This equipment should be installed, maintained, and operated by technically qualified personnel. Settlement Point. • Rod Extensometer. • Horizontal Inclinometer. • Predict and adjust the final grade of an embankment. • Verify the performance of engineered foundations. Design and build for lateral earth pressures. 4.2.13 The performance of the protective measures have to be checked by a monitoring system in which checkpoints on settlement and ground movement will be assigned. 4.2.14 The installation for the checkpoints such as ground settlement markers, building settlement markers, tilting markers, piezometers, inclinometers,.

In the 19th century by (1774–1852). Is a (SAR) of the. In 1557 it was leased to as a. Kamidori Alchemy Meister Full Save File. While it was to remain under Chinese sovereignty, the Portuguese came to consider and administer it as a de facto colony. Following the signing of the between China and Britain in 1842, and the signing of treaties between China and foreign powers during the 1860s, establishing the benefit of 'the most favored nation' for them, the Portuguese attempted to conclude a similar treaty in 1862, but the Chinese refused, owing to a misunderstanding over the sovereignty of Macau.

In 1887 the Portuguese finally managed to secure an agreement from China that Macao was Portuguese territory, ending 330 years of uncertainty. In 1999 it was handed over to China.

Macau was the last extant European territory in continental Asia. Further information: The human history of Macau stretches back up to 6,000 years, and includes many different and diverse civilisations and periods of existence.

Evidence of human and culture dating back 4,000 to 6,000 years has been discovered on the and dating back 5,000 years on. [ ] During the (221–206 BC), the region came under the jurisdiction of, of the province of. It was administratively part of in the (265–420 AD), and alternated under the control of Nanhai and Dongguan in later dynasties.

In 1152, during the (960–1279 AD), it was under the jurisdiction of the new. Since the 5th century, merchant ships travelling between Southeast Asia and used the region as a port for refuge, fresh water, and food. The first recorded inhabitants of the area are some 50,000 people seeking refuge in Macau from invading in 1277, during the. They were able to defend their settlements and establish themselves there. Has long been the center of Chinese life in Macau and the site of what may be the region's oldest temple, a shrine devoted to the (Goddess of Mercy). [ ] Later in the (1368–1644 AD), fishermen migrated to Macau from various parts of Guangdong and provinces and built the where they prayed for safety on the sea.

The were the first to show interest in Macau as a trading centre for the southern provinces. Lsi Modem Driver Windows 7. However, Macau did not develop as a major settlement until the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century. Portuguese settlement [ ].

Map of the in 1639. During the Portuguese sailors explored the coasts of Africa and Asia. The sailors later established posts at in 1510, and conquered in 1511, driving the to the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula from where he kept making raids on the Portuguese. The Portuguese under landed at in the of China in 1513 with a hired junk sailing from.

They erected a stone marker at Lintin Island claiming it for the,. In the same year, the Indian Viceroy commissioned — a cousin of to sail to China in order to open up trade relations. Rafael traded with the Chinese merchants in in that year and in 1516, but was not allowed to move further. Portugal's king in 1517 commissioned a diplomatic and trade mission to Guangzhou headed by and. The embassy lasted until the death of the in. The embassy was further rejected by the Chinese court, which now became less interested in new foreign contacts.

The Ming Court was also influenced by reports of misbehaviour of Portuguese elsewhere in China, and by the deposed Sultan of Malacca seeking Chinese assistance to drive the Portuguese out of Malacca. In 1521 and 1522 several more Portuguese ships reached the trading island off the coast near Guangzhou, but were driven away by the now hostile Ming authorities. Pires was imprisoned and died in Canton. Following a ship wreck in 1535, Portuguese traders were allowed to anchor ships in Macau's harbours, and the right to carry out trading activities, though not the right to stay onshore.

Good relations between the Portuguese and Chinese Ming dynasty resumed in the 1540s, when Portuguese aided China in eliminating coastal pirates. The two later began annual trade missions to the offshore in 1549. A few years later, Island, closer to the, became the main base of the Portuguese trade in the region. Diplomatic relations were further improved and salvaged by the.

