neuros technology is a chicago , illinois – based company that produces a number of audio and video devices with the brand name neuros .

founded by joe born in 2001 as a division of digital innovations and previously operated under the name neuros audio .

like digital innovations , neuros is distinguished by its use of open-innovation and crowdsourcing techniques in bringing products to market , as well as its prominent use of open-source software and open-source hardware .

in its development model , end users are involved throughout the product development process from reviewing initial concepts to beta testing initial product releases .

neuros technology

thanks , joe born , for sharing your insights on neuros technology and open devices .
joe born , ceo of chicago - based neuros technology , discusses the new neuros link device . photo credit : ian monroe / medill
orlando sentinel technology columnist etan horowitz reviews the neuros osd a device that lets you convert dvd , vhs and tv shows to a digital format . for more technology news and reviews , go to urltoken
about neuros technology neuros technology is a manufacturer and marketer of innovative , easy - to - use portable media devices . the company supports an open environment that allows consumers to play their content when , where , and how they want . neuros encourages its community of users to participate fully in the design process , from concept to post - production enhancements .
the consumer electronics ( ce ) industry is in an upheaval as devices become more open and a rift emerges between hardware manufacturing and the software that steers them . on the cutting edge of this development is neuros technology , which has brought the linux and open - source model to ce devices for tv - internet convergence . i recently spoke with joe born , neuros technology ceo and founder , to learn more about neuros technology and where this exciting trend toward open ce devices is headed .
“joe born is an important pillar of chicago’s technology community , ” said michael krauss , co - chair of chicago mayor richard m . daley’s council of technology advisors . “he’s a true entrepreneur and inventor that has succeeded more than once , and is challenging convention with his neuros products . ”
open source neuros a website dedicated to the open source neuros community and development under direction of joe born .
neuros technology international llc has announced their neuros mpeg - 4 recorder 2 , a device that records video straight to memory cards for sony’s playstation portable ( psp ) , without requiring a mac or pc to transfer first . the neuros mpeg - 4 recorder 2 is shipping now and costs us $ 149 . 99 .
neuros iii is part of neuros technology new 2007 - 2008 platform lineup that will be based upon texas instruments dm320 platform and will be using a stripped down embedded linux system . open source development on it has since stopped as the product is currently in the research phase .
playstation portable owners who use neuros technology ' s mpeg - 4 recorder 2 to record video for playback on their consoles are being warned not to apply sony ' s latest psp firmware , version 2 . 7 . neuros claims the update prevents the psp playing video recorded on its device .
neuros – hack me if you can : when a company publishes a hacking guide for its own products , and offers bounties ( cash ) to developers to add features and “hacks” to its product , you have to take notice . the company in question is neuros technology , a consumer electronics manufacturer based in chicago . neuros manufactures two products : neuros osd , which is a digital recorder and archiver , and neuros link , a device that connects your tv to the internet . neuros’ decision to open source its products is contrary to what happens in commercial hardware products , which are typically closed . so why did neuros do it ?
born , chief executive officer , of neuros technology international , is an entrepreneur in the classic sense . he got his start in the 1990s with a patent on a device for repairing damaged cds . then in 2001 , he started chicago - based neuros technologies , which started out making portable digital audio products , much like apple’s ubiquitous ipod .
( 6 ) neuros osd : neuros technology , a chicago - based spin - off of digital innovations ( di ) with approx . 35 employees , sells audio and video devices , among them the neuros osd ( open source device ) . the neuros osd is an open source , linux - based , embedded media center , i . e . a device to record digital content from various sources and to store and output this content in a standardised format used by most digital devices , from mp3 players to mobile telephones and televisions .
myfi ( my frequency ) digital tuning technology enables convenient wireless high - fidelity playback through any fm radio without wires or connectors . myfi automatically scans and locates the least populated station available for transmission .
but neuros technology international , creator of a new video recorder , has decided to go in a different direction . the company , based in chicago , is providing full documentation of the hardware platform for its recorder , the neuros osd ( for open source device ) , so that skilled users can customize or “hack” the device — and then pass along the improvements to others .
neuros technology makes an mpeg - 4 recorder that records video from the tv , dvd player , cable box , tivo / dvr or camcorder and allows for playback on many cell phones , pdas and smart phones including the motorola q , treo 650 , razr and nokia n70 and n90 .
you ' ve used the term “super odm” to describe neuros . what does that mean ?
can be directly accessed from neuros built - in processing modules . built - in modules allow
neuros tells psp users ' don ' t run firmware 2 . 7 ' • the register
the neuros osd is a development development board from neuros technology , based on the ti dm320 multimedia soc with a 200 mhz arm926 , 120 mhz c54x dsp processor and 32mb of system memory . connectivity is provided by 10 / 100 ethernet , usb , and sd / cf / mmc flash . the neuros osd has support for a wide array of a / v codecs . running an iscsi initiator on this device opens up hundreds of gbs of network accessable media storage from linuxios .
the neuros digital audio computer it didn ' t used to be that every mention of neuros technology was accompanied by the phrase
open source .
on the company ' s wiki , ceo joe born explains that neuros once
didn ' t pay a lot of attention to the open source movement
that has produced now - commonplace technologies like linux , firefox , and lamp . born co - founded digital innovations in 1995 to manufacturer the skipdr disc repair device and , eight years later , found himself pushing out the first neuros product : the digital audio computer ( dac ) .
the neuros osd allows the recording of material from many sources , and thats just for starters .
neuros technology applies an open source approach to hardware and software development . “as engineers , most of us spent our academic careers in an environment where open peer review was just taken for granted as the most sensible way to advance science and technology . once we transitioned to the business world , we were conditioned to accept that secrecy was a necessary evil , ” says neuros ceo joe born . “in fact , experience is showing us that peer review works great in the business world as well . the more information we release to the public , the more our community helps provide us with the ultimate strategic business advantage : better products” .
products like the osd are a good example of a small but growing trend toward openness , said jimmy guterman , editor of release 2 . 0 , a technology and business newsletter published by o’reilly media of sebastopol , calif .
[ 01 : 43 ] we’re getting ready for the * big * computex here in neuros taiwan .
what ' s in the box neuros hd20gb , ear bud headphones , belt clip , ac adapter , usb cable , car power adapter , cd - rom with neuros synchronization manager software , and printed instructions .
what ' s in the box neuros hd60gb , ear bud headphones , belt clip , ac adapter , usb cable , car power adapter , cd - rom with neuros synchronization manager software , and printed instructions .
the osd has not only open hardware , but also open software : it is based on the linux operating system . neuros technology encourages hacking of the device ; it has contests with cash rewards for new applications for the osd . one winner , for instance , designed a program that lets people use it to watch youtube on their televisions .
[ editor ' s note : this is an antiquated product that is no longer available from neuros . ]
© copyright 2014 , lee scheffler . patents pending . cognitivity™ , neuros™ and neuroblocks™ are trademarks of lee scheffler
this irc excerpt isn’t a reject from bash . org . joseborn is joe born , ceo of the electronics manufacturer neuros technology intl , llc . in this conversation from june 2nd , born was reminding his staff of his company’s presence the following day at computex 2008 , a major industry trade show attended by about 130 , 000 . the chickens were entirely fictional .
operating systems , neuros includes development and deployment tools and extensive libraries of functions and reusable modules ( neuroblocks ) .
stable precompiled builds of core - iscsi using linux 2 . 6 . 15 can be found at neuros osd .
while neuros hinted at open sourcing the firmware of the recorder , no code has been released to this date .
first , thanks for joining us in this conversation , joe born . the open devices from your company , neuros technology , make perfect sense to us linux and open - source geeks but are quite disruptive in the world of electronics . can you start us off by giving us a quick rundown of your products and how they are different from your typical set - top box ?
eventmachine : fast , simple event - processing library for ruby programs . fixing some bugs of immediate interest for neuros .
yes . neuros is explicitly architected to be open . it includes extensive mechanisms for integrating , extending and embedding . see
read on to learn how the rocky history of neuros’ open product development process caught the attention of chip giant texas instruments and see how it all worked out for neuros’ latest product , the osd . plus , decide whether or not the osd would fit into your living room’s entertainment center and take a sneak peak at the osd2 and neuros’ other upcoming projects . continued…
sanders , nathan ( 2008 - 06 - 23 ) .
open source consumer electronics : neuros osd
. extremetech .
neuros synchronization system ( neurossync ) is the advanced operating system that automates the transfer of music / files from your pc to the neuros player , and vice versa . it uses the neuros synchronization manager software application as the conduit for information transfer , and allows management of complete pc library , including future downloads , playlist creation , and song deletions from the device itself .
neuros is a company based out of chicago , il that specializes in audio and video devices for the consumer electronics market .
recently , we really had a lot of fun with “crowd narration” , a technology that superimposes two lines of chat text over a video broadcast , effectively allowing individuals to provide commentary in real time to live events or shows . it ' s a kind of closed captioning for crowds .
can be “wrapped” in neuros modules via a variety of standard interfaces ( e . g . , pipes , streams , services ) .
neuros technology is the developer of the neuros osd , a digital media recorder . the devices works with external hard drives to archive and copy your media . unlike a normal dvr , the osd can record from any source : set top boxes , dvd players , dtv signals . it is limited to standard definition signals ( 720×480 max ) , but works with a plethora of formats , including mpeg - 2 and mpeg - 4 , flv , wmv , divx and others . other limitations include s - video input ( no component ) and no support for digital signals from hdmi sources .
