Apogee Groove USB DAC makes your laptop sound better

If you travel a lot and find yourself listening to music or movies frequently from your notebook, you may want to improve the sound as much as possible. A company called Apogee has a new USB DAC that promises to give your notebook a big boost in audio performance in a very small package. The device is very small making it easy to take with you on..

It's portable, it's USB... it's a DAC and headphone amp for Mac and PC from Apogee. They showed it off at NAMM 2015 and we captured it in video.

Anaheim, California, January 22, 2015 - Apogee Electronics, industry leader in digital audio recording technology since 1985, is pleased to introduce Groove – a new portable USB DAC and headphone amp for listening to music on your Mac or PC. Built upon Apogee’s 30-year history of award-winning digital audio technology for music creation, Groove unlocks the highest possible quality of any headphones or powered speakers you have, allowing you to listen to the music you love with incredible lifelike clarity.

We spoke to Brad Delava from Apogee at NAMM who told us more about the Groove:

Apogee’s digital audio technology has been trusted by professional recording artists, producers and engineers from around the world to create countless GRAMMY® and OSCAR® winning recordings since 1985. For the first time, Groove puts this same technology into a compact, durable, easy to use interface for consumers, providing a music listening experience of unparalleled quality, as it was originally captured in the recording studio.

Groove’s innovative circuit design provides an even distribution of output power across the audible frequency spectrum, correcting impedance imperfections often found in entry-level headphones and powering even the most demanding high impedance headphones. Setup is easy - simply connect Groove to your Mac or PC with the included USB 2.0 cable and plug your headphones or speakers into Groove’s ?” analog output. The result is smooth, detailed analog warmth that will impress even the most discerning audiophile.

To commemorate Apogee’s 30 years of digital audio excellence, a limited edition anniversary model of Groove will also be available. The Groove 30th Anniversary Edition will feature a custom machined aluminum body, performance enhancements and will be available in silver and gold.

Apogee Groove and Groove 30th Anniversary Edition will be available Spring 2015. Visit apogeedigital.com for more info and sign up for product updates.

Apogee Groove Highlights

USB 2.0 to micro connection for Mac and PC
Up to 24 bit / 192kHz audio
1/8" Analog Output for connecting to headphones or speakers
ESS Sabre DAC
Asynchronous clocking
Max output level: 225mW into 30 Ohm
Multi-color LEDs for status and level indication
Top panel buttons for adjusting output level and muting
Compact and portable (95mm H x 30mm W x 16mm T)
Limited Anniversary Edition features aluminum body and 32bit DAC
Premium build quality and design - Built in the USA
Price: TBA

USB Type-C Will Eventually Make Charging Your Tablet Simpler and Faster

There’s a new standard for the cables, and over the long term USB Type-C is going to make life easier for everyone. It’s probably going to be a bit of a hassle in the short term, however.
The new format comes with significant advantages. For starters, it will be able to handle up to 20V at 100W, compared to USB 3.0 cables that can pass 5V, and the 2.5V that USB 2.0 can provide. This will result in faster charging for tablets, and will be a boon for devices that require more power than USB can currently handle. Even laptops will be able to get their power via USB connections, ending the need for dedicated chargers.
In addition, USB 3.1 Type-C will be able to transfer data at up to 10 Gbps, while USB 3.0 offers half that, and the venerable USB 2.0 is just 480 Mbps.

A Better Plug Design

In a change many will no doubt welcome, the plug will be reversible, so there will be no top or bottom, and no way to insert it incorrectly.
The plug will be 8.4mm by 2.6mm, even smaller than micro-USB, and the same plug will be used on both ends of the cable, so it won’t matter which end of the cable is used. It’s this change that’s probably the most radical in USB Type-C, but will bring a huge advantage: It will bring the potential for a full USB port to every tablet.
The disadvantage is that using a USB Type-C cable with any device that lacks the proper port will require an adapter, and people will need to use one until the transition to the new format is complete.
The upgrade to USB Type-C is just getting started, but over the next couple of years it is expected to become a staple of every Windows and Android device. Apple will surely hold onto its own Lightning connector, but as USB Type-A plugs disappear from laptops and PCs, the iPad maker will need to adopt Type-C in some fashion.

