by DAN CALLOWAY
Published 10 December 2009 @ 20:16 UCT
GRAND CAYMAN ISLAND – My brother, Donald, and his wife, LaChita, have just returned from a fun-filled week or more in the Grand Cayman Island, which is located south of Cuba in the Carribean.
During their vacation, Donald and LaChita took over 140 photographs. Don has compiled these into a montage video that he placed on YouTube to share with family and friends.
I thought the montage that Don created of his vacation was so well done that I wanted to share it with my readers. Please access the video of their vacation photos below. Enjoy!
by DAN CALLOWAY
Published 9 December 2009 @ 22:50 UCT
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM & AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS – I have just returned from the LIFT@Brussels and Tinker.IT conference that was held on 4 December 2009 at IMAL, Center for Digital Arts and Culture, 30 Quai des Charbonnages/Koolmijnenkaai 30 1080 Bruxelles/Brussel 1080, and which was hosted by Rob van Kranenburg, founder of the IOTC (Internet of Things Council), author of “The Internet of Things,” and developer of the DIFR network in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. For more information on the purpose and mission of the IOTC, please visit the official IOTC Website.
Source: Wikipedia
There were over 100 in attendance, including members of Nokia, Inc., Phillips, Inc., the IOTC staff (which included myself) and the European Union. All in attendance were greeted by its founder and made to feel very welcomed.
The conference began at 0930 with a kickoff presentation by Rob van Kranenburg & Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino, followed by several speakers who were presenting various topics on different aspects of the IOTC and its vendor relationships. Among the presentations that followed were: (1) LIFT@Home by Nicolas Nova; (2) Internet of the Future and the Internet of Things, by Gerald Santucci, Head of the “Networked Enterprise and RFID” unit in the EU; (3) The future of storytelling through scenarios, by Gill Wildman; (4) The Internet of Goods, presented by Hein Gorter de Vries, GS1 in Europe; (5) Pachube and Connected Environments, by Husman Haque; (6) RFID Guardian, by Dr. Melanie Reibeck; (7) Mime, by Lorna Goulden; (8) NoiseTube, by Metthias Stevens; (9) Privacy Couch with Jaap Henk Hoepman; (10) Legal Issues, presented by Nicola Fabiano; (11) What I learned from the Violet Experience, by Rafi Haladjian; (12) Playfully hacking the environment, by Karim Amrani; (13) Breaking Patterns with Marcus Kirsch; (14) Awareness Technology with Alan Munro; (15) A distributed physical network of humans through the city unveiling invisible and always mobile connections with Natacha Roussel; (16) Social implications of the IOT, by Jim Kosem; and (17) Town Toolkit, by Christian Nold.
Following lunch, the group broke out into one of seven separate workshops that were integral to the conference. My particular role at the conference was to co-moderate Workshop 2: Creating the MBA for the IOT in Education. During this three-hour workshop, I pitched a presentation that I had prepared on my proposal as to how the IOTC should proceed with its development of the MBA, utilizing an approach based on learning and instructional design theories. The presentation was well-received by everyone in the group, by Council, and the EU.
Following the workshops, moderators were given approximately 15 minutes each to present the results of their respective workshops to Council and the EU representatives who were present. My particular workshop, which was co-moderated by Liesbeth Huybrechts, a PhD student at the Catholic University in Leuven currently teaching and conducting research at the Digital Arts and Media Academy in Genk, Belgium received a resounding round of applause. It was felt that the workshop was successful and achieved its intended goals.
The conference officially ended at 2200. But, there is a lot of work that will follow the conference as this is just the beginning.
by DAN CALLOWAY
Published 17 November 2009 @ 21:35 UCT
Source: Wikipedia
WEAVERVILLE, NC – The town of Weaverville, NC did not meet its Disinfection Byproduct (DBP) Treatment Technique Requirements for Total Organic Carbon (TOC) compliance based on a 4-quarter Running Annual Average (RAA).
Weaverville’s system did not meet the treatment technique requirement at its water treatment plant for the reduction of DBP precursors, TOC, to appropriate levels for its water system. Although this situation was and is not an emergency and does not require its citizens to take immediate action, they do have a right to know what happened, and what the town of Weaverville is doing to correct this situation.
North Carolina Rules Governing Public Water Systems requires that the town of Weaverville comply with DBP precursor removal requirements. Weaverville routinely monitors for the presence of precursors within the water treatment plant. Test results for the time period from 1 April 2008 through 31 March 2009 indicated that treatment techniques being used have been ineffective in adequately reducing the TOC levels. A continuation of violation was issued for the time period of 1 July 2008 through 30 June 2009. Running Annual Average compliance levels were exceeded for two consecutive RAA quarter periods. These four-quarter periods are 1 April 2008 through 31 March 2009 and 1 July 2008 through 30 June 2009. North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Division of Environmental Health issued the Notice of Violation (NOV) for April 2008 through March 2009 on 9 October 2009 and for 1 July 2008 through 30 June 2009 on 13 October 2009.