chicago , august 16 , 2006 – neuros technology , a leader in portable media devices , has enhanced their mpeg - 4 recorder 2 by adding a multicard slot to the unit’s hardware . the new “neuros recorder 2 plus” can record live tv , movies , and other video content directly onto sd , minisd , microsd and mmc memory cards , allowing instant video playback on smart phones , cell phones and pdas without the use of a card adaptor . like the recorder 2 , the recorder 2 plus can also record directly onto duo memory sticks , compact flash ( cf ) cards and microdrives .
he added that the link was neuros’ most open device to date , and it relies heavily on community - driven development and open software .
no . neural networks are typically highly connected graphs of low - level neuron - like components . learning adjusts connection weights using extensive input examples with expected outputs . despite superficial similarities ( box - and - line graphs , name ) , neuros neural graphs are quite different . each box is a functional module and each link carries multiple signals from one module to another . the functions inside each module can be implemented in any appropriate technology , including neural networks . flexible multi - layer neural network architectures can be built as neuros neural graphs linking successive memory modules , each acting as a neural network layer .
i have a new most favourite piece of kit : the neuros technology osd , a box that takes the scart or component video output from your dvd or sky / sky + / freeview box or video recorder and can record their output on to a usb or network drive , and play back all sorts of video or audio content from usb or network drives to a tv . and you can schedule it to record from those sources too while it outputs to a tv .
though these neuros employees are discussing plans for future releases , consulting with each other on development practices , and even admitting or assigning blame for the week’s minor setbacks and mistakes—some of the most sensitive information a small company like neuros generates—the conversation took place over public irc , and is available on public logs . public internet relay chat is where neuros has elected to hold its regular developer meetings . absolutely anyone with an internet connection can observe these meetings as they happen in # neuros on freenode , read the log later on , or even join in and offer their two cents . when not officially meeting , # neuros is where the company’s employees have gotten used to chatting with each other . all of this is by intent .
yes , in several ways . neuros is architected from the ground up to simplify and encourage integration with external technologies and be embeddable in other systems .
what happens when consumer electronics are designed , tested , and maintained by volunteers from around the world ? the neuros osd is an interesting case study .
neuros ' experimentation in open development with the dac was successful by most accounts . born comments that the number of community members who became involved in firmware development was
probably about equal to [ neuros ' ] internal staff .
active community - development of the dac continued until mid - 2006 , about one full year after neuros had moved on to other products —the mpeg - 4 recorder 1 , 2 , and 2 plus , 442 , and osd .
the recorder 2 and the recorder 2 plus record video content from sources such as the tv , dvd player , cable box , dvr , gaming console and camcorder . “we continually improve our products in response to the wants and needs of our customers” , said neuros technology ceo , joe born . “with virtually all new smart phones and pda’s being video capable , and with many of these devices accepting cards other than duo memory stick and cf , the need to support other memory cards was something we heard loud and clear . ”
yes and no . neural simulators directly model biological synapses , dendrites , axons , neurons and neuron firing . neuros operates at an abstract functional level above that , modeling the
neuros experimented with some unusual features for the dac . the unit had an fm radio transmitter and used detachable hard drive
backpacks
that mounted on a flash player host . neuros operated a service called
hisi
( pdf ) that would automatically identify any song given a 30s clip recorded by the dac from its fm radio receiver or built - in microphone . fully five buttons were dedicated to recalling bookmarks and radio presets . at launch , however , neuros was not ready to experiment with free software .
it ' s compatible with mp3 vbr , ogg , wav , and wma formats , and transfers files via ultra - fast usb 2 . 0 . you can also use the neuros hd as a mass storage drive , enabling you to carry important documents and presentations . the neuros hd player is compatible with windows 98se , me , 2000 , and xp . the rechargeable , non - replaceable batteries inside neuros provide 10 hours of continuous playback . other features include a removable backpace , which supports future hardware upgrades , and automatic firmware and software upgrades .
as the conversation goes on , born begins discussing technical matters with a veteran neuros developer in a more serious tone . the developer , nerochiaro , updates born on the status of a major software project for the company’s latest product , the osd , and then swaps anecdotes and advice on various software bugs with another neuros hacker , crweb . the atmosphere is kept informal throughout .
osd
stands for
open source device
, because the device runs linux and a variety of open source software , as well as to reflect the vision that the device will become a general purpose device for linking computer and electronic devices . the successor to the neuros mpeg 4 recorder , the neuros osd was released to initial production on september 20 , 2006 .
neuros digital audio computer is a portable unit designed for audio and visual playback and recording of audio to mp3 , vorbis , wav , and drm free format , but is not currently being marketed .
the neuros hd20gb isn ' t just an mp3 player - - it ' s a portable digital audio computer , capable of storing thousands of songs , broadcasting them wirelessly to any fm radio , and recording music via either the built - in fm tuner , microphone , or line - in jack . the hd20gb can store 5 , 000 cd - quality songs ( encoded at 128kbps ) on its 20 gb hard drive and works seamlessly with the neuros synchronization manager software on your windows - based pc to synchronize your library and playlist changes . the neuros hd player includes these exclusive , innovative features :
the neuros hd60gb isn ' t just an mp3 player - - it ' s a portable digital audio computer , capable of storing thousands of songs , broadcasting them wirelessly to any fm radio , and recording music via either the built - in fm tuner , microphone , or line - in jack . the hd60gb can store 15 , 000 cd - quality songs ( encoded at 128kbps ) on its 20 gb hard drive and works seamlessly with the neuros synchronization manager software on your windows - based pc to synchronize your library and playlist changes . the neuros hd player includes these exclusive , innovative features :
here comes yet another set - top box that connects to the internet and streams web video . thankfully , this one looks pretty cool . it’s called the neuros link and it’ll leverage the neuros . tv interface to stream shows to your tv from sites like youtube , hulu , nbc . com , cnn . com , cbs . com , and fancast . oh , and it’s an open platform .
the box itself costs $ 300 and includes a wireless “keymote , ” hdmi out , and 1080p support . it’s currently in a pre - production “gamma” phase , so neuros is offering a four - month , no questions asked return policy in case you run into too much trouble while all the kinks get worked out . this will all be interesting to watch , as neuros is calling it “the most
technology writer ryan paul previewed the link on the web site urltoken , and wrote , “for experienced linux users , it just takes a little bit of the usual tweaking to get everything working just right . after that initial time investment , i haven’t had any trouble with it at all . it gives me everything i want in an ubuntu - based set - top box , and it offers a broad assortment of options for third - party media center software . ”
so , on the branding end , there ' s more resistance , but that ' s where neuros comes in . i believe we can pioneer this area and demonstrate enough consumer demand that it will overcome the above .
neuros has pledged to fix the problem with a mpeg - 4 recorder 2 firmware update of its own . it also said it would attempt to raise the issue with sony to prevent the problem from re - occurring .
slashgear’s review coming soon . click over for demo video of the mpeg - 4 recorder and press release . neuros adds multicard slot to recorder 2 for improved ease - of - use with smartphones , pda’s and other portables
born said the final version will remember which episodes you’ve already watched , and will highlight the ones you have yet to see . because it pulls in results from other video services , such as joost , hulu , youtube and fancast , hundreds of shows are available immediately , on demand . the neuros . tv site works on any computer , but also has an interface optimized for viewing directly on your television via the neuros link hardware .
the firmware is still being tweaked and improved regularly in anticipation of the full retail release of the osd so i won ' t comment too much on it since it will change by the time you get one in your hands . neuros technology sold a select 200 of these osd units late last year on the thinkgeek site and they are now selling the production units for us $ 229 . 99 . as you can see on the thinkgeek site there are cash bounties for developers who code functionality into the osd firmware . for example , if you can get a flickr photo browser up and running you could earn us $ 600 and if you can get youtube or google video browsing working then there is a reported us $ 1 , 000 bounty .
( but not the biology ) of neuron clusters , groups , assemblies or layers , and so might be called a “neural function emulator” . no explicit neuron models are required , although a neuros module can use neuron - synapse models internally .
osgv and oscar plan to take the first route , once they get to this stage ; reprap takes the second approach , and neuros osd and openmoko the third . free beer is brewed both by the community and by large commercial breweries .
there are lots of great resources and i recommend you check out the neuros osd information page to see what is being worked on . the neuros osd forums are also a good source of information . if you desire to mobilize your content for free with virtually unlimited possibilities available via free firmware upgrades then i recommend you keep your eye on this device and consider picking one up for yourself . we ' ll have more thoughts and a detailed review once a final release firmware is made available .
by releasing proposed specs and involving users in development of a product , neuros gets feedback from the community’s most involved users and in exchange those users get visibility and an opportunity to influence the product’s development from the very beginning .
( urltoken )
briefly , neuros applications are built interactively and iteratively in the neuros visual ide by dragging and dropping icons for modules onto a canvas and “wiring” them together into directed flow graphs with loops allowed . the modules each perform distinct input / sensing , processing , memory and output / action functions . what flows over links are events each representing a value of a distinct neural signal ( analogy to a biological neuron spiking rate ) at a particular time . multiple such signals are commingled on a single link .
