DVD-R is a DVD recordable format. A DVD-R typically has a storage capacity of 4.71 GB. Pioneer has also developed an 8.5 GB dual layer version, DVD-R DL, which appeared on the market in 2005.

Data on a DVD-R cannot be changed, whereas a DVD-RW (rewritable DVD) can be rewritten multiple (1000+) times. DVD-R(W) is one of three competing industry standard DVD recordable formats; the others are DVD+R(W) and DVD-RAM.

The larger storage capacity of a DVD-R compared to a CD-R is achieved through smaller pit size and smaller track pitch of the groove spiral which guides the laser beam. Consequently, more pits can be written on the same physical sized disc. In order to write smaller pits onto the recording dye layer a red laser beam with a wavelength of 640 nm (for general use recordable DVD, versus a wavelength of 780 nm for CD-R) is used in conjunction with a higher numerical aperture lens. Because of this shorter wavelength, DVD-R and DVD+R use different dyes from CD-R to properly absorb this wavelength.

DVD-R discs are composed of two 0.6 mm acrylic discs, bonded with an adhesive to each other. One contains the laser guiding groove and is coated with the recording dye and a silver alloy or gold reflector. The other one (for single-sided discs) is an ungrooved 'dummy' disc to assure mechanical stability of the sandwich structure, and compatibility with the compact disc standard geometry which requires a total disc thickness of about 1.2 mm. The sandwich structure also helps protect the data containing layer from scratches with a thick 'dummy' disc, a problem with CDs, which lack that structure. Double-sided discs have two grooved, recordable disc sides, and require the user to flip the disc to access the other side. Compared to a CD's 1.2 mm of acrylic, a DVD's laser beam only has to penetrate 0.6 mm of plastic in order to reach the dye recording layer, which allows the lens to focus the beam to a smaller spot size to write smaller pits.

In a DVD-R, the addressing (the determination of location of the laser beam on the disc) is done with additional pits and lands (called land pre-pits) in the areas between the grooves. The groove on a DVD-R disc has a constant wobble frequency used for motor control, etc.

A DVD recordable format called DVD-RAM (DVD random access memory) predates DVD-R. Developed in 1996, DVD-RAM is a rewritable optical disc usually encased in a cartridge. Currently available in standard 4.7 GB, it is useful in applications that require quick revisions and rewriting. In 2002 a new format was developed called DVD+R (or 'plus' R). Created by a coalition called the DVD+RW Alliance, this format uses a number of improved technologies that, while generally unnoticeable to the end user, make a more reliable technology. One example is the ADIP (ADdress In Pregroove) system of tracking and speed control used by DVD+R being less susceptible to interference and error than the LPP (Land Pre Pit) system used by DVD-R, which makes the ADIP system more accurate at higher speeds. In addition, DVD+R(W) has a more robust error management system than DVD-R(W), allowing for more accurate writing to media independent of the quality of the media. Additional session linking methods are more accurate with DVD+R(W) versus DVD-R(W), resulting in fewer damaged or unusable discs due to buffer under-run and multi-session discs with fewer PI/PO errors. [2]

This new format, among other things, resulted in DVD-R being unofficially referred to as DVD 'minus' R (though in countries where British English is dominant, the term 'minus R' was already common; not just in contrast to 'plus R') [3] . DVD-R and DVD+R technologies are not directly compatible, which created a format war in the DVD technology industry. To reconcile the two competing formats, manufacturers created hybrid drives that could read both – most hybrid drives that handle both formats are labeled DVD±R and Super Multi (which includes DVD-RAM support) and are very popular.

As of 2006, the market for recordable DVD technology shows little sign of settling down in favour of either the plus or dash formats, which is mostly the result of the increasing numbers of dual-format devices that can record to both formats; it has become very difficult to find new devices that can only record to one of the formats. However, because the DVD-R format has been in use since 1997, it has had a five-year lead on DVD+R. As such, older or cheaper DVD players (up to 2004 vintage) are more likely to favour the DVD-R standard

By Suzanne Kapner

It is an image that is hard to forget: The New York Stock Exchange not trading for the four business days starting with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, as fires raged in what was left of the nearby World Trade Center.