Generic K6000 Car DVR Traveling Driving Data Recorder Camcorder Vehicle Camera Black

Image Sensor: 1/4 color CMOS Image Sensor
Viewing angle: 140 degrees
Power: DC 5V
Car charger input: 12-24V
Display: 2.5 inches TFT Colorful LCD
Interface: USB 2.0
Battery: Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
Recording medium: SD Card (up to 32GB)
Video Format: AVI
Still Image Storage Format: JPEG
2.5" TFT Colorful Monitor.
6 LED's, support nightvision.
140 degrees viewing angle.
1080 full HD resolution
Supports a SD card up to 32GB??not included??.
Records automatically after the car's power up.
High speed recording.
Supports Real Time & Date display on video.
Quick Snap, Quick Video Recording, Quick Review.
Cycled recording and repeat storage by section.

Specifications:
Color: Black
Product size (folded): 90x50.7x15mm
Product weight: 60g
Package size: 177x85x126mm Packet content:
1 x Car DVR
1 x Mount
1 x USB Cable
1 x Car Charger
1 x Lithium battery
source from: http://bit.ly/180baNu

Mobile phone detectors a possibility

Police say they'll consider a report that looks at the use of mobile phone detectors to try to stop New Zealanders using cellphones while driving.

We've all been told that cellphones and driving don't mix, but many of us aren't getting the message.

Could this case really double your phone's signal strength?

Put your iPhone it in the right case and it can survive a drop from 3,000 feet in the air. But wouldn't you know it, phone cases aren't only just for protecting your phone, they have other great uses, too.

There's the PocketPlug for iPhone 6 and 5s that plugs into the wall and charges your phone, this handy wallet case, or, you could pick up the yellowjacket case meant for self-defense, or get a workout with this odd dumbbell case. There are so many different options!
Now, there's a new case out that claims to double your smartphone's signal strength. It would make for better coverage and faster downloads. It could even improve your battery life! Could this really work?
At this year's CES, a company called Antenna79 debuted Reach79, a series of new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus cases that are designed to double your phone's signal strength, which in turn will also improve its battery life.
The company claims the cases will also improve user experience by dropping fewer calls and improving download speeds due to the better signal coverage. And what about if you drop your phone? These phone cases come with military-grade drop protection, so you should be covered.
Sound too good to be true?
That's not too shabby.
The cases went on sale today at the company's site. Click here to check it out. Prices range from $59.99 to $69.99 and are only available in black for now. However, more colors will be released during the first quarter of 2015.

Mophie iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus Battery Cases

The Mophie iPhone 6 case release arrives in late January or early February, just as we told you about in late 2014. At CES 2015 Mophie announced the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Mophie cases that add significant battery life to the new iPhones.

Apple announced the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in September, and while there are Mophie iPhone 6 case alternatives and a collection of other iPhone 6 battery cases, many users are waiting for the Mophie iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus cases.

There are two new Mophie iPhone 6 cases and one Mophie iPhone 6 Plus case available to pre-order now, and they will ship in three to four weeks, which lines up with Mophie’s upcoming Super Bowl commercial.

Mophie Juice Pack Air

The Mophie iPhone 6 case is available to order today.

Here is what the Mophie iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus case lineup looks like. There are a variety of sizes and battery life options for users to purchase.

    Mophie iPhone 6 Juice Pack Air – 100% Battery added – $99
    Mophie iPhone 6 Juice Pack Plus – 120% Battery added – $119
    Mophie iPhone 6 Plus Juice Pack – 60% Battery added – $99

All of the new Mophie iPhone 6 cases come in three colors to match the iPhone 6 colors Apple sells. There is black, white and gold options on each of the cases.
The Mophie Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 6 adds a more durable protective shell to the iPhone 6 that includes the 3,300mAh battery to add up to 120% battery life.

The Mophie iPhone 6 Plus case is offers three color options.

The Mophie iPhone 6 Plus case is offers three color options.

For many users, a Mophie iPhone 6 battery case is one of the best iPhone 6 accessories to buy, as it offers protection and the ability to keep the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus charged without finding a port. With this case plugged in, you can also charge the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus with a Micro USB cable, which is easier to find and often cheaper than a Lightning cable. You cannot keep the case on to sync your iPhone or to connect to a car infotainment system.

