Crane arm smashes into KL office

"Sany is proud of its industry-leading crane designs," said Sany Heavy Industry Co. President Xiang Wenbo in a statement, issued on June 19. "We categorically reject the claims made by Manitowoc and stand fully behind our market-leading products." Messages left with Lanning and Manitowoc attorneys seeking comment were not immediately returned.Friction between Manitowoc and Sany, which is the subject of a recent story in Fortune, comes more than two years after Sany made a splash at Conexpo 2011 in Las Vegas. There, outside one of the exhibit halls, it hung a giant poster that featured Lanning's face.  An office suite at the ninth level of the Empire Tower here was damaged when an unlocked crane arm from a construction site crashed into it on Tuesday. No casualties were reported.

Director of ANBIZ Sdn Bhd and owner of the affected lot, Yvonne Ng, expressed her concern over the safety of workers at the tower and hoped that the authorities would take extra precautions.Ng who was in the office during the 5pm incident said it was fortunate that nobody was sitting at the window when the crane arm swung into it.She then sent her colleagues to the construction site to ask the workers to move the crane arm."We were informed that the crane arm was faulty and unlocked and that it was easily blown by the wind," she said.Ng added that the builder would cover the cost of repairs.She said the local authorities should look into the incident.

"Construction is still ongoing beside the tower, while the crane arm is still near our level. I am afraid that stronger winds might damage other areas of the tower."She lodged a police report at the Subang Jaya police station and informed the Subang Jaya Municipal Council.Mrs. Reid went out and bought her very own origami paper and pushed her students to make this few week goal, not just for the cancer patients, or to ensure the Japanese legend would ring through, but to encourage her students that they too can challenge themselves to do more and be more. Although at times it got hairy, and there were times when the kids thought that final rung wouldn't be filled in on their hand drawn thermometer, that last and final week united the entire class as they pushed through to get their 1,000 cranes done before break. Even if it meant folding 5-cranes was one of their last homework assignments.

Robot retrievers compete in $1.5 million NASA contest

Eleven robots faced off in a Massachusetts field on Wednesday, showing off their ability to independently track down objects in a hunt for $1.5 million in prize money at a NASA-sponsored contest aimed at speeding technological development.In the first day of a three-day event, robots designed by teams from the United States, Canada and Estonia set out from a platform in a 2-acre (0.8 hectare) park at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, to search among rolling hills, rocks, trees and a gazebo to find geologic samples.They operated without human control, with the goal of encouraging advancements in autonomous navigation and robotics technologies, NASA officials said.

"Improving this technology will be a huge boon, not just to NASA and space exploration, but also for countless applications here on Earth," including industrial purposes, Sam Ortega, program manager of Centennial Challenges, said in a statement.The Centennial Challenges program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is part of the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate, which develops hardware for future missions.Robots in the contest will be required to retrieve samples in a range of shapes and sizes, from shoe-box-like forms to objects resembling tennis balls. Prizes range from $100,000 to $1.5 million, depending on the complexity of the samples retrieved.

Organizers chose the park setting to provide real-world challenges to the robots.At last year's event, also held at Worcester Polytechnic, no prize money was awarded because the one robot that qualified for the contest failed to collect the required samples in the allotted time.Robots entered in the contest can weigh no more than 80 kilograms (176 pounds) and measure up to 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) square.The program caters mostly to citizen inventors, but also small businesses and universities that have developed robots, Ortega said. Cash prizes can be awarded to U.S. citizens only, he said, but the non-monetary "guts and glory" reward remained a strong motivator for entrants, he added.

By CHRISTOPHER NIEBLING

Late in the evening of October 28, 2012, Hurricane Sandy struck the coast of New Jersey with a ferocity the likes of which had never been seen before and, I hope, will never be seen again.Mantoloking, founded in 1911, is situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, which separates the Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. The borough is 2? square miles long, is approximately three feet above sea level, and has approximately 520 residences. Several members of the Mantoloking Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) are part of the borough's Office of Emergency Management (OEM), which is located on the island and is also staffed by administrators and police department members.

When we first heard that a storm could approach the Northeast coast, all eyes focused on its potential path. As the days continued, most models showed this storm hitting New Jersey. The MVFD called for its volunteers to respond; it started preparing for the storm by fueling up all vehicles, gathering equipment, and preparing the station for storm damage and flooding. The media reported that several storms were converging to form a "superstorm." In addition, a full moon and a high tide were expected as the storm was to make landfall. Our anxiety levels started to increase. The OEM was activated, and the MVFD and police met with OEM members to discuss plans for evacuating residents and personnel.

The delineation of duties and responsibilities of each OEM member must be outlined and understood well ahead of the onset of a storm or incident. Trying to determine who is responsible for what job or function within the OEM after an incident has occurred is not productive and will only cause confusion and drastically impede progress.Forty-eight hours before the storm, reverse 911 calls were made to all residents asking them to evacuate the island. OEM, MVFD, and police personnel also walked to each residence to advise those who were at home of the evacuation. As additional information on Sandy's intensity and the pending storm surge was received, OEM decided that all personnel would evacuate the island prior to the storm's landfall.

Flexible garden hoses get mixed reviews from our readers

When Consumer Reports put three flexible garden hoses to the test, it didn't treat them like shrinking violets. We kinked, twisted, slashed and froze the hoses and applied a lot of water pressure. For the most part they lived up to their infomercial promises even though the so-called pocket hoses don't really fit in your pocket. But a number of visitors to our website and Facebook page have taken us to task with complaints that their hoses leaked, burst, broke and had to be returned, sometimes more than once.

This spring we tested 50-foot models of the Pocket Hose, $20, FlexAbleHose, $30, and DAP XHose, $43. In our tests, the hoses resisted kinking and bursting and none lost flow when folded, twisted or knotted. And none burst until we boosted water pressure to more than 200 pounds per square inch (psi), much more than the 40 to 80 psi that's usual in most homes. We also made small nicks in the hoses to create weak spots and they held together until the cuts reached about one inch in length.But shortly after we posted our report, we starting hearing from our readers. "I would like to find out why my pocket hose keeps splitting ... I have tried three and all three keep splitting during use or right after use," came the first comment. Then, "this hose is a sure rip-off ... it sure was disappointing."

So we asked our Facebook followers about their experiences and that opened the spigot. While the comments skewed toward the negative side, not all were bad. Many readers like the hoses because they're small and lightweight. But others complained that they leaked at the faucet connection, burst under water pressure and did not shrink back to their original size. And what really irked them is that they had similar problems with a second and third hose."Loved this concept," wrote Kelly on Facebook. "Bought one on Saturday, used on Sunday. The connection wasn't a problem at all. However the minute I turned it on, sprung two leaks!" Harry reported that his hose "exploded" within five minutes. Other readers had better experiences. "It's fine as an extra hose," wrote Karen. "Not heavy duty but not designed for that anyway."

And the small hose's easy storage has big appeal. "I just wrap it up and store it in a small Rubbermaid tote," wrote Kimberly. Sharon agreed. "I too like that I can keep it in a small pot when not in use." And one enterprising reader fixed his leaky hose with an Allen wrench and a Dremel tool and said it "works great now with no leaks!"Wayne seemed to sum it all up: "Mixed reviews would be a good assessment. Works fine, is lightweight, but doesn't stretch as much as advertised or shrink down like they would have you believe."

Better Productivity And Flawless Printing

It is certainly true that OEM ink cartridges are better consumables for your printer. Canon ink cartridges are not exception to this observation. Most third-party manufacture products cause damage to the delicate interiors of the machine, and the problem is not just a leakage issue but rather with the ink itself. Thus your printer ended up on blink with the use of aftermarket ink cartridges.People generally believe that all ink is created equal; this is not true. Many of the printer users who have tried out the cheap ink refill kits from brand stores or the refurbished ink cartridges on the market have discovered the truth and took the pledge not to use non-brand printer ink supplies ever again. The products work poorly and fail to match the brand quality specifications.

Many aftermarket ink cartridges tend to leak because they are basically manufactured from recycled materials and are improperly tested and cleaned. A leaky ink cartridge unit creates a mess and eventually damages your printer beyond repair. After all ink is a liquid substance and a printer is electronic device, if the liquid substance gets into the wrong parts, your device can easily be spoiled. Moreover, when you use a non-brand refill it will not fall under any warranty.

The other major issue that you may encounter for not using the proper OEM refills is the ink itself that is of inferior quality and yield poor quality print outs. The ink used in many refill kits and refurbished cartridges are sub-standard and does not meet quality specification. The consistency is not well-maintained- the ink is either too thin or too thick and can damage the delicate parts that are particularly made to spray the ink in certain ways and patterns to print pages.Finally, the greatest issue is printing quality. Most printer users who choose to use aftermarket inks may have noticed the overall quality of prints is poor and it is no way what they expect from their device. Also with the aftermarket inks you get pale colors and blurred edges, and cannot use it for professional purpose.