The NYSE was a not-for-profit company that in one way had changed little since 1792: Thousands of traders shouted orders to buy or sell. With Lower Manhattan caked in dust and officials barring nonessential workers from the area, opening the exchange wasn't an option until the next Monday.

Enlarge Image

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The floor of the New York Stock Exchange was quiet just before the opening bell Aug. 12.

A Decade After 9/11

• A Battered Firm's Long Road Back
• Firm Looks Back at Lost Colleagues' Lessons

Today, the exchange is part of publicly traded, for-profit NYSE Euronext, most transactions take place electronically and buildings outside New York can seamlessly handle trading in an emergency. The transformation wasn't wholly driven by Sept. 11, but it is part of the many changes that have reshaped Wall Street over the decade.

Like the rest of Wall Street, the NYSE has been transformed since Sept. 11. It has become much less dependent on its trading floor, yet has taken on a bigger profile globally with its 2006 acquisition of electronic trader Archipelago and a pending deal to combine with Deutsche Börse AG.

"Wall Street today is much more a state of mind than a physical location," said Roy Smith, a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business.

In the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, observers predicted New York's financial elite would flee from the perceived security risks of the southern tip of Manhattan and perhaps shrink as well. A decade later, Wall Street is indeed smaller and more far-flung. New York City securities industry employment has dropped to 168,000 jobs from more than 190,000, according to New York state data. The collapse of the twin towers accelerated the big firms' exodus from Lower Manhattan. Morgan Stanley, the biggest World Trade Center tenant, had already moved its headquarters to midtown and moved some other operations outside the city in a bid to make itself less vulnerable to disruption.

But despite the loss of life on the day of the attacks and the departure of big firms since, Wall Street is far from deserted. The NYSE, Deutsche Bank AG and Bank of New York Mellon Corp. are among the major players that retain major presences on the Street itself. A half dozen blocks across Lower Manhattan, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has opened a new headquarters building, just a stroll north of a financial industry giant that never left—American Express Co.

The rise in competition among exchanges means "there is no one place to target," said Lou Pastina, an executive vice president of operations for the NYSE. "There is enough capacity among all of our competitors to continue trading if anything happened again."

After the terrorist attacks, the NYSE relocated two data centers—one in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn—to Mahwah, N.J.

Meanwhile, the financial world has been dealing with an even bigger shift, the rise of computerized trading.

In 2001, the NYSE dominated the market for trading in securities listed on the exchange with an 83% share, according to Jim Angel of Georgetown University. That market share has fallen to 25%, as the NYSE has faced competition from upstart electronic exchanges—one reason behind its 2007 merger with Euronext and the decision earlier this year for those combined exchanges to join forces with Deutsche Börse of Germany.

While the rise of electronic trading has spurred an entire new industry, it also sapped profits at Wall Street firms by cutting down on lucrative commissions. Major firms turned to other areas, such as fixed income—including, during the economic boom of the middle of the decade, the sale of securities backed by home loans.

While that business boosted Wall Street profits between 2005 and 2007 and made countless traders rich, it also helped pave the way for the financial crisis of 2008.

With investors fleeing from risk, venerable firms such as Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers—which had been a tenant at the trade center and adjacent World Financial Center before it relocated to midtown after the attacks—succumbed when they weren't able to secure funding. The bankruptcy of Lehman three years ago this month forced governments around the world to offer guarantees worth trillions of dollars to support banking systems and financial markets, setting the stage for the nervous markets and fragile economic recovery of today.

The aftershocks of Wall Street's embrace of subprime mortgages as a profit center continue to be felt. Stocks tumbled in Europe on Monday after the top U.S. housing regulator sued 17 big global banks.

Some investors say concern about the sector is overdone. Yet it isn't known when banks' outlook will clear.

"As bad as 9/11 was, it was not as bad for the financial world as the boom and bust that followed," Mr. Smith said.

—Randall Smith and Aaron Lucchetti contributed to this article.