The best way to use these batteries is to charge when the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus is between 20% and 80%, which allows you to use the least amount of power from the case, while maximizing the overall iPhone battery life. If you can avoid using it to keep the iPhone battery at 100%, you can make the power last longer.

There is a LED indicator on the back of the case to show you how much power is left and an on/off switch to let you control when the case charges the iPhone.
You can pre-order the Mophie iPhone 6 and Mophie iPhone 6 Plus case today through Mophie. In three to four weeks you will also likely find these cases at Best Buy and most carrier locations.

Quick look at the TYLT reversible USB cable, car dock, and Moto 360 band

Let’s talk about USB charging cables. Why is it so hard to plug in a USB cable in the correct orientation on the first try? And how is it possible that it can sometimes take three attempts to get it right? I’m convinced there is some black magic at play. Luckily engineers have been working on this problem, and this year it will finally be solved.
TYLT is one of many companies that will soon offer Type C USB 3.1 cables. These cables are reversible so it doesn’t matter which way you plug them into a device. Other benefits include speeds up to 10Gbps, but they can also scale down for older devices. TYLT will soon offer a USB 3.1 version of their Syncable cable.
We also got a chance to look at the TYLT VU Wireless Charging Car Mount. A lot of people have been asking for a car dock that can do wireless charging, and this will be the best option. It uses three different sets of coils so it can charge phones with up to 6-inch displays. The Vu Car Mount costs $70 if you can find it in stock.

But wait, there’s more. You may remember Motorola announcing that TYLT would be making a band for the Moto 360. We were able to snap this photo of the band at their booth. It’s a silicone band that comes in 4 different colors. This band will be a nice alternative for active users who don’t want to get the leather band all sweaty.

Reversible USB Type-C finally on its way, alongside USB 3.1’s 10Gbit performance

CES is as much a concept show as a practical demonstration of shipping hardware, and much of the focus tends to be on products that may not see the light of day for years, if ever. One of the more practical products shown off this year that we can be confident will be coming to market is the USB Type-C connector and the accompanying USB 3.1 standard.
The near-universal frustration over attempts to connect USB devices to computers has been a staple of nerd humor and lampooned in various ways until Intel finally found a way to take the joke quantum.

USB Type-C promises to solve this problem with a universal connector that’s also capable of twice the theoretical throughput of USB 3.0 and can provide far more power. Type-C connectors will not be the only type of connector that’s produced, but apparently hybrid cabling won’t be allowed. There will be USB 3.1 cables that are backwards compatible with existing USB 3.0 ports, but no Type-C adapters with conventional USB at one end and the new connector at the other.
Signal overhead is also expected to drop significantly, thanks to a switch to a 128-bit and 132-bit encoding scheme, similar to that used in PCI-Express 3.0.

Type-C, USB 3.1 not always hooked together

The Type-C plug can be used with previous standards of USB, which means manufacturers don’t automatically have to adopt expensive 3.0 hardware if they want to include it in mobile devices.

This is going to inevitably cause confusion. One reason the shift from USB 2.0 to 3.0 was relatively painless is because coloring both the cables and plugs bright blue made it impossible to mistake one type of port for the other.
The upside to decoupling USB 3.1 from USB Type-C, however, is that companies can deploy the technology on mobile phones and tablets without needing to opt for interfaces that inevitably consume more power. Then again, some might argue that this would be a moot point — the USB controller can be powered down when it isn’t active, and when it is active, the device should be drawing power off the PC or charging port anyway. Heat dissipation could theoretically remain a concern — higher bandwidth inevitably means higher heat, and in devices built to 3-4W specifications, every tenth of a watt matters.
If I had to bet, I’d bet that the 100W power envelope on USB 3.1 will actually be of more practical value than the 10Gbps bandwidth capability. While it’s true that USB 3.1 will give external SSD enclosures more room to stretch their legs, the existing standard still allows conventional mechanical drives to run at full speed while SSDs can hit about 80% of peak performance for desktop workloads. It might not be quite as good, but it’s a far cry from the days when using USB 2.0 for an external hard drive was achingly slow compared to SATA.

The ability to provide 100W of power, as opposed to 10W, however, means that nearly every manufacturers could ditch clunky power bricks. There would still be concern about ensuring that connect points were sufficiently reinforced, but provided such concerns can be accounted for, the vast majority of laptops could switch over to the new standard. Hard drives and other external peripherals could all be powered by single wires, as could USB hubs for multiple devices.
The higher bandwidth is nice, and a major selling point, but the flippable connector and the power provisioning will likely make more difference in the day-to-day reality of life. As for competition with Intel’s Thunderbolt, USB 3.1 will continue to lag Intel’s high-speed standard, but as bandwidth rises this gap becomes increasingly academic. At this point, it’s the features USB doesn’t allow, like RAID and TRIM, that matter more than the raw bandwidth does in most cases.
There’s no word yet on when we’ll see motherboards and add-in cards shipping with USB 3.1 support, but current rumors point to late 2015 or early 2016. Type-C connectors could ship more quickly, since the cable standard is compatible with pre-existing USB chipsets.

The reversible USB Type-C connector is turning heads at CES

A cable connector is an odd thing to get excited about, but when it’s something as ubiquitous as USB you can perhaps forgive people for getting a little worked up.

The new Type-C connector has been making some appearances at the International CES this week, and it brings several improvements that are worth paying attention to if you’re a USB user, which most people will be for some time yet, at least until everything goes wireless.

Having handled a Type-C connector here I can tell you that it felt very sturdy, so despite being as slender as a Micro USB connector it doesn’t seem like we’ll have a ”bendgate” over USB Type-C.

One of the chief benefits is that the connector is reversible, so you won’t have to worry any more about plugging it in upside down. Also, both ends of a Type-C cable can be identical, so there’s no small end for your phone and big end for your PC, as with Micro USB.

It’s also faster. The Type-C connector works with the latest USB 3.1 standard, which operates at up to 10Gbps. That’s twice as fast as the USB 3.0 standard supported by current USB connectors. (The letter refers to the shape of the connector, while the USB version number denotes its speed and other capabilities.)

A third benefit of Type-C is that it can deliver greater amounts of power—up to 100 watts. That means you should be able to charge something as big as a laptop via a USB cable, as well as the phones and other small devices you can charge today.

The USB Implementers Forum has been demonstrating the technology this week at CES. On Monday evening it showed it transferring data between two SSD drives and a computer at sustained speeds over 800 MBps.

Jeff Ravencraft, president and COO of the USB Implementers Forum, pointed out to us that that was first-generation silicon being used and that the SSD drives were at capacity. He’s confident he’ll soon get to throughput of well over 1GBps.

He also noted that the cable itself is only one piece of the puzzle. It will be up to device makers and PC makers to build support for Type-C connectors and USB 3.1 into their products.

Taiwanese systems builder MSI is showing a gaming motherboard at CES with USB 3.1 and a Type-C connector. And DisplayLink, which makes docking stations, is demonstrating compatibility between Type-C and standard Type-A connectors at its booth.

Nokia’s N1 tablet is among the first products that have been announced with a Type-C connector port. Nokia has said it will go on sale in February in China and soon after in other countries.

Although the USB 3.1 spec was only recently finalized, the Implementers Forum is already researching ways to increase its speed, which will make it more competitive with the Thunderbolt technology developed by Apple and Intel.

