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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/786 | Wednesday, July 29, 2015
And now, the scores!
Food: 8,5
Service: 8
I am definitely going back. Mmmmmmm poached eeeeeeeeggggg!
Click to add a blog post for Ludger on Zomato
Friday, July 10, 2015
Le Vin Papillon
Le Vin Papillon had been on my list for a short time, basically since Val had gone a couple weeks prior to my visit. She had loved it and raved about it so, hello! I had Lena and her hubby in town that weekend and I wanted to bring them somewhere hip and cool and all that jazz so I thought about this restaurant. Plus, it's a 12 minute walk from my place, like a lot of new restos. By the way, I'm a cool person that lives in a cool hot neighbourhood. Yes, that's correct.
This resto is David McMillan and Fred Morin's third baby after Joe Beef and Liverpool House. It's tiny and corridor-like and sadly went unnoticed (by me) for about 1 year and a half. Note to self: open eyes. They take zero reservation so get there at a weird eating time OR pray that you'll get a table. We did the latter on a busy, warm Friday evening and I think we waited about 10 minutes. Nice.
As soon as you get in, the ambiance of the restaurant fills you and suddenly you feel happier. Seriously; smiling faces everywhere, people hustling and bustling, waiters explaining the menu left and right. It was just a welcoming, wonderful atmosphere. There was a terrasse out back which seemed happening as well. The menus were on the wall, which as we all know can be a good and a bad thing. A tad annoying when you're sitting up against them and you have to turn around. Oh, also annoying when it's quite dark.
Now the premise of this resto is, if I'm not mistaken, tasting good wine (hello!) whilst eating some simple, yet well made dishes. These dishes are made with fresh produce, mainly from Québec, if they are available of course.
Our first dish: sea urchin. I had actually neva eva tasted those. Me! What. So obviously, this was an obvious choice. It turned out to be a tad bit disappointing: although the texture was actually quite nice en bouche, the taste was nearly nonexistent. It was kind of a sad beginning.
Shaved ham with awesome cheese (I totally forgot to note which cheese, damn it!). Now THIS was goooood! The ham was so thin that it melted in your mouth and the [awesome] cheese was peppery and sweet all at once. Mmmmmm, it was yummy, peppery salty goodness. I want you to promise me that if you go there, you WILL order this. Just do it.
Gravlax! Oy, the asparaguses (that's how you spell it, right?, hehehe) were cooked just right. I hate overcooked asparagi (second try?) and I loathe undercooked ones too. The fish just right smack melted in yo damn mouth. It wasn't too salty, it was just right. Texture was just right. Ok, it's safe to say it was just right, yes? The bun that was accompanying it was just lovely. Airy, soft loveliness. Probs (it's a word) almost just out of the oven. Although it was wonderful, it didn't really belong in this specific dish.
The 7 layer dip. YES, 7. I can't even begin to describe everything that was in there; I just know it was tasty, zesty, feta-y and soft. The chips, on the other hand, were a bit on the too-hard-for-my-liking side.
Morel stuffed bread. Or, as we should say en bon québécois, guédille aux morilles. This was a tough one. Only because we were three and I think there were two morels in there. Lots of button mushrooms, but two morels. It was good, but again the lack of the main ingredient was kind of frustrating.
The best picture ever. I mean, the cauliflower. AND the worse pic ever taken by anyone, EVA. I think le Vin Papillon is popular in part because of this plate. Why? Because everyone orders it and everyone likes it. Plus, it's so damn simple yet oh so good. Mmmmm, I'd go for another charred one of these bad boys!
Service was on par, even if it was a bit slow at times. the restaurant was full to the brim so perhaps that was why. We didn't really feel it so that was all good. Our waitress was cute and quick (those two qualities go together, right?) and she explained the wine and the food and answered questions.
And now, the scores!
Service: 8
Food: 7.5
Well, its a 12 minute walk from my place, it's good, AND cute girls work there? I'm obviously going back.
Click to add a blog post for Le Vin Papillon on Zomato |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/796 | Does Legalized Abortion Increase Promiscuity in Teens and Young Adults?
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Essay #: 051565
Total text length is 9,177 characters (approximately 6.3 pages).
Excerpts from the Paper
The beginning:
Does legalized abortion increase promiscuity in teens and young adults?
Background: importance of this study and what the literature says. This study is important because, if legalized abortion causes young people to be more sexually active, then it also raises the spectre that they will be more susceptible to sexually-transmitted diseases. At the same time, if legalized abortion has no impact upon sexual activity in young people, then this constitutes one less objection to abortion.
In any case, the literature suggests that adolescent women change their sexual behaviour when the cost of irresponsible behaviour increases (Altman-Palm & Tremblay, 1998). Other research suggests that having an abortion actually leads young...
The end:
.....udies look more closely at the differences – if any – between various racial groups; this paper did not touch upon the matter and no stratified sampling was done.
References (single-spaced)
Altman-Palm, N. & Tremblay, C.H. (1998). The effect of parental involvement laws and the AIDS epidemic on the pregnancy and abortion rates of minors. Social Science Quarterly, 79(4): 846-861.
Bradshaw, Z., & Slade, P. (2005). The relationships between induced abortions, attitudes towards sexuality and sexual problems. Sexual & Relationship Therapy, 20(4): 391-406.
Sen, A. (2006). Frequency of sexual activity amongst unmarried adolescent girls: do state policies pertaining to abortion access matter? Eastern Economic Journal, 32(2): 313-330. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/803 | To Top
Popular Science: Alaska Fire Jeeps & M-170
• CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine
The May 1953 issue of Popular Science including the following 2 jeep-related short blurbs:
Cold Alaska has so much warm water (from volcanic springs) that 17 new Jeep fire engines being sent there for civil-defense duty are equipped with special “heat exchangers.” They’ll cool the water sprayed on fires — cold water put out fires faster.
The same issue also includes an unrelated mention of the new M-170:
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/806 | Cheese Sticks
Kids are cheese lovers. Cheese provides with calcium and the fat needed for kids. Make this cheese sticks for evening snacks when kids are back from school and see them gulp it all. Its very easy to make too.
Cheese Sticks
YIELD – 10 sticks
Maidha - 1 cup
Grated cheese - 1 1/2 cups
Pepper -1/2 tsp.
Salt - as per taste
Oil - to deep fry
1. Mix maidha, 1/4 cup grated cheese, pepper and salt to make a pliable dough.
2. Make 10 balls of equal size. Spread out to thin pooris.
3. Spread the remaining cheese on the pooris, roll it and tightly seal all the sides so that cheese don't come out.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Deep fry all the rolled out sticks until golden brown.
5. Serve hot.
• You can substitute sugar instead of pepper and salt and make sweet cheese sticks.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/807 | Face Learning: Successfully recognizing the face of a familiar person requires activation of a stable face representation. Such representations must be sensitive to structural and textural differences between different identities, but tolerant of transient within-person variability in appearance.
The same person can appear visually different on different occasions, and this variability can sometimes exceed the differences between two people (Adini, Moses & Ullman, 1996).
The ability to identify a familiar face is thus a remarkable challenge to the visual system, yet familiar observers are able to do so with ease and accuracy. By contrast, recognizing or even matching unfamiliar faces from new instances is surprisingly hard (Bruce et al., 1999; Clutterbuck & Johnston, 2002; Jenkins, White, van Montfort & Burton, 2011).
Although this remarkable difference in processing familiar and unfamiliar faces has been shown in a number of studies (Bruce et al., 2001; Jenkins et al., 2011), we remain largely unclear about the processes involved in the transition between these two states, i.e., face learning. Specifically, the precise mechanisms of forming representations that allow identification of a person across different instances are largely unknown - Andrews et al (2016).
To explore how stable face representations develop, in this study we employed incidental learning in the form of a face sorting task. In each trial, multiple images of two facial identities were sorted into two corresponding piles.
Figure 1: Examples of ambient face images from just two identities.
Following the sort, participants showed evidence of having learnt the faces, performing more accurately on a matching task with seen than unseen identities. Furthermore, ventral temporal event-related potentials were more negative in the N250 time range for previously-seen than previously-unseen identities.
These effects appear to demonstrate some degree of abstraction, rather than simple picture learning, as the neurophysiological and behavioural effects were observed with novel images of the previously-seen identities.
The results provide evidence of the development of facial representations, allowing a window onto natural mechanisms of face learning. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/817 | What happened to the caterpillar ?
When visiting a dry grassland in Franche-Comté a female of Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius) was spotted during the egg-laying process on sloe-bushes (Prunus spinosa). The female seemed to be laying only on small heads of the foodplant whereas larger bushes were not selected by the insect.
From this moment, the egg was checked regularly in order not to miss the hatching....
28/04/2010 - Franche-Comté - France
30/05/2010 - 15:48 One month after laying, the aspect of the egg changed and one could guess that the small caterpillar was about to get out of the egg
04/06/2010 - 13:46 As expected, the precise moment of hatching was missed..... but the tiny larva was found all the same not far from the empty egg
12/06/2010 - 09:59 During the following days the caterpillar molted ; most of the time it was lying on a leaf previously covered with silk which might have been helpful for staying anchored on the leaf surface...
12/06/2010 - 13:54 The larva was leaving sometimes its resting leaf to get to another place nearby for eating.
12/06/2010 - 13:57 As visible on this picture the leaf used for eating had already been attacked by the caterpillar and was reused for that purpose several times
12/06/2010 - 13:58
12/06/2010 - 14:00
12/06/2010 - 14:02 The time for feeding was usually rather short (less than 5 minutes).
12/06/2010 - 14:03 After eating the caterpillar was each time going straight to its resting leaf. 18/06/2010 - 17:28 Other views of the caterpillar. When worried, the larva was becoming stiff and was drawing up ; at rest it normally was entirely lying onto the leaf 25/06/2010 - 14:50
Other views...
25/06/2010 - 14:52
27/06/2010 - 16:17 This picture is the last view available of this caterpillar because for some reason the larva disappeared... Noone knows what it became though it is likely that a predator found it... ...Unhappy end. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/820 | hoverbox hoverbox
Most Played Games
Roll the Ball
We play a lizard who likes to skate! Players get to experience skateboarding.This game is for skateboarding lovers and soccer lovers. You are on the board and you have to make a goal.
We are Social
Exchange Game
Online Web Games |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/821 |
California Civil Code Section 1793.22(b) presumes that the manufacturer has had a reasonable number of attempts to conform the vehicle to its applicable express warranties if, within the first 18 months of ownership of a new vehicle or the first 18000 mi (29,000 km), whichever occurs first:
1. Two or more repair attempts are made on the same non-conformity likely to cause death or serious bodily injury OR
1. Four or more repair attempts are made on the same nonconformity (a defect or condition that substantially impairs the use, value or safety of the vehicle) OR
1. The vehicle is out of service for repair of nonconformities for a total of more than 30 calendar days (not necessarily all at one time).
In the case of 1 or 2 above, the consumer must also notify the manufacturer of the need for the repair of the nonconformity at the following address:
Ford Motor Company16800 Executive Plaza DriveMail Drop 3NE-BDearborn, MI 48126
You are required to submit your warranty dispute to BBB AUTO LINE before asserting in court any rights or remedies conferred by California Civil Code Section 1793.22(b). You are also required to use BBB AUTO LINE before exercising rights or seeking remedies created by the Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, 15 U.S.C. sec. 2301 et seq. If you choose to seek redress by pursuing rights and remedies not created by California Civil Code Section 1793.22(b) or the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, resort to BBB AUTO LINE is not required by those statutes. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/824 | Grant Spotlight >
Parent University
posted 4 Nov 2015, 12:53 by Webmaster Foundation51 [ updated 4 Nov 2015, 13:03 ]
Co-Sponsored by PTO and a Foundation 51 Grant...
Parent University is a new, free program that brings parents
in our community together to learn
from experts and each other about key topics relevant to raising and educating kids in today's
Last winter, the PTO sent a survey out to all parents in the district to learn what topics were of most interest to them. Based on that feedback, we're so pleased to launch this new program in Fall 2015.
Come and check out these exciting and informative Parent University sessions:
• Wed. October 7th - An Introduction to Digital Citizenship: Establishing a Positive Digital Environment at Home"
• Wed. October 21st - "Raising Healthy Eaters: Identifying and Preventing Disordered Eating Habits" |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/835 | Drug Production and Trade
Drug Production and Trade
Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy
In Shepard Krech III, J.R. McNeill, and Carolyn Merchant (Editors)
Encyclopedia of World Environmental History
2003, New York, Routledge, 1344 p.
Volume 1, pp. 347-350.
(This text has undergone slight revision since its original publication)
Since the first drugs – psychoactive substances that alter states of consciousness or increase metabolic performance – were found in the plant world, humans have interacted with plants from which drugs are derived in countless relationships between plants and society and between nature and culture.
For ages the use of such psychoactive drugs, at first mainly through consumption of parts of certain plants, has been widespread. From so-called primitive people to modern societies, on each continent and in every religion, all kinds of people have resorted to drug-produced stimulations, from the mild ones created by tea and coffee to the more potent ones generated by other natural drugs such as cannabis (marijuana), coca (the source of cocaine), kola, khat (a shrub whose leaves contain a stimulant), opium, and so on, and to chemical or even medicinal drugs such as cocaine, heroin, crack, LSD, ecstasy, Prozac, Valium, etc.
As Jean-Marie Pelt, a French pharmacognosist, writes, “drug sticks to Man like skin to his flesh” (Pelt 1983, 14). Botanist Richard E. Schultes and pharmacochemist Albert Hofmann have shown the great diversity of drug plants and their worldwide use, the tropical regions being by far the richest in natural psychoactive substances. Only the Inuit of Arctic latitudes were known for their ignorance of mind-altering substances.
However, since their early use by primitive societies as entheogens (generating inner divinity), drugs have been perceived as harmful to both individuals and societies. Thus they have been classified, according to their potency and harmfulness, as legal or illegal, often without scientific evidence of their toxicity or addictiveness.
The one hundred-year global prohibition of use of many plants and plant-based drugs has had unintended consequences on their production, trade, and consumption. Criminalization of the drug industry and of drug consumers has had negative socioeconomic, political, and even ecological effects both in the developing world, where most illicit plant-based production occurs, and in the developed world, where the consumption of cannabis, cocaine, and heroin is concentrated. However, the long-accepted dichotomy between a drug-producing South and a drug-consuming North is no longer valid. Indeed, recent trends have shown a fast-growing consumption of heroin, cocaine, and amphetamine-type stimulants in major producing countries but even more so in key transit countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Laos, Central Asia, Russia, China, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Central America, Argentina, Brazil, etc.). The North still represents a huge market for the consumption of illegal drugs, but it is also engaged in illegal production with, among other drugs, cannabis and amphetamine-type stimulants being produced in Canada, the United States, and Europe.
Agricultural Techniques
With most plant-based drug-producing countries being located in the South, most environmental issues are related to traditional slash-and-burn agricultural techniques. Indeed, swiddening, or shifting cultivation, is a common practice among opium producers in the forests of Southeast Asia and among coca growers in the Andes. Living on poor tropical soils, these farmers burn the vegetation to clear fields and to ensure that their crops thrive on the nutrients contained in the ash. Such fields are commonly cultivated for three to four years before being left fallow for seven to ten years; new patches are then cleared. For small-scale production and in low human-density areas, this agricultural technique is ecologically benign. However, with higher population densities and larger opium and coca production, tropical rain forests have been under greater pressure, especially since commercial logging is increasing worldwide (for example, the harvesting of teak in Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand).
Also, the coca plant and the opium poppy are mainly grown on the slopes of mountains or hills, which are vulnerable to water erosion. In the tropical areas of the world, the combination of excessive swiddening and heavy rainfall leads to severe soil depletion. To increase production in such contexts, most illegal farmers have resorted to modern agricultural technologies without the counseling to which legal farmers have access. As a result, excessive use of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides is harmful to the environment, further polluting the soils of areas that are already ecologically threatened and contaminating lower lands where food crops are grown.
Soil contamination also occurs when chemicals used in drug-processing laboratories are dumped into streams. Cocaine production, for example, leads to huge amounts of ammonia, sulfuric acid, and kerosene being dumped into Amazonian streams. In Asia, heroin refining and production involve acetic anhydride, hydrochloric acid, ammonium chloride, and sodium carbonate, residues of which are dumped into local river systems. Thus the modern illicit drug industry contributes to soil exhaustion and soil pollution and can be said to be detrimental to the environment.
Drug plants, however, have long been cultivated and harvested in traditional ways that are respectful of the environment. The opium poppy, for example, a plant with an ancient record of symbiosis with human societies, has spread around the world through the earliest human migrations and settlements. However, today the opium poppy is targeted for eradication except in countries where its cultivation for the pharmaceutical industry is legal (France for example).
The Opium Poppy
The opium poppy, Papaver somniferum L., is one of the earliest known medical plants and has provided modern medicine with a major pain reliever – morphine. Among the Papaveraceae family, the genus Papaver comprises about 110 species of both annual and perennial herbs whose fruit is a capsule containing numerous seeds and latex tissue. The family is particularly rich in alkaloids. However, Papaver somniferum and Papaver setigerum are the only two species known to contain morphine, whose content defines the potency of opium. Only morphine is retained to process heroin, as other alkaloids – such as thebaine and codeine, which, along with some forty others, provide much of the medical value of opium – are removed during the refining of the drug. Thus Papaver somniferum is cultivated as the main source of both licit morphine and of illicit opium and heroin.
Archeological evidence suggests that the opium poppy first grew in the region located between the western Mediterranean and Asia Minor. Where and when people began to cultivate the poppy and harvest its opium and how the plant spread to the Far East is not known. To date, only cultivated and semi-wild populations – not truly wild populations – have been accounted for. Thus, the opium poppy is a cultivar (an organism originating and persistent under cultivation), and all varieties are closely linked to their relationship with humans. Indeed, they are “known only from pioneer habitat created and maintained by humans either consciously, in the form of cultivated fields, or unconsciously, in the form of ‘waste areas’ or disturbed environments adjacent to or in the near vicinity of these fields” (Merlin 1984, 54).
The opium poppy has provided humans with numerous resources since early times (food, animal fodder, oil, medicinal as well as ritualistic and recreational drugs) and has most likely spread with human societies along early migrational and trading routes, from western to eastern Eurasia, from one pioneer habitat to another. Originally, the relationship between the plant and human societies seems to have been viewed as beneficial, although for the last two centuries it has been perceived as clearly detrimental, enough at least to cause some people to prohibit opium and advocate eradication of the plant.
Consequences of Prohibition
The global prohibition of certain drugs has been progressively enforced since the early twentieth century when, at the instigation of President Theodore Roosevelt, the International Opium Commission was convened in Shanghai in 1909, and the International Opium Convention, confining the use of opiates and cocaine to medicinal purposes, was signed at the Hague Conference on 23 January 1912. This prohibition has created the world’s most lucrative illicit market for some psychoactive substances and encouraged their production and trafficking. Then, in 1969, the administration of President Richard Nixon launched a global war on drugs that has since then been perpetuated by subsequent U.S. administrations.
In broad environmental terms, the production, trafficking, and consumption of illicit psychoactive substances have had harmful ecological, social, economic, and political consequences. As Richard Davenport-Hines puts it, “it is not the supply of a drug that turns a user into a criminal but the illicitness of that supply” and “Criminal sanctions against drug-trafficking may be well intentioned, and may enjoy temporary or localized success; but overall the primary role of these laws is a business incentive” (Davenport-Hines 2001, xiv). To say the least, even though such laws have been enforced for decades now, the world’s illicit drug production is far from having abated. Illicit opium production alone tripled between 1985 and 1996, with Afghanistan and Myanmar being by far the largest producers. Afghanistan’s opium output reached an all-time high in 1999 (4,600 tons of opium) when the Taliban were controlling at least 85% of the country, and is still the world’s biggest harvest under Hamid Karzai’s administration in 2004.
A failed war has been waged globally for decades in Asia against the opium poppy and all its illicit derivatives and even in Latin America against coca plants. Criminalization of the drug economy and militarization of its repression are two effects of prohibition in producing countries as well as in transit countries – such as Burma (Myanmar), Laos, Thailand, China, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and the former Soviet republics of Central Asia. Armed violence is frequent and has detrimental consequences on life conditions, worsening the ecological impact of opium poppy cultivation and heroin refining.
Eradication Agenda
Some eradication techniques – for example, aerial spraying of herbicides over coca fields in Latin America – also directly harm the environment, notably food crops frequently grown close to illegal crops. Moreover, in the war against drugs, new techniques are being developed to eradicate the plants themselves through “natural” ways. For example, in Uzbekistan, in a facility known for germ warfare research where horticultural pathogens such as wheat rust and cereal blight were produced, scientists have developed the deadly strain of a benign fungus well known to opium poppy growers. Pleospora papaveracea could, if used, become a seedborne mycoherbicide specifically aimed at eradicating the opium poppy, spreading naturally on the wind and causing poppies to whither and die. Such a fungus could wipe out opium poppy crops in a few seasons if it were ever tried on a large scale, which nobody seems ready to do because of the environmental (and political) risks.
If the poppy-killer fungus is used, it would not be the first time that a natural agent was spread as a biological weapon, either to protect legal crops or to eradicate illegal ones. Indeed, the Pleospora program was part of a broader program named “Strategy for Coca and Opium Poppy Elimination” (SCOPE) devised by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). SCOPE is a worldwide eradication program that targets coca plants as well as opium poppies. It was started to study the potential impact of another fungus, Fusarium oxysporum, which was accidentally discovered in the 1970’s when it destroyed an experimental commercial coca plantation owned by the Coca-Cola company in Hawaii. Then, when the use of the fungus to eradicate cannabis plants in the United States was proposed, scientists concluded that mutation risks were too high to use it.
Psychoactive plants and substances derived from them have always been deeply rooted in most human societies. People have used such plants and their derivatives for many purposes, integrating them into numerous cultures, thus shaping unique and complex relationships between nature and culture. Recently attitudes toward these plants and their derivatives have changed – not because the plants themselves have changed but rather because people’s relationships with them have changed. With the global ban that the increasingly global society has placed upon certain drugs that have played significant roles in societies, some of these plants are now targeted for eradication, sometimes putting the ecological and cultural environment at risk in a struggle between nature and culture.
Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy.
Further Reading
Booth, M. (1998). Opium: A history. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Chouvy, P.-A. (2002). Les territoires de l’opium. Conflits et trafics du Triangle d’Or et du Croissant d’Or. Geneva, Switzerland: Olizane.
Davenport-Hines, R. (2001). The pursuit of oblivion: A social history of drugs. London: Phoenix.
Escohotado, A. (1999). A brief history of drugs: From the Stone Age to the stoned age. Rochester, NY: Park Street Press.
Merlin, M. D. (1984). On the trail of the ancient opium poppy. Rutherford, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.
Pelt J.M., (1983). Drogues et plantes magiques. Paris: Fayard.
Rudgley, R. (1993). Essential substances: A cultural history of intoxicants in society. New York: Kodansha.
Schultes, R. E., Hofmann, A., & Ratsch, C. (2002). Plants of the gods. Rochester, NY: Healing Arts Press.
Tullis, L. (1995). Unintended consequences: Illegal drugs and drug policies in nine countries. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.
About the author
Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/843 | Science 9
Welcome to Science 9!
The Science 9 class is an exploration of the physical world around us. The class is mainly divided into two sections: chemistry and physics. This lab is very lab intensive, hands on, and you will learn about the physical environment around you-especially what you can't see.
Please see the attached for the Science 9 syllabus.
Science 9 Video for 1/7/2020
Periodic Table of Elements Coloring Instructions
Build An Atom Interactive Link
Element Project
File, make a copy, and then share with Mr. Halverson.
Below you will see the notes for Science 9.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/844 | Thursday, September 20, 2012
Review: Mamegoma Adventure Eraser + Mini Eraser
Sometimes there are things in life that are so cute, they make you want to claw your eyeballs out. Cue CoolPencilCase and their amazing selection of things that make me want to do just that, but in the best way possible. This Mamegoma adventure eraser (including absurdly cute mini eraser) was sent by CoolPencilCase for review - thanks folks!
Mamegoma Eraser
So cute, it hurts a bit.
Mamegoma Eraser Back
I'm guessing Pu and guru are... onomatopoeias for being under water...?
Basically, I opened up the box and there was this eraser. It was in a plastic sheath of sorts, with adorable little beach vacation themed things on it - like water, polka dots (what? Polka dots aren't be beachy?), and some seaweed-type thing.