2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 500 Pre-run

Courtesy of SCORE Media

Thursday, May 19, 2011

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Kendall Norman - 2010 Baja 500

With the release of the official course map, GPS files and course notes this week, pre-race activity increases significantly starting Friday when the world’s best desert racers officially begin their pre-running and course logistics activities for next month’s 43rd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500, the second-oldest desert race in the world.

Round 3 of the five-race 2011 SCORE Desert Series, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series, will feature nearly 250 entries, competing in 28 Pro and 7 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, will be held June 2-5 in Ensenada, Mexico.

SCORE is in its 38th year as the world’s foremost desert racing organization. This race is traditionally one of the most popular events on the SCORE schedule, and most the world’s best desert racers are expected to be in action at this year’s 43rd anniversary of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, the original desert race produced by SCORE on July 26, 1974.

With late entries accepted up to race morning in the 454.69-mile race, entries so far have come from 25 U.S. States from Hawaii to New York and the U.S. Territory of Guam along with the additional countries of Mexico, Canada, Germany, Guatemala and Japan. The green flag will drop for the race at 6 a.m. on Saturday (June 4) for the motorcycle and ATV classes in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, followed by the car and truck classes three hours after the last ATV at approximately 10 a.m. The elapsed-time race will start and finish in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Boulevard Costero in the heart of Ensenada, leaving and returning into the city through the Arroyo Wash.

Francisco Septien and Shane Esposito - 2010 Baja 500

The talented field of veteran desert racers heading to Baja includes 14 defending class winners out of the 25 Pro classes that had finishers in last year’s 2010 race. Last year’s overall race champions are among the early entries in this year’s race. The overall 4-wheel winner in 2010 was the son/father team of Andy and Scott McMillin, National City, Calif., who drive the No. 31 Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy-Truck. Recording the fastest overall time while leading all motorcycles in last year’s race was the JCR Honda Racing Team riders Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif./Quinn Cody, Buellton, Calif., on a Honda CRF450X while the fastest ATV was the Honda TRX700X riding by Wayne Matlock/Josh Caster, El Cajon, Calif./Wes Miller, Fallbrook, Calif.

The rugged 454.69-mile course is a very similar to the last three years, although it is about 16 miles longer and the terrain has changed because of natural weather patterns that impact both sides of the race course on the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez and in the middle in the summit section. The course, which runs in a clockwise direction, resembles a deflating balloon, winding east to Ojos Negros, down to near San Felipe, back West to the Pacific Ocean below San Vicente and back north east through Santo Tomas on the way back to Ojos Negros and then Ensenada.

“Without all of the immense and considerable help we have received from Mexican officials and ejidos, we would have had a very hard time finalizing a course for this year’s race,” said Sal Fish, SCORE CEO/President since soon after it was founded in 1974. “This year’s race will be another testament to the wonderful relationship SCORE enjoys with the government and the people of Baja California. The course includes a new section about seven miles long on the way to the summit that is rough, technical and very picturesque. Overall, the race will be another scenic test of man and machine providing many more colorful adventures of SCORE Baja racing which as we all know is unlike any other racing in the world.”

The only pre-running that will be allowed on the first 36.83 miles of the course will be outbound only and only on Thursday and Friday, June 2 and 3. No inbound pre-running on the last 36.83 miles of the course will be allowed. Pre-running of the rest of the course will start and finish in the Ojos Negros area.

The four official race checkpoints, where all vehicles are required to make a quick stop, will be located at race mile 92.30 (Santa Catarina), rm211.89 (Borrego), rm318.20 (Northwest of Colonet near the Pacific Ocean) and rm411.98 (West of Ojos Negros). The course will also have 36 virtual checkpoints. All vehicles are also required to run International Rally Consultants tracking devices and live vehicle tracking will be available during the race at www.racetheworld.net.

The featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division for high-tech, 800-horsepower, unlimited production trucks has a race-high 28 entries in this year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 500.

