Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 9, 2011

14

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Mountain Views News Saturday, April 9, 2011


GETTING READY FOR THE WORLD’S BIGGEST-EVER TELESCOPE

 

 Plans for the world’s biggest telescope—the Square Kilometer 
Array—advanced significantly this month with a decision to locate 
the project office at Jodrell Bank Observatory near Manchester, 
England; support from the partners including the United Kingdom 
for the next phase of the project; and the first steps towards creating 
the legal entity needed to deliver this ambitious global enterprise.

 The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) is a €1.5 billion multinational 
science project to build the world’s largest and most sensitive 
radio telescope. The SKA will be capable of answering some of 
the most fundamental questions about the Universe—including 
understanding dark energy, general relativity in extreme conditions 
and how the Universe came to the look the way it does now.

 The SKA will be an array of radio antennas with a collection 
area of a square kilometer with its core in South Africa or Australia. 
Signals from individual antennas will be combined to form one 
giant telescope.

 In the same way, the famous Lovell Telescope at the University 
of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank Observatory is already being used 
with other U.K. telescopes (the e-MERLIN network) and as part 
of an international network. With an antenna at Chilbolton, the 
U.K. is also part of LOFAR a low-frequency network centered in 
the Netherlands. SKA will build on this technique and tradition 
of collaboration, bringing together all the major groups in radio 
astronomy.

 Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, prominent radio astronomer 
and President of the Institute of Physics, said: “Since the 1950s, 
radio astronomy has provided scientific pioneers with tools to 
revolutionize our understanding of the Universe. The power of this 
new telescope project, however, is going to surpass anything we’ve 
seen before, enabling us to see many more radio-emitting stars and 
galaxies and pulling the curtains wide-open on parts of the great 

beyond that radio astronomers like me have only ever dreamt of 
exploring. The Square Kilometer Array heralds in a post-Einstein 
era of physics that will help us take huge strides in our attempt to 
understand the most bizarre objects and the darkest ages of the 
Universe.”

 The SKA has been designated as a top-priority project for 
astronomy both in the U.K. and across Europe. It is a very significant 
step that nine partners have started the process to secure funding 
and create a legal structure for this project. The U.K., through the 
Science and Technology Facilities Council, is expecting to invest in 
the order of £15 million in its next phase.

 In addition to the immense scientific progress that will be 
made by the SKA, the project is expected to have wider benefits 
in continuing its already impressive involvement with industrial 
partners and continuing the inspiration of the public through 
astronomy, as Jodrell Bank has for many years.

 The SKA project will drive technology development in antennas, 
signal transport, signal processing, and software and computing. 
Spinoff innovations in these areas will benefit other systems that 
process large volumes of data. The design, construction and 
operation of the SKA has the potential to impact skills development 
in science, engineering and in associated industries not only in the 
host countries but in all project partners.

You can contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@MtnViewsNews.com.


The Control Room of the Lovell telescope and MERLIN.

Credit: Anthony Holloway, Jodrell Bank


Ask jai……

Ask jai is a weekly column that will strive to honestly answer your job search questions relating to job searching 
techniques, networking skills, resume writing and interviewing. The employment situation is getting better, however, 
it is still a challenge finding were the jobs are located and how to get pass the “gate-keepers”. As an Executive 
Recruiter I was privy to working directly with Corporate Recruiters and understanding their process in selecting 
which candidates to interview and hire. I will candidly answer your questions, possibly bluntly answering you 
questions, but I will be totally honest. My objective is to help you achieve your employment goal.

“ZERO DAY”

Q: What is the methodology behind 
employer salary negotiations? Can 
you give me some advice about 
how to handle a low salary offer 
so that I don’t hurt my chances at 
getting hired? Shaun

Dear Shaun:

 The employer always has the 
upper hand in knowing exactly 
the salary range or salary that 
they are going to offer any 
candidate. They have pre-
determined the salary range for 
their positions based on their 
budget. Employers know that this 
is a very competitive job market 
and that they will eventually find 
an applicant that will accept their 
salary offer. There are employers 
that will even hire a candidate that 
has fewer skills or less desirable 
ones solely based on salary. So, 
do not take salary offers personal, 
it’s just business and economics. 

 Interviewers will start their 
salary exploration during a 
telephone or in-person interview. 
So, you must be ready at that time 
to discuss salary. However, keep 
in mind that this is not a salary 

offer. 

 

 A salary offer is only official once 
you have been offered a position. 
The employer, at this time, only 
wants to find out if you are within 
their salary range. This is part of 
their screening process. You can 
dodge that question by saying 
that “you are open and prefer to 
discuss the job opportunity”. A 
good interviewer will continue to 
push you for a salary. Feel free to 
ask the interviewer a question, “I 
am very interested in this position, 
but I did not notice a salary listed, 
could you tell me what is your 
salary range?” Some employers 
will give you a salary range. At 
that time you must be prepared 
to say that it is or not within your 
salary range. If the salary range is 
below your expectation then you 
must decide at that time if you are 
still interested in the position. 