Of course, Mamegoma appears to be in a fish bowl, but his brain is little and he is hardly sentient I'm sure - not unlike Tyco... - so he's happy. Then you shake it around and realize Mamegoma MOVES in his bowl. And it's ridiculously cute to shake him around and watch him "swim". So that is what I did.
Mamegoma Eraser Movin' Along
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.
When removed from the plastic sheath, you will find two erasers - one that is basically a square with a dip where Mamegoma was hanging out, and Mamegoma himself. Personally, I could never subject this little happy thing to erasing, but I am okay with using the bigger one.
How does he erase? Just fine. He's good and pliable enough to really rub out a bunch of errors. He does produce dust, like most erasers. Under normal circumstances, for example, taking notes in school, Mamegoma will erase your errors perfectly. If you are dealing with some major art supplies and graphite, don't use this poor little eraser because he will be soiled forever.
Mamegoma Eraser
See my half erased square?
Mamegoma Eraser
As it turns out anyway, the dip is perfect as a pencil holder when you're not writing - preventing your pencil from rolling away. My only recommendation: guard this with your life. Someone WILL see it and they WILL want to steal it because it's so cute.
Mamegoma Eraser + Uni-ball Kuru Toga
Pencil holder! And pencil pal. I love him madly.
CoolPencilCase - $4.45
Well, no one ever needs many erasers, and unless you're an artist where you need fancy ones, you absolutely must get a ridiculously cute Mamegoma adventure eraser because you MUST OWN a mini Mamegoma. It'll be like owning a mini Tyco. You can even get ones of Mamegoma wearing a costume. I can't even describe the feelings I experience when I see these cute things. Get one. Or just go browse CoolPencilCase and get yourself something. It'll warm your heart and make you feel fuzzy.
**This ridiculously cute eraser set was generously sent to me for reviewing and enjoying purposes, but all opinions remain my own!
mjcong said...
oh i would totally steal it :)
Zeynep F. said...
I liked the word "gubu" on the package!
gubu gubu gubu gubu :)
Azizah Asgarali said...
LOL it is a great word! Though I have no idea what it means..
Bonnie Jean Woolger said...
i like the pencil :)
Heather said...
When erasers get this cute, it doesn't really matter if they even erase well or not, because who would have the heart to actually use them? Though this one is rather clever as it combines a ridiculously cute eraser with a plain block that you could actually use.
kp said...
adorable! I {heart} cute stuff like this.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/861 | From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By M. A. Alwar
Sometimes transliterated as: Indrapuspa, IndrapuSpA, Indrapushpaa
Gender Form of Indrapuṣpā
Indrapuṣpā is a feminine form.
Origin of Word Indrapuṣpā
It is derived from indranīlavat puṣpaṁ yasyāḥ which means "She whose flower resembles indranīla".
Synonyms of Indrapuṣpā
• Lāṅgalikī tree (Methonica superba)[1]
• Viṣalāṅgalā
Indrapuṣpā Details
Details of Indrapuṣpā can be found under the word lāṅgalikī.
1. Ratnāmalā
• Shabdakalpadrumah by Raja Radhakantdev, Varadaprasada Vasu, Haricarana Vasu |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/873 | Know About Red Hat Consultation
Red Hat Technology
636 total views, 3 views today
Red Hat is a most important software company in the business of assembling open components for the Linux operating system and interrelated programs in a sharing package that can be effortlessly requested and implemented. Red Hat utilizes an open source platform from the begging and preferred by every organization.
Red Hat Consulting:-
Application and data integration: IT organizations are experiencing growing disruption via the latest competition, outdated technology and the failure to keep resources. These issues often guide to disparate systems that can be expensive and highly ineffective. Red Hat Consultation facilitates customers to get rid of this disruption via an integration strategy that unites legacy and patented systems, so organizations can computerize the latest processes and adopt recent initiatives and technologies.
Red Hat was the only one of the initials companies to understand that “free” software can sell as a product. After investigative Evian Water’s successful marketing campaign, Red Hat’s central executive team concluded that to succeed, the company had to generate additional Linux users and mark Red Hat as the Linux name that client’s favorite. Currently, the “Red Hat Plan” is frequently talking about in business schools as a model to make client support the main product of a company. As according to IBM, Red Hat will turn into a business unit of IBM’s hybrid cloud group and will carry on to conserve the independence and neutrality of Red Hat’s open source progress tradition.
Current Red Hat products include:
• Red Hat Atomic Host: an alternate of Red Hat Enterprise Linux with optimizations for container hosting
• Red Hat Ansible: an open source IT management (CM) automation and management platform.
• Red Hat OpenShift: an open source container application platform.
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL): a division of the Linux operating system produced for the business market.
• Red Hat OpenStack Platform: a commercial distribution of open source OpenStack software planned to create and handle large pools of computing, storage and network resources in public and private clouds.
• Red hat Package Manager: a program to set up, uninstall and manage software packages in Linux.
• Red Hat Satellite: an IT infrastructure management tool utilizes primarily to examine and manage Red Hat Enterprise Linux environments. Satellite is an element of Red Hat’s four-piece system management toolset for enterprise IT, which also consist of Ansible, CloudForms and the Red Hat Insights service.
• Red Hat Storage (RHS): a distributed file system that works as object storage software (NAS) solution and storage of objects connected via the network.
• Red Hat Virtualization (RHV): a business-class virtualization platform.
The integration is the relationship of various software applications, services, application programming interfaces (API), data and devices to computerize business procedures and deliver on time and correct information to users and clients. The Red Hat Integration Consultant will work with Red Hat’s solution architects to provide an outcome that meets client needs with the help of Red Hat JBoss Middleware solutions. The consultant will use their technical expertise and understanding of the client’s infrastructure to meet their requirements and solve the problems.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/877 | A pebble of quartz
For once, then, something.
Infinite Souls is a place of repose.
Infinite Souls is an entirely un-funded, artist-led space. It is sustained by the workshops, residencies and performances it hosts.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/883 | sort by
approximate search
1shortlisttitle datasearch history
results search [or] ISN:0000000419368948 | 1 hits
0000 0004 1936 8948
Academia Oxoniensis
Chancellor Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford
Daigaku Oxford
Daxue Niujin
Daxue Oxford
Ǧāmiʻat Uksfurd Inǧiltira
Jāmiʻat Uksfūrd
Offizieller Name University of Oxford
Oxford. University
Oxford University (University or College)
Oxfordin yliopisto
Prifysgol Rhydychen
Universitas Oxford
Universitas Oxoniensis
Universitas Oxoniensis (Oxford)
Universität Oxford
Université d'Oxford
Université Oxford
University of Oxford
University of Oxford Greyfriars
University of Oxford (Not for Profit Organization)
University Oxford
Uniwersytet Oksfordzki
Uniwersytet w Oksfordzie
Location / Nationality:
United Kingdom Oxfordshire Oxford
Creation class:
Language material
Musical sound recording
Nonmusical sound recording
Creation role:
Related names:
All souls college Oxford, GB (see also from)
Balliol college Oxford, GB (see also from)
Christ Church Oxford, GB (see also from)
Coles, Michael
Corpus Christi college Oxford, GB (see also from)
Gregory, Richard Langton
Howatson, Margaret C.
Howe, D. H.
Institut d'histoire du temps présent (Paris)
Keble college Oxford, GB (see also from)
Lincoln college Oxford, GB (see also from)
Lord, Basil
Magdalen college Oxford, GB (see also from)
Merton college Oxford, GB (see also from)
Mitchell, W. T.
Mitchell, Walter T.
New college Oxford, GB (see also from)
Oriel college Oxford, GB (see also from)
Prest, John
Somerville college Oxford, GB (see also from)
St. John's college Oxford, GB (see also from)
Trinity college Oxford, GB (see also from)
University college Oxford, GB (see also from)
University of Cambridge
Viney, Peter
Calendar ...
Career : English for the business and commercial world. Prospects
Catalogue of portraits in the possession of the university, colleges, city, and county of Oxford
Catalogus codicum mss. qui in collegiis aulisque oxoniensibus hodie adservantur
cerveau, un inconnu, Le : dictionnaire encyclopédique
Checkpoint English 1
Cookie monster's blue book
Cue for communication
Departures in reading
Dictionnaire de l'Antiquité : mythologie, littérature, civilisation
Duty and interest; an inaugural lecture delivered before the University of Oxford on 29 October 1928
English for travel
English today!
English visa 1
Epithalamia Oxoniensia Caroli & Mariae
Epithalamia Oxoniensia : in auspicatissimum potentissimi monarchae Caroli, Magnae Britanniae, Franciae et Hiberniae Regis, &c. cum Henretta Maria, aeternae memoriae Henrici Magni Gallorum Regis filia, connubium.
Examination decrees and regulations.
First Certificate listening and speaking
First Certificate skills
Ford lectures delivered in the University of Oxford, The
Getting on
guerre irrégulière [actes du colloque international des Écoles de Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan, tenu du 12 au 14 mai 2009, La
Handbook to the University of Oxford.
Have you heard--?
Intermediate stories for reproduction
Jazz chants for children
Jingle bells and other songs
Joukkoliikenteen seutulippujärjestelmän vaikutukset
legado del Islam, El
Listen to this!
Listening : elementary
Manage with English
Open Sesame transition book
Orationes Oxonienses selectae; short Latin speeches on distinguished contemporaries
Orbit 1
Oscar's bridge to reading book
Oxford and Cambridge magazine, The
Oxford and working-class education; being the report of a joint committee of university and working-class representatives on the relation of the university to the higher education of workpeople.
Oxford English : curso de inglés de Oxford University Press
Oxford essays
Oxford historical pageant, June 27-July 3, 1907: Book of words., The
Oxford magazine (Oxford, England)
Oxford placement test
Oxford university excavations at Fir.ka, The
Oxford university gazette.
Oxford university handbook
Oxford University list of members for the year ...
Oxford university roll of service
Oxford University South Asian Studies Series
place of observation in astronomy; an inaugural lecture delivered before the University of Oxford on 28 April 1933, The
Pourquoi l'Angleterre a pris les armes
Prairie Dawn's purple book
Quartet 1
register of congregation, 1448-1463, The
regulation of human respiration; the proceedings of the J.S. Haldane Centenary Symposium held in the University Laboratory of Physiology, Oxford., The
renewal of the geographic environment: an inaugural lecture delivered before the University of Oxford on 11 February 1969., The
Some Oxford papyri (P. Oxford)
Speaking : elementary
Start with English readers
Starting out
Statuta Universitatis Oxoniensis
Statutes, decrees and regulations of the University of Oxford
Streamline English
Studia Biblica essays in biblical archaeology and criticism and kindred subjects
Studia Biblica et ecclesiastica essays chiefly in biblical and patristic criticism
study of international relations; an inaugural lecture, delivered before the University of Oxford, on 20 February 1931, The
Themes for listening and speaking
Themes for Proficiency
Turning points in physics; a series of lectures given at Oxford University in Trinity term, 1958
University of Oxford annual review
University travel and parking survey.
Was Thomas Jefferson an authentic enemy of slavery? An inaugural lecture delivered before the University of Oxford on 18 February 1970
Words, texts, images selected papers from the Conference of University Teachers of German, University of Oxford, April 2001 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/917 | QUICK NOTE #6: Medical Aid | Learning To Know Russian
QUICK NOTE #6: Medical Aid
Problems with our health always seem to come at a bad time and without any special desire for them on our part. Let us be prepared!
We have made a list of everything that's most important:
• what to avoid and what to be ready for;
• key Russian words to use in key situations;
• how and where to ask for help.
Quick Notes 5909960413306800970 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/951 | Daphne mezereum
Common Name: mezereon
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Thymelaeaceae
Native Range: Central and eastern Europe, Turkey
Zone: 4 to 7
Height: 3.00 to 5.00 feet
Spread: 3.00 to 5.00 feet
Bloom Time: March to April
Bloom Description: Reddish purple to pink
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Hedge, Naturalize
Flower: Showy, Fragrant
Attracts: Birds
Fruit: Showy
Tolerate: Rabbit, Black Walnut
Winter hardy to USDA Zones 4-7. This is a cool weather, shade-loving, woodland shrub than dislikes the hot and humid summers of the deep South. It is best grown in moist, rich, sandy-humusy, moderately alkaline, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Application of mulch will help keep roots cool. Although it prefers part shade locations, it will grow in full sun as long as the soils are kept uniformly moist. Avoid full sun (leaves will scorch) in hot summer climates however. Site in locations protected from strong winds.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Daphne mezereum, commonly called February daphne because of its late winter flowers, is a small deciduous shrub with an erect and bushy habit that typically grows to 3-5' tall and as wide. It is native to forests, forest margins and shrubby areas in Europe and Western Asia. It was introduced into North America in colonial times resulting in naturalization in parts of Canada (Quebec and Ontario) and the U. S. (New England to New York and later to Ohio, Montana and Alaska). Oblanceolate, dark green leaves to 3.5” long are arranged spirally along the stems. Fragrant reddish-purple to pink flowers (each to 1/2” across) bloom in stalkless clusters (2-4 flowers per cluster) in late March to early April prior to the emergence of the leaves. Flowers are followed by small fruits (drupes to 3/8” long) which mature in June.
All parts of this plant are poisonous to humans if ingested, especially the fruits, sap and bark. Plant saps also typically cause skin irritations. Plant saps were once used in a rouge-like cosmetic until it was discovered that rosy cheeks resulting from application of sap to skin were indicators of blood vessel damage rather than the blush of good health. Fruits are attractive to birds with no resulting ill effects.
Genus name originally used for laurel (Laurus nobilis) but later transferred to this genus. Originally, from the nymph of the same name from Greek mythology, but could come from an Indo-European word meaning odor.
Specific epithet comes from the Persian word mazariyun (name given to a species of Daphne).
Susceptible to infection from several different viruses. Plants can be temperamental and unpredictable. Michael Dirr reports that daphnes sometimes die very quickly for “no explicable reason.” Watch for botrytis.
Garden Uses
May be difficult to find in commerce. Rounded deciduous shrub for borders and foundations. Specimen or small groups. May be used as an informal hedge. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/970 | XML Sitemap
URLPriorityChange frequencyLast modified (GMT)
http://www.nativeearth.ca/artists/training-and-development/60%Weekly2014-02-22 00:00
http://www.nativeearth.ca/1314season/60%Weekly2017-01-13 22:59
http://www.nativeearth.ca/about/history/dm-departs/60%Weekly2014-02-21 23:55 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/971 | But - see where my laptop doesn't *have* a floppy drive?
Posted by Hello
1. By the way, what happened to the blog at lornamatic.com?
2. Diego!! i'm back online now =) just took a little time off with that whole m&a business. It turns out it wasn't a usb drive but a compact flash card. And with that, thanks for reminding me to take out the 512 mb flash card that's been sitting in my cardreader for the past week! |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/987 | More Info
Want to tell a friend about Lemon Bar Handcrafted Soap? It's easy. Just enter the information requested below, click the "E-mail a Friend" button, and your message is on its way.
Name of recipient:
*Recipient e-mail address:
Your name:
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Personal Message:
The above image says: |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/989 | The Hunting Grounds
• Information
• Developer:
Tiny Build Games
• Genres:
• Category:
The Hunting Grounds is an upcoming 3D survival shooter developed by tinyBuild where players will try to live out their days in a bloody post World War II environment. The game is still in a pre-alpha state and little is known about it at the moment, though teasers and gameplay trailers indicate that it has both first-person and third-person shooter gameplay. The trailer indicates a sort of deathmatch, survival kind of set up with its all-out killing, but only time will tell what this title from tinyBuild has in store!
Social Media :
Game Videos
• Hunting Grounds Pre-Alpha Gameplay
There's still a lot of work to do on Hunting Grounds, but here's some pre-alpha gameplay. You can sign up for the Alpha itself here!
• The Hunting Grounds Alpha Announcement Trailer
TinyBuild announces yet another publishing partnership, this time with survival shooter The Hunting Grounds. Sign up for the super glitchy alpha here!
Game Articles
No articles are found for this game. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/990 | 31 October 2011
I was watching the news the other day and heard about this
lawmaker in Connecticut that wants to
change the date of Halloween!
He wants to change it from the 31st
to the last Saturday of October.
His reasons behind it are legit:
It's harder to do everything on a school night
since you have to deal with getting the kids from school,
eating dinner,
getting them ready,
and get them to bed at a decent hour
before they have too much candy.
But to change Halloween?
It's always been on the 31st......
and personally, I've already had to contend with Halloween
since my birthday is so close to it.
I don't want it to become Halloween.
I understand the concept,
easier for families if it's on a weekend.
But I mean, really...changing the date??
Your thoughts??
P.S. Don't forget to enter the giveaways!!
1. I know I kinda like the idea. That way if out late the only thing going on the next day is church(for most), not work(for most at least) and like mentioned not worrying about school for kids. Which of course mine have a couple years but if I could look forward to not worrying about it that would be nice. I already am worried because tomorrow Lettie has dance class in the morning, sugar makes her sleep crappy and I am hoping she wakes up in a good mood and behaves in class. If it wore saturday today I would be less stress haha. Pluss Thanksgiving is on a set day and Easter, I kinda like that. Christmas is probably the only day I would never want touched. Okay essay over : )
2. That is goofy! I understand but I like it how it is! :)
3. That is just strange!! I know a lot of neighborhoods will do the trick or treating on a weekend if it falls close (like today) but I know most schools, teachers, etc all basically plan accordingly with the holiday and don't give homework (or not a lot) and such. Changing the date would never work haha
Welcome to our adventure! |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1010 | FHA Mortgages
Can I Get Down Payment Assistance With An Fha Loan
Fha Home Loans Credit Score Requirements An FHA 203(k) loan is a. individuals with credit scores as low as 580 to apply for a 203(k), some lenders might require a higher score of 620 to 640 to issue one. This is still lower than the 720.
The payment plans for auto repairs are 12-month term installment loans with early buyout options. Snap Vice President Ryan.
$8,000 Down Payment Assistance for First Time Home Buyers in NC Something more concrete is the Conservative platform’s proposal to extend the mortgage amortization period on uninsured.
Along with her engineering partners, Cau applied for a bank loan and funding through the national research council of Canada.
It’s true that the more you have saved for a down payment, the easier it can be to get approved for a loan. Hud Approved Down payment assistance programs Types Of fha loans 203k The best way to find out if an FHA home loan is right for you is to shop around with FHA-approved lenders to learn about your.
Fha Specialists FHA Loans are backed by the Federal housing administration (fha), under the Department of Housing and urban development (hud). spending limits with an FHA Loan are pre-set. The loan amounts are set by the median prices of a home in different cities within a particular area.
Related posts |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1016 | Parallax effects for React Native using Animated API
Our friend Joel Arvidsson (as in we like him for his work very much) keeps being prolific and sharing his work for us to take advantage of it.
Check his new Parallax component:
react-native-parallax on GitHub (Example)
NOTE: This module requires React Native 0.8+
var Parallax = require('react-native-parallax');
var ParallaxView = React.createClass({
mixins: [Parallax.Mixin],
render: function() {
return (
style={{ height: 200 }}
overlayStyle={{ backgroundColor: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.3)'}}
source={{ uri: '' }}
<Text>This is optional overlay content</Text>
Parallax effects |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1021 | Photographic Glossary-UVWXYZ
The part of the spectrum just beyond violet. Ultraviolet light is invisible to the human eye but strongly affects photographic materials.
Ultra-wide angle lens.
Extra-wide angle lens, usually those with an angle of view greater than 90°. For 35 mm cameras the description usually applies to lenses of shorter focal length than about 24 mm.
Another source of diffusing the light from a flash unit is an umbrella. The use is similar to that of a Softbox except that the diffusion ability is slightly lesser.
Undercolour removal
A separation technique in which black ink is used to replace approximately equal amounts of cyan, magenta, and yellow ink in neutral tones, primarily in the shadows, so as to reduce the total ink coverage.
Also refer as monopod. A one-legged support used to hold the camera steady. Also see "tripod".
Unsharp masking
A process by which the apparent detail of an image is increased; generally accomplished by the input scanner or through computer manipulation.
A Photoshop file that does not contain an embedded ICC profile. To be used in a colour-managed workflow an untagged image must be resaved in Photoshop (with the Embed profile checkbox selected) or tagged with the assign profile command.
To improve some aspect of a computer system. Upgrades include the newest versions of software applications, computer models or peripheral devices. Usually, upgrades are denoted by a version number.
Uniform Resource Locator. A standard addressing scheme used to locate or references file on the Internet. Used in World Wide Web documents to locate other files. A URL gives the type of resources (scheme) being accessed and the path to the file. The syntax used is: Scheme://host.domain;port/path filename.
Universal serial bus. The USB offers a simplified way to attach peripherals and have them recognized by the computer. USB ports are about 10 times faster than a typical serial connection. These USB ports are usually located in easy to access locations on the computer.
( Unsharp Mask ) The term comes from a conventional colour separation camera technique that uses a unsharp photographic mask to increase contrast between light and dark areas of the reproduction and gives the illusion of sharpness.
UV filter
Is a filter which is used to absorb ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
The ultra violet ray. This is beyond the visible spectrum i.e. it's invisible electromagnetic radiation of the sunlight. UV lenses is very expensive, only Nikon has a offering in its Nikkor lens line.
Vacuum back
Is a camera back with a perforated plate through which air is drawn by a pump. A sheet of film is therefore sucked flat against the plate and held firmly during exposure used for special large format cameras such as copying devices where dimensional accuracy is critical.
Vacuum easel
Is a compact printing frame which ensures firm contact between the film and paper by excluding air between the surfaces. Some types are used to hold up the paper flat on the enlarger baseboard when enlarging.
A measure from white to black, the higher the value, the darker the image.
Vanishing point
Vapor lamp
A lamp containing a gas or vapor that glows with light when an electric current passes through it. Mercury, neon and sodium vapor lamps produce strongly coloured light. The light from fluorescent tubes is closer to daylight.
Variable contrast paper
Is a printing paper in which contrast can be varied depending on the colour of the printing light. This can be altered by using different colour filters.
Variable focus lens
Variable-Contrast Paper
An electronic or computer-readable image format incorporating a formulate representation of graphical line art. Vector format is used during the markup process, to keep redlines separate from images and to facilitate easy modifications. This format is also often used during the edit process.
Video Electronics Standards Association. A 32 bit display or other hardware card.
View camera
A camera with movements in which the taking lens forms an image directly on a ground-glass viewing screen. A film holder is inserted in front of the ground glass for exposure. Also called large-format camera (typically producing images 4x5 inches or greater). Most Large Format cameras are view cameras. Rather than having a prism reflect light from the lens to an eye piece, or be operated like a Rangefinder camera, a view camera projects the image directly from the lens onto a ground glass focusing screen. Once the image is properly focused and composed the film holder is slid into the camera in front of the focusing screen. and the film is then exposed. The lens is then closed, black cover is slid away from in front of the film, the shutter release is tripped and the film is exposed. The black cover is the placed back in front of the film and the film holder is removed. Each negative must be individually loaded in a view camera.
Device or system indicating the field of view encompassed by the camera lens. The term is sometimes used as a description of the type of camera that does not use reflex or "straight-through" viewing systems and therefore has to have a separate viewfinder. Either an optical or electrical display used to frame in the camera.
Viewing lens
The lens on a camera through which the photographer's eye sees the subject.
Location of the camera relative to the subject.
Is a printing technique where the edges of the picture are gradually faded out to black or white. It also refers to a fall off in illumination at the edges of an image, such as may be caused by a lens hood or similar attachment partially blocking the field of view of the lens. Underexposure of image corners produced deliberately by shading or unintentionally by inappropriate equipment, such as unsuitable lens hood or badly designed lens. A common fault of wide-angle lenses, owing to reflection cut-off, etc. of some of the very oblique rays. May be caused in some long-focus lenses by the length of the lens barrel.
A photograph printed within a very few years of the date when the negative was made. Prints made recently from original negatives that are old are called modern prints.
Virtual memory
Disk space on a hard drive that is identified as RAM though the operating system, or other software. Since hard drive memory is often less expensive than additional RAM, it is an inexpensive way to get more memory and increase the operating speed of a application.
Describes a part of a computer program that automatically duplicates itself, usually resulting in the damage or destruction of software and/or data. A virus can make a computer "crash".
Visible light
The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye can see.
Visible spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum of visible light; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
Warm colours
Are any colour which, by association suggest warmth, such as red, orange and yellow.
Washing aid
A chemical solution used after fixing and washing the film or paper. It shortens the washing time by converting residues from the fixer into forms more easily dissolved by water. Also called hypo clearing agent.
Is the final part of the processing cycle, which removes residual chemicals and soluble silver complexes from the emulsion.