2010 SCORE Baja 1000 Overall Winner: Red Bull Racing Gus Vildosola.

Besides the three overall winners, the other defending Pro class champions in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 entered this year to date are: Steve Appleton, Boise, Idaho (Class 1, Jimco-Chevy), Brian Wilson, Long Beach, Calif. (Class 1-2/1600, Kreger-VW), Dave Caspino, Woodland Hills, Calif. (Class 6, Ford Ranger); Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif. (Class 7, Ford Ranger); Kent Kroeker, Valley Center, Calif. (Class 8, Dodge Ram2500); Sergio Salgado, Mexicali, Mexico (Class 10, Jimco-VW); Steven Eugenio, Alpine, Calif./Adam Pfankuch, Carlsbad, Calif., (SCORE Lite, Prill-VW); Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 30, Honda CRF450X); Jeff Kaplan, Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Class 40, Honda CRF450X) and Joe Rice, Lomita, Calif./Rob Ransford, Chicago (Class 26, Can-Am 4X4).

The Sportsman class winners returning from last year as of today are: Peter Lang, Santa Rosa, Calif. (SPT Car, Homebuilt-Buick) and Thomas Graves, El Cajon, Calif. (SPT UTV, Yamaha Rhino).

Rising Southern Nevada desert racing star Bryce Menzies along with Dan Martin, Shane Esposito and Roberto Ruiz all drew pole positions in their respective divisions during the April 23 computerized drawing for starting positions in the race. The draw was held at the SCORE headquarters in Los Angeles.

Brandon Brown - 2010 Baja 500

Las Vegas Menzies, 23, winner of this year’s SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in January, received the first starting position for 4-wheel vehicles in the No. 70 Menzies Motorsports Ford F-150. In just his fourth SCORE race, this is also the first time in his budding career that he has drawn the coveted starting position in the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck division for high-tech, 800-horsepower unlimited production trucks. Martin, Monrovia, Calif., will start first in the unlimited Class 1 in the COPS Racing Chevy-powered Penhall open-wheel desert race car. Esposito, Lake Elsinore, Calif. will lead the motorcycles and his team into the Baja desert on a Kawasaki KX450F in Class 22 for open motorcycles. Ruiz, El Centro, Calif., is leading a multi-rider Class 25 ATV team on a Honda TRX450R. While late entries will be accepted up to race morning, as of the Start draw, the Pro 4-Wheel vehicles classes with the most entries are: SCORE Trophy-Truck (28), the unlimited Class 1 (26), and Class 1-2/1600 and SCORE Lite with 11 each. Leading the Pro Motorcycle classes in entries so far are Class 22 (8). Class 24 leads the Pro ATV classes with eight entries to date. mong the Sportsman classes, SPT Motorcycles 450cc and over has the most with 19 entries.

For the fourth straight year and just the fourth time in the 43-year history of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 desert race, the colorful pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and Contingency, the start and finish line will all be located in the heart of Ensenada, Mexico on Boulevard Costero adjacent to the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. It will be the fourth time in race history that both the pre-race activities and the finish will be held on this historic boulevard.

The SCORE Manufacturer’s Midway will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, June 3 on Blvd Costero. Racer registration will again be held in the Grand Ballroom of the San Nicolas Hotel. Registration hours will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 2 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday June 3.

The awards celebration will be held poolside at the San Nicolas Hotel on Sunday, June 5 at 11 a.m. In addition to season class point championships, the racers are also competing for part of the nearly $400,000 in cash purse and contingency postings each race. Drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are attempting to earn prestigious SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards given to all car and truck class drivers who complete every required mile of the five-race season. Being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 26th consecutive year, a total of 38 drivers remain eligible after Round 2 of the 2011 SCORE Desert Series. Racers are also competing for the annual SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year awards, including the MasterCraft Safety SCORE Rookie of the Year award.

Current SCORE official annual sponsors are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Volkswagen of America-official vehicle, Sunoco Race Fuels -official fuel supplier, Bilstein-official shock, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-official Mexican auto insurance and Slime-official tire sealant. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Las Vegas Events, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

While Tecate as title sponsor of the 43rd Tecate SCORE Baja 500, additional race sponsors are the Office of the Secretary of Tourism of Baja California and ProTurismo de Ensenada.

For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2011 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.