In 1557, the Ming court finally gave consent for a permanent and official Portuguese trade base at Macau. In 1558, Leonel de Sousa became the second Portuguese. They later built some rudimentary stone-houses around the area now called Nam Van. But not until 1557 did the Portuguese establish a permanent settlement in Macau, at an annual rent of 500 (~20 kilograms (44 lb)) of silver. Later that year, the Portuguese established a walled village there. Ground rent payments began in 1573.

China retained sovereignty and Chinese residents were subject to Chinese law, but the territory was under Portuguese administration. In 1582 a land lease was signed, and annual rent was paid to Xiangshan County. [ ] The Portuguese continued to pay an annual tribute up to 1863 in order to stay in Macau.

The mission of the used Macau as a point of departure & formation during the 16th century. After the Portuguese were allowed to permanently settle in Macau, both Chinese and Portuguese merchants flocked to Macau, although the Portuguese were never numerous (numbering just 900 in 1583 and 1200 out of 26,000 in 1640). It quickly became an important node in the development of Portugal's trade along three major routes: Macau-Malacca-Goa-Lisbon, Guangzhou-Macau-Nagasaki and Macau-Manila-Mexico.

The Guangzhou-Macau-Nagasaki route was particularly profitable because the Portuguese acted as middlemen, shipping Chinese silks to Japan and Japanese silver to China, pocketing huge markups in the process. This already lucrative trade became even more so when Chinese officials handed Macau's Portuguese traders a monopoly by banning direct trade with Japan in 1547, due to piracy by Chinese and Japanese nationals. Macau's golden age coincided with the of the Spanish and Portuguese crowns, between 1580 and 1640.

King was encouraged to not harm the status quo, to allow trade to continue between Portuguese Macau and Spanish Manila, and to not interfere with Portuguese trade with China. In 1587, Philip promoted Macau from 'Settlement or Port of the Name of God' to 'City of the Name of God' (Cidade do Nome de Deus de Macau). The alliance of Portugal with Spain meant that Portuguese colonies became targets for the Netherlands, which was embroiled at the time in a lengthy struggle for its independence from Spain, the. After the was founded in 1602, the Dutch unsuccessfully attacked Macau several times, culminating in a, when 800 attackers were successfully repelled by 150 Macanese and Portuguese defenders and a large number of African slaves.

One of the first actions of Macau's first governor, who arrived the following year, was to strengthen the city's defences, which included the construction of the. Religious activity [ ] As well as being an important trading post, Macau was a center of activity for Catholic missionaries, as it was seen as a gateway for the conversion of the vast populations of China and Japan. Had first arrived in the 1560s and were followed by in the 1580s. Both orders soon set about constructing churches and schools, the most notable of which were the Jesuit and the built by the Dominicans. In 1576, Macau was established as an by with appointed as the first bishop. 1637–1844: Decline [ ]. The enters Macau for the first time After four rounds of talks, 'the Joint Declaration of the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Portugal on the Question of Macau' was officially signed in April 1987.

The two sides exchanged instruments of on 15 January 1988 and the Joint Declaration entered into force. During the transitional period between the date of the entry into force of the Joint Declaration and 19 December 1999 the Portuguese government was responsible for the administration of Macau. The, was adopted by the (NPC) on 31 March 1993 as the constitutional law for Macau, taking effect on 20 December 1999.

The PRC has promised that, under its ' formula, China's socialist economic system will not be practised in Macau and that Macau will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defence affairs until at least 2049, fifty years after the handover. Thus the history of ended. Although offered control of Macau in the 1970s/1980s, the Chinese deemed the time 'not yet ripe' and preferred to wait until December 1999—the very end of the, two years after the —to close this chapter of history. Recent history of Macau (1999 - today) [ ] 1999–2007: The rise of Macau as the Las Vegas of Asia [ ] In 2002, the Macau government ended the and 3 (later 6) casino operating concessions (and subconcessions) were granted to (SJM, an 80% owned subsidiary of STDM),,,, the partnership of and, and the partnership of Melco and PBL, thus marking the begin of the rise of Macau as the new gambling hub in Asia.