Water bath
Are large water filled containers used to maintain processing trays, tank or chemicals at the correct temperature.
Bits altered within an image to create a pattern which indicates proof of ownership. Unauthorized use of a watermarked image can then be traced.
Describes the distance from wave-crest to wave-crest between two corresponding waves of light in the electro-magnetic spectrum. Wavelength are measured in nanometers (nm) and Angstrom units (A).
Web Optimization
When a photo or graphic is produced its file size is often too large for use on a website. Optimization is achieved by reducing the size of a large file by converting it to GIF or JPEG format.
Web Safe Colours
Colours in which will display accurately and consistently on every version of internet browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, etc.) or computer platform (PC or Mac). There are 216 web safe colours.
Wetting agent
A chemical solution used after washing the film. By reducing the surface tension of the water remaining on the film, it speeds up drying and prevents water spots. Kodak version of this is called Photo-flo.
White point adjustment
An adjustment made that will determine the amount of highlight detail in an image. It is considered proper to set the white point so that the lightest part of an image will only just have zero detail.
White balance
The perceived colour of an object is affected by the colour of the lighting under which it is viewed. The human brain is able to detect and compensate for such changes in perceived colour. As a result, a white object will look white to humans whether viewed in sunlight or under overcast skies, or indoors under incandescent or fluorescent lighting. A digital camera must emulate the human brain and adjust colours accordingly to lighting so that colours appear white when viewed directly also appear white in the final photograph. This adjustment is called “White Balance”. Most video systems use a "white balance" to aid in overcoming colour problems created by adverse lighting conditions. The colour balance assumes that under normal conditions, that if a white object can be made to look white, then the remaining colours will be accurate too. If the original lighting is not close to the proper colour temperature (typically daylight), the "white balance" may reproduce white at the expense of other hues. Most digital cameras feature automatic white balance, this means that the camera looks at the overall colour of the image and calculates the best-fit white balance, however these systems are often fooled (especially if taking a photograph dominated by one colour, say green). Modern "prosumer" digital cameras also allow "white preset" which simply means measuring the white point from a white sheet of paper or card (or nearby wall), the camera will then record that temperature and use it to correct all images until you reset it.
White light
Light containing equal amounts of the primary additive colours of light. The human eye sees this light as colorless.
White point
The results of combining the additive primary colours, Red, Green, Blue.
The result of combining the additive primary colours (Red, Green and Blue).
Wide-Angle Lens
A lens that has a shorter focal length and a wider field of view (includes more subject area) than a normal lens. Also can explained as a lens whose focal length is shorter than the diagonal of the film frame; in 35mm photography, lenses shorter than 50mm; also referred to as a "short" lens.
Wide-angle lens
In 35mm format cameras, lenses with a focal length of approx. 35mm are called wide-angle lenses.
Working aperture
The widest aperture at which an acceptable image can be achieved.
Working distance
The distance from the front of the lens surface to the subject. The more frequently used term "shooting distance" refers to the distance between the subject and the film plane.
Working solution
A chemical solution diluted to the correct strength for use.
Write Once Read Many. Most common to optical disks. Worm refers to data storage that cannot be change once written. However, it may be read as many times as desired.
Wrong reading image
An image that is backward relative to the subject (a mirror image).
WS ( Watts per second)
For flash mode, the measurement of electrical energy in the flash.
Watt per second. For flash mode, the measurement of electrical energy in the flash
World Wide Web. An interconnected network of electronic hypermedia documents are marked up in Hypertext Markup Language. Cross references between documents are recorded in the form of URLs.
An acronym for What You See Is What You Get. Refers to the ability to output data from the computer exactly as it appears on the screen.
X (setting)
Electronic flash units fire virtually instantaneously and reach full brightness immediately. Therefore no time delay is required. Also refer as X sync. Real time setting that causes the flash to burst in synchronises or instantaneously as the shuttle open up. For older manual camera, the X synch speed usually refers to the maximum speed that the camera can have its shuttle curtain open long enough to synchronise with the flash. In fact, if there is a time delay, the electronic flash may be all over before the shutter gets open. To fire electronic flash with a focal-plane shutter, the switch in the camera is closed at the instant the first curtain of the focal-plane shutter reaches fully open-called X synchronization.
X ray film
is spectral sheet film for radiography, having a thick emulsion coated on both sides of the support to increase the absorption of X rays.
X ray
are electromagnetic radiations beyond ultraviolet which, when passed through a solid object and allowed to act upon a sensitive emulsion, form a shadow image of the internal structure of the object.
X setting (X sync)
is the setting that causes the flash to burst in synchronization with the shutter. For some manual cameras, the X synch speed refers to the maximum speed that the camera can synchronize with the flash.
X Sync Terminal
Electronic flash units are available which mount on the hot shoe and are triggered by the electrical contact in the shoe. Other types use sync cord which connects to the sync terminal on the camera. also referred to PC Terminal section.
is a rare gas sometimes used with electronic flash tubes and enclosed arc light sources.
is a system of photography which produces prints and transparencies with a three-dimensional effect. A cylindrically embossed lenticular screen is placed in contact with the film and a shutter behind the lens is arranged to scan the subject during exposure.
A subtractive primary, and one of the four process ink colours; yellow reflects red and green light, and absorbs blue.
To compress a file or files into one file. Commonly used to reduce the size of a file to speed up transmission over the Internet.
Zirconium lamp
is an arc lamp used in powerful enlarges and projectors.
is an early device for creating illusion of continuous motion. A sequence of still pictures was viewed so quickly through slits in a rotating drum, that the images appeared to merge.
Zone focusing
is a method of focusing the lens so that the depth of field extends over a preselected range of distances.
Zone system
is the method of determining exposure and development required for individual scenes, invented by Ansel Adams. It is based on analysis of subject luminosities in terms of ten gray tones, labeled zones 0 through X and previsualizing them as print densities. By measuring each subject luminance with a hand meter it is possible to determine how much the range of values must be contracted or expanded by negative development control to give the required values in the print.
Zone system
A method of planning film exposure and development to achieve precise control of tones in a print. Pioneered by photographers such as Ansel Adams and Minor White. To some people the Zone System is the only method that one should use to meter a scene. The zone system involves the creation of 11 zones numbered 0 - 10 where 0 is the blackest black and 10 is the whitest white. A zone 5 is what a grey card should render, or 50% white and 50% grey, and which reflects 18% of the light falling on the object. By using a gradient scale between 0 and 10, each zone change being equivalent to one f-stop, a photographer should be able to meter the scene to be properly exposed for any portion of the scene by realizing that a camera meter will meter any scene to be a zone 5. Example: Human Caucasian skin is approximately a zone 6. If a light meter metering the skin indicates that the proper shutter speed is 1/ 125 at f:4 then to properly expose the skin one would need to overexpose by on stop, shoot at 1/ 60 at f:4 and the skin should be exposed at the proper tone. If one were to shoot at the indicated settings the metered object should render a zone 5, or mid grey, when printed.
Zoom, Optical vs. Digital
Whereas an optical zoom uses the optics (lens) of the digital camera to move you closer to your subject, a digital zoom simply uses the existing image and enlarges it digitally. Enlarging the image digitally reduces picture quality, and should therefore usually be avoided. However, a judicious use of digital zoom may sometimes yield images that are of quite acceptable quality. So, use with caution. What is important when comparing digital cameras is the optical zoom. Digital zoom can always be achieved later in an image editing software, such as Photoshop, so should not really be a determining factor when choosing a digital camera.
Enlarging a portion of an image in order to see it more clearly or make it easier to alter. Opposite of zoom-out, which is useful for viewing the entire image when the full image is larger than the display space. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1024 | Why are there different numbers of puzzles of each grade in the library?
A. The library is designed to hold 1000 puzzles. There are currently eight grades, giving a target of 125 puzzles for each grade. However, puzzles of some grades are harder to find than puzzles of other grades. So, to prevent an almost endless search for the 125 puzzles of the rarest grade, some leeway is allowed in the number of each grade. This leeway is currently 10%, or 12.5. This rounds up to 13, which when added to the 125 allowed, gives 138. So, the net result is that the easier grades to find will probably have 138 puzzles each, whilst the hardest grade to find will have substantially fewer.
Note: from version 3.6 onwards, the above is no longer true. The library will contain 300 puzzles of each grade. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1028 | Follow Us
Question 17
Examine a few flowers of any cucurbit plant and try to identify the staminate and pistillate flowers. Do you know any other plant that bears unisexual flowers?
Cucurbit plant
Cucurbit plant bears unisexual flowers as these flowers have either the stamen or the pistil. The staminate flowers bear bright, yellow coloured petals along with stamens that represent the male reproductive structure. On the other hand, the pistillate flowers bear only the pistil that represents the female reproductive structure. Other examples of plants that bear unisexual flowers are corn, papaya, cucumber, etc.
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Encyclopedia > Professional
This article is about people called professionals. For the movie, see The Professionals or Leon. For the TV series, see The Professionals.
A professional can be either a person in a profession (certain types of skilled work requiring formal training/education) or in sports (a sportsman/sportwoman doing sports for payment).[1][2] Sometimes it is also used to indicate a special level of quality of goods or tools, sometimes also called "commercial grade".[3] For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... The Professionals is a 1966 Western movie directed by Richard Brooks. ... Léon (aka The Cleaner, The Professional, or Léon the Professional) is a 1994 film written and directed by French director Luc Besson. ... A television program (US), television programme (UK) or simply television show is a segment of programming in television broadcasting. ... From Left : Martin Shaw as Ray Doyle, Gordon Jackson as George Cowley, and Lewis Collins as William Bodie. ...
A professional is a worker required to possess a large body of knowledge derived from extensive academic study (usually tertiary), with the training almost always formalized. Students attend a lecture at a tertiary institution. ...
Professions are at least to a degree self-regulating, in that they control the training and evaluation processes that admit new persons to the field, and in judging whether the work done by their members is up to standard. This differs from other kinds of work where regulation (if considered necessary) is imposed by the state, or where official quality standards are often lacking. Professions have some historical links to Guilds in these regards. In engineering and manufacturing, quality control and quality engineering are involved in developing systems to ensure products or services are designed and produced to meet or exceed customer requirements. ... A guild is an association of craftspeople in a particular trade. ...
Professionals usually have autonomy in the workplace - they are expected to utilize their independent judgement and professional ethics in carrying out their responsibilities.[4] This holds true even if they are employees instead of working on their own. Typically a professional provides a service (in exchange for payment or salary), in accordance with established protocols for licensing, ethics, procedures, standards of service and training / certification. This article is about work. ... A payment is the act of transfering wealth into another person or company. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
The above definitions were echoed by economist and sociologist Max Weber, who noted that professions are defined by the power to exclude and control admission to the profession, as well as by the development of a particular vocabulary specific to the occupation, and at least somewhat incomprehensible to outsiders.[citation needed] For the politician, see Max Weber (politician). ... A vocabulary is a set of words known to a person or other entity, or that are part of a specific language. ...
In narrow usage, not all expertise is considered a profession. Although sometimes referred to as professions, such occupations as skilled construction work are more generally thought of as trades or crafts. The completion of an apprenticeship is generally associated with skilled labor or trades such as carpenter, electrician, plumber, and other similar occupations. A related (though not always valid) distinction would be that a professional does mainly mental or administrative work, as opposed to engaging in physical work. It has been suggested that Artisan#Artisan guilds be merged into this article or section. ... Carpenter at work in Tennessee, June 1942. ... TVA electricians, Tennessee, 1942. ... Joe Kessler is a plumber! A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) water, sewage, drainage, venting, heating and air-conditioning, or industrial process plant piping. ... Look up mental in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up Administration (business) in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Main article: Professional sport
In sports, a professional is someone who participates for money. The opposite is amateur, meaning a person that does not play for money, but in an academic (e.g. college football) or other private setting. The term "professional" is commonly used incorrectly, as the distinction simply refers to how the athlete is funded, and not necessarily to what competitions he engages in or what results he achieves. Professional sports are sports in which the participants receive payment for playing, as opposed to amateur sports where they are not. ... Look up amateur in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Sometimes the professional status of an activity is controversial, for example there is debate as to whether or not professionals should be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games. The motivation for money (either in rewards, salaries or advertising revenue) is sometimes seen as a corrupting influence, tainting a sport. Professional sports are sports in which the participants receive payment for playing, as opposed to amateur sports where they are not. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ...
It has been suggested that the crude, all or nothing categories, of professional or amateur should be reconsidered. A historical shift is occurring with the rise of Pro-Ams, a new category of people that are pursuing amateur activities to professional standards. Professional amateurs or Pro-Ams or ProAms is a conceptual term to describe a blurring between the distinction of professional and amateur, within any endevour that could be called professional, such as writing, sports, computer programming, music, film, etc. ...
'Professional-grade' equipment is built to higher standards than 'consumer grade' equipment. Copyright laws that require copy protection in consumer equipment sometimes contain exemptions for professional grade audio (audio tape, CD) and video (VHS, DVD players) equipment (see DMCA). This equipment is usually more expensive and sometimes unavailable to the general public. The term may however also be used as a simple marketing ploy, as it is normally not protected or legally defined. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a controversial United States copyright law which criminalizes production and dissemination of technology that can circumvent measures taken to protect copyright, not merely infringement of copyright itself, and heightens the penalties for copyright infringement on the Internet. ...
See also
Look up professional in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z · See also · External links Categories: | | | ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Practice-based professional learning (or pbpl) is best understood in contrast to classroom- or theory-based learning. ... Professional development refers to vocational education with specific reference to continuing education of the person undertaking it in the area of employment, it may also provide opportunities for other career paths. ... Professional sports are sports in which the participants receive payment for playing, as opposed to amateur sports where they are not. ... Professional amateurs (also Pro-Ams or ProAms) is a conceptual term to describe a blurring between the distinction of professional and amateur, within any endeavour that could be called professional, such as writing, sports, computer programming, music, film, etc. ...
1. ^ Glossary (from the Business Fast Start project of Rhode Island authorities)
2. ^ Professional (definition via the WordNet, Princeton University)
3. ^ What are Professional Grade Parts? (example from the 'watertips.com' website)
4. ^ Definition of Terms to Support the ECSA Standards and Procedures System (from the Engineering Council of South Africa)
• professional food processor
Results from FactBites:
Professional Business Cards | Design & Print Business Cards for $3.95 (493 words)
Designs used on professional business cards should be just that; professional and created by a professional graphic designer.
Quality full color professional business cards with customizable, attractive, professionally-created designs printed on premium stock can be had for as little as $3.95 for 100 cards.
It's not often that you can have good quality, affordability and speediness in an easy-to-use package in business; but professional business cards are one instance where you can.
Professional Business Cards Online (1092 words)
The fact that professional business cards are so affordable means that you have a great way to get an actual piece of your business in the hands of your primary customers.
Professional Business Cards Online is your source for all of the high-quality, professionally-designed and printed features you expect from a top-notch business card with out the high prices.
Professional Business Cards Online stands behind our product and wants to please our customers; if for any reason you are not satisfied with your professional business cards, will work with you to meet your expectations of quality.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1066 | Archive for February, 2012
Terraforming – Making the climate of a distant planet like Earth
Terraforming is a science fiction fantasy wherein the climate and environment of a distant planet is manipulated by human beings to become more like their home planet Earth. If the latest science project that NASA has undertaken is anything to set store by, this science fiction fantasy may too become a reality.
NASA is creating an extreme environment test chamber. Here it hopes to replicate the surface conditions of Venus. The high temperatures, pressure and excessive carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are all to be reproduced. they main reason they are doing it is to help build more durable inter space vehicles and crafts.
The last spacecraft that was sent to Venus did not survive beyond two hours in the extreme hostile environment. The chamber is also to be used to conduct climate modifying experiments. These may answer worrying questions about our own globally changing climate.
It may not have the answer to global warming, but it may point us in a direction where we can do something to fix the weather. It is best that first we learn to deal with the climate of our own planet before we set out on as ambitious a science project as terraforming.
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Can a bloodtest determine when you will die?
It may sound like a science fiction project, but the technology already exists. The simple blood test can actually tell you your biological age within a decade. What is more based on life expectancy factors it can even predict just how long you have to live.
It seems that our DNA has something called telomeres at the ends of the chromosomes. It has been established by scientists that these telomeres tend to shorten as we age. So they believe that by measuring the length of these telomeres it may be possible to not only tell what the person’s age is but also when the person will die.
This can be a bit complicated because biological age is not always the same as chronological age. Two people may be 35 years old and that is their chronological age. However one may lead and active and healthy life while the other may smoke too much, drink a lot and eat unhealthy junk food regularly.
In this case the healthier person is likely to have a much lower biological age and thus live longer. Critics say that the blood test will not be accurately able to tell the biological age of a person as different factors involved in aging a person are involved. It would make an interesting albeit morbid science project to see just how accurately the test can foretell lifespans.
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Planets play Ping Pong too
Astronomy projects may not be the most exciting but they can occasionally throw up some surprisingly fun facts. In a two star system planets can end up being tossed from one star to the other a number of times before they finally get ejected out of the system.
This interplanetary game of ping pong can result in very disruptive orbits that interfere with other planet orbits as well. Such two star systems are thus usually not too stable an environment for life to be sustained in them.
After all the existence of life depends on evolution and with the temperature, gravity and atmospheric pressure changing as often as they do on such planets it is hardly a wonder that life as we know it would not exist in such conditions.
That should not lead to disappointment for those of you hoping to meet ET in your lifetime. There are still a number of viable planets in the universe where carbon life forms similar to ours could have evolved. The question now is how and when are we going to establish contact.
Hunting for the alien life forms is an ongoing science project with professionals and amateurs just as easily involved in the act. Who knows the next big spaceship from outer space could be spotted by a kid out in the yard doing an astronomy project!
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Will Robotic Teams take over all Sports?
In a number of science fairs the projects involve a robot trying to perform sports stunts like shooting a hoop, kicking a goal and even playing chess. Given that the computer brain of a robot allows them to make faster decisions than a human being, eventually robots will be better than human beings at sports.
That may be the logical conclusion to follow. Of course this means that professional athletes may soon be replaced by robots who perform better, have less margin for error and throw no tantrums! Perhaps in the not so distant future we may see a couple of robot players on all sports teams.
Who knows what the future could hold? Athletic ability in human beings may be soon restricted just how well he can control a robot player in the field. And with Artificial Intelligence improving the robot’s decision making it may be just a matter of time before the robots are completely autonomous.
Scary thought that the new heroes of basket ball may not be men like Lebron but some nameless robot which can shoot baskets with far more accuracy than a human player. Will robotic teams take over all sports? Lets hope not! Still a science fair project where two robotic teams play football and in a rather disastrous manner leads me to hope that the days of professional robot players are still some years away.
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This bullet can change directions after its shot
In a bid to make it the most target effective bullet the Sandia National Laboratories have come up with a bullet that can twist and turn to hit the target. The science project is interesting enough but when you add the tiny guided missile to the mix it really livens things up.
Building the navigation system for this little projectile was no mean feat. Imagine trying to load a processor and chip on something as tiny as the size of a gun bullet. It would take more than miniaturization to make this work, it would take innovation.
That is just what the researchers on the project did. They have added an optical sensor that follows a laser beam on to the target. The bullet that they have come up with is 4 inches long, half an inch wide and can make up to 30 corrections in direction per second.
Basically if the laser is aimed at you , you can bet that the bullet has your name on it. Think of a heat guided missile but this one is smaller and quite accurate for a target located even a mile away. This is quite an achievement as an unguided bullet is likely to miss a target that is located even half a mile away. It would be interesting to see how this particular science project develops.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1067 | Thursday, 9 May 2013
See Your Nakshatra Chitta/Chitra
Chitta (Chitra) is the 14th star in Hindu Astronomy. Before you look at sky, do know some information on this star.
Sanskrit NameChitra
Western NameSpica
Alternate NameAlpha Virginis
Constellation/RaashiVirgo (Kanya)
Distance (in Light Years)260
How to Locate:
1. Come out around 8.30PM.
2. Face yourself to East direction.
3. Lift your head and you will see two medium bright stars one above the other.
4. Actually, one of them (below-one) is planet Saturn. Above it is Chitra.
Here is a sky map (Source: Wiki) to help you further to locate Chitra (Spica).
Let me know if you could able to locate by dropping a comment. Note that, Saturn may not always be nearer to Chitra because of it's movement.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1079 | Monday, 30 April 2018
The monster Icelandic volcano Barbarbunga suffers a sharp 3.9 magnitude earthquake and is considered a significant seismic event
The picture was taken by Peter Hartree between 14.30 and 15.00 on September 4th, 2014/Wikipedia
The monster volcano Barbarbunga, one of the most active and powerful volcanoes in Iceland and Europe, trembled yesterday afternoon.
A sharp 3.9 magnitude earthquake was detected at 16:13 on Sunday afternoon, followed by a handful of smaller quakes.
The volcano has been relatively calm in 2018, with only a handful of 3+ magnitude quakes.
The relative calm comes at the heels of relatively high levels of activity in 2016 and 2017.
Since the largest earthquake to hit Barbarbunga at the end of January, a 4.9 magnitude quake.
A 3.9 magnitude quake is considered a significant seismic event, as any quake in an active volcano which is larger than 3 on the Richter scale is considered a powerful quake.
Quakes larger than 4 in volcanoes are relatively rare.
According to the Seismic Monitoring System of the Icelandic Meteorological Office, the epicentre of the 3.9 magnitude quake was 5.9 km (3.7 mi) Northeast of the centre of the volcano's caldera at a significant depth of 3.3 km (2 mi).
Barbarbunga has been showing a significant level of activity in recent months.
The quakes are connected caused by magma being thrust from the earth's mantle up into the lava chambers of the volcano.
The volcano has been re-filling it's lava chambers since the end of the 2014-15 Holuhraun eruption. Barbarbunga, which is one of the most powerful volcanic systems in Iceland, is hidden beneath the north-western part of the ice cap of Vatnajokull glacier. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1080 | Tuesday, April 21, 2015
A Standard Not Of Our Own Making
'There is an organ in my home. As I look at the notes on that organ, I could ask which note is good and which note is bad? Which note is right and which note is wrong? One cannot say that any particular note is right or any particular note is wrong. What makes any note right or wrong? Its correspondence to a standard. Once I have a piece of music before me, I know what I ought to do, what note I should hit, what note I ought not to hit. So too, we have a moral standard within us which is our conscience. What is good and bad is in relationship to that standard which is not of our own making.' (Venerable Fulton Sheen)
'Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened....the education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings. The education of the conscience is a lifelong task...In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path...'(Catholicism of the Catholic Church 1783-1785)
Painting: Michael Ancher, in US public domain due to age
1. So sad to see so many who have forgotten this in our society.
1. Yes, Patty, it is sad. We've lost the "sheet music," and the sound is not so sweet. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1087 | TheHerbBoat, site logo.
Fame at last !!
Posted on
So The Herb Boat has made National Television ... I know ... how exciting!!
Well, I am only in the background, for about two seconds. BBC's The One Show were in Manchester on "The Vote Boat", doing a piece about registering to vote. It was so busy at Castlefields, they had to moor against me and clamber over my boat to get the film crew ashore!
And remember, it doesn't matter who you vote for, the government still gets in
TTFN Bunny
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1092 | Day: October 26, 2019
Sleeping With Arms Above Your Head Means A Lot For You
You probably don’t give thought to your sleep position until you’re having one of those nights that make you toss and turn for what feels like forever. After a night when you could only get comfortable with yours arms splayed out behind you, you couldn’t help but wonder: What does sleeping with your arms above […]
Do You Know What Religion Does to You?
Whether or not a divine power truly does exist might be a matter of opinion, but the neurophysiological effects of religious belief are scientific facts that can be accurately measured. Here, we take a look at some of these effects, as shown by the latest research. Whether you are a staunch atheist, a reserved agnostic, […]
Superstitions and Their Amazing Effect on us
Superstition is any belief or practice that is considered irrational or supernatural: for example, if it arises from ignorance, a misunderstanding of science or causality, a positive belief in fate or magic, or fear of that which is unknown. People have been indulging in weird superstitions throughout history. It used to be customary to tell honeybees when there […] |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1097 | Karl Young
Mexico, 1500
Many different types of books and documents were in use in Mexico on the eve of the Spanish conquest. Perhaps the most elaborate of these were the religious books of the Mayans, significant portions of which remain undecipherable at the present time. In cosmopolitan Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), all sorts of handbooks, bureaucratic documents, and legal papers were actively produced and used. The Aztecs also kept religious and historical books, books closely associated with poetry. They were generally produced by making long strips of animal skin or fig bark paper and rolling them into scrolls or folding them into screenfold format. They were sized with lime gesso and painted with a limited palette of bright, mineral base colors and lamp black ink. The writing system used was iconographic, based on highly stylized pictures representing ideas that could be orally formulated in different ways. This was not a system for recording specific words. There are instances of rebus notation, but the books chiefly presented concrete images rather than abstract symbols that shaped vocalization.