on wednesday at the neuros headquarters downtown , born showed off his company’s newest innovations . in a small conference room with whiteboards scrawled with notes and flowcharts mounted on exposed brick walls , he walked through the operation of the neuros link , a device that is known in technical circles as a “media extender . ” a media extender enables users to access digital media such as mp3s and movies stored on a home computer , and then watch or listen to them on a television or living room stereo .
the project relies on decentralised development and production accomplished by geographically dispersed project members . initially new members simply volunteered and were welcomed to the team . as the community grew , a core team was formed to drive and coordinate development , while maintaining a decentralised , mostly non - hierarchical structure . the first fully functional , self - replicated reprap v1 . 0 ( called
darwin
) was completed in june 2008 and celebrated as a great success . next steps are the reduction of included thirdparty components , the advancement of the printing technology , and the recruiting of new community members .
soon neuros link will support netflix instant viewing streams as well . it outputs video and audio over hdmi , meaning it plugs directly to a high - definition television with a minimum of hassles . it also supports six - channel audio and optical audio outputs .
neuros is a non - von neumann , non - procedural parallel data - flow graph architecture that resembles biological brain organization and flow . it directly supports the notion that cognitive function emerges from the connection and interaction among functional components . it allows free composition of components into arbitrary cognitive systems , whether closely modeling biological cognition or not . it does not embody any essential sense - process - act or similar cycles , but such are easily built as neural graphs . versions of some other cognitive architectures can conceivably be built using neuros .
in 2005 , neuros offered the 442—one of an all too rare breed of portable audio / video player / recorders named after a classic muscle car . neuros released the 442 with closed source , proprietary firmware . while an open source firmware was promised for release within a
few months
of launch , it never materialized . a well - advertised project to port a linux - based operating system for eventual use as the official 442 firmware led to the recruitment of specialist greg nutt , but never resulted in any released code .
after releasing the sync protocol , born says that new software
sprang up , as if from thin air .
neuros - owners , completely independent of the company , soon released the neuros database manipulator and sorune sync managers . born admits that
a number of folks preferred those to ours ,
adding that
the community contributions [ to sync manager development ] were greater than our internal efforts in my estimation .
he indicates that discovering open source development tools was what truly opened his eyes to the concept :
these independent , open source developers had complete toolkits of free software , that were , in many cases vastly superior to the proprietary ones we had been using .
. before 2003 was out , neuros had released the source code to its own sync management software .
for neuros , transparency and openness has transitioned from a notion to an identity . six years ago , the company developed their first product behind closed doors , like most manufacturers . by the time the neuros osd ( open source device ) was envisioned , the company was in the habit of publishing its preliminary design specifications—closely guarded secrets for some companies – and actually requesting consumer feedback . they sold pre - release versions of the osd to future - adopters , hoping they would try their hand at hacking the firmware . neuros refers to the osd as an “embedded media center , ” a sort of set - top - box for audio / video playback and recording . the osd’s firmware is open source and based on the linux 2 . 6 kernel—anyone and everyone is encouraged to download the source code and improve it .
the neuros product wiki notes that the 442 is now discontinued , but preserves the scenario for posterity :
neuros is sponsoring the ongoing effort to port linux to the 442 . not as an aftermarket hack , but as an official effort supported by us , the manufacturer .
while the technical details of the port were schemed aggressively , the code never saw the light of day . to many customers , the 442 ' s failure to support vorbis —a frontier neuros once pioneered—was a similar disappointment . although the recorder and 442 were developed in an open environment , involving users in gamma testing and establishing channels for customer communication on irc and in web forums , the devices never ran open source code . the 442 and recorder each have their merits as products , but open source enthusiasts were left to wonder what went wrong .
the neuros link is a device that connects to a television via an hdmi cable and can stream web video to any hd display . the device requires a broadband connection and little else : there is no subscription fee , because the device brings in free content from the internet .
neuros is to programming languages as digital circuit design is to transistors . neuroblock modules are like lsi circuits : they do lots of work internally behind simple external interfaces . configuring neuroblocks into neural graphs allows a designer to focus on overall system organization and flow , abstracting away fine details .
urltoken is a website designed to complement the neuro link home theater pc . it aggregates online video sources , and sorts videos in an intuitive way . search for abc’s “lost” for instance , and neuros . tv will return the results sorted by season , with the newest episodes first .
then , there is the neuros osd , a standalone device for archiving all your dvds , vhs tapes and tv shows into unlocked digital recordings . it ' s particularly good for making recordings that play on your handhelds ( iphone , android and so on ) with no hassle or conversion .
so in the neuros link [ device ] , that means it can browse to any site , and you get access to all the content you can find , compared to just about any other set - top device you can imagine—from the operator boxes to the appletv to tivo and so on .
“we don’t think sony did this on purpose , but , for now , psps with the upgraded firmware won’t play files recorded with the recorder 2 , ” neuros told users this week . previously recorded content will need to be converted before it will play on a firmware 2 . 7 psp .
neuros mpeg - 4 recorder 2 remains the best way to get recorded video content on many different handheld devices . both recorders allow video playback on devices like the sony playstation portable ( psp ) , 5th generation ipod , motorola q , treo 700w and the razr v3 to name a few .
as to our other products , neuros tv is what a tvpc should be : an open device that can stream virtually any internet content to your tv . building on the lessons learned from the closed , proprietary solutions , neuros has built a device that ' s quiet , component - sized and sets up easily with all the peripherals you need and none that you don ' t . it ' s different from your typical set - top box solution , because it allows you to access any content of your choosing easily , not just the one your provider or manufacturer decides you should have .
it appears that the neuros . tv part of the equation will do most of the heavy lifting associated with getting you what you want to watch with the least amount of resistance , which should be a welcome and refreshing change , as you won’t have to download or convert stuff first . hallelujah .
neither the company nor its now - considerable and vocal customer community were very happy with the dm270 debacle . born deferred to crweb , whom he credited as being neuros ' hardware
team
at the time , to deliver proposals for moving to chipsets from amd , intel , and other vendors . eventually , neuros proposed the adoption of another ti chipset—the dm320 ( . doc ) . this time , born was convinced things would be different . continued . . . neuros and texas instruments today , born firmly believes that ti is a changed company . he writes in early 2008 ,
i was amazed to see how far things have come with ti over just the last couple years . . . just a couple years ago , our partnership with ti was considered more a free software liability than an asset .
of course , ti ' s history is not quite so black and white .
the neuros link is basically a pc designed to be the “brain” of the entertainment center in the living room . it’s a full - featured machine that is specially designed for audio and video applications . it runs on open - source ubuntu linux and uses open - source xbmc as media center software .
the neuros interface includes five programmable preset buttons , a large 128 x 128 - pixel high - resolution display and a main scroll - button that allows for easy navigation of the userõs entire music collection . in addition , an amber backlight display allows for clear visibility in daylight as well as low - light conditions .
mirroring findings from oss , we identify community - driven ( oscar , free beer ) and company - driven ( neuros osd , openmoko , osgv ) open design projects as well as projects led by members of research institutions ( reprap ) . in the neuros osd case , one company directs the development process and delivers most of the work , laying open its designs for a community to co - develop . oscar , by contrast , is entirely community - driven , similar to the reprap project in which a community is guided by a university researcher combining project and academic work . in between lie openmoko , rather closer to , but not as extreme as the neuros osd case , free beer , which unites a community of users with commercial contributors and producers , and osgv , which set out with a community of individual contributors and researchers led by a non - profit organisation , but has been largely taken over by a start - up company .
during the next year , neuros ' deployment of open development accelerated wildly . in august of 2004 , after considerable discussion with customers and negotiation with partners , the company released the source code to the dac ' s firmware . a number of alternative builds of the dac firmware with improvements , tweaks , and new features were released by volunteer contributors . in december of 2004 , neuros released the hardware schematics for the dac . in april of 2005 , born announced a $ 1000
bounty
( later doubled ) to anyone who could develop software to integrate podcasting with the dac , a tactic that would prove important in the company ' s future .
the neuros osd is a device to archive , organize , and play video content . it can record from any source with composite output including dvd players , vcrs and others . the video input is converted to mp4 format and then output to a user - installed device , either a memory card , a usb flash drive or usb hard drive , or to a network - connected pc . [ 1 ] the resulting mp4 files can then be played back by the osd on a tv , or by other devices with mp4 playback capability such as sony ' s playstation portable , apple ' s ipod , neuros 442 and other portable devices . [ 2 ]
the company ' s experience with open development would be somewhat more faltering with its next products . continued . . . the dac was succeeded by the first in the recorder series of products , a line of
mini digital vcrs
which are still in production . like most of neuros ' products , the recorder was launched as part of the
gamma program