As one of the measures to develop the gambling industry, the Cotai strip was completed after the handover to China with construction of the hotel and casino industry starting in 2004. In 2007, the first of many resorts opened,. Many other resorts followed, both in Cotai and on Macau island, providing for a major tax income stream to Macau government and a drop in overall unemployment over the years down to a mere 2% in 2013. In 2004, the is completed, the third bridge between Macau island and Taipa island. In 2005, the, the principal venue for the 4th East Asian Games, is inaugurated. Also in 2005, Macau government started a wave of social housing construction (lasting until 2013 at least), constructing over 8000 apartment units in the process.

2007–2008: The Financial Crisis hits Macau [ ] Similar to other economies in the world, the hit Macau leading to a stall in construction of major construction works ( ) and a spike in unemployment. 2008-2013: Expansion into Hengqin and further Casino boom [ ] With residential and development space being sparse, Macau government officially announced on 27 June 2009 that the will build its new campus on island, in a stretch directly facing the area, south of the current border post. Along with this development, several other residential and business development projects on Hengqin are in the planning. In 2011 to 2013 further major construction on several planned mega-resorts on the commenced. 2014-present: Slowing down of the gambling industry and diversification of economy [ ] 2014 marked the first time that the gambling revenues in Macau declined on a year-to-year basis. Starting in June 2014, gambling revenues declined for the second half of the year on a month-to-month basis (compared with 2013) causing the Macau Daily Times to announce that the 'Decade of gambling expansion end(ed)'. Some reasons for the slowdown are China's anti-corruption drive reaching Macau, China's economy slowing down and changes of Mainland Chinese tourists preference of visiting other countries as a travel destination.

This lead the Macau government to attempt to reconstruct the economy, to depend less on gambling revenues and focus on building world-class non-gambling tourism and leisure centers, as well as developing itself as a platform for economic and trade cooperation between China and. Hit southern China in August 2017 causing widespread damage to Macau, never before experienced - major flooding and property damages, with citywide power and water outage lasting for at least 24 hours after the passage of the storm. Overall, 10 deaths and at least 200 injuries were reported.

This caused widespread anger against the Macau government, accused of being unprepared for the typhoon as were as the delay of raising the no. 10 tropical cyclone signal, this caused the head of the to resigned At the request of the Macau government, the (for the first time in Macau's history) deployed around 1,000 troops to assist in disaster relief and cleaning up. See also [ ].

In describing the system of wires that comprises the Internet, Neal Stephenson once compared the earth to a computer motherboard. From telephone poles suspending bundles of cable to signs posted warning of buried fiber optic lines, we are surrounded by evidence that at a basic level, the Internet is really just a spaghetti-work of really long wires.

But what we see is just a small part of the physical makeup of the net. The rest of it can be found in the coldest depths of the ocean. Here are 10 things you might not know about the Internet’s system of undersea cables. CABLE INSTALLATION IS SLOW, TEDIOUS, EXPENSIVE WORK. Reuters/Landov of international data is transmitted by wires at the bottom of the ocean called submarine communications cables. In total, they are and can be as as Everest Is tall.

The cables are installed by special boats called cable-layers. It’s more than a matter of dropping wires with anvils attached to them—the cables must generally be run across flat surfaces of the ocean floor, and care is taken to avoid coral reefs, sunken ships, fish beds, and other ecological habitats and general obstructions.

The diameter of a shallow water cable is about the same as a soda can, while deep water cables are much thinner—about the size of a Magic Marker. The size difference is related to simple vulnerability—there’s not much going on 8000 feet below sea level; consequently, there’s less need for galvanized shielding wire. Cables located at shallow depths are buried beneath the ocean floor using high pressure water jets. Though per-mile prices for installation change depending on total length and destination, running a cable across the ocean invariably costs. SHARKS ARE TRYING TO EAT THE INTERNET. There’s disagreement as to why, exactly, sharks like.

Maybe it has something to do with electromagnetic fields. Maybe they’re just curious. Maybe they’re trying to disrupt our communications infrastructure before mounting a land-based assault. (My theory.) The point remains that sharks are chewing on the Internet, and sometimes damage it. In response, companies such as Google are shielding their cables in. THE INTERNET IS AS VULNERABLE UNDERWATER AS IT IS UNDERGROUND. It seems like every couple of years, some well-meaning construction worker puts his bulldozer in gear and.

