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Ethernet speed
We are trying to send pictures out of the etrax 100lx. The ethernet physical
chip is configured to
send at 100Mbit. But we cannot achive this speed. We get between 10Mbit and
If we configure the ethernet physical to 10Mbit we get less
Has anyone done performance measuring on etrax's ethernet? What's possible
and how can I speed up my application.
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Contact Us
Retiring/Schizoid Personality
Schizoid Spectrum
Behavioral Level
(F) Expressively Impassive (e.g., appears to be in an inert emotional state, lifeless, undemonstrative, lacking in energy and vitality; is unmoved, boring, unanimated, robotic, phlegmatic, displaying deficits in activation, motoric expressiveness, and spontaneity).
(F) Interpersonally Unengaged (e.g., seems indifferent and remote, rarely responsive to the actions or feelings of others, chooses solitary activities, possesses minimal "human" interests; fades into the background, is aloof or unobtrusive, neither desires nor enjoys close relationships, prefers a peripheral role in social, work and family settings).
Phenomenological Level
(F) Cognitively Impoverished (e.g., seems deficient across broad spheres of human knowledge and evidences vague and obscure thought processes, particularly about social matters; communication with others is often unfocused, loses its purpose or intention, or is conveyed via a loose or circuitous logic).
(S) Complacent Self-Image (e.g., reveals minimal introspection and awareness of self; seems impervious to the emotional and personal implications of everyday social life, appearing indifferent to the praise or criticism of others).
(S) Meager Contents (e.g., internalized representations are few in number and minimally articulated, largely devoid of the manifold percepts and memories of relationships with others, possessing little of the dynamic interplay among drives and conflicts that typify well-adjusted persons).
Intrapsychic Level
(F) Intellectualization Dynamics (e.g., describes interpersonal and affective experiences in a matter-of-fact, abstract, impersonal or mechanical manner; pays primary attention to formal and objective aspects of social and emotional events).
(S) Undifferentiated Architecture (e.g., given an inner barrenness, a feeble drive to fulfill needs, and minimal pressures either to defend against or resolve internal conflicts or cope with external demands, internal morphologic structures may best be characterized by their limited framework and sterile pattern).
Biophysical Level
(S) Apathetic Mood (e.g., is emotionally unexcitable, exhibiting an intrinsic unfeeling, cold and stark quality; reports weak affectionate or erotic needs, rarely displaying warm or intense feelings, and apparently unable to experience most affectspleasure, sadness, or angerin any depth).
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Usually, moms are wowed by anything their little bundles of joy do. Not this woman.
YouTuber Moretoki stars in this video in which he unleashes a flurry of sick dance moves while riding in the passenger seat of a car driven by his mother.
Amazingly, his mom keeps on driving like American Bandstand is not even taking place, proving she's either the world's safest driver or completely oblivious to what her son is doing.
This guy's got a pretty stellar catalog of moves, not to mention knowledge of pop culture. Look at him sing along with this playlist. Not too shabby, right?
His mom may not be giving him any love, but we salute you, buddy. Here's hoping you hook up with this guy for an epic dance-off that all of America really needs to see.
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Monday, April 03, 2017
13620: Dames Of Future Past.
Creativity’s female future” is Campaign’s collection of 31 female creative trailblazers bound to lead the industry. Um, the predominately White women’s group, including a handful of women of Asian descent, looks a lot like the present—which doesn’t bode well for the future of racial and ethnic minorities.
1 comment:
Greenery said...
So basically it's just like the United States.
Woman power and gender diversity means mostly white women, with a smattering of Asian women from overseas as a backup.
No black faces, and everyone's supposed to pretend it's still diverse.
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Sunday, September 26, 2010
Shirley Williams. Age 23. Previous occupation, secretary, currently self-employed. Therapy sessions, 7 to date, weekly intervals.
"Shirley?", the psychiatrist inquired, eyes peering from his clipboard as a smallish figure entered the room. Dressed in a maroon sleeveless long blouse, the woman confirmed her identity as Shirley Williams.
"You seem well today, Shirley. I would like to complement you on your choice of dressing, it is quite stylish. But let's move on to discuss your, condition, shall we? How is it?"
There was a hesitant pause before she spoke.
"I-I think it has become worse. I-I can't even recognize myself in the mirror anymore. Everything's become generic, eyes, nose, mouth, even my hair- do you know what it's like to not even have a clue about what hairstyle you're wearing, even if you staring right at it in the mirror? Sometimes I'm even startled by my own reflection, and I need more than a moment to realize it's me."
The psychiatrist took some time to jot down the conversation, something he always did slowly to gain time for a meaningful response.
"Yes, it appears that your condition, which was previously limited to your perceptions of other people, has now worsened and affected even your perceptions of yourself. Let me state that I do emphasize very much with your predicament, which must be absolutely horrible. You must learn to cope with it! It'll not be easy, and you'll need to make certain adjustments to your lifestyle. But I digress, and let us return to the topic at hand. You have discussed your condition in visual terms. How about your auditory perception? Has it too degraded?"
"I can still recognize my own voice, thankfully, it's perhaps the only thing that's keeping me sane. Rooted to my identity, even. But I can feel it s-slipping- I'm feeling quite scared that one day, or even tomorrow, I'll lose even this. It might be soon- I think it was only about two weeks after I first started seeing everyone as having the same face that I started hearing everyone with the same voice. And that leaves about one, one and a half, weeks?"
Then she started to cry. It was a while before the psychiatrist managed to calm her down.
"I have not told you this previously, Shirley, but you must steel yourself for the eventualities. In fact you are not my only client with such a condition, nor even the first or the most advanced in progression. From what I have seen, the progression of the disorder parallels your own- one day, you start seeing similarities in the faces of people, then slowly, you lose the ability to differentiate between their faces, even the specifics of hairstyle beyond the length of it. Next is a loss of auditory differentiation, and all people start to, in your own words, have the same voice, which is not monotonous, but nonetheless indistinct. Then, perhaps the final stage of the disorder is a loss of ability to even perceive one's features, ending with your perceived loss of distinctiveness of your voice.
I don't wish to scare you, but from what I know of this condition in the medical circles, there is no known prescription or procedure that is able to reverse, or even slow the progression of, this disorder. To be truthful, we're unable to even pin down the cause or origin. We all have our hypotheses, of course. The leading hypothesis is that it is caused by limited brain damage, possibly to some parts of the brain that governs perception. Now, there are prior medical cases where individuals have suffered brain damage and have similar symptoms to those experienced by yourself, but the question is why there is an considerable increase in the number of cases seen recently. And they propose certain as yet undetected viral or bacterial agents that cause the brain degradation. Surely a horrific hypothesis, and a chilling thought, but it is as yet unproven. I have, however, my own thoughts on the matter."
It was at this moment when the psychiatrist's eyes seemed to light up for a moment, and when his voice seemed to take on a more energetic quality.
"Have you, perhaps, heard of the term, "memetic virus"? A meme is simply an idea that can be transmitted from one person to another, say by writing, speech, song, or by any means of communication. And there are some memes that are, once transmitted, nearly impossible to eradicate from the mind, for example a catchy tune. One might suppose that such an hardy and infectious meme has the qualities of a virus, hence the term, memetic virus.
But that is only half of my hypothesis. How is this related to the shift in one's perceptions? My argument is this: One usually believes that one's perceptions are complete, and hence stable. But it is not the case! Often what we perceive is but filtered to the barest essence of things! Consider what you are hearing now. You may perceive only my voice, but if I direct your attention to the sound of the ventilation vent, you will realize that your perceptions are incomplete. Now, what if there were some perceptions that had the properties of a memetic virus? In fact there are some optical illusions that appear random and structureless, but once you perceive the object it is impossible to revert to the initial perception of randomness. It is the same thing here, that once you perceive the true indistinctness of things it is impossible to change back."
The voluminous explanation did not go well with Shirley, who was squirming uncomfortably in her recliner. The psychiatrist noticed this, and noted to himself that he had to end things quickly.
"Don't worry too much. You're coping well, and I see that you've changed jobs so that you needn't face quite so many people. It's a good beginning to things, though you'll need to do more to deal with people. For starters, try to recognize people though other means, such as their dressing, height and build, and their mannerisms. These cues will give you some limited means of differentiating between people. After that you'll need to practice so that you condition is not immediately obvious to others. You'll get the hang of it, eventually.
Finally, though this may be small comfort, know that even in the worst of cases, you'll still be able to recognize faces, and by extension yourself, in photographs. It's a strange exception to the disease and one that we can't explain, but I suppose you'll have to be grateful for the small things."
The session ended shortly after. The psychiatrist pushed a button on his phone, which connected to the reception desk outside. A voice greeted him.
"The next appointment is Ms. Heather. I'm sending her in."
"Hi, is this Jenny or Colleen? Please get me a jug of water, thanks."
Someone entered the room. Short skirt, tight blouse, longish hair. Colleen, thought the psychiatrist.
"Where's the water, Colleen?" asked the psychiatrist in a slightly annoyed tone.
The psychiatrist realized his mistake when another figure entered the room moments later, carrying a jug of water.
Damn. Almost gave up the game. Next time, I should get clients who dress less coquettishly.
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Who on first relative hookup activity answers
who on first relative hookup activity answers
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Who's On First: The Lost Version (NSFW Uncensored cut)
59 60 61 62 63
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Relative dating worksheet answer key - muzica-gratis.info
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Whos On First Relative Dating Activity.
who on first relative hookup activity answers
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Starting with the top card, the letters should be in order from youngest to oldest. If the letters "T" and "C" represent fossils in the oldest rock layer, they are the oldest fossils, or the first fossils formed in the past for this sequence of rock layers..
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Scientists have good evidence that the earth is very old, approximately four and one-half billion Find a rock layer that has at least one of the fossils you found in who on first relative hookup activity answers oldest rock layer. Although most attention in today's world focuses on dinosaurs and why they became extinct, the world of who on first relative hookup activity answers includes many other interesting organisms which tell us about Earth's past history. For example, most limestones represent marine environments, whereas, sandstones with ripple marks might indicate a shoreline habitat or a riverbed. Analyses of rock strata and the fossil record provide only relative dates, not an absolute scale. For each of the following pairs of rock layers, identify the reliant on dating law that would be in use accustomed to to determine which bed was older and which was younger. However, "relative" dating or time can be an easy concept for firat to learn.
☰ Comments
#1 01.06.2018 at 05:08 waenn1987:
#2 06.06.2018 at 09:36 mirinda1984:
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Monday, August 27, 2007
My Husband Is Trying to Poison Me, Again
I used to like chopped liver. That is until....yesterday night around 2:19am to 6:00am for the main fireworks.
Husband thoughtfully bought American Kosher chopped liver for me. Felt it tasted funny but still gave it to me. I just thought it wasn't made that good, and so I gobbled up some.
Didn't feel anything funny until I woke up at 2:19am with the distinct feeling that something ugly was gonna happen if I didn't get to the toilet pronto. Then from that time until 6am it would stop after six times, and then 15 minutes later it would start all over again like the first time.
Now there have been other incidents with my husband. My most favorite that comes to mind is when hubby put the stool softeners in the aspririn bottle. Um, I unfortunately got a headache and thought I took some aspirin. My husband was like "couldn't you tell those pills weren't aspirin?" Gee, no, never thought to question what type of pills might be in the ASPIRIN bottle.
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/13509
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Home > Ebay Mix-ups and Some Triumphs
Ebay Mix-ups and Some Triumphs
May 15th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Blame it on the last week of the semester, but last week's ebay sales went to the wrong people. I sold two dresses, and you guessed it, sent each to the other buyer. They've been pleasant about it, and I'm refunding them the postage and throwing in some extras.
Now for the triumphs: I sold a textbook on Amazon and made some survey money. And current ebay listings have some bids.
Add $51.71 to my totals.
2 Responses to “Ebay Mix-ups and Some Triumphs”
1. creditcardfree Says:
I've had that happen. Wrong item to wrong people. In the end my people kept the one I sent rather than the one they bid on. Too funny. I was willing to pay the postage to get it corrected, too. The items were similar but definitely not the same!
2. gamecock43 Says:
I have done that twice. Both times the buyers were good about it, but its a headache. I refunded the postage too.
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/13512
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Friday, January 10, 2014
Five Minute Friday: SEE
Taking part in Five Minute Fridays, linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker. A five-minute write, unedited, on a given prompt. This week's prompt: SEE.
She could see the room was already full and she approached it. Conversations in full bloom. Hugs being given, waves being exchanged as friends found one another in the crowded space.
She snuck in and hung out on the edge. She risked a casual greeting a couple times, and sure, she got a couple smiles, and that helped her feel better. But no one made that effort to bring her into their conversations.
They're all old friends, she told herself. They just don't know me.
And they won't get to know you if you stay over here on the edge, she argued with herself.
But they said they'd offer friendship. And chocolate. And I like friendship. And I like chocolate, she reasoned again.
Maybe you don't belong here, came the thought from some dark place in her soul.
Lord, she prayed, I can see myself here. Do you want me to follow this desire I have in my heart? Even if no one else notices me clear over here, I still see myself here. I want to be here. I want to be part of this. Even though it hurts a little to be on the outside fringe. I want the community that's taking shape right in front of me.
She stood there a moment longer, and decided she had experienced enough for the moment. Just then, as she was about to leave from the crowded space, someone approached her. And she reached out to this person.
And she decided to stay.
Who is SHE?
One of my middle school students? An awkward teenager at a club meeting?
No - she was me. She IS me. At any online Twitter, Facebook party.
I'm the one hoping someone will say "hi". Will tell me they're glad to see me. Will let me know they've read and/or appreciated something I've written.
Do I SEE myself as a blogger, or part of the blogging community? I don't know. But I do see myself encouraging others. Extending friendship and chocolate.
Because I like friendship.
And I like chocolate.
1. Oh, girl ... we could get along. You had me at chocolate.
Joining you from FMF, where we are neighbors. May this day find you seeing all of the beauty and talents that you possess.
2. Oh Dayle, bless your heart. Thanks so much for stopping by, neighbor! Joy and peace to you today!
3. I see you and I feel the same way, friend! Twitter scares me. I'm so glad you've spent some time with me and shared your heart with me. So thankful for your gift of encouragement- making a promise to come back by and say hello.
(love your authenticity!)
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Mt Middleton Postal Codes
Mt Middleton city is located in New Brunswick, Canada
You can search for the Mt Middleton NB postal codes by its streets and block numbers
Mt Middleton Area Code is 506 and Time Zone is Atlantic (GMT -04:00).
Mt Middleton Postal Code - New Brunswick
Mt Middleton Postal Code is a six-character string that forms part of a postal address in Canada. Like British and Dutch postcodes, Mt Middleton - NB postal codes are alphanumeric.
The last three characters denote a Mt Middleton local delivery unit (LDU). An LDU denotes a specific single Mt Middleton address or range of addresses, which can correspond to an entire small town, a significant part of a medium-sized town, a single side of a city block in larger cities, a single large building or a portion of a very large one, a single (large) institution in Mt Middleton, New Brunswick, such as a university or a hospital, or a business that receives large volumes of mail on a regular basis
If you want to send a mail to Mt Middleton City, you should use the corresponding Postal Code.
Mt Middleton Postal Code MAP
Mt Middleton Postal Code - CA Streets Postal Codes
By pressing keys ctrol + F you can search Mt Middleton postal codes by its streets/addresses
Search Mt Middleton Postal Code
You should look for the desired Mt Middleton address to know for certain postal code in Mt Middleton, NB
Mt Middleton, New Brunswick - Postal Codes Canada
Mt Middleton Postal Code Lookup
City: Mt Middleton
Mt Middleton Area Code: 506
Mt Middleton, NB - Time Zone: Atlantic (GMT -04:00)
State: New Brunswick
State Abb: NB
Mt Middleton Elevation: 37
Mt Middleton Population: 2707
New Brunswick Postal Code: related postal codes
View more New Brunswick postal codes
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Thursday, December 4, 2014
Those are my trips...
When I was away, yet here.
My body, mind and soul scattered around the world.
I was listening, or maybe not.
The conversations went on with my hmmms
I was somewhere, yet nowhere in particular
The mind flaps her wings and takes me away.
Being there at two places at the same time,
Those are my trips ...
Friday, November 7, 2014
That's when we were free...
When we laughed without a care in the world,
Our masks let gone of;
All our fears vanished into the thin air.
That's when we actually met,
That's when we were free...
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
The Young & The Wild...
You wander like a nomad in your youth. You follow the wind, see seasons change...
And then, marvel at nature's secrets.
They tell you to stick to the lines,
But you're quite the mischievous hopper, aren't you?
With the heart of a wild child,
You laugh at all those falls.
Even with the pain, you muster up some courage.
Perhaps, the boundaries are meant to protect
But the world beyond fascinates you...
You create your own directions, The walls can't hold you back.
Hope surprises you.
Hope is like a solitary leaf dancing with the wind,
Flying freely and carelessly...
Sometimes, you're almost certain that she'll fall flat on her face..
And that's when she surprises you.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Sometimes, I wonder...
Woke up to the call of a dull afternoon,
An afternoon in the plains,
While, my heart yearned for the hills
As I looked outside my window,
A tender fall of a raindrop catches my eye.
Like a scene from a half dreamt dream;
Like a poem in the making,
It speaks…
With a still gaze, I try to soak it all in
The assortment of greens, reds and pinks in my garden,
A solitary white flower blooming in the wind,
Birds chirping one at a time, occasionally joining into a duet
The fading in and out sound of a hovering airplane,
Adding that tint of urban culture to this isolated fancy world of mine…
This single moment,
A union of so many voices;
The coming together of so many stories...
Yes, this ordinary life.
A coexistence of worlds that run in parallel
With or without, our knowing
Sometimes, I wonder…
Don’t you wonder too?
Image courtesy:
Monday, May 19, 2014
Bird on a wire
Bird on a wire
So trapped, yet, set free
Look upon the trails of the clouds and hear the sky speak.
Is it a sign or a story?
Rest the hero for the day,
And just be the spectator today...
Thursday, May 15, 2014
A thousand ships sailed...
One knock of hope on thy doors,
And a thousand ships sailed..
They know not the tricks of the ocean,
But there was a brave rhythm in their togetherness...
Friday, April 4, 2014
People in phases...
People in phases,
People in situations,
Caught like stars in a galaxy
Who stays a stranger?
Who remains a friend?
Walking on dotted lines, making time seem fine
A twirl of events;
A slow dance of souls
We cross paths, our journeys too long
Seeking connections, sometimes not…
Things happen, sometimes not…
Held by a string of thoughts
Bound by none but time
Each connection, an unexpected reason
Our hearts find home,
The smiles seem known.
No matter how short, how deep
Connections, these are
Let it be, as they are...
For we, are people in phases
Phasing in, phasing out
Making moments shine out of dust
Writing stories etched in our hearts
Prone to wins & losses
Still looking, while the universe is at play
‘Something is out there’, they say.
Strangely, we know…
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Just make her smile...
Like a rock, she rolls
Hitting pavements, crossing shores,
Each strike adds another coat of strength,
The scars so countless, yet so defining
A sculpture so formed, so her...
As days change into seasons,
More sheen to her body and mind
Some seasons were dry and unkind
But what could break her now?
She stood firm like a rock
With no chains and stark-naked honesty.
Her inner flame, her only soft spot,
A light too bright to stay veiled,
So it reflects on her texture when she smiles.
You want to know her?
Just make her smile.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Only one win matters...
Fragments build up within,
A sudden surge of energy fuels my soul
The walls, they want to melt away and let out these waves,
Is it an explosion that awaits?
Maybe, these are just noises and mere noises.
An on and off spell of calmness;
Showers of love and harmony.
An equilibrium, I can't keep up with,
It keeps disappearing when I try to touch,
Is it my touch or am I just chasing a bubble?
The bubble is fragile, not me.
What I seek is hiding somewhere in a maze.
Oh the games, there are too many!
Only one win matters...
Now, I choose between the rights and lefts,
My choices, my moves.
Play, play, play,
Till the master move emerges
And breaks down this stalemate.
Only one win matters,
To crack open the heart of possibilities,
So play, till you find the key.
Play, till you see the maze vanish away...
Audio for this:
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Study shows complex ideas can enter consciousness automatically
Photo of Ezequiel Morsella in his office in front of a bookshelf.
Assistant Professor of Psychology Ezequiel Morsella's research provides support for "passive frame theory," a potentially groundbreaking idea that suggests consciousness is more of a conduit for information in the brain rather than an active creator of information..
It's difficult to look at pictures of cars shown on a computer and then keep yourself from saying "car" inside your head the next time one shows up on the screen — even when someone tells you to avoid saying it. Now, a new study led by SF State researcher Ezequiel Morsella concludes that this same automatic effect can occur with much more complicated mental manipulations — for instance, transforming "car" to the pig latin "ar-cay" in your head after you've been told to avoid that transformation.
This surprising effect offers further evidence that the contents of our consciousness — the state of being awake and aware of our surroundings — are often generated involuntarily, said Morsella, an assistant professor of psychology. In fact, the study published in the journal Acta Psychologica provides the first demonstration that even a small amount of training can cause unintentional, high-level symbol manipulation.
"Symbol manipulations such as mentally rotating an object in space, rearranging words or musical notes, or performing math operations — these processes have been regarded as being more multifaceted, and as having more moving parts, in a sense, than the very different process of automatic memory retrieval," Morsella explained. "Our study reveals that unintentional, unconscious processes can be more sophisticated than what has been thought before."
In the study, 32 SF State students were taught or reminded how to rearrange words in pig latin (removing the first letter of a word and adding it in front of "ay" at the end of the word). They were then told to not perform this transformation in their heads when prompted with another set of words — but to press the spacebar during the computerized test if they did perform the transformation unintentionally.
The students involuntarily created pig latin words in 43 percent of the word trials they received, "and these people were trying actively to not have the effect occur, so this high-level process is going against the intentions of the subjects in the study," Morsella said.
He and his team of researchers also used the pig latin test on themselves and were surprised to find how often they unintentionally ignored the instruction to not transform the words.
Morsella said the study provides more support for the passive frame theory that he proposed along with his colleagues last year, a potentially groundbreaking idea that suggests consciousness is more of a conduit for information in the brain rather than an active creator of information. The theory has generated a significant amount of attention in academic circles and in the popular media, and Morsella said his team has written a follow-up paper to the study that will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
The pig latin results, he suggested, are further proof that "consciousness is passive, and that its contents are often generated unconsciously. But [consciousness] is necessary," he stressed.
He compared consciousness to an interpreter or a format like the Internet. "If you're arguing with someone over the internet, you need the internet," but it isn't doing any of the arguing or resolving the argument.
"By itself, consciousness, like a window, doesn't actually do that much," he added, "but what it provides for other, more active (and unconscious) systems is essential."
The findings could also be helpful for clinicians looking for ways to treat patients beset by unhealthy obsessive thoughts or ruminations, or compulsions, Morsella noted.
A clinician might work with a patient to help her deal with or "surf" an urge once she becomes aware of it, but, in some cases, the use of such a technique might come too late, Morsella suggested. "What my lab is showing is that, in some cases, you're better off, through some form of re-training, not letting that urge enter consciousness in the first place, because once that urge enters consciousness, it's in a late stage of processing, and it's already very strong."
"Involuntary symbol manipulation (pig latin) from external control: Implications for thought suppression" by Ezequiel Morsella and Hyein Cho (San Francisco State University), Pareezad Zarolia (University of Denver) and Adam Gazzaley (University of California, San Francisco) was published online in April 2016.
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To Catch Someone On Tinder, Stretch Your Arms Wide
Originally published on April 14, 2016 8:07 pm
For the 144 speed daters, Vacharkulksemsuk says, "expansiveness nearly doubles chances of getting a yes [to see each other again.]"
The participants swiped yes on every potential suitor — 3,000 in total — for 48 hours. "Profiles that feature expansive photos were 27 percent more likely to get a yes," Vacharkulksemsuk says. Expanding made both men and women more desirable during speed dating and in the dating app. The effect was more pronounced for men, however.
These postures convey power and openness, says Vacharkulksemsuk. "The information packing in that nonverbal behavior is social dominance, and where that person stands in a hierarchy," she says. And, presumably, the person high in the pecking order is sexy. Alphas are scarce and in demand.
With the scant information available to people making online dating decisions, Vacharkulksemsuk thinks those deep biological predispositions become very influential. "The most exciting, coolest [part of] these results are capturing something very special about what dating looks like in the current day," she says. "This is just that initial first step. How do I even get that first date?"
Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit
When it comes to dating, we all know a good first impression can be crucial. On dating apps, that means coming up with an attractive bio and photo. NPR's Angus Chen reports on a new study that suggests one way to improve your chances of love is by changing the pose in your profile picture.
ANGUS CHEN, BYLINE: I'm sitting with my friend Elissa Nadworny. She's also a reporter here at NPR. And she's on the dating app Tinder, flicking through people's photos.
ELISSA NADWORNY, BYLINE: Not interested. No, not interested - too close.
CHEN: Whittling dozens of men down to a very small, very select few.
CHEN: And Elissa's handing out these judgments literally in seconds, without really knowing anything about these people. what is it about those photos that makes you swipe left or right?
NADWORNY: Oh, yeah.
CHEN: Now, tell me why you're saying yes.
NADWORNY: So he looks like his - he's about to, like, fly. Like, his arms are out. He's, like, standing on a chair or something. Yeah, I don't know. It just feels like he would be fun.
CHEN: Fun, warm, open - just because his arms are out. Social psychologist Tanya Vacharkulksemsuk at UC Berkeley says the poses we strike in these photos can really influence how people perceive us, like how attractive we seem. She conducted a study using a dating app. She had six people each make two different profiles, one where they had expanded postures...
TANYA VACHARKULKSEMSUK: Widespread limbs - in general just taking up more space.
CHEN: And one where they had contracted postures.
VACHARKULKSEMSUK: Limbs, like your legs and your arms, are held more closely to the torso.
CHEN: She found that the profiles with the expanded poses got 27 percent more matches than the contracted profiles. She thinks that's because they're sending the right signals.
VACHARKULKSEMSUK: Humans are remarkably good at picking up information in milliseconds about another person.
CHEN: And she says an expanded posture implies openness and social dominance.
VACHARKULKSEMSUK: Where that person stands in a hierarchy. Dominance also has to do with resources.
CHEN: That's pretty desirable. A lot of people want a partner with rank. But don't overdo it, says psychologist Joel Wade from Bucknell University.
JOEL WADE: Dominant behavior is attractive, but it also has to be open. If it's just dominant, it's a turnoff.
CHEN: And contracted posters may be a turnoff. But then, my friend Elissa used a photo for her profile where her arms are tucked by her side.
NADWORNY: It's kind of, like, that's who I am. I take pictures in the bathroom, so I shouldn't really hide from my identity.
CHEN: I guess just go with whatever feels right. Angus Chen, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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NOBEL HD 40 (200 Litres)
NOBEL HD 40 (200 Litres)
SAE Grades: Art No.
SAE 40 62322/…
Classification: API: CC/SD
Nobel HD 40 is a high quality monograde diesel engine oil blended from high quality base oilsand additives to satisfy severe practical applications required for modern combustion engines. They contain an effective balance of detergents and dispersant to minimize the formation of sludge and deposits.
Nobel HD series are recommended for the lubrication of diesel engines for passenger’s cars, commercial vehicles as well as gasoline engines for commercial vehicles and contractor equipment. They can also be used in gear and hydraulic applications if the builder approves the use of engine oil.
Meet & Exceeds:
• Meets API CC/SD service classification
Features And Benefits
• Low oil consumption
• Great engine cleanliness
• It gives protection against wear and foaming for superior engine performance
• It has excellent thermal stability
• All round engine protection
• Extended intervals between oil drains
• Reduced inventory for mixed fleet operations
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Facts About Novamatic Games Revealed
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Monday, 21 January 2013
Northern Rangers to Battle South Hobart at the NTCA.
Ricardo Gugliotti in action for Rangers
against the NTC in a trial match
last week.
Adrian Foot has signed with Devonport
from Ulverstone.
1. Never thought I'd see or hear the day a Gugliotti played or trialled elsewhere. Times have changed
1. And maybe for the better. Ricardo is simply making use of extra training opportunities and getting some match practice but will in all likelihood play with City. Good to see a young bloke that keen. Maybe Luigi could do me a favour though and explain the whole thing in the Examiner, and stop the paranoid amongst us from having a piece of me.
Rod Fulton
2. The only thing I'd do with that white shirt is wipe my rear with it!
1. Rather random? Wouldnt u be better off just using the paper next to the seat?
3. Somerset numbers are starting to improve, the most notable is the older age of the players coming back into the game, still early days but I'm thinking that we might get into top 4 this year.
Cost remains a huge obstacle, I suppose for most other clubs too, however having your own facilities can be a tad expensive.
Work on the pitch looks great, lets hope it holds up all year.
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I remembered the Live Eagle Cam from college and have since tried to find something similar. I've looked for live wolf cams and all sorts of other potential goodies, and have found a few, though none have quite met the true idea of live, streaming video the way the original live eagle cam did (or even the puppy cam when that craze went around). I'm not quite sure why this is. Maybe because high quality webcams are expensive and there's no sense in buying them. Not when you're only going to have one or two people looking at it at any given time.
But I did find two neat sites. One is live eagle video, though it's essentially black and white and therefore not as cool as the original eagle feed. The other is one I stumbled upon by accident and really is some awesome live cam goodness. If you've ever been to Yellowstone, you know how cool it is. If you haven't, well, now you can live vicariously through the webcam. Crystal clear and streaming live 24/7, you can see Old Faithful and other geysers as they erupt in real time. I'm not sure who is in control of the camera, as occasionally it moves to focus on other geysers and zooms in on them (maybe it's automatic?), but it's cool. The guy is on a loop, so it's not like there's a guide nearby chatting through the cam all the time.
Anyway, here are the two live cams. Enjoy.
Live Eagle Cam (and yes, the eagles do visit the nest from time to time - I saw both of them just this morning)
Old Faithful Live Streaming Webcam
Currently: Just kinda happy.
0 Responses
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Heart Clock: by Dick Morland
1. Well, that settles my nomination for Best Opening Sentence of the Month.
2. Cheers, Philip. Thanks for the tweet too. I hope you're keeping well. True, I save my dystopias for British summers and my apocalypses for bank hols. The time of my life was reading Tucker's The Long Loud Silence on a dull Easter Monday. ;]
I should have a look at I Mengele coming up in the near future. Enjoyed that - it shed some very interesting light on the world of F21C.
3. Glad you liked it. I originally thought of it as a direct sequel to F21C, with a doddery Mengele caught up in an investigation of the supposed hoaxers; but in the end it didn't seem that there was enough mileage in it. I do have another story that might work in Nazi Britain, though.
I have Adam Roberts' New Model Army on your recommendation from last month, by the way; but it'll have to wait a while, at least until I get through the second half of Moby Dick.
4. That is interesting. I'm not sure if you've read George Steiner's Portage to San Cristobal of A.H. but that did just spring to mind as a possible variation. I Mengele seems a rather more scholarly choice, in that it presents something of the cultures wars of that history.
I enjoyed New Model Army when I read it - I liked the idea more than the execution, and it went off in a direction that surprised me. Still it was the first novel by Roberts that I'd enjoyed since Salt.
5. I didn't know Steiner's book, but I will now.
Come to think of it, it's probably not such a bad thing after all that you only post a couple of times a month. Much more would cost me a fortune.
6. I do actually mean to post more often, but a combination of laziness and life-crisis management combine to prevent me. Starting out I had intended to look at more contemporary material, such as stories in Interzone and Back Static and at Strange Horizons, etc. But no sooner did I set up than the quality of stuff published seemed to take a serious turn for the worse. Or perhaps I was looking at it through sudden different eyes. So I simply defaulted to what I like.
I did download a copy of your latest but haven't yet had a chance to read through it; beyond peeking at some figurative captions which had me squinting and laughing.
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Maybe This Will Finally Stop People From Trying to Beatbox
Beatboxing isn’t easy. Luckily, composer Koka Nikoladze created this weird-looking musical contraption complete with some springs, levers, a plastic tube, and a mic. It’s pretty much the gift that keeps on giving, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Watch Now
2. This Jetpack Basically Allows You To Fly
5. Someone May Have Finally Invented a Bed That Makes Itself
8. This Alarm Clock Will Literally Shock You Into Consciousness
9. Someone Tricked Out a Lamborghini to Look Like the Batmobile
12. This Urn Turns You Into A Tree After You Die
Maybe This Will Finally Stop People From Trying to Beatbox
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Denny's and Cazbar and belief in God
When people go to Denny's, they pick out what they want to eat rather quickly, pancakes or Moons over my Hammy or a Grand Slam or what have you. Denny's is cheap and rather uniformly unpleasant.
I think that the nicest restaurant I've ever been to is Cazbar, on Charles Street, in Baltimore. It's a fancy Turkish restaurant. Before I went, I Googled for the proper etiquette for valet parking. I spent a little more time considering the menu there; the food was expensive, so I wanted to make sure I picked out the best things on the menu, the items I was most in the mood for. I'm glad I did. I recommend the mixed meze plate and the vegetable casserole.
I might pick up a board game on an impulse, but when I'm buying a new computer, I might take days to decide on the best machine I can afford.
Most of the time, people think about decisions and beliefs in terms of stacking up pros and cons and seeing which pile is higher; at least, that's what they think they're doing. Deciding takes effort, though, and they put more effort into deciding about things that are going to impact them more.
I don't know what to say when asked if I believe in God. Do I believe in God enough for what? I believe in God enough to hope that he's there. I believe in God enough to pray and smile at strangers and not use the F-word too much. I don't think that means much, because I think I'd do those things anyway, if God wasn't real. Do I believe in God enough to sing songs I don't really like that much? Yes. Do I believe in God enough to die for someone? I hope so. Do I believe in God enough to be a missionary in the jungle? No.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Invisible and ineffable
God doesn't seem real to me. I have had experiences with gas stations and monkeys and feelings and velcro and rice. I don't know that I've had an experience that could only have been an experience with God.
When I tell believers that I don't believe that God exists because I don't see sufficient evidence, they often talk about how God must be known by faith. I don't know what this means.
I think they mean that faith is halfway between belief and knowledge, where belief is what one thinks, and knowledge is justified true belief. I think they mean that we have some information to nudge us toward belief that God is there, but not enough to know for sure.
They've confused invisible with ineffable. God can be known certainly, the Bible says, but he must be known by faith. It's not like God is a little kid playing hide-and-seek, and we're supposed to look for him, and we can't see him, but we can see his shoes peeking out underneath the curtains. Instead, the problem of faith is that God could be completely obvious yet still impossible to relate to on our terms.
Orthodox theologians, in the tradition of St Gregory Palamas, talk about God's essence and his energies. God's essence is what we can not know, it is internal to God, it is how the members of the Trinity are united. The energies are how God interacts with the cosmos, and how we could, conceptually, know God for sure. God is ineffable in his essence, but knowable in his energies.
To say that we can't know for sure that God exists makes God either a wimp or a bully.
If God is real and good and loves us, he ought to let us know that so we could all exhale. Does God not want us to know that he's real? God can't be unknowable and good. I suppose that God could be real and knowable and that some people still wouldn't believe in him because they don't want to. However, I get angry when a believer meets a non-believer and, from the fact of their non-belief alone, assume they are either uninformed or dishonest. This understanding of God can't allow for honest doubters.
Some people say that God is real and good and loves us and he's not a bully, he's actually quite nice, so nice, in fact, that he keeps himself hidden from us so that we can be free to believe in him or not. This is on a par with believing that God can make a rock so heavy he can't lift it, or, in the formula preferred by Mr Andrews, this is as if God could make a burrito so hot it could burn the roof of his incorruptible mouth. This God could only be nice if knowing him were irrelevant.
One of the problems that I have in knowing if God is real is that I know how much I want God to be real. I want to know that I can live forever in heaven and that God will bring perfect peace to the world and that God loves me and gives me a name. I want to be free from worrying about my reputation and my success and my possessions and my self. The claims of hope that Christianity makes are so good it seems more likely to me that I would believe them because I want them to be true than because they're real. I compulsively second-guess myself. Maybe Lexapro will help with that, but I don't think it will. I think that if God's real, God, and only God, could make me rest in belief in him.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Prayer, the anthropic principle, fun, sin, vegetarianism, and Christian agnosticism
When I tell believing Christians that I don't believe that God exists, but that I still practice Christianity, they often tilt their heads or cross their eyes. I explain that, for example, I still pray. 'Who do you pray to?' is a question I get a lot. I suppose my prayers go the same place as my believing friends' prayers. If God's not real (and I think he's not), they go nowhere, and if he is (and I hope he is) then I'm sure he can hear mine and theirs without straining; God is the one who makes prayer work. If prayer depended on the strength of one's belief, no one's prayers would do any good. I admit that I don't pray as much as I used to and that it is a little painful now that I don't believe that God exists. Even so, prayer doesn't feel terribly different to me now than it did when I was a believer.
I know that it sounds like I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth. I'm confused. The thing that holds faith and doubt together for me is the sheer fun of Christianity.
Jesus mocks Pharisees and hangs out with little kids. The most beautiful songs of worship are bound together with horrible, vile, racist, infanticidal anger. Jonah runs from God and God keeps catching him, with a storm and a monster and heat and a bug.
I'm a scientist, I spend my workdays laboring slowly and methodically, a small mistake I made once set me back a year. I like how Christianity doesn't bother to make much sense. Even so, it doesn't make sense in a sad and beautiful and good way, in the sort of way that people listen to jazz for fun and not experimental music.
I practice Christianity because I want to. I think that's why most people who call themselves Christians do so; in one way or another, it makes them happier. This is why it confuses me when Christians do evangelism by trying to make a hard sell, running up to someone on the boardwalk and accusing them of unspeakable acts or leaving cartoon booklets as tips in a restaurant or nagging or yelling or pulling a bait-and-switch or going door to door like cultists or putting irritatingly cute bumper stickers on their cars.
Some people like to argue that God exists by the anthropic principle, that if certain fundamental properties of the universe were ever so slightly different, then life as we know it wouldn't exist. Finding God in finely tuned numbers says nothing about whether God is interested in us, and if he isn't, I suppose the feeling would be mutual on my part.
I'm a scientist, I've spent a third of my life in college, I make charts for fun, I play with supercomputers on Friday nights, and I can't work out the numbers to see if it's even the case that fine-tuning is so special. Should only people smarter than me be able to know for sure that God is there?
However, the real reason why I think the anthropic principle is bogus is that it's boring. If the most persuasive way to know that God exists is by doing physics calculations, then I'm going to tell Grandma that I love her by sending her a copy of my simulations code; I'm sure she'll be impressed.
I used to be an obnoxious evangelist, and then I was a nerdy evangelist. I quit both when I couldn't annoy or convince myself into belief. Even when I was a believing Christian, guilt and certainty weren't enough for me to follow Jesus.
Christianity is a word for how I want things to be, and I don't simply mean 'love' or 'peace'; I'm not using Christianity as an old-sounding word for modern intellectual hipster virtues. When I talk about Christianity, I mean the historically grounded theologically orthodox Christianity.
I want a new world with no thorns and disease, where the ground is no longer toil to till. I want a city with a stream that runs through it, the Tree of Life growing on the bank of the stream. I want the lion to lie down with the lamb. I want people from all ethnicities living in peace and singing songs to God in their own languages.
Although I'd prefer hell to be empty, I want a place for free people to run from God. I want to sing songs that I don't like with some people I don't like every week. I prefer organized religion to disorganized religion, because, even if Christianity was made up by nomads suffering from heat stroke and mirages, they came up with something better than I would on my own. My religion would involve a lot of puns and math and Danish philosophy and it would probably kill me. I like the parts of Christianity that I don't like, because all the parts I didn't like I found out weren't really Christian or weren't really bad, difficult, perhaps, but not bad.
I like judgmental religious people, but I'd rather they figure out who to blame for 35,000 kids dying every day from hunger and preventable disease, and who to blame when my little brother gets made fun of. I even want them to blame me when I'm doing something wrong, and maybe I'll do the right thing instead. I like to talk about sin and despair and hubris because I know they're real for me, and not talking about them won't make them go away.
I don't want a Christianity in which I can just say a prayer or show up on Sunday morning or not cuss and be okay; I don't want a watered-down Christianity. I want Christianity to be as hard as it is, with Jesus calling me to death and sacrifice because I know that the things that are killing me aren't worth living for. I want Jesus to make it as easy as he can, though, because I can't fix me myself.
Enthusiasm about Christianity isn't the same as knowing that God is real, it doesn't do nearly as much to help me sleep better at night, but I don't know what I'd rather be enthusiastic about. Television is boring.
I used to tell people that I'm a vegetarian because I'm opposed to American over-consumption and mistreatment of animals in factory farms, but now I think I'll just say that I like to eat plants.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Leather wrist cuffs, vegans, and Christian agnostics
I was recently at an art fair; there was a booth dedicated to leather wrist cuffs. That seems like a curiously specific type of accessory. I wonder if leather wrist bands are associated with a lifestyle.
I wish I had a lifestyle. I'm a geek, that's sort of a lifestyle, but it's not like someone schooled me in the art of geek. I wish I were cool enough to be a punk. I don't know where I'd go to get punk clothes, though. I'd like a tattoo, but I have commitment problems. I'd need to get new music.
I'm pretty sure these things are necessary to become a punk, but I don't think that they're sufficient. Is there some organization that I should contact that will tell me what I need to do to be a punk? I am going to drive around the art school on Friday night and see if I can find a group of punks hanging out on a street corner. Maybe they'll tell me what to do.
One time I was at a party. My friend Liz told our host's mom that she's a vegan. 'Vegan? What's that?' Liz explained that, like vegetarians, vegans eat no meat, but also no animal byproducts. For the next few minutes, the mom asked Liz about specifics, 'So, can you eat cheese?' 'No, that comes from milk, which is from cows.' 'What about nuts?' 'Yes, because those come from plants.' 'Eggs?' 'No.' 'Beans?' 'Yes.' And so on.
A little earlier that summer I had become a vegetarian and ever since then I've become ensnared in discussions similar to the one between Liz and the mom.
Not eating animals isn't complicated, but it's counter-cultural. The conversation between Liz and the mom wasn't so much to inform the mom about the technical details of veganism, it was how Liz expressed to the mom that veganism might be alien but it's not inaccessible.
When I first realized that I am agnostic, I was afraid that I'd have to change everything, I'd have to quit church altogether or become a Unitarian Universalist, or that I'd stop praying, and I kind of like praying. I have a big set of thick Bible reference books, and I'd have to find some unsuspecting Christian to foist them off on. I've been agnostic for two years and I still haven't started swearing profusely or having orgies or doing drugs. Sometimes I feel guilty about this, that I'm inauthentic, that I'm hampered by the cultural mores imprinted on me when I was growing up as a homeschooled conservative Christian. Then I remember that there's no one to tell me I can't act like a Christian if that's what makes me happy.
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Jump to Navigation
243 - VMware ESX VIB (Package)
VMware uses a file package called a VIB (VMware Installation Bundle) as the mechanism for installing or upgrading software packages on an ESX server.
The file may be installed directly on an ESX server from the command line, or through the VMware Update Manager (VUM).
For new installs, you should perform the following steps :
1.Copy a package
Copy the VIB to the ESX server. Technically, you can place the file anywhere that is accessible to the ESX console shell,
but for these instructions, we'll assume the location is in '/tmp'.