The way in which these books were read is largely a matter of conjecture. I have been studying this problem for a number of years, and will sketch some of my conclusions here. Scholars who consider the problem at all simply say that these books were mnemonic devices, used to remind readers of things they would not otherwise remember. This may have been the case with bureaucratic documents, such as the Matriculo de Tributos, but makes no sense in the case of the religious and historical books. The Aztecs were in our sense pre-literate and, like many other pre-literate peoples, they probably had excellent memories and didn't need external devices to remind them of their history or mythology. They seem to have had several orders of professional singers of myths, histories, genealogies, etc. not unlike the Yugoslavian Singers of Tales studied by Lord and Parry and the west African Singers of Genealogies brought to popular attention in North America by the tv series Roots.
The first, and probably most important, method of reading was mnemonic, but it approached memory from the other direction. We have a fairly large body of information, including citations by Sahagun's informants, that indicates that painted books and recitation of verse were major parts of education. As teaching tools the books were probably used to engrave myth and history, in a form that could be internally visualized in the minds of students. Their purpose, then, was not to remind readers of things they might otherwise forget, but to help make those things unforgettable. The brilliant and simple colors, the decisive black frame line, the striking clarity of icons, and the vibrant paratactic compositions -- the basic qualities of indigenous style -- are perfectly suited to this purpose. Students would embed innumerable myths, histories, genealogies, prayers, etc. in verse form in their minds along with the visual images in the books. The words and images need not have explained or commented on each other -- each may have balanced, complemented, or extended the other, and each probably gave the student something the other couldn't. The visual and oral components of their education would then inform their dreams, their visions, their ethics, their conceptions of the world, and their actions throughout their lives. An image of the god Tezcatlipoca would not be in a book to tell students of his existence -- they all were absolutely sure of his presence -- but to fix a concrete image of him in their minds, one that intermeshed with his mythology, his liturgy, etc.
A number of sources tell us that books of this type were mounted, fully extended, on walls for ceremonial occasions. We can imagine readers standing in front of the mounted books, reciting the verses they'd learned in youth, as they visually reaffirmed and refurbished the images in their minds. A number of people acting in this manner would somewhat resemble contemporary performances of, say, Jackson Mac Low's Gathas -- performers achieving a high degree of concentration on the images before them and on the sounds they uttered, and simultaneously feeling a sense of community with other participants. We shouldn't, however, push this parallel too far: a contemporary performance would not involve the same stored energy and association as did those of pre-conquest Mexico, but would include a sense of exploration not present in the older type of performance.
History books may have been used in the singing of epics. In this type of situation, a small audience would sit around a singer, who would place the book between himself and his audience, unfolding its pages as he sang. The book would act only minimally as a score for the singer -- its main function would be a visual counterpart of the song for the audience to contemplate (and memorize) as they listened. Books could also be read privately. Private readings were not silent readings: the reader probably recited verses of all sorts as he read. With some of the religious books, this type of reading may have been an important part of an internal self-discipline, a form of yoga. Certainly many of the religious books could have been used in visualization exercises like those practiced by Tibetan Buddhists, and this may have been an important stage in the deity impersonation so important to Aztec religion. The central section of Codex Borgia [Fig. 1] may even have been used as a set of mandalas. The religious books contain lists, charts, and calendars used in divination and in organizing ritual. These, of course, would be read in a different manner from the less compartmentalized books, and may have conveyed some new information. But even in these cases, when the reader may only have been looking for a date in a calendar, he probably did so in a prescribed manner, singing as he proceeded.
The screenfold format is well suited to these different types of reading. The Singer of Epics could spread out as many pages as necessary before his audience. The whole book could be mounted on a wall in ceremonial situations. When held in a reader's hands, a book of this type could be organized in different ways by folding up pages and thus creating juxtapositions of them. For instance, if a reader wanted to juxtapose page 1 and 6 of a book, he could simply fold the intervening pages together, placing 1 and 6 next to each other.
This would be particularly useful in using ritual-calendrical books, where charts, diagrams, and calendars would be compared and correlated. In histories it could have also have been useful: the indigenous Mexicans had a cyclical conception of history, and this format would allow comparison of one cycle with another.
An interesting feature of the books is that they could be given what I call a brief or an extended reading. In brief reading, the reader would simply identify the figures in the book and their functions. An extensive reading would involve a great deal more: the reader would recite portions of the verse associated with each image, though not necessarily contained in it. Let's say the page begins with a god: the reader would begin with an invocation of the deity, list his powers and attributes, narrate his relevant myths, and end with a prayer. The next figure is a man: the reader would recite his genealogy, his biography, maxims associated with him, and so forth [Fig. 2] A brief reading of a page might take several minutes; an extended reading, several hours. The amount of time spent reading would not depend so much on the amount of information contained in the image, but how much the reader wanted to interact with it.
A Calmecac, or University, in Tenochtitlan in 1500 would probably contain a number of people reading books in a number of different ways. One reader may have hastily determined the suitability of marriage partners by the dates of their birth, as charted in an almanac. Another might have hastily determined the days on which the planet Venus would exert an evil influence on members of one of the classes of society. A third may have just as quickly checked out the genealogy of an important person, giving the book a quick reading. Elsewhere in the school, a small group of students may have sat around a Singer of Tales, letting the images of a hero sink into their minds as they more or less automatically committed the narrative to memory. Another group may have sat in a similar circle around a scholar who explained to them the mechanics of time, the will of the stars, the proper use of hallucinogens and other sacred plants. A third group may have discussed historical problems, using a book spread out or folded into a new page order in the middle of their circle. A merchant may have shown a priest his list of goods sold to prove his humility and pay his tithe. A student of book painting may have done sketches in sand while reciting formulas concerning the symbolic nature of straight lines and curves, perhaps as they related to mathematics. A student cloistered in a private cell, after strict fasting, ritual ingestion of psylocibin and peyote, and rigorous self- mortification may have recited a mantram over and over as he concentrated his total being on the image of a deity he would impersonate, becoming a living page of the book. A high priest may have sat in his study, contemplating the interaction of omens and an upcoming festival, whose rites he would have to organize. He may not have had any books in front of him, but have made his correlations by books he had committed to memory.
For the Aztecs, the world was full of voices, human and divine. Even plants and birds had voices, and part of the business of life was learning how to understand them. The first thing an Aztec child heard on entering the world was verse exhortation, delivered by the midwife; his life would revolve around prayers, verse formulas, and incantations; and his death would be surrounded by massive recitation. The Aztecs generally did not use books to acquire new information, but to deepen what they already knew. Books were an essential part of cult, and the interaction of spoken word and painted image had a magic function. In some of the oral poetry transcribed in the roman alphabet shortly after the conquest, we find lines like "only as painted images in your books have we come to be alive in this place" -- "perhaps his heart is a painted book" -- " he [the giver of life] paints in your soul" -- and "like a painted book we will fade away." In the Aztec world, books did not provide scripts for vocalization, nor could they record a fixed sequence of words or sounds. A text was not a set of symbols telling readers what to say, but a tool that allowed them to see what they heard. Books and oral poems set up complex patterns of reverberation between each other, enmeshing the reader-singer in a totality of sensual and cerebral activity impossible in a world of phonetic books.
China, 810
For millennia the Chinese have used many surfaces to write on, and they have used all the major bookforms: scrolls, screenfolds, mapfolds, spinebound volumes of several types. A practice reaching back nearly to the beginning of Chinese writing is the inscription or painting of poems on buildings and on the rock faces of cliffs. This latter practice united reading with the viewing of landscapes -- an activity raised to a high art in China. Chinese literature is full of stories about people making long trips to read inscriptions on mountains and temples. Occasionally these inscriptions were cut very large: we have instances of several inscriptions whose characters were each more than ten feet tall. Neither giant banners with political verses written on them nor Democracy Wall in Beijing were Maoist inventions. Readers of inscriptions often made copies of them by covering the text with wet paper, working the paper into the incisions, and rubbing them with charcoal or ink. These rubbings could be rolled, folded, or bound into books and it may have been this practice that gave rise to the art of printing [Fig. 3]. At some Chinese universities, official texts were inscribed on stone drums, and students acquired their textbooks by making rubbings from them. Not only was this a good way of generating copies, it produced standardized texts, without textual variations, an invention usually attributed to Renaissance Europe. Surfaces for writing didn't have to be flat or static: Tuan Ch'ng-shih, writing in mid 9th century, reported seeing a workman whose whole body was tattooed with poems by Po Chu-i.
Calligraphy has been essential to the art of writing poetry in China, and calligraphy, in turn, has been closely linked with painting, so that there has been a continuum between the three arts, often referred to as "The Three Perfections." Ideally, the calligraphy that a poem came in should be of as high an artistic caliber as the poem itself. The nature of written Chinese encourages this sort of artistry in a way that the roman alphabet (for all its beauty) can not do. The large number and complexity of Chinese characters provide a wide range of design problems that challenge even the best calligrapher's abilities, as well as allowing the widest range of potential forms with which to express himself. This range becomes even larger in the cursive styles of writing, in which the calligrapher abstracts, simplifies, or elides the characters, working on intuition and a sense of the design of the whole text. The cursive hands are difficult to read, even for adepts, and this puts an extra emphasis on the calligrapher's art [Fig. 4]. Poems often appear with paintings, and developments in each art influence the other. In some periods, landscapes, birds, etc. have been painted in calligraphic manner; in others, pictorial possibilities of characters have been stressed.
One of the reasons for the continuity of arts is that the basic tools of painter and calligrapher have been the same: a hair brush mounted in bamboo and lampblack ink. This brush allows the artist- calligrapher a wide range of strokes: it can handle straight lines, sharp angles, graceful curves, thick lines can be modulated into hair- thin ones; outer hairs on the brush can create delicate traceries around the main strokes, etc. The brush, however, does not allow the calligrapher to rest his hand in mid stroke, which would cause a running blot. The artist has to work quickly and this encourages both spontaneity and care in visualizing what he wants to do before dipping brush in ink. The artistry of the calligrapher has shaded into the craft of the inscriber and block-printer. By the 9th century, characters could be painted by master calligraphers on stone or wood blocks with enough skill and precision to accurately reproduce the graceful curves, sharp angles, and outer hair traceries. Many rubbings and blockprints seem as spontaneous as brushwork [Fig. 3 & 4].
Another reason for the continuity of the three perfections is the nature of written Chinese. Basically there are three types of characters or character components: 1, pictograms, characters based on abstract pictures of things; = man, and looks like a stick-man; sometimes these characters imitate gestures instead of static forms. 2, phonograms, symbols representing sounds without any pictorial content. 3, ideograms -- these are often combinations of components in the other categories; they chart ideas but do not wholly represent them either phonetically or pictorially. The reliance on gesture could be seen as a character type of its own, although most character components include gesture to a greater or lesser degree. The gestural nature of Chinese expands Chinese beyond pictograms, and in this respect makes it unique among writing systems. This gives the characters a "body language" -- and internalizing the gestures of writing not only gives them a more profoundly human and organic quality. It also makes up an essential charateristic of learning to read and write Chinese. As with the Aztec writing system, deepening the reader's understanding was essential. Arthur Cooper has called the system etymological -- perhaps the most important characteristic of this type of writing is the history behind each character. Chinese readers don't pay much attention to any of this when reading everyday documents, such as letters, popular fiction, newspaper and magazine articles -- in such instances characters are just symbols for words. In writing or reading poetry, however, readers tend to be much more attuned to the interworkings of sound, sight, gesture, and idea. The interaction of components emphasizes continuity and versatility; a mind trained to read interwoven pictograms, graphs of gestures, phonograms, and ideograms can be expected to feel a continuity between sight, sound, gesture, and intellection.
The Chinese have felt that sound is an important element in poetry, as basic as the three perfections. In the 9th century, poetry was generally chanted or sung and the ideal poet was not only a good singer but also a skilled lutanist. According to the Confucian Analects, "Except in unusual circumstances, a cultured man is never without his lute." The Chinese spoken languages, which rely heavily on variations in pitch, encourage poets to create musical patterns in their poetry. This is perhaps the most difficult characteristic of Chinese poetry to bring across to western readers. I don't know of anyone who has tried to translate the music of Chinese poetry along with the lexical meaning. Many poets have tried to find correlatives for its visual forms [Fig. 5] , but its melopoea has been thus far beyond us -- perhaps it's a job for some future sound poet or composer.
Though printed books of poetry were available in the year 810, most poetry was circulated in manuscript form. A ninth century Chinese poet receiving a manuscript from a friend would first unroll or unfold it before him in an almost ritualistic fashion. He would certainly take notice of the silk or paper on which it was written, feeling its texture, hearing the sounds it made, perhaps smelling it. He would first look over the manuscript as a piece of abstract design. Then he would start reading it. It would probably be written in a cursive script, so reading would be something more like deciphering -- he probably would have started figuring out the author's particular approach to cursive script when he began looking at the manuscript as abstract pattern. The design would have implied a mood or state of mind which he would now work out on the level of individual characters.
Having gotten his bearings, gotten the hang of the individual nature of the calligraphy, he would determine the form of the poem. Although modern editions of Chinese poetry sometimes indicate line endings by a small disk or other device, traditional Chinese poetry has not had any markings or layout conventions to indicate where lines end. A reader determines line endings by internal means involving pauses, syntax, parallelism, etc. Five and seven character lines were most common, with a caesura just before the middle and the reader would have these numbers in mind as he determined line length. Parallel or antithetical couplets were focal points in poems of the period, and the reader might isolate them first, reading them as units before he began reading the poem through from the beginning. Chinese is a language without tense or number, and with a minimum of the connective and relative components (such as pronouns, prepositions, articles, etc.) found in western languages and Chinese poets have often accentuated the ambiguities and generalizing tendencies latent in the language. The reader would probably decide fairly quickly on solutions to these ambiguities (as he would do almost instantaneously in less artful writing) but keep other possibilities in mind as the poem as a whole took shape in his mind. Poetry of the period was full of allusions and a sensitive reader would let these reverberate through his memory, linking the poem before him with many other texts and with social situations at which they had been sung or recited. After pondering over the verses until he felt he grasped them, he might explore the poem's sound potentials beyond those of ordinary speech. The line and caesura structure would suggest a rhythm, and the tones a melody. This would give him the keys he needed to chant or sing the poem. Many poems were written to well known tunes, and if this were the case an attentive reader would sing the poem to the appropriate tune -- setting up further reverberations of allusion and memory. At this point he might get out his lute and accompany himself or grind some ink and paint a picture or write a poem in response. If the poem pleased him, he would commit it to memory.
This reading would obviously have been a slow process, but it would have allowed the reader a wide range of activity and creativity. We find in this reading a continuity between visual text and sung poem, each dependent on the other, and the two together drawing on other senses and experiences.
Like the Aztecs, the Chinese found magical powers in writing -- those scrolls and wall hangings you occasionally see in Chinese restaurants in North America may have talismanic significance to the proprietors. A number of myths attribute divine and mystical origins to books and writing, and written characters retain an affinity to the hexagrams of the I-Ching, to which they are etymologically related. In the 9th century, Po Chu-i hoped that his profane poems would be reborn as Buddhist sutras; he hoped that he would be reincarnated as a monk, and be able to read them in their transfigured state.
England, 1620
In 1620, indigenous style documents were still admissible as evidence in the Spanish courts of Mexico, and some of the religious books may still have been used in secret. In China, poetry was still written and read in much the same way as it had been in the 9th century, though conventions had become more rigid and printed books were more common. In England, poetry was circulated in a number of forms: it was commonly read aloud or recited from memory at all sorts of social functions, and as part of family entertainment. The theaters were still active, and at times audiences could still go to plays by Shakespeare performed by actors who had known the author. Written poetry was circulated in printed books and in manuscript. Manuscripts were versatile: often they were fascicles rather like chap books today; they could contain a single work, a collection of poems, or a miscellany of poems by different writers, sometimes topically selected.
Printing was a different business then than it is now. In order to curb sedition and control the press, the number of printers licensed by the crown was limited, as was the number of type founders and the amount of type they could cast. Of course, there were underground presses operating in the country and type could be smuggled in from the continent, but, nonetheless, printers overworked their type, reusing it until it became completely illegible. Ink was expensive and hard to make, so it was used as sparingly as possible. Although editions with a standard of clarity at least as high as our own could be commissioned by wealthy patrons, this was by no means the norm -- but the crude norm may have had some benefits. The roughness of impression gave letters a tactile quality: the printed word seemed more of an object, more a physical reality, than it does today. Print was more difficult to read then -- lack of standardized spelling and a multitude of inconsistent symbols and abbreviations contributed to the difficulty, along with the worn type, the rough impression, and the light ink. Paper was heavier and the wire marks on its surface were the result of normal paper making processes, not a superfluous decoration as in today's laid finishes. Paper, like print, was more palpable, and a reader holding a book or turning a page probably had a greater awareness of its tactile quality than does his modern counterpart. Book bindings were sturdy, meant for active use; if they fell apart from extended wear, they could be rebound. A book might stay in a family for generations, being read and reread by many of its members as well as friends to whom they might lend it. A reader buying a copy of The Faerie Qveene [Fig. 6] in 1620 would as likely as not be buying a used book -- books were made to last and the difference between the new and used market was less distinct than it is now. The Faerie Qveene had become a classic by 1620, recalling an epoch that seemed glorious, however painful it may have been to those actively involved in its political events. The reader may well have heard a good deal of the book read or recited before he bought it and may have already committed some passages to memory -- he may even have used passages as maxims, things he turned over in his mind when making decisions or trying to make sense out of the world. The book he had purchased would probably not be read through and shelved (though some ostentatious buyers might keep a copy on their shelves just for show). It would be used as a script for reading to family and friends, as something to ponder over in private, or as something to commit, in part, to memory (which was still considered one of the basic arts of life). The text is admirably suited to these uses: the narrative allegory could be listened to with varying degrees of attentiveness; its regular rhythms and graceful phrases would be easy to read aloud; and the combination above with the regular stanzas and rhymes would make passages relatively easy to memorize. Even its inconsistencies and obscurities -- unintentional results of composition in installments -- would make it something to reread many times. Even when reading the book in private, it would be more a script to declaim than a source of silent information, conveyed from page to brain by an easy activity of the eyes.
Poetry that circulated in manuscript, of course, shared with printed books the current freedom from standardized orthography. Shakespeare, for instance, spelled his own name half a dozen different ways, almost one for each signiture we have. In "The Good-Morrow," John Donne could render the word "be" three different ways (bee, beest, be) on the same sheet of paper. For Shakespeare and Donne and most of their contemporaries a written word was not confined to a single orthographic form: it could change according to the writer's intuitive sense of how it should look or sound, showing shades of emphasis, intonation, color, perhaps even pitch in his own pronunciation. Written language maintained the fluidity, even volatility, of speech: a phrase or line was something a poet created with his mouth, not an arrangement of fixed parts that could be precisely interchanged. A written poem was essentially a record of spoken verse and a score that could enable a reader to recreate it. The elaborate and inconsistent abbreviations and symbols current in script and print also underscore the oral orientation of writing. When a text is just a form of notation, "&" (a symbol that is still with us) could easily stand for "and," and "ye" could be an acceptable abbreviation for "the" (the "y" stood for "th" as in "thorn," not "y" as in "year" as some people now pronounce it in an attempt to sound old fashioned). Punctuation of this period often seems illogical to us for the same reason: we punctuate according to fixed notions of sentence construction, whereas the Jacobean poet punctuated by ear: his punctuation was a form of notation, often indicating a pause where the normal construction of a sentence would not suggest one. A number of conventions, create ambiguities somewhat similar to those in Chinese verse. The use of the apostrophe in possessives had not come into standard usage, and when Donne used a word like "worlds" he may have primarily meant "world's," but wished to leave a sense of secondary meaning: multiple worlds (he was probably familiar with Giordano Bruno's notion of infinite worlds). Letters like "I" and "J" or "U" and "V" were at that time more or less interchangeable, creating further ambiguities and keeping the reader at a speed approximating serious speech.
Only four of Donne's poems were printed in his lifetime, and one of them was plagiarized rather than published under his own name. The was not because Donne couldn't find publishers for his work, but because he had several reasons for not wanting to see them in print. He only meant them for an audience of friends and didn't like the idea of having strangers see them -- particularly if the poems could be used to thwart his political and ecclesiastical career. Restricting distribution allowed him a great deal of freedom to experiment with meter and syntax, use arcane reference comprehensible only to a few fellow cognoscenti, and deal with subjects he would otherwise have to keep to himself. This was not unusual at his time: other gentlemen circulated verse only in manuscript, or published their more public poems in book form while circulating more personal verses in manuscript.
Generally speaking, the manuscripts circulated by Donne and his fellows were not written in the wide-curving and ornate hands of which some 17th century penmen were capable, though they were not without flourishes and decorations. The capacity of quill pens to swing from thin to thick lines allowed a certain amount of expressive coloration in individual words, though this was minor in comparison to the expressiveness of Chinese calligraphers. Of course, manuscripts, even in fair hands, had to be read slowly. And, as important as anything else, manuscripts were personal in a way that printed books could never be. A manuscript was something fashioned by the author's (or a friend's) own hand and passed more or less directly to the reader, without the intermediary machinery of type and press, or the scrutiny of censors, publishers, typographers, proofreaders, salesmen, etc.
Donne's poetry reads as though it were meant for manuscript circulation. He assumes that the reader will be willing to spend a fair amount of time figuring out what the poems mean and how they should be vocalized. He assumes a stance of familiarity with his readers, not only sharing his private thoughts with them but also assuming that they are familiar with the arcane images, scientific experiments, philosophical arguments, and biographical details he knows.
Donne seems to assume that the manuscripts' recipients would not only read the poems aloud, but carefully rehearse them, perhaps to be recited to other friends. Lines like
She's all States, and all Princes, I,
Nothing elfe is
are difficult to recite and would have demanded a skilled speaker who had practiced a bit to bring them off right. Donne's metrics are tricky. Sometimes he creates uneven patterns simply to keep the poems from becoming too neat, too prim. Sometimes his irregularities are metrical experiments, or approximations of colloquial speech, or theatric gestures, or based on melodic patterns. Sometimes if you read what seems to be an uneven line with even stresses, the reading brings out meanings that would be muffled if normal speech rhythms were followed. A reader would have to spend considerable time sorting these options out.
The poems are, in their nature as well as their written form, often ambiguous, asking serious questions and filling in witty answers without disturbing the original puzzle. A reader would be expected to ponder them after reading them aloud and even after committing some to memory. The reader was expected to contemplate them, turn them over in his mind, apply them to the changing patterns of his life, the way he would an important letter. At the same time, the poems served as a social bond between a small group of people: something they shared but held private from the rest of the world. They could be recited in all sorts of interpersonal situations: amorous, entertaining, jocular, serious, consoling.
In 1615 Donne was ordained a minister and in 1621 became Dean of St. Paul's. After this time he tried to suppress most of his poems, apparently because they were then in fairly wide circulation and might tend to discredit his office in the church. Both the writing of lyrics and the preaching of sermons in Donne's time were closely related to theater. The texts of Donne's sermons are full of the same kind of conceits, striking images, ringing phrases, grandiose tropes, and poetic cadences as his sermons. Accounts of his preaching indicate that he could use dramatic gestures, employ a wide vocal range, and even weep when it seemed like the right thing to do. He preached his last sermon dressed in his own shroud, which sounds like something out of a play by Webster. If the theater was the basis of language art in the Jacobean era, we can see a private extension of it in his lyrics and a public one in his sermons. Play, lyric, and sermon were all vocal arts that used scripts, and that's precisely what the texts of Donne's poems and sermons are.
A certain aura would have surrounded a manuscript fascicle of Donne's poems coming into a readers's hands in 1620. The reader would probably know that the author was trying to suppress them, which would make them all the more interesting. Many of the poems' initial readers had been members of an unofficial elite, and access to the manuscripts would make the new readers feel privileged to share in the glory of the small group of savants associated with Donne. The reader would certainly be aware of Donne's reputation for wit and may have heard some of the poems read or recited by other people.