While the ocean is free of construction equipment that might otherwise combine to form, there are many ongoing aquatic threats to the submarine cables. Sharks aside, the Internet is ever at risk of being disrupted by, trawling by fishing vessels, and. A Toronto-based company has proposed running a cable through the Arctic that connects Tokyo and London. This was previously considered impossible, but climate change and the melting ice caps have moved the proposal firmly into the category. CONNECTING THE WORLD THROUGH UNDERSEA CABLES ISN'T EXACTLY NEW. In 1854, installation began on the first transatlantic telegraph cable, which connected Newfoundland and Ireland. Four years later the first transmission was sent, reading: “Laws, Whitehouse received five minutes signal.

Coil signals too weak to relay. Try drive slow and regular.

I have put intermediate pulley. Reply by coils.” This is, admittedly, not very inspiring. (“Whitehouse” referred to Wildman Whitehouse, the chief electrician of the Atlantic Telegraph Company, who we’ve.) For historical context: During those four years of cable construction, Charles Dickens was still writing novels; Walt Whitman published Leaves of Grass; a small settlement called Dallas was formally incorporated in Texas; and Abraham Lincoln, candidate for the U.S. Senate, gave his “House Divided” speech.

SPIES LOVE UNDERWATER CABLES. During the height of the Cold War, the USSR often transmitted weakly encoded messages between two of its major naval bases. Strong encryption was a bother—and also overkill—thought Soviet officers, as the bases were directly linked by an undersea cable located in sensor-laden Soviet territorial waters. No way would the Americans risk World War III by trying to somehow access and tap that cable. They didn’t count on the U.S.S.

Halibut, a specially fitted submarine capable of slipping by Soviet defenses. The American submarine found the cable and installed a giant wiretap, returning monthly to gather the transmissions it had recorded. This operation, called IVY BELLS, was later compromised by a former NSA analyst named, who sold information on the mission to the Soviets. Today, tapping submarine communications cables is for spy agencies. GOVERNMENTS ARE TURNING TO SUBMARINE CABLES TO AVOID SAID SPIES.

With respect to electronic espionage, one big advantage held by the United States is the key role its scientists, engineers, and corporations played in inventing and building large parts of the global telecommunications infrastructure. Major lines of data tend to cross into American borders and territorial water, making wiretapping a breeze, relatively speaking. When documents stolen by former NSA analyst Edward Snowden came to light, many countries were outraged to learn the extent to which American spy agencies were intercepting foreign data. As a result, some countries are reconsidering the infrastructure of the Internet itself. Brazil, for example, has to build a submarine communications cable to Portugal that not only bypasses the United States entirely, but also specifically excludes U.S. Companies from involvement.

SUBMARINE COMMUNICATIONS CABLES ARE FASTER AND CHEAPER THAN SATELLITES. There are well over a thousand satellites in orbit, we’re landing probes on comets, and we’re planning missions to Mars. We’re living in the future! It just seems self-evident that space would be a better way to virtually “wire” the Internet than our current method of running really long cables-slash-shark-buffets along the ocean floor. Surely satellites would be better than a technology invented before the invention of the telephone—right? As it turns out, no. (Or at least,.) Though fiber optic cables and communications satellites were, satellites have a two-fold problem: latency and bit loss.

Sending and receiving signals to and from space takes time. Meanwhile, researchers have developed optical fibers that can transmit information. For an idea of what the Internet would be like without undersea cables, visit Antarctica, the only continent without a physical connection to the net. The continent relies on satellites, and, which is no small problem when one considers the important, data-intensive climate research underway.

Today, Antarctic research stations produce through space. FORGET CYBER-WARFARE—TO REALLY CRIPPLE THE INTERNET, YOU NEED SCUBA GEAR AND A PAIRE OF WIRE CUTTERS. The good news is that it’s hard to cut through a submarine communications cable, if only because of the running through each of them. The bad news is that it is possible, as seen in Egypt in 2013. There, just north of Alexandria, men in wetsuits were apprehended having through the South-East-Asia-Middle-East-West-Europe 4 cable, which runs and connects three continents.