Here's an example of using the Linux 'scp' utility to copy the file from a local system to an ESX server located at
# scp VMware_bootbank_net-driver.1.1.0-1vmw.0.0.372183.vib root@
2. Install the package
Issue the following command (full path to the VIB must be specified) :
# esxcli software vib install -v {VIBFILE}
In the example above, this would be:
# esxcli software vib install -v /tmp/VMware_bootbank_net-driver.1.1.0-1vmw.0.0.372183.vib
Note: Depending on the certificate used to sign the VIB, you may need to change the host acceptance level. To do this, use the following command:
esxcli software acceptance set --level=<level>
Also, depending on the type of VIB being installed, you may have to put ESX into maintenance mode. This can be done through the VI Client,
or by adding the '--maintenance-mode' option to the above esxcli command.
3. Upgrade Installation
The upgrade process is similar to a new install, except the command that should be issued is the following :
# esxcli software vib upgrade -v {VIBFILE}
The VMware Update Manager (VUM) is a plugin for the Virtual Center Server (vCenter Server). You can use the VUM UI to install a VIB
by importing the associated offline bundle package (a ZIP file that contains the VIB and metadata).
You can then create an add-on baseline and remediate the host(s) with this baseline. Please see the vCenter Server documentation
for more details on VUM.
Main menu 2
Story | by Dr. Radut
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
missing you
What I wouldn't give to spend two or three hours on the phone with you confessing all my recent misadventures and hearing all about yours. I don't think I ever truly understood or appreciated our love and level of companionship. Only now that I'm left to my own devices do I fully realize what a blessing you were in my life. There was never a better friend than you. I miss you all the time.
No comments:
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AUDIOLOGIST MOST ASKED Job Interview Questions. Read AUDIOLOGIST Interview Questions and Answers for Experienced, Freshers PDF Download.
Read AUDIOLOGIST Questions and Answers for Interview
What tools does Audiology use?View Answer
List out important part of ears?View Answer
What is the cochlea in the ear?View Answer
What is ASSR (Auditory Steady State Response)?View Answer
What is sensorineural hearing losses?View Answer
Can we cure sensorineural hearing impairment? What causes such hearing impairment?View Answer
What is conductive hearing losses? What causes such hearing impairment?View Answer
What are the parameters or levels on which hearing disability is measured?View Answer
What is electrochleography test?View Answer
How fluid pressure inside ear can be measured?View Answer
What “Otoacoustic emissions” (OAE) is?View Answer
List out some of the use of OAE (Otoacoustic Emissions) testing?View Answer
Why sometimes we feel a ringing or hizzing sound in the ear?View Answer
What are the types of tinnitus?View Answer
What triggers tinnitus?View Answer
List out different types of hearing aids that are popular among people?View Answer
What all sectors an audiologist can work?View Answer
What CAPD is and what are the tests used to check CAPD?View Answer
What is Audiogram?View Answer
Who can receive Cochlear implant?View Answer
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AltME: Red Docs
Marking things as obsolete, and/or moving them to an archive area makes sense.
I don't have a preference for format, but I think some way to cross reference related functions is critically important. Reference documentation is essential, with extensive examples, then with that in place, cross reference links are a natural way to explore language functions. It's natural to think "How do I..." when learning, and exploring related functionality is an intuitive way to learn. Once function reference, examples and cross reference links are done, then a cookbook is a natural step, and then various tutorials aimed at different levels and interests.
The online REBOL dictionary and the Word Browser are both effective formats for cross referencing. Something like Carl's REBOL manual is essential to get things started.
A wiki seems like the best way to get community help collecting examples of function use.
A wiki lowers the barrier to contribute, best would be if it were possible to import the added pearls to the 'official' docs.
Don't know if you know and where it was derived from that kind of a site would be cool for REBOL/Red.
Should this group not be public?
No problem for making it public.
Not sure if this is enough. Changed the title.
On docs, in one of my dreams, I see another category along with Example and See Also: Tests. Make it easy for people to contribute tests (and expected results).
Agree that examples are a must have. I see way too many reference sites that just show an API along with a brief description. Even when these are very nicely presented, they leave me wanting. Seeing an APIs in action makes a huge difference to me, but of course the work of creating examples should come from the community.
Gregg, that's a good dream and very meaning for learning. The figuring out of why something doesn't work is so powerful especially when one thinks it should.
<from #Red>
A document would be trickier as you'd need to manage line spacing, paragraph spacing, splitting paragraphs/docs over pages.
Yes, it managed only a single page, and yes, the hard part is flow of paragraphs across pages, not generating multiple pages in itself.
(that'd be page breaks, indeed)
You'd need to be able to measure as you go...
I'd still think that doing it in the graphics engine is simpler than in PDF. For R3, someone is probably going to do it anyway.
and I hope DRAW or similar will be available for Red.
It will
cool :-)
Last message posted 103 weeks ago.
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Learn VisualBasic.NET with Me: file mirroring, lost data
I’m bummed out, because a tutorial about events, delegates, and multithreading that I wrote got lost. There was some database problem on the server, and the text didn’t get saved. It just compiled information from the last blog entires, but, it was pretty good. Oh well, I must forge on with this little project.
The latest really good news is that the threading stuff is working. I also added a little time-checking feature so that the batch processor will work for a while in the evening, take a break while backups happen, and then work again in the early morning.
File visitor
Someone else is batch processing with vb: Processing files within a file structure with plug-ins and events
File mirror
This is a class that helps you copy a file, mirroring the directory structure at the destination. You set it up, and copy files over.
It’s suitable for situations where you aren’t cloning the entire file tree, but only selected files. For example, it’s appropriate for this little project because we don’t want to copy all the files across, just the ones linked from the main files we’re copying. Analyzing the main file gives us a list of additional files to copy.
For other situations, where entire directory trees are to be copied, there are more efficient algorithms (like a depth-first recursive function).
There’s a Perl version too.
Imports System.Text
Imports System.IO
' Encapsulates file copying across directories, when you need to
' reproduce the directory tree at the destination. Useful when copying
' more than one file.
' dim fm as filemirror = new filemirror( "G:", "Q:" )
' fm.copy("G:123345a.txt")
' fm.move("G:123345b.txt")
Class FileMirror
Public sourceRootDir As String
Public destRootDir As String
Public Sub New(ByVal srd As String, ByVal drd As String)
sourceRootDir = srd
destRootDir = drd
End Sub
' fm.Copy( "C:sourcerootdirandpathtofile.ext" )
' Copies file.ext, setting the destination to the path by replacing
' the source root dir with the destination root dir.
Public Sub Copy(ByVal pth As String)
Dim dest As String = Me.DestFromSource(pth)
Dim d As String = Path.GetDirectoryName(dest)
If d <> String.Empty Then
End If
File.Copy(pth, dest)
End Sub
' Slightly paranoid deleter only deletes if there's a copy at the mirror.
Public Sub DeleteOriginal(ByVal pth As String)
Dim dest As String = Me.DestFromSource(pth)
If File.Exists(dest) And File.Exists(pth) Then
Dim original As FileInfo = New FileInfo(pth)
Dim clone As FileInfo = New FileInfo(dest)
If original.Length = clone.Length Then
End If
End If
End Sub
Public Sub Move(ByVal pth As String)
End Sub
Private Function DestFromSource(ByVal pth As String) As String
Dim sb As StringBuilder = New StringBuilder(pth)
If (pth.StartsWith(sourceRootDir)) Then
sb.Replace(sourceRootDir, destRootDir)
' throw exception
End If
DestFromSource = sb.ToString
End Function
End Class
Tomorrow or Sunday, I’ll probably hack a class that makes OLE safer. This class will set up the application to trap OLE timeouts, and try to kill the offending program. That way, the job can continue even if the server croaks or chokes on a bad file. Incidentally, the inability to do this via VBA within Excel was the reason why the project transitioned to VB.NET
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MPS-120XW™ CubeSat High-Impulse Adaptable
MPS-120XW™ CubeSat High-Impulse Adaptable Modular Propulsion System (CHAMPS) is a 1U x 2U hydrazine propulsion system that provides both primary propulsion and 3-axis control capabilities in a single package. The system is designed for CubeSat customers needing significant ΔV capabilities including constellation deployment, orbit maintenance, attitude control, momentum management, and de-orbit.
Specifications and PerformanceMPS-120
• Dimensions: 20 cm x 10 cm x 11.35 cm
• Mass: <2.4 kg Dry, <3.2 kg Wet
• Command Method: Digital or Discreet Analog 5 V
• Power Consumption: <4 W Startup, <1 W Operation
• Operational Voltage: 5 V Nominal
• BOL Thrust: 2.79 N (high thrust) to 0.26 N (low thrust) per thruster
• Minimum Impulse Bit (at blowdown-averaged feed pressure): 0.00484 to 0.000467 N-sec per thruster
22 CFR 125.4(b)(13) applicable
Development Status
• In Development
• Coming Soon
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Ickie Stuff
email me
The Universe
To All Virus Writers
"Are The Good Times Really Over"
Panama Pics
Below are a few songs I wrote and recorded by myself,
Note I played all the instruments and sang all the parts,
I used a cassette deck and a 4 track reel to reel recorder in the early days.
Here are some songs from 1971-1999
All Songs ASCAP
:A Kamp Itchymeme Production:
Note these songs are MP3's and MP3's are only about 80% of the true quality.
Itchyme Swamp 1999
Fools Game 1979
Failed To Say Goodby 1978
Save The Children 1986
Santa Clause 1985
Dog Named Cowboy 1990
Hot Sun 1988
No Nukes 1988
Bus Drivin' Man 1982
Lonesome Friday 1992
DDD 1983
Another Fine Mess 1989
Friends 1988
Going Down 1985
Lonesome Cowboy 1992
Moon Tan Girl 1 1986
Moon Tan Girl 2 1989
Happy Xmas 1979
Mr. Snowman 1971
My Letter 1992
Peed On Santa 1980
Ship Of Fools 1974
West Highway 76 1992
PMB 1999
In the year 2000 my best friend died, my dog Pooch, suddenly I lost my feelings for music.
I also had problems finding the words to describe just how I felt.
I still have problems with words.
In May 2009, I felt music again, its kind of hard to describe, so I unpacked my guitars and installed new strings on them all.
I turned on the Recorder and below is what happened. These are first takes and need polishing.
I will leave the words up to your imagination.
"24 Track Digital"
New Songs Recorded In May 2009
Where Buffalo Roam
Sudden South
June 06, 2009
June 26, 2009
Rae Lynn
On The Highland
Haney May 2000 - Oct 20, 2015
Haney's Song
Kamp Itchymeme Recording Studio
1972 Gibson Bass
1968 Kingston Bass and Jordan Amp
1967 12 String Teisco (My Monkey Guitar)
My Double Neck, "Stairway To Heaven"
My First Guitar, 1963 Gibson CO With Original Guitar Strap
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User Tools
Site Tools
A good solar system is one that meets your needs. – jimindenver1)
The fastest way to bring beginner expectations of solar in line with reality is to assume you will run nothing off an inverter. – secessus
A gentle introduction to solar
This page aims to provide beginners with a basic overview of solar power for nomads. There are oversimplifications and concepts skipped for clarity. If you would like a refresher on basic electronics, see the AltE Intro to Electronics for solar video.
A quick definition: the word nominal will crop up again and again in your reading. It refers to how a thing is named or labeled. In your head you can replace the word “nominal” with the phrase “so-called”. The most common use is “nominal 12v”, referring to the common automotive 12v system. The term is used for historical reasons and is almost never literally 12.00 volts.
limitations of solar
Solar is not a cure-all; it is a compromise like anything else.
Solar is expensive for the amount of power you get out of it. It can cost several thousand dollars to get the same amount of reliable power one might might get from a residential (or campsite) outlet with a $20 extension cord.
Minimizing power consumption is key to happiness with a simple, affordable solar setup. It requires a change in mindset for most folks. Electrical power becomes a precious resource to be carefully consumed. The path to frustration (or at least considerable expense) involves heating or cooling with electricity or trying to run household appliances in a van.
“…trying to take the comfort level you had in a house into your mobile life [is] tough to do for a boondocker.” – akrvbob2)
The amount of power a solar configuration outputs is greatly affected by things like latitude, season, shade, temperature, and even battery voltage.
Since it looks like magic, beginners tend to worry about whether or not their system is working. It usually is.
Given these limitations why do we do spend so much time and money on solar? Because having power off-grid, however expensive and limited, can make a huge difference in quality of life. Solar is silent, works for decades, and is always working when the sun is shining.3)
how solar power works
Solar power uses solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity. This power is usually stored in a deep-cycle "house" battery, which is seperate from the vehicle's starter battery. Electricity from the panels is fed to the battery by a solar charge controller, which keeps the battery optimally charged and powers any “loads” (things that consume power).
the easy answer
Kits are available that handle the basics at a reasonable price. 200W of solar is the most common campervan setup, and is sufficient for most campers that do not run inverter (residential appliance) loads.4)
Are kits the penny-pinching cheapest, or the highest tech, or the most tacticool military/marine grade option? No. But the average user doesn't need those attributes. And once users get comfortable with how their system works it can often be tweaked for better operation by adjusting controller setpoints.
For now, let's consider some common kit-based installations. The terms used will be discussed later in the page in case you don't recognize some of them.
• 200W kit + a wally world learner battery is about $450 at late 2017 prices. This is about $1.75 per solar watt produced5) and would cost ~$750 over 5 years, including expected battery replacement.
• 200W kit + 2 x 6v golf cart battery bank is about $550 at late 2017 prices. This is about $1.75 per solar watt, and would cost ~$550 over 5 years. Flooded lead acid golf cart batteries are the most tolerant of beginner mistakes, and will take the most abuse.
• 200W kit w/MPPT controller + 2 x 6v golf cart batteries is about $675 at late 2017 prices. This is about $2.37 per solar watt, and would cost $675 over 5 years.6)
• 200W kit w/MPPT controller + AGM battery bank is about $875 at late 2017 prices. This is about $2.37 per solar watt, and would cost $965 over 5 years~. Note: AGM batteries are not particularly well suited for solar-only charging.7)
200W is not a magic number, but it is the most common size of solar install for vandwellers and boondockers. It is probably more than what's needed for the basics and has enough power to add in a 12v compressor refrigerator if desired.8)
Going beyond the basics, handling the basics more frugally, or running non-trivial loads off an inverter will require more research, planning and patience. Read on, and follow links in the text to drill down to deeper explanations. Beware that some of the links are technical.
a typical DIY setup
BLM Bill across the wash over there built a system he successfully uses to run LED lights and roof vent, charge a phone/laptop, and run a 12v refrigerator. It is made up of the following components:
You've never seen him run out of power. He isn't wasteful with power but is not obsessed with conserving every watt, either. He has a functional, comfortable system suited to his needs.
So how did he pick those components? How did he know they would work? Where did he start? What are other people doing? How the heck does anyone untangle this stuff?9)
daily power needs
First things first: Bill needed some idea of how much power he actually needed each day.
One way to figure it out is to see what configurations other people are running successfully in their own camper right now. The gamut runs from 100W to 1000W+, with 200W being the most common.
The details of Bill's logic and math has been moved to its own page, but for now we will stipulate he came up with a daily requirement of 91Ah. On average he will consume that much power each day, and will have to replace that amount10) from the sun.
Solar setups require a battery bank of some kind, even during the daytime.11) In simple installs the bank is one or two batteries.12) The battery also stores excess power. At night or any other time your demand is higher than your solar is pumping out, you will be pulling power from the battery.
For reasons related to the chemistry of deep cycle batteries, it takes twice the amount of battery bank Ah rating to deliver the daily Ah requirement:
total 91
Minimum battery bank13) 182
and that's just to get through a 24hr period with good sun. If you want to get through a day (or more) of terrible solar yield (rain, snow, fog) it requires even more battery capacity (reserve), money, and cargo capacity. These numbers are both very rough but will illustrate the pattern:
Rated Ah cost (flooded) cost (AGM) weight in lbs
Minimum battery bank14) 0 days of reserve 182 $182.00 $364.00 91
1 day of reserve 364 $364.00 $728.00 182
2 days of reserve 546 $546.00 $1,092.00 273
3 days of reserve 728 $728.00 $1,456.00 364
Don't panic! You don't need to spend thousands of dollars. In practice, many vandwellers do not design for extra days of reserve, planning on just not having power (or not much power) on rainy days. And there are other ways to compensate for rainy days:
• voluntarily using less power. This approach has the added benefit of costing nothing but does require some study and discipline
• overpaneling to harvest usable power even in challenging conditions like rain and overcast skies
• staying at a RV park with hookups on bad days
• buying a generator
• investing in lithium or other exotic batteries
The most beginner tolerant and value-for-money battery bank is two 6v deep cycle “golf cart” batteries wired in series to make 12v. This will provide 200+ Ah (amp-hours) of rated capacity.15) This bank gives Bill one normal day's use and and about a half/day of of reserve (ie, a day with no charging). A set of golf carts like this will be sufficient for most needs and does well with 200-500W of solar panel. Deep cycle batteries should be discharged no lower than 50% to avoid damaging them. This is about 12.2v. A Low Voltage Disconnect can help prevent deeper, damaging discharge.
Yes, they should be vented. No, not everyone does.
Sternwake says:
“I don't think any battery is going to out cycle a 6v flooded golf cart battery. These are simply the most tolerant of the type of usage typically seen in this lifestyle.”16)
Because beginners commonly murder their first battery bank, a common beginner's battery is a Walmart "deep cycle" / marine battery, preferably one with removable cell caps for adding distilled water as needed. Often called a “learner battery”, they do not have long lives or much capacity but are widely available nationwide and often have pro-rated warranties. A walmart battery will usually have half the capacity of actual deep cycles, so Bill would get one nights's power with no reserve for rainy days.
Also common are AGM batteries, a sealed type. They do not have to be vented under normal conditions and have very high charge/discharge rates. On the downside they cost 2x as much, require vigorous charging one generally cannot get with solar charging alone, cannot be charged to as high a voltage, and have less capacity.17)
About these Sternwake says:
“While AGMs are considered a no maintenance battery if they were a person… they would be considered high maintenance… and only with a surplus of everything they want could they be kept happy.”18)
A single 12v AGM would get Bill through one night; two can be paralleled to double capacity to nearly match the capacity of the golf cart batteries.
A common rule of thumb for solar-only charging is that one needs one watt of solar for every Ah of rated battery capacity. 2:1 is recommended for winter or other challeging conditions, and 3x is even better for off-grid folks.19)
So about 200w of solar is a good fit for Bill's 200Ah golf cart bank if he stays in a sunny area like the desert southwest.
Ratio W:Ah Panel watts
1:1 solar 182
2:1 solar 364
3:1 solar 546
Considering the solar panels themselves, there are framed panels (mono, poly), and semi-flexible (amorphous) panels. Buy whatever:
1. fits on your roof
2. is the cheapest per watt
This usually means framed panels, as flex panels are usually 2+ times more expensive per watt, are less rugged, physically larger for a given output, and degrade much quicker. Flex panels do have legitimate uses but they are specialty panels not well-suited for general use.
Arrays of two 100W panels are popular because 100w panels can be shipped individually by UPS/FedEx. Larger panels may require $$$ truck shipping; try to buy those locally if possible to avoid shipping fees.
100W panels are usually nominal 12v; there are also 20v and 24v panels one can source from the solar grid-tied market. The higher voltages panels require a MPPT controller (see below) but tend to be cheaper per watt.
charge controller
The charge controller stands between the panels and battery bank and takes care of charging. There are two types of controller commonly found in vans and RVs:
• PWM - simple, inexpensive, cannot make complete use of the panels' capabilities.
• MPPT - more complex, 2-3x more expensive, can run the panels at max power, optional with 12v panels and mandatory when nominal panel voltage is higher than nominal battery voltage.
PWM are cheap enough that it is common to start with PWM and upgrade to MPPT later only if necessary. After one upgrades from the PWM unit it can be kept as a spare/emergency part.
Folks in areas of limited sunlight (like the Pacific Northwest) or heavier power use might be better served by investing in MPPT right away.
Is my solar working?
One of the challenges of learning solar is that until you understand how it works it can be difficult to be confident that it does work.
This information will help you tell if it's working or not.
muddying the waters
Once you have a headlock on the information above it is time to introduce a bit more complexity.
1) paraphrased
3) portable solar only produces when deployed
4) Yes, you can run inverter loads. The problem is not with the inverter; it is with users who do not realize how much power residential appliances consume. Planning to have no inverter will build in realistic expectations from the beginning. – secessus
5) actually going out of the controller into the battery
6) using a locally sourced 24v panel with the MPPT controller would bring the cost down to $1.25/solar watt
8) assuming good conditions like the desert southwest
9) by mastering small sections at a time!
10) and a little bit more due to charging inefficiencies
11) this is to help the controller stay stable
12) not including your vehicle's starter battery
13) , 14) except lithium
15) 100+ Ah of usable capacity
19) 1:1 is usually sufficient if solar charging is augmented with alternator or other sources. 2:1 might still be required in areas lihe the Pacific Northwest.
electrical/solar/gentle_intro.txt · Last modified: 2018/06/16 20:38 by frater_secessus
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Friday, August 24, 2012
James Freedman at TED
James Freedman, one of the best-known stage pickpockets around (and author of at least one book and DVD on the topic...for magicians, of course) has appeared at TED London. It's a shame it's so short - I would have preferred a proper 20 minute talk, but so it goes.
Here it is:
Monday, August 13, 2012
wooden magic automaton
I love this. I just wish they'd shown more of the mechanism. I've built one or two very simple automata but nothing nearly this complex...or clever!
On an unrelated note, the bunnies have had a companion for a week - our next-door neighbours' dog Rosco, an ageing lab-sized dog. Well-behaved and timid, though you wouldn't know it from Augustus' anxious reaction. Snowdon couldn't care less and even sniffed Rosco nose to nose, but not Augustus, the Guard Bunny. The rabbits are in large pens all week until Rosco goes, which is tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Teatro Hugo & Ines
A friend recently posted this link and I had to share it. It made me laugh and laugh and laugh - what an incredible combination of creativity, simplicity, precision, observation and humour. I'm going to make myself some popcorn and watch it on a loop until bedtime.
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Mining pool server requirements
Compared to the spaghetti state of the latest stratum-mining python server,.Video Guide: How to make your own bitcoin mining pool Bitcoin Forum.Next payout date is now shown when default pool payout requirements.Find out what a bitcoin mining pools are and how to join them.
Expanse (EXP) Mining Pool Hub I Home
Do you manage the server or you want to rent in a colo and have someone o manage the server.
Mining server host name has changed from. Darkcoin Mining Pool Hub updated to latest wallet, which will payout 20% of mined coins to masternodes.
Bitminter - bitcoin mining pool
Data Mining - Hardware requirements ? : compsci - reddit
Bitclub Network - Bitcoin mining pools rewarding free bitcoins
SXC mining and withdrawal has been stopped and mining works are. miner --server are server requirements and costs to create a mining pool for different crypto currencies.
Connect your miners to the server(s) closest to you (most mining software allows.It was the first Bitcoin mining pool and remains one of the most reliable and trusted pools,. you could connect to a server in the US, for example.
How to install bitcoin mining software in Ubuntu 14.04 for
What are server requirements and costs to create a mining pool.Try to join a mining pool with one of the bitcoin mining software we.You can use your rig as an internet radio or media PC or a server.
There are many crypto currency mining pools but here im taking example of supernova.GUIMiner is the premier Bitcoin Mining tool for Windows and is one of the easiest ways to start mining Bitcoins. simply choose a mining pool.
Home - - The fastest way to mine Ether
To ensure stable Mining Outputs and best output for the whole system,.
How do I create my own mining-pool? - Ethereum Stack Exchange
Later I found out that protocol requirements are quite similar to requirements for bitcoin mining,. mining pool build on Stratum server.In April 2012 also became the first pool to.
It just strikes to me that if top 2 bitcoin miners which would own more than 50% mining, merges can they control bitcoin.With a predictable solo mining pool you will receive your solo mining reward as soon.Has anyone measured what are the hardware and bandwidth requirements to run a mining pool.Mining Experiment: Running 600 Servers for a Year. to see whether Bitcoin mining could become a.
Inventore, perspiciatis adipisci accusamus laudantium odit aliquam repellat tempore quos aspernatur vero.The intelligent load balancing and fail-over system ensures you are up and running 99.9%.
Are there any statistics on that per amount of active miners, their.Welcome to the ethermine, the high performance Ethereum Mining Pool. This will use the eu1 server as main server and the us1 server as backup server.This is a step by step guide on how to setup your own mining pool for.
Largest Cloud Bitcoin Mining Company | Genesis Mining
Switching back and forth between Bitcoin ABC and Core nodes (Ubuntu).Bitcoin Mining Pool Bitcoin Mining Pool is a Software in which you can mine your Bitcoin directly into your.
Bitcoin Mining Hardware - ASIC Bitcoin Miner - Butterfly Labs
AMD Blockchain Compute Driver 17.x with a BIOS modified RX470 and Windows 7 64-bit.Working with Application Pools and Web Applications What are the Requirements for Application Pools. and you must create one application pool on each Web server.
Server administrators can use this guide in combination with the free Confluence.For the purpose of this guide, we will focus on building a very basic rig.
No pool fees, Multi-Server, load balanced, high performance mining pool.Guide Requirements. about what sort of server power is required to run a mining pool.
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Why learning the sysadmin job may make you a better developer
Printer-friendly version
Many developers learnt first to code on isolated machines - DOS ones if they are old enough - or within simple networks. DOS was a single process, single thread environment, almost always on isolated machines. Maybe a modem to connect to a BBS, LAN were much rarer. That meant developers had little to care about "the environment" their application where "living in". Once the application was started, it was the only one running (but some tricks like TSR) and could use all the resources available. Slowly, the environment changed. First Windows introduced multitasking (cooperative, then preemptive), applications where no longer running alone, and could no longer consume all the resources. Then LANs started to make the environment more complex. Then came domains and directory services, then the Internet. But often too many developers looks to ignore all that. Often applications are still coded if they are run alone on an isolated machine by am highly privileged user, or connected directly to the Internet.
My experience in the past years taught me that understanding - and learning - the sysadmin job may make you develop better applications. When you start to understand all the implications of an application running in a large, complex network, together many other applications, you are forced to think at development from a different perspective. For example, you start to understand that not any application may run with administrator elevated privileges, because any sensible sysadmin won't allow any user to be an administrator. You start to understand you have to write global and per user data files (including configurations) in the proper places, because a sysadmin may use roaming profiles, and a machine be used by more than one user. You start to understand you can't force a sysadmin to manage n user databases because each application uses its own, and managing them becomes a nightmare. You start to understand your application has to play nicely with other applications running on the same machine - you may not know which ones - and can't think to be the only one and use resources at will. You start to understand that if your application integrates well with the underlying OS, it can take advantage of many advanced services it offers today. And finally, you start to understand that communicating over a network requires to understand how a network works - sometimes some features are transparent to your application, i.e. a VPN, IPSec or a firewall, sometimes they are not, like a proxy.
I received some critical comments to my previous post "Embarcadero and IT Security, still an oxymoron". It was not intended as a personal attack. It was just my surprise about the perception of proxies not as useful tools to protect a network, but as an evil tool used by hackers or spammers to hide. Yes, if you just look at them from a user or developer perspective, they are just an obstacle - "oh my god, I've to configure it, I've to authenticate, I can't see the source IP, I can't use Facebook at work, etc. etc.". But if you look at it from a network administrator, you see it as a very valuable tool to manage internet traffic, protect your users (today proxies can perform a lot of checks on traffic) and your network from threats, thereby you'll deploy them - probably not simple transparent ones. When you understand it, you know you have to make your applications fully proxy-aware if they need to communicate over the Internet, and when you understand you can't ask every user in a large organization to configure proxy settings and authentication in every application, you know you have to use OS facilities to get the proxy settings - usually delivered automatically using some network service - and authenticate against it, if needed, probably using automatically the user credentials because you know any sensible syadmin will force user to change passwords every n days, will integrate the proxy with the directory authentication and authorization services, and users don't want to update passwords in each application they use every time the password expires.
This is even more important if you are a development tools company, because you have to fulfill your users' needs, especially when you sell expensive tools at prices well beyond the hobbyist range. The proxy one is a very simple example, but not surprisingly, the first release of the "new" Datasnap lacked proxy support. Its developers looked to be unaware of a fundamental requirement for any application running in any well designed network. When you're in charge of the architecture and/or design of an application, today you have to broaden your view beyond the internal application functionalities, and think about how it wil integrate with the whole "environment" it has to work within. There are not only the user needs, but also the needs of the personnel who has to deploy and mantain it, and you have to ensure it works properly and maintenace efforts are minimized, because - again - it may not be the only application needing maintenance.
Don't work in a silo, and spend some time to understand your sysadmin goals and needs, and if you can, learn to be a sysadmin yourself. You'll become a better developer.
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Sunday, December 22, 2013
My friend Arlene is one of my oldest friends. We've known eachother for about twenty years now, and I still appreciate our friendship even if it's not as it used to be. I've learned a lot from her and more than I expected to.
Arlene was the youth leader at the church I grew up in. She took on that role during one of my disappearing acts. I always left and came back. I remember the way she would talk about the stories in the bible, and I wanted to know the bible the way she did. Her wisdom was insane. She always handled rough situations with such grace, but I never knew the impact of that in my life until now that I'm looking back.
There was once a visitor who interrupted her message during youth night. He was using foul language and asking questions about God in degrading ways. You wouldn't believe how upset he made me, but I started firing back. I argued his view of the bible and God..... until Arlene gently called my name and waved her hand at me signaling me to stop. This actually happened a few times.. I never knew why she held back when she was able to answer and discuss things with wisdom and authority. Probably better than most adults I know. But I think I get it now. To argue would be like yelling at a wall hoping it will open up... not just for us, but for them as well. We don't get where they're coming from, and they don't get where we are coming from.
Arlene had such a patience and compassion for people... she was able to see potentially harmful situations. I never understood how anyone was capable of that... but I remember it. I see it now and am able to apply it to my life a lot better. Arlene is the main influence on that, and I never thought about it. She knew people were hurting and angry, and she also knew that we are capable of fueling that and making it worse. She knew things that I'm barely learning years later.
If you don't have people in your life to challenge you in these ways, I suggest you do so. All the conversations about life and faith that I've had with Arlene are probably the ones I've learned from the most. Don't be afraid to let yourself be challenged or to do the challenging. You'd be surprised how much these kind of actions play an influence in your life. Sometimes, I don't know how much they do until I come across situations. Makes me believe even more that God knows what He's doing.
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/13787
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Alexander and Pilates Together
Pilates and the Alexander Technique are two very different ways to improve function by focusing on the body. The Alexander Technique teaches you how to “unlearn” the subtle but habitual movements that cause discomfort, pain or poor performance. Using verbal directions and gentle physical guidance of your head and back, the teacher takes you out of your usual kinesthetic experience—-your sense of what feels like the “right” bodily position. The Alexander Technique is very gentle, yet often profoundly effective, and it’s applicable to everything you do.
In Pilates you learn to exercise in a very precise way, strengthening and stretching your muscles with a particular focus on those around the abdomen and close to the spine. Pilates movements can be customized, making them appropriate for either beginners or people with specific issues.
The small movement habits that change the relationship of your muscles to your bones are present when you exercise just as they are present in all of your other activities. It is likely that you are strengthening them with exercise. Those habits, often involving unintended muscle contraction, can cause discomfort, poor performance, or very real pain. The first thing you may need to learn is not a new exercise, but how not to do the habits, which you’re typically not even aware of. The Alexander Technique actually enables you to change what your nervous system is telling your muscles to do. That’s done by teaching you to change your thought in a very specific way. You learn to inhibit the way you actually begin your movements and also to direct your muscles to move in a healthier pattern with less tension.
As you become more familiar with inhibiting and directing your muscles, you can apply that to Pilates exercises which help you to strengthen them within the new patterns. Those exercises will often help you to become more aware of your habitual patterns. So combining the Alexander Technique with Pilates exercises enables you to change those harmful patterns more easily and quickly. In addition, the Alexander Technique can be effectively applied to any of your activities, not just exercise, yielding additional positive change in how your body functions.
What is right for me?
Students often come wanting to take just Pilates or just the Alexander Technique. When you first arrive I will assess your general movement pattern, find out if you are experiencing discomfort, and ask what you’re hoping to achieve. The exact format of a lesson depends on each student’s wants and needs. It is most likely that we will start with the Alexander Technique, performed while you’re lying down, sitting, standing and doing some of your daily activities, all fully clothed. If you’ve come for Pilates, I may suggest waiting until you’re a little more familiar with the Alexander Technique. It would give us time to re-train those subtle habits a bit, so that when you start strengthening your muscles with Pilates you are doing so in a new beneficial way, rather than reinforcing the old habits.
If you come expecting only Alexander, I might ask to put you on the Pilates machine for just a moment. It lets me give you gentle guidance to help you move in specific ways that enhance your functioning.
Whether you are a boomer experiencing discomfort, a musician wanting better sound, a writer with back pain at the computer, or someone with a very particular condition, I will always use the Alexander principles to teach you. Depending on your situation, we may add Pilates. The two methods are quite different but they’re based on very similar ideas about what our bodies need to function effectively as well as the clear link between mind and body.
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Sticky Post
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Today's Google logo shows this:
And that means it is a special occasion, and you should be verrrrrrrry excited.
It is the 2009 Perseid meteor shower!
The name Perseid originates from the constellation Perseus which the meteoroids appear to come from. (The meteoroids do not actually come from Perseus. Perseus is made up of stars light years away, while these meteoroids are only miles away, passing through our atmosphere.) This meteor shower is an annual event which happens every year early August. The Earth passes through rock and dust fragments left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, and as these small particles collide with the Earth’s atmosphere, they burn-up, often creating a beautiful streak of light across the sky.
Can we see this meteor shower in Singapore? Andrew says yes☺. Face eastward tonight (slightly to the north) and look high up from 11pm to 5am, it is going to be a wonderous spectacle. But it would require a relatively clear sky and what you see may be affected by the brightness of the moon. As always, the darker the better. Depending on the sky conditions you may see about 10- 20 meteors per hour. The peak time for meteor showers is usually around 2am to 4am.
Note that you need just your naked eye to see the meteor shower, a pair of binos may come in useful if you have one. It is best to have a comfortable chair or mat that you can rest on and gaze at the sky for a few hours.
We wish you luck.
Check out NASA's article on Perseids here.
Source: IYA2009, Sky and Telescope
A short video of what you may see:
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View on
MetaCPAN is shutting down
Edgar A. Bering > Test-Smart-0.02 > Test::Smart
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Module Version: 0.02 Source
Test::AskAnExpert is the successor module, the name is better and there have been some compatability breaking changes. You don't want this.
Test::Smart - Test things that require Human Intelligence automatically. (By asking someone)
use Test::Smart import => [qw(ask answer)],tests => 7;
Start up the Human Interface:
initialize("Test::Smart::Interface::Subclass",'Subclass args'...);
Synchronously submit and wait for a yes or a no answer:
Same, but with timeouts: (In seconds)
get_yes("Need a fast asnwer",10);
get_no("Need a fast denial",10);
Submit an asynchronous question:
$question = ask("This could take a while");
Check the answer:
The check can timeout too:
Test::Smart is built on Test::Builder and will play nice with Test::Simple, Test::More, and anything they play nice with. To provide Smart answers to conceptual questions we cheat by asking people instead of actually solving a Very Hard Problem regarding machine intelligence. This requires a little more overhead as we need to set up a way to talk to people, and provide them some (but not too much) time to tender an answer.
initialize($interface_name, @interface_params)
The initialize function must be called before using any of Test::Smart's functions to load a Human Interface, otherwise the default (skip when sent a query) will load. To specify something other than the default pass a subclass of Test::Smart::Interface. @InterfaceParameters are any Interface specific parameters, consult the documentation of the Interface you're using for what (if anything) to pass here.
On error it returns false, allowing you to try multipule Interfaces in a short- circuit style before giving up:
or initialize("Test::Smart::AskLarry",say_please=>1)
or skip_all("No good interfaces available");
Note that skip_all isn't required, if no Interface is specified Test::Smart will use a default Interface that simply skips if its asked to test anything.
get_yes/get_no ($question, $name, [$Timeout])
Test::Smart provides two methods for the programmers who don't want to muck with asynchronous interaction, get_yes and get_no. get_yes passes when the question asked is answered yes, get_no the opposite. They are slim wrappers arround ask and answer, taking a plain text question, test name, and optionally a timeout in the same way.
ask($question_text, $test_name)
NOTE: This does not actually run any tests!
ask is a very self explanatory function: it sends a question to be answered by whatever is on the other side of the Interface (Test::Smart::Pass anyone?). It returns a Test::Smart::Question object which is later used for retrieving the answer. Since this is the factory for Test::Smart::Question objects it also optionally takes the test name the question is bound to, though this can be changed with the name method. If there was an error in asking the question the object will have its skip parameters set so when answer is called on it the test will be skipped. Read the Test::Smart::Question documentation if you'd like to query the object your self and do something other than skip the test (like re-initialize to a different Interface and ask again, or BAIL_OUT).
$QuestionObj should be a Test::Smart::Question object returned by ask or correctly constructed otherwise. $Expected can be any capitalization of yes or no and will be checked against the answer in the question for the test.
By default get_yes and get_no are exported, to get ask and answer pass import => [qw(ask answer)] to the use line.
This is the first version, it probably has some. Bug reports, failing tests, and patches are all welcome.
Timeouts. I haven't done them yet, but they'll be in the next release. I promise.
Test::Smart::Interface::CGI and Test::Smart::Interface::DBI. These would probably be more useful than the current File interface which exists more to prove it can be done than anything.
All bugs should be filed via the CPAN bug tracker at
Edgar A. Bering, <>
Copyright (C) 2007 by Edgar A. Bering
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Apr 18, 2009
Netflix Upgrade
A short while ago we shared our decision to join Netflix. We started with the $4.99 plan however, we have now decided to upgrade to the $8.99 plan. The Unlimited Instant Watching is fantastic. Now we can stream movies and watch them on our schedule. No more running to the video store or return trips.
Netfix offers over 12,000 choices instantly to your TV and you can instantly watch movies and TV episodes on your TV in as little as 30 seconds. You can watch as much as you want since watching instantly is included in your membership. You can still get all your DVDs by mail however now you'll also get movies & TV episodes streamed instantly to your TV.
If you are a movie buff, Netflix is the way to go.
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/13864
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Saturday, February 19, 2011
Innovation gap
1. Wow ! Look at you. Innovation gap. I'll take a guess the citizen that got a phone when phones first came out was probably rich and was able to be more productive than fellow poorer citizens and thus ever widening the gap between rich and poor. The same could be said for automobiles, the typewriter, the computer, the cell phone and all the skills that come with learning how to use those technologies. On a global level I think about foods bred to withstand extreme climates, medicines, delivery of medical attention in addition to the technologies listed previously.
Reminds me of a manager I had at 7-11 when they switched from paper & computer to entirely computer management tools. She couldn't learn for some reason and was reduced from manager (more pay) to mere clerk. Her knowledge was vast, a computer in her own right, yet brought down by not keeping up with technology.
Now I'm scared of getting old... not really.
2. Anonymous: Clearly, you are *so* smart and on the very cutting edge of things; I challenge you or anyone else to point out to me even one "innovation" shown in these videos -- other than the re-invention of the wheel, that is.
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SAPWG Adopts INT-2018-2, Tax Act Estimates
Reading time: less than one minute
The SAPWG meeting was brief and to the point, and the Exposure Draft of INT-2018-02, Tax Act Estimates was adopted with minor amendments and suggestions of interested parties. The main take away is that SSAP No. 9 – Subsequent Events is suspended with respect to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the Act) from treated as a Type I subsequent event for purposes of the Audited Statutory Financial Statements but shall be recognized as a change in accounting estimate in the period when the change becomes known. If there is a difference between the Annual Statement and the Audited Statutory Financial Statements with respect to the Act, there is no need to record the revised estimate in the Audited Statutory Financial Statements. The reporting entity shall disclose the revised estimate in the notes to the Audited Financial Statements, but it may record the revision in its subsequent Quarterly Statements. Additionally, the interpretation clarifies that the Annual Statement captions for Changes in Unrealized Capital Gains and Losses, Changes in Net Deferred Income Tax and Changes in Nonadmitted shall reflect the effects of the Act. This interpretation will be automatically nullified on December 31, 2018.
JLK Rosenberger’s Suggestion – Determine a reasonable estimate that incorporates changes from the Act. If entities ignore the Act or don’t take its impact seriously, it may be considered an error and this interpretation of SAP 9 may not apply.
Contact Us
If you have questions about how this will impact your insurance entity, please contact us here or call at 818-334-8623.
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Saturday, September 4, 2010
The Brouhaha on Anne Rice's Statement
Now that the brouhaha of Anne Rice's statement that she wasn't going to being a Christian any longer has died down. I thought I would chime in with my two cents on the topic. Its sounds to me like she's not tired of Jesus, but of the people. Here's what she said,
Isn't that the saddest thing? I understand a part of her frustration. I have worked in ministry for 20+ years and working with people can be difficult. There's a joke that says, "The church would be perfect, if it wasn't for the people." HOWEVER, being with people is also the greatest joy that can be found in this life.
I wish I could share with Ms. Rice the flip side of being with Christ followers. There is no one that makes me laugh as much as my girlfriends, especially my Tuesday night Bible study. We're a group of seven women who have been meeting for about five years. Do we always agree? No! Do we irritate each other occasionally? Yes! Do we always have the same theological opinion? No! Do love each other? Yes! Would we do anything to help one another? Absolutely!
I think of my other closest friends--the one in Atlanta, my pal in Phoenix, and my lifelines in Las Vegas--I could not do life without them. They are all Christians. Maybe Anne Rice never made those type of connections, because I believe if she had, she'd be praising Jesus for the abundant life of friendships in Christ. In other words, Christians.
In gratefulness for my Christian friends,
1 comment:
Anonymous said...
Hey Susanne - it's Cindy that you met at She Speaks in July. We have Joanne S in common & I made you cry. I have been trying to get an email to you bu I can't seem to make the address on your business card work for me. I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at
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Saturday, 28 February 2015
Natures Journey February
Hi...this is the first post that I have done with my Natures Journey blocks. I am using my stash fabrics and a few extras thrown in from friends...I am using the iron on applique paper, sewline glue pen and my stylus to turn the seams under and then a dab of Roxanne Glue to hold in place while I needle turn applique. Some of the edges are not the, but I'm improving! I have kept the blocks on one large background piece to make it easier to do the blanket stitch borders....mine are a bit different to Annies pattern...I have done the stitch like a traditional blanket stitch.
My favourite block is this one with red hearts...I'm waiting on my "Perfect Circle" templates to arrive to finish off with the circle in the middle. Annie had them in a previous email, and I decided they would make my life much easier as I'm not so good with those tiny curves!
This is the stitchery that was optional for January. I have not made it into anything yet...keep changing my mind. It will come in useful for a Christmas gift, I'm sure. Can you believe it's March tomorrow??
Enjoy your weekend...Suze. x
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Symfony 2.1.2 released
$ composer.phar self-update
There is still something amiss with Composer. I downloaded 2.1.2 without vendors and updated composer.phar.
I run composer.phar install in the Symfony directory and get:
'Your lock file is out of sync with your composer.json, run "composer.phar update" to update dependencies'
This doesn't make me feel good. Additionally, when I add a new bundle to composer.json, I have run composer.phar update to get the new bundles rather than composer.phar install. Doing the update updates all of the packages to developmental packages (for example, Symfony goes to 2.1.3-DEV).
What am I doing wrong?
I couldn't find out how to upgrade from one 2.1 version to another. Please elaborate!
You can update individual packages by runing: composer update doctrine/doctrine-bundle for instance (multiple names are possible).
In the previous post someone mentioned a problem with overwriting the lock file.
Maybe we need a way to merge two composer.lock files?
Most imported thing would be check to compatibility between packages.