He would first read through them quietly, perhaps silently. He would try to get a general sense of the poem, then concentrate on details. He would probably commit some of them to memory, and make copies of some or all of them. Copying was a form of reading in those days: a way of becoming one with the text, of tracing its graphic form, much the way art students have copied paintings and drawings as part of their apprenticeship. In 17th century Europe there were still monks who copied scripture as a form of prayer: they spoke the words as they wrote, touched the sacred energy of the script, and created more copies that could be used to save other souls. Transcribing also aided memorization.
The reader would rehearse oral performances of the poems. Probably, like his Chinese counterpart, he had had some musical training, and he may have tried to work out melodies for the poems, or fit them to existing tunes, perhaps accompanying himself on a lute. A poem like
Goe, and catch a falling ftarre,
Gett with child a Mandrake Roote,
Tell me, where all paft times are,
Or who cleft the Divells foote,
Teache me to hear Mermaydes finginge,
Or to keepe off Envyes ftinginge,
And finde
What winde
Serves to'advance an honeft minde.
almost demands such treatment. We have one anonymous 17th century setting for it [Egerton Ms. 2013, f. 586; see John Shawcross's The Complete Poetry of John Donne, p. 91] and certainly other readers composed settings for it. The reader might sing the poem to family or friends and it would become an integral part of social life.
A more difficult poem would require prolonged intellectual effort. Here is the last stanza of "To Chrift":
I have a finn of feare yt when I have fpunn
My laft thred, I fall perifh on the sfore;
Sweare by thy felf that at my Death, thy Sunn
Shall fhinne as it sfhines nowe, & heretofore;
And having done that, thou haft done,
I have noe more.
The spiritual and intellectual dimensions of this poem are immense - - I will only point out one approach to it that is dependent on writing in the 17th century. "Sonne" is both a person of the trinity and the illuminating sphere in the sky, about which Donne and his fellows speculated endlessly. "Done" is a pun on the author's own name, and "more" is a pun on the maiden name of his wife, who was dead when this poem was written, if our current dating is correct. We tend to scorn puns because our language is not as fluid or as magical as it was in the 17th century. For Donne, however, the links between Christ and the sun, himself and his death, his wife and the joy of living were not crossword puzzle games, but the threads that shaped his life. No one bound by static orthography or a frozen conception of language could have written this poem. Its author might have understood more easily than we do the puns blood = water and flower = heart in the Aztec books, or the origin of writing in the union of light from a star with the footprints of birds in Chinese mythology.
North America, 1983
For most people living in late 20th century North America, reading is a dreary task. Its main objective (even in fiction) has become the acquisition of data. Standardized orthography and usage have taken the fluidity and magic out of the language and encouraged silent reading. Reading is now something most people want to get out of the way as quickly as possible and speedreading is perceived as the ideal way to read. Since speedreading alters the order of words, makes some words disappear or pass in a blur, negates the timing of poetry, suppresses the sensations of inner and outer ear as well as the throat, tongue, and mouth, it takes the physicallity out of language and is completely incompatible with poetry. It is like ingesting a nutrient that you don't have to eat -- smelling, chewing, tasting, digesting are time consuming activities. Even people who don't know how to speedread approach reading as if they did, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible and trying to avoid its physical qualities as much as they can. People no longer memorize verse and recite it to each other or use it to give depth or breadth to their discourse. The closest most people come to this sort of social interaction is the discussion of popular novels, often as they relate to movies or tv programs, making the reading activity subservient to the video medium. According to many sources, dyslexia is increasing among young people and I imagine one of the major reasons for this is the ephemeralization of reading. A disproportionately large number of dyslexic students have I.Q.'s above average and I suspect their refusal to learn to read is, on a human if not a practical level, an intelligent response to current attitudes toward reading.
People interested in contemporary poetry approach reading differently. Contemporary poetry uses many of the forms of reading described in the three historical examples (more often than not without awareness of precedents) and has invented quite a few more. Unfortunately, people who are not familiar with contemporary poetic practice find contemporary work incomprehensible because, due to their notions of reading, they don't know how to read it. If their ephemeralized reading habits are too deeply ingrained, explaining alternative reading methods will probably not help them -- teaching them a difficult new language, say Arabic or Hopi, might be easier. At this point it's impossible to say how much this will change in the future. Perhaps the self-destructive nature of speedreading and developments in technology will make reading for information's sake obsolete, and will return the act of reading to a form of art. Whatever the case, readers of poetry are not part of the mainstream and poets constantly develop ways of staying out of it.
One of the most positive things contemporary poets have going for them is the total lack of standardization at all levels of notation. In writing about Donne, I pointed out that standardized spelling reduced the sense of fluidity and magic in language. Many poets of the last two centuries have reacted to this on a gut level by simply not learning to spell "correctly" -- William Morris, W.B. Yeats, and Ezra Pound have been among their company. More recently, poets like bill bissett have completely rejected standardized orthography and have spelled by intuition and their sense of how the words sound, look, and feel. When bissett writes "seek / sum priva see its wintr fr reel now sins ystrday," notions of correct spelling are completely irrelevant. Though people inured to inflexible orthography cringe at this sort of thing, feeling that some immutable law of the universe has been violated, intuitive spelling returns poetry to its oral base: readers must work out the sounds of words to be able to read the poem at all.
In "The Prosody of Open Verse" (Open Letter, 5.2, pp. 5 - 13), bpNichol and Frank Davey provide an excellent catalog of notational devices in projective verse and its descendants. Visual poets and language centered writers have similar arsenals of notational devices. Though the notational devices are numerous, they are done largely by intuition or personal system and they do not seem to be tending toward any sort of standardization. One poet may mean one thing by a certain notation, another poet may use the same notation for a completely different purpose. Readers must try out several possibilities when reading a new work, actively participating in the realization of the poem, considering the text from several different angles, turning it over in their minds, testing it in vocalization, and becoming more familiar with it in the process. Ultimately readers will have to hear the poet read before they can come to a complete understanding of the notation employed.
After reading sketches of some of my visual poetry, Charles Stein and George Quasha asked me how I performed it and I read them a couple pages. They then did a two voice rendition of the same pages as they thought they should be performed. Their reading bore little resemblance to mine. Quasha and Stein are knowledgeable readers and extraordinary performers and in some ways their reading was better than mine. The important thing, though, is that all three of us ended up with a fuller appreciation of the work after we had been exposed to the two different readings. Even misreadings can expand the reader's sense of the poem, once the poet's intentions are understood.
During the sixties, concrete poetry had a tendency to be pictorial, trivially self-referential, and static. Works like the tiny masterpieces of Emmett Williams tended to get lost in the juggernaut of poems made up of the word "pine" typed over and over in the shape of a Christmas tree. The tendency of visual poetry now, however, is away from pictorial and mimetic representations in favor of gesture, motor stimulus, gestalt, and abstract archetype. Visual poetry, whether complex or minimalist, has become deeper, more capable of reaching more levels of thought, perception, and action, and, at the same time, more oriented toward performance, public or private. This can lead to multimedia performance, incorporating other arts, sometimes interacting with work produced by a number of people in a cooperative or collective effort.
Projective verse and visual poetry shade almost imperceptibly into performance art and sound poetry. The emphasis shifts from visual texts that can be performed to scores that exist primarily to shape vocalization but can also be read as images. A good example of a score that could find its way into an anthology of visual poetry is Jackson Mac Low's "Vocabulary Gatha for Pete Rose" [Fig. 7]. Readers seeing this piece in print can read it casually, as a piece of graphic art. After reading the performance instructions, they can do their own performances -- either single voice or with friends. They will probably appreciate the piece more if they have attended performances done under Mac Low's supervision, and most if they have participated in such performances themselves. If they have done this, they may be able to hear performances with their inner ears. Experienced performers can experience this in much the same way as musicians can hear music with their inner ear while reading musical scores. Though the reader may find the score visually interesting, that interest pales in comparison to the satisfaction of taking part in a performance of the work -- a satisfaction that can be carried over, to some extent, into silent readings of other Mac Low scores.
A score of this sort must be relatively easy to follow and use. It is not necessarily meant to be performed by professional performance artists but by sympathetic and knowledgeable members of the audience. The distinction between artist and audience blurs in this sort of performance. Other scores may be more cryptic. A score like the page from "16 Part Suite" by the Four Horsemen shown in figure 8 is a good example of this type of notation. It was developed for the use of a single performance group. The Horsemen weren't thinking about how it might be read by other people at the time of composition, they were simply using the form of optophonetic scoring developed by Raoul Hausmann as a working method. I doubt that anyone else using it would end up with a performance anything at all like that of the group that originally developed it. Nonetheless, it can be read as a work of graphic art as long as the reader understands that it was composed for a different purpose. Other performances that it might inspire could be just as meaningful as the Horsemen's and the Horsemen themselves might have been able to further develop their own performance from such a reading. Readers already familiar with live performances of this piece might find their understanding of it deepened by seeing the score, somewhat like the original readers of the Aztec books found their oral poetry enhanced by visual images.
The amount of lexical material in a score, the number of words and letters, need not be great: many scores are for minimalist interpretation, somewhat like the music of Philip Glass or Steve Reich, and some scores have no words or other forms of traditional notation at all. Some Horsemen scores fall into this category, but probably the supreme master of nonlexical scoring is Bob Cobbing. It seems that Cobbing can use virtually anything as a score, though the scores he has published are almost always visually impressive, capable of standing alone as works of graphic art.
Poetry evolved from song and still has close ties to the parent art. Poets often write with melodies in mind, and some poems still get set to music. Many poets base their work on larger musical structures; some, like Theodore Enslin, have had rigorous training in music and their knowledge of musical form shapes their work on all levels. In the case of sound poets, it's often a matter of semantic quibbling whether you call the work music, song, or poem. In Mac Low's "Vocabulary Gatha for Pete Rose," the same notation can be used for speaking voice, singing voice, or musical instrument, and other poets have written pieces to be performed in conjunction with music. Like music, poetry is essentially an art of time. The sense of timing a poem creates is its rhythm and that rhythm is one of its most expressive characteristics. "To read Donne you must measure Time, and discover the Time of each word by the sense of Passion," wrote Coleridge -- he could have said the same thing about his own poetry, or that of Arthur Sze or The Four Horsemen or Rosmarie Waldrop or Toby Olson or Louis Zukofsky or Daphne Marlatt or Clark Coolidge or the original singer of Beowulf. The sense of timing in a poem can vary from the timing of discrete units, such as the clues in Anglo-Saxon riddles or the accretions of examples in Pound's Cantos, to the sense of time implied by spatial deployment in visual poetry, to the sense of time implied by regular meters. You can find songs meant to be delivered more rapidly than normal speech (Carmen Miranda comes to mind) but these are usually comic, and the general tendency of song has been to progress less rapidly than ordinary speech. Sound itself is a function of time: you hear different pitches by different rates of vibration. If you play a 33 1/3 r.p.m. record at 78 r.p.m., you will not be able to hear the music on the record. Not only will the notes come too short and too fast and the rhythm be altered, the increased speed will have changed the pitch of the notes. This is one of the reasons that contemporary verse must fight the speedreading tendencies of the times. Many forms of notation in contemporary poetry tend to slow reading down, to encourage the reader to dwell on small units of language, or at least to perceive the words in real (i.e. spoken) time.
The sort of song that poetry evolved from was dependent on an audience. Though some critics have claimed that contemporary poetry has no audience, this is patently false. The audience may be small, but this may also be one of its strengths. Donne actually wanted a small audience. Serious contemporary poets can get to know one another relatively easily, and at the numerous readings, festivals, etc. that have occurred during the last two decades, poets have been able to make contact with many (in some cases a majority) of people interested in their work, and to talk to them on a personal level -- the party after the reading can be as important as the reading itself. Readers depend on these performances in order to understand the notation used by poets. In many cases, such as performances of Jackson Mac Low's Gathas, there isn't a clear distinction between author and audience: the author is the central figure; a number of people who would ordinarily sit passively listening join in as performers; and they, in turn, take cues from the rest of the people in the room. Some poets have developed performances that include the audience, leaving no room for passive spectators -- Pauline Oliveros has done a great deal in this area.
At present, poetry is largely a participatory rather than a spectator art. A large percentage of the audience for poetry is made up of writers, performers, and other artists. Readers often read not simply to be moved or entertained or instructed or morally uplifted, they read to improve their own art. This encourages them to read more closely, more critically, more intensely than they might otherwise do. Younger poets tend to imitate poets they admire and their imitation is a way of intimately identifying with the work that is most important to them. This sort of imitation is not unlike the copying of Donne's contemporaries, of scribal monks, of Chinese calligraphers, and of Aztec book painters. Experienced poets also learn from and identify with the work of their peers: any poet is potentially part of a given poet's audience, even if the two poets are going in different directions or working in different modes.
A large portion of the audience for contemporary poetry gets involved in publishing the work of other poets. They may only act as a magazine's assistant editor for a short time, or they may edit their own magazine, or run their own presses. For some, this becomes a way of life. Poet-publishers tend to read manuscripts carefully and critically in determining whether or not to publish them and put a great deal of effort into the means of producing those they decide to publish. This type of activity tightens the bonds between poets, opens channels of communication with whatever larger audience there may be, gives the editors a sense of proportion in terms of nature, size, and scope of their audience, and, again, given the intimacy with the text encouraged by copying. Publishing requires commitment and encourages the poet-publisher to be textual analyst, literary critic, and graphic designer. Working with layout, type, perhaps presswork and binding, has suggested new kinds of notation and presentation and has inspired work that would otherwise not have been done. The method of production a poet- publisher uses often effects or reflects her or his work: offset publishers often write differently from letterpress printers. The mimeo format of d.a. levy publications continues to be an integral part of the outlaw urgency of the work, even though levy's been dead for many years. The austere design and impeccable typography of Elizabeth Press Books underscores the restrained precision of the poets published in that series. The limited press runs and personalized distribution of most poetry publishers creates a sense of intimacy and fellowship not unlike that created by the circulation of manuscripts in Donne's time.
Book art may negate notation on the level of individual words and replace it with notation by size or shape of page, materials used, form or content of book as whole entity. The reading of such a book may depend heavily on gesture, and the book may in turn be incorporated into performances including other forms of notation [Fig. 9]. The book art movement seems to have originated in the small scale cottage industry environment of alternative presses and luxurious artists' studios and can draw from all current types of poetry.
At present there are at least twenty major schools of poetry functioning in North America, each with dozens of subgenres. No group dominates, so poets at the present time enjoy more freedom than they ever have in the past. Members of some schools can be dogmatic and exclusionist, and members of one clique can become extremely bellicose toward another coterie, but few, if any, can limit their interests to members of their own group. Hence poets belonging to one clan can be influenced by members of another -- in fact, some poets switch allegiances at times, and many function in several schools at once. The cross-fertilization among these groups produces all sorts of hybrids, sometimes showing a great deal of what biologists call hybrid vigor. We should note that what poets work against is often as important as what they work with, and even bitter antagonisms can lead to positive action. As well as producing hybrid vigor, interaction among schools seems always to exert an influence on notation, keeping it from becoming rigid or consistent, and opening up new possibilities.
Contemporary readers read in a number of different ways for a number of different purposes. Sometimes the text dictates their manner of reading, sometimes their needs recast the text. A sequence of reading might be: 1, casual examination of the text -- in the case of visual or sound poetry this might involve scanning the page for a point of entry, a place to begin; 2, closer examination of the text, including tentative determination of how its notation works; 3, close reading of the text once a method of reading has been established; 4, hearing the poet read, live or on tape or record; 5, reconsidering the text in light of the poet's reading. All of these except 4 would probably include at least some vocalization on the part of the reader. Going beyond this, the reader could branch off in several directions: A, making use of something learned from the text; B, rejecting the text in whole or in part; C, getting people together for a performance of the work, soliciting work from the author for a magazine or anthology, or setting up a reading for the author; D, establishment of personal relations with the author, which could lead to interaction on a number of levels. Of course, there are other sequences readers could follow: the reader could begin by hearing the poet read or attending a performance of her or his work and then turning to the text; the reader could find something lacking in her or his own work and cast about for a solution, coming upon the text in the process, and so on.
However a poem is read, readers can employ all their faculties in reading and the possibilities of interaction with the poem are virtually endless. At the same time, notation is not a static body of convention, but a nexus between large areas of contemporary practice.
This essay was written in 1983, and published in Open Letter s.4, no. 7, Spring, 1984. Coach House Press, Tornoto. The article was commissioned by bpNichol, and attests to his endless ability to bring out the best in people.
Copyright © 1984 and 1996 by Karl Young. |
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1. This week TRAR President Mark Remeis shares three important business “take-aways” he would like for you to implement into your everyday schedule. CLICK HERE to watch his 2 minute video.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1116 | Page 7 of 10
Posted: 02 Feb 2007, 19:22
by lemec
I've noticed that bug too--the wacom panel is grabbing the "focus"...
BUT I think I can fix it!
Posted: 02 Feb 2007, 21:36
by lemec
gurkoz >> okay, I made it switch the focus back automatically.
Posted: 02 Feb 2007, 21:47
by lemec
gurkoz >> This new version lets you turn off the autoswitching -- it will make the hotkey work even if the stylus is out of range.
version 1.42
+ option to disable autoswitching, for people who want to use hotkeys exclusively.
Posted: 03 Feb 2007, 19:12
by malcooning
hotkey switching is fantastic. assigned to the third button on the pen it makes a world of difference!
you're such a hard worker. Congrats, and thanks a lot man.
One more question, thought ( :) ), when running the switcher, it opens the Wacom control panel obviously. I always click on the Switcher tray icon to hide the control panel, otherwise it takes the focus everytime I switch monitors. This is all fine, but I was just wondering if there's a way to start the wacom panel minimized to the tray to start with?
cheers again for fantastic work!
Posted: 03 Feb 2007, 19:37
by lemec
The reason I have it pop up the wacom panel on startup is so you can navigate to the Calibrate tab (errr... for Cintiqs and Craphires it's necessary). But I guess for Intuos it's not necessary. I'll add the option.
Posted: 03 Feb 2007, 20:38
by lemec
version 1.43
+ option to automatically minimize the control panel to the task-tray at startup for Intuos and UD tablets
# fixed problem with working directory -- now config file INI and WAV files are all referenced from wherever the wacswitch.EXE is located.
Posted: 04 Feb 2007, 02:25
by ZigOtto
from one day to the other, this thing looks better and better !!!
I have to try this last release now, meanwhile, my 2 thumbs UP for Mister Lemec... 8)
Posted: 04 Feb 2007, 11:06
by Peter Wassink
i am trying the latest version
it works great with tvpaint but i noticed when i click another aplication it switched back to my old setting.thus throwing me off my orientation
i tried to find a menu item to make the wacomswitch work globally (for all my programs) i just looked in the options and ticked 'disable autoswitching' in the options, thinking this might prevent switching the settings between aplications
(i never read manuals i just guess and try) offcourse this did not solve my problem....
however... i did find a bug(?):
'disable autoswitching' cannot be switch back on in the options panel.
if i try to remove the tick it keeps saying "Automatic switching disabled"
and the option remains active
Posted: 04 Feb 2007, 17:06
by lemec
Just choose one of the other switching modes to turn autoswitching back on... ^_^;
Posted: 05 Feb 2007, 18:39
by Peter Wassink
i see...managed that
but now the rest
Marc i am not becomming friends with the wacom switch..
the thing isn't working for drives me nuts!
the thing has worked before but now i see the wacom panel flickering on every attempt to switch monitors
and i still have the problem that the wacom settings are reset when i make another open aplication active.
so the distances my pointer travels in relation to my hand changes constantly :?
..when i look in the wacom panel i see the function of the first penbutton is getting reset from my preferred "right-click" to "middle click" ?
and when i change to monitor two it changes to "4th click (backwards)"
going back to monitor 1 its "middle click" again!?
Posted: 05 Feb 2007, 19:07
by lemec
It's possible that your original shortcut that you used to launch the wacom switcher didn't point to the right directory so your INI file wound up going to the wrong place.
The latest version fixed that so you probably have to re-run the "set combobox" function. Also, you should click the task tray icon to hide the wacom control panel or turn on the auto-hide function.
Posted: 05 Feb 2007, 19:44
by Peter Wassink
o.k. that fixed it thanks Marc!
sorry about that ... i can be a bit thick sometimes.... :roll:
Posted: 07 Mar 2007, 09:12
by Pixel Eater
Lemec, it's awesome that you're cleaning up after Wacom.
I would be extremely interested in a triple screen setup. What does this program currently do when presented with three screens, do we know? Is the current solution just to turn off the third screen or what?
Posted: 07 Mar 2007, 09:18
by lemec
Er, I gotta program in functionality for the third screen...
I'll have to install something like Maxivista so I can test it out. Afterwards I can make it autodetect multiple screens.
Posted: 07 Mar 2007, 18:03
by Pixel Eater
But... can I currently just turn off a screen? I'm just considering getting a three monitor setup. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1141 | Tag Archive: Self
Television Problems
From these satellites you can receive hundreds of television programs. This position is in these regions can successfully compete with Hot Bird 13 East In these areas, it makes sense to take the program as a satellite Astra, and the satellite Hot Bird / Eutelsat 2F1, although some channels They are duplicated. There are simple technical solutions to implement such a priem.Bolee you can read more about it at Let us now select the satellite receiver Many people are often wrong, Considering that the more expensive the receiver, the better it is. It's not quite true. Dear receiver – it is certainly a good receiver with a wide range, but most often in everyday life can do without them. Receiver is chosen individually, specifically to your requirements and under your sistemu.Vse receivers available on the market can be divided into several groups according to their abilities, and, therefore, classify them to a certain price range.
But once worth noting that there are exceptions. These include, for example, devices known companies, which are always more expensive than their counterparts. 1. All receivers allow you to view free channels (then, they are free). If you do not want to communicate with pay TV, pay a subscription fee, to search pirate cards and the like, or you just completely satisfied with the channels that are broadcast in the open (free) form (such channels are available on all satellites), then you will need the most simple receiver FTA (channels Free To Air) – receiver lowest price category, which costs from 60 to 150 USD From each other they are different, as in general, and all the rest, by the producer, quality issued by the picture and sound, additional features and other characteristics. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1142 |
Public Meeting Set for Clean Air Regulations
July 6, 2016
The Wetzel-Tyler Health Department board will vote on its Clean Air Regulation of 2016 at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12. The special meeting will be held at New Martinsville’s city council chambers....
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1156 | Monday, November 03, 2014
Chris Jane's Blog Tour: Kicking it off!
I’m on a bit of a kick using my blog to promote the work of fellow authors. So, when I stumbled up on author Chris Jane, whose book The Year of Dan Palace (November 2014), has been called by Cheryl Anne Gardner, author of The Kissing Room and head fiction editor at Apocrypha and Abstractions Literary Journal,Some of the finest sh*** out there”, I thought to myself, sounds like my kind of writing, my kind of book. Not to mention, when reading adult fiction I am a fan of the following elements: a.) Road Trips b.) Complicated marriages. This book has both. Below are five questions with Chris followed by links for purchase and additional information.
Five questions:
Q: Why did you choose an end-of-the-world prediction as the catalyst that would motivate Dan Palace to leave everything behind? Why not the diagnosis of a fatal disease, which seems more believable?
A: When a disease enters the picture, a certain part of the story then has to be about that disease. I didn't want to write about a disease.
I chose the end of the world as a threat not only because I thought I would have fun doing it, but because it's a strange, complicated thing. We talk about the end of the world the same way we talk about the lottery:
"If I knew the world would end tomorrow, I would ..."
"If I won ten million dollars, I would ..."
In a way, it's exciting. It gives us a chance to fantasize about how we would live "if we knew we would die" (as if we aren't all going to die, anyway, even without the end of the world as a threat). It's also scary. I think a lot of us enjoy feeling like we have some control over how long we live - healthy diet, exercise, doctors, medicine, prayer, karma, you name it - but none of those measures can prevent the end of the world. Knowing there's no control over the end, no way to stop or even delay it, increases the urgency to live fully in whatever time is left.
The end of the world also invites partners in adventure, others who aren't quite satisfied with their lives and who welcome the opportunity to do something different - like the young hotel worker, Jenny, who latches onto Dan. When someone shares a belief, no matter how outlandish it might seem, that strengthens the belief's credibility, and any resulting selfishness or brazenness become almost ... valid. At the very least, excusable.
Q: What books did you read in your childhood that helped influence your writing?
A: I started out with a lot of mystery/suspense: Sydney Sheldon was an early favorite, and then Dean Koontz (Dean R. Koontz at the time) and Stephen King. After that it was some Agatha Christie, Richard North Patterson, and Nelson DeMille. A little later, after high school, I moved away from mystery and into writers like George Orwell, John Irving, and Margaret Atwood. College introduced me to some of the known minimalist writers (Hemingway, McCarthy, Carver, Steinbeck).