Internet speeds in Egypt were crippled by 60 percent until the line could be repaired. UNDERWATER CABLES ARE NOT EASY TO REPAIR, BUT AFTER 150 YEARS, WE'VE LEARNED A TRICK OR TWO. If you think replacing that one Ethernet cable you can’t quite reach behind your desk is a pain, try replacing a solid, broken garden hose at the bottom of the ocean.

When a submarine cable is damaged, special repair ships are dispatched. If the cable is located in shallow waters, robots are deployed to grab the cable and haul it to the surface.

If the cable is in deep waters (6500 feet or greater), the ships lower that grab onto the cable and hoist it up for mending. To make things easier, grapnels sometimes cut the damaged cable in two, and repair ships raise each end separately for patching above the water.

THE INTERNET'S UNDERSEA BACKBONE IS BUILT TO LAST FOR 25 YEARS. As of 2014, there are 285 communications cables at the bottom of the ocean, and 22 of them are not yet in use. These are called 'dark cables.' (Once they’re switched on, they’re said to be “lit.”) Submarine cables have a life expectancy of 25 years, during which time they are considered economically viable from a capacity standpoint.

Over the last decade, however, global data consumption has exploded. In 2013, Internet traffic was 5 gigabytes per capita; this number is expected to reach. Such an increase would obviously pose a capacity problem and require more frequent cable upgrades. However, new techniques in and improvements in submarine line terminal equipment (SLTE) have boosted capacity in some places. The wires we have are more than ready for the traffic to come. IStock The date of the winter solstice varies from year to year, and can fall anywhere between December 20 and December 23, with the 21st or 22nd being the most common dates.

The reason for this is because the tropical year—the time it takes for the sun to return to the same spot relative to Earth—is different from the calendar year. The next solstice occurring on December 20 will not happen until 2080, and the next December 23 solstice will not occur until 2303. IT HAPPENS AT A SPECIFIC, BRIEF MOMENT. IStock Not only does the solstice occur on a specific day, but it also occurs at a specific time of day, corresponding to the instant the North Pole is aimed furthest away from the sun on the 23.5 degree tilt of the Earth’s axis.

This is also the time when the sun shines directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. In 2017, this moment occurs at 4:28 p.m.

UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). For those of us on Eastern Standard Time, the solstice will occur at 11:28 a.m.

On December 21. And regardless of where you live, the solstice happens at the same moment for everyone on the planet (you can check what time it will occur for you ). IT MARKS THE LONGEST NIGHT AND SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR FOR THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE.

IStock As most are keenly aware, daylight hours grow shorter and shorter as the solstice approaches, and begin to slowly lengthen afterward. It’s no wonder that the day of the solstice is referred to in some cultures as the 'shortest day' or 'extreme of winter.' New York City will experience 9 hours and 15 minutes of sunlight, compared to 15 hours and 5 minutes on the summer solstice. Helsinki, Finland, will get 5 hours and 49 minutes of light. Barrow, Alaska, will not have a sunrise at all (and hasn't since mid-November; its next sunrise will be on January 22), while the North Pole has had no sunrise since October.

The South Pole, though, will be basking in the glow of the midnight sun, which won't set until March. ANCIENT CULTURES VIEWED THE WINTER SOLSTICE AS A TIME OF DEATH AND REBIRTH. IStock The seeming death of the light and very real threat of starvation over the winter months would have weighed heavily on early societies, who held varied solstice celebrations and rites meant to herald the return of the Sun and hope for new life. Scandinavian and Germanic pagans lit fires and may have burned Yule logs as a symbolic means of welcoming back the light.

Cattle and other animals were slaughtered around midwinter, followed by feasting on what was the last fresh meat for several months. The modern Druidic celebration Alban Arthan reveres the death of the Old Sun and birth of the New Sun. THE DAY MARKS THE DISCOVERY OF NEW AND STRANGE WORLDS. IStock Solstice derives from the Latin scientific term solstitium, containing sol, which means 'sun,' and the past participle stem of sistere, meaning 'to make stand.' This comes from the fact that the sun’s position in the sky relative to the horizon at noon, which increases and decreases throughout the year, appears to pause in the days surrounding the solstice.

In modern times, we view the phenomenon of the solstice from the position of space, and of the Earth relative to the Sun. Earlier people, however, were thinking about the Sun’s trajectory, how long it stayed in the sky and what sort of light it cast.