through which neuros sells , essentially , beta versions of its devices . in the case of the recorder and osd products , customer feedback led to significant hardware changes before graduating from the gamma program . gamma adopters were offered
no - questions asked
refunds or upgrades to the revised hardware .
[ 01 : 42 ] hi everybody [ 01 : 43 ] we ' re getting ready for the * big * computex here in neuros taiwan . [ 01 : 43 ] this year , we ' re doing something special and we ' re going to let loose a cage of live chickens [ 01 : 43 ] this is going to be big .
this sort of product development is anything but orthodox . neuros’ rare stance on open source software , digital rights management , and customer involvement has garnered it substantial attention from both inside the free software community and out ( see the recent new york times or economist articles ) . a statement on digital rights on the company’s web site riles believers with condemnation of the sony rootkit fiasco and legislation to close the analog hole . in an open letter to appletv hackers , born chided the infamously - reticent cupertino company and invited the hobbyists to work on his devices . born has established himself as a desirable speaker for preaching the benefits of open development . neuros goes so far as to actively target the open source community as a market for its products .
born : like most manufacturers , neuros didn ' t pay a lot of attention to the open source movement initially , viewing the various activities on linux , web servers and browsers as an interesting but distant phenomenon with little obvious connection to our business . it was almost by happenstance that we realized what a profound impact on our business the open - source phenomenon could have .
the thing that sets neuros’ products apart from many of their competitors is the emphasis the developers put on using open hardware and software systems as much as possible , instead of building proprietary , closed systems that leave the user at the mercy of the company that built them . “these products are all open source , all the source code is out there , ” born said .
the osd was launched as neuros ' first in a planned line of products based on the dm320 running linux . the company expected to develop a new version of the 442 with a dm320 chipset , but was forced to abandon the idea . born laments ,
we ' re not currently working on it . we just don ' t have the resources .
continued . . .
neuros memory modules are trained incrementally and continuously by experience . unlike conventional machine learning technologies , no batch training with large data sets is required . a neuros memory pattern is similar to a cluster in unsupervised learning . if current input signal values do not match any known patterns well enough , a new pattern is created . if the feature combination matches one or more known patterns well enough , a memory pattern module emits match signals with values proportional to matching scores . and , feature - specific parameters ( weights , expected values , expected times , spreads ) of the best - matching pattern ( s ) are adjusted according to a learning rate . design - time parameters control cluster breadth , providing a range of patterns from very narrow exemplars to broader stereotypes , enabling flexible natural memory heterarchies .
while born described the release of these tools as
generous ,
it ' s worth noting that their release was prompted by
many months
of negotiation and convincing . kridner adds ,
neuros had a strong persuasion on us providing both the c54x code generation tools release in 2007 and the recent c6000 code generation tools by showing that there is a clear need for these tools .
the psp can connect to a macintosh through its usb 2 . 0 interface , which can be used to convert and transfer video and other content to the memory stick pro duo card the psp uses to store data . neuros’ mpeg - 4 recorder 2 saves you that intermediate step , enabling you to record directly from your video source to the memory stick , without having to go through the computer first .
an amalgamation of development and production stages can also be identified in our two cases which feature production by the company coordinating the project . both openmoko and neuros osd rely on “release procedures [ which ] are deliberately very soft” ( neuros osd ) , whereby different test versions are produced and released to the community , either for free or at a cost , for testing and improvement . the target group for this co - development and co - testing process is successively expanded ; advanced test versions are offered for general sale . thus one version is sold in the market , while the follow - on improved version is being developed based on community feedback . what seems noteworthy in this context is a considerable fault tolerance among the community : their eagerness to buy ‘bug - ridden’ beta versions or ‘developer samples’ for co - development took supplying companies by surprise .
people who are tired of stacks of dvds and vhs tapes in the living room may find the neuros an inexpensive way to tidy up : an entire library can be archived on a u . s . b . hard drive . then you can stroll through your own personal video shop from the living room couch or , when traveling , plug the drive into a laptop to watch programs recorded from satellite or cable service at home .
defines an operating system as “… software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs . ” the “computer programs” in this case are neural graphs specifying the flow of neural activity signals among computational components . neuros provides such programs with portable , scalable , distributable interfaces , and manages underlying computer operating system ( and in some cases , hardware ) facilities to achieve correct operation of such programs . more broadly , as in the windows
open sourcing the dac born describes the company ' s first step into the world of open development as almost unwitting . the company released the specification for the dac / pc file synchronization protocol in june of 2003 . later that same month , neuros announced a collaboration with urltoken to make the dac the first portable media player to support ogg vorbis , the open audio format . under the agreement , xiph produced positron , an open source music synchronization ( sync ) manager that supported vorbis and ran on linux .
faced with three problems , the need to innovate , the need to obtain very detailed customer feedback on application features , and the need for speed in the fast - moving video space , neuros ceo joe born successively laid open its design specifications and development process to a growing community for feedback , bug tracking , documentation , and co - development . some parts of the design , e . g . components delivered by third party vendors , as well as corporate decision processes , remain closed to the public .
this concept of openness is better known as open source ( os ) and in the context of software it means that you are free to view and modify the software’s source code . the equivalent concept in the hardware world is called open source hardware ( see box for definition ) and lately , this concept has seen a renewed interest . this interest is not just limited to the electronics hobbyists and enthusiasts but also to commercial companies like sun , neuros , and bug labs , which are enabling os hardware to gain traction again .
in the meetings , born identifies the cause of the open source hold - ups . he points to
incredibly sensitive
middleware vendors and production houses—the engineering teams that born ' s small company turned to for help with creating its products—who refused to distribute information about their intellectual property that would be necessary for releasing source code . in retrospect , born comments that they
presumably saw it as a threat to their proprietary software business .
as a result , neuros wasn ' t allowed to release any code if they wanted to .
but these are just the daily functions , designed for duffers like me . gamers at their consoles can record their online contests , edit the videos and share them with friends . brett manners , a mechanical engineer and wind - surfing instructor in perth , australia , had another innovative use for the device . he rigged up a combination of the osd and a video camera and used it to record his wind - surfing adventures directly to mpeg - 4 format . ( to watch some excerpts , see “windsurfing with the neuros osd” on youtube . )
the hd60gb mp3 digital audio computer is a portable audio computer that puts your music listening into overdrive . store over 12 , 000 songs on the massive 60gb hard drive . record new songs from any fm station or wire input device . any playlist changes or downloads are automatically synchronized and executed . includes earphones , car adaptor , wall outlet , usb cable and neuros synchronization manager software offers 10 hours of playback with the rechargeable lithium ion battery dimensions ( wxhxd ) - 5 . 3 x 3 . 1 x 1 . 3 weight - 9 . 4 oz .
the problems stemmed from neuros ' adoption of texas instrument ' s dual - core dm270 chipset for the recorder and osd . the chip was actually chosen with open source in mind—the
theory
, born explains , is that any proprietary multimedia code would run on the dm270 ' s specialized multimedia chip ( the dsp , digital signal processor ) , while open source code—a linux - based firmware—would run on the dm270 ' s arm chip . arm is a commonplace architecture powering a large portion of the world ' s pdas , mp3 players , and cell phones .
the neuros link is currently in what the creators are calling the “gamma program , ” a sort of public beta testing phase . the software and interface are still undergoing substantial development , but the device is available for sale at a small number of retailers , mostly to early - adopters and hackers that want to try out the platform and contribute to the development efforts . the link is priced at $ 299 , about the same as an xbox 360 . born said that this testing phase is essential to get the system refined to the point that everyday users can feel comfortable with the device .
basically , neuros is looking to create a device that fills the gap between the typical electronics that connect the net and tv ( of varying shapes and sizes ) and the wide - open htpc . we want to provide navigation and ease of use like a ce device , but with the openness of the pc . enabling that functionality is a host of free software . under the hood , the link is really a diskless , quiet pc , and with all the power and expansion of the pc , but over time , we ' re adding all the seamless navigation of a nice electronics device .
jb : an odm is a original design manufacturer—basically a factory that adds design capability and initiates development of products , providing a more turnkey solution to its customers . neuros considers itself a “super odm” , meaning we not only take responsibility for design , but also launch our products directly to involved users , get immediate feedback from those customers and evolve the product . this means that , to our customers ( the larger electronics brands ) , we have not only done design work , but also evolved the products in direct response to users ' needs , proven the early market for the devices and taken a lot of the risk out of the process for our customers .
the neuros osd comes in a high glossy black plastic finish with a plastic bracket to prop the osd up vertically . there is an a / c adapter to power the unit and also an ir out jack so you can control your devices with the included universal remote . i had to unplug the av - in ports from my slingbox to connect the osd and then plugged the a / v - out cables into a 3rd a / v connection i had on my lcd tv . i recorded episodes of lost and csi to watch on my psp and it was a simple process of using the remote to navigate the menu system and select psp output in my recording settings .