Same here. I can only update by replacing composer.lock and running
composer.phar update some/dependency
not to get the DEV versions.
I think there is a solution...
Manully update your composer.json file with your own dependencies.
Now try this command :
composer.phar update nothing
Composer will compare the json file AND your lock file to update and get your missing files.
After this operation your composer.lock file will be updated with your dependencies (not the symfony's) and then you can use it for deploy your application.
Tell me back if it's ok for you.
@Tristan Juhé - Thank you! That worked perfectly.
@Tristan: yes, it works, but I think it's the same as my solution because this option (nothing) doesn't exist. I think we need some official guide on how to add dependencies to the standard edition really bad.
Great, I' always impressed how "stable" are the framework, and how easy is the upgrade.
The only problem is the good support of mongo in Mac OSX, cause BC when I want upgrade PHP to 5.4 (in my view, the php mongo driver is unstable).
Congrats !
Super good for all the work done, my congratulations and thanks to all those responsible for this to be possible, to comment that it is not possible to open the file from the vendor framework compressed zip extension, an error occurs. Very Thank!!!!!!!
I'm still struggling with Composer.
MacBook-Pro:Repos greg$ composer.phar create-project symfony/framework-standard-edition symfony/ 2.1.2
Installing symfony/framework-standard-edition (v2.1.2)
- Installing symfony/framework-standard-edition (v2.1.2)
Downloading: 100%
Created project in symfony/
Undefined index: package
In the Composer Documentation says:
"To update to the new version, use update command. This will fetch the latest matching versions (according to your composer.json file) and also update the lock file with the new version."
So maybe we have a concept error (maybe not)
Instead of having on the composer.lock (cool for testing latest dev):
"symfony/symfony": "2.1.*",
"doctrine/orm": ">=2.2.3,
Excellent !!! ... thanks Symfony Team ... :)
After running `composer update`, I got Symfony version 2.1.3. Is it correct?
I think the best way is get composer.json and composer.lock from and
Then remove vendor folder, and run 'composer install' again.
I agree with Oscar Jimenez, "stable" branches should be referred in composer.lock and not things like this:
"require-dev": {
"twig/twig": ">=1.6.0,
Ok, so i did a "composer.phar self-update" and then executed "php composer.phar update".
My commandline shows a number of updates such as:
- Updating symfony/symfony 2.1.x-dev (f23fd0 => 727331)
Checking out 7273311e1fb663ae7f5501f57a52ba9bd4db2ec3
Have i installed version 2.1.2 now? How can i verify this?
There seems to be a problem with the 2.1.2 update for doctrine when installing on linux :
When running composer.phar install form the latest composer.lock file :
- Updating doctrine/common 2.3.x-dev (605b1b => bb0aeb)
[exec] [RuntimeException]
[exec] Source directory /data/jenkins/workspace/zzzzz/vendor/doctrine/common has uncommitted changes.
[exec] Exception trace:
[exec] () at phar:///data/jenkins/workspace/zzzzz/composer.phar/src/Composer/Downloader/VcsDownloader.php:135
[exec] Composer\Downloader\VcsDownloader->enforceCleanDirectory() at phar:///data/jenkins/workspace/zzzzz/composer.phar/src/Composer/Downloader/VcsDownloader.php:89
We cleaned completely the vendor dir before running the install
Any idea ?
Uncommited means you made changes and GIT cannot override theses changes.
Remove vendor directory, lock file.. and try again
Or, the BEST solution, create a new directory, run the command line to install Symfony from composer, wait 5 minutes, add your depencies in composer.json, and copy/paste your bundle/configuration !
Since SF2 is very well "fragmented" it's amazingly easy to import your bundles/config in a fresh install, good job @Symfony !
php composer.phar update is updating vendors to development version.
After some research, I found out that we can ask composer to update to stable versions only. Here is how I did it
1) Open composer.json file
2) Near the bottom you will find "minimum-stability": "dev"
3) Change it to "minimum-stability": "stable"
Now run php composer.phar install. It will only install Stable software versions.
I hope this helps someone.
It seems there's a problem with flash messages. Templating helper got reverted to 2.0 or something?
Call to undefined method Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Templating\Helper\SessionHelper::getFlashBag()
Download links for tgz and zip files for the standard edition with vendors result to broken files. This happened a few times in the 2.0 branch as well.
I admire and appreciate the hardwork, but please get the simple things right first.
Comments are closed.
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Assassin is Chronicle - Chapter 267: A Mysterious Scepter - Wuxiaworld
Wuxiaworld > Assassin is Chronicle > Chapter 267: A Mysterious Scepter
Chapter 267: A Mysterious Scepter
Chapter 267: A Mysterious Scepter
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Suzanna tore off the curtain on the wagon to watch Anfey. At that moment, Anfey did not seem to have an advantage in the fight. He had killed two Dark Knights at the beginning, and seemed to keep up with the other three Dark Knights. Under the attack of the other three, he kept moving back, but he still moved fast. He moved left and right to avoid the Dark Knights’ attacks. As he avoided the Dark Knights’ attacks, he would kill a few zombies.
"Do not worry about him. He is very wise." Slanbrea smiled when he saw Suzanna so worried.
"What? What do you mean by that" Suzanna was confused.
Slanbrea shook his head and smiled. He did not have time to explain. Anfey tried to prevent Annunciata from using Death magic and to buy himself some time. Unfortunately, Slanbrea did not think these kind of tricks could escape Annunciata’s eyes. A wooden case with fragrance appeared in Slanbrea’s palm. He carefully opened the case with a ceremonial gesture. There was a golden scepter in it. The golden scepter was carved with runes. A small angel statue rested on top of it. Before Slanbrea took the scepter out of the case, there was already a strong bright feeling. It made everybody in the wagon feel good about themselves.
"Kid, come here." Slanbrea held the scepter and then waved at Suzanna.
Anfey looked like he was dancing on an ice rink. He could always move from one place to another with lightning speed. The three Dark Knights yelled and chased him, but they could not touch him at all. Slanbrea was not wrong. Anfey did not care about these Dark Knights. If he wanted, he could kill them at any time on the spot. Dark knights could be considered junior-level death spirits, but they did not have their own thinking and lacked the speed to pose any threat to Anfey. Anfey focused on the zombies.
He found the zombies were not scared of lights and were abnormally difficult to kill. Even when their heads were cut off, the zombies still did not die. Their headless bodies still could walk and even change direction as Anfey moved. Anfey had a bad feeling about this. With the knowledge he had about necromancers, he could not figure out what was going on.
A roar as loud as thunder came from the sky. Bruzuryano finally had started his attacks. His gigantic body unbelievably moved faster than lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, he had already rushed in front of that Death Knight. He waved his palm. Before his palm reached the Death Knight, the messy air currents he created had covered the Death Knight. That ghost horse with light blue flames flew backwards, like it was wrapped in a tornado.
That Death Knight used the Shadow strategy. His real person appeared in the back, but with a huge sound, the shadow shattered under the attack. He left deep paw prints on the lifeless ground. Many cracks showed around the paws. Some cracks were as wide as a few inches. They were wide enough to fit a hand.
A white shadow flashed. Bruzuryano threw himself onto it. He waved his palm at the Death Knight’s right shoulder. Bruzuryano did not get him with his first strike. However, in the blink of an eye, he had carried out a second strike. When Bruzuryano attacked with full force, no matter the power or the speed, he had reached a point very few people could exceed. After that shadow of the knight was created, his power decreased significantly. If he was at his peak, he was a match for Bruzuryano. This time he had to use the shadow strategy again to avoid the furious attacks from Bruzuryano.
Shadow strategy got Bruzuryano once. If Bruzuryano could be fooled several times, he was not good enough to be a top power. The silver white gigantic bear chased after that Death Knight with an undescribed speed. As the real Death Knight showed up, the gigantic bear had already lashed out at him.
The Death Knight could not release his shadows anymore. When he saw no way to dodge, he roared and thrust his spear at Bruzuryano’s chest. Bruzuryano had been forced to make a suicidal attack before, but now it was the shadow’s turn to use the same strategy.
As the spear was half way between Bruzuryano and the shadow, the gigantic bear hit hard on the ground with his paw. Besides the cracks underneath the paw, there was only a pile of black rotten flesh and flattened and twisted armor. This strike was so powerful that the Death Knight’s body was smashed like mashed tofu. The ghost horse lost most of his body as well. Only its forelegs and head were still rolling on the ground.
After the successful strike, Bruzuryano turned around and rushed back to Anfey. He did not have extra fancy moves. The zombies on the way were either knocked high into the sky or smashed to the ground.
When Anfey saw Bruzuryano rushing toward him, Anfey slowed down his blade. He slayed a zombie on the ground with a backhand. He jumped high to get closer to Bruzuryano.
A strong magic surge came from the distance. Bruzuryano let out a deep roar. It sounded that he was warning Anfey of something.
Anfey was alert to it. He readjusted his internal energy to the maximum. He saw the Dark Knight and his spear in front of him. He jumped high and kicked at the tip of the spear to gain momentum to jump higher. He kicked the head of the Dark Knight with his right foot. As he jumped over the Dark Knight, he swung his blade at the knight’s neck. A deep cut appeared on the Dark Knight’s neck and almost cut it off.
When Anfey was in the air, he suddenly found that countless zombies and skeletons showed in the Fog of Decay. They moved towards Anfey in waves.
A bone spear flew over the sky, shooting at Bruzuryano among the zombies. The spear flew here and there in an unpredictable way. The bone spear was just a junior spell, but it was a pain. Besides Meteor magic and wind blades, usually magic did not have any physical damage. It could only cause damage with active elements. The physical damage Meteor magic and wind blades could cause was not strong anyway. It would not be life-threatening. A bone spear was special. The physical damaging power and magic power were about the same, which could cause a decent amount of damage.
Even Bruzuryano could not ignore the bone spear’s attacks. He slowed down a little bit and hit the bone spear as it approached to him. The bone spear shattered into pieces.
The next moment, a bone jail appeared in the sky and locked Bruzuryano’s gigantic body inside it. Before Bruzuryano could react, a row of bone walls seven yards tall suddenly appeared and blocked Bruzuryano’s way.
This bone wall was actually just a different form of magic Kekkai, because the zombies and skeletons from behind could pass the bone wall without any trouble.
Bruzuryano’s roaring got louder and louder. Broken limbs, blood, flesh, and broken bones flew out of the bone wall like rain drops. The magic surges in the distance got even stronger. Every strike Bruzuryano made shattered some of the bone jail. Many zombies and skeletons rushing at him were killed. A new bone jail appeared above him. The bone spears Bruzuryano worried about kept coming at him. The bone spears flew in the sky with a whooshing sound one after another.
Nobody was better at adjusting to such situations than Anfey. As he landed, he had already turned around. He waved his arms with big blades to create many images and slayed the Dark Knights and rotten zombies who were in his way.
If a top power were not beaten by those kinds of attacks, Anfey knew those necromancers only wanted to hold Bruzuryano in the fight. The reason they did that was to do something afterwards. It was easy to guess the people who were going to face the dangers were not Bruzuryano in the fight. It should be Anfey himself or Slanbrea in the wagon.
By the time the Dark Knight in the front had waved his spear, Anfey had already swung his big blade toward him. Before his wounds showed up, Anfey swung two more times. When when Dark Knight fell to the ground, his body had been chopped into a few sections. He lost all of his fighting ability.
Many people thought the key to winning a battle was to be fast. It was just a line in the movies. Whether a physical fighter or martial arts practitioner, they all stressed the importance of speed. No matter how physically or internally strong the fighters were, it would be meaningless if they could not be quick enough to hit their opponents. To a real martial arts practitioner, it was not very hard to be fast. The hard part was to combine the speed and power in a perfect ratio. The fastest boxer could punch thirteen jabs in a second, but these jabs would not damage the opponents as hard as one hard uppercut.
Anfey’s speed was super fast. He was so fast that the big blade in his hand had looked like a small tornado. He used all his power without any conservation. The last Dark Knight was knocked away with his ride. The leftover zombies did not allow him to pause for a second. He moved like a flagship on the sea fighting the waves. He rushed straight towards the wagon.
A bone wall suddenly grew out from the ground and blocked Anfey’s way. Anfey had waited for this for a while. Those necromancers who hid in the dark could not see him rushing out. A person who was good at learning from mistakes would always think about what mistake he made and also pay attention to the mistakes others made. Bruzuryano was trapped, because the flying bone spears made Bruzuryano paused a little bit. There was no attack that did not cost time. Instant magic still needed a certain time to hit the target. That was the reason that necromancers needed to use bone spears to make the initial attacks. It even took a very short time to activate elements. As long as Anfey was prepared for it, he believed he had the chance to escape.
By the time the bone wall appeared on the ground, Anfey had already swung his blade to the left, but borrowed the momentum to move to the right. As the bone wall grew to about two yards tall, Anfey pushed onto the bone wall with his hand to jump a few yards higher than the bone wall and ran away as fast as he could. There was an empty bone jail standing there.
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Sunday, February 20, 2011
awakening from within
in the last year-
i have been ungrateful.
dishonest with myself.
shy to ask.
passive with all.
afraid of rejection.
wanting acceptance.
and going to sleep at night.
i have been lost in regret.
unthankful for comfort.
bitter for my actions
and lack of satisfaction.
contempt for the sun
and his beautiful mystical ways
i chose to see as ego
rather than light guiding the way.
i formed an alliance with the night
to end the joys of day.
i experimented as if child.
to feel the untapped hurt;
my mother
and father
could not relate.
the love and attention i wanted-
it was meant for other children;
clones of societies making
conservation of the faking.
i found myself wanting
that support
and seed of ambition
because i thought it defined self-worth.
i wanted to remember what it was to loathe.
to forget.
to feel disconnected
like i did as a teenager
when i finally realized my parents were divorced.
i'd dress in black
to show my disappointment
about something that was not working.
i wear it with love today.
a battle within myself
that i learned to caress
though i was born to hate.
a milestone of awareness and introspection that came.
i became the thing that longed to resonate
in order to understand hopelessness
and why people hold on to it with their lives.
i saw myself trapped by my own lethargy
because of the beauty that comes with nothing.
feeling a desperation and a dark humour
that enveloped a lust for dying.
i've died many times
and each time is different.
passing moments expressed by a new piece of art.
a new insight that i had not known before.
a gallery of thoughts and emotions
that trickle down with devotion.
a gathering of work, feeling happy, uneasy to display.
a museum of contemplations till this day.
a house under construction with people living in it.
an open suitcase with confidential files
no longer the case.
striving to find my way out of the pits
i unlocked
many hidden doors along the way.
i saw many things that made me hesitate.
monsters and demons with my face,
fear and traumas with my name.
i understand now, the meaning of victory-
to find something you were meant to...
like yourself.
i searched for god in all the darkness with my light
and found it hiding behind gratefulness
like a boulder staring me in the face.
a hawk sweeps down and snatches it,
brings it forward like a sword
to cut whats not needed away.
blessed is he who is grateful for all things and fears no thing.
blessed is the one who searches deep within himself
to reveal things which most dare not to face.
a deeper truth of who you are
expressed by humanity's
impoverishment and famine state.
like a child, undisciplined and scared knowing
needing, wanting
the security blanket in the womb.
fetus then mourns the life it will soon become
because that love is so scarce
not many can bare.
you can find it in a flower
or the sky before it falls
but even as it falls
remember you are loved.
remember you were once in that sky up above.
that fell from the heavens,
from the greatest heights
like lightning
in the mouth of a mad world
with beauty as its' conscience.
waking to the sun today,
i greeted him with a smile and thought-
i forgive you for what i went through
and for turning my back on you.
i forgive you for allowing me to experience this life
and for parting with the intuitive moon, your wife.
but now i understand the true meaning of balance-
it isn't always pretty
it isn't always joy
but it will always be love, just as long
as you know you are it.
feeling that magnetism once again,
i was reborn today
from the stronghold of death.
choosing to change.
emerging my consciousness
from the depths of my being
so that nothing can ever be kept secret again.
so that there will be no place for regret to dwell in.
thank you,
life and death.
sun and moon.
hidden truth.
love, and all there is
and is not.
i love you.
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DIY Downsides: When successful troubleshooting deprives you of an excuse for upgrading.
The same base urges that led me to upgrade my home server, have had me itching to upgrade my home network. The server build sated that hunger for a while, but now that it is done, I’ve been feeling the pull, again. I’ve held out, but yesterday, I thought I was going to HAVE to upgrade because one of my routers started acting up. Happily/sadly, successful troubleshooting has stimied such rationalizations.
The current network arrangement consists of a Netgear WNDR3800 running OpenWRT as the main router/firewall. It has direct connections a couple of small ARM servers running Debian, which run various services. It also provides WiFi access. At the other side of the house, there is another router, a Netgear WNDR3700, also running OpenWRT that is bridged to the main router over 5GHz WiFi. It provides wired connectivity for a printer, a server, and a Acu-Link bridge that connects a weather station to the Internet. It also provides WiFi access in the 2.4GHz band and guarantees decent connectivity from our back yard.
I’ve been considering various options for upgrading, with the goals of getting a higher-speed link between the two routers, and a speed bump for my laptop, which has a 3-stream radio, whereas the routers are limited to two streams. I wasn’t entirely happy with any of the options though, which is one of the reasons I’d been able to resist the upgrade urge.
Yesterday though, as I’ve already mentioned, things started getting flakey. I noticed that the second router seemed to be rebooting every ten to fifteen minutes, interrupting connectivity for connected devices for a good 60-90 seconds. I could have used this as an excuse to upgrade, but I tried to troubleshoot the problem first.
I’d recently moved some equipment around, so the first thing I checked was that the power cord hadn’t been partially unplugged. It didn’t seem like it had, but I made sure it was well plugged in and waited to see if the problem continued. It did.
As part of the equipment moves, I’d swapped in a higher-capacity UPS. The UPS had been functioning just fine, in its previous location, but I wondered if it was adding noise that the routers power supply was having trouble contending with, so I swapped in another 12V DC wall wart. At first, that seemed to solve the problem, no reboots in over 20 minutes, but before another 20 minutes were over, the router rebooted again.
I wondered if it was a temperature issue. It was a warm day, though no warmer than other days this summer. I decided to take the router apart to see if there was any dust slowing down convection from the case. Once I got the case open though, I realized that I’d already opened and cleaned out the router a few weeks before. Back to the drawing board.
I decided to open up an SSH session so I could watch the system log (OpenWRT logs to a ring buffer in memory, so you have to use “logread -f.” in the hopes that I’d see something useful before the device rebooted itself. Once I had that running, I took my dog for a ~60 minute walk. When I returned, the router was still running, still logging to my screen. I scrolled back over the logs, and didn’t see anything unusual. I started to wonder if it was a “heisenbug.” Perhaps I was going to have to upgrade after all.
The log filled with information about connections and disconnections from WiFi devices, and IPv6 related housekeeping. A few minutes later though, something different flashed past on the console. I scrolled back and saw that the kernel reported that it detected a low memory condition and killed off a maintenance script to keep from running out of memory. I thought it strange, but I didn’t see what would have changed to make low-memory conditions commonplace, or how they’d lead to a reboot. It was, however, my only lead, and as I sat there thinking it over, I saw another low memory warning.
It was starting to make sense, I imagined how the router could get in a situation where it killed off an essential process and ended up rebooting. It might even be that the router hardware had a watchdog function, which would reboot the device if a process didn’t reset the watchdog timer on a regular interval. Killing that process could lead to a reboot.
Now that my only lead was starting to seem plausible, I dug deeper. I first checked the amount of memory in use with the “free” command. It reported there were less than 2MB free, which surprised me since I remembered it was typically many times that. Next I used “ps” to see what processes were running, and which were using the most memory. None of them were obviously huge, but a few of the larger processes didn’t look quite right.
I have an Acu-Rite weatherstation and an Acu-Link bridge. The bridge relays readings from the weatherstation to Acu-Rite’s servers. I have a system in place to capture the data as it is being transmitted, and feed it to Weewx on one of my servers. Weewx keeps its own record, and also updates Weather Underground. To accomplish this, I have a startup script on the secondary router that uses “ncat” to wait from an incoming connection from the driver I wrote for WeeWX. Once the connection comes in, ngrep sniffs for packets from the Acu-Link bridge relaying data from my weather station to the internet service. That data forwarded overmy network to the waiting weewx driver on my server.
The problem was that there were 3-4 copies of these processes running on the router. Ordinarily, there should only be one. After a connection is lost temporarily and weewx has reconnected, there might be two running before the old copy times out. I tried reducing the max number of connections from four to two, which helped a bit, but it was still cycling the connection much to quickly and for no obvious reason.
I tried restarting weewx, but that didn’t help, it was still connecting and then disconnecting too frequently. To debug things further, I decided to simulate the server connection and see if the data was being captured and forwarded properly. It wasn’t!
From here, I wanted to connect to the diagnostic webserver running on the Acu-Link to confirm that it had a connection to the weather station. I looked at the main router to find the Acu-Link’s IP address, and in the process I realized that it had changed. I hadn’t created a DHCP reservation for the Acu-Link device because DNSMasq, which provides DHCP service on the router, generally provides a stable IP address to devices. Something had happened though, probably when I was moving around hardware, and it had assigned a new IP address.
So, to recap:
1. My script was depending on a result of the default behavior of DNSMasq for the IP address of the Acu-Link bridge.
2. As a result of reconfiguring my network, something changed, and with it the result of that default behavior, leading to the IP address of the Acu-Link bridge changing.
3. As a result, of the changed IP address, my script for sniffing weather data failed to collect that data and forward it to weewx running on my server.
4. Because it wasn’t getting data as expected, weewx tried to reconnect to the sniffer script.
5. Because weewx was reconnecting as frequently as it was, excess copies of ncat, ngrep and the ash shell accumulated on the router, eating up memory.
6. Because of the low memory condition, the kernels out of memory killer (OOM killer) started killing off processes.
7. Because some key process was killed by the OOM killer, the router rebooted, continuing the cycle.
8. Because the router was rebooting frequently, I decided to troubleshoot it.
9. Because I succeeded in troubleshooting the root cause, I have removed a reason to buy a new router.
Sometimes being awesome has to be its own reward, I guess.
Since I couldn’t in good conscience buy a new router, I did a few easy things to fix the problem. I configured the DHCP server to assign a predefined IP to the Acu-Link bridge, and update the script to look for packets from that IP.
There additional mediations to this issue that I probably won’t undertake, including:
1. Updating my WeeWX driver to make sure it properly cleans up sockets when reconnecting. This might lead to quicker cleanup of the old processes on the router.
2. Updating my WeeWX driver to throttle the rate at which it retries connections.
3. Trying to automatically detect the IP of the Acu-Link bridge and then use that IP for the ongoing packet sniffing.
4. Adding some code to the sniffer script that will be more aggressive about cleaning up unused connections.
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March 31st 2018 Benders, San Francisco, CA w/ The Liza Colby Sound
March 29th 2018 Pour House, Oceanside, CA w/ The Liza Colby Sound
March 28th 2018 Harvard & Stone, Los Angeles, CA w/The Liza Colby Sound
January 12th 2018 The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ w/The Verve Pipe
December 20th 2017 Arlene's Grocery, NYC w/Mule Kick, The Blackfires
December 16th 2017 The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ w/ Billy Monroe & The Soul Survivors
December 2nd 2017 White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ w/ MoTHER
September 16th 2017 Indian Larry's 14th Annual Block Party, Brooklyn, NY w/ Judas Priestess
August 2nd 2017 The Delancey, New York, NY w/ Midnight Crisis
July 20th 2017 Berlin NYC, New York, NY w/ Liza Colby Sound
July 8th 2017 Brian's Backyard BBQ, Middletown, NY w/ Richie Scarlet
June 23rd 2017 Revolution Bar, Amityville, NY w/ Saving Abel
June 17th 2017 Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ w/ Killcode
May 27th 2017 The Gramercy Theatre, NYC w/ Honor Among Thieves
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You are here
Longlisted author Andrew Solomon answers our questions
Longlisted author Andrew Solomon answers our questions
Andrew Solomon
Far From The Tree
How does it feel to reach the longlist for the Samuel Johnson Prize?
It's deeply thrilling. The prize has such a noble history, and so many impressive laureates, and I'm honored to have made the list. I'm an Anglo-American writer and a dual national, and to have recognition in the UK is especially meaningful to me because that's where my husband and I were joined in civil partnership in 2007. My book looks at how societies embrace diversity, and I am thrilled to find that Great Britain is ready for the kinds of diversity about which I've written.
What research did you do for writing your book?
The book involved a great deal of in-person interviewing; I talked to more than 300 families and accumulated over 40,000 pages of interview transcripts. I also did extensive library research and interviewed scientists and other experts. Organizing the material was a relentless job, and I sometimes felt more like an air traffic controller than like a writer. But ultimately, I felt that my primary insight was the synthetic insight, that my understanding of what was true about the whole population in the book outweighed the truth of any individual story.
I originally set out to be a novelist, but I came to find reality surprisingly seductive. I think we need both forms: that people need to escape from the world we inhabit, and to find out all about it, looking deeply at its very soul. It's wonderful to find that people have the patience for the deep investigation that books aspire to, that there's an audience for something more profound than what the daily paper can provide.
What is your favourite non-fiction book and why?
Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy, because it really set the form for most of the non-fiction that's come since. It includes both research and personal narrative, and is broad, sweeping, and yet intimate. Burton's prose is gorgeous and parts of the book are extremely funny. It's hard to believe how much of our sensibility originates in this 17th century volume.
What are you working on next?
I'm about to begin a book about how our idea of motherhood and fatherhood has changed in an era when men change nappies and women work late in the City. And I'm looking at how those shifts relate to the advent of gay families, of single mothers by choice, of international adoptions, of families in divorce, and so on.
Andrew Solomon is the author of Far From The Tree (Chatto & Windus)
The judging panel for the Baillie Gifford Prize...
Fiammetta Rocco, culture correspondent at The...
How to Survive a Plague
David France has been named the winner of the ...
The shortlist for the £30,000 Baillie Gifford...
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Thursday, May 19, 2011
Montauk Point Long Island New York
Date: Summer 1970
Time: afternoon
The young witness and her boyfriend were sitting on some dunes behind an isolated cliff when suddenly they heard a loud buzzing sound, like bees. They both sit up, but then lay back down again, apparently unable to move. The buzzing gets louder and a man wearing a soldier uniform appears, looking down at the witness. On his right there is another soldier, he kicks the witness boyfriend leg apparently making sure that he was unconscious. Two other men appear, one is very tan, with dark hair and dark glasses, the other seemed to be more fair. They then carry both the witness and her boyfriend to a nearby jeep.
They travel north through the dunes and then enter a large garage door apparently on the side of a hill. Inside the place looks like a garage, she is taken through a hallway while her boyfriend is apparently taken to another location. They then enter an elevator and apparently descend. The door opens into a much darker place, there is a very unpleasant odor present and is very cold. She is then taken into a very dark room and laid on top of a padded table.
The men then leave the room. The witness then sees something approaching her from her left. She then sees a 6-7-foot tall creature, with large pointed ears. His eyes are bright yellow-gold and seem to glow. He had pointy teeth and a large wrinkle on his forehead and has a tail. The being comes to the foot of the table pulls off the witness shorts and bathing suit bottom; he pushes her legs open and pulls her down toward him.
The terrified witness hears a raspy sound coming from the creature. He then inserts something inside her; she feels terrific pain, apparently giving the creature a lot of pleasure. After an unknown length of time the creature steps back and disappears. After a few minutes' two soldiers enter the room and take the witness up the elevator and into a well-lit room, filled with equipment and dials. She is then placed on a table covered in white and strapped down, including her head.
Then a group of 5-6 people come into the room. They wore white gowns and masks and hats that covered their heads. They appeared to be male, but there is one female with them. The witness head is turned on its side and taped to the table, and a small portion of the area above and behind her right ear is shaved. A few minutes later she feels a prick in her arm and she passes out. Her next conscious memory was of being in the dunes with her boyfriend.
1 comment:
Luminero said...
Montauk is a good place to stay away from! Read the Montauk Chronicles.
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Fataawa of Shaikh al-Albaanee (رحمه الله)
Author: Shaikh Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaanee
Source: al-Asaalah Magazine Issues 1-21
Translator: Abu Maryam Isma’eel Alarcon
Published: Wednesday 29th July, 2015
Part of the Shaykh's Last Will & Testament [1]
In the Name of Allaah, Most Merciful, Bestower of Mercy. I counsel my wife, my children, my friends, and all my loved ones, when news of my death reaches them, that they - first - supplicate to Allaah to forgive me and have mercy on me, and that they do not wail over me nor cry with a raised voice.
Secondly, I advise them to hasten my burial, and that they do not inform my close relatives or brothers (of my death) except for the amount that is necessary to carry out the preparation of my burial. I ask that they put my neighbor and sincere friend, 'Izzat Khidr Abu 'Abdillah in charge of washing my body, as well as whoever he chooses to assist him in that.
And it is upon those who live in the land in which I die, to not inform anyone outside of these lands, such as my children - not to mention other than them - until after I am buried. This is so that the emotions will not overwhelm and cause people to act on them, which will in turn result in the delay of my Janaazah (funeral).
I ask the Guardian (Allaah) that I meet Him, while having my past and future sins forgiven by Him...(Some parts omitted here)...
I bequest my entire library - whether the book is printed, photocopied, in manuscript form, in my handwriting or someone else's - to the library of the Islaamic University of Madeenah.
This is because of the good memories I have of it with regard to Da'wah (Calling) to the Qur'aan and the Sunnah upon the methodology of the Salaf As-Saalih when I was a teacher there.
I hope that Allaah will cause it to be of benefit to the leaders of that university, just as the university students benefited from its owner in those days. And I ask Allaah that He benefit me by them (the students), through their sincerity and in their Da'wah.
[Allaah says:] "O my Lord! Make me thankful for Your Favor that You bestowed upon me, and upon both my parents, and make me one that does righteous deeds that You love. And correct my offspring for me. Surely I repent to You, and surely I am from amongst the Muslims." [Surah Al-Ahqaaf: 15]
Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaanee
On the 27th day of Jumaadaa Al-Oolaa, 1410 AH
[1] Taken from Shaykh 'Alee Hasan Al-Halabee's book "With our Shaykh, the Upholder of the Sunnah and the Religion, Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaanee" (pages 27-28).
Return to “Dealings”
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Frozen Games Quiz
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16. Faith
I went to see Darius often. I missed her dearly and it was horrible to have to see her there, locked away from the world, locked away from me. Yet I went and we spoke and things were as good as they could’ve been.
And then there was Cicero again. The source of all our troubles still survived and flourished, causing more issues along the way. And we couldn’t get away. He was everywhere and everything. The bastard just kept going without error; he didn’t falter. He had to fall sometime. He had to. And yet, he didn’t. He was locked away with my love and there was nothing I could do about it but watch him sneer at me, save behind his bars and locks. There was nothing I could do to stop him, to help her, to shield myself.
The most painful thing that one can feel is lack of necessity. And the worst version of that is being absolutely helpless, positively useless. When you love someone as much as I loved Darius, when one suffers, you both do. When you love someone that much, you would do anything to protect, anything to shelter them from the cruel melancholy that the world truly is. I had my hands tied and was forced to watch as she suffered, and there wasn’t a damn thing in Hell that I could do to help her. I would die if she commanded it, I would break every bone in my body if it would satisfy her; I’d give my immortal soul to keep her from feeling an ounce of sadness for even a millisecond of her life. My life was hers, whether she wanted it or not, and that’s how things remained. And her life was mine, and I cherished it and held it close, locked away in my heart, sheltered from anything that might tarnish it. I was useless to her now. All I could do is go and talk, I couldn’t take her away, I couldn’t stop the madness. When you love someone, it’s impossible to walk away if they need you. Love doesn’t work that way. I’m getting ahead of myself.
Love makes you do some funny things. It’ll make you make a complete fool of yourself, it’ll turn you into the world’s court jester, and while they laugh at you, you won’t care. It’ll make you hurt yourself to get attention, drag yourself over hot coals to get so much as a slight glance. Love’s the most powerful of all emotions, it has no limits; there is no one single definition. Love’s fickle and just, never cruel or malice. It doesn’t seek revenge or plan for the worst. It is endless. It is not perfect or ordinary. It’s never typical or normal. Love’s never simple but constantly pure. It can’t be corrupted or ignored. It simply is and it can’t be denied or forced. We had that; call it what you will, however tragic, our devotion and dedication were classified as love in my book. Maybe your book’s a little different.
It destroyed me to visit her and watch the plastic smile shift and her fixed expressions as she told me everything was fine and not to worry. I had to worry, I had every reason to. That bastard was locked away with my love, my poor sweet angel. They tried to make me stay away but she convinced them to reconsider. I truly love her. She took crazy risks on my behalf, and I was ready to fight on hers, but she never let me. Sometimes, if I was good, she might. It was all part of love and devotion, till death do us part, if only we could be so fortunate. It drove me up a wall, I would go home and rant for hours, but only on paper. Every so often I’d verbally rant to Syrius or Draven, explaining my troubles. They both understood from experience. They’d listen quietly, watching me pace back and forth like a lunatic. And they’d just listen. They would never get annoyed with me, never turn me away or tell me to shut up. They’d listen and acknowledge and offer whatever advice that they saw fit to offer. Every word I took in like a sponge, I might not have acted on what they told me one hundred percent of the time, but I still took it and kept it in mind, just in case. Prepare for everything, always have a Plan B, in some cases, a Plan C and D as well.
I had several breakdowns while Darius was gone. I found myself crying uncontrollably when I first found out about Cicero. My emotions raged. Randomly swinging from anger to jealousy to hatred to sorrow to doubt, maintaining balance was impossible. I don’t know how I managed. I put myself through the days so that I could see Darius. I made myself better for her. But it was hard, nearly impossible. Yet I managed. I don’t know how I did it, but I did. I ranted and raved and locked away what was necessary to lock away, and I moved along with my life. It was tolerable, or as tolerable as I could make it. Madison would listen too as I’d rant, she was more emotional than the others. She’d smile or hold me and act motherly. I think it’s a female thing, they take parental rights over people by default. I can’t say that she picked it up on her own, we were very parental over her and Darius. My, how the tables turn.
She was gone two long hard years. For two years I forced myself to smile. For two years did she smile at me blankly, hiding her true frustration. She knew that if she was honest, they’d never let her out. She’d do whatever it took to get out. Some things . . . never mind. I forgot what I meant to say. I do that a lot anymore, I don’t know why. My train of thought’s never on the tracks. I’m not sure if it ever was.
Darius and I were flawless in our relationship. We were human, sure, there were disagreements and issues of concern, but nothing could destroy the deep foundation we’d laid down for ourselves. Never settle for less. There was so much we’d put up with and seen, said and done. Every new day that we both lived on together was a reminder of our devotion. I don’t know if I could survive without her, I doubt it. The separation was agonizing enough. We had something that most people would never have. There was good reason why most people didn’t understand. Because they were ordinary.
Ordinary. As I said before – Normal love will never survive the winter, only extraordinary love can light the blazing sun to burn the sky. We had something that defied the odds, broke the rules, set no borders, was beyond all limits. There was nothing that could hinder us, nothing to falter us. There was something there that the typical cannot understand. Faith. Hope. Ideas that most people fail to trust in. But that little bit of trust is what made it work. That little bit. Not insane amounts, nothing irrational. A tiny bit of belief in disbelief. To put a little bit of heart into falling without a net. Taking a leap without looking down. Crossing a bridge without testing its’ strength. That’s what separates ordinary from anything else. Most people don’t have faith anymore. Quite tragic.
Tragic. That’s another concept that applies to us. It was tragic how we lived our lives, how we survived in the world and bettered ourselves. Tragic that we required the pain of others to enjoy ourselves. Tragic. In my opinion, we were far from tragic. But that was the world’s label, its’ stereotype. We were supposed to adhere to their limits and jump through the hoops on cue and smile at all times. We weren’t supposed to ask questions or step over the lines. We were supposed to be happy and causing trouble was bad and government was good and school is important. Of course, we did nothing we were supposed to. And we were happier. Now that’s tragic.
Ranting. This is my way of dealing. Sorry if I’m boring you. It’s your own fault really for reading this far, so you only have yourself to blame. I’m still sorry though. See, without her, I’m weaker. She’s really the weaker of the two, I’m able to uphold my harsh exterior without her because she can see through it. Without her, I think that everyone can see through it and I get paranoid. So I swing between moods, in case you haven’t noticed. She was away from me for two years. Two years. Can you think of how much changed in your life in two years? Two years. That’s a long time. Maybe not to some, but it is. When you’re young, two days is a long time, let alone two years. Two entire years. 730 days. 63,072,000 seconds. Tick.
For two years I wrote. And wrote. And wrote. I wrote stories, plays, essays, poems. I wrote anything that came into my mind. I took up Darius’ art of photography, teaching myself the concepts along the way. I had watched her thousands of times. I had stared at her camera for centuries it seemed, sitting there alone, unused. I picked it up, and fiddled with it awhile. I turned it around, looked at all the buttons, pressing them, testing their functions carefully. I wasn’t sure if it had film in it. I held it in my arms like a child as I sought the help of the rest of the group. Between the four of us, we were able to learn a thing or two. We found that there was a film left in it, it had no more shots left though. So I went and had it developed.
I went to the photo shop like a fool. I stood there and asked half a dozen foolish questions like a child. I felt the blood rushing through my body, going to my cheeks as the embarrassment of my ignorance set in. They were very courteous with me though. Kind and patient, the workers answered my questions, let me watch them develop my film, and look through the prints asking more silly questions. I thanked them kindly and left deeply satisfied. I had bought film while I was there, and they had taught me how to load it properly as well. If my love couldn’t take pictures for herself, I’d be her eyes in the outside world.
The pictures that were in the camera were of me and her mostly. How she managed some of them, I don’t know. But there was one. Just one that struck me out of myself. It was flawless, as we were at most times. It was absolutely . . . perfect. Now, I know, perfection doesn’t exist. But you don’t understand. If perfection was real, this picture personified it. It embodied the very idea, the very essence of everything that we were. It was love, devotion, it was hope and trust. It was faith. It was improbability. It was impossible. Yet there it was. She and I. It was perfect. It couldn’t be described in garish words that would do it proper justice. You’re going to have to trust me.
I took it with me when I went to see her that week. She was just as taken aback as I was. I asked how she had possibly managed to take it. She just looked at me with a silly little grin on her face. She had that childish expression, that “I have a secret” kind of gesture. I knew she wouldn’t explain it to me then, maybe never. She was very satisfied with herself though. I was proud of her. For most of my visit, we just sat in silence and stared at the picture. I had copies. It was perfect. Absolutely. Nothing ordinary about it. Absolutely perfect. I had her tell me how to operate the camera properly and what she’d like to see. She just looked at me.
“The world. Show me.”
I didn’t understand then what she meant. I’d come back to her with pictures that she’d throw back at me in disgust. She’s yell at me and get frustrated with my incompetence. Then she’d take out that one picture and smile and be gentle again and laugh. I was never angry with her. I just didn’t understand. And my ignorance drove me mad. I hated not knowing the answer to the riddle. And that girl is a world of riddles. But she’s my world of riddles, thank you.
There came a day when she was frustrated again.
“You’re taking pictures of what you think the world is, what you think I want to see. Raine, look in your heart, not through the lens. Look into yourself and discover. You know me, I love you. Trust yourself a little in my absence. What do you think is worth saving? If you had but one picture to take, what would you want to preserve for eternity?”
She looked at me seriously, her head cocked to one side, her eyes pleading with me to see. For a moment, movement ceased. After her words had died out and only the shadow of their echo remained, movement left. For that moment, I saw as she did. Without movement, just a series of still frames. I kissed her gently, rushing to get out to the world, I understood more now. As I got up to leave, she put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.
“You didn’t answer the question. What would you save for all eternity?”
She had the picture in her hand, as usual. I held her close, holding her and it to me. I pressed both close to my heart and whispered, “This.” I didn’t need more words, one was enough.
To explain for the ignorant. This, as in, this moment, this picture, this person. I would preserve her and I, as we were, as devoted as love could make us, as hopeless as society would have us and as faithful as dedication should provide. From then, I took the pictures she wanted to see of the world. The pictures she had directed me to. I saw through her eyes. And we were one, yet again. Through walls and boundaries, we were one. Through my writing and my pictures, she could understand all of the complications of my life and know how I was doing. And with her direction, I could understand how she was. It was our mode of communication. It was the best we could do. It was all we had. And we drank it up, to the last drop.
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Friday, July 27, 2007
The Shortest Story of Everything
He had also found qubits and magnetars, proteomes and morganucodontids, ids and memes, e-commerce and virtual reality, fundamentalism and postmodernism. And thousands of other things he couldn't even name. He had, in truth, found too much. He had come across a glut of information. The problem was . . . he wasn't gluttonous. (from The Story of Everything, Chapter 21)
Last Saturday I asked if the Bible was a Story of Everything and I answered no. The irony, of course, is that the Bible contains a Story of Everything--the creation account that opens the Book of Genesis. How can a brief narrative cover all of existence better than two thousand pages?
This is the age in which to ask that question. It's been estimated that a weekly edition of the New York Times contains more information than the average person living in the seventeenth century England came across in a lifetime. Researchers at the University of California Berkeley have concluded that the amount of new stored information doubled between 1999 and 2002 and is now increasing at the rate of 30% a year.
How can you cover it all?
Google is trying. The company's name is derived from "googol," the term for the number 1 followed by 100 zeroes. Imagine 10,000,000,000,
bits of information. Now imagine organizing them, which is how Google defines its mission. Now imagine getting them into a single human brain, which you have to do if you want to tell a story.
It's tough but not impossible:
That's from Brian Swimme, who used it to sum up The Universe Story, which he wrote in conjunction with Thomas Berry. It's one of the shortest Stories of Everything I've ever seen.
How do you boil things down? Maybe the trick is to let a child do the talking, as poet Charlie Finn did in Deep Joy, Steep Challenge. This is his seven-year-old daughter:
Let me tell you a story.
First there was nothing and then there was something.
there was a little something that became a big something.
Then the big something became human beings.
The end.
In The Story of Everything there's an Old Story and a New Story. You can get each down to six words:
Old Story: First Spirit, then Matter, then Life.
New Story: First Matter, then Life, then Spirit.
Not much character development there, but you get the idea. It's a matter of order, of sequence. To tell a Story of Everything, you don't have to know everything. You just have to know where everything goes.
Jeff said...
I've been reading with interest and enjoyment your blog, The Story-of-Everything. What touched me most directly was your old and new story. Old Story: First spirit, then matter, then life. New Story: First matter, then life, then spirit. I've been a member of the new school my entire academic career and have professed that message near and far. About 15 months ago I had a genuine spiritual awakening and have become a card carrying member of the old school. As a matter of fact, my change in world view has prompted me to decide to retire from teaching and become a student once again. I've been studying the Torah with a rabbi for the past year and following retirement I plan to study in Israel.
I guess what I'm trying to say is you're very right when you claim that much can be said with a few words.
Theresa said...
I guess I'm torn between two poles - either everything matters or it doesn't. I came to the conclusion that there can't possibly be only one book of everything, or one story of everything, since EVERYTHING to me means infinity. And even the largest of human minds, say Einstein's, is still far too puny to comprehend anything so enormous as infinity, so how could any one thing capture it? But most importantly, does it matter? Does everything in infinity matter? Does anything or nothing encompassing all of infinity matter? Obviously no human could ever know that, since no one has died and come back to tell us about what's going on on the other side (hoping there is one).
John Kotre said...
Here's a different way of boiling something down. Israeli scientists have inscribed the entire text of the Hebrew Bible on a silicon chip half the size of a grain of sugar.
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How Well Do You Know The Brands?