 Warning! Professional ethics 
now come into play. Do not 
pursue a position that you know 
is extremely below your salary 
range expecting an employer to 
increase the range after a job offer. 
This usually backfires on 

candidates. 

Employers know what they have 
budgeted for a position and they 
will usually hold to that salary 
range. The employer could also 
feel that you reneged on your 
acceptance of their salary range 
during the initial interviewing 
process and possibly not consider 
you for any future positions. 

 You should research information 
about the salary range for the 
positions you are seeking in 
your field, experience, local area 
and industry. This can be done 
by visiting salary websites, local 
libraries or asking employees 
in similar positions. Do your 
homework by calculating your 
living expenses and what you 
need to maintain your lifestyle. 
Also take into consideration your 
previous salary history. Then you 
decide the minimum salary offer 
you would accept. This process 
will give you a point of reference 
when considering a job offer. If 
an employer can not meet your 
salary needs ask them to consider 
you for future positions within 
your salary range. Knowing your 
self worth and salary range will 
give you the power to negotiate 
any salary offer. 

A frequent topic of computer security headlines is the so-called “Zero-Day 
exploit”. A Zero-Day exploit is defined as the taking advantage of vulnerability 
the same day as the vulnerability is generally known. There are typically “zero 
days” between the discovery of the exploit and the attack, hence the name. In 
most cases when a vulnerability is found in computer code the discoverer will 
notify the company responsible for creating and publishing the software (and 
sometimes the computing community at large) so that a fix can be found and 
implemented before any real damage is done. Even if hackers happen to learn 
about the exploit as the same time as the software publisher they may not be able 
to take advantage of the vulnerability before it is fixed. When the hacker happens 
to be the discoverer of the exploit and the vulnerability wasn’t generally known in 
advance, there may be no effective way to guard against an attack using this new 
vector. For these instances, security software companies have devised programs 
(and sub-routines) that look for specific, suspicious activity (such as requests to 
format drives that do not originate from the console) and disallow such actions.

The name “Zero-Day exploit” itself is a bit misleading because in many 
instances the vulnerabilities that are taken advantage of have been know to 
either the software company or hackers themselves for quite some time before 
“something bad” happens. Many of the larger software manufactures have entire 
well-financed sections of their operations devoted to identifying, tracking and 
repairing security holes in their products. Sometimes there are differing opinions 
as to what constitutes a vulnerability needing immediate attention and a bug to 
be fixed in the next scheduled software update. 

The best thing you can do to protect against zero-day exploits is to follow good 
security policies in the first place. By installing and keeping your anti-virus 
software up to date, blocking file attachments to emails which may be harmful 
and keeping your system patched against the vulnerabilities you are already 
aware of you can secure your system or network against 99% of what is out there. 

One of the best measures for protecting against currently unknown threats is to 
employ a hardware or software (or both) firewall. You can also enable heuristic 
scanning (a technology used to attempt to block viruses or worms that are not 
yet known about) in your anti-virus software. By blocking unnecessary traffic in 
the first place with a hardware firewall, blocking access to system resources and 
services with a software firewall or using your anti- virus software to help detect 
anomalous behavior you can better protect yourself against the dreaded zero-day 
exploit.

Everything you ever wanted to know about how to get a job ….but did not know who to ask. ASK jai. Send your 
questions to: jai@resumeandcareerservices.com or visit website www.resumeandcareerservicesc.


House-Training:

What Works For Today’s Pet Owners

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc.

Canyon Canine Dog 

Walking & Pet Sitting Services

 
Dog ownership is on the rise 
in the U.S. Whether you rescue 
a puppy or use a breeder, one 
thing all new dog owners have in 
common is needing to start off 
on the right paw when it comes 
to house-training their new pet. 
House-training isn’t as daunting 
as it sounds if you set some 
boundaries and get on a schedule 
at the start.

 Here are a few pointers to help 
get you started and get your dog 
quickly house-trained:

 Timing is everything - Puppies 
do best on a regular schedule. 
Lead your puppies to the pad 
frequently, as they will need to 
relieve themselves at least six 
times a day. Follow the same path 
to the pad every time. The process 
will require your full attention for 
a few weeks, but the effort you put 
into it now will last for the rest of 
your pet’s life.

 Dine and dash - If you establish 
set mealtimes, your pets will need 
to relieve themselves on schedule 
as well. Keep tabs on when your 
dog relieves himself during 
training. Use that timing to get 
your dog accustomed to going 
outside or using the training pads.

 Relaxation room - Dogs like 
their own den, and a proper-sized 
crate for your dog is all the space 
it needs for downtime. Have your 
dog or puppy sleep in the crate at 
night and when you are not home 
during training.