The books I read up to and through high school taught me how critical it was to keep things moving, pages turning. As a reader, I insisted on being utterly absorbed. As a writer, I enjoy the challenge of applying techniques typically labored over in literary writing (the iceberg theory, minimalism), but I also like the challenge of combining that with a story that has movement, one that would make me as a reader want to turn pages.
Q: Novels will sometimes begin one way and end up being something completely different by the time they're finished. Is The Year of Dan Palace the same book now as it was when it began?
A: Skeletally, yes. The story goes from A to B to C as it did when it was in an earlier draft. But the early-draft characters were motivated by a force I hadn't yet identified, which made them difficult for me to predict and at times understand. An exciting development to come out of a revision, to me, anyway, was the discovery of the for-better-or-worse influence of the characters' parents.
Dan, April, Nina, and Jenny are products of their unique, individual experiences separate from early family life, yes, but they - like us - are also the Selves their parents built. Whether they like it or not, the lessons of their parents often guide them, and those lessons - good and bad - live in their most raw, vulnerable spaces.
The inclusion of the parental influences (but not the parents, themselves - they don't appear) changed the core "why" behind how the story and the characters get from A to B to C.
Q: When Dan leaves his wife, Nina, one of the things he wants to do is win back the love of his ex-wife, April. The conflict between Dan and April isn't clearly delivered to readers. You don't tell us exactly what happened. Why?
A: I don't tell you what happened, but they do.
One of the things I enjoy most about limited point of view is that it is incapable of being objective. It can't tell you the absolute truth, and I like that, because people don't deal in absolute truth. When the truth isn't as black and white as someone being murdered, or someone being hit by a car, what does objective truth mean to a subjective person? What does it mean in a marriage?
Dan has his truth, and April has her truth. Their problem (boiled down) is that their truths don't necessarily coincide. Often, or in my experience, anyway, it isn't what physically happens that creates the problem; it's how the participants react to what happens.
Whatever it is that leads to undesirable behavior, it's usually - at its infant roots - forgivable. Some will forgive. Others will choose, for their own often complicated reasons, not to.
Chris Jane bio: (website:
"I could not stop reading this. This is some of the finest **** I have read in a while." - Cheryl Anne Gardner, author of The Kissing Room and head fiction editor at Apocrypha and Abstractions Literary Journal
"Honest, original and impossible to put down." - Joseph Dilworth Jr., Pop Culture Zoo
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What is parotitis? — Parotitis is the medical term for when the parotid gland gets inflamed or infected. The parotid gland makes saliva. I...
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1243 | Lab-Grown Red Cells in Industrial Quantities (<em>BBC</em>)
Stem cell-based method holds promise for relieving blood shortages
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Researchers in Britain say they've developed a method allowing "mass production" of red blood cells, the BBC reported.
Using stem cells, the team told the news service that they had "grown liters" of red cells in their lab. Safety trials are planned for later this year, the report said.
Red cells can already be grown in the lab, but the problem has been scaling it up to an economically relevant level. Even so, blood produced with the new method will still be far more expensive than donated blood, meaning it would be used mainly in people with rare blood types, the BBC said. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1247 | Dato: 10. november 1847
Fra: H.C. Andersen Til: Charles Boner
Sprog: engelsk.
[brevet er skrevet på tysk, men her vist på engelsk[fra JS-katalog) ]
Dear Friend!
Yesterday, just after I had sent off a letter to you at the post office, I received your letter and I must write once again because of the printed prologue. Both of the stories, The Little Match Girl and Little Tuk are incorrect.
I was visiting the Duke of Augustenburg when I received from Copenhagen a letter from the editor of a Danish folk calender; he wrote that it pleased him a great deal to receive a little work of mine and that the book was already printed. Enclosed in the letter were two printed wood cuttings which he wanted to use if I would write something about them; it was a little girl; with matches, exactly as I have described her. I wrote the fairy tale according to the picture, wote it with great pleasure, at Casstle Gravenstein in Schleswig. In Little Tuk you mention Mysø; that should be Nysø, although there is no connection between Tuk and Nysø. I lived for a long time in Oldenburg,t he Grand Duchy of Oldenburg with Privy Councilor von Eisendeschers; the children there are named Carl and Gustav. When he was a little child, the boy always called himself Tunk which is supposed to be "Carl" (he would not say it other-wise). I pomised the dear little ones that they would appear in a fairy tale, and both of them appeared in the tale of "Little Tuk" but as poor children. I do not understand dear Freind, what you wrote about Holstein and Denmark. I can only make out that, when in London, I said to you jokingly: "and then, as a reward for German hopsitality, I changed the German children into genuine Danes", or something like taht. Please correct this an write soon! -
Jenny Lind is now in Sotckholm and I live in true longing for Rome; at home it is cold and foggy and wet! - Send my hearty gretings to my Bavarian friends and alwas remain good to me.
Your sincerely faithful, loyal
H. C. Andersen
in haste.
Tekst fra: H.C. Andersens Hus |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1248 | 7 Countries in 30 days. Step 1: Munich (Germany)
How to prepare for the travel
How to prepare for the travel
Joy, excitement, some fear, a sense of freedom. At the Bologna train station a guy gives me a pat on my backpack and screams: Go to Padua! Padua!!. Surely, he had mistaken me for a foreigner traveling in Italy and he’s encouraging me to visit his hometown, of which he is proud. I have to spend an hour at the station, in this first step that will launch me from my Florence to Europe for a month. I sit down on the lawn, next to a girl who’s writing in a diary. Next to her, on her backpack, hangs a heart that reads an address ending with Sweden.
A look out of the window, preparing to cross the Alps
A look out of the window, preparing to cross the Alps
Among the South Tyrolean Alps the train runs between valleys and long tunnels, then brakes at a small station lost in the mountains: through the glass door of the compartment I see a trolley passing at full speed in the corridor. A few seconds after whizzes staggered a lady who chases him. I open my map of InterRail, I trace with my finger the journey that, still in my mind, furrows through Europe on a train.
When, after a day of travelling, I get off at the train station of Munich of Bavaria, the emotion hits me. The first, short stage, has been reached. I will spend only a night here, but I have a lot to discover. For the first time I will experiment Couchsurfing. I’ll be hosted by some unknown who decided to share their house with who, as me, travels searching people, histories to learn and to recount.
“Island” it isn’t only the nordic vulcanic Island, it is also the name of a Chinese boy who I meet in the station of Munich. Also he is travelling around Europe, but his way to see this continent is completely different from mine. I arrived yesterday – he says to me – but tomorrow I will go somewhere else. The European cities are so small, in half an hour you can turn the whole city… Then say to me how is it possible that in all this Street we are the only two! Where I live, in Canton, we are 20 millions: the streets are Always full of people… and there aren’t so much gardens as here.
Scating around Munich of Bavaria
Scating around Munich of Bavaria
After an impromptu dinner at the nearest supermarket, I greet Island and I start to search for the house of Sabrina, my host for tonight. The avenue that brings me to her neighborhood, in the darkness of 9.30pm, is cordoned on the side streets and strangely deserted. From afar I see it filling of little lights coming to me. Tens, hundreds, thousands of skaters of all ages, with flashlights and reflectors ties, fill the boulevard accompanied by a music that, I understand, is coming from a stereo that a guy on in-line skates is pushing on a baby stroller.
I arrive at Sabrina’s home still astonished for this evening’s appearance and the astonishment doesn’t finish: Sabrina is a girl in hand and funny, but after showing me her room – a 4×3 in the student’s home – she fills the less empty space between her bed and the wardrobe with a camping mattress and she leaves me with a smile and a : This is your bed, I have a commitment and I’ll return late, the communal bathrooms are here in front and if you want you can use my laptop. See you tomorrow morning!
Waking up I hear some footsteps, I leave the room and, in the communal kitchen of the big building, Sabrina is having breakfast eating from a pot something unknown, I cannot say if it’s meat or fish. My first night as a couchsurfer has been strange, but I don’t lose heart! I still have 29 days in front of me and to catch the train for Nuremberg in less than 30 minutes!
Andrea Cuminatto
20 pensieri riguardo “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 1: Munich (Germany)
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1259 | Page tree
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Problem Description
There is an issue when using Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 11 to navigate through Blackboard. Users will receive the following error message periodically while in Blackboard:
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Eventually, the page will no longer display.
Blackboard is aware of this issue and is working towards a resolution. In the meantime, Blackboard users should use another browser |
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1294 | Bermuda Grass
Asked September 3, 2015, 11:04 AM EDT
Our Lawn Service has treated the Bermuda Grass with the herbiside Ornamec which, following an immediate rain shower, killed off the grass around the weed. They have removed the dead grass, aerated and overseeded, but they did NOT remove the weed itself. I realize it has like a tap root, but I want to dig it up now while I have the chance. Can you please advise?
Baltimore County Maryland lawns and turf weed issues bermudagrass ornamec bermudagrass herbicide
1 Response
The "grass" you refer to is not the Bermudagrass, but rather your turf grass (probably a fescue). Right? And the "weed" you refer to is the Bermudagrass. Right?
If this is correct, we're surprised that the Ornamec killed off your good turf. Was this the intention?
If the intention was to kill the Bermudagrass, are you saying that the Bermudagrass is NOT dead? This is actually to be expected. It is very hard to kill selectively in good turf. In order to do so with Ornamec, several applications would be required and probably several growing seasons (years). Here is a link to the product label. See the top of page 6 about Bermudagrass:
Read the label, too, for info about applying before a rain.
We advise controlling Bermudagrass by spraying Bermudagrass with an herbicide containing glyphosate (a systemic that kills virtually everything) and then reseeding.
Ornamec, too, is a systemic herbicide, which means it gets into the system of the plant and goes down and kills the roots/rhizomes , which are extensive in Bermudagrass, as you know.
You can try to dig out the Bermudagrass roots if they are minor, but it is difficult toget every piece. You lawn will probably require repeated applications of Ornamec. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1299 | Testing for the Brave and True: Part One
Gabe Sullice
This is the second part of a series of blog posts about automated testing for Drupal. Its mission is to take you from zero testing experience to confidence in testing your custom Drupal work, from the ground up. Last time, in Testing for the Brave and True: Part Zero we defined exactly what automated testing is and discussed some of the common vocabulary of testing. It also introduced the two primary tools used by the Drupal community to test their work, PHPUnit and Behat.
Why Automated Testing Will Save You Time and Treasure
Now that we know a little about what automated testing is, I'm going to make the case that it can be a net positive to your everyday workflow and actually make you a better programmer.
Everybody Tests
If you came to this blog post with the idea that you've never done any testing or that you've tried to test and didn't succeed, you'd be wrong. Every developer tests their code. Some developers just throw that work away.
Consider what you're doing every time you clear cache and go refresh your browser. You're testing your work. You've made some change to your code and now you're asserting that your work functions as you expect. Perhaps you put a dpm() or kint() in your new code to inspect some part of your code or a variable, or maybe you're using XDebug (if not, I'd encourage you to start) to step through your code. This process is testing.
While these informal tests can be incredibly valuable, you can't commit them; you can't run them the next day and you cannot run all the tests you've ever written with just one command. Writing automated tests is simply writing code that can do some of that testing for you. It's making those informal tests you already do, explicit and formalized.
Context, context, context
Whenever you write code to do specific things, you make assumptions. Assumptions are the foundation of abstraction and abstraction is the foundation of progress. You can't write code that does anything useful without making assumptions. Especially in Drupal. Entities themselves are an abstraction writ large. But, wrong or hidden assumptions are also the root of most bugs.
Therefore, when we write code, we ought to be very aware of the assumptions we make. We ought to record those assumptions in some way, for future maintainers or simply to help us remember that we made them in the first place. Unfortunately, when we only do informal testing, we bake our wrong assumptions into our code without leaving a record of them. We can't re-assert our assumptions later without digging through code or comments or taking the time to figure out what something was actually supposed to do.
This is the first place where formal tests can be a boon to you, future you, and your successors. The act of writing formal, automated tests by its very nature is recording your assumptions for posterity. When you return to your code an hour, day, week, or year later, all the assumptions you made can be tested again. If you have a strange if/else in your code because of some edge case you discovered when you were doing your initial development, a test can ensure that that code isn't deleted when you're cleaning up or refactoring later (at least without explicitly deleting the test).
In short, you make your assumptions explicit. This reduces the cognitive burden of "getting back up to speed" whenever you need to come back to some piece of code.
This is where I first really fell in love with testing. Having formal tests for the code I was working with gave me confidence as I made changes. That can sound strange to someone who's never tested before. It sounded strange to me, too.
The confidence I'm talking about is not the confidence I have in my abilities (Lord knows I could learn a little more about being humble), it's my confidence in the codebase itself and the relative safety I have when I incorporate a change.
If you've ever been in an old, large, legacy codebase, you might recognize that feeling of mild anxiety when you've made a change and there's just no feasible way to know if you've broken something else in some obscure place of "the beast". The only thing you can do is click around and cross your fingers. This is where a well-tested codebase can create real confidence. Having a suite of automated tests means I can isolate my changes and then run all the tests ever written for that codebase and ensure that my changes haven't broken something, somewhere.
Better tests, better code
If you've been interested in the art of programming itself (and I think you must be to be reading this), then you might have heard of the SOLID design principles. Or, at least, things like "write small functions" and "do one thing and one thing well." Maybe you've heard about "dependency injection," "separation of concerns," or "encapsulation." All these words are names for the concepts that, when applied to the way we write code, make the likelihood of our code being robust, flexible, extensible, and maintainable (all good things, right?) go up.
The art and practice of testing itself can help you apply all of these concepts to your code. If you recall the term "unit testing" from the last post in this series, I said, "[unit] tests isolate very small bits of functionality." The process of identifying the one small thing that your code achieves in order to test it, helps you apply the Single Responsibility Principle. Put another way, when your tests become large and unwieldy, they're saying to you, "this code does too much and it should be refactored."
When you're testing code that has dependencies on other code or configuration, like access to the database, another service, or some credentials, it can become difficult to write useful tests. For example, if you're writing code that runs an entity query and you'd like to test how the code works when there are no results, five results or 500 results, you would have a hard time doing so with a real entity query and database connection. This is where "inversion of dependencies" or "dependency injection" come into play. Instead of running an entity query and doing processing on the results all in one function or within a single class, pass the entity query or its results into the function, method or class. This allows you to test the function with fake results, which you can then set up in your test (we'll go over the methods for doing exactly that in a later part of this series).
That inability to test code with implicit dependencies is a good thing™—it forces you to do dependency injection, whereas it's simply a ritual that you have to practice without tests (I should note, the reason inversion of dependencies is a good thing™ is because it makes your code modular and helps ensure it only "does one thing well").
What's next?
I hope I've made a convincing case that writing automated tests for Drupal can save you time and treasure. In the next part of this series, we're going to begin our descent into the art of testing itself. We'll go over writing our first unit test and getting it running on the command line. Until then, feel free to comment or tweet @gabesullice if you've got questions! |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1306 | Posted On: Nov 20, 2018
Amazon SageMaker has added several enhancements to the built-in TensorFlow and Chainer containers. These enhancements make it easier to run TensorFlow and Chainer scripts, while taking advantage of the capabilities Amazon SageMaker offers, including a library of high-performance algorithms, managed and distributed training with automatic model tuning, one-click deployment, and managed hosting.
The built-in TensorFlow 1.11 container with SageMaker now supports Python 3, while continuing to support Python 2. Python 3 provides many improvements towards function annotations, language improvements, Unicode support, and many others. Additionally, the script format for training with the built-in TensorFlow 1.11 container is now similar to using TensorFlow outside SageMaker, enabling seamless movement of workloads between SageMaker and your infrastructure. Finally, starting from TensorFlow 1.11 in SageMaker, you can now choose to deploy your models to dedicated TensorFlow Serving containers for inference. These containers offer a code-less model hosting option that supports requests using standard TensorFlow Serving REST API inputs and outputs, as well as simplified JSON or CSV input. Compared to the standard TensorFlow containers that support both training and inference, these dedicated containers provide faster startup time and improved throughput.
The SageMaker built-in containers for Chainer now support Chainer 5.0. This version comes with multiple enhancements including iDeep 2.0, which is the latest version of the Chainer backend for Intel architecture with performance improvements.
The TensorFlow enhancements and Chainer 5.0 are now available in all AWS regions where Amazon SageMaker is available today. Visit the documentation for additional information. |
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1314 | Category Archive: Bible – OT – Joshua
July 9, 2018
Rahab and Sodom
Category: Bible - OT - Genesis,Bible - OT - Joshua :: Link :: Print
In Joshua 2, we have a story that’s extremely familiar. But it ought to sound familiar in more ways than one. So let’s take a step back and hear … this story instead.
There is a city that is doomed to destruction because of its intense wickedness. Two men come to the city to investigate it, to spy it out, as it were. They intend to spend the night in the open square, but they’re invited into someone’s house. While they’re there, the men of the city come and demand that the host bring out the men who have come into that house. But the host doesn’t do it, and the result is destruction for that city but salvation for the host and the host’s family.
What story is that? It’s the story of Sodom, right? But isn’t it also the story in Joshua 2, where two spies come to Jericho and go to Rahab’s house, the king demands that she bring forth the men, she doesn’t do it, Jericho is destroyed and her house is saved?
There’s something I didn’t mention earlier. The Hebrew word for “open square” in the story of Sodom in Genesis 19? It’s a word that, in a slightly different form, is the name “Rahab” (which also means “open”).
The story of Rahab is a recurrence of the Sodom/Exodus theme, this time with the host who is saved being a Canaanite.
Posted by John Barach @ 8:28 pm | Discuss (1) |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1345 | Saturday, August 10, 2019
WITMonth Day 10 | Creating a new canon
The literary canon is dying.
It's hard not to feel that there is no longer reason to have a fixed literary canon. In an era in which readers may freely find books that suit their tastes, are exposed to a far wider range of books than ever before, and have endless "best of" lists every year in just about every genre imaginable from which to choose their next read, the idea of a single canon seems almost... quaint. What does the canon give us? Why do we even need it?
Yet of course, the canon remains the foundation of our literary approach. Like it or not (and I feel that most readers today fall into the latter category, for a variety of reasons), canons provide a framework for how we approach and discuss literature in a shared way. No, we don't necessarily agree that Catcher in the Rye is a good book, but the vast majority of US-based readers have read the book for school and can frame an argument around it. The canon defines experiences we deem to be universal, important, or indeed essential. By virtue of including a book in the canon, we also immortalize it in a particularly unique way.
The problem is that the canon in its current shape is flawed to a shocking degree. If we look at "100 Best..." lists from even just the past decade, we find gaping holes and shocking omissions. I don't even mean this on a personal taste level, I mean... entire continents are often missing. Women are grossly underrepresented. The canon is inevitably heavily tilted toward the language in which it's presented and blatantly Anglo/Euro-centric even when it claims to be international. It is depressingly white. And straight. And... and... and...
This even extends to lists that claim to break free of the canon's constraints. You'll recall my criticism of Boyd Tonkin's 100 Best Novels in Translation, where my ultimate conclusion was that "exclusion is a choice". As I wrote at the time, "But when crafting a new canon, isn't the whole point to be introducing and promoting new and diverse works? If in creating a new list of titles in translation, you fail to give space to exactly the writers that would be surprising and exciting for a diverse readership, what exactly are you achieving?" It was in that post that I first mused aloud over the idea that would eventually develop to become the 100 Best Books by Women in Translation. It was in response that particular canon, and that particular imbalance.
The literary canon is dead.
The 100 Best WIT (to use the shortened name) is not going to be a perfect encapsulation of all literature by women in translation. Though I'm hesitant to reveal too much before the final, dramatic release, I feel comfortable in pointing out that the current list as it stands is strongly tilted toward contemporary titles... and indeed titles published within the last year or two. It is obvious that availability and accessibility are often guiding readers in their picks - after all, how can readers vote on books that they've never been exposed to? A crowd-sourced list will inevitably be more of a popularity contest than anything else. Which is... honestly okay. The official canon itself has long been a popularity contest of sorts, except the books included are those that remain popular years after their publication. And when you're talking about a group that has been so marginalized for so long, it is unsurprising that the list ends up being tilted more modern/contemporary since only in recent years has awareness spread enough for readers to become exposed to more books by women in translation.
But here's what else I can say about this new list: It spans the world in a way that, to the best of my knowledge, few other lists ever has. The top two titles on the list so far (and competition is close, so this may yet change!) are books by non-European women writers. Many books are by queer writers and about queer characters. There are books from almost every continent on Earth (Oceania is, I believe, currently the only human-populated region with no representation). There's sci-fi, nonfiction, children's literature, picture books, YA, mysteries, and more. Some of the books have been massive bestsellers, some have flown under the radar. Some are books that have only recently been published in their original languages, some are ancient classics that transcend literary definition.
This is what I want the new canon to look like. Because whatever flaws the final list will have (and I'm certain every reader will find something to critique, because there's no way to create a "Best of" list that doesn't anger basically everyone!), it does, at the very least, showcase the world in a way that the "official" literary canon never has. This list too will not encompass everything - there are countless English-language writers who doubtlessly deserve a spot in a full-scale canon, and I suppose* some men writers have also proven themselves adequate enough. This new canon is simply an alternative - what happens if we assume for a moment that the default is something else? What happens if we throw away our notions of what defines the "literary canon" and start over, with clear eyes and a fresh mind?
The literary canon is dead. Long live the literary canon!
* This is a (hopefully obvious) joke
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1373 | Tuesday, March 30, 2010
New profile pages
Last week we completely revamped our user profile pages and think they're much more useful now for both yourself and those who like to be voyeurs. I've certainly found myself spending a lot more time clicking on people's names than I have in the past.
First off, the layout is completely different. We had an issue we wanted to address where these profile pages looked pretty bad if someone was new to a site or hadn't done much. Now we're bringing in more data and granular activity about each user to minimize this problem.
Second, we've added a lot more data points about each person while still maintaining their anonymity. The one we're most excited about is the data under the "Track Record" section. To give people a better sense of how they're performing, we've introduced the concept of accuracy: looking at people's historical performance for trading in the "right direction." We're then taking this one step further to see the specific categories and tags the person was most accurate on. For example, this person is considered an Inkling expert in Movies, Sports, and Politics:
And doesn't everyone want to know how they're doing compared to the rest of the world? So we now show a bar graph comparing your level of activity vs. everyone else in your site vs. the average activity across all Inkling sites.
We've also introduced the ability to earn badges for doing things in Inkling. Make a certain number of trades? Get a badge! Ask a certain number of questions or make a certain amount of comments? Get a badge. Those are some of the obvious ones but there are others people can earn that will just happen when they happen. :)
Finally, we've imported our activity feed from the homepage to each individual profile to see a stream of items only related to you. Everything from the questions you've participated in to comments you've made and badges you've won.
This is just a start for what we have planned related to profiles and other data-related insights, but hopefully everyone agrees these changes go a long way in making profiles more interesting to view (and more useful for those who care about enhancing what a business knows about its people!)
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1398 | Psycholinguistics is a field at the intersection of psychology and linguistics, and one if its recent discoveries is that the languages we speak influence our eye movements. For example, English speakers who hear candle often look at a candy because the two words share their first syllable. Research with speakers of different languages revealed that bilingual speakers not only look at words that share sounds in one language but also at words that share sounds across their two languages. When Russian-English bilinguals hear the English word marker, they also look at a stamp, because the Russian word for stamp is marka.
Even more stunning, speakers of different languages differ in their patterns of eye movements when no language is used at all. In a simple visual search task in which people had to find a previously seen object among other objects, their eyes moved differently depending on what languages they knew. For example, when looking for a clock, English speakers also looked at a cloud. Spanish speakers, on the other hand, when looking for the same clock, looked at a present, because the Spanish names for clock and present—reloj and regalo—overlap at their onset.
The story doesn’t end there. Not only do the words we hear activate other, similar-sounding words—and not only do we look at objects whose names share sounds or letters even when no language is heard—but the translations of those names in other languages become activated as well in speakers of more than one language. For example, when Spanish-English bilinguals hear the word duck in English, they also look at a shovel, because the translations of duck and shovelpato and pala, respectively—overlap in Spanish.
Because of the way our brain organizes and processess linguistic and nonlinguistic information, a single word can set off a domino effect that cascades throughout the cognitive system. And this interactivity and co-activation is not limited to spoken languages. Bilinguals of spoken and signed languages show co-activation as well. For example, bilinguals who know American Sign Language and English look at cheese when they hear the English word paper because cheese and paper share three of the four sign components in ASL (hand shape, location and orientation but not motion).