Have you ever wondered how many brands do you know? If you feel like your knowledge of brands is perfect, feel free to check if this is true passing this quiz! Don’t forget to share the results with your friends. Good luck! ;)
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Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Happy Birthday Head
Happy Birthday to my closest friend, Heather. I won't tell you how old she is,even though it's younger than me.(gift #2) I have left her Christmas present at my house all month, so she gets it today as well her birthday present (gift #1 and #3)
About Heather:
• She's promised if my water broke in public she would walk behind me so no one knew. Twice.
• She holds my hand when I am scared
• She knows what I'm thinking at any given moment.
• Eaten ice cream in the dead of winter almost daily because I craved it
• She's very artistic, good at drawing and making things(like her momma) she even did this super cute christmas bow hair do in my hair this winter :)
• She is a fellow foodie
• She has the fattest cat (yes Heather I know you want me to say big boned)
• And last but not least....I think she would make a great bus driver. Happy Birthday to Heather the best bus driving, animal loving, mini marveling friend I have.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Random Happenings
Every once in awhile during my career funny little things happened, that may or may not have been funny, but sure made me laugh.
We were going out to do a training flight one day. As normally happens we are all listening in to the pilot and the ground troop talk to each other on the plane interphone system.
This is required in case something bad happens so we'll all know the best way to get off the plane safely.
In the Air Force when you're using the interphone you make a call-up by saying who you are calling followed by who you are. For example; Ground - Pilot would be the pilot calling down to the guy on the ground connected to the plane by his headsets connected to a long headphone cord.
One day I had a new trainee, and we were going through the start-up procedures and she looks at me and asks "Which one is the ground pilot?" I sort of stare at her blankly thinking to myself that no one could possibly be that dumb.
"What?" I asked her.
"The ground pilot...where does he sit?" she asked.
Thankfully I stopped myself from smacking her by taking off my headsets and wandering down the aisle of the plane.
Another day we were going through the start up procedures again. Get all the engines started and get ready to taxi to go take off.
"Running them up crew, brake release." we hear from the cockpit, and the plane starts moving forward.
"UH...PILOT - GROUND!" we hear excitedly exclaimed over the interphone.
Pilot slams on the brakes and brings the plane to a stop. "Ground-Pilot, you're cleared off.......thanks" the pilot says.
"Uh...copy sir. I'm off"
And I'm sure he had some choice words after he was disconnected.
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Friday, October 17, 2008
Some free Black Kids downloads
Got some Black Kids news to share. First, my favorite new rock band is scheduled to perform tonight on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Go, Black Kids!
Next, the Kids recorded three new versions of songs from their debut album (live in-studio) for the indie-music site Daytrotter. Those tracks are available as FREE MP3s.
Click here to hear one of them – “I Wanna Be Your Limousine” – on my Vox blog. To download the freebies, follow this link.
fishesalot said...
Thanks for the Little Milton sidebar, it was a treat. He had that vintage 355 talking as he just laid back in the cut squeezing the moans and groans out of that pentatonic. Its amazing how a lot of good blues players use just two or three fingers on the left hand.
If you happen to run across Johnny Guitar Watson doing "Real Motha for Ya" do us a big solid and please post it!
Undercover Black Man said...
^ Cool. By the way, fishesalot... I just found out who you is, cuz! I need to run across some Mandrill too and post that.
fishesalot said...
Say what, who in tarnation do you think I am?
Undercover Black Man said...
Uhhh... Joaquin?
fishesalot said...
...nope, good try though. Did someone tell you that or something, ...just curious.
Undercover Black Man said...
^ Yah, I visited my sister in Charlotte last week, and she had talked to our Aunt Georgia.
fishesalot said...
...Aunt Georgia??? ...dude, my name is Umbdwahli WaohielX!! from the province of....
OK, ya got me, I've been exposed.
WHASUP CUZ! Been following your blog with much dedication for some time now. Since I have a tendency to blurt crazy shite I tend to be a passive reader most of the time, but as you see I almost always come out whenever you put up some funky 6 string action ..or hot random wrongness. So moms outted me, ...snap! But then I've been bragging to the whole family about how informative and entertaining your site is, and believe it or not I've canceled the Post paper since I've stumbled across the UBM blog.
So keep on keeping on, and next time you're in DC lets get a drink or something.
Oh yeah, where's Fisher been, I haven't seem him up here lately??
Peace cuz
Undercover Black Man said...
^ It's all good. I really appreciate that you're reading and commenting.
Yeah, I haven't heard from Fisher in quite a while. Maybe he's out there canvassing for Obama. (Or Cynthia McKinney.)
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Dabar [theme]
Psalms 91:4
Friday, January 19, 2007
2 Corintians 4:7
'We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence (surpassingness) of the power may be of God and not from us' This treasure spoken of here is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It speaks of a personal experience of meeting Jesus or having been in His presence. As a point of reference a very limited number of people would have this knowledge (ie apostles). Its application extends beyond the apostles, to all who proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, the essence or force of the passage lies in 'light of the knowledge'. This is knowledge which is experienced at the heart level in a revelatory manner brought about by the infusion or abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. This knowledge is undefinable, inexplicable in its wonder and deportment. It is in this knowledge that we act and have our way in the world. We are a light to the world.
The intent of the terminology 'earthen vessels' also represents a significant thought. an earthen vessel refers to a vessel still in the potter's hands, not yet hardened in the kiln. In that aspect the potter still has the opportunity to mold and shape the clay. If parts are marred or scarred or too comely, the potter is able through the turning on the wheel to reshape to his purpose. The skill of the workman is able to build anew , it is recoverable, redeemable.
"have this treasure in earthen vessels", the love of God in our hearts may not be perfect, but His salvation is complete, it is my natural affinities , that 'earthenness' that tends to disable my ability to fully express what is felt as holy and tender and full of grace. How the emotions are stirred when with the words of my mouth I attempt to express what God has done, what He is to me. This thought that in an earthen vessel this light would be kept,a weak, frail, subject to fault, crumbling, decaying instrument used for the glory of God. Incredible!!
But there in lies the ------ God's purposes are best served when dependence on Him is necessary. It is a vessel still moldable that God uses.
The story is told of a teacher who was chided by the Princess as to his appearance, and the absurdity that so much wisdom was stored in a less than handsome man. The teacher asked the Princess how her was wine stored, she replied in earthen vessels, to which he admonished her that even the poorest in the land have there wine in earthen vessels. She went home and promptly had all her wine placed in silver vessels. Shortly after it was discovered that all the wine had become acidic. The comeliness or homeliness of the vessel is not the indicator of the value of the contents, nor the ability of the vessel to hold the contents secure and fit for use.
"We poison the wine as He decants it into us;murder a melody he would play with us as the instrument" C.S.Lewis
It is in these earthen vessels that the excellency of the power of God is made manifest, how can it not be? Paul uses the Greek word huperbole which means a throwing beyond, excess or superiority. You may recognize this word in its English usage as hyperbole meaning an exaggeration or overstatement. What Paul is trying to express is the exceeding greatness, the surpassing excellency of the manifestation of His power, evidenced by the ability of His people to live lives separate and distinct in the world, salt and light. It is further evidenced in His servants using gifts and talents that they only dream possible, but in God's power and timing are made probable and real.
And yet, are we really living in the context of the excellency of that power? Is it real in the lives of Christians? Are we just going through the motions? Where is the throwing beyond of all Godly efforts? Where is the throwing beyond of being culturally significant or not? Where is the disproportion of the instrument to the nature of the produced effect?
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Friday, June 13, 2008
Frederik Pohl's "The Midas Plague" (novella, science fiction, humor): What if you were REQUIRED to regularly meet a consumption quota?
Quote from short story titled The Midas Plague by Frederik PohlI liked it when I read it a few days back. I seem to think less highly of it now because the premise seems so contrived. Except that it's not - exaggerated, but not entirely contrived.
If you are lucky enough to have decent self-earned income, remember the first time you noticed your normal spending was only a fraction of your income tax outgo? I know many people go through it. Sleepless nights wondering why the hell can I not spend at least as much as I pay the government, until peace is made with the situation - often with some lifestyle changes. This story is a far more drastic version of it.
Story summary.
It's set in a post-scarcity society in the US. But to create tension, it adds constraints that are way too contrived.
Society, with primarily robot labor, produces so much that anyone can have anything. Fine. But to keep robot factories busy, the government produces far more than society can consume! So you get quotas. Everyone must consume a certain amount of this & that!
Currency is in the form of "ration stamps". You pay these stamps not to buy food in a restaurant, but to notify the government that you have consumed a certain amount! Since the quotas are far more than people can consume, there is fraud & elaborate bureaucracy to catch fraudsters!
Your status in society is determined by how much you are required to consume. Poor have to consume more; as you rise up the social ladder, your consumption requirements reduce. This social promotion is done by government bureaucracy - often in recognition of you consistently meeting or exceeding your consumption quota, or helping others do it.
In their leisure time, people undertake activities that we normally call productive - like designing a machine! But lower strata of society is so busy consuming, they've no leisure time. Lower middle classes can afford no more than a few hours of such leisure time each week - they've to spend so much time consuming!
When you are rich & get sick, you can afford a doctor. If you are poor, you must suffer a team of doctors!
This is the story of Morey, a young man still way down in social hierarchy. He spends a day's leisure each week at Bradmoor Amusements Company designing gambling machines that help society consume more! During the course of the story, he will invent a new "K-50 Spin-a-Game" gambling machine.
He's just married Cherry - Judge Eton's daughter. She's from a much "richer" family. After marriage, this relentless consumption requirement is driving Cherry crazy - because she's from a background with less consumption pressure. So poor Morey is basically going to consume for two!
There is much unhappiness & warnings from government about not meeting his consumption quota. In a drunken moment, Morey will do something that will eventually turn out to be a winning idea: move his robots to a basement room, & make them consume things like furniture, cloths, shoes, etc - wear shoes, then keep moving around the room till they are worn, etc! He will be contrite when he discovers this in a sober moment, but it's helping solve a problem. He has already been not only meeting his consumption quota, but exceeding it; he's now got social status promotion too.
In a weak moment, he hands out his secret to someone he should not have shared it with. So it's going to spread. Panicky, he tells his shocked family. Judge father-in-law consults his robot clerk: "No precedent. No laws prohibiting. Therefore no crime." But he should confess to "Ration Board".
Goes to meet government official. Finds they already know about it. We learn the robots don't have a local brain, but share a big central one ("Master Control") over a radio communications network; so government has known about his robot-based consumption all along.
But they are actually happy! He's found a way to cut down the social pain. He'll be taken to Washington to meet bigwigs. When officials are congratulating him, he drops a dilemma: it's immoral to waste stuff!
But he has a way out. Install the "adjustable" "satisfaction circuits" in a robot, & you can configure the robot to want to wear a hat; with another config, gloves; etc! Moral dilemma gone. People can henceforth consume what they can; when something is being overproduced, robots will be configured to want to consume it!
In the end, we see the beginning of this social change. Individual quotas are not gone, but people get consumption robots to help consume stuff!
See also.
1. Peter Sasdy's movie "Out of the Unknown" is an adaptation of this story. I've not seen the movie.
Collected in.
1. Ben Bova (Ed)'s "The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two B".
Fact sheet.
First published: Galaxy Science Fiction, April 1954.
Rating: B
Related: Stories of Frederik Pohl; stories about consumerism.
Rodney Reid said...
I read this story as a teenager, and was just looking for a reference to it, which landed me here.
Only have two of the three "Science Fiction Hall of Fame" volumes, seem to be missing this one.
Thought about it again after seeing this video "Everything is amazing, nobody is happy" -
Thanks Tinkoo for the trip down memory lane - I forgot how the story went.
Sean Pickett said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sean Pickett said...
I read this in the seventies and I always took it to be a cautionary tale. He also wrote other cautionary tales, including co-authoring The Space Merchants and a personal favorite, the short story "Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus".
Reiver97 said...
This story was made into an episode of the BBC series Out Of the Unknown in 1965.
Many episodes of OOTU were lost, but this one still exists and can be found to download if you know where to look.
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Saturday, December 12, 2009
Arthur Clarke's "Sunjammer" aka "The Wind from the Sun" (novelette, racing): Solar sail power interstellar vehicle!
Illustration accompanying a 9 November 2009 story titled _Setting Sail Into Space, Propelled by Sunshine_ by Dennis Overbye in The New York Times. Story is about a series of forthcoming launches of solar sail powered experimental spacecraft dubbed LightSail, a project of Planetary Society.About a month ago, there was a news item in The New York Times [via Brenda Clough] about a series of forthcoming experiments in solar sail powered vehicles. This story is one of the best pieces of hard sf from Clarke, & among the most exotic racing stories by anyone.
Note: Idea of a solar sail is to use the "pressure" of sunlight - not like solar energy but like particles of light that aren't quite particles though they have momentum - as the motive power. No other energy source is necessary, except for steering.
Story summary.
Seven solar sail powered vehicles of different designs from "four inhabited worlds" will compete in the race from earth to moon. Eventually, of course, it will be fight between US & Russian vehicles!
Beginning point is "twenty-two thousand miles above the [earth's] equator" where the vehicles are anchored to normal ships in a certain formation. At T0, the anchor lines are cut, & the race is on.
At moon, other vehicles will pick up the crew capsules. "the winner will be the one that first drifted past the Moon."
Story is mostly told from the point of view of US participant - John Merton, "Chief Designer of Cosmodyne Corporation", riding the sail ship Diana. He's the only one flying solo; everyone else has a crew of two. He thinks the reduced mass will work in his favor.
They will make two rounds around earth, picking speed during the "powered half of the orbit", before reaching escape velocity. We go through the maneuvers needed when vehicles
1. pass through earth's shadow ("The shroud lines were slackening, & must be wound in lest they become entangled.")
2. when moving the unpowered half of orbit (towards Sun) (need to sail "edge-on" to sun, or you're thrown back).
3. when transitioning to powered part of orbit from unpowered.
We also see a competitive practice where one vehicle tries to cast shadow on another to cut its supply of sunlight, & how the victim escapes.
Participants keep falling off the race till only US & Russia are left: two to collision when passing through earth's shadow, another who could not turn the sail edge-on during unpowered half, another who could not transition from unpowered to powered half, & another where the lines rigging crew capsule to sail gave way.
Neck-to-neck half way to moon a day after reaching escape velocity, the last two participants will also have to abandon their vehicles because of a solar flare (their tiny capsules are unshielded). But Merton had rigged his machine to sail unaided too - so when he jumps, the vehicle is on its way to moon & beyond - eventually attaining solar escape velocity.
1. Diana: "fifty million square feet of sail, linked to his capsule by almost a hundred miles of rigging... Yet it was little more substantial than a soap bubble; that two square miles of aluminised plastic was only a few millionths of an inch thick."
2. How much is the pressure of sunlight on Earth? "Hold your hands out to the sun... Over the area of your hands, it comes to only about a millionth of an ounce.
But out in space, even a pressure as small as that can be important, for it's acting all the time, hour after hour, day after day. Unlike rocket fuel, it's free & unlimited."
3. Solar sail: "A square mile weighs only a ton, & can collect five pounds of radiation pressure. So it will start moving - & we can let it tow us along, if we attach rigging to it.
Of course, it's acceleration would be tiny - about a thousandth of a g. That doesn't seem much, but let's see what it means.
It means that in the first second, we'll move about a fifth of an inch. I suppose a healthy snail could do better. But after a minute, we've covered sixty feet, & will be doing just over a mile an hour. That's not bad, for something driven by pure sunlight! After an hour, we're forty miles from our starting point, & will be moving at eighty miles an hour... You'll be surprised when I tell you what our one-thousandth-of-a-g sailboat will be doing at the end of a day's run: almost two thousand miles an hour! If it starts from orbit - as it has to, of course - it can reach escape velocity in a couple of days. And all without burning a single drop of fuel!"
4. On inertia: "another rule that was hard to learn: the very moment you had started something happening in space, it was already time to think about stopping it."
5. Food "crumbs were a greater danger to space vehicles than meteorites; they could drift into the most unlikely places, causing short circuits, blocking vital jets, & getting into instruments that were supposed to be hermetically sealed."
6. "Those two square miles [of sail] produce a maximum pull of just ten pounds. I can exert more force by my little finger."
7. "It was hard to keep a good watch on that 60 million square feet of dim plastic out there in the darkness, illuminated only by his narrow spotlight & the rays of the still distant Moon."
8. By the time of second lap around earth, while "the two square miles of plastic sheet must have been riddled by hundreds of micrometeorites, the pinhead-sized punctures had produced no falling off of thrust."
9. Diana, after jettisoning: "Two days from now, she would flash past the Moon; but the Moon, like the Earth, could never catch her. Without his mass to slow her down, she would gain two thousand miles an hour in every day of sailing. In a month, she would be traveling faster than any ship that man had ever built.
As the Sun's rays weakened with distance, so her acceleration would fall. But even at the orbit of Mars, should would be gaining a thousand miles an hour in a day. Long before than, she would be moving too swiftly for the Sun itself to hold her. Faster than a comet had ever streaked in from the stars, she would be heading out into the abyss."
Collected in.
1. "The Collected Stories of Arthur C Clarke".
2. Arthur Clarke's "The Wind from the Sun" (coll).
3. Arthur Clarke's "The Sentinel" (coll).
Fact sheet.
First published: Boy's Life, March 1964 as "Sunjammer".
From author's note, introducing this story in Collected Stories: "The story's original title was 'Sunjammer' but as Poul Anderson had the same idea almost simultaneously, I was obliged to make a quick change of name."
Rating: A.
Related: Stories of Arthur Clarke (only his short fiction/novels).
Larry said...
Ah its been a while since I read this story,must revisit it sometime!
Tinkoo said...
Yesterday I finished Clarke & Pohl's "The Last Theorem". One of its episodes is identical to "Sunjammer" in all essential aspects, even some text appears to be lifted straight off this story; only difference is - the race gets abandoned here at the time one of players starts shadowing the lead character.
Larry said...
Not got that book yet,must find it!
I'm currently reading Richter 10 which isn't strictly Clarke really,but I'll see how it goes.
Tinkoo said...
Good choice - "Richter 10" - first half of it, anyway. May be the best single novel I've seen where Clarke shares his name with someone else on the cover.
Larry said...
Have you read another of his collaborations,called The Trigger about a device that renders all weapons harmless? I forget the co-author's name now.
Tinkoo said...
Yes - here's a bit longish note on "The Trigger". Coauthor is Michael Kube-McDowell.
Had read it when I wasn't very experienced reading the genre - was that less than 3 years ago? Not sure how I'll react on a rereading now.
Larry said...
Thanks for that Tinkoo! I will go look at that review!
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Gallery Greeting Card "The Birth"
Since he Garden of Eden there has been a "Dominion Mandate" to subdue, multiply and take dominion. To equip this army Jesus Himself appointed apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers to equip the saints to do this work. This image depicts the birth of this army and its maturing into His Bride. Based on Galatians 4: 19 and Ephesians 4: 11-13.
Add to Cart:
Your IP Address is:
Click here if you would like a FREE Website!
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/14116
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Thursday, April 12, 2012
Believe You Can and Little Lucky Elephant
Believe You Can
hand carved stamps, ink, pitt artist pen, metallic gel pen
There's this thing in my head that says, "I CAN'T!" whenever I come up against something that is scary or large or different or difficult. It's my self destructive, negative, little monster of an insecure shadow self. It's not true, but it's like a stuck record that has been playing in my head since I was 3 years old or so.
To combat the stuck record, I made this page in my journal.
The inspiration was actually the stamp I made last night. I wanted a little lucky elephant all of my own. I wanted to remember the determination, strength and power of the elephant.
So I made one. It was actually some what easier than the tiny heart stamp I did the day before. Maybe it was the larger size, maybe it was the softer medium (this is an actual stamp carving block) maybe I'm getting better at doing this stamp carving thing. Any way, it was fun and didn't take too long. It actually took far longer to stamp out the little scallops in the center of the frame. Oh yeah, I did the tiny scallop stamp on a pencil eraser last night, too. That was also easier than the heart. It might just have been a softer eraser. I bet the stiff ones hold up better, though.
Here's a close up of my little lucky elephant as a stamp. Hey, look, if I place it just right, they're hold onto each other's tails with their trunks.
I just had a memory. My grandmother used to collect elephants. She told me to make sure that the trunk was pointed up, because that's what makes it lucky. I don't know if it's true, but it can't hurt.
Here's to good luck for everyone, and here's to remembering to believe that you can, in fact, reach your dreams.
pauline said...
i LOVE your little pink elephant!! So adorable... great ideas for stamps on your blog here. So creative! xoxo
Rachel said...
Thanks so much for continuing to write such inspiring, encouraging words. I love your little elephant stamp too! I shall be telling friends about your amazing blog xx
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Creating a tic-tac-toe game with jQuery – Part 1
As promised, our first tutorial will be for programming a very well-known game called tic-tac-toe. We will start our tutorials with a general design requirements section and since I’m pretty sure you all know this game it’s going to be a very short one for now.
So what do we need from our game?
1. The size of the game map is 3×3.
2. We have 2 players (X & O).
3. Each player makes a single move in his turn.
4. A move means marking a field in the map with the player’s mark.
5. A player wins when he has a full row / column / diagonal.
Now that we have our basic design requirements, we can start programming them one by one. I’m going to assume you already know how to create the needed html/js/css files and connect them. You will also need to connect your html file to jQuery, since we are going to rely on it.
For those of you who might still be having problems with creating the structure of the files together there is a demo available at the end of this post. Feel free to take a peek there.
1. The size of the game map is 3×3
To create the game map we can just create 9 divs in our html file, but instead of that I’d like to create them with the help of a little JavaScript, since this is one of the requirements that look like something we might want to expand later on.
In order to do this, let’s start by creating a div to be our game map.
<div id="game_map"></div>
border: 1px solid #000;
clear: both;
float: left;
and now let’s populate that div with some JavaScript:
// We start by emptying the div so that it will only contain
// what we put in it ourselves
// Then for every column and row, we will...
for(var i=0; i<num_of_cols*num_of_rows;++i)
// create a div to be a cell in the game map, and...
var cell = $("<div></div>")
// add the line breaks to handle the rows
// in a quite cross-browser way
if ( i % num_of_cols === 0 ){
#game_map .cell{
cursor: pointer;
float: left;
border: 1px solid #000;
width: 60px;
height: 60px;
line-height: 60px;
font-size: 30px;
text-align: center;
clear: both;
line-height: 0px;
So, we’ve created a floating div to act as our game map. For every row and col(umn), we’ve attached a small floating div to act as a cell in our game map. There are various ways to position the cell in the game map, but I don’t want to position them; I think its simple and fun to just float them. But since floating everything has its own small price, we’ve also added a small non-symantic div to the game map to handle our rows.
There are many hacks and tricks to avoid adding markup for layout, but I consider this little extra markup to be quite harmless.
2. We have 2 players (X & O)
The number of players and their marks is another item that looks like we can customize it later on. So we might leave some places ready for customization, without really delving into the little details.
So what does having 2 players mean? For one thing, it means we will need to keep track of the score 🙂 . It also means that we might need to indicate who is playing and who’s won. We will also need to have some kind of representation for the players and their respective marks (X / O).
So let’s see how we can achieve those goals. Let’s start by representing our players:
// The first player
var player1 = {
mark: 'X',
name: 'Player 1',
style: 'player1_cell',
score_el: 'player1_wins',
wins: 0};
// The second player
var player2 = {
mark: 'O',
name: 'Player 2',
style: 'player2_cell',
score_el: 'player2_wins',
wins: 0
var players = [player1, player2];
var current_player = 0;
What we just did was define two simple objects with the following attributes: mark (e.g., X, O), name, style (which will direct to the css class the player uses) and score_el (score_el holds the element id for the element which we want to update with the player’s score). After that, we put the players in an array in order to be able to access them easily with an index: current_player.
So far it’s pretty simple, and soon we will see how we can use all of the objects which we’ve just defined.
Before we go on, let’s define the css classes that will be used to represent the players in the game: player1_cell & player2_cell.
#game_map .player1_cell{
color: #cc0000;
#game_map .player2_cell{
color: #0000cc;
As you can clearly see, these classes are just used to make the display a bit clearer, and distinguish between players.
3. Each player makes a single move in his turn
Some games allow the players to play simultaneously, but in tic-tac-toe the players take turns playing, which makes things simpler for us 🙂 .
So what do turns mean? Mostly they mean that it’s time to indicate who’s supposed to be playing now.
Let’s prepare some html elements for the display:
<span id="player_name"></span>make your move (<span id="player_mark"></span>)
We’ve added a simple line with placeholders for the player’s name and his mark. Now let’s fill them with some JavaScript code:
function initTurn(){
Now we’ve added the function that will be called to initialize the values in the html placeholders.
So far so good. We now know who’s turn is it, but we still haven’t addressed what the player can do in his turn and what a move really does. So what does a move mean? It means that the player will do something in his turn: he will move the mouse and click a cell in the game map. These actions will result in his mark being placed in the chosen cell and so on… let’s see how we can achieve all of this.
Look at the following code:
$("#game_map .cell")
.bind("click", playMove)
.bind('mouseover', hoverCell)
.bind('mouseout', leaveCell);
What we did here was define some events. This code will be placed with the same code we used earlier to create the game map. I chose to use the jQuery .bind method instead of the .click since we need to use the great power of .unbind later on; an event attached with .bind can be detached very easily using .unbind.
So now that we have the events set up for us let’s move on to the functions we attached:
function hoverCell(ev){
return false;
function leaveCell(ev){
return false;
function playMove(ev){
var cell = $(this);
.unbind("click mouseover mouseout");
// Check if someone won
if ( !checkAndProcessWin() ) {
// Change the current player
current_player = (++current_player) % players.length;
return false;
The first two functions are quite simple, when the mouse enters a certain field we attach a hover class, and when the mouse leaves the field we remove the class. If you are wondering why we haven’t used the :hover pesudo css class, it’s because it will not work in older browsers like IE6 and it’s simpler to turn off a bind function than to replace css classes and play with what comes first. Using the JavaScript method, we have a simple .hover jQuery method, but again we need the power of unbind.
The playMove function adds the player’s style and mark to the clicked element and then disables it by removing the events from it, but not before it triggers the mouseout event so we will not stay with the hover class. After making these changes to the element itself (the cell on which the player clicked), the function also calls the checkAndProcessWin() function, which will check what happened after the player made his move and act accordingly.
We then change the current player by rotating the players, as follows: if the current index is 0 it means we’re using the first element in our players array which is player1. Increasing it by one will make us use player2. After that we want to go back to the first index, which is why we’re using the % operator with the numbers of players. As you will soon see in the function that checks the win condition, the % operator is about to become our best friend.
The last (but not least) requirement in our game design. Most of the core of our game is here, where we check the winning condition and what to do with it.
This function is a bit more complicated than the ones we’ve had so far, but I’ve tried to keep it simple as I could make it. We will add a new custom selector in our document ready function as follows:
$.expr[":"].mod = function(el, i, m) {
return i % m[3] === 0
$.expr[":"].sub_mod = function(el, i, m) {
var params = m[3].split(",");
return (i-params[0]) % params[1] === 0
Custom selectors are one of jQuery’s strong sides. You will see how we’ll use these selectors in our win condition function in just a bit.
So how are we going to check if the player’s won? Let’s think of our game map / board for a bit: A player wins the game if he manages to fill any row, column or diagonal, so we need to check if the current player did so. Let’s start by checking the rows:
for (var row=1; row <= num_of_rows && !win; ++row )
cells_inspected = cells
if ( cells_inspected.length == num_of_cols ) win = true;
To check the rows, we’ve created a for loop to go over each row until it either scans all the rows or finds a win condition. For each row the function filters out the cells of the game map that don’t belong to that row, leaving us with only the row’s cells. Then the function filters out any cells that don’t belong to the current player. This leaves us with all the cells owned by the current player in the current row. If the function finds that the player owns all the cells in the row, it returns a win.
Now let’s check the columns. We’ve already added a custom selector so it’s time to see it in action.
for (var col=0; col <= num_of_cols && !win; ++col )
cells_inspected = cells
if ( cells_inspected.length == num_of_rows ) win = true;
See how easy it is to check the columns when we have our custom selectors? All we need to do is to filter the column according to a certain modulus and see if we have a match. Most of the logic here is the same as when we checked the rows, but here we have the help of our custom selector named :sub_mod.
OK, we’ve checked the rows and the columns, but we still have the diagonals to check. For this task we don’t need loops, since we will always have exactly 2 diagonals, regardless of the game map size.
cells_inspected = cells
if ( cells_inspected.length == num_of_rows ) win = true;
// From lower right to upper left
cells_inspected = cells
if ( cells_inspected.length == num_of_rows ) win = true;
Both diagonals are checked with the help of the modulus functionality, though we don’t use it in quite the same way. We also need to take care not to select the fields (last and first) in the last check since they can never be part of the win condition there.
Those were all the conditions we needed to check in order to find if the player won. There is a bit more work to be done in this function, like speeding things up a bit (for example, check if we have less than 3 fields marked, since that would mean there is no chance of a win). We also need to notify everyone of the win, maybe with some fireworks… You can see the complete function in the demo files.
Before We Finish
That was quite lot to cover in one go, but we are not done with our little game yet. I’ve left out some of the code in an attempt to keep things as simple as possible, but please feel free to check out the demo to see the rest. Also, since we are talking about web development playing locally is a bit… wrong 😉 . So next we are going to see how we can add some multiplayer support so you can play with your friends online. We will also add some basic AI so you can play against the computer, and see how we can customize the game a bit.
Zip file for this tutorial
Demo for this tutorial
So until next time, have fun
Adi Gabai
6 Responses to Creating a tic-tac-toe game with jQuery – Part 1
• how can i made same game with large grid ?
large tic tac toe?
winner / loser core must change.
• is there any video to understand this
• Hey, a quick optimization that would let you get rid of the ‘clear’ class in css:
border: 1px solid #000;
float: left;
// what we put in it ourselves
var num_of_cols = 3, num_of_rows = 3;
// Then for every column and row, we will…
// create a div to be a cell in the game map, and…
var cell = $("”)
// add the line breaks to handle the rows
// in a quite cross-browser way
if ( i % num_of_cols === 0 ){
cell.css(‘clear’, ‘left’);
• code to generate table using textboxes
Generate Table
function generate()
var x = document.getElementById(“tb1”).value;
var y = document.getElementById(“tb2”).value;
var tbl = document.getElementById(“table1”);
var tblbody = document.createElement(“tablebody”)
var i,j;
var row = document.createElement("tr");
var cell = document.createElement("td");
var celltext = document.createTextNode("cell is row "+j+",column" +i);
Row :
Column :
• I did not understand the Tic Tac Toe game code.
Can i have the source file of simple code,which is easy to understand.
Leave a Reply
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/14145
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Driver Usb Advan
Driver Usb Advan is a collection of products with 76 downloads. The most lightweight of them are Free USB Guard (sized at 128,991) and V-MUX Downloader (sized at 169,402), while the largest one is Windows Embedded Standard 7 SP1 with 500,015,154 bytes. It includes 48 freeware products like KORG USB-MIDI Driver for Windows and ADC Instruments USB Driver as well as commercial software like Gateway Drivers Update Utility ($39.95) and USB Redirector ($74.99)
Software collection for Driver Usb Advan Driver Detective Gateway Drivers Update Utility USB Redirector KORG USB-MIDI Driver for Windows ADC Instruments USB Driver Advantech USB-4750 Windows Driver Simple USB Logger USB to Ethernet Connector Grundig USB Device Drivers Silicon Laboratories CP210x VCP Drivers for Windows 2000
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/14154
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Wolf's Sonnenflecken-Beobachtungen – Dynamic Graph
The graph shows the daily Wolf Numbers as given in the sourcebook. If the graph is not displayed, please refresh the page to allow the javascript library to load. Zoom in by using your mouse wheel or double click in the graph with your mouse. Or you can use the overview-ruler to change the time period of interest.
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/14155
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Regarding GPL and source code
Post Reply
User avatar
Xian Nox
Retired Mod
Posts: 2749
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 5:27 pm
Location: Over the hills and far away
Regarding GPL and source code
Post by Xian Nox » Sat Dec 07, 2013 4:21 am
As has been explained many times by various moderators and wololo: Lamecraft and Multicraft are licensed under GPL, and this website respects the GPL license completely. What this means for programmers/modders here is that if you change the source code and release here, you have to provide the modified source code as well.
How source code is provided is left up to the developers/modders to decide. This can be either by separate package next to the download package, inside the download package or as a link to a repository with up-to-date source code. Promises of "10 minutes later", by email, or by snail mail are not acceptable.
What happens otherwise
If you decide you wish to not comply with the above mentioned rules, you will receive warnings and/or a permanent ban.
We don't do this because we have an abundance of time to lead senseless arguments, but because it is the right thing to do. GPL ensured that you can mod Lamecraft and Multicraft in the first place, it is only fair if you keep it that way.
How to set up a repository -- the easy way
1. Make an account with Github, Bitbucket or Google code.
2. Download and install git or mercurial. They are both free and available for all major operating systems and their flavors.
If decide you want a GUI application, take a look at TortoiseGit, TortoiseHg or SourceTree.
3. Use selected tool to push your source code to the repository.
The process is simple and takes no more than a few minutes. Once you're done, simply link your repository in the first post of your mod thread, and you're done.
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/14158
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Fabricius, George
, a learned German, and celebrated for a talent at Latin poetry, was born at Chemnitz in Misnia, a province of Upper Saxony, 1516. After a liberal education, he went to Italy and Rome, in quality of tutor to a nobleman; where he spent his time in a manner suitable to his parts and learning. He did not content himself with barely looking on, and blindly admiring; but he examined with great accuracy and minuteness, all the remains of antiquity, and compared them with the descriptions which the Latin writers have given of them. The result of these observations was his work entitled “Roma,” published in 1550, containing a description of that city. From Rome he returned to his native country, and was appointed master of the great school at Meissen, over which he presided twenty-six years, and died in that station, in 1571. He was the author of numerous Latin poems, and | had the strongest passion for verse that can be conceived. His poems appeared at Bale in 1567, in two volumes 8vo; and, besides this collection, there are also hymns, odes against the Turks, the Art of Poetry, Comparisons of the Latin Poets, &c. He is said to have received the laurel from the emperor Maximilian, a short time before his. death.
His poems are written with great purity and elegance. He was particularly careful in the choice of his words; and he carried his scruples in this respect so far, that he would not on any account make use of a word in his “Sacred Poems” which favoured the least of Paganism. He condemned some liberties of this sort, which he had taken in his youth; and he exceedingly blamed those Christians who applied themselves for matter to the divinities of Parnassus, and the fables of the ancients. He wrote also in, prose, the “Roma,” already mentipned the “Annals of Messein,” in seven books “Origines Saxonies,” in two volumes, folio the same quantity on the affairs of Germany and Saxony, &c. His “Roma” has been greatly admired by some, by Barthius in particular: and there is, this singularity in it, that he has so adapted to his descriptions the language of the Latin writers who have described the same things, as to make some Germans fancy it an ancient work. 1
Moreri. Baillet Jugemcas des Savans, Blount’t Censura, —Saxii Onomast.
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/14184
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Bornlivedie - Porcupine Tree
At the age of sixteen
I grew out of hope
I regarded the cosmos
Through a circle of rope
So I threw out my plans
Ran on to the wheel
And emptied my head
Of all childish ideals
The sleep of no feeling
I married the first girl
Who wasn't a man
And smiled as the spiders
Ran all over my hands
Made a good living
By dying it's true
As the world in my TV
Leaked onto my shoes
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/14206
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The Mystery Faeries Guild
Site hosted by Build your free website today!
The Mystery Faeries Guild
Our Services !
Thursday, January 16th :
I'm only goin to talk about the poll for now... The Poll is on the Mascot of the Guild. You have to choose the neopet you prefer. That's all for now. Later on, we'll choose his color or characteristics... I present to you how it's gonna work. It's a bit like a competition... You see ? There are 4 groups of neopets. And the winners will be voted again... If you don't understand... check the image below... If you still don't understand... Neomail me ! *grin* See ya guys Soon !
Home Page
Council Description
Cool Links
Chat Room !
The Guestbook
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/14221
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home and framesethome page
The Big Picture
Big Picture Story
This is a human story.
Once upon a time, there was life. Humans became part of life, and found magic. They could travel at the speed of sound, they could travel on land, in water and air and space, they could see and talk to each other from opposite sides of the planet, destroy mountains, and preserve life. And they did. In fact, they were well on the way to controlling the planet they lived on. It was an amazing place, with so much magic. But all was not as it seemed.
One day a child asked why grown-ups do things that they're not supposed to; like poison water, kill other people and lie. Everyone ignored her at first. After a while, more children started noticing that things were not quite what they seemed. People started to realise that all magic has two sides, a positive and a negative, an in and an out, a yin and a yang. People had used powerful magic to create luxuries for fun. They did not need a lot of them, and these wonders did not make people happy inside. Everyone started to have a magic hangover!
But they kept on using the powerful magic because they thought it was OK, even right. Then stranger things started to happen. Animals, even people started to die from strange new diseases, the weather got freaky even in places where they used alot of magic, like Turtle Island. It was sad too, because while some people used magic all the time for fun, lots of others were not allowed to and many children were still dying from simple diseases, even starvation and thirst. Some of the most powerful magicians started to worry, but most of them didn't. In fact many people kept trying to persuade the children to join in the magic extravaganza.
Life started to change even faster and more people started to worry. People started to ask for change. They asked the magicians to change. They asked others to change. And people even started to be the change themselves. They started living with nature. They started to use less magic and more happiness. They hoped they could change before life ended ...
This book is a collaborative work of compilation. Many of us spend increasing time on developing our consciousness, our spirituality. We want happiness. We want to know the meaning of life.
This book tells much of the story. Like the table of contents of a book, it gives a good idea of the story, but more exploration, reading, experimenting, experiencing and thinking, is required for the detail. You'll see the whole picture but have to work for the detailed brushstrokes. For extra detail, some links and a bibliography are provided. Otherwise do a search on the internet to test the soundness of ideas.
The online version is useful because it is non-linear - you can use hyperlinks to jump from idea to idea and back again. You can navigate the three-dimensional thought process.
There are entertaining videos, presentations etc on The Big Picture in the Holonics section here.
The book follows this general plan:
The Situation on Earth
Human Behaviour
Here's the table of contents:
Big Picture Story
1: The Accident: Life
The Accident
Life on Earth
Laws of Nature
2: Future of Life:
Three Choices
The Three Choices
Virtual reality
Biosphere 2
3: The Biosphere
Water & Weather
Nature's Diversity
4: Human Impact on the Biosphere
Human Impact
Carrying Capacity of the Biosphere
5: Understanding Human Behaviour
Understanding Human Behaviour
The Meaning of Life
Humans: Different And The Same
Spiritual Dimension, Gods and Values
6: Planet Management
Management Systems
Market Economics
Global Politics
Complex issues
Motivation and Pay
What Te Future Holds?
keep on smiling!
This book describes Astraea's view of the world - The Big Picture according to Astraea. This changes as new thought and critique occurs but the themes are the same. It is about values, actions and consequences.
values/beliefs -> actions -> consequences
It is about life, the way of life, the tao, the balance of life.
In summary:
values/beliefs -> actions -> consequences
Astraea supports awareness of the consequences of human behaviour, sharing information and technology to promote understanding so that humans protect our home (earth) and live with nature, and we promote peace and cooperation.
Our principal values include
Please enjoy browsing this book and www.astraea.net. If you want to check a statement or opinion please search the term in wikipedia or yahoo and go from there. All you want to know is on the internet.
We hope you find your meaning in life.
Big Picture Story
1: The Accident: Life
The Accident
Life on Earth
Laws of Nature
2: Future of Life:
Three Choices
The Three Choices
Virtual reality
Biosphere 2
3: The Biosphere
Water & Weather
Nature's Diversity
4: Human Impact on the Biosphere
Human Impact
Carrying Capacity of the Biosphere
5: Understanding Human Behaviour
Understanding Human Behaviour
The Meaning of Life
Humans: Different And The Same
Spiritual Dimension, Gods and Values
6: Planet Management
Management Systems
Market Economics
Global Politics
Complex issues
Motivation and Pay
What The Future Holds?
Foreword * Introduction * Future of Life * The Biosphere * Human Impact * Human Behaviour * Planet Management * Where to now?
The Accident
Alive. Not alive. These are two states of being.
In the beginning ...
First imagine nothing. Absolutely nothing. Its weird and not easy, but hold that thought. If you can imagine everything or god, you should be able to imagine nothing. Imagine nothing: no time, no space, nothing. Its not easy; trying to conceptualise what there was prior to existence appears to be beyond our capability (for the time being). But that is where the story begins, with nothing.
" B A N G "
The accident. Time began. And space, without which time is not. And of course energy. With these three on the scene matter was soon to follow. Or was it another way around. Or did they happen at once.
E = m c2 means
energy = mass (i.e. standardised matter) multiplied by the speed of light (a function of distance i.e. space and time)squared. The speed of light is 300 million metres per second and was determined in 1675!
So, from nothing, all of a sudden there was a spec of energy holding matter together, in space and time.
The Story of Time
This accident started exploding about 15 billion years ago.
After 10.5 billion years Earth was formed in this exploding space. This space (our universe), as you imagine, is pretty big after growing for 10,500,000,000 years. (Its radius is 10,500,000,000 light years if it has been exploding at the speed of light.)
Then came life.
After another 3 billion years (or a total of 13.5 billion years) the ozone layer happened and life as we know it started to evolve.
Humans started to show up after another 1 billion years and have been around for about 450,000,000 years (or 450 million years or 0.45 billion years or 0.01% of the life of Earth). Homo sapiens sapiens has been around for only a couple of million years.
Humans started domesticating animals and civilisations started to emerge at most about 10,000 4,500 years ago.
And in the last 50 years humans has harnessed the atom, conceived of the dimensions of space, travelled to the moon, changed the face of Earth and disturbed the equilibrium of the biosphere.
There are two states of being in this existence: alive or dead. On a planetary scale, Earth happens, by accident, to be alive.
Where to from here?
It is proposed that the exploding space will retract such that the volume of the universe shrinks back to nil. This will occur in the next few billion years. At our current rate of technology development, ample time to understand time. If we make it through the next hundred years.
Although universal and natural resources will exist for billions of years, life may be extinguished by humanity in the coming decades.
So, the big picture is: emergency on planet earth. Humans must behave within the laws of nature if life is to survive.
A Chronology of the Earth
Years Ago
In a year: Date, Time
Big Bang
15,000,000,000 yr
Jan. 1 12:00 AM
Galaxies form
14,000,000,000 yr
Jan. 24 12:00 AM
Sun forms
4,500,000,000 yr
Sept. 13 noon
Earth forms
4,400,000,000 yr
Sept. 13 12:17 PM
1st life appears
2,800,000,000 yr
Oct. 24 8:48 PM
1st higher forms
570,000,000 yr
Dec. 19 3:07 AM
1st land animals
280,000,000 yr
Dec. 25 4:29 AM
Earliest "human"
5,000,000 yr
Dec. 31 9:05 PM
Neanderthal - CM
300,000 yr
Dec. 31 11:50 PM
Last Ice Age
11,000 yr
Dec. 31 11:59:37 PM
3,500 yr
Dec. 31 11:59:53 PM
220 yr
Dec. 31 11:59:59.6 PM
20 yr
Dec. 31 11:59:59.96 PM
In the table above, the time from the Big Bang until today is compressed into one year; it is a scale model of the time history of universe with a scale of 1/15,000,000,000. Adapted from The Evolution of Life, by Frank H.T. Rhodes.