The citizens of Weaverville do not need to use an alternative water supply (bottled water, for example). However, if they have specific health concerns, then they need to consult their physicians.
Total Organic Carbon has no health effects. However, TOC provides a medium for the formation of disinfection byproducts. These byproducts include trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). Drinking water containing these byproducts in excess of the maximum contaminant level (MCL) may lead to adverse health concerns, liver or kidney problems, or nervous system effects, and may lead to an increased risk of cancer.
During the extreme drought conditions, Weaverville treatment technique did not maintain previous removal rates. Weaverville’s water treatment staff began research and developed methods to enhance the treatment process. The enhanced treatment technique implemented in April 2009 restored TOC removal to compliant levels. It’s water systems RAA was restored to compliance as of 30 September 2009.
Please share this information with all individuals who drink the town of Weaverville’s water, especially those who may not have received any prior notification directly (for example, if these people live in apartment complexes, nursing homes, who attend schools, and frequent businesses where water is available to drink).
For more information, please contact:
Anthony Laughter, Operations supervisor
Town of Weaverville
Ivy River Water Treatment Facility
50 Sams Road
Weaverville, NC 28787
by DAN CALLOWAY
Published 30 October 2009 @ 18:16 UCT
Source: Wikipedia
ASHEVILLE, NC – An important notice has been issued by the North Carolina Department of Transportation for travellers driving East on I-40 just East of Knoxville, Tennessee or traveling driving West on I-40 just West of Asheville, North Carolina. This notice is effective immediately and is expected to remain in force for several months.
DUE TO A ROCK SLIDE, I-40 IS CLOSED IN BOTH DIRECTIONS BETWEEN EXIT 20 (U.S. 276), 24 MILES WEST OF ASHEVILLE, IN NORTH CAROLINA AND EXIT 421 ( I-81 INTERCHANGE), EAST OF KNOXVILLE IN TENNESSEE Travelers can still reach Western North Carolina.
Both directions of I-40 are closed between Exit 20, West of Asheville in North Carolina, and Exit 421 (I-81 Interchange) East of Knoxville in Tennessee due to a rock slide at mile marker 2.6 on I-40 in North Carolina. The road is not expected to reopen for several months.
Official Detour: Motorists traveling on I-40 West are advised to take I-240 West, Exit 53B. Follow I-240 West to Exit 4A, I-26 West. Follow I-26 West (a North Carolina Scenic Highway) to I-81 South. Take I-81 South and follow back to I-40, Mile Marker 421, in Tennessee. This route is 53 miles longer than I-40.
Motorists can easily access Asheville via I-40 from the east and I-26 to the north and south. Exit 20 on I-40 provides access to popular destinations west of Asheville.
For a map of detour routes and the affected road closure, please click HERE.
by DAN CALLOWAY
Published 23 October 2009 @ 18:30 UCT
WEAVERVILLE, NC – Dan will be representing the United States when he attends the LIFT@Brussels Conference, hosted by Rob van Kranenburg, founder of the Internet of Things Council (IOTC), later on this year. Dan’s affiliation with the IOTC began about five months ago when he was asked to join this group as one of its network consultancy experts. Dan holds a Master of Science degree in Information Technology (IT) with an emphasis in advanced network architecture and systems design. He is currently attending Capella University in Minneapolis, MN where he is pursuing his PhD in IT Education.
The LIFT@ Brussels all-day conference and workshops is being held at the Brussels’ Center for Digital Culture and Technology. Rob van Kranenburg, the founder at Council, will be kicking off the conference with a short presentation entitled, “Transcending Oppositions,” followed by other presenters and, then, by all-day workshops.
Dan has been asked to participate in the “IOT in Education: Creating an MBA” workshop, which will commence in the morning following opening presentations and will carry on following lunch. He will be joined by Rob van Kranenburg and Liesbeth Huybrechts as moderator of this workshop.
While in Brussels, Dan and his wife, Jean, hope to visit the city and tour its most important spots of interest since they will both be arriving the day prior to the conference. Following the conference, Dan and Jean plan to travel by train to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where they hope to take in the sights and take many photos before returning to the States.
For those of you who have never been to Brussels, Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the administrative center of the European Union. This has earned the city the title of the Capital of Europe. Brussels has been given its character by the coexistence of French and Flemish culture, and it is nowadays home to nationalities around the world, adding a cosmopolitan flavor to its atmosphere. The vibrant atmosphere of Brussels is further enhanced by picturesque medieval streets, lively squares, beautiful boulevards, impressive monuments, spacious parks, cozy cafés, interesting restaurants and an active cultural life. (more…)
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WEAVERVILLE, NC – Dan will be representing the United States when he attends the 
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