What do findings like these tell us? Not only is the language system thoroughly interactive with a high degree of co-activation across words and concepts, but it also impacts our processing in other domains such as vision, attention and cognitive control. As we go about our everyday lives, how our eyes move, what we look at and what we pay attention to are influenced in direct and measurable ways by the languages we speak.
The implications of these findings for applied settings range from consumer behavior (what we look at in a store) to the military (visual search in complex scenes) and art (what our eyes are drawn to). In other words, it is safe to say that the language you speak influences how you see the world not only figuratively but also quite literally, down to the mechanics of your eye movements. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1419 | 2600 Magazine on the Kindle
2600 Magazine's Emmanuel Goldstein writes, "2600, the hacker magazine published on paper since 1984, has taken the plunge into the digital realm at long last with a Kindle edition of the current issue. This is the first in a series of steps into digital publishing for 2600. All kinds of other platforms and formats are being explored. There have already been some issues with Amazon, namely the inability for 2600 to offer full subscriptions due to really bad terms for magazine publishers on Kindle as opposed to book publishers. Also, there's a glitch in the UK site's search engine - if you don't know the exact URL of the 2600 selection, you won't ever find it. These are among the growing pains of the new technology." |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1423 | Tag Archives: skin protection from sun
Migration from colder climates to tropical areas
Costa Rica is one of the countries in Central America, first inhabited around 10000 years ago by tribes who had travelled across the world to this spot, and they found it covered with rainforest. Central American rainforests are environmentally sensitive … Continue reading
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1427 | Explore BrainMass
Explore BrainMass
Feedback of Assessment Results
Solution Preview
One has to consider their audience and what their working knowledge is of cognitive assessment and results interpretation. More likely than not, unless you are speaking to a CSE chair or another psychologist, most people do not understand how intelligence is measured or how results are interpreted. Personally, when I present results at a meeting (which typically includes parents, the student, school staff, counselors, county officials, law guardians, etc.) I keep my explanation as simple and understandable as possible and try not to use language that only another psychologist would understand. I break down complex concepts down using common language that is easy to understand. I also think it's critical to use a positive, strengths based approach in explaining results. For instance, if a student ...
Solution Summary
Discusses what information should be discussed with interested parties in regards to cognitive assessment test results. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1435 | YouTubeage: Cool EWI videos
Some of my favorite EWI videos. Enjoy!
Jeff Kashiwa explains and demonstrates the Akai EWI4000s to an appreciative audience. A little loopstation fun, with some Telemann and then a smooth-jazz tune.
EWI specialist Bernie Kenerson does cool stuff with an EWI hooked up to a vocoder. Continue reading “YouTubeage: Cool EWI videos” |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1436 | Praying the Psalms~Psalms 14 What God says about the atheist.
The angry atheists I have met…the really angry ones, are not atheists because they hate the idea of the existence of God. Most of them, no matter how nice I am or how reasonable, quickly descend from haughty comments of condescension to childish attacks such as, “You probably believe in the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause.”
No. Actually, I never did even as a kid.
“Liar!” They deride.
(Um? Okay. This line of reasoning is not the most sound.)I ask, “So, why are you so angry at God? Who hurt you?”
Usually it was a parent or relative who went to church and then verbally or physically abused abused them at home. Or maybe a church that showed zero grace or love or allowed sin in the leadership to be covered up.
A pastor or priest who abused them or approached them in a sinful way….
And these things are an abomination, for sure! Do these things happen? Yes! Sadly, very sadly…yes. And these things make God angry, too. More angry than it ever made an atheist angry.
Do they just really want to live how they want with no accountability and the only way to do that is to harden themselves to God and explain away their conscience?
People everywhere are discounting the existence of God because of the sin of man, while I contend that the existence of Sin proves the existence of God. Sin is against God, even the sin of hypocrisy that claims to know God and turns and devours people.
“If God exists, he should prove himself to me.” If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this one. God has proven himself to you over and over, even through Creation and so many other times he has revealed himself, but you have hardened yourself. You chose feelings over facts.
In the book of Peter, there is a prophecy that in the end times people will deliberately forget that God created the Earth. Here is an example of choosing feelings over facts. It is foolishness.
Once, I was having a discussion with a man who had at one time been a Catholic. Now, he is an atheist. I shared miracle after miracle with him, which he denied happening in my life. He resorted to calling me a liar, instead of choosing to walk in truth.
What about the time when no one knew we desperately needed $257, as newly weds? Not a soul knew. We prayed and the church spontaneously collected an offering for us the next day that totaled $257. He wouldn’t believe that at all.
What about the cancer patients who have been healed? What about the transformed lives? What about the time $1000 in cash showed up in my door the same day I desperately cried out to God over a financial situation?
None of that apparently happened. Because, if one were to acknowledge it did happen, one would have to move into the realm of truth and out of the lie that sustains the kingdoms of sin and rebellion in one’s life.
Very intelligent people can make very foolish decisions to avoid things they don’t want to face.
But, here is the truth. No matter what evil people have committed against you, God does not approve of sin. Sin is against him and proof for his existence. If there were no God there would be no right and wrong.
So we come to our prayer of David in the Psalms. Psalm 14:
Prayer Time:
For the atheist, agnostic or unbeliever. (Hey, what do you have to lose?)
“God, if you are real, I have a lot of questions. Please show yourself to me. Open my eyes to see the truth. If Jesus is your Son and I need to serve him, please open my eyes and forgive my hard heart and my sins. Make this clear to me, please. Help me not to blame you for the evil other people have done, but to see you are here to deliver me. Amen”
For those wanting deeper prayer:
“Lord God, Your Word says that the fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” I pray that you give me understanding, so that I will not walk in foolishness and in my feelings for what other people have done to me.
I cry out to you Lord, for the world is full of foolishness and truthlessness.i know people who have turned away from you. My heart is burdened by their names Today, I unburden myself to you before your throne, in the name of Jesus. These people, They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; in fact, There is no one who does good.
Lord, when I pray for others, I am reminded that I fall short of your glory. I am a sinner and I need saved by Jesus.
God, there are so many who just want to get money and things from the people of God, but do not want to draw near to you. They are always seeking but never learning truth. I put these people in your hands, in Jesus name. I know people will abuse me and persecute me for your names sake.
There they are in great dread, For God, you are with the righteous generation. You work no matter what the world chooses to believe. Be with me, so I can be full of you, part of your righteous remnant and not deceived by this world.
Lord, the world laughs and mocks your people. They try to create fear in us so we will be embarrassed about knowing you. They would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted, But you, Oh LORD are our refuge. I hide in you, in Jesus name.
Open the eyes of my heart to see and walk in your truth. May I not compromise to avoid mockery. May I be a light set upon a hill. May I be filled with your Spirit to testify to the world.
Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! God move and bring salvation for the nation of Israel and also all your believes all over the world. Shine forward and pierce the darkness, Lord. When the LORD restores His captive people, Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad. God, there are many held captive by the empty philosophies of this world.
Set people free in Jesus name! Guatd my heart, i give it to you. Amen. Psalms 14:1-7 NASB
4 Replies to “Praying the Psalms~Psalms 14 What God says about the atheist.”
1. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with atheists who have been that harsh towards you as a believer. I know many, and suggesting another adult believes in the Easter Bunny and accusing them of lying is pretty condescending, and not something I’d tolerate coming from the atheists in my own friend group. With that being said, I personally am often frustrated when I read posts like yours because of what it implies about why people like me left religion. I realize you were talking specifically about angry atheists, but I’d still like to open a dialogue with you about that if you’re willing because I find that a lot of the misconceptions about atheists (and maybe some of our incorrect ideas about religious people) come from people not listening to each other and instead trying to guess what makes the other group tick.
I can’t speak for other people, but I can at least speak for myself and my experiences. You asked, “why are you so angry at God? Who hurt you?” which indicates that you believe atheists are angry with God specifically. My dad actually accused me of that, thinking it was why I left. I’ll admit that I was pretty angry at first right after I left organized religion, and you seem to have some understanding that this might be the case based on what you said next, but I was mad at organized religion specifically. The corruption. The hate, bigotry, and covering up of pretty serious crimes. You’re right that people can be mad at their pastor, or at the church hierarchy, but for someone who truly lacks a belief in God, being angry with God isn’t even a possibility, which can be hard to grasp from a perspective of belief. I simply did not (and still do not) believe in him. For me, the idea of being mad at God is like being mad at a fictional character, though I imagine for a believer it would be different. I’m physically incapable of being mad at God the way I can be mad at a friend or a political figure, because while they’re both real to me, he’s not. And leaving my faith wasn’t a choice I made by ignoring evidence. It was actually a conclusion I came to after seeking evidence and being profoundly disappointed at every turn.
Having said that, the reasons people leave religion vary a lot from person to person, and often when people first leave, they haven’t even quite sorted it out in their own heads, and they can be very angry towards religion in general. (I went through a hostile phase myself) but even knowing that, that doesn’t excuse being condescending to someone just because they have different beliefs. I hope you meet friendlier atheists (and people of a variety of faiths) in the future.
1. Nancy, Thank you so much for your very thoughtful reply to my blog. You are absolutely correct that this is specifically speaking of hostile atheists. I completely understand how frustrating it must be to feel like you have been stereotyped. I did not intend to do that in this blog, but to reveal some of the interactions I have had with people I have known who walked away from God to the point of declaring they have rejected the idea of God altogether. 99% of the people I have interacted personally with have had a disillusionment with religion or religious people. 1% wanted to live in sin and didn’t want accountability to God. Maybe there is a bit of a mixture in those percentages. I completely understand the sentiment of having trouble with religious people, because I myself have been hurt by people who go to church or claim to be religious.
I think there are many ways that pain in a church, family or religious setting can cause people to doubt the existence of God. On top of that, there is very little exposure in society to solid scientists who believe in God/a creator. So, when these people I know went looking for answers, they were met with a very secular anti-God view of scientific evidence. This helped to reinforce their view that there really must not be a God, because the evidence they are finding seem to discredit things that are held to be strong foundational beliefs by God-fearing people. (We can talk science later…if you want.)
I imagine that no one who considers themselves religious takes that decision to not believe in God lightly. So, I am sure that it is with a lot of emotion, anger and pain. I understand your point that your anger was directed towards religious people and organized religion. There is a reason why Jesus said, “They will know you are Christians by your love.” It is important for believers in Jesus to have a culture of real love, acceptance and forgiveness. The scripture also talks about knowing a tree by it’s fruit. Most people who claim to know Christ look more like the world looks than Christ. Where is the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? The conundrum about Christianity is that it is a place where broken people come to Jesus for healing and forgiveness. So, in the church we will meet people. We will meet broken people. Sometimes we will meet people who don’t know they are broken. We will find stubborn people or people who do not know how to relate to people the way God wants us to. But, the church should be a safe place for people who love God to grow in Christ. Again…the problem that remains is there are people in the church… 😉 But, God commands those of us in leadership to create an environment where people are encouraged to repent of sin and to live in grace and forgiveness with one another.
I could go on rambling forever… but I would like to hear from you. Again…this is pretty free flow thought.
What in particular about organized religion made you so angry? I am curious.
1. Thanks for your reply! It was very thoughtful. 🙂
To answer your question, I had a list of grievances that was growing over time. I was raised in a strict Roman Catholic household and homeschooled in a fairly homogeneous Catholic community. I have trouble pinpointing when my first concerns started, but religion was a huge part of my life for a very long time. Most of my friends were Catholic until I went to college. 100% were Christian of some sort.
The first issue may have been the sexism I encountered as part of the Tridentine Catholic homeschooling community I was part of. (To sum them up: ultra strict Catholic, Latin Mass, reject major parts of Vatican II and act like it never happened). They were very judgmental of my family, which despite our strict adherence to Catholicism, wasn’t strict enough for them. I’m not going to lie, they were a bit cult-ish. They still believe women should cover their heads in church. The only other denomination I’m aware of that does that is Jehovah’s Witnesses. This was right around the time that the FLDS was getting raided and it was all over the news. I specifically remember looking at the footage of them and noticing that their clothes reminded me of the homeschoolers in my community: the men looked like they belonged in the 21st century, and the women looked completely lost in the past. Some of my homeschooled peers had never worn pants outside of their homes. Then I realized that every week, when we met for our classes, a boy would be chosen to lead the Angeles (a prayer) even though at that time of day most of the boys had left to do an auto shop class with one of the homeschooling dads (interesting how none of the girls took auto…) and so the only boys left were too little to really lead a prayer without constant coaching from their mothers. I realized suddenly that to these women, it mattered that the person leading prayer had a penis, which I knew was a stupid way to choose a leader for anything. (another issue I eventually had with Catholicism and the priesthood). I told my mom I felt this prayer thing at co op was a sexist practice, and she mentioned it to some of the other mothers, who suddenly let me lead the prayer one day, then went right back to having their three year old sons do it every week. I didn’t want to be in charge. I just wanted to see them let some of the girls–many of whom were middle or high school aged–have a chance to lead. Then I realized something scary: most of them didn’t even want to. They’d been raised to be complacent in this sexism. Because I hadn’t been raised quite as strictly as they were, I saw the gender imbalance and was disturbed by it.
Then I became best friends with someone who to put it simply is bisexual, and I had to come to terms with that. I wrestled with it for years, and finally concluded that I could not in good conscience be against my best friend finding happiness if he chose to date a man. Right when I was in the process of figuring out where I stood on that issue, my church (and my family, and my Catholic friends at church) tried to pressure me to sign a petition asking my state’s governor to prevent gay marriage from being legalized, and staring at that document, I realized I didn’t agree with it, and was angry that at my age–I was only in high school–I was being pressured to do something political based on someone else’s opinions.
And that was how religion had been treated my entire life. It wasn’t my own. It was my parents’ religion, and I wanted it to be mine very badly. I just didn’t have a reason for it to be mine. I looked for a reason too–but that searching happened much later, in college.
I watched as my parents denied the widespread molestation of children by Catholic priests, and continue to deny that it is as widespread as it is, ignoring the way that the church hierarchy has been caught moving priests around to different churches instead of reporting them to authorities to face justice.
My beef was initially with Catholicism, but I did some fishing and began to see how widespread the corruption is. Other faiths have a similar issue with sexual abuse. Many of them also preach a similar purity gospel to the ideas that led to many of my homeschooling peers getting pregnant early in life, getting in the way of their education, ideas that led to me getting sexually assaulted and not understanding that had even happened to me until a year later.
Furthermore, as I began to realize my religion was only my parents’, I started to think about the relationship between the many religions in the world. Different religions conflict with each other. They can’t all be correct, so assuming a single one is, and narrowing it down to a single interpretation (a single denomination or sub-category of whatever that religion is), that leaves the majority of religious leaders leading their congregations astray in some way. Thinking about this, I came to the conclusion that though most of them mean well, religious leaders are precisely the last people one should look to for guidance because statistically, either most or all of them must be wrong, either knowingly or without knowing it. This leaves the lay person to find his or her own path, and that’s where that left me. I had to stop looking within my own religion for answers and start looking at the world around me. There had to be proof somewhere that a specific God was real. I never found any, and believe me, I searched.
I’m curious too, were you raised religious or did you have more of a journey that led you to where you are today?
2. Nancy, thank you so much for taking the time to tell me your story. I am very grateful to hear it from you, as I know people who were raised in a cult-like atmosphere like this. It really gave them VERY similar feelings and conclusions and challenged them to ask the exact same questions you asked and maybe are still asking and seeking the answers for in some shape or form. I have a GREAT deal of sympathy for you, as it does upset me to see this kind of situation happen where leaders and teachers of the church become so obsessed with the rules and structures of their society they completely miss the heart of the law of Christ. I agree with much of what you say, but of course, I come to a different conclusion.
That being said, I had a very different upbringing. It was in the church and I was born into a first generation Christian home. Both of my parents were saved by Jesus from lives of sin and hopelessness. They were married very young, at 19, and I was their first born.
From a very young age, God began to speak to my heart. I have always had a very great awareness of his presence and asked my mother to help me accept Christ as my savior at 4 years old. I still remember the day, not because she told me about it, but because it is a day set apart in my life. I felt a burning desire that I desperately needed Jesus in my life and I still remember asking for to help me. She was brushing her teeth when I asked her to pray and she led me over to sit on her bed. She answered my questions and I prayed to accept Jesus into my heart. I had a sudden awareness that something very important had occurred in my life..I knew it was more important than anything else in the world. (I genuinely remember this all…even though I was so young.) We left that day or the next..I can’t remember the timing, for an 8 hour trip to my grandparents home. I even remember the overwhelming sense of urgency and excitement to tell my grandparents. My Pap was lying on the sofa watching sports when I told him. He just said, “That’s nice honey.” I remember feeling and thinking, “WHAT?!!! Does he NOT KNOW how important this is?!!! How can he just lie there and say that’s nice?!!!”
Even after that, at a young age, I had a hunger for God. I felt him speak to me. I wanted to talk to him and I wanted to see miracles at work in my life. In 2nd grade I had an experience in my public school classroom that was a bit of a freeze frame in class, where I believe God showed me how close we were to the end of time. I know that may sound crazy, but anyways…it happened.
In 5th grade, I received the Holy Spirit through speaking in tongues while praying by myself in my room. It wasn’t forced on me and my church didn’t even exercise the gifts of the Spirit in public services or elsewhere. My mother had prayed for me once with her tongues language before and I wanted God to work through me that way. I have many other friends with this spiritual gift, again…not that our church emphasizes this at all. One of my friends in high school thought her tongues language sounded like Spanish (she didn’t know Spanish). She went to the high school Spanish teacher and asked her to listen to tell her if it was Spanish. When she said yes, my friend spoke. The Spanish and French teacher were both there, standing with jaws hanging open. The Spanish teacher said, “You just spoke in Ancient Spanish. You said, ‘America, everything will change.” (This was 1993) So, my friend gave a prophecy to the Spanish and French teacher without even knowing ancient Spanish.
I am listing some of these more private things that are miraculous to reveal that I have experienced the power of God in my life and have seen it in other people’s lives. Of course, this is just a blog comment, so you are free to not believe me, but I am telling the truth.
Another miraculous thing that I saw in my life was the transformation of lives as they submitted to Jesus Christ. My dad and mom both changed before my eyes over the years. I watched them mature in Christ, grow out of sin, admit their short comings and when they were wrong. They taught me to love the Lord my God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my strength. My father is a pastor and has a counseling ministry where God uses him mightily in helping people overcome major issues that they tell me no amount of psychiatric treatment helped them with. One of my best friends had cancer, and multiple other diseases. She was suicidal, on lots of meds and spent lots of time in psych wards. She was told she could never have children. She began to learn about who God really is…that he is a good father and that he is faithful, loving and forgiving. She began to release the unforgiveness and rejection in her life and her emotional healing began to come. Later she was at a worship service several hours from here when the Holy Spirit came over her and she passed out. When she woke up, she was healed. She was healed from cancer and is now the happy mother of 4 children, 2 of those are a set of twins. Jesus healed her. He continues to work through her as now she helps very broken people who need to know the power of the living God in their lives.
Even though I have grown up in the church, it is not the church that makes me. It is Jesus himself who makes me. He has healed my marriage, healed the marriages of friends who were on the brink. In the past year I have prayed for several people who were healed instantly of very serious forms of cancer.
Jesus is real. I do not have an ideology or a religion. I have a relationship with the living God which is available to everyone who repents and trusts in Jesus Christ to remove their sins. I love Jesus so much and he loves me. He sets people free. Any type of religion that is void of the power of God is very dangerous because it just produces rules without love and is useless. God sent Jesus to die for our sins because he loves us so very much. When he ascended, he sent the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and bring us power, love and a sound mind. (2 Timothy) Jesus himself said that in the end times there would be people who considered themselves to be religious. They would have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. He said, “Have nothing to do with them.”
The power of God is the power for a transformed life. The power of God is the power for repentance and a changed heart and a spirit that is raised up from the death of sin and hell. The power of God is the power to work miracles. This is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and the power that worked in the early church and still works today in those who follow Jesus with a pure heart.
There is a ton of church abuse out there. But that does not mean that God does not exist. God is so very much upset with the leaders who do not lead by the Spirit, but by just rules and regulations. There are scriptures that specifically say things like, “Not all of you should assume to be teachers, my brothers. Teachers will be judged more harshly.” AND, “If judgement starts in the church, how will it be for the world?” The bible says that judgement starts in the church. God WILL judge those who claim responsibility for leading and who do damage. Jesus called such leaders blind guides.
God is so harsh with sin, because sin hurts people and separates us from God. God is all about relationships with his beloved people. He loves us so much he sent his only Son to die on the cross to take away the sin that keeps us from God. There is an answer and a balance to everything. If things are not done in love, there is much damage to the kingdom and work of God.
Well…..this is just a very small peek into my life. I have so many more stories…so many more works of God and miracles. They are just constant. I just don’t have time to write them all in a comment.
I have seen many people hurt by backwards or cult-like churches. I am very sorry this happened to you. God is still alive and well. I can assure you. I look forward to hearing back from you. I put myself out there in a pretty vulnerable way. I hope it helps understand where I am coming from. 🙂
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1444 |
Title: Software Defect Prediction: Do Different Classifiers Find the Same Defects?
Authors: Hall, T
Keywords: Software defect prediction;Prediction modelling;Machine learning
Issue Date: 2017
Citation: Software Quality Journal
Abstract: During the last 10 years, hundreds of different defect prediction models have been published. The performance of the classifiers used in these models is reported to be similar with models rarely performing above the predictive performance ceiling of about 80% recall. We investigate the individual defects that four classifiers predict and analyse the level of prediction uncertainty produced by these classifiers. We perform a sensitivity analysis to compare the performance of Random Forest, Na¨ıve Bayes, RPart and SVM classifiers when predicting defects in NASA, open source and commercial datasets. The defect predictions that each classifier makes is captured in a confusion matrix and the prediction uncertainty of each classifier is compared. Despite similar predictive performance values for these four classifiers, each detects different sets of defects. Some classifiers are more consistent in predicting defects than others. Our results confirm that a unique subset of defects can be detected by specific classifiers. However, while some classifiers are consistent in the predictions they make, other classifiers vary in their predictions. Given our results, we conclude that classifier ensembles with decision-making strategies not based on majority voting are likely to perform best in defect prediction.
URI: http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/14855
ISSN: 0963-9314
Appears in Collections:Dept of Computer Science Research Papers
Files in This Item:
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FullText.pdf2.44 MBAdobe PDFView/Open
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1450 | Life-Cycle Costs
When purchasing a product, there are several considerations. One is the initial cost, which people tend to focus on, and the other is the operating cost over its useful life. Lighting decisions can be very misleading when only the initial cost is considered because it can use many times this first cost over its life. Life-cycle costing takes this into account and permits comparison of purchase decisions of this type including the time value of money. The time value of money concept is that a dollar today is worth more than a dollar some time in the future due to inflation.
The best way to understand life-cycle costing is to look at an example. Suppose you are shopping for a new water heater. One costs $50 dollars more than the other, but is better insulated and has a lower operating cost. Let's assume they can both last ten years. Compare the EnergyGuide label for each unit's annual operating costs. If one costs $25 more dollars per year to operate, that difference amounts to $250 over the 10 years. If we discount those savings back to today at today's inflation rates, it is worth about $200 today. Since that is much more than the purchase cost difference, an initial investment of $50 is worth it. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1483 | YET ANOTHER CHANCE – Wed, Jan 08, 2020
Jonah 1:1-2 KJV
Yesterday, I went on and on about the need to exercise self-restraint when calamity hits your enemy, and sought to demonstrate the love Jesus taught us to have for our enemies, when we read the book of Obadiah.
Following Obadiah is the book of Jonah and immediately we see God ask the prophet Jonah to go preach repentance to a wicked pagan nation. How easy is that to understand? Why would God want Nineveh to repent? Couldn’t He have just handled the situation like Sodom and Gomorrah? Perhaps, there were still some righteous bunch in Nineveh the Lord didn’t want to destroy.
Whatever the answers to these questions are, God clearly demonstrated that His true intents are not to immediately condemn a people, but to first give them a chance. For most of us, this chance God gives is not a one off thing. He gives and has given us multiple chances.
This stands to reason that we are not in a position to hastily condemn others at just one offence. It’s a good thing to give others a chance to correct their own wrongs and prove a better version of themselves.
Don’t be too quick to write them off, a different situation may probably have brought the best out of them. Learn to give yet another chance.
Have a blessed day.