The Laws of Nature
Life on Earth
Life on Earth
Earth is the only known place in the universe where there is life, as we know it. It is an accident of molecular coincidence.The ingredients for life include the following:
Elements: The earth's atomic composition is suitable for life to exist. No other planet has anything like the right ingredients or combinations of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen (e.g. 21% of lower atmospheric air), plus numerous other elements in appropriate quantities.
Light: Photosynthesis (the conversion of light energy to chemical energy by plants) occurs at wavelengths from 0.4 microns to 0.7 microns, the electromagnetic spectrum extends from 0.01 microns to 10 centimetres. A stable light source providing the correct wavelengths is required by all plants.
The Atmosphere: The layers of the atmosphere protect the earth from cosmic particles, ultraviolet radiation and facilitate an equable temperature.
Temperature: The temperatures in the biosphere have remained equable for hundreds of millions of years because of temperature feedback systems including carbon dioxide and water cycles and plant cover. Carbon dioxide insulates the planet, water vapour (clouds) reflect radiation (albedo effect), and vegetation affects the amount of both CO2 and water vapour.
Plants: Plants through photosynthesis harness the sun’s energy and store it as chemical energy. This energy is used by other life forms as the basic building block of life. Ocean microfloral algae provide 70% of the earth’s oxygen.
Self-preserving: Earth's systems of management appear to operate its own life support systems (keeping the requirements for life in balance) like a living organism itself. The space where this self-managing life system exists is termed the biosphere.
Laws of Nature
Laws of nature are not made by human will. They are an accident of existence. They are derived from the basic qualities of space, time, matter and energy. Matter and energy must coexist. Space and time must coexist. The space-time continuum provides a relative scale of reference for matter and energy (the Theory of Relativity).
Observation suggests that there is a common thread in behaviour at all levels of organisation. For example, within the biosphere all systems seem geared toward preserving life. As well as species preservation, this includes, for example, atmospheric homeopathy to maintain temperature, CO2 concentrations etc. The earth's biosphere tends to preserve itself.
Understanding nature begins with basic science of physics, chemistry and biology. These offer insight in to the laws of nature. From these other studies, e.g. medicine, sociology, chemical engineering, geography, production management, astronomy etc may flow. Even spiritual studies reference basic sciences in order to have a frame of reference.
In order to clarify and help compare systems, consider your body to be a system. Use it as a frame of reference to compare with other systems, such as family, business, nation state, global governance etc. Use the analogy of human's body (with its sophisticated interdependent systems such as communication, distribution, energy, waste, administration, production, reproduction) in comparison to other systems. Consider the functions that a system might perform whether a nerve cell, family, company, ecosystem, species. Consider how those functions ought to work. Similarities prove useful in comparisons between the body and the subject syste (such as a business or family).
Levels of Organisation
Levels of organisation spread along a spectrum of increasing complexity and physical size.
Space-Time; Matter-Energy
considered alive
considered alive
considered alive
Subatomic particles
It appears that there may not be a direct relationship between complexity and size. So a doubling of size does not mean a doubling in complexity. The increase in complexity of a population compared to an organism is relatively less than the increase in size. If this holds true, the complexity of existence may not be that far from human understanding!
Let's consider this spectrum in the context of planet Earth: Where does life begin and end? Is a cell alive? (Perhaps only to the extent that it is part of a living organism.) Is planet Earth alive? Is existence alive?
What is certain is that without a living biosphere, humans can not survive. humans might build a virtual biosphere, but this will be of human design (glass and steel, not wood and leaf). And it might not work ("Biosphere 2" failed).
The laws of nature can not be broken.
The Accident
Life on Earth
The Future of Life:
Three Choices
The biosphere is the only known natural habitat for humans. The earth is the only place in the universe where humans can survive. Let that idea sink in. Repeat it to yourself.
Because of overconsumption the lifespan of the biosphere is now measured in 100s of years, rather than 100s of 1,000,000s of years.
The equilibrium of the biosphere has been upset in the last 100 years or so directly because of the invasive activities of humans. Humanity has consumed far more resources in the biosphere than have been produced during the last few hundred years. Unless humanity actively redresses the balance, the biosphere will deteriorate rapidly within a matter of decades.
What to do?
While humanity has fouled its habitat seemingly beyond repair, it has also developed the technology to maintain comfortable, stimulating lifestyles and repair the damage. There is a critical mass of technology and infrastructure to allow communication and reasoning at a global level. This activity now takes place in what is broadly termed the noosphere or the global consciousness. And the basic values of global consciousness appear to be concordant with the laws of nature (which do not change).
There are two reasons why most adult human individuals fail to respond to information that they are contributing to the destruction of the biosphere: carelessness or stupidity. Not ignorance: once individuals have the information they are not ignorant. And it is now accepted that human behaviour must change (re Kyoto, Sarbannes-Oxley etc).
It is rarely stupidity that is the cause: literacy and understanding are a key differentiation of all humans today in comparison with humans of 300 years ago. Five hundred years ago virtually no one knew the shape, size relative orbits of the earth, today most people (that impact the earth - modern consumers) come across it before they are 20. Literacy is becoming universal among consumers. We have seen flight, TVs, computers, cars etc. The basic knowledge contained in the same physiological structure(a human) is uncomparably more sophisticated.
Today the richest 20% of humans consume 80% of resources, like oil, food, transport, education etc). And now there are available nature friendly technologies that allow us to reduce our impact on nature but retain the luxuries of life and be happy. Continuing destructive behaviour appears to be merely a lack of care for others, for life on earth and oneself (since the behaviour is self-destructive). It may be very difficult to reduce one's level of consumption voluntarily, but is easier once we recognise the need to do so. (And change is coming. Two comparable economies may have very different recycling cultures: Switzerland has had recycling culture for decades, whereas recycling in the UK is a new phenomenon and is becoming a requirement by law and by what people want.)
Opportunity to Choose a Future
A choice may be made by humanity for humanity's future, and that of the biosphere: whether existence is to be more natural or more human made, whether humans tend to exist with nature or without nature.
Technology seems to give the option of existence in an almost completely unatural, even dead, world. The spectrum of lifestyle from natural to virtual may include the following:
<----> Papua New Guinea tribe <---> organic farming community <---> conventional farming community <---> developing world metropolis <---> developed world metropolis <----> ? adult in an incubator, with ventilator and a drip ?---? a world in a bubble ?---? a virtual reality ???
As a species we have to choose consumption priorities, because we must share the resources of our effectively closed system (the biosphere) with other life and because our impact as a species demands global management of global comon resources (nature). (And a natural choice is unobtainable unless those choosing to exist without nature do not pollute or damage nature.)
Humans, on a species level, appear to be in control with immense technology resources (eg sustainable energy, organic farming, IT and the atom bomb, nuclear power, junk food etc). On an individual or sub-global level, ability to choose is limited by personal/local resources, including technology and opportunity. Thus, a global redistribution of resources, especially technology, is required. It is necessary for rich societies to reduce pollution and for poor societies to be given appropriate technology to enable efficient use of resources. Technology is increasingly recognised as a global common (eg open source software, DNA of natural remedies, parallel technological evolution etc).
Those in a position to make a difference, because of wealth and understanding, do set an example. If that example is an unsustainable consumption of resources, so be it. The biosphere's life will be measured in decades. And a world without nature will occur. Virtual reality.
Three Roads to Choose For The Future
Humans must choose one of three futures, for life not just humanity. We have a choice from three simple patterns of future:
It is certain that we can happily exist in a human made world. In fact we may prefer it. We have conditioned ourselves to prefer sitting in a tube, made from metal a few millimeteers thick, flying 800 kilometers an hour 10 kilometers above ground to spending time with family and friends and living in this world. We live in cities choking with pollution instead of bursting with nature. We kill in the name of peace.
let us calm down,
let us understand our situation,
let the planet live.
The challenge facing humans today is the imbalance between resource consumption and production.
The natural rhythms of the biosphere have been forced out of balance by expanding and extending patterns of consumption by humans in the last hundred years or so. All qualified and rigorous analysis now agrees that current trends in consumption will result in the end of life as we know it. The lifespan of the biosphere is now measured in 100s of years rather than 1,000,000s of years. In order for the biosphere to continue, resource consumption and production must be brought back in to balance.
We must reduce consumption, but not necessarily happiness. Although the rich must eat less, there is plenty to go around. There is sufficiency of material wealth for all. The development of spiritual wealth is untapped and certainly offers an area of personal fulfillment and happiness. And its development and consumption does not degrade the biosphere; in fact evidence suggests spiritual development may have a positive effect on the biosphere.
Behaviour change must take place at both personal and popular levels. Consider at what organisational level balancing consumption and production should be practised:
At the individual level production and consumption will never be balanced. A baby and septuagenarian will be net consumers whereas a middle aged human is a net producer. How to design and effect resources transfers between individuals is a recurring challenge that humans attempts to resolve. How to exist within the resource dynamics of the biosphere has not been yet been recognised as an issue, let alone a necessity, by most individuals, and some governments presume that it is not pressing enough to warrant sufficient attention.
But all that is changing. Since the first edition of this book in 2000, astraea has become convinced by increasing regulation, media coverage and changing consumer and voter habits that sustainability is a necessity.
Virtual Reality
What is a virtual reality? It is a human-made environment. But only human-made. No nature.
Imagination tends to suggest steel and glass units in which homo sapiens (humans) exists, protected from an alien desert landscape resulting from the destruction of the biosphere. Individuals make life in these biodomes (also called office blocks and apartment blocks joined by closed vehicular transport).
The global human population is only 0.5 billion. Few other species exist.
Food is manufactured from the lithosphere and energy and presented as pellets.
Work is not available, nor necessary. Automation provides all physiological needs.
Entertainment is taken by plugging in at home to your personal "VR appliance" which attaches to one's spinal cord or via a "VR helmet", which can take you to the beach, or skiing, or on a trip to the moon. Senses controlled by computers perfectly attuned to human physiology make a dream a reality. People may be lining up to feel rain on their faces because it doesn't happen any more. This is the utopia of a human made world.
It will be very difficult to emulate nature. Biosphere 2 was stillborn.
Biosphere 2
From 1991 to 1993, 8 people lived in a human-made closed ecosystem, designed to emulate the planet's biosphere, which cost around $ 200 million. It was equipped with a wide range of life systems which were expected to be able to maintain a stable, natural equilibrium to provide for the ongoing life cycles.
It did not work.
Results indicated the far higher level of complexity of natural systems than the designers had planned for.
Additional oxygen was needed before the end of the experiment because of deterioration in air quality to 14% oxygen (from ~ 21% normal concentration), nitrous oxide was at toxic levels and carbon dioxide fluctuated widely. Water systems deteriorated and became contaminated. Of 25 vertebrate species introduced, 18 became extinct. All insect pollinators became extinct threatening plant pollination and therefore food supplies of humanity. Weedy vines and predatory insects flourished. At $ 25 million per person, Biosphere 2 failed to keep its inhabitants alive for 2 years.
Earth's biosphere is free and worked properly until humanity threw it out of balance. Climate change, ozone holes, BSE and other phenomena suggest that change is coming fast ... watch out!
The Biosphere
There is only one biosphere. It is the zone of life on planet Earth.There is no other planet within reasonable travelling time where life exists. Earth has the only known habitat for humans.
We can not close our doors, or minds, and assume our actions have no consequences. We are not separate from nature or the earth. We are one.
All systems associated with Earth are required to maintain an environment habitable by life. Without the atmosphere, temperatures on Earth would be 100s 0C and uninhabitable. Without the presence of elements in appropriate proportions, Earth would be uninhabitable. Without elemental cycles Earth would become toxic in a matter of years and become uninhabitable.
This chapter outlines some basic physical features of planet Earth.
Earth's Structure
Planet Earth would be a barren planet if it was not protected by the atmosphere. The atmosphere keeps out cosmic material and excess radiation from the sun, and keeps in water and other elements and compounds required for life.
The crust of earth is of variable thickness and is comprises of slowly moving plates of solid matter. At the junction of the plates molten rock breaks through in places (volcanoes etc) and jerky movement of the plates may result in earthquakes. The Earth is approximately 12,500 km in diameter.
Various resources are extracted from the rocks in the Earth's crust and converted to forms used by humans. Key resources consumed by humans include iron ore (iron and steel), bauxite (aluminium), crude oil and gas, coal, lead ores, copper ores, manganese ores (steel alloys), chromium ores (steel alloys), gold ores and silver ores.
Elemental Cycles
Carbon Cycle
Carbon is a fundamental element of organic systems. It is required in photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert the sun's light energy into chemical energy for use in food webs. Carbon is in every part of every human.
The processing of carbon in the biosphere is necessary to keep concentrations low enough for animals and high enough for plants. The excess production of carbon dioxide by human systems (eg combustion engines, fossil fuel poser stations etc) is disabling the cycle.
Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen is required for construction of amino acids and proteins without which organisms can not exist. For example, DNA, the genetic code of reproduction, is made of amino acid chains.
Certain plants and bacteria fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and soil and convert it to a form useful for amino acid construction.
Phosphorous Cycle
Phosphorous in required in the conversion of chemical energy (eg from glucose and other carbohydrates) into kinetic energy and heat. It is required therefore for growth and movement in animals. The concentrations in the environemtn affect the rate of growth of organisms. Excess phosphorous can accelerate growth in part of a food web imbalancing the whole web, eg phosphorous from fertiliser run off accelerates growth of marine algae which invade other food webs, by reducing available oxygen, and affect weather patterns.
Sulphur Cycle
Although sulphur is normally present in large quantities in mineral deposits, the amount involved in life cycles is normally relatively small, but important for use in protein construction. Human activity, principally burning fossil fuels, releases significant amounts of sulphur, which cause environemntal conditions to become too acidic for life.
Energy Cycles
The movement of energy through the biosphere is the critical element of life.
Energy enters the earth from the sun and leaves by reflection and radiation of heat.
Weather patterns cycle energy as wind, rain and clouds transfer, absorb and expend energy.
And food webs cycle energy. Light energy from the sun is converted to chemical energy by plants (primary producers). Plants are consumed by animals (usually herbivores) which use the chemical energy contained therein; the efficiency of conversion from plant to animal is about 15%. Some animals eat only other animals (carnivores) - additional resources are lost at this transfer thus requiring greater production of plants to support one individual.
Humans are top feeders and omnivorous, requiring at least 1,000 its biomass of primary producers to support one individual. A human adopting an average lifestyle in a developed economy requires significantly more energy to maintain this lifestyle: it requires energy for production of clothes, housing, transport etc and consumes further energy in use of many products eg lighting, heat, transport, cleaning etc.
The pyramids shown to the side illustrate the results of similar studies showing the vast biomass of primary producers required to feed a top carnivore. (These scales are insignificant compared to the consumption by a human consuming a modern lifestyle).
It is estimated that production of 1/10 of a hectare of good agricultural land will support one top carnivore. It is estimated that a human requires approximately 2 hectares to provide the energy and resources for a "modern lifestyle". This implies that a human requires 20,000 times its biomass to be supported in a modern lifestyle!
Energy: The Currency of Life
This chapter introduces important issues concerning energy.
Energy is the potential to do work. Energy takes many forms, such as light, heat, motion, chemical bonds, electromagnetic potential etc.
Energy is the persistent constant in change. physical change (including chemical and biological), mental activity (- the brain is a dense agglomeration of neurons) and even spiritual change (the Bell experiment suggests that there is a role of energy changes in seemingly unexplainable phenomena). The science of quantum physics - the zen of science - indicates that at the smallest atomic levels, energy and matter are indistinguishable. It is transferable through time, space and matter. Energy is the currency of life.
Energy is the currency of the biosphere. The only thing that enters or leaves the biosphere is energy. It is the common denominator of all production and consumption of resources, and is becoming the currency of the future.
Biomass accumulation is an indication of the rate of conversion of solar energy to chemical energy. Approximately 0.1% of solar energy reaching Earth's surface is captured by plants. About half of the chemical energy converte through photosynthesis is used in metabolic activities (living, maintainence, reproduction) and the rest is stored as biomass. Biomass is the only renewable solid fuel source available and is therefore of great importance.
Fossil fuels, while being a convenient, easy to use fuel are unreplaceable inventory. The Earth's supply of mineral oil, gas and coal can not be increased, it is only decreased (in a human industrial time scale).
The following table indicated the most valuable land areas for biomass accumulation. Note that the two most productive areas are both targets of pollution and destruction by humans. Tropical forests are being destroyed, estuaries are poisoned by pollution and coral reefs are destroyed by pollution and cyanide fishing.
Biomass Accumulation
Relative to Most Productive Ecosystem
Tropical rainforest
Estuaries/Coral reefs
Intensive agriculture
Temperate deciduous forest
Coniferous forest
Coastal waters
Open ocean
Energy Production and Consumption by humans
Fire was the first energy technology developed by humans. Other early technologies were muscle power of animals, wind and water power.
The industrial revolution of the 1800s saw the development of fossil fuels and derivative technologies: the steam engine and later the internal combustion engine. Humanity now relies heavily on fossil fuels to power a lifestyle well in excess of the ability of current biospherical cycles. Fossil fuels are energy stores that take millions of years to form whereas their consumption takes moments.
Energy use in developed economies is extraordinary. On average an individual in United States uses more than 300 GJ per year, whereas an individual in one of the poorest places will consume less than 1 GJ annually - that's 300 x more or 30,000% more. The richest 20% of human population consume 80% of natural gas, 65% of oil and 50% of coal produced globally each year.
There is a close link between wealth and energy consumption. However, it is possible to have an affluent consumption pattern and reduce energy consumption: Switzerland with a GNP per head of US$ 35,000 consumes under 150 GJ per person compared to the USA which has a GNP per head of US$ 25,000 but consumes 300 GJ per person per year.
As an example of energy consumption patterns, energy consumption in the USA at the turn of teh millenium was about 38% for industrial use, 36% for residential and commercial use and 26% for transport.
Efficiency of Energy Conversion
Efficiency is a consideration in selecting conversion technologies. Here are some comparisons.
Electric Power Production
% Yield
Transport Vehicles
% Yield
Heating Space
% Yield
% Yield
Gas pipeline
Electric resistance
Sodium vapour light
Combined cycle steam
Liquid pipeline
High efficiency gas furnace
Fluorescent bulb
Hydrogen fuel cell
Typical gas furnace
Incandescent bulb
Coal fired generator
Diesel electric train
Efficient wood stove
Gas flame
Oil fired generator
Diesel automobile
Typical wood stove
Nuclear generator
Petrol automobile
Open fire place
Photovoltaic generation
Jet engine aircraft
* much energy lost as heat.
** electric heat and light appliances have already suffered yield losses in electricity production.
Net energy yields are important benchmarks for planning energy production. The net energy yield is a ratio of the energy produced compared to the total cost to build the infrastructure, produce energy and decomission infrastructure. Fossil fuels have high net energy yields (gasoline 7/1, coal 20/1, natural gas 10/1). Renewable resources are not as efficient (wind 2/1, solar 1/1 to 2/1, biomass 2/1) although well planned and executed hydroelectric projects can reach yields of 20/1. As technology for renewable resources improves and the cost of fossil fuels rises, net energy yields will tend to favour renewable sources.
Traditional Energy Sources
Fossil fuels, petroleum (oil), natural gas and coal provide about 91% of energy. They are cheap and convenient.
however, there are problems of rapidly increasing consumption. Conversion of petroleum and coal fuels is of particular concern because combustion emits dangerous pollutants. Combustion of fossil fuels is the primary cause of global warming induced through increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels raised by CO2 emissions. Toxic hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide (which prevents respiration) are also released.
Coal extraction releases particle pollution that inhibits life systems and coal burning releases radioactive and toxic metals that have been concentrated during coal formation (under normal conditions a coal fired power plant is more radioactive than a nuclear power plant). Coal release sulphur and nitrogen derivatives as well as hydrocarbons, CO and CO2. These toxins damage life systems, natural resources and human made infrastructure (buildings etc).
About half of the potential energy in primary fuels is lost during conversion, transport or use. Electricity from coal production loses about 75%, as does petrol. Natural gas is the most efficient and looses only 15% to 35% of potential energy.
Nuclear fuel energy, providing 7% of energy production, has the benefit of not emitting carbon dioxide which contributes to global warming. However, safety risks and other pollution (residue can not be disposed of safely or economically) makes it undesireable.
Sustainable Sources
Renewable sources such as solar, biomass, hydoelectric and others provide only 3% of energy production. Technologies in development, such as hydrogen fuel cells, may provide cheap, clean fuel opportunities within a decade. If these are developed and implemented in the right way they would make an invaluable contribution to preserving the biosphere and raising the quality of life of poor individuals.
Technology for renewable fuels does not yet offer attractive economic returns. However, increasing cost of fossil fuels and improvements in technology will make sustainable energy use a possibility.
Storage of electricity is a further challenge and battery technology is not as efficient as it might be. Battery disposal can also add to the problems of pollution because they generally contain toxic chemicals.
Burning biomass, while producing CO2 and other emissions, is not invasive to the biosphere when combined with managed biomass production which provides a carbon dioxide sink. However, it does increase the rate of the cycles.
Energy in The Food Web
Energy consumption patterns are influenced strongly by the type and production method of foods as shown in the table below. Energy intensive foods result in greater demand for resources and greater pollution. A simple and useful reference is that any food source where the calorie invested per calorie output is greater than 1 is not sustainable.
Food Type
Calories Invested per Calorie of Food Produced
Distant fishing
Feedlot beef
Fish protein concentrate
Grass-fed beef
Coastal fishing
Intensive poultry production
Milk from grass fed cows
Range-fed beef
Intensive corn or wheat
Intensive rice
Hunting and gathering
Traditional wet rice culture
Shifting agriculture
Energy Requirements in Metal Production
Similarly energy used in production of materials and products that individuals in developed countries demand and poor countries yearn for, strongly influences energy consumption.
Energy Requirement
('000s KJ/kg)
Glass (new) *
(scrap) *
Steel (new)
Aluminium (new)
Copper (new)
Paper (new)
One might wonder if its worth recycling glass because the energy demanded is the same for new or recycled production, but recylcing saves in material consumption, if not yet energy consumption.
Energy Mismanagement
Humanity has increased individuals' potential to do work through technology. (Eg. with the same physiological composition a human individual can today produce more work in a given task than a human individual 5,000 years ago - because it knows how to and has the tools.)
Energy consumption (conversion to heat and light) results in a decline in the store of energy ( a decline in resources) and by-products (pollution) which disturb the equilibrium of the closed system (the biosphere).
Energy mismanagement is at the root cause of most imbalances in the biosphere. Energy consumed for transport, industrial materials and products, consumer products, food production and domestic comforts is largely from non-renewable sources and results in high pollution. It is necessary to reduce energy produced from fossil fuels and build infrastructure that relies on natural and clean energy sources. It is necessary to support the move from modern farming to ultra-modern organic farming. It is necessary to share responsibilities and use communication and information technology to reduce commuting and business travel. It is necessary to allow time for food preparation so that fast food and packaging, which are priced well below their real cost because pollution is not priced, are reduced. It is necessary to move modern social systems from a throwaway culture to a conserving culture.
Of Earth's surface only about 30% is covered by land, the majority being ocean. Much of land is uninhabitable by most species because of extreme weather conditions, and the remainder is of variable productive use.
Billion hectares
% of total
Other (desert, tundra, marsh, scrub land etc)
Pasture and grazing land
Temperate forest and woodland
Tropical forest and woodland
While forests are not used to produce food, they do contain more than 60% of plant biomass and more than 50% of species. They are also critical to operation of the biosphere's carbon cycle as they remove carbon dioxide from air and produce oxygen. Destruction of forests reduces the carrying capacity of the biosphere and destroys land quality as rapid degradation takes place after clearing. Restoring forests takes hundreds of years.
Productive Land
The productivity of land is largely dependent on the soil. Soil provides an anchor and nutrients for plants. It supports a varied ecosystem comprised of plants and animals promoting fertility. Without soil organisms, soil would be a sterile medium for holding plants. The texture of the soil (coarse to fine; gravel, and, silt, clay) influences the productivity of the soil. Its source influences its chemical composition and nutrient profile.
There are approximately 1.44 billion hectares of cropland on Earth. With a population of around 6 billion people this is an average of 0.24 hectares per person. Indications of human carrying capacity of the biosphere indicate that an individual consuming resources at the rate of the average person in a developed economy requires 4 hectares of land under production.
Although land is being degraded not just by natural processes, but also by invasive human activities, there are untapped land resources. For example, some sub-tropical areas and South American grasslands might be put into production with little damage to their ecosystems.
Degradation from water and wind erosion or chemical degradation results in soil being impoverished or eroded, vegetation being diminished, water running off, water being contaminated etc more than would normally be the case.
Main causes of degradation:
The principal activity on crop land is agriculture, and agricultural practices determine the sustainability of the productive resource of land.
Soil management involves ensuring a suitable supply of nutrients to support growth of crops. In simple systems, this may be done merely by farming a plot of land for a period and then leaving it to regenerate naturally. Modern farming relies on the addition of human-made chemical compounds (fertilisers) to the soil. Ultra-modern organic systems manage crop rotations so that natural systems improve nutrient profile and soil texture. If the biosphere is to support a human population of over 6 billion individuals, organic systems appear to be the main system change required because yields are high enough to produce enough food, and pollution is low. Conventional systems, requiring human made fertliser, pesticide and herbicide degrade the soil by removing soil organisms, polluting water systems and not allowing build up of humus. In addition the energy requirement of conventional agriculture is very high: energy for production of chemical sprays, energy for farm machinery etc. To illustrate, United States uses about 11.9 billion giga joules, or 46 million kJ per person, in agricultural energy, compared with developing nations agriculture (generally simple systems) using 17 billion GJ, or 6 million kJ per person.
Water control may also be managed. Irrigation systems are developed to supply water during peak growing periods and to drain water to prevent water logging. About 70% of water taken from rivers, lakes and groundwater is used in agriculture. Water control systems remain inefficient, either because they are too exposed and thus losses from evaporation, seepage etc reduce their efficacy or because they require significant energy inputs to operate.
Crop diversity is important to maintaining healthy soil and good yields. Modern agricultural techniques reduce diversity specifically attempting to remove all other species from crop land with pesticide and herbicide use and mono-culture planting. The extreme control is using genetically engineered species which terminate the reproductive ability of other plant species, which once released into the biosphere may spread with wind and weather patterns wiping out species across the planet. Alternatively, encouraging diversity promotes healthy soil, which maintains potential yields, and can reduce invasion by "pests and weeds" which are allowed to exist, but not to flourish. Organic systems using rotation, companion planting and mechanical controls maintain yields and diversity.
Although not directly related to land use, transport of food consumes further energy and further pollutes air and water supplies. Consumption patterns in a developed economy provide food variety by transporting food long distances. On average, a food item travels 2,000 km from farm to consumer in the United States market. This consumption pattern is being forced to change as fossil fuels become scarcer and soil and water resources become degraded.
Water and Weather
Earth is the only place where water exists as a liquid in substantial quantities. It entered the biosphere as icy comets entering Earth's atmosphere, from which it enters the biosphere's hydrological cycle.
It is an unusual compound that remains in a liquid state for a wide temperature range; most compounds move from solid to gas almost directly. It is unusual in that the density of solid water (ie ice) is lower than liquid water just before it turns solid (freezes): ice floats.
Water is critical to life systems. On a macro scale it is essential to the biosphere's weather, on a micro scale it is essential for cellular functions. 70% of Earth's crust is covered in water, the oceans holding 97.6 % of Earth's water. Ice and snow accounts for 2.1%, leaving little for rivers, lakes and atmosphere. 60% of a human body is water. Thirst will kill in days, hunger will take weeks.
Water resources available for use on land are basically limited to precipitation. Whatever runoff is left after evaporation and infiltration may be used by surface life systems. Some places have more abundant useable water supplies than others. South America receives 25% of the Biosphere's precipitation but only has 12% of the land area.
WHO considers 2,000,000 litres per person per year to be a minimum standard supply of clean water for healthful life. Some places have far less than this (eg Malta with only 85,000 litres per person per year) and must produce or import water.
A developed economy has more requirements for water. Water pollution becomes an increasing concern even in well supplied places.
Food Production
1 kg of beef
1 car
Shower (5 minutes)
1 egg
1 kg steel
1 ear of corn
1 kg synthetic rubber
1 loaf of bread
1 kg aluminium
Flushing WC
Earth's weather is unique among planets. It is a key player in maintaining a stable environment for life.
Solar radiation entering the atmosphere is filtered by clouds and atmosphere so that acceptable wavelengths and quantities of radiation enter the troposphere. Clouds and atmosphere also reflect radiation from the Earth back.
Long-wave, infra-red radiation reflected off the Earth's surface is rereflected by gases released by humans keep the Earth's surface warmer than it would normally be. This is the greenhouse effect.
Water is critical to the cycle of energy. It has a high specific heat capacity (4,200 Kj / cm3) which means it takes a lot of energy to warm it up, and it takes longer to cool down (than say steel). Energy from the sun heats water which is stored in clouds as potential energy; the energy is released as heat energy when the water condenses. Convection currents and movement of water vapour move heat energy from oceans to continents and from low to high altitudes.
Oceanic phytoplankton play a key role: increased radiation increases their population, which increases their output of dimethylsulphide, which causes cloud formation, which reduces solar radiation hitting Earth's surface, thus reducing the phytoplankton population.
Rotation of the Earth causes changes in temperature (seasonal changes). These temperature changes provide potential energy for movement of air. On a large scale this causes jet streams of air 50 km wide and 5 km deep travelling 5 - 10 km above Earth at 200 km an hour which stimulate global weather patterns. On a small scale air movements result in local weather pattern.
Weather patterns result from the interaction of massive movements of air across the planet. Masses of air of different temperatures and moisture contents collide and cause winds and rain. Global patterns are consistent: warmer near the equator, cooler near the poles etc.
Global temperature level stability is important to maintain the balance of life in the biosphere. The Earth's surface temperature level has fluctuated in a range of + or - a few degrees centigrade. For most of the past million years temperature has been colder than now (1-3 0C less). For the last 8,000 years temperature levels have been fairly stable in a range of + to - 1 0C. The medieval warm period was the warmest period in the last 1,000 years. Concern has been raised because temperature levels have risen by 0.5 to 0.75 0C in the last 50 years as CO2 concentrations have increased. The greenhouse effect is forcing rapid, rather than gradual, change in the temperature, which causes other elemental cycles of the biosphere to be disturbed.
Although a review by a UN working group of 2,400 scientists in 1995 concluded that human behaviour is causing climate change, this is still disputed by groups which do not want consumption habits to change (eg fossil fuel producers (oil companies) and consumers).
Activities contributing to global warming are burning fossil fuels (49%), industrial processes (24%), deforestation (14%) and agriculture (13%). (Note that although burning wood releases CO2, trees consume CO2 and release oxygen, thus if wood is sourced from managed forests, the forest drains the CO2 produced by burning. Fossil fuels can not be regenerated.)
Greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2) (50%), chlorofluorocarbons (20%), methane (16%), ozone (8%), and nitrous oxide (6%).
The principal effects of climate change is destruction of ecosystems by changing climate: change in temperature or precipitation patterns becoming unsuitable for resident species. Destruction of ecosystems then influences changes in climate further increasing volatility.
At the extreme an increase in temperature may melt polar ice which would raise the sea level destroying many coastal areas, and release methane hydrate locked under permafrost. Oxidation of methane hydrate on its exposure to the air would produce CO2 contributing further to global warming.
Biodiversity and Preserving Nature
Earth is the only place where life exists. For this accident to occur took billions of years; Earth was formed 4.5 billion years ago, life began about 1.5 billion years ago and homo sapiens (humans) took 1 billion years to evolve.
During the last 1.5 billion years of evolution of life on Earth tremendous variety has been explored. While some species have come and gone there are an estimated 9 million species. This number may be as high as 50 million depending on the unknown number of invertebrate and fungi species. Over 2 million species have been classified.
This variety of species coexists in a natural balance of life. Biodiversity may be seen at the ecosystem level, ranging from deserts of Africa to tropical jungle to artic tundra, at the species level, ranging from oceanic phytoplankton to blue whales to ants to monkeys, and within species, with a range of size, shape, colour and behaviour. This comlpex web of life works together in cooperation to support life. Food webs require variety of species for efficient transfer of energy and elemental resources through the biosphere. Behaviour of some species is critical to weather patterns (eg ocean phytoplankton), soil fertility (eg soil microorganisms), removing toxins from food systems (eg decomposers, detrivores etc) and so on.
Species classification is debated, but its basic methodology is sound and an important tool in recognising, understanding and preserving life systems.
Variety in species offers great benefits: variety in food, natural cures for disease and aesthetic benefits. Variety in food is demanded by wealthy individuals and economies. It is from plant remedies that most modern medicine have evolved and been synthesised. Gardens and zoos have been developed and preserved to display the wonders of variety of life for education and entertainment.
Unfortunately, human invasion of the planet is threatening biodiversity. Habitat destruction (e.g. land clearing, introduction of non-native species etc), hunting and fishing, pollution (including pesticides and herbicides) and human caused disease epidemics are primary causes of species extinction on both an ecosystem level and a planetary level. Although there are estimated to be at least 9 million species, at most only 4,300 are mammals, 9,200 are birds, 12,000 are reptiles and amphibians and 23,000 are fish. When a higher species, one with a rich genetic history and complexity, is killed the reduction is extremely destructive. Unfortunately, humanity as a group is primarily responsible for species extinction and does little to change destructive behaviour until it is too late.
Species extinction on the scale now observed is a symptom of the biosphere being killed by one species, homo sapiens, like a bacteria population rapidly eating all food available oblivious to the impending scarcity and the lack of another food supply (no other planet supports life).
... Florida Panther - virtually extinct.
Human Impact on Earth
Human activity in the last hundred years or so has changed the face of planet Earth.
Humanity currently appears to manage itself as if exponential growth in consumption is possible, despite the evidence that it is not. The carrying capacity of Earth is unable to support the current human population in the manner it wants (developed economy standard of living). It appears that this information has not been widely available and accessible to the principal consumers (ie the richest 20% of human population).
If people become educated of the fact that individual changes in consumption are inevitable, then life as we know it may survive. Otherwise it will not. Either way it will be a significant evolutionary step on Earth.
Evolution By Numbers
Taking Over Earth: Human Population Explosion
If Africa maintains its current population growth rate of 3%, its population will grow from 0.63 billion now to 12.5 billion in 100 years.
Power to People: Energy Consumption
Shrinking the Universe: Technology Development
Speed: Human Mobility
Guns and Bombs: Military Spending
Human Carrying Capacity of Earth
The ability of the biosphere to support life is limited by the laws of nature. The natural systems (matter and energy cycles) must remain in balance for life to exist. For example: deprive an ecosystem of light and plants will die. Once dead they can not be resuscitated. Species extinction is final.
"Be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth."
"Okay, now what?"
("Now try to site a landfill - ")
What human population is the biosphere able to support?
It is estimated that continuous production of 4 to 6 hectares is required to support one human in the lifestyle of the average developed economy citizen. In those terms the carrying capacity of Earth is about 2 billion or about 1/3 of the current global population.
Lifestyles affect the carrying capacity.
If all humans are vegetarians and all space is devoted to food production, say the carrying capacity is 100%.
If 50% of human food is meat, the carrying capacity is 20%.
If space is devoted to other amenities, such as industrial production, sports facilities, parks etc, the carrying capacity is reduced by the proportion devoted to these uses.
The denominating consumption difference between rich and poor is energy consumption. The productivity of rich nations is possible only because of consumption of the Earth's energy inventory (principally fossil fuels).
Human Population Growth
Global population age structure suggests the trend of growth of a population. An expanding population of pre-reproductive individuals tends to predict an increase in population, a decreasing population of pre-reproductive individuals tends to predict a decreasing population. The majority of populations in developing countries are in the pre-reproductive ages. The growth in the human population will predominate in developing countries.
If Africa maintains its current population growth rate of 3%, its population will grow from 0.63 billion now to 12.5 billion in 100 years. In other words, in three generations (or 5 African generations) the population of Africa will be 2x the global population today.
The richest 20% of the earth's population consume about 80% of its resources. If the population remains around 6 billion, but all people have a similar consumption pattern to a typical developed nation, the demands on planet earth would be unbearable:
(all estimated numbers)
Individual Target
Global Today
Global Prediction *
Prediction as a
Multiple of Today
$ 25,000
$ 30 trillion
$ 150 trillion
5 x
Energy (coal equiv.)
10,000 kg
13,000 million tons
60,000 million tons
5 x
Solid waste
2,000 kg
6 billion tons
12 billion tons
2 x
CO2 emission
15 tons
22 million tons
90 million tons
4 x
Nitrogen compounds
60 kg
45 million tons
360 million tons
8 x
Sulphur compounds
70 kg
50 million tons
420 million tons
8 x
* 6 billion people multiplied by individual targets.
Problems Caused by Human Behaviour
This chapter is to help raise our awareness, offer perspective on which problems are big and to offer some examples.
Relativity of Risks
Most of us are not aware of the danger we are in. Like a frog slowly boiling in water, we have not realised the danger we are in.
For perspective, high risk problems include habitat destruction, species extinction, ozone depletion and climate change, medium risks include herbicides and pesticides and acid deposition and relatively low risks are oil spills and ground water pollution.
High risk
Climate change, species extinction
Medium risk
Pesticide use
Low risk
Oil spills, ground water pollution
Groundwater pollution and oil spills are close to home and highly visible and considered very damaging. High risk problems like climate change get no special attention in everyday life but are urgent and highly damaging problems.
Personal health risks are increasingly pressing. Smoking 1.4 cigarettes, drinking 0.5 litre of wine, living 2 days in Boston or New York or travelling 150 miles by car (or 5 days use for an average user) will increase chances of dying in a given year by 1 in a million. (That seems to be an increase of 1 in 200 for a 20 a day smoker.) Ground water pollution would affect whole local populations and certainly be riskier than smoking a cigarette.
Example Health Problems
Risks are generally exacerbated by poor nutrition, poor hygiene, pollution and poor education of prevention.
Disease Control
Humanity has directly tried to control nature in its attempts to control disease. Whether on the small scale of taking penicillin or the large scale of spraying crops with pesticide. The benefits are lower mortality rates and more pleasant lives. Epidemics of violent diseases, such as malaria, have been brought under control. And much pain has been reduced or eliminated. But many unnatural compositions and concentrations of chemicals have been and are being released in the biosphere.
Problems recognised but not resolved include:
Chemicals, Chemicals, Chemicals
The following high risk chemicals and their derivatives are used in many household products including detergents, plastics and other human made materials, fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, coatings (eg paper and packaging), cosmetics etc. Please read the label!
Benzene, Cadmium, Carbon tetrachloride, Chloroform, Chromium, Cyanides, Dichloromethane, Lead, Mercury, Methy ethyl ketone, Methyl isobutyl ketone, Nickel, Tetrachloroethylene, Toluene, Trichloroethane, Trichloroethylene, Xylenes...
Food Toxins
Some poisons occur in regulated foods. The principal ones are alcohol and nicotine. Many non-food toxic products enter food production such as fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, colourings, flavourings etc. Generally if permitted, this is because they are considered to be at low levels which the human organism can process.
Greater information in what goes into food production will allow consumers to reduce their intake of toxins and encourage producers to adopt more sustainable and healthy production systems.
Poison in the Food Web is Persistent and Accumulates
Consider also that degradation of toxins in the biosphere may take generations. Meanwhile consumption of toxins by seemingly insignificant organisms (such as marine plankton) can accumulate through food webs to fatal concentrations. Exposure to two or more toxins can increase risks logarithmically, e.g. exposure to lead or asbestos increases risk of cancer by 20 times, exposure to both increases risk 400 times.
Organisational changes. Eg crop rotations.
Companion planting to attract pest predators, as might occur in a natural environment.
Mechanical controls (fleece, vacuum appliance).
Organic farming methods can have similar yields with lower inputs.
Analysis of pollution includes natural sources, such as methane emmission from decomposition of vegetation. However, natural systems in the biosphere are self-managing and this pollution is generally able to be absorbed or processed. Human pollution is in addition to natural pollution and there are no natural sinks for this pollution - there is not sufficient capacity in natural systems to accommodate the pollution. Therefore, the impact of human pollution on a global scale can destroy ecosystems and is destroying the biosphere.
"There was an environment before human beings
and there will be an environment after human beings,
so what's the big deal?"
Air Pollution
The following table summarises significant air pollutants.
Annual Influx
(million tons/year)
Human Causes
Annual Influx
(million tons/year)
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Respiration, fossil fuel burning, land clearing, industrial processes.
(normally 100% reabsorbed by plants)
Methane (CH4)
Rice paddies, wetlands, gas drilling, landfills, animals, termites
Carbon monoxide (CO)
Plant metabolism, biomass burning, methane oxidation.
Non-methane hydrocarbons
Fossil fuels, industrial uses, biogenics
Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
Fossil fuel burning, biomass burning, soil microbes
Sulphur oxides (SOx)
Fossil fuel burning, biomass burning,indstry, volcanoes, ocean planktons
Suspended particles
Biomass burning, dust, sea salt, biogenic aerosols
The next table summarises major sources of some human caused pollutants in a developed economy.
Power plants
Non-road engineer
Carbon Monoxide
Volatile organics (VOC)
Nitrogen oxides
Sulphur dioxide
There are also a number of pollutants which have virtually no natural origin and are highly toxic. These include materials such as asbestos, benzene, beryllium, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and vinyl chloride.
Non-toxic human made (anthropogenic) pollutants include noise, odour and light (at night) pollution.
Indoor air pollution can be the most risky for humans because concentrations of pollutants can be much higher. Building materials and furnishings as well as certain activities produce toxins and particulates. Examples include tobacco smoke (estimated to significantly contribute to 450,000 deaths in USA per year), formaldehyde, radon and combustion gases.
A major concern of air pollution must be the destruction of the ozone layer of the atmosphere. This is exacerbated by chlorofluorocarbons and halon gases. The ozone layer protects the surface of Earth from ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ultraviolet radiation causes cancer in living tissue and in itself could destroy life on earth. About 10% of stratospheric ozone has been depleted, with some areas of declines over 40%.
Other concerns include disturbance of plant life resulting in destruction of ecosystems. Growth patterns are disrupted and food chains are broken. Acidity changes prevent life systems operating.
Water Pollution
Water pollution occurs when water quality becomes unsuitable for use in living systems. Common pollutants are:
Land Waste
Land wastes are treated differently based on whether they are toxic and hazardous or not.
Most people consider that disposal by dropping the waste away from their personal living space is sufficient. In fact, in developing countries this method is the formal method of waste management: open unregulated dumping.
Open dumping results in spread of disease and damage to local ecosystems, but is often ignored as they provide a livlihood to the very poor.
Landfills are the next step in controlling waste. Resources are used to put waste in to plastic lined pits dug in the ground. Once full the pits are covered with soil and landscaped. While the land fill is in operation it attracts pests, such as birds, fleas and vermin, while giving off foul odours making living conditions nearby unsatisfactory. Leaching from the pits can contaminate water systems.
While non-toxic wastes can be controlled in sealed land fills, toxic wastes must be treated carefully to avoid pollution of water and air. For example it is estimated that in the United States 200 million litres of waste motor oils are released into sewers or the ground every year; this is about 5 times the volume spilt by Exxon Valdez in 1989.
Incineration of waste may also remove the waste. However, if not done properly can release worse polllution such as suspended particles and toxic fumes. If waste is incinerated, the heat energy released may be captured and used.
Recycling of materials reduces waste significantly and contributes to reduction in production costs for many materials. However, most human societies have not yet organised themselves to offer this option or to do it well.
Effective recycling or energy production systems require sorting of waste which may only be efficiently done at source. Domestic waste sorting is not undertaken by most households.