nufarm , is an agricultural chemical company headquartered in melbourne , australia .

established in 1956 , the company was founded by max fremder .

it holds more than 2,100 product registrations , and markets products in more than 100 countries around the world .

the company is a manufacturer of phenoxies , a class of herbicides that controls and eradicates broadleaved weeds .

these products are manufactured in globally networked facilities in australia , england , austria and the netherlands .

a large range of other crop protection products are produced in manufacturing facilities in australia , new zealand , asia , europe , africa and america .

nufarm has also developed a position in the turf and specialty markets ( lawn care , golf courses , municipal parks , aquatic and forestry weed control ) .

as at close on friday 23 september 2016 , it 's ordinary share capital was valued at aud$ 9.16 , implying a market capitalisation of aud$ 2.44 billion .

nufarm limited

donald mcgauchie is the chairman of nufarm limited and a director of graincorp limited . his previous roles with public companies include chairman of telstra corporation limited , deputy chairman of ridley corporation limited , director of national foods limited , chairman of woolstock , chairman of the victorian rural finance corporation ( statutory corporation ) , and also president of the national farmers federation .
tom keene has an extensive career in agriculture and is the former managing director of graincorp limited , where he established the company as a listed entity . he is the former chairman of allied mills limited and grain trade australia limited . tom is currently a director of cotton seed distributors limited and midway limited .
how nufarm limited is planning a $ 627 million expansion into europe motley fool australia the nufarm limited ( asx : nuf ) share price isn ' t going anywhere after the agricultural chemical company requested its shares be placed in a trading halt . why are its shares in a trading halt ? in an announcement , nufarm requested a trading halt from the . . . and more »
nufarm delivers strong revenue , ebit and net profit growth in first six months .
why nufarm limited could be a buying opportunity amid the market carnage motley fool australia shares in nufarm limited ( asx : nuf ) have been caught up in the global market sell - off but the dip could present an opportunity if credit suisse is to be believed . the broker had only upgrade the stock to âoutperformâ from âneutralâ on friday before the . . .
nufarm welcomes world ' s first regulatory approval for plant - based long chain omega - 3 .
the nufarm brand is evolving everyday . everyday , our products help grow a better tomorrow , and…
why the nufarm limited share price climbed 5 % higher despite lower profits motley fool australia agricultural chemical company nufarm limited ( asx : nuf ) released interim results today , reporting net profit after tax down 40 % to $ 12 million and underlying ebit down 12 % to $ 75 million . the upgrade of the laverton manufacturing plant was a one - off . . . and more »
mr borland joined the board on 2 november 2016 . he graduated from lincoln university with a bachelor of agricultural commerce degree . following a twenty year career in banking , mr borland joined scales corporation limited in 2007 as its chief executive officer . he became its managing director in 2011 and is currently in that role . in addition to his directorships within the scales group , mr borland is the chairman of akaroa salmon limited , primary collaboration new zealand limited and primary collaboration new zealand ( shanghai ) co limited . he is also a director of george h investments limited , loganbrae limited , pipfruit new zealand incorporated , rabo australia limited and rabobank new zealand limited . mr borland is a member of the board audit committee , the board risk and compliance committee and the board remuneration committee .
what are the quant signals telling us about nufarm limited ( asx : nuf ) mtl news here we will take a look at several key ratios for nufarm limited ( asx : nuf ) , starting with the book to market ( btm ) ratio . . . . this cash is what a company uses to meet its financial obligations , such as making payments on debt or to pay out dividends . . .
is nufarm limited ' s ( asx : nuf ) growth strong enough to justify its june share price ? simply wall st nufarm limited ( asx : nuf ) closed yesterday at a $ 8 . 89 , which left some investors asking whether the high earnings potential can still be justified at this price . below i will be talking through a basic metric which will help answer this question . see our . . .
he has a bachelor of science ( hons ) from the university of nsw and holds a master of business administration from monash university . peter has many years of leadership experience in major australian and international food companies . his most recent role was a chief executive of goodman fielder ltd and , before that peter was chief executive and chief operating officer of national foods ltd . he has also held senior management roles in simplot australia pty ltd , pacific brands limited ( formerly known as pacific dunlop limited ) , east asiatic company , hj heinz company australia limited and is currently executive chair of asahi beverages anz . peter is a director of asx listed companies bega cheese limited , pact group holdings limited and costa group holdings limited . in the past 3 years peter was a director of ricegrowers limited , pmp limited and huon aquaculture group limited . peter is chairman of the human resources committee and a member of the audit & risk committee .
she has a bachelor of commerce ( hons ) from university college galway and is a fellow of the institute of chartered accountants in australia and a fellow of the australian institute of company directors . she was formerly the executive finance director for the coates group and chief financial officer for csr . prior to this anne was a partner in professional services firms ernst & young , andersen and kpmg . anne is a director of charter hall group , argo investments limited and metcash limited . she is also a director of rabobank australia limited and rabobank new zealand limited . in the past 3 years , anne was a director and deputy chairperson of echo entertainment group limited and a director of cuscal limited and myer holdings limited . anne is a member of the audit & risk committee and human resources committee .
nufarm reports npat down 40 . 31 % to $ 11 . 96m for the half - year to 31 january 2018
sir henry van der heyden joined the board on 23 march 2012 and was appointed its chairman on 29 november 2017 . sir henry graduated from canterbury university with a bachelor of engineering with honours . he was a founding director of fonterra co - operative group from the co - operative ' s establishment in 2001 and held the role of chairman from 2002 to 2012 . sir henry is chairman of auckland international airport limited , rabo australia limited , rabobank new zealand limited , tainui group holdings limited , rimu sa limited and manuka sa limited . he is also a director of foodstuffs north island limited and pascaro investments limited . sir henry is a member of the board audit committee and the board risk and compliance committee and the chairman of the board remuneration committee . sir henry was awarded new zealand herald business person of the year in 2007 , new zealand chairman of the year in 2012 and the prestigious rabobank leadership award in 2015 .
only 3 days left to nufarm limited ( asx : nuf ) ' s ex - dividend date , is it worth buying ? simply wall st if you are interested in cashing in on nufarm limited ' s ( asx : nuf ) upcoming dividend of a $ 0 . 05 per share , you only have 3 days left to buy the shares before its ex - dividend date , 05 april 2018 , in time for dividends payable on the 04 may 2018 . is this . . . and more »
nufarm uk ltd is one of the top six suppliers of agrochemical products in the uk , providing a full range of crop protection products for grassland , arable , horticultural crops and products for use in amenity situations and by local authorities . nufarm continues to widen its product range by investing in manufacturing plant and registration packages , ensuring the long term supply of top quality products to nufarm customers .
david crombie is a director of alliance aviation services limited and foodbank queensland limited . he was a founding partner and is currently a non - executive director of grm international and he is also a commissioner of the australian centre for international agricultural research ( aciar ) .
ms brennan joined the board on 28 november 2011 . she holds a bachelor of commerce degree from the university college galway and is a fellow of the institute of chartered accountants in australia and a fellow of the australian institute of company directors . ms brennan also serves as a non - executive director on the boards of charter hall group , nufarm limited , argo investments limited , metcash limited , rabobank new zealand limited and rabo australia limited . her former executive roles included chief financial officer of csr and finance director of the coates group . previously , in a 25 year career in professional services , she was a partner in three leading firms – kpmg , arthur andersen and ernst & young . ms brennan is the chair of the board audit committee and the board risk and compliance committee and a member of the board remuneration committee .
nufarm limited is one of the world ' s leading crop protection and specialist seeds companies . we produce products to help farmers protect their crops against damage caused by weeds , pests and disease . with manufacturing and marketing operations based in australia , new zealand , asia , europe and the americas , nufarm employs more than 3 , 400 people , all of whom make a vital contribution to the company ' s reputation for quality products , innovation and first class marketing and technical support . nufarm is listed on the australian stock exchange ( symbol nuf ) and its head office is located at laverton in melbourne .
nufarm has manufacturing and marketing operations throughout australia , new zealand , asia , the americas and europe and sells products in more than 100 countries around the world .
