American Wave Machines Inc. Uses PTC® CoCreate® To Design The World’s First Standing Wave Surf Machine

Explicit 3D CAD Modeling Software Enables Company to Design Breakthrough Hydraulics Technology to Replicate Ocean Surfing

NEEDHAM, MA. April 14, 2009 – PTC® (Nasdaq: PMTC), The Product Development Company®, announced today that American Wave Machines Inc. (AWM), an innovator in artificial wave technology, is using PTC® CoCreate® to design SurfStream®, the world’s first standing wave surf machine, a technology breakthrough for the water park industry. AWM’s patented SurfStream^® delivers real surfing and wave riding capabilities for hotels, resorts, water parks, and sports exhibitions. CoCreate is the explicit 3D CAD modeling software that provides companies with a lightweight and flexible approach to designing products.

In 2006, SurfStream burst onto the water park scene revolutionizing the wave machine. Since then, AWM has acquired contracts to design hydraulics wave machines using SurfStream technology for clients around the world. With this rapid growth came a demand for presenting concepts and designs to prospective clients in 3D. Many projects require some degree of design customization and as a result, clients want the ability to see how a custom-built wave machine would fit into their establishment. AWM is using CoCreate’s explicit 3D modeling tools to provide customers with the virtual 3D prototyping and visualizations they require while giving AWM the flexibility to scale custom SurfStream models to fit the unique dimensions of each hotel, resort, water park and sports exhibition.

“Almost everything we create must be built by people who use 2D prints as the reference information,” said Bruce McFarland, president of AWM. “CoCreate is used to design the system in 3D solids models from our parts and from the water park designer’s desired layout. One of the best things about CoCreate is in the reduction of design to manufacture time it affords. Constraint-free design is my absolute number one favorite feature. I can modify a design and reissue prints in a matter of hours.” In addition, the use of CoCreate 3D explicit modeling offers AWM clients 3D visual confirmation, which provides images that can be incorporated in marketing, manuals, and design reviews.

“PTC CoCreate Modeling software delivers the flexibility for ‘engineered-to-order’ products that American Wave Machines produces for its customers,” said Martin Neumueller, CoCreate^® product management director, PTC. “CoCreate’s explicit approach to 3D design delivers faster design cycles in the design process for companies like American Wave Machines.  We look forward to continue working with them.”

read more at PTC

Roxy ASP Women’s World Longboard Championships (WWLC)
ASP Women’s World Longboard Title Decider
La Côte des Basques, Biarritz – France
July 10-14, 2009

ROXY ASP WWLC FINAL
1st, Jennifer Smith (USA) 12.25 pts
2nd, Coline Menard (REU) 9.55 pts

ROXY ASP WWLC SEMIFINALS
Heat 1: Coline Menard (REU) 11.75 pts  Def. Justine Dupont (FRA) 9.15 pts
Heat 2: Jennifer Smith (USA) 15.25 pts Def. Chelsea Williams (AUS) 13.25 pts

BIARRITZ, France (Tuesday, July 14, 2009) – Jennifer Smith (California, USA), 23, won the Roxy Jam in Biarritz today to claim the second ASP Women’s World Longboard title of her brilliant career after defeating fellow finalist and outsider Coline Menard (Reunion Island, FRA), 21, in the final exchange of the 2009 edition. Smith, who dominated the final bout from the beginning until the end, confirmed her stellar Semifinal run where she managed to score a 9.25 point ride, the highest wave score of the event, defeating Menard confidently.

“To win a second world title is just unbelievable,” Smith said. “That heat against Chelsea (Williams)… I was ready to bow out in the semis and I had no idea I was going to get that wave and this score down. I was feeling pretty confident after that and when once I made the final I was definitely looking for the second title, for sure.”

Smith, who raised her world title trophy in front of a cheering crowd at La Côtes des Basques, signed an unexpected stellar come-back on top of the international hierarchy today, after several months without a win.

“I had no expectations this year as I had not won an event in months, maybe a year,” Smith said. “I came over here to give my best and see what happens, and I made the final and won it. It’s just so good to get a second one. I am going to celebrate with all my best friends that are here tonight and fly back home tomorrow.”

With three favorites and one outsider in the Semifinals, the 2009 Roxy Jam witnessed spectacular levels of surfing through the four-day waiting period, the new 32-woman format bringing more intensity into the ASP Women’s World Longboard title race. Menard’s final berth showed again how strong the French female longboarders were getting with a second representative making the final in three years.

read more at ASP

We apologize for the misprint of an old story earlier today. new story:

Jumbo Humboldt squid wash up minutes after 4.0 earthquake hit off the coast of La Jolla

It was an odd start to the morning in La Jolla. First residents were jolted out of bed at 7.34 a.m. by a 4.0 magnitude earthquake that was centered 19 miles out to sea.’

“I was having coffee up on the balcony and I felt it shaking,” Kate Lutkemeier said.

She wasn’t the only one.

“I heard my doors and windows rattling, thinking that somebody was trying to get in my front door actually,” La Jolla resident Mary Skeen said.

The quake was felt all over the county, which isn’t uncommon in San Diego — but what happened just minutes later was a little fishy.

“We just got here about 15 minutes ago and Lilly, what did you see on the beach?” John Feher asked his little daughter. “Squid, squid, squid, squid, squid.” she replied.

Dozens of dazed Humboldt squid which were roughly three-to-four feet long and weighed close to 40 pounds were flapping around on La Jolla Shores beach.

“It’s like their equilibrium is all messed up and they don’t know what they’re doing and they can’t back out there,” Bill Baumann said. “It was like they got  — I don’t know  — all shook up.”

It didn’t take long for the seagulls to swoop in and start feeding on the squid, so beachgoers ran to the rescue and tried frantically to save them by throwing them back in the water. That proved to be a difficult task for several reasons  — they were extremely heavy, very slippery, and when the good Samaritans did manage to get them back them in water, the squid didn’t know where to go and kept washing back up.

“Some people were saying it was the earthquake this morning that caused them to get disoriented but who knows? Feher said.

He wasn’t the only person to mention that theory.

“A state guy was out and said the earthquake caused (it),” Baumann said.

Lifeguard Sgt. David Rains said that is one of several possibilities — there are a lot of fishing boats in the area so there is a lot of fish activity and those kind of creatures always follow the food supply. He also said there have been a lot of water inversions and the water has turned from warm to cold  — but he doesn’t know for sure.

“Why are they here? Why are the squid here? I can’t honestly tell you,” Sgt. Rains said. “I don’t know if it’s tied or not to the earthquake.”

According to the lifeguard, swimmers should be wary of the creatures and keep their distance.

“The Humboldt squid can be very big and very powerful and they may be dangerous,” Sgt. Rains said. “It’s just something I wouldn’t mess with until you’re sure that it’s dead. They’ve got a lot of suckers and claws and a parrot like beak and they can inflict some damage.”

A spokesman for Scripps Institution of Oceanography said at this point they do not see a connection between the squid and the earthquake, but plan to look into it. Dozens of squid washing up at the same time is unusual but it has happened before, according to Sgt. Rains. But Mary Skeen said it is a first for her.

“I have never seen squid in the 42 years that I’ve lived here on the shores in La Jolla,” she said.

For now there are more questions than answers; did the earthquake cause the squid to wash up or was it simply a coincidence? Just ask the little girl who helped daddy push some alien looking creatures back out to sea.

“Is it a mystery?”  Feher asked his little daughter Lilly. “Yeah,” she replied.

original story at nbc