#CarllyDevotionals #1ChapterADay #OCP
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1484 | 65. Unencumbered
Carolan provides an unusual example of how to connect a musical instrument to a wealth of online digital information – to a ‘digital footprint’ of videos, audio recordings, documentation and also blog posts (such as this one). However, there is a sense in which many everyday instruments already do much the same, even if not directly through a technology such as the Artcodes and Muzicodes used by Carolan.
How so? Well, Juan Martinez Avila – a PhD student at the Mixed Reality Lab – has been studying how guitarists use digital resources on the Internet. Juan recently presented a paper on this topic at the Computer-Human Interaction (or CHI) conference in Glasgow. You can read Juan’s paper here but in a nutshell, Juan recruited a bunch of skilled guitarists, observed how they use digital technologies and interviewed them. He describes how accomplished guitarists turn to digital resources to help them learn new material, from making recordings of musical sketches during rehearsals to analysing and practicing along to You Tube videos when learning covers.
Juan at CHI
Juan presenting his paper at CHI 2019 in Glasgow
He also identifies how they face three key challenges when doing this. First, guitarists need to control digital resources while also holding and playing their instruments. How can they select and scroll through videos or control digital recorders when their hands are busy trying to play their guitars? Second, it is tricky to recall and line up the right resources for a particular practice session, so that previous time is wasted rediscovering videos and recordings and getting them ready to use. This becomes even more difficult when several musicians are working together, for example during a band rehearsal.
encumbered interaction
Encumbered interaction – a familiar problem for guitarists
Juan’s paper raises three important requirements for designing future guitar technologies.
1. First, it should be easier for guitarists to control digital media while there are playing – an idea more formally called ‘unencumbered interaction’.
2. Second, guitars should be able to summon up appropriate digital resources for each situation they find themselves in so that these are ‘ready to hand’ – an idea called ‘contextual interaction’.
3. Third, is that different instruments should be able to talk to each other (and perhaps also to other equipment such as amplifiers and effects pedals) so as to figure out what information is needs to be recalled and shared among a group of musicians – an idea called ‘connected interaction’.
Carolan’s use of Artcodes and Muzicdes to connect to its digital footprint offers two ways in which future interactions with guitars might become more unencumbered and contextual and if we had more than one Carolan, perhaps even connected too. But there may be many others. What about the possibilities of voice control? Or gestural control? Or attaching new dials and sliders to the guitar itself? Or perhaps of new kinds of media control pedals? There appears to be a bewildering array of technical possibilities and it is not clear what is the best route forward.
The next stage of Juan’s work is to engage further with guitarists to prototype new ways of connecting instruments to their digital footprints and interacting with them ‘in the moment’ and so explore more deeply the challenges of unencumbered, contextual and connected interactions. We look forward to telling you what they figure out in due course …
One thought on “65. Unencumbered
1. Pingback: 67. Audio Mostly – Carolan Guitar
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1512 | I downloaded the binary of Android Stockfish arm64-v8a and looked in the CPP source files. In main() there is all initialization, and then there is UCI::loop(), which catches standard input with getline() and writes back with sync_cout(). How can I write to the engine from a c# (xamarin) application? And is it necessary to make some additional initialization?
I found this, which could be close to my problem, but maybe it is not. I don't want to spend three days just to see I'm doing complete nonsense.
Also I don't know how to recognize Stockfish's console. Is there only one console, no matter how many different libraries the program can use?
As I don't understand the technical part much, I'm including a screenshot of what I expect to be the Stockfish I should communicate with :-). If it is wrong from the beginning, please let me know.
enter image description here
EDIT: What file type is the stockfish-8-arm64-v8a, is it android native library or native shell executable or something else? Where to put the file, how to set it up (in Visual Studio 2015), how to call it from code? I have some code that I tried here but still I can't make it work.
• 1
Have you tried changing "Copy to Output Directory" to "Copy" instead of "Do not copy"? That's a common "gotcha" in Visual Studio. Then you can use relative file paths to reference the exe – Andrew Jun 2 '17 at 5:50
When you're using C#, you can use any UCI engine in the same manner. With C# you have to add an event handler to the OutputDataReceived event (and optionally the ErrorDataReceived event). As a quick example:
ProcessStartInfo si = new ProcessStartInfo() {
FileName = uciPath,
UseShellExecute = false,
CreateNoWindow = true,
RedirectStandardError = true,
RedirectStandardInput = true,
RedirectStandardOutput = true
myProcess = new Process();
myProcess.StartInfo = si;
try {
// throws an exception on win98
myProcess.PriorityClass = ProcessPriorityClass.BelowNormal;
} catch { }
myProcess.OutputDataReceived += new DataReceivedEventHandler(myProcess_OutputDataReceived);
And the methods alluded to above:
private void SendLine(string command) {
private void myProcess_OutputDataReceived(object sender, DataReceivedEventArgs e) {
string text = e.Data;
//Debug.WriteLine("[UCI] " + text);
This is an incredibly simplified example. In my own code I have a semaphore in order to fully process each output line before moving on to the next one and several semaphores in the UCI start and "isready" handling.
For a full overview of the UCI protocol, check out the specification.
• I think the OP is asking about his "missing file" problem. Look at the comment he posted to my answer. – HelloWorld Jun 2 '17 at 5:34
• @SmallChess yes, looks like that is the biggest issue - I didn't see a way for the OP to actually capture the output so I figured I would add the code snippet anyways. Cheers! – Andrew Jun 2 '17 at 5:37
• Hey! I have tried your code with Debug.WriteLine() and Console.WriteLine() but I do not receive any information back from the engine. How to solve this? Thanks! – Sipo May 31 '18 at 20:22
You're using the compiled Stockfish binary so you don't need to worry anything about C++. You only need to think about C++ if you're compiling the Stockfish source code yourself (but you're not).
The link you have is about calling a DLL in C# - this has nothing to what you want to do. The Stockfish program you have is independently compiled, and has nothing to do with Microsoft's DLL implementation.
You're looking for this:
You should start a new engine process, run it and communicate with the engine by UCI protocol.
I see you have started +100 bounty, but I think it's a mistake. I believe my answer is accurate but I'm unable to debug your environment. Your problem is the unknown file path. Have you added a text file, and try to read it in your app? If you can't load a text file in your program, you can't start a chess engine. Please give a go.
• Save a new text file to where you have the Stockfish engine
• Try to read the text file
• You may want to do it on a simulator. On your PC simulator, you can use path like C:\Engine\SF_engine.
Your technical difficulty has nothing to do with chess engine or UCI protocol, and thus off-topic here.
• I tried that and still fighting with the technical part. If you could please look at this question: stackoverflow.com/questions/44267734/… – hoacin May 31 '17 at 4:50
• @hoacin Try full path? – HelloWorld May 31 '17 at 4:51
• When I look at file properties, it is located on PC somewhere in project folder. It doesn't work, PC folder shouldn't work from Android app. Must the file be part of the project? If I copy the file to phone to folder with other documents my app use and then use that folder, can it work? No need to be compiled with my app? – hoacin Jun 1 '17 at 5:14
• @hoacin You'll need to debug, that's part of programming. If you need code-level assistance, you may email me privately for paid consultation. Google my contact details if you're interested. – HelloWorld Jun 2 '17 at 5:50
Finally I made it work with big help of @SmallChess and @Andrew. The first problem came with file stockfish-8-armeabi-v7a with no extension and not much informations about. That's why I asked here. The answer by SmallChess was precise, I just couldn't make things work and I couldn't confirm it for very long time. I run into various problems, more or less easy to deal with, but this one took a lot of time:
I correctly copied the file to folder of my application, but I didn't have permission to run it.
So I had to change it with
string[] cmd = { "chmod", "744", Path.Combine(strToFolder, fileName) };
and things started to be very easy from now, as Andrew's answer provides fully functional code, which would take also a lot of time to write with not much understanding of the problem, so big thanks to him too.
Your Answer
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1523 | Tuna Salad Classic
Inspired by my favorite test kitchen.
Tuna Salad Classic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 small rib celery, minced (about ¼ cup)
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped dill pickles
• 1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about ⅛ teaspoon)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1. Drain tuna in a strainer or a colander and shred until there are no clumps and the texture is fine and even.
2. Transfer tuna to medium size bowl and blend evenly with lemon juice, salt, pepper, celery, onion, pickles, garlic, and parsley.
3. Fold in mayonnaise and Dijon mustard with the mixture to evenly moisten the tuna.
Can be covered and refrigerated up to 3 days.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1524 | In up until this point were about the definition
In my opinion, what I have learned is a mixture of creative and innovative thinking – in other words, the process of changing a concept into a valuable product. Indeed, in this course we had the opportunity to explore both theory and practice, and share ideas. By analyzing, arguing, critiquing, and researching, we learned different approaches to problem identification in a team.
My key learnings up until this point were about the definition of creativity and its importance in business. As I understand it, creativity is function of knowledge, imagination, evaluation and curiosity. Creativity is based on knowledge and level of curiosity; by combining new patterns, ideas and risk-taking, we can craft new and innovate services or products.
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I’m an architect, and creativity and innovative thinking are the most important parts of my job. Creativity includes three important step which are discovery, innovation and creation.
Discovery is when we become aware or stumble on something. For example, when I see a shape or pattern in nature, like a rock with unique shape, or a piece of wood with interesting pattern, I can get an idea from the shape that I can use in a valuable design. In this way art was discovered, and in art many inventions started with a discovery.
Innovation is the implementing of something new. For example, when designing a building, I might ask myself if sustainability should be a factor in my design choices; if the answer is yes, then that will change the way I go about designing. It might take longer, but it will happen.
Creation is the last step of creativity. For example, if I want to design the plan the way my customer wants, but during implementation of final phase, we have some technical problem that requires a change in the plan or design, I have to have ability to match my ideas and my customer’s ideas to achieve a valuable product.
Finally, we might define innovative ideas as an inspiration from nature or from team group which yield products that never seen before that will delight our customers. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1527 | Neighbourhood Watch
The weakening light of the day
setting in the lengthening season
casting skinny shadows of a naked
tree over the pale green moss
natures revenge taking back
greening black spaces of the suburbs
A red bin with wheels awaiting the
homecoming of commuters travelling
ring road lanes forming the border
of city and the western civilisation
the price line of development
that defines your status in the market
Self consciously sitting in my van
as nervous inhabitants cast glances
am I an intruder waiting, lurking, unknown,
a suspect of criminal intent,
scanning the property, a stalker, a kidnapper, or murderer,
watched by the neighbourhood watch,
but I am
just waiting...
Ciaran Burke
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1549 | Opened 10 years ago
Closed 10 years ago
#8366 closed defect (fixed)
aac background music in foreground / little to no actor's dialogue audible
Reported by: Johnny Walker <johnnyjboss@…> Owned by: JYA
Priority: minor Milestone: 0.24
Component: MythTV - Audio Output Version: Master Head
Severity: low Keywords: aac audio vocals missing
Cc: Ticket locked: no
This mkv file played back correctly in .22-fixes. When I upgraded to .23-fixes I noticed the background music was really loud. When the playback came to a scene with dialogue I realized I was unable to hear the actors. I attempted to switch audio tracks but there is no alternate audio track available on this file.
The problem in this sample is evident at 0:02:21 during playback.
My frontend is Stereo only on Alsa:Default. I entered setup and switched it to 5.1 and then back to see if that helped but it did not. My front end is an Acer Revo and I'm using the Headphone jack output with a Y splitter to RCA.
Change History (13)
comment:1 Changed 10 years ago by Johnny Walker <johnnyjboss@…>
I've uploaded the file to sendspace at
It's also on - I can send individuals an invite to it there if they woulf prefer.
comment:2 Changed 10 years ago by JYA
Milestone: unknown0.24
Severity: mediumlow
Note that there is no downmix done by ffmpeg for most codecs (AFAIK the only exception is for AC3/DD).
So if you are playing 5.1 content on a stereo system, you *will* in most circumstances lose dialogues as they are on the centre channels.
This isn't something new or problem introduced in 0.23.
0.24 will include a downmixer along many audio improvements.
If you want to hear the dialogues, either you wait for 0.24 or you will need to re-encode the audio track...
comment:3 Changed 10 years ago by Johnny Walker <johnnyjboss@…>
I swear this file worked in .22-fixes.
I've switched my output to alsa:hdmi and I'm using the Television's speakers and I still have no dialogues on this file in mythvideo and a very loud music and sound effects track.
This file also sounds fine when I play with mplayer.
comment:4 Changed 10 years ago by danielk
Milestone: 0.240.23
Version: UnspecifiedTrunk Head
jyavenard, we definitely used to support down-mix to stereo in MythTV, in fact was once the only way we 'supported' 5.1. So if we don't anymore, this is a regression and the fix should be backported to the 0.23-fixes branch.
comment:5 Changed 10 years ago by JYA
Milestone: 0.230.24
We never did support downmix, we always relied on ffmpeg to do the job ...
When we ask ffmpeg to decode audio content, we provides as an argument the number of channels to be decoded. The number of channels is what has been set up in the general settings (value is either 2 or 6)
That part of the code hasn't change in ages (it's in libavdecoder...
If you are decoding a 5.1 audio file yet asked ffmpeg to only decode for 2 channels ; ffmpeg will downmix for some codec (AC3); but most will not be downmixed. This includes AAC
Note that the behaviour is different depending on what library was used to decode AAC. If decoded with libfaad, then the downmix will happen, because libfaad does support it.
IF compiled using ffmpeg internal AAC decoder, then no downmix will occur.
The problem is in ffmpeg, not mythtv.
I'm willing to bet that this file didn't play properly in 0.22 either if compiled with the same options as the 0.23 was compiled :)
As a workaround, compile mythtv with the option --enable-libfaad
comment:6 Changed 10 years ago by Johnny Walker <johnnyjboss@…>
I did make a backup - if it's needed or suggested by the devs I can attempt to rollback my installation to settle the 'did this play in .22' and if so 'what were the compile options' questions.
I've attempted to recompile my .23-fixes frontend adding the --enable-libfaad and I get the following:
ccache g++ -Wl,-O1 -o mythavtest version.o main.o -L/usr/lib -L../../libs/libmyth -L../../libs/libmythtv -L../../libs/libavutil -L../../libs/libavcodec -L../../libs/libavformat -L../../libs/libswscale -L../../libs/libmythdb -L../../libs/libmythui -L../../libs/libmythupnp -lmythtv-0.23 -lmythavformat-0.23 -lmythavutil-0.23 -lmythavcodec-0.23 -lmythswscale-0.23 -lmythupnp-0.23 -lmythdb-0.23 -lmythui-0.23 -lmyth-0.23 -L../../libs/libmythlivemedia -lmythlivemedia-0.23 -L../../libs/libmythfreemheg -lmythfreemheg-0.23 -L../../libs/libmythhdhomerun -lmythhdhomerun-0.23 -lfreetype -lz -lraw1394 -liec61883 -lavc1394 -lrom1394 -L/usr/X11R6/lib -lXinerama -lX11 -lXext -lXxf86vm -lXv -lXrandr -lXvMCW -ldl -lXvMC -lpulse -L/usr/local/lib -lpthread -lGLU -lGL -lQtSql -lQtXml -lQtOpenGL -lQtGui -lQtNetwork -lQtCore ../../libs/libavcodec/ undefined reference to `aac_decoder' collect2: ld returned 1 exit status make[2]: * [mythavtest] Error 1 make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/johnny/Documents/mythtv-0-23/mythtv/programs/mythavtest' make[1]: * [sub-mythavtest-make_default] Error 2 make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/johnny/Documents/mythtv-0-23/mythtv/programs' make: * [sub-programs-make_default-ordered] Error 2
I see the following 2 packages installed:
ii libfaad-dev 2.6.1-3.1 freeware Advanced Audio Decoder - developmen ii libfaad0 2.6.1-3.1 freeware Advanced Audio Decoder - runtime fi
my compile was as follows: ./configure --disable-joystick-menu --enable-vdpau --enable-libfaad
Please advise.
comment:7 Changed 10 years ago by Dibblah
Status: newinfoneeded_new
Make distclean and ask for support in IRC or the mailing lists.
comment:8 Changed 10 years ago by Johnny Walker <johnnyjboss@…>
p.s. - I mentioned that I switched to alsa:hdmi and 5.1 output and then attempted to use my tv for downmix and there still was no dialogue track. Do we expect that behavior?
comment:9 Changed 10 years ago by stuartm
The sample definitely doesn't work in 0.22 with stereo output and without libfaad.
Johnny, that will only work if your TV/hardware supports it and it sounds like it doesn't.
comment:10 Changed 10 years ago by Johnny Walker <johnnyjboss@…>
you're correct - the playback is super slow motion with this enabled in .23-fixes.
I watched half this movie in .22-fixes - It had to have worked. I listened to Morpheus explain what the matrix is in perfect detail. I recall it very clearly. This movie file had worked in my previous installation of .22-fixes.
comment:11 Changed 10 years ago by JYA
I think that my two posts explain enough what you need to do to get it working.
If it worked with 0.22 it's because it obviously was compiled with --enable-libfaad.
This is not a regression in 0.23.
Please, stop the "it used to work , now it doesnt" kind of message. it's not helpful
How to compile mythtv isn't relevant to this ticket either, seek alternative place for advice on how to compile mythtv.
comment:12 Changed 10 years ago by robertm
Status: infoneeded_newnew
comment:13 Changed 10 years ago by JYA
Resolution: fixed
Status: newclosed
Compile 0.23 with --enable-libfaad or use trunk or wait for 0.24
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1550 | Diving into Visual Studio 2015 (Day #4) : Code Refactoring
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Code Refactoring has always been a challenge for developers. This is one of the major skill that a developer should have to write an optimized , clean and fast code. There were third party tools available to help you achieve this, but none has shown that capability that Visual Studio 2015 has come up with.Visual Studio has always offered code refactoring techniques in tit-bit, but the latest version of Visual Studio i.e. 2015 provides a unique experience altogether to achieve refactoring. There are many features that refactoring of code in Visual Studio provides. We’ll cover few of them like inline temporary variable and introduce local.Refactoring w.r.t. inline temporary variable and introduce local is not only limited to C# but VB developers can also leverage this feature.We’ll cover the topic with one small method as an example and try to optimize it as far as we can. One thing is worth taking care of that code refactoring software and techniques are only meant for sharp developers. If you don’t have an idea what new code will do and it looks strange to you, you should never try it.
Case Study
I am taking an example of MyProducts class that we created in the earlier section.
1: using System;
2: using System.Collections.Generic;
3: using System.Linq;
4: using System.Text;
5: using System.Threading.Tasks;
7: namespace VS2015ConsoleApplication
8: {
9: public class MyProducts :IProducts
10: {
11: List<Product> _allProduct = new List<Product>();
12: public MyProducts()
13: {
14: _allProduct.Add(new Product {ProductCode="0001",ProductName="IPhone",ProductPrice="60000",ProductType="Phone",ProductDescription="Apple IPhone" } );
15: _allProduct.Add(new Product { ProductCode = "0002", ProductName = "Canvas", ProductPrice = "20000", ProductType = "Phone", ProductDescription = "Micromax phone" });
16: _allProduct.Add(new Product { ProductCode = "0003", ProductName = "IPad", ProductPrice = "30000", ProductType = "Tab", ProductDescription = "Apple IPad" });
17: _allProduct.Add(new Product { ProductCode = "0004", ProductName = "Nexus", ProductPrice = "30000", ProductType = "Phone", ProductDescription = "Google Phone" });
18: _allProduct.Add(new Product { ProductCode = "0005", ProductName = "S6", ProductPrice = "40000", ProductType = "Phone", ProductDescription = "Samsung phone" });
20: }
22: /// <summary>
23: /// FetchProduct
24: /// </summary>
25: /// <param name="pCode"></param>
26: /// <returns></returns>
27: public Product FetchProduct(string pCode)
28: {
29: return _allProduct.Find(p => p.ProductCode == pCode);
30: }
32: /// <summary>
33: /// FetchProduct with productCode and productName
34: /// </summary>
35: /// <param name="productCode"></param>
36: /// <param name="productName"></param>
37: /// <returns></returns>
38: public Product FetchProduct(string productCode, string productName)
39: {
40: return _allProduct.Find(p => p.ProductCode == productCode && p.ProductName==productName);
41: }
43: public List<Product> GetProductList()
44: {
45: return _allProduct;
46: }
47: }
48: }
We’ll add one more method to this class. The objective of that method will be to return all products from the product list whose price is greater than 30000. I am trying to keep the logic and method very simple for the sake of understanding.I have kept the name of this method is FetchProduct(). Notice that we already had two methods with the same name. Now this will also work as an overload to FetchProduct() method.
The above-mentioned method is very simple in nature and contains LINQ query that fetches products having the price greater than 30000. When you call this method from Program.cs and iterate over the elements we get the following the result.
Program.cs code is as follows.
1: using System;
2: using System.Collections.Generic;
3: using System.Linq;
4: using System.Text;
5: using System.Threading.Tasks;
7: namespace VS2015ConsoleApplication
8: {
9: class Program
10: {
11: static void Main()
12: {
13: var myProducts = new MyProducts();
14: Console.WriteLine( String.Format("Product with code 0002 is : {0}", myProducts.FetchProduct("0002").ProductName));
15: Console.WriteLine(Environment.NewLine);
16: var productList = myProducts.FetchProduct();
17: Console.WriteLine("Following are all the products");
19: foreach (var product in productList)
20: {
21: Console.WriteLine(product.ProductName);
22: }
23: Console.ReadLine();
24: }
25: }
26: }
So, our method is working fine. the question is how much we can optimize this method further. When you click in between products variable, the light bulb icon will show up with some suggestions that you can apply to this line to optimize.
Here come inline temporary variable in the picture. The light bulb icon says to remove this variable and bring that code to a single line. When you preview the changes that this code assistance is suggesting you get following preview window.
It shows that the temporary products variable will be replaced with productList itself, therefore, helping us to save a number of lines as well as memory allocation for a variable. Click on apply changes and you’ll get the refactored code.
Now can this code be further refactored? you can take help from light bulb icon. Either click on between productList variable or right click on productList variable and open Quick Actions from the context menu.
We see here, productList is also a temporary variable and it is suggested to remove that too. Let us preview changes and apply them to get the more optimized code. Doing this the productList variable will be replaced by a single return statement, but you’ll notice an error here.if you remember, I said that code refactoring is for intelligent and sharp developers. We see here that while refactoring the code, LINQ query is not encapsulated in the bracket and ToList() method is directly applied to “p” variable. We have to rectify this by putting brackets around LINQ query. This was one of the scenarios, and you may face many of such.So you have to be sure about the change that you are about to do. visual Studio only suggests, it does not code for you.
Now we have a single return statement. Our code has reduced to just one line and we saved few memory too by ignoring temporary variables.This certainly makes the code faster as well.But can we further optimize this method? Let’s take a shot and click on return statement. You’ll see the light bulb icon again shows up with some suggestions.
It says that the method could be converted to an expression bodied member.Let us preview the change.
The preview says that the method is converted into an expression.Looking at this I do not find any issue. So we can certainly opt this option for the sake of refactoring.Press apply changes and we get the following code.
Now if you try to further optimize this method, you’ll not find much scope.
This was just a small example that I showed on how you can leverage the capability of Visual Studio 2015 in optimizing your code.In the next section of this series, I’ll be covering topics like debugging features in Visual Studio 2015.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1558 | Infrastructure (Server, Network, Database)
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Email Templates - using API as variables
Email Templates - using API as variables
I am wondering if I can call an API like ServiceNow to populate email template variables and also is there a way to make a choice list.
Template opens tickets to ServiceNow we want to have the ability to call the SN data in the variables, like Assignment Group or Configuration item, so that the data is correct. The priority would be a choice list 1-5.
Email Templates - using API as variables
Re: Email Templates - using API as variables
Have you checked the ServiceNow custom extension? Here:
You can maybe pull the parameters you're sending to ServiceNow and convert that into an Action. Or possibly send the data to ServiceNow first, and then do an HTTP Request or API call from there to combine the two metrics? Not sure though, we use ServiceNow a my organization but I haven't played with the extension myself, we did basic integration of opening tickets off emails.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1564 |
2. Hi Guest, welcome to the TES Community!
Don't forget to look at the how to guide.
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Motivating students
Discussion in 'Teaching assistants' started by stadenman1, Jan 19, 2012.
1. Hi, would anyone have any suggestions about motivating disengaged students whilst writing assignments.Thanks
2. Hi, would anyone have any suggestions about motivating disengaged students whilst writing assignments.Thanks
3. snugglepot
snugglepot Occasional commenter
I work in a Primary. