| Focused IR Rework Pioneer Comes of Age
This year, British company PDR celebrates 21 years of supplying leading-edge Focused Infra-Red (IR) rework systems to the global electronics industry. This family-owned company is one of just a handful of SMT/BGA rework systems specialists, with 3,500 installations worldwide, an enviable reputation among leading EMS providers and OEMs, and the safest, easiest and most versatile rework technology in the industry. It all started in 1985, when PDR's Managing Director Roger Gibbs saw an IR lamp being used to reflow components. The method was crude, the lamp was so bright that welding glasses were necessary, and the heat burned the components, but Gibbs saw the potential immediately: “At the time, hot gas was the only choice, so this was a massive departure. My suggestion that it be developed fell on deaf ears, so we decided to develop it ourselves".
Cooking for two
Go for sushi; an egg scramble topped with salsa and served with a small spinach salad; or cooked shredded chicken with crunchy vegetables, such as jicama, cukes and carrots, wrapped in a big lettuce leaf instead of bread. A heavy steak dinner or anything fried will sit in your stomachs and make you feel lethargic and sick. For more stylish ideas and solutions, visit TheNest.com. .
Humbled in the Himalayas
On an exhilarating trek in the foothills of the mountains, Imogen Stubbs finds awe-inspiring sights and an India that confounds her preconceptions.
I never did take a gap year and so missed the experience of "doing" India shared by so many of my friends. They returned clutching miniature Buddhas and elephant-print batik and spent the next few months in the bathroom - enlightened, humbled and traumatised by their experiences in a Third World country. It somehow made me feel India was not for me. .
SEND US YOUR IDEAS
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
- Stick telephone, finger dial, American Telegraph and Telephone Co., No. 337, black finish, 12 inches, $145.
- Ammon and Person Baby Brand Butterine advertising mirror, little girl sitting on floor buttering toast, by W&H, 3 inches, $210.
- American Character doll, Tiny Tears, plastic head, sleep eyes, open mouth, brunette fleecy hair, rubber body, pink knit dress, 1950, 17 inches, $275.
- Milk glass mini lamp, light blue, multicolored floral design with forest-green bottom half, acorn burner, 8 1/4 inches, $345.
- Rose O'Neill Kewpie child's tea set, white porcelain, Kewpie on front, teapot, sugar and creamer, six cups and saucers, 15-piece set, $465.
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 Hands On
Epson, one of the big boys in the projector business, loaned me the PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 for a test drive. The Home Cinema is the first 1080p, three-LCD projector priced less than $3,000 ($2,999). That price, in itself is a big deal considering that just three years ago you would be paying more than $30,000 for a 1080p projector. Besides the price, Epson didn't cut any corners on the PowerLite Cinema. The introduction of the PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 follows on the heels of the more expensive PowerLite Pro Cinema 1080 ($4,999). These are similar projectors with pretty much the same specs. The Pro model is sold and installed by ISF-certified installers. It comes packaged with a replacement bulb and ceiling mount and a three-year warranty. Also, there is a $300 mail-in-rebate that can be applied to the purchase of a screen that costs more than $300.
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