Hazardous waste disposal requires much greater care and expense. Hazardous wastes must be converted to non-hazardous substances prior to reuse or deposition. This can be costly. Generally this conversion does not take place and it is not priced into common substances, e.g. rubber, plastics, oils etc.
Nuclear waste deserves special attention. The nature of radioactive materials is that they are difficult to convert or store. In fact, the necessity of storing radioactive waste hundreds of metres underground in lead cyclinders highlights the fact that there is no safe disposal method. It is questionable therefore whether any benefits from use of nuclear substances, can outweigh their costs.
Understanding Human Behaviour
The earlier chapters focussed on earth, how it works and some of the problems facing life: the consequences of human overconsumption. The following chapters discuss humans, in particular human behaviour and the values that drive our behaviour.
The basic principle applied in understanding behaviour (of any organisation) is "What You See Is What You Get". Technology helps us understand what we're seeing. (It was once common practice to drill holes in skulls to relieve migraine! Technology has helped reveal that the pain is not caused by excess fluid!)
Human Experience of Existence: Physical, Mental, Spiritual
So, from the premise that existence is defined by matter, space, time and energy (accident), understanding behaviour begins with an understanding of physical interactions and the laws of nature. Individual humans have a good sense of their physical characteristics, and also recognise mental characteristics and spiritual characteristics.
The physical dimension is well defined and understood (physics, chemistry, biology). We have the ability to develop physiological characteristics to a high degree, note the performance of athletes, even amateur athletes, even athletes with metal feet can run 100m in 11 seconds!
The mental dimension is more difficult but still well understood (neurology, psychology). The mental characteristics are derived from the physical characteristics, particularly of brain and central nervous system. Understanding of development of the mind is good, but incomplete; this is reflected in education systems and programmes. With appropriate training humans can read, write, speak various languages, build a house, play video games etc.
The spiritual dimension is least understood (spirituality, philosophy). It is a derivative of the mental dimension. There are many propositions for understanding the spiritual dimension and there appears to be much common ground; however, there is little agreement. In fact, the areas of disagreement are often enough used as an excuse to destroy life (eg Middle East, Northern Ireland, Southern Thailand ...).
Derivative of physical characteristics
Derivative of mental characteristics
Understanding of dimension*
Ability to develop dimension in an individual*
* The percentages are "guestimates" based on technology development trends through history. They are offered as a common sense guide to relative understanding of technology. All percentages are increasing more rapidly because a critical mass of technology allows parallel technology development.
Link Between Body Mind and Spirit
It appears that there is a link between physical, mental and spiritual dimensions, seemingly proven by experiment. It is proof enough to know that, when someone emotionally close, but physically distant, feels pain and somehow one knows that something is wrong - this is the spiritual dimension. Although we don't yet understand how it works we know its there. (We can't putgravity in a box to examine it, but it's there. We can't touch a magnetic field, but can see its effects. ) Frontier science, like quantum physics and consciousness science is bringing us closer to seeing the links - at the sub-atomic level matter and energy are indistinguishable!
Going back to the basic principal that time, space, energy and matter are the irreducible elements of this existence, assume the spiritual dimension is another way energy works, and, because existence is a closed system, there is always effect from cause:
John Stuart Bell and friends split a molecule in half, took one half to North America, leaving the other half in Europe, changed the rotation of one half; at exactly the same time the other half reversed rotation.
Or another look at the energy cycle: Food keeps the body alive, the body keeps the mind alive and the mind keeps the spirit alive. Food is energy, the mind is manifested by electricity (energy) and the spirit is manifested in energy again (electomagnetic fields or radioactivity).
Behaviour Motivation and Resource Allocation
Behaviour at all organisational levels results from:
It is broadly speaking instinctive or voluntary.
In life, and in humans in particular, these two broad ingredients lead to
1. primary motivation for survival of self and of species, followed by
2. physical comfort of self, family, community, on to species, (material wealth) and finally
3. to self and group actualisation (mental and spiritual wealth).
Within a closed system, such as the biosphere, it is necessary to satisfy these demands with resources available, otherwise competition for resources ensues between species and among species.
Sufficiency of Resources
Technology is widely available for humans to satisfy the primary needs of survival. There is also technology available for realising a comfortable co-existence in the biosphere. Technology for self and group actualisation (psychology, neurology etc) although well developed, is less widely understood or available.
It appears that the biosphere can provide sufficient resources to satisfy physical needs and demands. It appears that mental and spiritual resources are virtually untapped and unlimited (or at least limited only to the extent of space and time).
However, systems in use today have resulted in the apparent and real limitation of resources in many areas. Food in Africa (and even in rich nations), ozone in the upper atmosphere etc. There is within human society competition for food, shelter, industrial wealth, technology, even spiritual righteousness.
Thus, improvements in systems and implementation of sustainable resource allocation are required to sustain humanity and rejuvenate planet Earth's biosphere. Planet management is necessary by humans. How this will be done will be determined by humanity's values.
The Meaning of Life, A Meaning in Life and Values
There is no meaning of life. Life is an accident.
A meaning in life, gives direction.
One's meaning in life moulds one's values.
One's values are the blueprint for deciding behaviour.
One's values are the blueprint for deciding behaviour.
One's meaning in life moulds one's values.
A meaning in life, gives direction.
Although humanity is not fundamentally different from other life systems, it has historically impacted its environment in a very destructive manner on both individual and community levels.
While human behaviour is determined by physical composition (instinct etc) it is also motivated by mental and spiritual characteristics, which are complex, not yet widely understood and changing as technology changes.
The mental and spiritual differences are reflected in value differences. The differences in values between humans are so much greater than the physical composition between humans that value differences have far greater influences on behaviour differences in humans than physical differences.
Recognising and understanding value differences is essential to cooperative behaviour at all organisation levels: eg nervous system, family, company, society, nation, global community etc.
Understanding values allows communication.
Sharing values allows cooperation.
(Since the first edition, Astraea has learned the memetic language of spiral dynamics which provides a valuable psychological framework for defining, understanding and developing values of individuals, organisations or communities.)
Which Values?
What values are appropriate in life of humans? Not killing? Honesty? Courtesy? ...
More importantly what are prime values for the sustainable operation of earth (the biosphere)? Truth, love and equity.
Is truth a prime value? If not, then lying and deception are fair, as well as useful tools. The consequences for a social model operating where truth is not a prime value may be self destructive.
Truth is an absolute. It either is, or is not, even if it is not known which. If truth is a prime value then the social model would tend to favour truth (openness, etc).
Relative values may be adopted but a trade off will ensue between values. Tolerance may be more important than persistence.
The values adopted by individuals in a society are reflected in the changing social model of that society. The aggregate of values of individuals is the value system of a society. It is institutionalised in laws and reflected in customs. We may call it culture.
Western society generally demands minimum standards and disclosure in food sales. This is reflected in relevant laws. These minimum standards are changing as consumers demand more information regarding ingredients, especially concerning genetic manipulation in food production. This results in changes in laws effected through media and legal mechanisms; and changes in supply as the demand for poorly labelled food declines and the demand for clean, healthy and properly labelled food increases. (In smaller community trade reputation was sufficient, but even here more disclosure is expected than before.).
In Western Europe distribution of toxic narcotics to small children may be dealt with by society by imprisoning the offender. In parts of Asia, possession of non-toxic narcotics for personal use may be dealt with by death. Is either one right? Each society chooses its own values. Some prefer to standardise private behaviour as well as public behaviour. Some prefer punishment to rehabilitation. Until the individuals in the community change their management systems, by changing behaviour or laws etc, it must be assumed that the model reflects the society's values. Individuals may change their systems by fighting (competition) or negotiation (cooperation).
Humans, individuals and groups, have tended to put pride and prejudice before equity and intelligence, to be motivated by greed and fear rather than by sharing or love. Early humans naturally had this aggressive profile because individuals fought for survival, and were primitive. As the species developed technologies and individuals became interested in other pursuits (eg entertainment, learning, charity etc), behaviour began to reflect values required for interdependence within and between species. The strength of mind is apparent in the species, illustrated by extraordinary acts such as suicide to save others or preserve honour (martyrs, hari kari etc). However, the majority of individuals today still appear to be ruled by greed and fear. It is a requirement for survival of the biosphere that individuals become less independent and more interdependent. And that the change happens in tens of years not hundreds of years.
The challenges of life are illustrated by the prisioners' paradox:
Two individuals are in prison for foul play. Both individuals are told that if they give evidence on the other, they will be let free. Separately, each knows that if they give evidence that they will be free. But if neither gives evidence, there will be no evidence and they would both be free. Individuals are tempted to expose the each other in order to gain. However, if they both give evidence, they both will be convicted. What to do?*
Similarly, in the biosphere, if individuals pollute, they assume that they benefit at the expense of others, but if everyone pollutes everyone suffers.
The Three Rules
Some like rules, and they can be useful. Like the laws of nature. For simplicity, together with our simple values of honesty, love and equity ...
Our three rules:
(Try it at home or work. The rules work. And even children can understand their logic.)
*If they were innocent it wouldn't be an issue.
Humans: Different And The Same
Many human tragedies have been caused by presuming differences where there are none. The similarities within existence provide valuable benchmarks for global management.
Is humanity fundamentally different from other species? Much of its behaviour suggests that it thinks it is, particularly in its efforts to control the biosphere rather than live with it.
Starting by looking at some differences between humans and closely related primates today, it appears that other primates live nearly completely by instinct. There is little willful change to their environment, whereas humanity proactively changes its environment. Humans use tools. This distinguishes them from other species. Humans communicate in a very sophisticated way, even communicating metaphysical ideas and abstractions. The biological rationalisation may be that thumbs and brain characteristics play a big role in this evolution. The result is behaviour that is more objective oriented rather than instinctive. But the creature is not fundamentally different. Other creatures use tools and communicate. (It is possible that other primates which use tools in an infantile way may in the course of evolution become more sophisticated.) Humans may create an existence without nature, but has not appreciated the consequences of this objective.
Behaviour is used as a reason to differentiate species. Although genetic formulae are used to define species, sub-species may defined by differing physical presentation of the same genetic code. A brussel sprout and a cauliflower are the same species. An oriental human and a caucasian human are the same species.
No Fundamental Differences
Are life forms fundamentally different? Is a human fundamentally different from a chimpanzee? Is a negro human fundamentally different from a oriental human? It appears that the differences are of degree rather than absolute differences. They are a result of evolution and environment.
If you believe that there are fundamental differences, please suggest how they are different and what the implications are for species interaction. And what the implications are for definitions of death which cause "humans" without brains to have their bodies kept functioning, but non-humans to be tortured.
If the answer is no, there are not fundamental differences, an important implication is that the spirital dimension is shared by other life forms, and even all matter. Most spiritual systems account for this although some of the most widespread religions (e.g. Christian) do not. Whether religious or not, we can agree that the universe has connections that we hardly understand and can use a common terminology of spirituality to further understanding of this dimension.
Recognising that there are no fundamental differences between homo sapiens and other living organisms brings a clear perspective to behaviour analysis. We start to apply more critical thinking or moral judgments. We may apply the ethic of "putting oneself in another's shoes" more rigorously. This simple approach quickly brings ones values and thus behaviour into line with nature's.
If we apply equity rigorously we are faced with ethical challenges. For example, in the same way that over-aggressive dogs or horses are neutered to control hormone levels, should certain male humans be neutered? Some cultures say "yes". Ouch! Or, looking at the big picture, should the population of humans be culled to save the biosphere?
Spiritual Dimension, Gods and Values
Technology of the Spiritual Dimension
Discovering the technology of the physical dimension started with little understanding and many widely diverging opinions. Varied opinions enable complex, comprehensive, resilient and adaptive evolution of technology understanding. Similarly, variety in species has allowed their complex and adaptive evolution.
Understanding of the spiritual dimension is at an early stage. It displays many widely different opinions. Common understandings of the spiritual dimension are emerging as opinions are exchanged and modified and influenced by the increasing level of understanding of technology of the physical dimension.
Gods and Goddesses
God occurs in many spiritual systems. Defining characteristic dimensions include:
a general spirit <-----------> single or particular spirit/power
part of this existence <---------> not part of this existence
equal in this world <----------> unequal (bigger and better)
But today the "g"word so loaded with prejudice and abuse that it has lost its sense. Astraea therefore must put aside the idea of god and approach spirituality without god.
Spirituality without god
Consider the following:
This rationalisation of unsustainable behaviour is an issue.
Living without god
With god, god may be blamed as the higher power; "the one that made me do it".
Responsibility is the price of power.
Responsibility is personal.
Without god, but with knowledge and an understanding of our physical environment (resources, demographics, technology etc) it appears that self-motivation is sufficient to satisfy needs and maintain the ever evolving balance of existence.
Without god, we have ourselves to blame for the choices made. Without god, actions are all personal (not withstanding one's circumstances). No blame may be attached to another power. (If existence is an accident, god id not needed.)
If motivation is from one's self then actions are immediately satisfying - actions reflect personal motives. Self-actualisation is attained.
It does not matter whether or not god exists or one believes in god, provided common values exist among individuals. It is inappropriate to presume values are "right" because of a belief in god. God is not a value.
Planet Management
Introduction - sustainable economics in a nutshell.
The basic ingredients of existence are space, time, matter and energy. Space and time provide a reference for matter and energy, which are transferable through space and time. (see the accident)
Technology, knowhow or understanding, of these elements of existence and their derivatives, is a secondary resource. Human technology is expanding in depth, breadth and coverage (i.e. more available). (Note that other species have technology and can transfer it. For example bees technology for building hives is shared by bee communities.) Technology shared by other species is relatively constant. Technology shared by humans is expanding and may be used to satisfy expanding demands for material and spiritual wealth if managed appropriately.
Material resources are broadly either renewable or not, within relevant time frames.
Energy, the principal currency of change in the biosphere and therefore a critical resource, must be managed with utmost care. Energy comes in to the biosphere as heat and light energy from the sun, is stored (in plant and plant derivatives like coal, oil and gas) and leaves the biosphere when radiated or released from conversion of materials (including consumption).
The principal aim of resource management is to balance consumption with production. This is not achieved now.
In order to manage resources efficiently, resources, particularly, time and energy must be priced properly.
Current benchmarks for time include interest rates and this is generally efficient. Benchmarks for energy price include prices of various fuels. Importantly the price of energy should include the cost of pollution - this can only happen if there is a requirement to clean up the pollution immediately ie any production or consumption of energy must be a closed system. (Similarly, other production systems should be required to be self contained, eg cosmetics, water, fertiliser.)
This is a choice for species/society/community to make.
If society wants pollution (and its consequences) then the pricing is OK.
Otherwise humans/society/community must change consumption habits. Humans, being rational, will volunteer the changes and compromises if it understands the situation created by the impact of humans. It will understand the situation if information is always in good faith and relatively complete and available (e.g. consumption of junk food discloses the impact on the food web).
Resource Allocation: Need and Greed
Planet resources are limited. That is, demand is greater than supply. This overconsumption occurs at many levels of organisation, most importantly biosphere, ecosystem and species level.
These resources are
(Depending on interpretation, these will also include social power, economic power, recognition, etc.)
Humanity continues a perennial debate about how to allocate resources. With other species the allocation of resources is easier to analyse and predict, largely because of the low level of need for material or spiritual wealth, and the relative absence of greed. Their societies are balanced and in harmony with nature. The allocation of resources by humanity is more complex than with other species because of its more sophisticated mind/brain. Resource allocation systems at social levels may be described in terms of politics and economics.
Humanity has evolveed with the mindset of insufficiency of resources. It has operated as if: there's not enough, more is better, and that's just how it is. But in the last half of the 20th century the rules changed and humanity is now adapting. There is enough to go around and satisfy need for food, material and spiritual wealth for all life. The principal economic change that this creates is that values change to recognise that change is part of life, but continual growth is unattractive. (If a human didn't stop growing it would be several metres high by age 70.) Spiritual wealth can only be achieved with nature - no nature, no spirit, no feel good inside.
Economic System or Ecosystem?
Historically resource allocation has been based on the premise that humanity is insulated from the rest of the biosphere. Recognition of the limits of natural systems and the interdependencies between nature and human produced systems, is now forcing economists to price natural resources far higher reflecting scarcity in the biosphere. Human made capital is relatively less valuable. This is now being reflected in market prices (eg carbon credits).
Market prices of natural and human built capital must adjust rapidly if the biosphere is to survive.
The principal area of change will be in pricing pollution, which has hitherto been considered to be free because Earth could recycle it. This is not the case. Earth’s biosphere (an accident of time) remains a delicate balance. The violent change in the biosphere instigated by humanity will cause equally violent repurcussions. Working for a soft landing is the best that might be done though a crash may appear to be inevitable.
A sustainable system that prices natural resources and pollution properly should price natural resources and pollution such that
This is unlikely to happen soon, unless consumers change behaviour. Humanity must change its consumption patterns to be based on a cooperative approach to resource management, rather than a competitive approach. In body, mind and soul we are being more modest. This is being driven by consumer. Consumers decide what products are avialable, how they get to us, how they're regulated, and how much they cost. We vote with our wallets.
As we obtain/provide information on a product's life cycle our decisions are becoming more sophisticated.
Pencil - 100% wood (ie lead and casing) chopped from sustainable managed mixed forest or non-GM species, processed in zero pollution factory using energy produced from the forest resources, 100% biodegradeable.
Pencil - wood, lead (toxic, harmful if swallowed, dangerous in food web, dispose of carefully), manufactured in factory power on fossil fuels and emitting over 250 "Standard Pollution Units" per pencil).
Changes in behaviour would reflect values that appreciate resource scarcity in the biosphere.
Skip to Planet Management Objectives or read on to a note on interest rates.
The World of Money:
a note on interest rates and the value of time
Interest rates measure the cost of resources over time. (If time is not valuable, interest rates are zero.)
The interest rate reflects the opportunity cost/value of a resource. It is dependent on the expected change in value of a resource (expected return), the probability of that change in value occurring (risk) and the length of time over which this change is to be measured (time). (The most efficient return for a market appears to be 10% to 15% annually at moderate risk (risk free is around 2 to 6% per year).
The resources of Earth will grow at a far slower rate than this. A whale population may grow at only 5% per year. There is no commercial return on this investment, unless the whale is valued more highly.
Interest rates are a tool for using money as a conduit for transferring material wealth (economic value) over time.
Person A has assets today, but does not need them. Person 1 does not have enough assets. Person 1 uses person A's assets for a while to make more assets for their own use, by engaging assets in productive enterprise. And then later Person 1 gives back the assets, plus a bit more. The difference between what Person A gives and what Person 1 returns is the interest rate. It is normally positive and accounts for inflation, the risk of not getting the assets back and the cost of administering the transaction.
Information technology will reduce risks of lending/sharing assets back because:
Opportunity cost/value
The opportunity cost/value refers to the potential (or missed) value of an asset or activity.
The benefit of not going to school may be considered to be saving the cost of school and income earned while not at school.
The (opportunity) cost of not going to school may be considered the potential value of going to school. Not getting the education means not having the opportunity to get a valuable job which would generate a certain income.
Thus not going to school may be considered to be more costly than going to school even though, at the time of going to school, costs are higher. The future marginally higher income is considered to be greater compensation.
A 2 hour commute not only incurs the cost of travel, but there is a lost opportunity of doing something else which has value e.g. sleeping in, working, playing. It may be preferable therefore to work close to home for less pay, than far from home for more pay.
Expected return and risk
Other resources relevant to money and finance.
Some learning resources.
Various data and info resources on GRI Equity.
Objectives for Planet Management
The resources of the biosphere are required for life to exist. They are global. Many important ones are not location specific. Global management is necessary. The return on natural resources may be low, but their preservation and nurturing is necessary. Global management implemented on a local scale is necessary because our society is community based and common, enlightened ethics must be applied.
Start first with the most limited resources:
the ozone layer
the oceans and their species
arable land
Because the task is so extensive global self-management according to a value system based on cooperation rather than competition is required. Benchmarks such as quotas, harvest techniques, regeneration targets etc may be shared globally.
Biosphere management requires:
nature comes first (before humans)
managing globally, using feedback, monitoring and controlled experiments. Managing across ecosystems, landscapes, and water systems.
managing for an ecological time scale (measured in generations at least)
nurturing biosystems
provision of sustainable economic communities for humans
developing cooperative institutional arrangements
providing information to promote individual commitment and involvement and allow community decision making
Human Management Systems
Market for Values
A market for values appears necessary because the interdependencies of human individuals requires the species to form communities. Communities are defined by the common code of conduct observed by those in the community. This code is derived from the values of the individuals in the community.
A natural system operates on complex systems of demand and supply to allocate and process resources. Humanity attempts to provide a market for values by development of economic and political systems/institutions.
Human Resource Allocation Systems: Politics and Economics
The spectrum of opinions on how to allocate resources among humans rests on two philosophies, whether resources should be equally shared or unequally earned. Implementation of both systems has required compromises.
As a group humanity is better off if unequal earnings are a direct function of competence and effort. If basic resources, especially education and opportunity, are equally available then differences in output are a direct function of differences in effort and choice. The physical profile of humans is broadly similar across individuals and potential competence is broadly similar. Thus, it appears that given similar opportunity and resources, that potential output is similar. If motivation is also similar, then productivity between individuals should also be similar.
Allocation decisions must be met less through competition and more by cooperation. Competition is important to ensure that individuals are competent to do a job; fitness for purpose should be ensured. If an individual is to take on significant responsibility (eg a nation's president) they should have a minimum set of skills and experience and appropriate commitment.
Market Economics and Politics
Economics is an attempt to quantify interpretation of human behaviour.
It is a reflection of human needs/wants. A market economy (capitalism) is democracy in economics - one uses money to vote for preferences. The only reason not to advocate capitalism is that individuals start off with different amounts of money. (Democracy does not give different quantities of votes to individuals based on personal differences (e.g. education, intellect, strength, agility etc). Those with advantages might attempt to buy votes with advertising, pay-offs, public appearances and so on, and thus have a greater influence on political events.
A market economy for assets provides a mechanism to satisfy sophisticated and dynamic needs (including values). Democracy provides a mechanism to satisfy community values (i.e. everyone in the commmunity has the same voting power).
A market economy provides a way to impartially benchmark performance. It allows the species to engage in another form of evolutionary competition. Competition provides a (not the) motivation to do; to do anything more than what is instinctive. Competition for food demands that individuials fight for survival. In a local environment in which basic needs appear to be satisfied, the market economy provides the mechanism for competition for resources to provide material and spiritual wealth.
Technology provides humans with the ability to mobilise resources to satisfy the survival needs of all species, but does not provide the will or motivation. Humanity can only achieve this if individuals in control of resources decide to make this choice.
Democracy (or a vote market) provides another market for values. But note that individuals do not vote for a set of objectives and principles based on their values, they vote for an individual who is supposed to represent their values. An individual is elected to "carry out the will of the people".
Democracy is a way of achieving the code of conduct without resorting to destructive behaviour (e.g. killing competitors). It is rarely used as it is defined to be used. Look for example, to the traditional family; while there is likely to be a minimum age at which one's opinion may be voiced, there is often a hierarchy of "voting", for example by age, or income, or experience, or education etc. It is rarely a one voice, one vote system.
Democracy's strength lies in the fact that everyone has a say, an equal say. It keeps those with power, responsible. Or should. If it does not, it is all too easy to resort to destructive behaviour (vandalism, public disturbance). Perhaps this is appropriate. Reflecting on the family example, a parent knows that it is physical abuse to use more force on a child than the child can return (under any circumstances). It is necessary to listen in good faith, for both child and parent. Perhaps the noosphere will provide the means to allow individuals to change community values more quickly and less violently.
If money and votes don’t work, humans invariably have resorted to destructive behaviour (military spending, the bomb).
A global market for votes is increasingly necessary because 80% of the human population consumes only 20% of the resources. The minority consuming the bulk of resources is facing problems of abundance (e.g. waste remediation) and the anger of the minority at inequality is becoming global.
For example:
Global warming is occurring. It is a fact acknowledged by all participants in the debate.
A principal cause is pollution derived from energy production/consumption sourced from fossil fuels. An agreement was made in Kyoto in 1995 to reduce this pollution. Some communities want to change the agreement and maintain their level of pollution in exchange for paying for pollution to be cleaned up in their own and others' communities. Other communities say that this is not in the spirit of the Kyoto agreement and is not a realistic solution to the destruction of the biosphere - the matter should be dealt with in a precautionary manner rather than a permissive manner.
We shall see if the noosphere can sway opinion in the communities that currently want to pollute. Whether media and internet communication will encourage individuals to modify behaviour, because individuals find out that they are directly responsible. It is very difficult. It rests on the ability of humans, individually and collectively, to do the right thing the right way. It is a function of human nature and humanity's consequential values and behaviour.
Will humanity, knowing the consequences of its actions, continue to be self destructive, not only at a species level, but also at an individual level? Will humanity knowingly foul its own drinking water? Public disturbance by individuals seeking to change behaviour (e.g. vandalism around international discussions at Geneva and The Hague in late 2000) does not honour the spirit of communal behaviour. However, it is a damning reflection on the lack of responsibility observed by those in power (who supposedly accepted the responsibilities), that individuals resort to destructive behaviour as a method of communication. A lack of compromise and cooperation naturally results in beligerent competition for resources.
Market Economics
Global Issues
Global Politics
Global politics are required because global management of resources is necessary. It is necessary to agree a way of sharing resources globally. This has historically been more by competition (i.e. destruction of the "enemy") rather than cooperation.
National Politics
Differences of opinion are relatively slight within the framework of national politics. Elections in developed economies show general consensus of opinion e.g. few differences between electoral propositions, 50/50 voting.
National self-management will be made possible by technology allowing broad rapid information distribution and feedback. Political institutions will become more administrative because policy may be developed on a more popular basis (voluntary frequent voting ). Public interest polling may be used as an intermediate step to gauge the views of people.
National politics are not focussed on community issues but on national resource management and international interdependencies. Private issues are increasingly being removed from national politics, while public issues demand more attention. Individuals are increasingly prepared to respect differences of other individuals, provided these differences do not impact the public domain. (What one's neighbour does at home is private, until it affects public affairs. For example, domestic pollution is acceptable; if pollution enters the public domain by for example, air or water or dumping, then the values of the public community dictate whether or not it is acceptable. Similarly, pollution in a nation only becomes an issue for the global community when it spreads outside the nation's borders, e.g. acid rain, ozone depletion.)
National leaders are expected to have a minimum of ethics, skills and experience and they should exercise due care in executing their responsibilities. They should get on with the job in the best possible way (do the right thing the right way). A requirement for self-management in good faith will become a minimum expectation, in all activities, especially national administration. Performance auditing will become more rigourous, accessible and cheaper as information and communication technology develops. This will encourage individuals to focus on administration rather than seeking and accumulating political power.
There will be no nations if there is no biosphere. Many individuals sacrifice attention to personal or national agendas to raise their nation’s awareness of global responsibilities. Humans at all levels need to correct the imbalances inflicted on earth by human activity. Thus the importance of global politics increasingly overshadows that of national issues.
Global Politics
How global management should be effected is far more complex than anything achieved by human society so far.
Informed people are more concerned with global self management than national politics because they know that global resource management is failing miserably, while issues of national management are broadly agreed.
Technology will be used to facilitate self-management at all levels of society from individual to global, by provision of adequate information and education. The emergence of the noosphere makes it possible to approach global management. However, the noosphere is still an emerging phenomenon, so its usefulness is now being developed and tested.
The direct implication of global management is a global president, according to humanity's seemingly preferred socio-political systems. However, it would be irresponsible to offer such responsibilities to an individual and irresponsible for an individual to take on such a responsibility. Far more likely is a forum for consensus building. There are likely to be institutions providing infrastructure to do this. And the noosphere is likely to be the forum, or a large part of it. In fact, since the first edition of this book, we have noticed forums for concensus building emerging, like web based opinion organisation (www.moveon.org), or public interest polling initiatives.
Because there will be no global president, but there are global issues of greater importance and urgency than national ones (for individual nations), Humanity must improve self management of the species now, beginning through institutions available eg UN, EU, NAFTA, ASEAN, WTO, WSF.
Do it fast. Do it smart. Do it right. "Just do it!"
Market Economics
Global Issues
Complex Issues
There are highly emotive issues of resource allocation which have economic and political implications. They are highly complex. There is no set of rules to make decisions. The approach to solving them must be flexible and rigorous. Critical thinking should be applied.
The one rule is:
"do the right thing the right way"
It is certain that humans individually and in groups knows whether behaviour is right or not. Even if well intentioned, the means does not justify the ends, if the means are not in good faith and concordant with the ends. All too often history has proved the fallacy of ignoring innovation or differences for the sake of expediency, when expediency has not been required.
The best decisions will be made based on the best available information, the fairest interpretation and fairest approach. In critical situations caution will prevail over permissiveness.
Global Decisions
Here below are some issues to illustrate the complexity of global decisions that are required to be made.
Food Production Systems
While many people in developed economies throw away food daily most people in the world survive on minimal nutrition. And food production has become dislocated from natural systems so that it relies on chemicals, fossil fuels and forest clearance to produce required foods. Both problems may be solved quickly.
Food production using a modern organic system produces high yields (80% of intensive chemical farming yields) and uses a small fraction of the energy and chemical inputs. Read "Playing God in the Garden" to see a colourful picture - a "McDonalds potato farmer sprays mineral oil derived fertiliser, pesticide and herbicide 15 times in a season, variable costs are $ 1,965 per acre for a revenue of $ 1,980 per acre!; the organic farmer may apply green or brown natural manure once and incur variable costs of $ 500 per acre for a revenue of $ 3,000 per acre. Organic systems are sustainable and may be implemented on small or large scale in various climates.
Energy Consumption - Fuel and Energy Tax
Economies rely upon the consumption of energy which is currently taken from fossil fuel resources. The cost of pollution from acquisition and consumption of these resources is not accounted for. Therefore consumption is far higher than it would be if prices where increased pay for cleanup. The opportunity cost of not being able to replace fossil fuels is completely ignored!
Taxes are applied increasingly to provide for the cost of cleanup although "pollution taxes" are still inadequate and often tax revenues are spent in areas different to those for which they are charged. Carbon credit markets are now being used as a method of allowing pollution pricing.
Sustainable alternatives are available, the simplest perhaps being the use of vegetable oils in diesel engines - growth of the vegetables sequesters carbon dioxide, and they are renewable - an easy and low cost alternative which may be adopted immediately.
Transport and Travel
Transport of people and goods consume a significant amount of energy. The real cost of energy is far greater than the dollar value because the pollution is not costed nor is the depreciation of energy inventory properly valued (eg mineral reserves). Poor quality information results in suboptimal resource allocation.
Transport and travel is fun but not necessary, especially if production and consumption are local. If production and consumption are localised at the community level transport costs are greatly reduced. However, production today is only affordable if it is done on a high volume basis, which tends to be centralised (not local); craft production is uneconomic. This may change as technology grows, spreads and becomes cheaper. Give it away on the internet!
Cosmetics, Drugs and Medicine
A significant but often ignored source of pollution is medicine - preventative, curative, cosmetic and recreational. We group these together because of the similarities between the operations of these industries.
Some of the pollution includes: chemical wastes, destruction of natural remedies, disinformation and misinformation, conflicts of policy, animal torture and so on.
War and Crime:
conflict and punichment or prevention and rehabilitation
For teh time being we need a guardian function in our social web. The guardian monitors the compliance with public/common laws. And increasingly intends to help people perform better, rather than punish people. Rehabilitation is far more resource efficient that punishment and incarceration. Even in the case of hardened offenders, leading criminla psychiatrists would prefer to create an positive environment and educate these people for normal life, despite the seeming impossibility of reform. Education is important.
Military Spending
Defense and offense have always been core to any beings in nature. In the case of humanity, huge resources have been committed to military spending. Decisions on military consumption by nations is tied up in economics and politics. However, it is quite clear that humanity does not relish killing and would rather be engaging in other sport, if it could. Even hardened soldiers and meat processing slaughterers will agree that it takes mental fortitude to kill at close range. And all societies recognise that murder is unacceptable.
Killing has been a natural consequence of evolution and limited resources. However, there now exists the technology to remove the need for killing. There will be a need for policing at all levels until the noosphere is a more integral and active part of existence. In the meantime, national military budgets should be managed at a global level, since there is no need to fight. Nations would have armies and military assets managed and owned by, say, the UN. There would be a global deterrent against military aggression. National security would be satisfied. Domestic policing would be a national prerogative.
The savings would allow resources to be committed to bringing the biosphere back into balance.
The Bomb
In the 1950s a fear of nuclear bombs emerged among people, especially richer people and nations.
Today it is not such an issue. It has been an issue for so long that the shock has dulled and other pressing issues such as the destruction of the protective ozone layer of the biosphere are more urgent and important.
The bomb is still there. It is used (as in tests by France). It is more widely spread. It is now in the hands of dictators as well as government institutions.
The Doomsday Device
A nuclear deterrent of awful proportions. Automatic nuclear retaliation to invasion which may not be disabled, ie there is no human intervention - you can not change your mind. There is no override because it is only a deterrent if retaliation is 100% ensured. Thank you Dr Strangelove.
It would be preferred not to have nuclear weapons available at all.
At first all military assets will be owned and allocated by a common administration, such as the United Nations. Therefore military engagement would be only after global consensus. Military aresenals will be allowed to wither as their usefulness declines. Much has been said about the financial benefits to a few of having wars ongoing. These must be recognised and a general ethical policy of non-violence recognised.
Private vs Public Domain
This is one of the thorniest issues. We learn to love ourselves from youth. We are given a personal name in many cultures which is used to distinguish us from all else (as opposed to include as part of the whole system as in some natural cultures). Yet we know that inherently we can own nothing. Even the richest, most powerful people wake up to the realisation during their lives that they can not take it all with them - Carnegie the steel baron tried to give it all away and Gates has established one of the largest charitable foundations. It is usually at the edge of ownership that the tension is highest. Traditionally this has been land, rivers and beaches. If you own a beach you value the privacy. However, many would say that beaches are for the people! In fact that develi's advocate walking across it may tell you it is public property and it is appropriate for anyone to enjoy it. That person, however, will value private property - at the most basic level they wish to keep their name. And generally they would be shocked if you showed up on their porch one day demanding access to their balcony or garden! We will retain our possessiveness in this world of inequality and lack of respect for others, but it may become a non-issue in an enlightened world.
In practical terms today we must recognise the public nature of natural assets like wind, air and water. Without shared responsibility they will be destroyed by us. And today a most pressing concern is the imprisionment of natural technology - the attempts made by organisations to control the use of DNA and DNA containing organisms. One can sympathise with the logical legal mind that extrapolates ownership of one's name to the the ownership of air and DNA. But is is misguided and based on false base premise that we can own anything on earth over and above nature's will.
The answer is no doubt freedom of information, shared responsibility for the biosphere, open technology culture, combined with self-restraint over intruding on others' space - be they people or other habitats. But getting there is a challenging process which involves a choice by each person until it becomes natural behaviour again.
Rich vs Poor, North versus South
It is an accepted generalisation that the wealth of developed nations has in the past and is now made possible by the provision of resources from developing nations. This may be fuel, mineral or labour resources. Today the wealthy wear clothes made by low waged people in emerging markets, they conceive food manufactured products made by low waged people. In return they offer technology.
As technology spreads, developing countries will soon realise that they have the resources to add value to their resources themselves. Political maturity will be encouraged by freer information flows (as demonstrated throughout the world and through the history of humanity. As these countries increase their industrial and economic infrastructure there will be far less that they need from developed nations. Their bargaining power will grow rapidly, while that of developed nations will not. Developed countries' exports of commodities will drop and value added product will become the rule.
This global exchange of value is so complex. The world of money helps keep track of what's going on. And new barter and community exchange systems are enhancing the matrix.
Market Economics
Global Issues
Competition, Cooperation, Pay
Cooperative resource management requires self management at many levels: species, global, national, community etc. It recognises the interdependencies of systems.
Do you do what you do
because you have to or
because you want to?
What is it that you want? How much is enough?
Is it money and the things it can buy? Is it power and the things it can buy? And are you happy to kill to get it? Do you use a car? Everyone should answer yes to these questions!
Destruction of the biosphere (destruction of life as we know it) is directly caused by burning fossil fuels (including in cars, trucks, planes etc.) But we, as individuals, do this. And many other destructive things besides, such as: using detergents (inc. shampoos etc) that pollute water, using unnecessary packaging (plastic bags etc)*, leave electrical appliances on but unused, using pesticide on crops* etc.
(* individuals demand packaging and pesticide use on crops, otherwise it would not be provided. If individuals change their behaviour, e.g. asking for and buying organic vegetables and reusing their own shopping bags etc, then pesticide use will decline and packaging will decrease.)
Convenience and economic constraints are used as the reasons for pollution, notwithstanding that economics has only begun to price pollution and are recognising the time value of reputation. Abundance has costs as well as scarcity - principally the costs of waste remediation. Even while pricing is inefficient ...
Know what you do.
If it must be done, do it with respect.
If you kill (a tree, a chicken, a human, an ecosystem, the biosphere) do it with respect.
Know yourself.
Is self management a possibility?
All current conventional systems, whether domestic, corporate or government rely on carrots and sticks, on pay and disciplinary procedures. It is possible to have a system in which pay is merely hygienic (it distributes resources rather than compensates players) and performance is merely driven by pride and passion. It might require self auditing to a code of conduct and monitoring by a third party. But given the technology available now and soon to be available it will soon be a privilege to work. Pay will always be enough.
How much is enough?
$500 per year for long hours of careful commitment making clothes or buildings in China.
$50,000 per year for a forest/conservation worker in USA.
$5,000,000 per year for running a major agriculture business in a developed market.
Considering pay
The idea that pay is a distribution of resources rather than compensation is interesting. It reflects the key function of financial/economic currency - to carry value. This barter function is the reason for the invention of money yet its been lost on many of us. It also reflects on the relative characteristics of compensation arrangements.
Question: Should a medical doctor get paid more than a janitor? Only if the janitor had the same opportunity, but chose not to make the effort (school, training, diligence).
Question: Can a janitor be as productive as a doctor? Apparently not. But, perhaps "yes", if high levels of care and technology are applied (eg the janitor that is responsible for robots cleaning 500 commercial units).
Question: Does competition select the best people for the job? Perhaps, but implementation (in a range of systems from centrally planned to free market economies) appears not to, because the criteria for selection are rarely developed to get the best people for the job and too often the job itself is dysfunctional.
A multi-millions dollar-a- year trader rarely has the fiduciary ethics and technical understanding to justify the resource commitment, even if the profits appear to be the most (in a short term). Consider the bankruptcy of Barings Bank and evidence suggesting that a very few traders consistently outperform the average market (read "The Story of Risk" by Bernstein).
Traders (bankers), doctors etc also demand more compensation because of their commitment of care and because the assets in their control are valued more. As care becomes a minimum requirement in all activities the premium for care will decline.
Competition for educational resources, which are apparently limited, is the principal method used to select doctors from those trying to become doctors. As technology becomes cheaper the opportunity to become a doctor will become more of a priviledge and doctors' earnings should become closer to that of janitors. As data collection and analysis becomes cheaper and faster, the earning power of traders will come more in to line with those of janitors.
The issue of pay in agriculture remains contentious. Although agriculture requires high commitments of time, technology and care and is exposed to relatively high natural and market risks, the return on assets is generally below a risk free rate (ie well below average). Pay is low. This will change as local food production becomes demanded and good food is prefered to industrial food.
The functional choice will be driven more by commitment and care and less by greed for money and power as technology becomes more widely spread.
Technology and Nature
There is a lot of information technology allowing transactions to be automated and open market auction prices to reflect far more information than they do today. When this technology is used in market economies, intermediaries will become unnecessary. Brokers will be computers, research analysts will be computers, bankers will be computers ... Production will be done by robots and administration by computers.
Thus, the demand for labour will decline and it will appear to be oversupplied. There will be an excess labour resource.
What will people do?
There is a lot of music out there and everyone wants to be a performer. The audence will be local communities or virtual communities (physically diverse, but immediately connected by information and communication infrastructure (the web, telecomms etc)).
People will:
Not drive to work. Grow a few vegetables. Go mountain climbing. Play a concerto. Write a software programme. Teach the children how to build a log cabin. Run a marathon. Make wine. Have a party. Whoops! Stop fantasising.
How to pay for this?
If communities are balanced, individuals will produce enough value (music, vegetables, houses, art, sport, computers etc, whatever they chose) to balance consumption. And, normal value exchange systems (like money) will operate, and far more efficiently. Efficient markets will be closer to a practical reality.
Will human individuals each have enough?
For the basics, it is possible today.
Current carrying capacity of Earth does not allow for more than 2 billion people to live in the manner of the average individual in a developed economy.
So, for additional wealth, how much stuff is enough? How many cars does a family need? How much animal does an individual want to eat? How many books can you read at once? Do you want to fly to the moon? Or just be able to fly to the moon? For what? If you are so inclined, recreational drugs and biotech will enable you to engineer paradise for yourself, though virtual. The opportunities are there. Enjoy your world. Its heaven, isn't it!?
It has been demonstrated that money does not buy happiness. Material wealth does not translate well into spiritual wealth.
If resources are shared, it is likely that the standard of living could be raised for all human individuals. For example, using a "computer" to provide access to a common store of music, video, literature, education etc would remove the need for billions of copies of music and video recordings, books, etc.
The brain of the human world. The noosphere defines humanity's global consciousness. First defined by paleoentologist and jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin in the early 1900s it has been developed and supported by great modern thinkers like VladimirVerdansky, Julian Huxley and Mikhail Gorbachev.
This is a phenomenon only in existence for a few decades at the most and really is only just emerging. Derived from the Greek for mind, noosphere is a phenomenon evolving rapidly and still without secure definition. However, the core ideas are understood and recognised. Advances in information and communication technology and infrastructure (especially the world-wide web of internet users) increasingly provides the ability for humans to communicate freely around the world almost instantaneously. This permanent, low cost communication network is allowing for the emergence of common global values and philosophies: a global mental awareness. The cost of the communication is affordable allowing an increasing proportion of the human population to participate in humanity's self determination.
The noosphere is a self-censoring environment where all ideas may be raised, but ideas based on fairness and truth are more likely to survive and grow because possession of economic or political wealth does not increase one's audience or credibility. Common sense takes hold more quickly.
It is not like a crowd, in which, like sheep, people follow any loud leader. Naturally advertising helps to attract participants to a community (e.g. a web portal) but communities only exist because individuals participate. It is not a situation of having to opt for a single provider. Because information is increasingly available and cheap, providers increasingly have to offer the best product at the best price and give away the information to allow consumers to judge performance against benchmarks (eg travel services sourced, screened and bought online).
Each individual, while being part of the whole, because of the increasing exposure to information, also increasingly recognises one's personal impact on earth. Increasingly individuals are faced with their personal responsibilities to shared objectives in all communities from personal to global to universal.
The noosphere may be described as the brain of the world. And, in time, its evolution may be the spirit of the world.
A good place to find more ideas on the noosphere is the internet (which yields the greatest wealth of information) and one of the first primers on the concept: "The Biosphere and Noosphere Reader" published by Routledge; the foreword is by Mikhail Gorbachev. On the web, try technoetic.com
Technology is know-how. It is not a physical entity. Technology may be transferred by education: teaching know how.
Technology is often used to refer to products. For example, "communication technology" may be used to refer to modern products used for communication such as a telephone or modem or pen. However, recognising technology as "know how" is critical to making it valuable. To teach an individual to fish is far more valuable than giving that person a fish. Giving a person a tool without showing them how to use it leaves the tool useless.
The rate of technology ("know how") accumulation increases as the amount of technology increase. The ability to transfer technology increases as the amount of technology in provider and recipient grows.