he has a bachelor of forest science ( hons ) , master of agricultural science and holds a master of business administration . gordon is a director of midway limited , primary health care limited and was managing director of awb limited between 2006 and 2010 . prior to this , he held various senior executive positions with orica limited , including general manager of orica mining services ( australia , asia ) and general manager of incitec fertilizers . he has also served in a senior capacity on various industry associations . gordon is chairman of the health , safety & environment committee and a member of the audit & risk committee and the human resources committee .
he was the inaugural chair and is a current board member of the australian accounting professional and ethical standards board . stuart is the representative of the australian accounting bodies on the international federation of accountants small medium practice committee , chairman of the chartered accountants benevolent fund limited and a director of country education foundation of australia limited .
disclosure : investsmart group limited employees may have an interest in the securities and managed funds displayed via this service . please refer to our financial services guide for more information .
nufarm limited ( nuf ) is a crop protection and specialist seeds companies . company product products to help farmers to protect their crops against damage caused by weeds , pests and disease . nufarm has manufacturing and marketing operations throughout australia , new zealand , asia , the americas and europe and sells products in more than 100 countries around the world and employs more than 3 , 400 people , all of whom make a vital contribution to the company ' s reputation for quality products , innovation and first class marketing and technical support .
stuart black has extensive experience in agribusiness . he is a current non - executive director of netcomm wireless limited and a past president of the institute of chartered accountants of australia .
before you buy parabolic drugs limited ' s ( nse : parabdrugs ) , consider this simply wall st for parabolic drugs limited ' s ( nsei : parabdrugs ) shareholders , and also potential investors in the stock , understanding how the stock ' s risk and return characteristics can impact your portfolio is important . generally , an investor should consider two . . .
why the elders ltd ( asx : eld ) share price plunged 15 % today motley fool australia elders ' diversified offer of services to the rural economy seemed to grant enough resilience to climate conditions , and the company had managed to grow its underlying profit by 13 % in the first half of the year , while industry peers nufarm limited ( asx . . . and more »
the dogs of the s & p / asx 200 ( asx : xjo ) to back in the new financial year yahoo7 news one underachiever i like is seed and crop protection products supplier nufarm limited ( asx : nuf ) . . . . i am referring to telstra corporation ltd ( asx : tls ) , which is the worst performing blue - chip stock on the market following its 40 % fall from grace . . .
fmc corp ( fmc ) will divest a portion of its european herbicide portfolio to nufarm to satisfy its commitments to the european commission related to its recent acquisition of a major portion of dupont ' s crop protection business .
coinciding with his appointment to head up the rabobank australia and new zealand group , mr knoblanche joined the board on 1 july 2016 . he holds a bachelor of commerce degree from wollongong university and is a graduate member of the australian institute of company directors . mr knoblanche is a member of rabobank’s global management team for wholesale , rural and retail banking and is responsible for the rabobank australia and new zealand group in his capacity of regional managing director and ceo rabobank australia . he has over 30 years’ experience in both wholesale and retail banking , having held positions with various australian and international banks . mr knoblanche joined rabobank in 1996 and has held several management roles within rabobank australia and new zealand group . prior to his current role , mr knoblanche was deputy ceo of rabobank australia and the deputy managing director of rabobank australia and new zealand group and had led rabobank’s australian rural banking operations for the past 10 years . mr knoblanche is also a director of rabobank new zealand limited , rabo australia limited , graincorp pools pty limited , rabo equipment finance limited and soft commodity trading pty limited .
nufarm announced the intention of its wholly - owned subsidiaries , nufarm australia and nufarm americas to offer , subject to market and other conditions , us $ 450m aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2026 . the notes will only be offered to qualify institutional buyers in the us pursuant to rule 144a under the us securities act of 1933 , as amended and to certain persons outside the us in offshore transactions in reliance on regulation s under the securities act . if successful , it intends to apply the net proceeds received from the notes to fully repay amounts outstanding under the existing senior unsecured notes on issue together with repaying some outstanding loans drawn under the group ' s syndicated bank facility .
chemical supplier nufarm has agreed to pay $ 691 million for a european portfolio of crop protection products , and has its eye on another acquisition . the purchase announced on tuesday includes established brands of herbicides , fungicides , insecticides , seed treatments and plant growth regulators sold in 29 countries including germany , spain , france and italy . nufarm said the acquisition from adama agricultural solutions , syngenta crop protection and related companies covered more than 50 formulations and more than 260 registrations .
as a publicly listed company , nufarm recognises its reponsibilities to comply with appropriate corporate governance standards and guidelines . the company ' s directors and management believe that compliance with these standards and guidelines assists in the creation of long term shareholder value . this section of the website provides details of the various corporate governance and disclosure policies adopted by nufarm . they cover areas such as the composition and responsibilities of the nufarm board of directors ; risk management , shareholder communications and disclosure ; and internal trading in the company ' s shares , among others . the policies are separately listed below for your convenience . these policies are reviewed on an ongoing basis and we provide a current statement on corporate governance related matters in our annual report .
greg joined nufarm in 2012 and was group executive commercial operations prior to being appointed acting chief executive officer in february 2015 . greg has considerable executive and agribusiness experience . greg had a successful career at elders before being appointed managing director of elders australia limited , a position he held between 2001 - 2007 . after leaving elders , greg worked with various private equity firms focussed on the agriculture sector and has acted as a corporate advisor to australian and international organisations in agribusiness related matters .
nufarm announced the pricing by its wholly - owned subsidiaries , nufarm australia and nufarm americas of us $ 475m in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes maturing in 2026 ( the notes ) in an offering to qualified institutional buyers in the us pursuant to rule 144a under the us securities act of 1933 , as amended ( the securities act ) , and to certain persons outside the us in offshore transactions in reliance on regulation s under the securities act . the notes will have a fixed rate coupon of 5 . 750 % . it intends to apply the net proceeds received from the notes to fully repay amounts outstanding under the existing senior unsecured notes on issue ( which are due to mature in october 2019 ) together with repaying some outstanding loans .
mr ford has a master of taxation from the university of melbourne and a bachelor of business , accounting from rmit university and is a fellow of the institute of chartered accountants . frank is a former managing partner of deloitte victoria after a long and successful career as a professional advisor spanning some 35 years . during that period , mr ford was also a member of the deloitte global board , global governance committee and national management committee . frank is a director of tarrawarra museum of art limited and a former non - executive director of manassen foods group . in the past 3 years frank was a director of citigroup pty limited and toll holdings limited . frank is the chairman of the audit & risk committee and a member of the nomination & governance committee .
nufarm uk ltd is based at wyke near bradford where a wide range of top quality crop protection products , chemical intermediates , performance chemicals and polymerisation inhibitors are manufactured . all this is backed by versatile formulation and packaging facilities . products are exported throughout the world .
following the conversion of the ‘c’ shares into ordinary shares , he was elected a director in 1999 . he has a doctorate in chemical engineering and experience in the chemical and food trading business and financial and commercial business management experience . dr goodfellow is a director of sanford ltd , a public company registered in new zealand and listed on nzx limited , chairman of refrigeration engineering co . ltd and sulkem co . ltd and a director of cambridge lane property limited , all privately owned companies . bruce is a member of the nomination & governance committee .
mr geerten battjes joined the board on 28 may 2015 . he holds an honours degree in econometrics from the state university of groningen in the netherlands . mr battjes joined rabobank in 2009 and was responsible for the risk management function within rabobank ' s international operations . he is now rabobank ' s chief risk officer , wholesale , rural and retail . mr battjes ' other directorships include rabobank new zealand limited and rabo australia limited . he is a member of the board audit committee , the board risk and compliance committee and the board remuneration committee .