Forum promoting standard USB charger for devices

A new standard might provide a solution for all those weighed down by the number of non-compatible chargers they need to keep their mobile devices functioning.
The universal serial bus (USB) standard is a protocol governing the cables and connectors used for communication and power supply for computers and electronic devices. The micro-USB, a very small USB port found on most cellphones and other portable devices, marked a milestone toward unifying the types of cables used by mobile devices. Apple Inc remains outside the loop as it still designs its own proprietary connectors.
Now the USB Implementers Forum — a non-profit organization made up of 760 technology companies — has unveiled the usb to usb cable Type-C specification, a completely new design for both ends of the cables used to transmit data and charge devices.
Typical smartphone USB cables comprise a Type-A (standard USB) connector that plugs into a computer port or AC adapter, and a smaller Type-B (micro-USB) connector that plugs into the device itself.
The new Type-C head is different in both shape and concept, as both ends of the new cable are the same shape and size. That means that either end can be plugged into any Type-C port located on either a computer or a device.
Perhaps more exciting for people who have found themselves stumbling around to plug in cables in the dark, the Type-C USB can be inserted into ports even upside-down, similar to the Lightning standard introduced by Apple in 2013.
Coupled with USB version 3.1, data transfer rates should be able to reach 10 gigabits per second and deliver up to 100 watts of power to charge larger devices such as laptops and display monitors.
The downside for consumers is that the new USB 3.1 Type-C cables will not be backwards compatible. Because of the different shapes, current-generation devices need to use adapters to plug into the cable.
Taiwan’s Mega International Commercial Bank estimates that the penetration rate for Type-C cables would reach 30 percent by the end of the year. The nascent standard could mean US$24.78 billion in business opportunities worldwide, it said.
The shift is expected to benefit a number of Taiwanese manufacturers, including Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, the world’s largest contract electronics maker, and affiliate Cheng Uei Precision Industry Co, among others.
The driving factor behind the new standard is an EU law that is to come into effect in 2017, requiring all manufacturers — including Apple — to adopt a unified standard for products sold in the EU.
The European Commission said it is motivated by the need to address the environmental impact caused by waste from the estimated 10 billion cables in use worldwide by cutting the number of obsolete or fringe connector standards.

Will Rapid Charging Damage Your iPhone 6 Or 6 Plus?

Based on recent marketing campaigns, if there is one area where new Android phones have iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus beat, it’s rapid charging.

With the Galaxy S5, Samsung’s “fast charging” technology became “ultra fast charging.” Motorola’s Droid Turbo promises an 8 hour charge in just 15 minutes. With the release of HTC’s Rapid Charger 2.0, 2014 HTC devices like the One M8, the One E8 and Desire Eye will charge 40 percent faster.

Meanwhile, the new iPhones promised increased battery life, but no quick charging. However, as bloggers quickly discovered, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 can also play the quick-charging game. Just plug them into the 2.1A/12W charger from an iPad or the high-power USB port of a newer model Mac.

This raises the question, why doesn’t Apple advertise this feature? And, more importantly will it hurt your phone if you try this? I’d like to be able to answer the first question, but the first rule of Apple PR on this topic is you don’t talk about Apple PR. It is possible, however, to deduce from the web page Apple created “Charge the battery in your iPad,” that Apple is aware of this capability and endorses it.  The Apple store lists every iPhone from the original “iPhone” to the iPhone 6 plus as being compatible with the iPad charger.

Ivan Cowie, chief engineer at MaxVision and author of an EE Times series, “All About Batteries,” notes that the iPhones have actually been charging at a lower speed than they are designed to charge at. Simply increasing the current from .5 amps (USB charging cable) or 1 amp (the bundled iPhone charger) to 2.1 amps (the iPad charger) boosts the charging speed.

What effect will this have on your device? More amperage equals more heat, and more heat equals more wear and tear on the battery. For this reason, it’s common for people to conclude that using the iPad charger is a bad idea. Apple’s silence on the issue isn’t particularly encouraging either. But in this case, knowing just a bit more about how batteries work may ease your mind.

Isidor Buchmann, founder and CEO of Cadex Electronics and author of “Batteries in a Portable World,” explains a key measurement that determines how much charge a phone can safely receive is the C-rate, or the rate at which a battery charges or discharges. To determine a C-rate, simply take the ratio between the charging rate and the capacity of the battery as measured in mAh or milliampere-hours. For an iPhone 6 that is being charged with the iPad charger, the C-rate is 2100mA/1810mAh or 1.16C. For an iPhone 6 Plus, the C-rate is 2100mA/2915mAh or .72C.

Most portable batteries are rated at 1C.  This puts the C-rate that we calculated for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in the safety zone.  ”A battery manufacturer would recommend a rate below 1C,” Buchmann said. But a rate that is just barely above 1C is nothing to be concerned about, he added.

Another thing to keep in mind is how rapid charging typically works. This is how George Paparrizos, a director of product management who works on Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2 technology explained it to me:  A bit of code on your device, often located in a chip known as the Power Management IC, communicates with the charger you are using and requests that it send power at a higher voltage. The Power Management IC, also known as the PMIC, receives this voltage and converts it into a voltage and current that is suitable for a particular battery. In theory, this step would protect the battery of an iOS device because Apple would still determine the voltage and current provided to its batteries, regardless of your choice of charger.