It appears that there is available sufficient technology in all dimensions of life, physical, mental and spiritual dimensions to do almost anything; from diving to the depths of the sea to exploring far reaches of space, from living in a desert to living in a jungle, from books to television, from rice to potatoes to wheat, from saving lives to taking lives, from living within the biosphere to living without the biosphere; to choose the future of life.
Basic Ingredients
The basic ingredients of existence are space, time, matter and energy. Space and time appear limited and out of human control. They provide a reference for matter and energy. Matter and energy appear to be transferable through space and time.
Theory Of Relativity
Space and time must coexist. They are the four dimensions of existence against which matter and energy are relatively measured. There is no absolute reference point for their measurement because there is no concept of non-existence. Because there is no reference point for existence in space and time (rather space and time are within existence) space and time may only be measured relatively. There is no absolute reference outside space and time.
Matter and energy also must coexist. The space time continuum provides a relative scale of reference for matter and energy.
Frontier science is proving the connection of the physical dimension to the spiritual dimension. Our reference point of proof is that at the quantum level energy and matter are indistinguishable. It is this level of understanding that the dilemas of physics and spirituality become one: energy is matter, space is time, being without being, "the tao of physics".
Basic Science
Technology development has generally followed the course of recognising patterns in nature and then using them to predict behaviour at different levels of organisztion: atomic behaviour, material behaviour, cell behaviour, individual behaviour, population behaviour, ecosystem behaviour etc. Physics, Chemistry , Biology are the sciences that form the basis of technology. They are useful for understanding and using their derivative technologies, but not essential.
Design Technology
Design technology is of particular importance in management systems. The fitness for purpose of a product, system or service is determined by its design. The means is as important as the ends.
Appropriate design is critical to managing interdependent functioning in complex systems. Inappropriate design will deplete resources.
Design is the activity that allows variety to flourish. And variety is the spice of life. Humans appear to demand variety and this mirrors the behaviour of nature, which also promotes variety for survival and development.
Historical Developments
Fire - controlled fire 1 million years ago
Wheel - 5500 to 3000 BC, with most guesses closer to a 4000 BC date
Iron - first signs of use of iron come from the Sumerians and the Egyptians, where around 4000 BC
Paper - produced as early as 3000 BC Egypt
Printing - Printing using a printing press dates back to the 15th century in Europe, although the technique have been developed and used earlier in China. An example is the Diamond Sutra of AD 868, a Buddhist scripture, which is the earliest known dated work of block printing.
Steam power - first steam device, the aeolipile, was invented by Heron of Alexandria, a Greek, in the 1st century AD, but used only as a toy. Denis Papin, a French physicist, built a working model of a steam engine after observing steam escaping from his pressure cooker in about 1679. Early industrial steam engines were designed by Thomas Savery (1698), Thomas Newcomen (1712), and James Watt (1769), each of whom added new refinements
Combustion engine - Francois Issac de Rivaz built the first internal-combustion engine in 1807. However his engine was impractical for many uses because it lacked power and relied upon a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen for fuel. In 1858, Jean Lenoir invented the first practical internal-combustion engine. It relied upon coal gas that was sucked into the cylinder at the beginning of each stroke and then ignited to push the piston to the other end of the cylinder. This process was then repeated at the other end of the cylinder making the engine double-acting. In 1867, Nikolaus Otto built the first four-stroke internal-combustion engine. The diesel engine is a type of internal combustion engine; more specifically, a compression ignition engine, in which the fuel is ignited by the high temperature of a compressed gas, rather than a separate source of energy (such as a spark plug). It was invented and patented by Rudolf Diesel in 1892. Diesel intended the engine to use a variety of fuels including coal dust. He demonstrated it in the 1900 World's Fair using peanut oil.
Electricity - According to Thales of Miletus, writing circa 600 BC, electricity was known to the Ancient Greeks, who found that rubbing fur on various substances, such as amber, would cause a particular attraction between the two. The Greeks noted that the amber buttons could attract light objects such as hair, and that if they rubbed the amber for long enough, they could even get a spark to jump.
An object found in Iraq in 1938, dated to about 250 BC and called the Baghdad Battery, resembles an electrochemical cell and is believed by some to have been used for electroplating. There is no "firm" documentary evidence to indicate what the object was used for, though there are other anachronistic descriptions of electrical devices on Egyptian walls and in ancient writings.
In 1600 the English scientist William Gilbert returned to the subject in De Magnete, and coined the modern Latin word electricus from ???????? (elektron), the Greek word for amber, which soon gave rise to the English words electric and electricity. He was followed in 1660 by Otto von Guericke, who invented an early electrostatic generator. Other European pioneers were Robert Boyle, who stated in 1675 that electric attraction and repulsion can act across a vacuum; Stephen Gray, who in 1729 classified materials as conductors and insulators; and C. F. Du Fay, who first identified the two types of electric charge that would later be called positive and negative. The Leyden jar, a type of capacitor for storing electric charge in large quantities, was invented at Leyden University by Pieter van Musschenbroek in 1745. William Watson, experimenting with the Leyden jar, discovered in 1747 that a discharge of static electricity was equivalent to an electric current.
The identity of the original inventor of radio, at the time called wireless telegraphy, is contentious. Claims have been made that Nathan Stubblefield invented radio before either Tesla or Marconi, but his device seems to have worked by induction transmission rather than radio transmission. In 1893 in St. Louis, Missouri, Nikola Tesla made the first public demonstration of radio communication.
Transistor - December 1947
Nuclear power (bomb) - 1945 (1955 )
Genetic cloning of mammals - 1996 (1963 fish, China)
More Technology
Below is a list of some of the technologies available to humans.
Many overlap. The web of understanding is wide and deep and long in space and time.
Food, nutrition.
Reproduction, genetic engineering
Chinese medicine, western medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture.
Communication & Information Technology
Language and translation.
Paper, writing, printing
Telephone, internet, satellite, GSM.
Radio, TV, satellite.
Computer, processor, storage.
Library, filing system, cataloguing, ISBN.
Domestic Technology
Construction, plumbing, space heating, space cooling.
Food, nutrition, food preparation.
Maintenance, cleaning.
Behaviour technology
Psychology, psychiatry.
What The Future Holds?
you decide, this is life!
Any individual* has the intelligence to know and understand the situation facing life on earth (the biosphere) now. There is no adult that can claim ignorance as an excuse for overconsumption. Lack of alternatives used to be an acceptable excuse. But now, individuals merely choose not to care enough about the consequences of their overconsumption of planet resources, however serious (extinction of life in the universe).
(*any individual that may take the responsibility to bring up children, vote, drive a car, use a computer ...)
Having read through these pages discussing the astraean view of the world may leave you disenchanted. Often the stereotypical ethicist/environmentalist can appear miserable. And understandably so - they know the problems and that the chance of survival of life is less than certain.
But they also know that the opportunity for life to flourish remains.
The future is being determined by our collective choices. The choice of our future is for each individual to make. The thief only stops stealing if they decide that it is the right thing to do. Coercion consumes resources unnecessarily. The "prisoner's paradox has a solution: do it right because the chance of survival then exists; cheating removes any chance. A rational individual knows what is not the right thing to do in any situation. You decide.
Humanity faces a spectrum of choices. Realistically technology will lead somewhere between natural and virtual lifestyles.
There is sufficient understanding of how the biosphere works, how humans work (e.g. body, mind ...), and of technologies required to choose almost any type of future. It appears that there is a sufficient communication infrastructure (noosphere) to enable humanity as a species to choose a future for the biosphere - more than just humans: life itself. All humans know what is right and what is not, what supports life and what does not. Given appropriate information and acting in good faith, individuals know what the right course of action should be and how to take that course. Although compromise is invariably necessary at some point, individuals know what the right thing is and how to do it. Individuals and groups know how to do the right thing the right way.
Homo sapiens is a very adaptable life form. It can live in extremes of climate. It can endure physical, mental and spiritual pressures. It can change behaviour patterns quickly. It can live in a jungle or in a city. Whether humans choose to turn the biosphere in to a virtual reality or retain a more natural lifestyle, this ability to adapt will be tested in the coming generations. The next 30 years will test the resilience of the biosphere and all life herein.
In the balance, on one hand is the desire of humans to live with nature and on the other the desire to consume NOW.
Many of us may still tend to be careless consumers, pretending that alternatives are too unpalatable or uneconomical. Even having seen and recognised the scale of problems (e.g. capacity, human impact, pollution ...) and their ability to adapt, some individuals and groups think it is better to take a hedonistic approach: to consume as much as possible, as fast as possible before everything runs out. That behaviour suggests that it is better to kill the poor to make capacity for the rich.
As the balance tips away from nature, then a vicious circle of degradation of nature rapidly ensues and a hedonistic rush for survival will be the only chance for individual survival. A human made world (virtual reality) will be the only choice for existence for life. And it may not work. The biosphere may be destroyed before "Biosphere 3" is ready.)
There is certainly technology available to develop a comfortable, stimulating and rewarding natural lifestyle. This requires compromise, particularly from the rich. But it does not mean a step back.
Leaping Forward
In many ways adopting a sustainable lifestyle is a leap forward. It is the rich, powerful and well educated that are in the best position to make appropriate resource allocation decisions. It is these individuals that set the example. The richest may opt to acquire clean fuel transport, clean energy for domestic and commercial use, and benefit from clean air. It is the rich that can afford to use recycled materials and to set up the infrastructure to recycle and reuse materials, and benefit from cleaner countryside and towns and lower material costs. It is the rich that can afford to buy clean food (organic) and reduce packaging waste in their homes and workplace, and benefit from healthier and fuller lives. It is the rich that demand newer, smarter technologies, and benefit from spiritually fuller lives.
Individuals that behave appropriately are role models. Organisations that behave like this build goodwill. Rich countries that behave with pragmatic precaution are offered a greater role in world affairs by the global community. Countries, organisations or individuals that protect vested interests in spite of destruction of global resources will be encouraged to change by the global population of humans.
Global consumption is shifting from convenient solutions to appropriate, considerate solutions and everyone benefits. Trendsetters are young at heart, educated individuals that clearly understand the complex resource allocation issues on a local and global scale and have the enthusiasm to conserve, reuse, recycle etc.
Technology allowing cleaner, renewable energy is now commercial. Rapid adoption is reducing the disruption to the biosphere's elemental cycles. Technology allowing cheap and efficient communication globally is allowing efficient technology transfer and development (e.g. Mozilla, Open Office ...). A range of industrial, commercial and domestic technologies now allows more efficient use of resources and greater functionality.
Signs of The Future
We look for signs of movement to increasing demand for the more natural existence. National elections may reveal the emotional state of people. The change in behaviour of large companies reveals whether companies with market power will set an example or not by decreasing pollution, reducing wage inequality, providing truth in marketing etc. Changes in consumer behaviour may support Earth friendly technolgies, or not:
Moving with nature and toward sustainable consumption is where we want to go. We celebrate the differences of the world but respect the common laws of nature. With each other and with nature, we must live together.
you decide
what the future holds!
Big Picture Story
1: The Accident: Life
The Accident
Life on Earth
Laws of Nature
2: Future of Life:
Three Choices
The Three Choices
Virtual reality
Biosphere 2
3: The Biosphere
Water & Weather
Nature's Diversity
4: Human Impact on the Biosphere
Human Impact
Carrying Capacity of the Biosphere
5: Understanding Human Behaviour
Understanding Human Behaviour
The Meaning of Life
Humans: Different And The Same
Spiritual Dimension, Gods and Values
6: Planet Management
Management Systems
Market Economics
Global Politics
Complex issues
Motivation and Pay
What Te Future Holds?
keep on smiling!
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Nest Protect
Nest Protect
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Isaiah 11
The Branch From Jesse
Three Sections: 1) The Man; 2) His Actions; 3) The Consequences; 4) The Application.
1) The Man
He will come from a family tree that in the prophet’s day has been reduced to a stump.
A stump represents a family tree that has been almost cut down without trace, such as the House of Israel at the exile.
A branch should represent a whole line coming out of the tree once it starts to grow upwards again.
The shoot will be small at first and only become fruitful when it grows again into a tree, but not all the new tree will necessarily bear fruit – maybe just this particular branch, and maybe just one fruit.
The man will be the fruit of this branch, which must mean something that contains that which can reproduce the tree if it is given ground to grow in, because God’s Spirit has rested upon him.
God’s Spirit causes the man to know, fear and delight in God, and to receive God’s own counsel, power, wisdom and understanding.
The implication at Christmas when this passage is read is that Jesus in the man.
The fruit which he represented was the word of God incarnate, which was removed from the tree as if it were a "rotten apple" and attached to another "tree" – the cross.
But just as a rotten fruit appears dead and withered, and yet contains a living seed which can reproduce a tree like the one which bore it, so the word of God incarnate in Jesus germinated into another tree which was the people called out of darkness into God’s marvellous light.
2) His Actions
The implication here is that the needy and the poor cannot speak persuasively for themselves, and do not appear worthy of favour, but that justice and righteousness and faithfulness to God demand that their cause be upheld.
The implication is also that someone is appearing against the poor and the needy who can be heard seeking to persuade their judge to reach a wrong and unjust decision against them.
The consequence of helping the poor and needy is inevitably to strike at these people, who may be described as wicked, but are far from exceptional, since it is "the earth" that is struck.
It is also a fight to the death as such people are not going to accept being struck without a fight in which they will wield lethal weapons give their position of power.
3) The Consequences
There will be a place, God’s holy mountain, where predators and prey in the animal world, and vulnerable humans and venomous creatures, will live together without killing or harming each other.
This event will be linked to the knowledge of God covering the whole earth.
They will have something to eat which nourishes them, and which presumably is designed to be eaten so that its seeds are spread in the earth and it can grow.
4) The Application
The experience of the House of Israel becomes our individual personal experience: we are each reduced to a stump and grow up again as a tree with one branch bearing one fruit more precious than any other – the fruit in which we incorporate the word of God.
That fruit must perish like all fruit and sow the word of God within it so that another tree or trees can grow which will carry the word of God through time.
The branch of our tree and its fruit must fear and delight in God and be a place for his Spirit to rest, so that we may have the wisdom, understanding, counsel and power to judge justly and righteously, and not be swayed by attractive and persuasive people and arguments, even if those people and arguments have the force of the prevailing law behind them.
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LÉGARÉ, JOSEPH – Volume VIII (1851-1860)
d. at Quebec 21 June 1855
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CARIGOUAN (Carigonan), renowned Montagnais medicine-man, hostile to the French; d. late 1634.
Carigouan was one of the band with whom the Jesuit, Paul Le Jeune, spent the winter of 1633–34, sharing their nomadic life in the mountains and valleys that lie to the south of the lower St. Lawrence. Carigouan’s brother Mestigoït, a brave hunter of good disposition, was his host. Carigouan had two other brothers over whom he had great influence, Pastedechouan and Sasousmat.
Carigouan, then the most famous of Montagnais medicine-men, was held in awe by his people, who obeyed him implicitly in performing the rites and ceremonies demanded by him, even in the night hours or cold weather.
Father Le Jeune witnessed and described their feasts, dances, prayers, and death-rites, including feasts of the Bear and of the “Leg of the Manitou,” when a crooked leather sack filled with beaver hair was hung where Carigouan was seated. Le Jeune observed tent-shaking rituals, and he saw Carigouan “kill,” by rite, a sorcerer in Gaspé over 100 leagues distant. At times Carigouan withdrew alone to a cabin a short distance from the settlement, for eight or ten days, crying, shouting, and beating his drum.
Le Jeune related conversations with Carigouan and his followers concerning the creation; the nature of the universe and all that inhabits it, which they believed was restored by Messou after a general destruction by flood; the nature of the “genii” who were acquainted with events in the future, and who were called upon in the tent-shaking ritual; the souls of men and animals (the souls being shadows with physical attributes, therefore they must eat, sleep, drink, and hunt); and the village of departed souls. He describes dreams, songs, dances, drums, sweat-baths, and the curing of sickness.
Carigouan remained hostile to the priest, who described him as “vile to the last degree.” He made heavy demands for presents, especially of tobacco, and he bitterly resented Le Jeune’s attempts to discredit him. “This was like tearing his soul out of his body,” Le Jeune wrote. Carigouan had a natural aversion to the French. He retarded Le Jeune’s study of the language, he blasphemed in his presence, and he continually led his followers in sneers and derision against the father, often threatening him with death. Only at Christmas, in a period of great want, did he join in prayers.
The following winter, 1634–35, Carigouan was burned alive when his cabin was set on fire by one of his own people to relieve himself of the burden of the then sick medicine-man. After his death, his son was brought to Le Jeune and baptized in 1636.
Elsie McLeod Jury
JR (Thwaites) passim.
Revisions based on:
Early Jesuit missions in Canada (15v., Halifax, 2001–4), 14–1 (Paul Le Jeune, s.j., Québec relations: 1635, 1636, 1637, trans. William Lonc, s.j., 2004). Originally published in French as “Documents 26, 64, 114” in Monumenta Novæ Franciæ, Lucien Campeau, s.j., édit. (9v., Rome et Quebec, 1967–2003), 3: 42–130, 182–404, 520–798.
General Bibliography
Cite This Article
Elsie McLeod Jury, “CARIGOUAN (Carigonan),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed June 21, 2018, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/carigouan_1E.html.
Permalink: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/carigouan_1E.html
Author of Article: Elsie McLeod Jury
Title of Article: CARIGOUAN (Carigonan)
Publication Name: Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1
Publisher: University of Toronto/Université Laval
Year of publication: 1966
Year of revision: 2014
Access Date: June 21, 2018
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Objects & Places from The Soul of a New Machine
Buy The Soul of a New Machine Lesson Plans
Massachusetts Interstate
This location is where the books opens, with a description of driving along this roadway.
Building 14A/B
This location is near the junction of Route 495 and the Massachusetts Turnpike in Westborough that is the world headquarters of Data General Corporation.
Hudson, Massachusetts
This location was the town where Data General was founded and first located in 1968.
Research Triangle Park
This location is a North Carolina business and industrial area where Data General built its new research facility.
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
This place is the location of the computer company owned by Seymour Cray, the producer of the world's fastest computer.
Framingham, Massachusetts
This location is the home of Steve Wallach, who lives in a colonial style house in a subdivision.
Evansville, Indiana
Alsing's family moved to this location when he was a child.
Boston Public Library
This location is where Alsing wrote most of the...
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/14290
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Building Ecology These are the search results for the query, showing results 1 to 1. The 38th AIVC conference The 38th AIVC conference will be held on 13 and 14 September 2017 in Nottingham (UK) together with the 6th TightVent conference and the 4th venticool conference. No publisher gbendy energy comfort IAQ airtightness HVAC 2016-11-18T19:58:44Z Event
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/14291
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Building Ecology These are the search results for the query, showing results 1 to 1. The 37th edition of the International Energy Workshop (IEW) The IEW is one of the leading conferences for the international energy modeling research community. In a world of environmental and economic constraints, energy modeling is an increasingly important tool for addressing the complexity of energy planning and policy making. No publisher gbendy policy climate change energy sustainability modeling 2018-05-11T18:28:47Z Event
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Barbara Brockmann
June 3, 2010
Fisher Park Public School, Ottawa (Ontario)
Barbara Brockmann sees Canadian history as a critical cornerstone that helps her inner–city, multicultural grade 8 students find a ‘place’ in their country. She integrates Canadian History with Language Arts and Drama. Ebony Road: An African Canadian Journey, is a play where time travellers witness significant events of the African Canadian story. In Collecting Oral History students interview family members and publish their findings. Equity Gameboards allows students to evaluate the experiences of ethnocultural groups and teach others in a gameboard format.
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/14314
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Parent Information Nights – Junior & Senior Cycle
If you are a parent/guardian of a student or students commencing either 2nd, 4th or 5th Year in September 2018, please note the following dates:
Junior Cycle Options Information Night: Monday January 29th
Time: 7pm
Location: CCS school library
Information on subject choice etc. for parents of 1st Year students going into 2nd Year.
Senior Cycle Options Information Night: Tuesday February 20th (Note change of date)
Time: 7.15pm
Location: Carrigaline Court Hotel
Information for parents of students in 3rd and 4th Year, including presentations on Transition Year, 5th Year subject choice etc.
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Tuesday, September 14, 2010
My Life in the Fibro Lane - For Fibromyalgia Network News
Fibromyalgia Network News, “My Life in the Fibro Lane,” Submit yours at [email protected]
My Life in the Fibro Lane
Though the scenario may be different, my story is typical. In the mid 80’s an ICU patient, through no fault of his own (unaware of his intentions), grabbed my hair and tossed me about like a rag doll, quite literally. That was the beginning, only escalated by other physical trauma. I have also had torn rotator cuffs of each shoulder and one complete reconstruction as a result of my work as an emergency nurse. Anatomically, some of the muscles that support the shoulders also support the neck (cervical spine) and these injuries exacerbate my coexisting spinal problems and migraine headaches. These are the stage props of my not so loving affair with fibromyalgia.
I have been diagnosed with three disorders; fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic myofascial pain (CMP) from myofascial trigger points. As more recent research suggests and as I have suspected from years of research and writing all FM patients have myofasical trigger points (TrPs). In many cases a tragedy has occurred, they have gone undetected. It is unfortunate that clinicians do not recognize the presence of TrPs, since they can be a great aggravator of our fibromyalgia pain, and they can be objectively measured and treated. Another story for another day, and yes, I am an advocate for change.
Since this is my story on FM, I will make the gory details of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) short. Some think the two are interchangeable, but after researching, I do not believe that FM and CFS are the same. I personally have suspicions that my chronic fatigue is related to the Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis that went undetected for a long period of time, though I do not heal well and have many of the other symptoms of CFS. A test, I hope with the discovery and connection of XMRV to CFS, will finally lay this question to rest for myself and many others in my position.
I haven't worked since 2000. I didn't know what was wrong with me when I finally handed in the towel, I only knew that my brain was slipping away, the pain was unbearable and interfering with my ability to critically think. Sleep deprivation and non-restorative sleep was reaching a point of constant worry and anxiety that I might inadvertently harm a patient. This cognitive deficit was eventually confirmed by neuropsychological testing and evaluation by a forensic psychologist. So here I was, at what should have been the height of my career, alone and afraid to do the work I sacrificed and trained to do, care for others. Confused as to what was happening, after all, my training was as a hospital nurse and educator (I had zilch experience with any rheumatic condition), and persistence, I was finally diagnosed (over a year after I quit work). And found I fit the mold to a T. Five years earlier I had cut my hours back to part time in an effort to cope with the pain and fatigue. Five years, the average time from symptoms to diagnosis, though I suspect many of us would admit the symptoms quite possibly went unnoticed for a lifetime. I was now forced to care for myself. A feeble attempt at best, by both my healthcare providers and myself, I was totally ignorant. A new mission presented itself.
Through it all, and psychotherapy with a psychologist that specializes in treating patients with chronic pain, I learned that I had something to contribute and have been able to maintain forward momentum since. I have written a book on my three disorders as a way of personal coping and reaching out to help others (I had always told my students, if you really want to learn something, teach it, little did I know at the time how much more that would mean to me).
That is what I wish for everyone on this path with me, find an outlet, find YOUR contribution, we all have it in us. It was never easy, it still isn’t, but understanding and appreciating that there is more to being alive and well than physical being, that we all have something unique to share, is inspirational to me. The trials and triumphs of others are what keep me up on my down days.
I have followed my own advice on finding constructive ways of coping, and have fallen in love with writing poetry. Following is a poem that pretty much sums up the past two decades of my life. So I leave you with this:
A woman struggling to style her thin hair,
Why should I grieve what was once there?
Fingers of condition apologize for that,
So, I strive to coordinate my life with a cap.
Success bloomed many caps in my time
Lately, they are scented by a different kind.
Words dot my life, push, strive and hope,
Corrupted by illness, change, endure, cope.
But fear not my friend though my cap is askew,
This woman is learning, bring meaning anew.
These fingers have taught me about myself,
My caps are as peacemaker, caretaker, health.
So I leave you with this, my caps they were sent,
A schoolhouse of words, pure, sturdy and meant.
As I fondle this wisp of thin hair that remains,
My caps, though different, they stay the same.
Written by Celeste Cooper, author
Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: The Mind-Body Connection (co-author Jeff Miller, PhD) Healing Arts Press, Imprint of Inner Traditions, Bear and Company
No comments:
Celeste's Website
Celeste's Website
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August 13, 2002
Bummer! I am now a spamming idiot
Yesterday when I got home from work and actually went into my kitchen I could hear a faint noise. I thought for a while that the steady hum was from the refrigerator, but no it was in fact Fusijama - the server. I logged on the server and found to my horror that the server was acting as an open relay! For those not in the know, that means that ANYBODY can log on to my mailserver and forward mail from an essentially anonymous address to anybody else in the world. In short a spam machine. And horror no 2 was that some evil spammer had found out about it. I was, when I stopped the mailserver, infested with 500 MB of spam (that's more than 100000 offers for cheap loans, free porn, low interest rates, and fast university diplomas).
The error of my ways: I had upgraded my XMail mailserver and it had kindly updated my smtprelay setting to the default - which is to run as an open relay. I generally like the Unix philosophy that the user should be in full control and should know what he's doing. I like the mailserver a lot, but NOT the decision to leave it up to the user to discover the correct setting of (the file should be completely empty to disable all relaying), and certainly not this behaviour during upgrade. For the casual user, that ends up being a lot of work. (OK, so I was using an RPM to upgrade and maybe I shouldn't expect application specific sound upgrade policies from a general purpose package manager, although I think RPM does allow for stuff like that) (OK2, I know full well that Windows installation routinely violates your privacy and turns on crappy features - including some with security issues attached to them - by default)
The good news with this bad news was that I discovered how efficient the Open Relay databases are. I immediately logged onto ORDB to
check that my server was indeed a relay. They had gotten the first report of the harmful nature of my server configuration by someone other than me at 4AM the same morning. I fixed the problem, and asked for a retest, and within a couple of hours the server was unblocked again. I haven't really been around the net to check other relay databases although I should.
Why haven't I checked. Well it appears that no one in my immediate vicinity use the relay blockers. I was never blocked when forwarding from my own server to my company server. And the few mailing lists I operate seemed to function appropriately.
It's a pity really. I can live with a short mail outage after a bad config, if I get a responsive spam-free network in return. The email-server "honors system" of the open relay databases works and should be used.
Posted by Claus at August 13, 2002 09:56 AM
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Thursday, July 13, 2017
Dangers in Same-Sex "Marriage"
Marriage has been defined as something between a man and a woman for millennia, and original basis was defined by God back in Genesis. Different religions formalize the union in their own way, but still indirectly acknowledge our Creator's design. Cakes with toppers, throwing bouquets, varieties of ceremonies, a passel of superstitions — yeah, we made those, and they're optional.
God made marriage for one man and one woman. That's all.
Morguefile / earl53
Over the years, there has been an increasing cry to normalize same-sex unions, and eventually to redefine marriage itself under the pretense of "love". It's not about love, it's about sex, and the desire to destroy both marriage and the family unit itself. The floodgates have been opened (though people said it would not happen), and various unions have been called marriage: man-man, woman-woman, man-woman-woman, woman-tree, and other combinations. After that, the pedophiles and bestiality weirdos wanted "rights". Then there are the transsexual science deniers. Things have become outrageous in a hurry, and it's being brought by a small percentage of the population. Why are the rest of us giving in? Rebellion against God.
There's an old story that someone asked, "If you call a sheep's tail a leg, how many legs does it have?" The answer is four, because calling the tail a leg does not make it become a leg. Same with marriage. You can't redefine reality to fit your personal preferences. Nor can your harm God's will, and society itself, because you want something, you savvy?
G.P. from the U.S. asked:
You can find out the question and the excellent response by clicking on "How gay marriage harms people — Three reasons that abandoning God’s design for marriage is bad for society".
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CAS CS 112 B1 - Spring 2012 - Introduction to Computer Science II
Class meeting time: Tues/Thurs 12:30-2:00, CAS 324.
Lab meeting times: Mon 1-2, Mon 2-3, and Mon 5-6 in the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory, EMA 304.
Class syllabus.
Have questions? Please ask on Piazza.
This is the primary place that questions will be answered and any announcements will be posted.
Getting clarification on questions you have about material covered in the class or on the assignments is encouraged!
Click here to access our Piazza course page.
Instructor: Prof. John W. Byers
Email: byers @ cs . bu . edu [preferred]
Phone: 617-353-8925 [do not leave voice-mail; use e-mail instead]
Office Hours: Mon 9:30 - 11 and Thurs 11-12:30, held in MCS 270
Teaching Fellow: Chong Wang
Email: wangch @ bu . edu
Office Hours: Mon 4-5 and Wed 3-5 in EMA 302 (CS Undergrad lab).
Labs: Here is the lab homepage.
Homework Assignments and Other Handouts:
January 17: Homework 1 (pdf), (latex source). Due at the beginning of class on January 26. Please turn in a listing of your source code and output on test cases for programming problems.
Class average: 33/40.
January 24: Programming Assignment 1. Due via WebSubmit by 10PM, February 2.
Class average: 58/75.
February 2: Homework 2 (pdf), (latex source). Due at the beginning of class on February 9. Please turn in a listing of your source code and output on test cases for programming questions.
Class average: 32/40.
February 11: Programming Assignment 2. Due via WebSubmit by 10PM, February 16.
Class average: 59/70.
February 21: Programming Assignment 3. Due via WebSubmit by 10PM, March 1.
Class average: 66/90.
March 1: Homework 3 (pdf). Please submit these practice problems for the midterm in-class on Thurs, March 8 (at the beginning of the exam).
March 19: Programming Assignment 4 (pdf), (latex source). Due via WebSubmit by 10PM, March 29.
April 1: Homework 4 (pdf). Due in class on Thurs, April 4 (at the beginning of class).
April 5: Programming Assignment 5 (pdf), (latex source). TWL word list. Due via WebSubmit by 10PM, April 12.
April 22: Homework 5 (pdf), (latex source). Due at the beginning of class on April 26. Please turn in a listing of your source code and output on test cases for Question 2.
April 23: Programming Assignment 6 (pdf), (latex source). Co-authorship data (graph.txt). Due via WebSubmit by 10PM, May 3.
May 2: Practice final (pdf).
Lecture 1 (1/17): Course overview and syllabus. Motivation for study of algorithms and data structures. Recursive implementation of binary search. Also, here's a demo of binary search in action.
Lecture 2 (1/19): Survey of external libraries for this class (p. 27). ADTs, APIs, and data structures. Moving from specifications to instantiations. Quick tour of Counter API, usage, and implementation. Whitelisting via static sets (to be completed in Lab 1). [Reading: Chapters 1.1 (mostly review) - 1.2].
Lecture 3 (1/24): Stacks and queues: motivation, examples, and APIs. Linked-list and array-based implementations of stack; array resizing. [Slides for the next couple lectures].
Lecture 4 (1/26): Linked-list implementation of queue. Discussion of array-based implementation (you get to implement it in lab). Java generics: interface declarations, usage, and class implementation.
Lecture 5 (1/31): Iterators: usage and implementation. Applications of stacks: Dijkstra's two-stack method for expression evaluation [Demo].
Lecture 6 (2/2): Code for Dijkstra's method. Postfix notation. Applications of queues. Linked list reversal: iterative and recursive approaches (see code on pp. 165-6).
Lecture 7 (2/7): Analysis of algorithms. Applying the scientific method to modeling running time via wall-clock evaluation, use of Stopwatch class. Introduction to mathematical modeling of worst-case running times using tilde notation. We covered some of the slides for Chapter 1.4 to get started. We'll learn much more about big-O notation later as the class goes on.
Lecture 8 (2/9): Introduction to sorting. Rules of the game, running time evaluation. Basic sorts. [slides for Chapter 2.1]
Lecture 9 (2/14): Insertion and selection sort, demos, implementation and running time analysis.
Lecture 10 (2/16): Mergesort: divide and conquer approach, walkthroughs, top-down recursive implementation and running time analysis (several ways). [slides (we'll cover up through the material on complexity of sorting].
No lecture (Tues, 2/21): BU is on a Monday schedule. Monday labs will be held at the usual time and place.
Lecture 11 (2/23): Bottom-up iterative mergesort. Complexity of comparison-based sorting & lower bounds. Quicksort: design and implementation. [slides, partitioning demo, ]
Lecture 12 (2/28): Quicksort analysis. Achieving linearithmic running time in expectation through randomization. Randomized selection. Intro to priority queues. [slides]
Lecture 13 (3/1): Binary heap realization of priority queue. Array-based implementation and logarithmic running times for PQ operations. Heapsort.
Lecture 14 (3/6): Introduction to symbol tables: motivation and API. Unordered list and ordered array implementation. Binary search tree outline. [slides]
Thursday, 3/8: In-class midterm. Closed book and notes.
3/10 - 3/18: Spring Break! Also, no lab on Monday 3/19.
Lecture 15 (3/20): Binary search trees: definitions, invariants, and data structures. Lookups and insertions. [slides]
Lecture 16 (3/22): Binary search trees (ii). Recursive routines: size(), rank(). Tree traversals. DeleteMin() and delete() [Hibbard deletion].
Lecture 17 (3/27): Balanced search trees: 2-3 trees, red-black trees. Conceptualization. [slides]
Lecture 19 (3/29): Red-black tree: implementation and analysis. B-Trees.
Lecture 20 (4/3): Hashing and hash tables. [slides]
Lecture 21 (4/5): Hash tables, part ii.
Lecture 22 (4/10): Introduction to graphs. Definitions, applications, and data structures. [slides]
Lecture 23 (4/12): Graph data structures and graph traversals. Depth-first search.
Lecture 24 (4/17): Applications of DFS. Breadth-first search.
Lecture 25 (4/19): Class cancelled -- no lecture.
Lecture 26 (4/24): Directed graphs, and directed acyclic graphs (DAGs). Topological sorting algorithms. Transitive closure. [slides].
Lecture 27 (4/26): Weighted graphs. Minimum spannning tree concepts and algorithms. Cut and cycle properties. Prim's and Kruskal's algorithm. [slides].
Lecture 28 (5/1): Shortest-path algorithms. Dijkstra's algorithm. [slides]. Course wrap-up.
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Cowboy Jack ClementApr 10, 2013 Big Light Studio, Nashville, TN
1. Gone Girl04:44
2. Beautiful Dreamer02:49
3. I Know One02:16
4. Guess Things Happen That Way02:13
When we look back, we hope we're going to see a long trail of love and compassion, strewn about like the clothes of an impatient skinny dipper, on the banks of a lake. We'd like there to be some applause. We'd like to see smiles and pretty dimples on the deliciously long-legged ladies. We'd like there to be fondness. We'd like for there to be some kind of awe. We'd like for the reception to be inspired. We'd love for there to be a sing-a-long. Cowboy Jack Clement has that. The music legend can look all around him and hear those gorgeous melodies that he encouraged out of his crazy heart, over decades and decades of magical music-making.
Clement, who was working at Sun Studios in Memphis during some of rock and roll's most important moments, ran the Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa out of the top-floor of his Nashville home, since he moved to there from Memphis in the early 70s. He ran the place like a gathering spot for geniuses, for eccentrics, for the beautiful dreamers that he always surrounded himself with - of which he was always the biggest one. There was always something on the stove - a soup or a stew - and it was the place where Johnny Cash, Eddy Arnold, John Prine, Waylon Jennings and many more spent their days and nights, smoking cigarettes, singing together and telling stories. It's still a place where almost everyone's welcome. You can walk in the front door and no one will bat an eye as long as you don't let any of Jack's cats out. It's a place that oozes magic and history and you feel it the second you go up the stairs to the vaulted ceilinged attic studio. It's been renovated since a fire destroyed it and priceless master tapes by the likes of Cash, Prine, Louis Armstrong, Charley Pride, and many others. There's no fire that could burn the spirit out of that room.
This past January, two days before his friends honored Cowboy with a rousing tribute show, we gathered some of his old buddies into this treasured studio for what could be one of his last sessions. He was in fine form, but he always is when he's playing, when he's singing. It's when all of the pain from the cancer goes away. It's when he feels as well as he's going to feel. When he sings, he's happy. He performed "I Know One," which made Pride a household name. He played "Guess Things Happen That Way," which Cash turned into a hit. He played the spectacular single, "Gone Girl," and the old parlor song from the mid-1800s, "Beautiful Dreamer," a song that should have been written by Clement. It's pure Cowboy and it goes:
"Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!
Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea,
Mermaids are chanting the wild lorelei
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
More From Cowboy Jack Clement
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Interpreter (computing)
1. parse the source code and perform its behavior directly;
2. translate source code into some efficient intermediate representation and immediately execute this;
Early versions of Lisp programming language and Dartmouth BASIC would be examples of the first type. Perl, Python, MATLAB, and Ruby are examples of the second, while UCSD Pascal is an example of the third type. Source programs are compiled ahead of time and stored as machine independent code, which is then linked at run-time and executed by an interpreter and/or compiler (for JIT systems). Some systems, such as Smalltalk and contemporary versions of BASIC and Java may also combine two and three.[2] Interpreters of various types have also been constructed for many languages traditionally associated with compilation, such as Algol, Fortran, Cobol and C/C++.
Compilers versus interpreters
Development cycle
Bytecode interpreters
There is a spectrum of possibilities between interpreting and compiling, depending on the amount of analysis performed before the program is executed. For example, Emacs Lisp is compiled to bytecode, which is a highly compressed and optimized representation of the Lisp source, but is not machine code (and therefore not tied to any particular hardware). This "compiled" code is then interpreted by a bytecode interpreter (itself written in C). The compiled code in this case is machine code for a virtual machine, which is implemented not in hardware, but in the bytecode interpreter. Such compiling interpreters are sometimes also called compreters.[7][8] In a bytecode interpreter each instruction starts with a byte, and therefore bytecode interpreters have up to 256 instructions, although not all may be used. Some bytecodes may take multiple bytes, and may be arbitrarily complicated.
Threaded code interpreters
Abstract syntax tree interpreters
In the spectrum between interpreting and compiling, another approach is to transform the source code into an optimized abstract syntax tree (AST), then execute the program following this tree structure, or use it to generate native code just-in-time.[9] In this approach, each sentence needs to be parsed just once. As an advantage over bytecode, the AST keeps the global program structure and relations between statements (which is lost in a bytecode representation), and when compressed provides a more compact representation.[10] Thus, using AST has been proposed as a better intermediate format for just-in-time compilers than bytecode. Also, it allows the system to perform better analysis during runtime.
Just-in-time compilation
Clive Gifford introduced[] a measure quality of self-interpreter (the eigenratio), the limit of the ratio between computer time spent running a stack of N self-interpreters and time spent to run a stack of self-interpreters as N goes to infinity. This value does not depend on the program being run.
Microcode is a very commonly used technique "that imposes an interpreter between the hardware and the architectural level of a computer".[13] As such, the microcode is a layer of hardware-level instructions that implement higher-level machine code instructions or internal state machine sequencing in many digital processing elements. Microcode is used in general-purpose central processing units, as well as in more specialized processors such as microcontrollers, digital signal processors, channel controllers, disk controllers, network interface controllers, network processors, graphics processing units, and in other hardware.
Microcode typically resides in special high-speed memory and translates machine instructions, state machine data or other input into sequences of detailed circuit-level operations. It separates the machine instructions from the underlying electronics so that instructions can be designed and altered more freely. It also facilitates the building of complex multi-step instructions, while reducing the complexity of computer circuits. Writing microcode is often called microprogramming and the microcode in a particular processor implementation is sometimes called a microprogram.
More extensive microcoding allows small and simple microarchitectures to emulate more powerful architectures with wider word length, more execution units and so on, which is a relatively simple way to achieve software compatibility between different products in a processor family.
• Interpreters are frequently used to execute command languages, and glue languages since each operator executed in command language is usually an invocation of a complex routine such as an editor or compiler.[]
• Self-modifying code can easily be implemented in an interpreted language. This relates to the origins of interpretation in Lisp and artificial intelligence research.[]
• Virtualization. Machine code intended for a hardware architecture can be run using a virtual machine. This is often used when the intended architecture is unavailable, or among other uses, for running multiple copies.
• Sandboxing: While some types of sandboxes rely on operating system protections, an interpreter or virtual machine is often used. The actual hardware architecture and the originally intended hardware architecture may or may not be the same. This may seem pointless, except that sandboxes are not compelled to actually execute all the instructions the source code it is processing. In particular, it can refuse to execute code that violates any security constraints it is operating under.[]
• Emulators for running computer software written for obsolete and unavailable hardware on more modern equipment.
See also
Notes and references
2. ^ Although this scheme (combining strategy 2 and 3) was used to implement certain BASIC interpreters already in the 1970s, such as the efficient BASIC interpreter of the ABC 80, for instance.
4. ^ "Why was the first compiler written before the first interpreter?". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2014.
5. ^ Theodore H. Romer, Dennis Lee, Geoffrey M. Voelker, Alec Wolman, Wayne A. Wong, Jean-Loup Baer, Brian N. Bershad, and Henry M. Levy, The Structure and Performance of Interpreters]
6. ^ Terence Parr, Johannes Luber, The Difference Between Compilers and Interpreters
7. ^ Kühnel, Claus (1987) [1986]. "4. Kleincomputer - Eigenschaften und Möglichkeiten" [4. Microcomputer - Properties and possibilities]. In Erlekampf, Rainer; Mönk, Hans-Joachim. Mikroelektronik in der Amateurpraxis [Micro-electronics for the practical amateur] (in German) (3 ed.). Berlin: Militärverlag der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (de), Leipzig. p. 222. ISBN 3-327-00357-2. 7469332.
8. ^ Heyne, R. (1984). "Basic-Compreter für U880" [BASIC compreter for U880 (Z80)]. radio-fernsehn-elektronik (de) (in German). 1984 (3): 150-152.
9. ^ AST intermediate representations, Lambda the Ultimate forum
11. ^ Surfin' Safari - Blog Archive » Announcing SquirrelFish. Webkit.org (2008-06-02). Retrieved on 2013-08-10.
13. ^ Kent, Allen; Williams, James G. (April 5, 1993). Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology: Volume 28 - Supplement 13. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. ISBN 0-8247-2281-7. Retrieved 2016.
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Syntax (programming Languages)
Syntax highlighting and indent style are often used to aid programmers in recognizing elements of source code. Color coded highlighting is used in this piece of code written in Python.
In computer science, the syntax of a computer language is the set of rules that defines the combinations of symbols that are considered to be a correctly structured document or fragment in that language. This applies both to programming languages, where the document represents source code, and markup languages, where the document represents data. The syntax of a language defines its surface form.[1] Text-based computer languages are based on sequences of characters, while visual programming languages are based on the spatial layout and connections between symbols (which may be textual or graphical). Documents that are syntactically invalid are said to have a syntax error.
Syntax - the form - is contrasted with semantics - the meaning. In processing computer languages, semantic processing generally comes after syntactic processing, but in some cases semantic processing is necessary for complete syntactic analysis, and these are done together or concurrently. In a compiler, the syntactic analysis comprises the frontend, while semantic analysis comprises the backend (and middle end, if this phase is distinguished).
Levels of syntax
Computer language syntax is generally distinguished into three levels:
• Words - the lexical level, determining how characters form tokens;
• Phrases - the grammar level, narrowly speaking, determining how tokens form phrases;
• Context - determining what objects or variables names refer to, if types are valid, etc.
Distinguishing in this way yields modularity, allowing each level to be described and processed separately, and often independently. First a lexer turns the linear sequence of characters into a linear sequence of tokens; this is known as "lexical analysis" or "lexing". Second the parser turns the linear sequence of tokens into a hierarchical syntax tree; this is known as "parsing" narrowly speaking. Thirdly the contextual analysis resolves names and checks types. This modularity is sometimes possible, but in many real-world languages an earlier step depends on a later step - for example, the lexer hack in C is because tokenization depends on context. Even in these cases, syntactical analysis is often seen as approximating this ideal model.