difficulty in controlling blackgrass in winter cereals has renewed interest in spring cereal cropping . nufarm has a broad range of products for broadleaf weed control in spring cereals . most of these are non su ' s offering solutions for broadleaved weed resistance management . these products offer flexible and cost effective weed control
nufarm announced that the european commission has approved , under the eu merger regulation , its acquisition of the century portfolio from adama agricultural solutions of israel and syngenta ag of switzerland . this is a component of the ec clearance process , representing satisfaction of one of the principal substantive conditions precedent to completion of the acquisition .
marie has a bachelor of laws ( honours ) and a bachelor of science ( honours ) and was a senior partner at ashurst until 2014 , specialising in mergers and acquisitions , corporate governance and commercial law . she was widely recognised as one of australia ' s leading corporate and commercial lawyers . marie is a director of csl limited , nanosonics limited and the walter and eliza hall institute of medical research . she was chair of the corporations committee of the business law section of the law council of australia from 2012 to 2013 , having previously been the deputy chair , and was a member of the australian takeovers panel from 2001 to 2010 . marie is a member of the audit & risk committee and the health safety and environment committee .
mr marttin joined the board on 26 november 2010 . he has a master’s degree business administration from the university of western ontario ( richard ivey school of business ) . mr marttin is a member of the managing board of rabobank and co - chairman of rabobank ' s global management team for wholesale , rural & retail banking . mr marttin has been with rabobank since 1990 . he has extensive experience as an international banker in both wholesale and retail banking . his other directorships include rabobank new zealand limited , rabo australia limited , rabobank international holding bv , de lage landen international bv , obvion bv and rabohytheekbank nv . mr marttin is a member of the board audit committee , the board risk and compliance committee and the board remuneration committee .
ms segal joined the board on 12 march 2018 . she graduated with a bachelor of arts and law ( university medalist for law ) from the university of nsw and has a master of law from harvard university . ms segal was appointed a member of the order of australia in 2005 and awarded a centenary medal in 2003 . she is also a fellow of the australian institute of company directors . ms segal holds a number of non - executive positions including deputy chancellor of unsw , chair of the general sir john monash foundation and the australia israel chamber of commerce ( nsw ) , directorships with the garvan institute of medical research , grattan institute , rabo australia limited , rabobank new zealand limited and is a trustee of the sydney opera house trust . ms segal is a member of the board audit committee , the board risk and compliance committee and the board remuneration committee .
agricultural chemicals and seeds supplier nufarm says its purchase of a portfolio of european herbicides for cereal crops for about $ us85 million ( $ a119 million ) will boost its earnings . the company is buying eight formulations based on four main active ingredients primarily used to control broadleaf weeds in cereal crops . us - based fmc corporation is selling the portfolio to meet the european commission requirements related to fmc ' s acquisition of certain crop protection assets from dupont .
nufarm reported npat down 40 . 31 % to $ 11 . 96m for the half - year ended 31 january 2018 . revenue from ordinary activities were $ 1 , 460 . 13m , up 7 . 4 % from last year . basic and diluted eps were 2 . 2 cents compared to 5 . 3 cents last year . the net operating cash outflow was $ 199 . 14m compared to an outflow of $ 149 . 05m in the pcp . the interim dividend declared was 5 cents , compared with 5 cents last year .
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nufarm announced after receipt of the remaining regulatory approvals and satisfaction of the remaining conditions , it has completed the adama component of the acquisition of the century portfolio of products and assets . it anticipates that the completion of the acquisition of the syngenta component of the century portfolio will take place in the next few days . the century product portfolio includes established brands with over 50 crop protection formulations and more than 260 registrations for use in european markets . the portfolio has been divested by adama and syngenta to meet the european commission ' s requirements relating to the acquisition of syngenta by chemchina .
our north american operation encompasses several business units serving agriculture , turf , ornamental and greenhouse , seed treatment , and industrial vegetation management . nuseed , our global seed business , is also based in the us . two plants in the chicago area produce 90 percent of the product we sell in the us . our alsip site , opened in 2013 , produces fungicides , insecticides , growth regulators and seed treatments . this state - of - the art facility includes a full quality control lab , a pilot plant , and unique custom - blend capabilities . nufarm chicago heights has a colorful history – the site was once an ax handle factory , and later a brewery . now , the site is undergoing a major re - fit that will transform the site over the next few years . new reactors , new packaging lines and new office space will make it an even more efficient plant for our high - volume herbicides . co - located with the alsip plant is our nufarm north american headquarters and the global headquarters of our nuseed seed technology subsidiary . proximity to research triangle park , multiple major universities , and a deep pool of local talent are key benefits of our morrisville , north carolina site , which is home to our research and development , regulatory and marketing teams .
he has wide commercial experience within the agricultural , food processing , commodity trading , finance and telecommunication sectors . he also has extensive public policy experience , having previously held several high - level advisory positions to the government including the prime minister’s supermarket to asia council , the foreign affairs council and the trade policy advisory council . he is a former member of the board of the reserve bank of australia . donald is chairman of australian agricultural company limited and a director of graincorp ltd . in the past 3 years , donald was a director of james hardie industries plc . donald is chairman of the nomination & governance committee and a member of the human resources committee .
nufarm announced that approval has been granted for the production and use in feed and human consumption of the company ' s proprietary omega - 3 canola . developed by company ' s subsidiary nuseed , in collaboration with the commonwealth scientific and industrial research organisation ( csiro ) and the grains research and development corporation ( grdc ) , this omega - 3 canola is the plant - based source of long - chain omega - 3 fatty acids . the australian office of gene technology regulator ( ogtr ) announced that nuseed ' s omega - 3 canola has been approved for cultivation and use in animal feed . food uses of the omega - 3 canola have been reviewed by food standards australia nz ( fsanz ) , with approval granted for sale and use in food in australia and nz .
nufarm announced it expects underlying earnings before interest and tax ( ebit ) for the twelve months to 31 july 2018 to be 5 % above the previous year . this compares to the guidance of 5 to 10 % growth provided at the first half results release . the trading result has been impacted by challenging climatic conditions across the key regions of australia / nz , europe and north america . in australia , the company have seen a continuation of the dry conditions in april 2018 , with many parts of the country recording their driest april on record . the extended winter in both europe and north america has delayed grower demand for its products . the delayed season will also have an impact on the phasing of net working capital and will result in a higher level of net working capital .
mr pruijs was re - appointed to the board on 24 may 2016 – having previously served as a director from 26 november 2010 to 27 august 2014 . he holds a master’s degree in business law from leiden university , the netherlands . in 2013 he successfully completed the advanced management program at harvard business school . mr pruijs is currently global head of rural and retail banking of rabobank , which includes responsibility for banking activities in australia , new zealand , chile , brazil , ireland , north america and indonesia . mr pruijs has more than 30 years of experience as a banker . he started his banking career in 1984 at abn amro bank , the netherlands , and assumed a number of senior positions in the areas of global clients , corporate and investment banking , risk management and financial markets . he joined rabobank in 2008 as a member of the managing board of rabobank international responsible for asia , australia and new zealand , and later for poland . he holds a number of leadership roles at rabobank which includes chairman of the board for rna , president commissioner of the board of commissioners for rabobank indonesia , member of the board for rabo australia limited and member of the board for rabobank new zealand . he is also a member of rabobank’s management team wholesale , rural and retail and is responsible for rural and retail .
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this confession season has thrown up a few ugly surprises but investors may have over - reacted to two of these sinners .
those who subscribe to the
dogs of dow
investment strategy won ' t want to buy all the laggards on the market . but there are three that stand out .
shares in australian agribusiness company elders ltd ( asx : eld ) have dropped into the red .
while insiders may sell their shareholdings for many reasons , such as personal needs for cash , they tend to buy more shares with one motive in mind – increase their exposureread more . . .