In fact, both iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus feature a PMIC made by Qualcomm. So while Apple isn’t talking about power management and Qualcomm isn’t talking about Apple, it seems safe to conclude that rapid-charging iOS-style will not damage your phone or significantly degrade its battery.

I Found My New Favorite iPhone Accessory

I sleep with my iPhone.
Don't roll your eyes and pretend you haven't done that before. Or that you don't do it regularly. It's pretty common. At least that's what I'm telling myself.
Anyway, since ditching my iPad Mini last year in favor of the iPhone 6 Plus, I use my phone in bed a lot more than I used to before going to sleep. I catch up with articles I saved to Pocket. I scroll through Twitter. I stream something on Netflix or Hulu.
Until last week, my phone would be almost dead by the time I woke up. Part of that was because I almost always fall asleep in the middle of a show on Netflix, and it automatically moves to the next few episodes as I snooze.
It's also because the Lightning cord that comes with the iPhone is too short to reach from under my nightstand to my bed.
But on Christmas my mom got me a two-meter-long Lightning cable at the suggestion of an Apple Store employee.
It seems like a silly thing to get excited about, but it really has made things a lot better. Now I can charge my phone and still use it in bed. I'm at 100% when I wake up.
I'm also considering buying one for the office. I have a standing desk, and the standard Lightning cord is too short to reach from my to my ear if the phone is plugged in and charging. (I'm over 6 feet tall.)
The downside: This thing is way too expensive at $29. Cables are historically one of the most wickedly marked-up tech accessories. Apple's cable is no exception.

Cable installers cut CenturyLink phone lines — again

Phone outage in Flint Hill area lasts almost 24 hours

Early in the afternoon on Dec. 19, CenturyLink phone service was disrupted, affecting residential and business customers in the Flint Hill and Huntly areas for nearly 24 hours. This was the second disruption in two weeks in the same area. The first outage, on Dec. 8, was repaired within a few hours.
In both instances, crews laying fiber-optic cable along U.S. 522 inadvertently cut the underground phone lines. The excavation along U.S. 211 and 522 north of 211 is part of a multistate project to connect existing cell towers to higher-speed, so-called 4G Internet service.
According to Stacy Londrey, a Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) spokesperson, the work is being done for Sprint by PEG Bandwidth, a Texas company that specializes in “backhaul” or “middle-mile” cabling projects. “After checking with our permits office, my understanding is that PEG was hired by Sprint to install the cabling,” said Londrey. “PEG does not have crews of its own and instead subcontracts the manual work to other companies.”
A Sprint spokesperson has not responded to a request for comment.
Simone Alley, a spokesperson for CenturyLink, confirmed that contractors in the area were responsible for the cuts. “In that two-week period, there were two cable cuts and one fiber-optic cut,” said Alley. “But I don’t know which contractor is responsible. There may have been more than one contractor working there.”

Many of those affected by the outages wondered how the lines could have been cut in the first place.
Alley explained that, before cable crews begin digging, all the existing utility lines must be located and marked. “It’s a similar process to residents having to call Miss Utility before digging in the yard,” she said. “I can’t speak to what happened in your area, but different factors can contribute to the cuts. Sometimes the lines are not well-marked, sometimes crews don’t pay attention to the markings, they may start digging before the lines’ locations are identified, or it could be Mother Nature — materials just wear down.”
She also described another common scenario with outages: “Sometimes an outage occurs in one area that affects an area farther away. It can take some time to determine where the problem is.”
And why did the repairs take so long?
Working on 522, or Zachary Taylor Highway, presents its own safety risks. “The repair took so long because the road is narrow and heavily trafficked,” said Alley. “A lane of traffic was closed so that crews would have the space they needed to work. Repairs have to be done by hand in a cramped area.” For safety reasons — for drivers and work crews — work was shut down completely after dark. “We resumed repairs as soon as we could the next day.”
VDOT issues permits for work along state roadways. “Permit applications must describe the kind of work that will be done, its location and any traffic control activities,” said Londrey. “We are not responsible for the work, but we do have inspectors that make sure the permits are being complied with.” She said VDOT did not have a record of the lane closure that occurred on Dec. 19. “It is possible that law enforcement responded and requested the lane be reopened, but to the best of my knowledge, VDOT was not involved,” she said.