STONEHENGE IS ALIGNED TO THE SUNSET ON WINTER SOLSTICE. IStock The primary axis of the megalithic monument is oriented to the setting sun, while Newgrange, another structure built around the same time as Stonehenge, lines up with the winter solstice sunrise. Some have theorized that the position of the Sun was of religious significance to the people who built Stonehenge, while other theories hold that the monument is constructed along natural features that happen to align with it.

The purpose of Stonehenge is still subject to debate, but its importance on the winter solstice continues into the modern era, as thousands of hippies, pagans, and other types of enthusiasts gather there every year to celebrate the occasion. ANCIENT ROMANS CELEBRATED REVERSALS AT THE MIDWINTER FESTIVAL OF SATURNALIA.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images The holiday, which began as a festival to honor the agricultural god Saturn, was held to commemorate the dedication of his temple in 497 BCE. It quickly became a time of widespread revelry and debauchery in which societal roles were overturned, with masters serving their slaves and servants being allowed to insult their masters. Mask-wearing and play-acting were also part of Saturnalia’s reversals, with each household electing a King of Misrule. Saturnalia was gradually replaced by Christmas throughout the Roman Empire, but many of its customs survive as Christmas traditions. SOME TRADITIONS HOLD THAT DARK SPIRITS WALK THE EARTH ON THE WINTER SOLSTICE. IStock The Iranian festival of Yalda is celebrated on the longest night of the year.

In pre-Islamic times, it heralded the birth of Mithra, the ancient sun god, and his triumph over darkness. Zoroastrian lore holds that evil spirits wander the earth and the forces of the destructive spirit Ahriman are strongest on this long night. People are encouraged to stay up most of the night in the company of one another, eating, talking, and sharing poetry and stories, in order to avoid any brushes with dark entities.

Beliefs about the presence of evil on the longest night are also echoed in Celtic and Germanic folklore. SOME THOUGHT THE WORLD WOULD END ON THE 2012 WINTER SOLSTICE.

IStock December 21, 2012 corresponds to the date 13.0.0.0.0 in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar used by the ancient Mayans, marking the end of a 5126-year cycle. Some people feared this juncture would bring about the end of the world or some other cataclysmic event. Others took a more New Age-y view (literally) and believed it heralded the birth of a new era of deep transformation for Earth and its inhabitants. In the end, neither of these things appeared to occur, leaving the world to turn through winter solstices indefinitely, or at least as long as the Sun lasts. A version of this story originally ran in 2015. Nuclear testing is rare today, but at its peak it wasn’t unusual for to be detonated in a single year.

Many of those explosions were captured on tape, and today the is working to restore the rare footage and share it with the public. As reports, 62 newly declassified test films have just been released as part of the project.

The clips, once considered sensitive government material, are now available on for anyone to see. They date from the 1940s to the early 1960s and depict atmospheric explosions, a practice that ended in 1962. Signed a nuclear test ban treaty with the Soviet Union in 1963.

Many of the tapes have been rotting away in government storage facilities after years of neglect. Some films have degraded beyond repair, but most of the dirty, aged material can be salvaged.

'Back in the 1950s they were analyzing frame by frame manually, so the frames were marked with tape so they could keep track,' Jim Moye, a rare film expert at the lab, tells Mental Floss. 'The tape has to be removed and the adhesive cleaned off.

The film is then run through an ultrasonic film cleaner. Then it’s ready for scanning.' By cleaning and creating exact copies of the old film, the team is able to preserve that chapter in history for future generations. Weapon physicist Greg Spriggs is leading the laboratory’s effort to preserve the tapes.

The restored films are meant to be seen by the general public, but there’s another audience Spriggs and his team have in mind: other scientists. Today, any nuclear tests conducted by the government are generated by computers. By studying footage from actual explosions, scientists are able to program more accurate models. 'Because the United States no longer tests nuclear weapons, it is absolutely essential that we preserve (and improve) these data so that we can continue to study nuclear weapons and their effects,' Spriggs tells Mental Floss. The lab released an initial of videos earlier this year, prior to the recent collection shared in December.

With thousands of films still left to analyze and restore, viewers can expect a lot more nuclear test content in the coming years.