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donald mcgauchie ao , joined the board in 2003 and was appointed chairman in 2010 .
bruce goodfellow joined the board representing the holders of the ‘c’ shares in 1991 .
mr takasaki represents the interests of 23 % shareholder sumitomo chemical company ( scc ) . he has a bachelor of business administration from the university of tokyo and is a former executive of scc holding senior management positions in businesses relating to crop protection , both within japan and in the us . he is now a business consultant with a national qualification registered by the japanese ministry of economy , trade and industry as a small and medium sized enterprise consultant . he brings broad industry and international experience to the board . toshikazu is a member of the health , safety and environment committee .
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top croppers® has been delivering benefits to our rural partners for over 20 years .
if you have been having trouble controlling volunteer oilseed rape , annual nettle and other broadleaved weeds in stubble or green cover prior to tillage , kyleo is the answer to your problem . containing glyphosate and 2 , 4 - d , kyleo gives quicker and more robust control of broadleaved weeds than straight glyphosate but still controls grassweeds . kyleo is specially formulated to get the best out of both actives . a useful product for destruction of cover crops too
grassmanship is all about protecting your most important asset , grass . how much grass you grow determines how much stock you can carry . the grassmanship brochure explains the benefits of thinking long term , to increase grassland productivity and quality . we explain our product range available in new leys , established grassland , clover safe situations and run through the key timings for the most important weeds . click the brochure to download .
boost grassland dry matter by up to 60 % within 21 days of application . smartgrass provides the extra hormone to get grass growing after grazing and is an ideal tool for use in intensive grazing systems . smartgrass is particularly useful in early spring to boost feed supply
use plant protection products safely . always read the label and product information before use . further information including warning phrases and symbols can be found on this web site
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top stock picks for july motley fool australia the nature of many of these attractions mean that often there are only 1 or 2 local providers , and experience co should be able to better promote and cross - sell its attractions , claiming market share . while it ' s not cheap on the face of it , . . . despite . . .
what you should know about nasdaq fund network nasdaq on march 28 , nasdaq ( ndaq ) announced the relaunch of the mutual fund quotation services ( mfqs ) as nasdaq fund network ( nfn ) , a service which brings vital information about investment products to millions of people at no cost . let ' s take a quick look . . . and more »
nasdaq launches nasdaq fund network to expand market transparency globenewswire ( press release ) new york , march 28 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - nasdaq ( nasdaq : ndaq ) today announced the expansion and relaunch of nasdaq ' s mutual fund quotation service ( mfqs ) as nasdaq fund network ( nfn ) . nasdaq fund network is a global investment . . . and more »
ellevest enters the impact investing space : portfolio products thinkadvisor kng is index - based and seeks to track the cboe s & p 500 dividend aristocrats target income index monthly series ( spati ) , an index designed to track the performance of a partial overwriting strategy applied to the stock holdings of the well - known s & p 500 . . .
students to get daily dose of milk nutrition indiacsr ( press release ) ( blog ) bokaro : national dairy development board ( nddb ) through its ' nddb foundation for nutrition ' ( nfn ) and bokaro power supply company ( p ) ltd . recently launched the ' gift milk ' programme in schools of bokaro . under the program bokaro power supply . . . and more »
does centamin plc ' s ( lon : cey ) pe ratio signal a selling opportunity ? simply wall st centamin plc ( lse : cey ) trades with a trailing p / e of 18 . 6x , which is higher than the industry average of 12 . 7x . while this makes cey appear like a stock to avoid or sell if you own it , you might change your mind after i explain the assumptions behind . . . and more »
is pjsc lukoil ( mcx : lkoh ) a sell at its current pe ratio ? simply wall st pjsc lukoil ( misx : lkoh ) is currently trading at a trailing p / e of 7 . 4x , which is higher than the industry average of 5 . 8x . while lkoh might seem like a stock to avoid or sell if you own it , it is important to understand the assumptions behind the p / e . . .
nebbiolo technologiesâ¢ launches its fog computing offering to address the challenges of industrial automation pr newswire ( press release ) milpitas , calif . , feb . 28 , 2017 / prnewswire / - - nebbiolo technologies tm launched on february 9 th , 2017 , its first product line , embracing fog computing ( often referred to as edge computing ) as a keystone for the industrial iot and industry 4 . 0 . and more »
labor reforms must take aim at union influence abc online the main problem for labor isn ' t its system of leadership ballot , but rather the excessive influence of unions in the selection of individual mps , writes peter reith . congratulations to bill shorten for becoming labor leader . he is the seventh labor . . . and more »
donald mcgauchie was appointed an independent director on 19 may 2010 and subsequently chairman on 24 august 2010 .
during 2011 he retired as a member of the reserve bank board . in 2001 donald mcgauchie was named the rabobank agribusiness leader of the year , was later awarded the centenary medal for services to australian society through agriculture and business and in 2004 was appointed an officer of the order of australia .
anthony enjoyed 21 years working with macquarie bank where he applied his legal and accountancy training and qualifications in a range of business areas and transactions .
in 2003 anthony established macquarie’s agricultural funds management business and as the head of this business was responsible for over 3 million hectares of operations in a range of agricultural enterprises including beef production .
anthony has a range of continuing non - executive directorships with companies within or associated with the macquarie group .
in 2012 he was appointed a member of the order of australia for services to the profession of accounting , to ethical standards , as a contributor to professional organisations , and to the community .
david is the immediate past president of the national farmers federation , former chairman of mla and a former director of grainco australia , the meat industry council and export finance insurance corporation .
shehan dissanayake is a senior managing director and member of the board of directors of the tavistock group , a privately held investment company . he has responsibility for portfolio strategy across 200 companies in 15 countries , and is ceo of tavistock life sciences , an operating unit of the tavistock group .
before joining tavistock group in 2002 , shehan was a managing partner of arthur andersen with responsibility for strategy and business planning for the global legal , tax and hr consulting divisions of the firm , encompassing 1 , 600 partners and 15 , 000 professionals .
earlier in his career , shehan was involved in the medical research and technology industries . he holds a ph . d . in pharmacological and physiological sciences from the university of chicago .
in 2007 tom was the recipient of the nab agribusiness leader of the year award .
hugh killen was appointed ceo in december 2017 . prior to this , he held the position of president and cco in a consulting capacity , responsible for the aaco operations and finance functions .
he joins aaco from westpac institutional bank where he brings 27 years’ experience in global financial markets . he spent the first three years of his westpac tenure at head office , followed by three years in london and five years in new york as westpac’s division head in north america .
from 2012 hugh was westpac’s global head of ficc managing trading desks across asia pacific , uk and us . hugh sat on the financial markets management team and was responsible for trading globally . he was also a member of the australian fx committee and board member of the afme global fx division . previously he spent seven years at state street bank & trust co in london and dresdner bank sydney .
neil reisman was appointed a director on 10 may 2016 . mr reisman is a managing director and member of the board of directors of the tavistock group . since joining the firm in 2004 , he has held multiple roles including chairing tavistock group’s investment committee and having the general counsel and chief financial officer report into him .
neil spends most of his time working with portfolio companies within the tavistock group . he has more than 30 years of business experience with emphasis on operations , legal , tax and finance . previously , neil worked at various multinational companies , including arthur andersen and amoco corporation . he received his juris doctor in 1986 from the university of pennsylvania law school and his bachelors of science in accountancy in 1983 from the university of illinois .
during the past three years neil has not served as a director of any other listed company .
jessica is founder and chair of jessica’s suitcase , a tmall global store . she launched the fast growing online australian lifestyle retailer in 2015 when she and her young family returned to australia after five years living in beijing . she serves as alibaba’s australian and new zealand lifestyle ambassador and has worked as a lawyer , in politics and communications . she has written two novels—campaign ruby and ruby blues—and contributes opinion pieces to newspapers and magazines .
jessica holds a bachelor of laws ( hons ) / bachelor of commerce from griffith university and was admitted to the supreme court of queensland as a solicitor in 2007 . she was awarded the griffith university arts , education and law alumnus of the year in 2013 .