor system and flight controls together.

Beautiful downtown Richmond (actually Richmond is all office buildings and highways; anyone with money has fled to the western suburbs though the Fan district near the art museum shows some signs of revitalization if you don't mind living right next to some truly bad neighborhoods)...

I watched more TV news in the last week than in all of 2004.  The camera monitor includes a little inset window showing the actual broadcast, complete with commercials.

Helicopter versus airplane noise

Helicopter versus airplane noise 12/17/2004 06:36 PM

Helicopters that are descending with a fair amount of power produce an annoying sound called "blade slap".  Beginners are cautioned to avoid this condition because it leads to people on the ground complaining to the FAA about "those damned helicopters."  (One can avoid blade slap by lower the collective to descend more positively rather than drifting slightly down.)  A big turbine-powered helicopter flew over Harvard Square the other day, slapping away.  I was with a friend, call her "K", who hasn't spent much time in the work force.  I asked her whether she found the sound annoying.

"Helicopter noise doesn't bother me," K responded.  "I assume that it is a traffic helicopter or some sort of medical emergency.  What I really hate is airplane noise."

Why?

"Whenever I hear a big commercial jet overhead I think about companies sending their employees out for ridiculous meetings with each other where they will show vacuous PowerPoint presentations and have meaningless conversations."

Helicopter Rescues Climber on Mt.
Rainier (AP)

Helicopter Rescues Climber on Mt.
Rainier (AP) 05/17/2004 09:01 PM
AP - A seriously injured climber who had been stranded on Mount Rainier was rescued Monday evening after an Oregon National Guard helicopter took advantage of a sudden break in the clouds to retrieve him.

Epson Corporate: Newsroom

The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: smallest flying helicopter on the marketwatch the video mini helicopter inkjet glossy paper goog