The parsing stage itself can be divided into two parts: the parse tree or "concrete syntax tree" which is determined by the grammar, but is generally far too detailed for practical use, and the abstract syntax tree (AST), which simplifies this into a usable form. The AST and contextual analysis steps can be considered a form of semantic analysis, as they are adding meaning and interpretation to the syntax, or alternatively as informal, manual implementations of syntactical rules that would be difficult or awkward to describe or implement formally.
The levels generally correspond to levels in the Chomsky hierarchy. Words are in a regular language, specified in the lexical grammar, which is a Type-3 grammar, generally given as regular expressions. Phrases are in a context-free language (CFL), generally a deterministic context-free language (DCFL), specified in a phrase structure grammar, which is a Type-2 grammar, generally given as production rules in Backus-Naur form (BNF). Phrase grammars are often specified in much more constrained grammars than full context-free grammars, in order to make them easier to parse; while the LR parser can parse any DCFL in linear time, the simple LALR parser and even simpler LL parser are more efficient, but can only parse grammars whose production rules are constrained. In principle, contextual structure can be described by a context-sensitive grammar, and automatically analyzed by means such as attribute grammars, though in general this step is done manually, via name resolution rules and type checking, and implemented via a symbol table which stores names and types for each scope.
Tools have been written that automatically generate a lexer from a lexical specification written in regular expressions and a parser from the phrase grammar written in BNF: this allows one to use declarative programming, rather than need to have procedural or functional programming. A notable example is the lex-yacc pair. These automatically produce a concrete syntax tree; the parser writer must then manually write code describing how this is converted to an abstract syntax tree. Contextual analysis is also generally implemented manually. Despite the existence of these automatic tools, parsing is often implemented manually, for various reasons - perhaps the phrase structure is not context-free, or an alternative implementation improves performance or error-reporting, or allows the grammar to be changed more easily. Parsers are often written in functional languages, such as Haskell, or in scripting languages, such as Python or Perl, or in C or C++.
Examples of errors
As an example, (add 1 1) is a syntactically valid Lisp program (assuming the 'add' function exists, else name resolution fails), adding 1 and 1. However, the following are invalid:
(_ 1 1) lexical error: '_' is not valid
(add 1 1 parsing error: missing closing ')'
Note that the lexer is unable to identify the first error - all it knows is that, after producing the token LEFT_PAREN, '(' the remainder of the program is invalid, since no word rule begins with '_'. The second error is detected at the parsing stage: The parser has identified the "list" production rule due to the '(' token (as the only match), and thus can give an error message; in general it may be ambiguous.
Type errors and undeclared variable errors are sometimes considered to be syntax errors when they are detected at compile-time (which is usually the case when compiling strongly-typed languages), though it is common to classify these kinds of error as semantic errors instead.[2][3][4]
As an example, the Python code
'a' + 1
contains a type error because it adds a string literal to an integer literal. Type errors of this kind can be detected at compile-time: They can be detected during parsing (phrase analysis) if the compiler uses separate rules that allow "integerLiteral + integerLiteral" but not "stringLiteral + integerLiteral", though it is more likely that the compiler will use a parsing rule that allows all expressions of the form "LiteralOrIdentifier + LiteralOrIdentifier" and then the error will be detected during contextual analysis (when type checking occurs). In some cases this validation is not done by the compiler, and these errors are only detected at runtime.
In a dynamically typed language, where type can only be determined at runtime, many type errors can only be detected at runtime. For example, the Python code
a + b
is syntactically valid at the phrase level, but the correctness of the types of a and b can only be determined at runtime, as variables do not have types in Python, only values do. Whereas there is disagreement about whether a type error detected by the compiler should be called a syntax error (rather than a static semantic error), type errors which can only be detected at program execution time are always regarded as semantic rather than syntax errors.
Syntax definition
Parse tree of Python code with inset tokenization
The syntax of textual programming languages is usually defined using a combination of regular expressions (for lexical structure) and Backus-Naur form (for grammatical structure) to inductively specify syntactic categories (nonterminals) and terminal symbols. Syntactic categories are defined by rules called productions, which specify the values that belong to a particular syntactic category.[1] Terminal symbols are the concrete characters or strings of characters (for example keywords such as define, if, let, or void) from which syntactically valid programs are constructed.
A language can have different equivalent grammars, such as equivalent regular expressions (at the lexical levels), or different phrase rules which generate the same language. Using a broader category of grammars, such as LR grammars, can allow shorter or simpler grammars compared with more restricted categories, such as LL grammar, which may require longer grammars with more rules. Different but equivalent phrase grammars yield different parse trees, though the underlying language (set of valid documents) is the same.
Example: Lisp S-expressions
Below is a simple grammar, defined using the notation of regular expressions and Extended Backus-Naur form. It describes the syntax of S-expressions, a data syntax of the programming language Lisp, which defines productions for the syntactic categories expression, atom, number, symbol, and list:
expression = atom | list
atom = number | symbol
number = [+-]?['0'-'9']+
list = '(', expression*, ')'
This grammar specifies the following:
• an expression is either an atom or a list;
• an atom is either a number or a symbol;
Here the decimal digits, upper- and lower-case characters, and parentheses are terminal symbols.
The following are examples of well-formed token sequences in this grammar: '12345', '', '(a b c232 (1))'
Complex grammars
The grammar needed to specify a programming language can be classified by its position in the Chomsky hierarchy. The phrase grammar of most programming languages can be specified using a Type-2 grammar, i.e., they are context-free grammars,[5] though the overall syntax is context-sensitive (due to variable declarations and nested scopes), hence Type-1. However, there are exceptions, and for some languages the phrase grammar is Type-0 (Turing-complete).
In some languages like Perl and Lisp the specification (or implementation) of the language allows constructs that execute during the parsing phase. Furthermore, these languages have constructs that allow the programmer to alter the behavior of the parser. This combination effectively blurs the distinction between parsing and execution, and makes syntax analysis an undecidable problem in these languages, meaning that the parsing phase may not finish. For example, in Perl it is possible to execute code during parsing using a BEGIN statement, and Perl function prototypes may alter the syntactic interpretation, and possibly even the syntactic validity of the remaining code.[6] Colloquially this is referred to as "only Perl can parse Perl" (because code must be executed during parsing, and can modify the grammar), or more strongly "even Perl cannot parse Perl" (because it is undecidable). Similarly, Lisp macros introduced by the defmacro syntax also execute during parsing, meaning that a Lisp compiler must have an entire Lisp run-time system present. In contrast, C macros are merely string replacements, and do not require code execution.[7][8]
Syntax versus semantics
The syntax of a language describes the form of a valid program, but does not provide any information about the meaning of the program or the results of executing that program. The meaning given to a combination of symbols is handled by semantics (either formal or hard-coded in a reference implementation). Not all syntactically correct programs are semantically correct. Many syntactically correct programs are nonetheless ill-formed, per the language's rules; and may (depending on the language specification and the soundness of the implementation) result in an error on translation or execution. In some cases, such programs may exhibit undefined behavior. Even when a program is well-defined within a language, it may still have a meaning that is not intended by the person who wrote it.
• "Colorless green ideas sleep furiously." is grammatically well formed but has no generally accepted meaning.
• "John is a married bachelor." is grammatically well formed but expresses a meaning that cannot be true.
complex *p = NULL;
As a simpler example,
int x;
printf("%d", x);
is syntactically valid, but not semantically defined, as it uses an uninitialized variable. Even though compilers for some programming languages (e.g., Java and C#) would detect uninitialized variable errors of this kind, they should be regarded as semantic errors rather than syntax errors.[4][9]
See also
To quickly compare syntax of various programming languages, take a look at the list of "Hello, World!" program examples:
1. ^ a b Friedman, Daniel P.; Mitchell Wand; Christopher T. Haynes (1992). Essentials of Programming Languages (1st ed.). The MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-06145-7.
2. ^ Aho, Alfred V.; Monica S. Lam; Ravi Sethi; Jeffrey D. Ullman (2007). Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools (2nd ed.). Addison Wesley. ISBN 0-321-48681-1. Section 4.1.3: Syntax Error Handling, pp.194-195.
3. ^ Louden, Kenneth C. (1997). Compiler Construction: Principles and Practice. Brooks/Cole. ISBN 981-243-694-4. Exercise 1.3, pp.27-28.
4. ^ a b Semantic Errors in Java
6. ^ The following discussions give examples:
7. ^ "An Introduction to Common Lisp Macros". Apl.jhu.edu. 1996-02-08. Archived from the original on 2013-08-06. Retrieved .
8. ^ "The Common Lisp Cookbook - Macros and Backquote". Cl-cookbook.sourceforge.net. 2007-01-16. Retrieved .
9. ^ Issue of syntax or semantics?
External links
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/14406
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• synonyms
[fuh-lis-kuh n]
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural Fa·lis·cans, (especially collectively) Fa·lis·can for 1.
1. a member of an ancient people who inhabited southern Etruria.
2. the Italic language spoken by this people, closely related to Latin.
1. of or relating to the Faliscans or their language.
Origin of Faliscan
1590–1600; < Latin Falisc(us) of Falerii, major city of the Faliscans + -an
Examples from the Web for faliscan
Historical Examples
• At the decree of the Senate, Camillus raised a force and invaded the Faliscan territory.
Plutarch's Lives, Volume I (of 4)
British Dictionary definitions for faliscan
1. an ancient language of Italy, spoken in the area north of the Tiber. It was closely related to Latin, which displaced it before 200 bc
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Home > Software Development > Two Opposite Trends in Java Programming: Which Should You Go With?
March 24th, 2010 Leave a comment Go to comments
Generics for Stronger Typing
Before 1.5, Java has a little gap in the typing. For example, the Java collection library could have type leaks. Let’s take a look at two methods of the type List, which is an interface:
public boolean add(Object o);
public Object get(int index);
The add() method takes an object of Object type, meaning you can put in anything as you want because in Java every object is type or subtype (directly or indirectly) of Object. When you get an item out from the list, you have an object typed as Object. In most cases, you cast it to a specific type like:
String str = (String) list.get(0);
Now, if the first object is not of String type or its subtype, you get ClassCastException.How to prevent this from happening?
In Java 1.5, generics feature was added into the language. It allows you to specify the type of the items in the container. In the above example, you would do like this:
String str = list.get(0);
You don’t need to do conversation any more. If you get the typing wrong, the compiler would flag you with errors. Everything is just safer than before. The whole collection library was re-written to support Generics.
The problem is that you have to learn how to use the generics. And the code using generics doesn’t look as clean as before. More about the generics can be found here.
Dependency Injection (DI) for Weaker Typing
In a strong typing language like Java, once you put in code that involves the implementation types, then you establish the dependency on these implementation classes. The compiler would demand you to have them ready before you can compile the code.
This enforces the type safety, but at the same time limits the flexibility. In some cases like a framework, it doesn’t know what implementations will be there in the future.
That is where DI comes to play.
The DI is really for removing dependencies on specific implementations of interfaces so that you can switch among them on the fly without re-compiling the code. Note that, before this technique was called DI or Inverse of Control (IoC), it’s used in some tools like Eclipse for extensibility. The foundation for the DI is the Java reflection API.
There are several DI frameworks, the most famous of which is the Spring framework. While using Spring, you define an XML file, say “appcontext.xml,” which includes a bean definition like this:
<bean id="message" <strong>class</strong>="org.doublecloud.MessageImpl" lazy-init="false" init-method="printSelf">
<property name="content" ref="stringmessage" />
In your code, you write something like that:
FileSystemXmlApplicationContext factory = <strong>new</strong> FileSystemXmlApplicationContext("applicationcontext.xml");
Message stm = (Message) factory.getBean("message");
Now you code compile without the presence of the MessageImpl class, and you can change the class in the XML file to whatever implementation class that implements the Message interface. The framework then just picks it up and makes it work.
All look great, right?
Coming along with the benefits are some drawbacks:
1. If you miss type something especially the class name, you won’t know it until running it.
2. If your MessageImpl does not implement the Message interface, you won’t know it neither until running it. From the xml file itself, you cannot tell it’s a requirement.
Combined together, typing is getting weaker with DI. You could have the IDE to do a little extra for you to have above checked for you. But still, it needs extra tooling and a different way to work on the issue.
Besides the above drawbacks, there are also extra problem with code browsing and debugging. When trying to look into the implementation class, you will need extra effort. First, you will find out the XML file in which the bean is defined. It’s straight forward in this small sample, but could be quite troublesome if the implementation class is “injected” somewhere else. Secondly, you need to find out the name of implementation class in the XML file. Lastly, you can search for the implementation class.
If you turn on debugger, you may be able to get the real type using inspector and jump to the step 3 directly. Still, it’s not as straight forward as normal.
Given these two opposite trends, what are you going to do with them?
In general, strong typing is a good thing. It can help you to catch problems early at development time. It becomes more important when your system scope becomes bigger. Although you can write unit test code, you should leverage the language features like generics as your first defense. The effort for using the Generics is mostly minimal.
To develop generic enabled libraries is another story – you will need extra efforts there. Overall, the chance for you to get there is pretty small. Before you ever think about that, you should ask yourself whether you can use something in the standard Java libraries. If you do, forget about inventing your own wheel.
For the DI, it all depends on what you want to do.
If you just design a typical application, I would suggest you to go straight forward without DI. But if you are working on a framework or application that requires extensibilities, DI is your friend; otherwise, it could complicate your application without clear benefits.
Like many other technologies, there is no strictly “good” or “bad” with stronger or weaker typing. It’s all about when and how you use them on what.
1. March 25th, 2010 at 20:17 | #1
Hi Steve,
Nice blog. I’ve been reading your blog for a while and I had to comment about this post. If implemented correctly dependency injection should not hinder type safety. It might seem that because we tend to declare dependencies using XML files we lose the compiler checks but this is not true, as you said the IDE (Eclipse, IntelliJ, …) parses this XML and checks for types, hence enforcing strong typing: you cannot inject a class not implementing the required interface.
Also, in Spring, you’re not supposed to access beans via the application context directly and cast them to an implementation. In an ideal dependency injection scenario, you never access that context. The beans/classes are injected by Spring through the setters/constructors:
public class Bean1 {
private Bean2 bean2;
// This is called by Spring
public void setBean2(Bean2 bean2) {
this.bean2 = bean2;
public void do() {
// use bean2
As far as browsing is concerned, all modern IDEs will detect that this class is a bean and let you browse back and forth between the class and the XML file.
So really, there is no reason for not using both strong typing and dependency injection :-)
2. March 27th, 2010 at 21:45 | #2
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the nice comment! You are right that one could achieve both the DI and type safety with helpers like IDE with extra plug-ins. This is however not built into the language itself, therefore the compiler cannot do it. In a large project, the build team is in charge of build and they don’t use IDEs mostly. If for whatever reason, someone tweak the code outside IDE, it might cause problems.
Overall DI is an indirection which brings flexibility but also complexity. One has to make a judgment whether the flexibility is really needed at the price to take care of extra complexity.
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Archives For Busyness
Photo 1472586662442 3eec04b9dbda
Photo 1422976280096 9126a41f9e2a
“So, you’re here today about your blood pressure,” I said, my words trotting out. The key to a successful morning at a doctor’s office is to keep up the tempo. Fall behind schedule before 9 a.m. and you’ll have a morning full of grumpy patients waiting for you. I dropped onto the swivel chair and opened my laptop.
“Blood pressure looks great. How long have you been off the pills?” A couple weeks. She’d waited till after surgery like we’d discussed.
“Any new problems?” No, she felt great. Surgery had gone well. No other concerns.
9475340363 1263a7f4c2 k
Photo courtesy of Megan Au via (CC BY-ND-NC 2.0)
I closed my laptop and slid the stethoscope into my ears. I couldn’t believe my luck, this was going to be the quickest first-appointment-of-the-day ever.
“Sounds good. Hope you have a great week!” I stuffed the stethoscope into my pocket and headed for the door.
“One more thing…” she said Continue Reading…
Do you ever feel like your life is stuck on mile 20 of a marathon? You just want to crumple on the asphalt and take a nap, but the mountain of Xray reports (or diapers or bills) refuses to budge. So, you push yourself on for another week, only to find yourself still at mile 20 and the finish line nowhere in sight.
Life is busy for everyone I know, and for most of us it’s hard too. In different ways and for different reasons, we find ourselves in the middle of a marathon, physically or emotionally tired, spiritually drained as we sprint past Jesus to meet the next deadline or never-ending-day of mind-numbing sameness. Sometimes, we sense Jesus running alongside, offering us gatorade and telling us to pace ourselves, but we’ve been running for a long time and we’re exhausted. Maybe it’s time for a rest.
Converse fieldsPhoto courtesy of Ilham Rahmansyah via
God worked for six days and rested on the seventh. This is one of the first things the Bible teaches us about God, the God in whose image we’re made. But, we don’t have time to rest like God, we’ve got too much to do. This intoxication with busyness, though, wasn’t always the norm for God’s people Continue Reading…
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Bob Woodward on Obama's second term agenda
Will the President continue spending in order to redistribute income?
This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," January 21, 2013. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
O'REILLY: Continuing with our inauguration coverage let's go back to Washington to bring in Bob Woodward associate editor of the "The Washington Post", author of the book: "The Price of Politics."
So, you think I'm wrong in saying that President Obama is going to continue his big spending agenda in order to redistribute income no matter what the price the country pays?
BOB WOODWARD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, I think you hit on the right theme. Social justice, he calls it equality. The question is how do you get there? And I think he knows in his head that you get there by mobilizing the economy, getting the engine going. If you think about it, the greatest social injustice is not being able to get a job. You have to get that unemployment number down.
What I really think there was somewhat of a lost opportunity here. If he'd given healing speech. Supposed he had turned around, which would have been extraordinary Speaker Boehner, the Republican leader of the House and said we're going to work together on these things we're going to fix my agenda and your agenda and of course Boehner's agenda is we have to cut spending and even Obama's economists tell him that.
So they missed this opportunity. Also, I remember Catherine Gram who was the publisher of "The Post" used to always say it's very difficult to not like somebody who says they like you. You've talked to Republicans and Democrats here and they have the feeling -- I'm not sure it's correct -- but they feel Obama doesn't like them.
O'REILLY: He doesn't -- he doesn't like them. I mean, it's pretty clear that he doesn't like them because he doesn't feel -- he feels that they are the purveyors of white privilege, Bob. And -- and you know he's never going to say that but that's the theme that runs through his advisors. The white privileged has to be broken down.
WOODWARD: I don't agree, I think he just doesn't agree with Republicans on their agenda. And he's hurting his own cause.
O'REILLY: Ok I know what you say but think about what I just said. The Republican agenda in his mind, the President's mind props up white privilege. And therefore, as the social justice champion, he has to tear that down. He doesn't like the white privilege thing and he doesn't like the Republicans trying to defend it. And that's the seed.
Now, I want to ask you a question.
WOODWARD: Ok. But I'm going to disagree.
O'REILLY: Yes I know Woodward is going to disagree.
WOODWARD: It's a broader -- it's a broader disagreement with the Republican agenda. And he hammered hard in the campaign. And he won tax increases for the top one percent. That's a big deal to him.
O'REILLY: Ok. 1985 Ronald Reagan comes up. He says exactly the opposite. Exactly the opposite of Barack Obama. Reagan says the government's the problem. We ought to get the government out of the way and unleash the American people who will return the nation to prosperity.
Reagan very popular President among Americans remains so. Personally, personally Barack Obama very popular among Americans you know I think his personal rate is around 59 percent. Job approval 52.
How can this country in the space of, what, almost 30 years, change so dramatically in our philosophy?
WOODWARD: Well, first of all, Obama today did say that it's a fiction to believe that government alone can solve all of the problems. So he -- he's is taking somewhat of a middle course now. If you look at that speech, I mean it's an odd speech -- he just threw out things. There's -- there's kind of no coherent plan and again, I think the missed opportunity was to say to the American public and the world, look, this is where I'm going. This is what matters. One, two, three, these are the things I'm going to do. And there was a scatter shot approach. And I think a lot of the speech was unnecessarily vague.
O'REILLY: All right but you didn't answer my question. I know it's a little bit of an esoteric question. How can the nation change in less than 30 years where we're -- Ronald Reagan becomes an icon into what we have now which is 180 degrees opposite of Reagan? What changed?
WOODWARD: I think part of this I mean, looking at presidents you realize that their personal appeal and popularity is often what people vote on. And that happened to Reagan and Obama as you point out is personally popular.
I think this 19-minute speech, quite frankly is going to be quickly forgotten. I mean as the old John Mitchell who is the attorney general for Nixon who said quite rightly "Don't watch what we say, watch what we do." And I think we have to see what Obama is really going to do.
And of course, what the Republicans are doing. I think the other thing if I can dwell on it for a moment, he didn't talk about the world.
WOODWARD: The world is a very dangerous place and there are a lot of dangerous things going on. And he may have -- he skipped it.
O'REILLY: No he didn't do that. But he would have left that to the state of the union anyway. But you are right. He could have rallied. He didn't really rally tonight. Everybody is just as hard as they were when they got up this morning. Bob always a pleasure.
WOODWARD: Thank you it's a pleasure.
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One of the most important responsibilities of any administrator is to make regular backups. But unlike backing up regular data, backing up databases isn't a straightforward affair. Designing an effective strategy for taking backups of production MySQL servers depends on a lot of factors. Depending on your situation, your best MySQL backup tool might be mysqldump, AutoMySQLBackup, or MySQL Workbench.
Full story »
geekyBodhi's picture
Created by geekyBodhi 5 years 14 weeks ago
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Celebrities Who Have Been Kidnapped
Mar 15, 2017 at 5:21 pm |
Some got away, others didn't
Over 500,000 people are reported missing each year. Children are more likely to be the victims of kidnappings, but it happens to adults as well. Your level of fame may actually make you a more attractive target to people who would dare to abduct another person. Whether because they’re seeking ransom money, they want to be famous themselves, or because they’re mentally ill, kidnappers have successfully targeted the rich and famous over the years, and we’re more horrified each time it occurs.
human trafficking kidnap hands tied
Credit: chameleonseye/Shutterstock
The more celebrity you gain, the more of a target you become for robbers, thieves, and even kidnappers.
They probably hired better bodyguards after these harrowing experiences
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Te Reo Maori
Ngā oropuare - vowels
Māori vowels are much the same as many other languages (except English!).Here are the short vowels:
a e i o u
a as in cup
e as in egg
i as in eat
o as in for
u as in to
Ngā tohutō - macrons
A macron is a line written above a vowel and indicates a long vowel sound.
ā ē ī ō ū
Ngā orokati - consonants
The Māori consonants are:
h k m n ng p r t w wh
• ng’ as in singer
• r’ is a rolling ‘r’ sometimes described as being close to an English ‘d’ or ‘l’ sound
• wh’ as in father.
Phrases and words we use at Glen Eden Primary School
Hei konei rā! - Goodbye!
He pai rawa atu taua pōwhiri ki a au - I really enjoyed that pōwhiri
He tika Koe! - You are correct!
He tino āwhina koe - You have been very helpful
homai - pass /give (to me)
Homai te pukapuka - Give me the book
Ka mau te wehi! - Fantastic! Awesome!
(often used to praise something or someones work)
Ka pai hoki koe! - Good on you!
kai - food
kaiako - teachers
kaitiaki - caregiver
Kei hea te pene? - Where is the pen?
Kei hea te pukapuka? - Where is the book?
Kei te tino poho kererū au kia koe - I'm very proud of you
Kia pai tō wā whakatā! - Have a good holiday!
Ko wai tō ingoa? - What's your name?
Ko __________ tōku ingoa? - My name is __________.
konei - here, this place
Haere mai ki konei! - Come here!
Kia pai tō rā! - Have a good day!
Kaiāwhina pai - Great helper
Koia kei a .... - ....great / really nailed it!
Koia kei a koe! - You're great!
kura - school
kupu - word/s
Karakia mō te kai (Grace)
Whakapaingia (Bless) - Ēnei kai (these foods) - Hei oranga (sustaining)
te tīnana (for the body).
Mā te wā! - See you later!
mahi - work
Mahi pai - Good work
moko - grandchild
Nau mai haere mai - Welcome
pōwhiri - to welcome, a welcoming ceremony
tamariki - children
Tāmata koutou pakeke! - You tried hard!
tēina - younger brother, younger sister
tuākana - elder brother, elder sister
tuatahi - first
waiata - song
waka - boat
wananga - seminar, conference, forum, educational seminar
Whaea - Mother, Aunty
whānau - family / extended family
Glen Eden Primary School
makes learning an enjoyable
and rewarding experience
for our tamariki.
Phone: (09) 818 6686
Mobile: 021 610 364 or 027 337 7002
Glen Eden Primary School
3 Glenview Rd
Glen Eden,
Auckland 0602
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apple title 1
Apple title 2
Apple title 4
apple byline
apple drop caph, God! This isn’t supposed to happen to me!” I screamed.
apple graphic
I had just discovered the dead body of our eighteen-year-old son. Two days before his death, he had been treated for mononucleosis and had been given clearance to go on the annual church ski trip. But on February 6, 1991, I discovered his body at 8:20 a.m. I still remember the details of that moment as though it happened this morning.
Changes in My Ministry
Denny’s death changed the trajectory of my pastoral ministry as I struggled to survive the sudden and unexpected shock of losing him. Autopsy results revealed that he died from “complications due to mono.” Our entire family was thrown into a horrific nightmare from which we thought we would never awaken.
After the loss of our son, scores of individuals and families have reached out to me, asking for help and advice as they approached the coming death of a family member or dealt with the shock of a sudden loss. I still recall the words of one man as he walked into my office: “My wife told me to come and see you because you know all about pain.”
He was right. While traveling this road with fellow mourners, I have learned, much that has affected the way I minister to others who have suffered the loss of a loved one.
The Differences Between Grief and Mourning
First, I have learned the differences between grief and mourning. We often use one word “grief” for both when in fact, the person is mourning.
Let me explain.
Grief is characterized by the heaviness of spirit a person feels when he or she experiences the loss of a loved one. The griever might be laughing on the outside but crying on the inside. Mourning, on the other hand, is an observable sadness. Some of the obvious signs of mourning are: crying, sad countenance, despondent tone of voice, slumping body language, and loss of interest in things the person previously enjoyed.
These signs of mourning are often confused with depression. The two look very much the same. However, with depression, a person does not always know the reason or cause. In many cases, a professional therapist must help discover the origin and treatment for depression.
Grief, on the other hand, is connected to the loss of a loved one. Again, a grieving person can often disguise or hide his or her grief, but mourning is easily observed. Mourning happens when a person allows the painful feelings to go public.
Three “H” Keys for Ministering to Those Who Mourn
As we attempt to minister to those who mourn, here are three “H” keys to keep in mind: 1) Hang around, 2) Hug them, and 3) Hush up.
1) Hang Around: When you receive word that someone has died and the family is calling for you, it is important to drop what you are doing and go to the individual or family that is reaching out to you. Whether the death is expected or unexpected, your immediate presence can speak in ways that words cannot.
2) Hug Them: When you arrive at the location of the grieving family, don’t hesitate to open your arms and embrace those who are mourning the loss. Quite often, you will be met at the door by the mourners who will approach you with tears and arms wide open. Don’t hesitate to receive them and embrace those who are grieving in a way that is appropriate at the moment. Allow them to express their sorrow. For most, a compassionate hug or meaningful touch can be important in times of grief. The minister will, of course, want to gauge the receptiveness of this kind of gesture based upon his or her knowledge of the family members, but ministers should not be surprised if a simple hug is called for.
3) Hush Up: Remember the words we speak and don’t speak at the time of death. A pastor’s verbal response will vary depending upon the situation. For example, if an elderly person has had a painful chronic illness for a long period of time, the death may be a relief to the family and caregivers.
In contrast to this, consider the death of a teenage son or daughter, killed suddenly in a car accident. With the first example, the pastor might quote or read scriptures that affirm the home going of the deceased and offer comfort to the family. In the second example, the parents may be screaming, as I was when I lost my son, “God, why has this happened to me?”
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As pastors, we must remember that we do not possess all of the answers in times such as this. It is best to let the questions flow and to acknowledge our inability to answer them. When grief is fresh, often the less we say, the better. These are the moments when we should resist saying, “God needed more angels,” or, “The good die young.” Even theological, helpful phrases like, “We should be thankful your child was a Christian,” can be painful and unhelpful in the immediate throes of grief. This list of inappropriate things we might say is longer than we can imagine. In moments like this, our pastoral care might be more effective if we simply “hush,” trusting the Holy Spirit to work even in the silence of our presence together.
Following Up with Those who Mourn
The ministry of follow up is vital. After the visitation and funeral, a wise pastor notes the important dates of the deceased. For example, if the deceased was a spouse, go to your calendar and mark the date of the death, his or her birth, and the couple’s wedding anniversary. Then, the following year, when those dates roll around, write a short note or make a phone call and check in on the surviving spouse. He or she will never forget it. Likewise, with the death of a child, be sure to write the child’s death and birth dates on your calendar. When you acknowledge these important dates, the parents, siblings, and grandparents will feel as though their sorrow has been acknowledged and will often wish to take the opportunity to speak more with you about their grief journey. You may be allowed into that sacred space, where only a few are allowed to enter.
Looking back, the people who helped me the most were not the ones who quoted scriptures to me. The ones who stand out to me were the ones who said, with tears streaming down their faces, “I don’t know what to say.” They simply hugged me and allowed me to pour out my sorrow. They were the ones who hung around, hugged me, and then hushed up.
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Western Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies
ETD Fast Facts
The submission process provides you with a unique opportunity to learn more about electronic publishing and there are important copyright issues to keep in mind. The skills acquired in submitting your electronic thesis will serve you well as you continue to produce works of scholarship, more so if you choose to remain in higher education. The framework of the submission process mirrors that of a digital academic peer review journal. We encourage you to start learning about copyright and publishing issues in the process of preparing/submitting your thesis.
You retain the copyright to your work. When you upload your thesis or dissertation to the Scholarship@Western repository, you grant The University of Western Ontario the right to preserve and provide access to your digital document. These are the same rights that Western Libraries retains for paper theses and dissertations. Prior to electronic theses and dissertations, one paper copy was stored in the University Archive, for preservation purposes, and one copy was made available to the public. (The public can view the paper copy of a thesis or dissertation by visiting the library in person, or requesting the work through interlibrary loan.) Dissertations completed after 1996 are also available via the UMI Digital Dissertations service for online viewing or print-on-demand.
When is Copyright Permission Required?
Reference: Graduate Regulation
You must ensure that your work does not contain a substantial amount of copyrighted material. Under the Copyright Act, the "fair dealings" provision allows the quotation of a reasonable extract of someone else's work, if properly cited. For more extensive quotation or use of multimedia, the candidate must obtain written permission from the copyright holder(s) and include this permission in the thesis.
Does your thesis contain someone else’s work (i.e. figures, maps, images, questionnaires, photos, etc.)?
1. Does your thesis contain your own previously published materials (i.e. journal article)?
Securing Permission from Copyright Holders
Securing copyright permission may take time and we recommend seeking any needed permissions early in the thesis preparation process. Some publishers provide (on their website or in the material given to you when your article was accepted) a policy statement granting permission to publish your work in a thesis. The Sherpa Romeo website may be helpful to you in determining publishers’ polices. If you need to request permission, we suggest that you refer to, or use, the wording of the copyright Permission request sample text below. An original, signed letter on the copyright holder’s letterhead is your best protection against accusations of copyright violation, but email proof of permission from publishers or co-authors is acceptable. Keep copies of all documents for your own records.
Copyright Permission Request - Sample Text
Re: Permission to Use Copyrighted Material in a Doctoral/Master’s Thesis
Dear: I am a University of Western Ontario graduate student completing my Doctoral / Master’s thesis entitled “____***_____”. My thesis will be available in full-text on the internet for reference, study and / or copy. Except in situations where a thesis is under embargo or restriction, the electronic version will be accessible through the Western Libraries web pages, the Library’s web catalogue, and also through web search engines.I will also be granting Library and Archives Canada and ProQuest/UMI a non-exclusive license to reproduce, loan, distribute, or sell single copies of my thesis by any means and in any form or format. These rights will in no way restrict republication of the material in any other form by you or by others authorized by you.
I would like permission to allow inclusion of the following material in my thesis: [insert copy or detailed explanation including the title of the article or book, the figure or page numbers of the material used, the journal name, year, volume number or unique publication identifier, the publisher and year]
The material will be attributed through a citation.
Please confirm in writing or by email that these arrangements meet with your approval.
Your Name and Signature
Cite Your Sources
Any copyrighted material used in your thesis, including photos, pictures, charts, graphs, maps, etc. must receive full citation. Each citation must include the copyright symbol, name of the copyright holder (who may or may not be the author) and a statement that the use or adaptation (in the case of adapted graphics) is by permission of the copyright holder.
Permission Denied? Unavailable?
Occasionally, permission to use copyrighted material cannot be secured, or is denied. Do not reproduce copyrighted material in your thesis without permission. Remove the copyrighted material. You will proceed differently according to the nature of the material.In the case of an image of an artifact or artwork, for example, you may include a description of what is missing, a full citation of the source of the material and where it can be found. Include an explanation that the material has been removed because of copyright restrictions. In the case of a thesis chapter that was previously published as a journal article, you should include in place of the chapter an abstract of the chapter content and a link to the journal website where the original article can be read.
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Achilles Was a Hero of Greek Mythology
Written by in Comments Off on Achilles Was a Hero of Greek Mythology
When we think of Greek mythological heroes, there are a few that stand out strongly in our minds. Achilles is one of the most notable heroes, especially because of the impact that he played in the battles during the Trojan War. He was most known for a being a strong, capable warrior and he possessed an extreme amount of strength. He was also strong and brave, and these traits served hi well during the war. Here is some more information about Achilles, the Greek hero and a main character in Homer’s Iliad, where his heroic deeds in battle were described:
Thetis Mother Was Pursued By Powerful Gods
Achilles’ parents were Thetis, a nymph, and his father was Peleus, a king of the Myrmidons. Prior to Thetis marrying Peleus, she was pursued by both Poseidon and Zeus. These powerful gods eventually backed down after they heard a prophesy that she was destined to bear a son that would be stronger than his father. The two gods didn’t want to take the risk of being overthrown or overpowered by the son. Eventually, Thetis and Peleus came together and had a son who did grow to great strength and would perform many heroic deeds.
Achilles Did Have One Major Weakness
The expression, “Achilles Heel”, came about because of the hero’s one weakness. He actually had a weak heel that come about when he was a very small child. In fact, when he was small, there was a prophecy that he would lead a short, but heroic life. He was destined to die young. His heel was his major weakness and it came about when Thetis, his mother, dipped him in the River Styx, which was supposed to have made him strong and resilient. While this was the case, she missed dipping in his heel because this is where she held him as he was dipped in. Thus, a portion of his foot never touched the water. This would come into play around the time of his death. Ultimately, Achilles sustained a mortal injury to this foot, the site of his one major weakness.
Achilles’ Actions Made Him a Hero of the Trojan War
Before he met an early death, he fought valiantly in the Trojan War and his actions really did make an impact on the outcome of the war. He is most known for slaying Hector, the hero of the Trojans. He did so by luring him outside the walls of Troy and slaying him when he came out. This act helped secure a Greek victory. However, he later met his death during the very war that he helped win. Although the Iliad never mentioned how Achilles died, other sources say that he met his death when he was shot in his weak heel with an arrow. Since this was his weakest spot, this arrow shot created a mortal wound.
Achilles is one of the most celebrated heroes in Greek mythology because of his strength and courage. However, the prophecy was correct – he did live for only a short time.
Wikipedia – Achilles
Wikipedia – Achilles Heel
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Clio – Muse of History
Aug 04th, 2016
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Marathon Training Update – 10 weeks to go
Posted by DarrenG on February 08, 2013
Last Sunday I tackled the 10 mile run which puts me back on the 16-week schedule that will take me up to race day, and I loved it. I felt great and thoroughly enjoyed the run and the challenge of doing some serious miles again.
I’m not going to set any records for speed, but 6 months ago I couldn’t run for 5 minutes so being able to run for more than 2 hours without stopping is, for me, a massive achievement. Whilst I do look at my split timings, and rejoice when Nike+ tell me I beat my fastest ever mile (I did a 9’30” mile on Thursday), the reality is that my marathon target is to finish, and that I fully intend to do!
As always, if anyone has a few quid to spare, you can sponsor me at
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The Garden Community for Garden Lovers
By Guest
Who is guest?
County Down, United Kingdom Gb
What is the best time to move Acer palmatum Bloodgood
Asked from the GoYpedia acer trees page
Too late for this season.....when it it domant is the time......winter.very early spring..,.
20 Apr, 2010
Agree, but you can move it now if you're desperate, but only if you think you can keep the rootball intact, not break any roots at all, and if you're prepared to water once a week with at least 2 gallons till the winter starts again.
20 Apr, 2010
How do I say thanks?
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2 down, 3 to go
september 09, 2002.
Thanks to all that took the trouble to listen to the collage of found cassette tapes (sept. 6, 2002), and helped me to identify the song fragments ...
Here's what I've learned:
The first is from Merle Haggard's "Oakie from Muskoggee" "Okie from Muskogee", which was kindly pointed out to me by one blue nine, then somewhat later confirmed by Rabuck.
As to the hip-hop bit, Rabuck at first thought it was Dr. Mix. "But," he wrote, "it isn't. It could be almost any Rapper from the late 80s early 90s..."
In fact it turned out to be part of the track "Backyard Boogie" by Mack 10, from his 1997 album 'Based On a True story'. Got this piece of info from the Phaktor, which then was easy to check, as Google in less than no time led me to a playable preview of the song ...
So far so good.
I knew that identifying them first two fragments wouldn't be too difficult :) ...
About the rest one blue nine wrote: "The third is West African, I believe. I think you could call the style "high life." The fourth might be Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan , I think. And the fifth is a mystery to me. It might be from Persia/Afghanistan... might also be Sufi music ..."
And Rabuck: "...The rest...who knows?" he said, "I'd just throw the tapes back in the street, they were put there for a reason!"
LOL! But then of course you'll never know who'll pick them up next, now do you, Rabuck?
[ Wanna try? Here's the deep link: MagMig092002.mp3 fotex01.mp3 ... next related SB-entry: detour ]
tags: found tapes
# .9.
september 08, 2002. have doubled the number of mp3-files that artists are allowed to upload. I have brought in Mymory as my third track. It's a short, but also one of my favorite Sound Chronicles.
Among the sonic snapshots used for 'Mymory' there's Natasha doing a tap dance solo, a recording of the dress rehearsal for a show at the Trouville casino and Bill Clinton stating that now his "memory is not what it used to be". (Snapped that one while watching his Lewinsky testimony on Dutch television, 09.21.1998.)
As my fourth track I thought it would be nice to upload something that will be available only here at ... sort of 'hors série", as the French say. Done in a way similar to the Sound Chronicles, but not part of the series, because of the different basic sounds used.
"SansParoles (speechless)" uses sounds from the archives of national broadcast organisations all over the world, made available by Phonurgia Nova, a non-profit trust based in the French City of Arles, dedicated to "the promotion of sound art and creativity in radio".
Here's the list of files that can be downloaded from the Phonurgia site.
For 'Speechless' I used parts of tracks number 55 (tune introducing the announcement on Polish national radio of the capitulation of the German army, 1945), number 11 (tune introducing the news on Radio Suisse Roumande, 1972, at the time of the Munich Olympics massacre), number 33 (countdown to the first day of Radio One, BBC 1967), number 28 (BBC Newsflash announcing Hitler's death, 1945), number 21 (static from this 1937 BBC transmission), number 9 (witness of the disaster of the Malpasset dam (France), which broke on the night of december 2, 1959 and killed over 420 people, Radio Suisse Roumande) and number 54 (the Polish radio announcing the beginning of what became the second world war, 1939).
Apart from these I use a couple of tiny fragments from one of the most spine-chilling public speeches I ever heard on tape, delivered february 18, 1943, in the Berliner Sportpalast, by Goebbels, the minister for People's Enlightenment and Propaganda, shortly after the Germans' defeat at Stalingrad, calling for 'Total War'. An amazing sound document, for many reasons: the calculated styling of text declamation and performance, its histery, and - maybe most of all - the sheer endless roaring cheers of the crowd ...
To counter-act, but also to stress, all this disaster and madness from years past, there's the painfully shrieking part of a (walking) improvisation by Ronald Heiloo, Tim Benjamin and myself (we used violin, melodica and piano) in the Amsterdam art gallery Aorta, march 1983...
Here are the deeplinks. Enjoy!
[ next related SB-entry: while the world waited ; earlier: what is ''? ]
tags:, sound chronicles, radio
# .8.
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Project H.A.M.M.E.R.
No Rating
About This Game
Project H.A.M.M.E.R.. It was developed by NST and published by Nintendo for Wii.
Killer robots are attacking major cities across the United States, and the military is powerless to stop them. Players control one of Project H.A.M.M.E.R.'s cyborg prototypes: half-man, half-machine, with an extraordinary weapon -- and the power to save the world.
Grab the Wii Remote and start swinging. Equipped with a hammer of amazing strength, players represent the only hope against an unstoppable army of marauding automatons. Players use the Nunchuk controller in one hand to maneuver through a variety of vast and detailed environments. They use the Wii Remote in the other just like a real hammer to control the hero's weapon. Swing the controller side to side to make the in-game hammer send enemies flying. Lift it into the air and bring it down to smash robots to smithereens. Use the A button for quick hammer flurries.
Despite a promising concept, this game was put on indefinite hold by Nintendo.
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Turning your small business into a franchise can be a profitable decision. It requires a business that is franchiseable. That is, it needs to be credible, run by experienced managers, a good business opportunity, teachable and capable of producing a high rate of return. According to the International Franchise Association, a successful franchise must generate between 15 and 20 percent profit on an investment after deducting franchise royalties. You will also need a franchise support program, an operations manual, a training program, control systems and forms and a supervisory program.
Things You Will Need
• Support program
• Operations manual
• Training program
• Control systems and forms
• Supervisory program
• Step 1
Create a support program for your franchisees. You need to provide your customers with value if you expect them to pay for the privilege of using your business model and buying your products. Create a document that describes in detail what your franchise can do for them. These services vary from franchise to franchise. They could include providing marketing consulting, advertising, training, help with accounting, advice on choosing a site, and so on.
Step 2
Describe how to run the business an in an operations manual that also includes a brief history of the business, company policies, standards, advertising, health and safety rules, and proper use of trademarks.
Step 3
Design a training program. The training program must be structured; provide all the knowledge, management skills and even attitude required to make a success out of your business model. Set up a supervisory program. Supervisors are representatives of the franchise to the franchisees. They have experience and detailed know-how on how the business works and are ready to visit the franchisee and provide practical help whenever needed. At the beginning you could provide this service, and then hire successful managers to do it for you.
Step 4
Design control systems and forms. This could include cost of materials, labor, advertising and sales report forms.
Step 5
Create a franchise fee structure. Take into account the services you offer, the level of competition the franchisee will face, the finances of the franchisee and the value of your trademark to set a fee that will be profitable for you and affordable for your franchisees.
Step 6
Write a compelling franchise offering circular. This is a legal requirement enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. Provide all the information a potential buyer needs to decide if your business is a good opportunity for them.
Step 7
Market your franchise by advertising in relevant business fairs, trade associations, magazines and websites. Join your local chamber of commerce and other recognized organizations that can improve your credibility and standing in your industry.
Tips & Warnings
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