Separate spaces - Set 
up the training pad in a 
special area away from the 
crate and food. Consider 
using special trays designed to 
hold training pads to keep the 
pad in place and deter dogs from 
playing with the training pads.

 Treat time - Use the same treat 
every time your pet does the right 
thing during house-training for 
positive reinforcement. Rubbing 
its nose in its feces may make 
matters worse and could cause 
your dog to hide when it’s time to 
go.

 Go green - Consider 
environmentally friendly training 
pads such as Eco-Care Training 
Pads made by Simple Solution. 
These pads are made from 85 
percent recycled material, saving 
landfills from over 400 tons of 
waste every year. While reducing 
landfill waste, they also maximize 
absorption, holding two times 
more liquid than leading pad 
brands and using polymer 
technology to convert liquid 
to gel, locking in moisture and 
preventing leaks. The pads are 
designed with odor neutralizers 
to eliminate tough urine odors 
and can be used with litter box 
mats, as a dog crate liner, as car 
seat covers and to clean up messy 
spills. Today, more owners use 
potty pad training when they 
have limited outdoor areas. For 
more information, visit www.
simplesolution.com. 

 Training assistance - Many pet 
owners find it helpful to include 
some basic behavioral training 
concurrent with puppy 

house training, to promote 
a stronger sense of structure 
and communication with the 
dog. Thankfully, there are a 
lot of good trainers available 
in the Pasadena/Sierra Madre 
area. Some dog trainers even 
make house calls, which adds 
the cutting edge advantage of 
one-on-one attention in the 
convenience of your own home. 
The Pasadena Humane Society 
offers a variety of evening and 
weekend training courses at their 
facility on Raymond Avenue. The 
certified instructors at PHS are 
qualified to train dog and master 
as a unit. Owners are then able 
to take what they learn with 
them and continue to use the 
same techniques at home. For 
more information about training 
classes at Pasadena Humane 
Society, visit www.phsspca.org or 
call 626-792-7151.

 Whichever route you choose 
to take and whatever technique 
you choose to apply in training 
your puppy or your dog, for the 
best results it is very important 
to be consistent in your training 
routine. Also, when it comes 
to your use of commands and 
rewards, limit your vocabulary to 
only a few, single syllable terms, 
and strive to offer lots of petting 
and verbal praise as a reward, 
in lieu of snacks or treats. If you 
start early enough (in my opinion 
it’s never too early to start 
training) you will be doing your 
pet a big favor by teaching him 
to want to please you simply for 
the praise, rather than for food 
or treats. Remember, a healthy, 
well- trained & well-loved dog is 
a happy dog!


ENRICHED

 
Do you get those PCC Extended 
Learning class schedules in the 
mail? I loved PCC! I always say 
I’m going to return and take all 
the classes I would’ve taken back 
when I was a student (Ceramics, 
Art History II, etc.), but didn’t because that would 
have stretched my 2-year plan and my funds. It’s 
been eight years since I graduated, and I haven’t had 
the time to return yet. At this rate, I might be old 
and gray by the time I make it back to hobble around 
Robinson Hall. Then again, perhaps I could take a 
Personal Enrichment Extended Learning course!

 One class seems particularly intriguing, “Becoming 
a Complaint-Free Person.” I must admit I’m guilty of 
the occasional gripe, but I wouldn’t consider myself 
a pathological complainer. The professional complainers I know, however, would 
probably require sedation or generous bribery to attend a class that implies their views 
are not infallible and supremely important. I wonder then, if the students must be 
coerced into attending? Perhaps it’s something parents threaten their teenagers with. 
“If you say one more word about the curfew I’ll enroll you!”

 The course description says that students will learn the “four stages one experiences 
while becoming complaint and gossip free.” Maybe it’s like the stages of loss. First, 
denial, “I don’t complain –I advise.” Followed by bargaining, “Okay. For every 
complaint I’ll make one affirming comment.” Anger, “%*#!! It’s not fair!” Despair, 
“But if I don’t tell everyone how wrong they are they’ll never know!”

 In the course summary it also mentions that students will learn “the difference 
between a complaint and a statement of fact.” I can see how this could get ugly in the 
wrong hands. “Suzy’s a slob” might be rephrased as “That half-finished sandwich has 
been on her desk for three weeks, and I think its mold spores are making me nauseous.” 
Both are equally snide, but the latter is more objective. Unfortunately, this course 
might end up “preaching to the choir.” If people live to gripe, no amount of schooling 
will convince them to change. 

 There have been numerous articles linking a negative attitude to weakening of the 
immune system and a decline in overall health. Let’s also remember that it was partly 
due to the Israelites’ complaining, that God led them to wander 40 years in the desert 
between Egypt and Israel (Num. 14:26-35). The Apostle Paul included gossips together 
with murderers, and Solomon called slanderers fools (Rom. 1:28, Prov. 10:18). They 
say that guy was pretty smart. If this course can do what it claims, maybe it should be 
required for all of us!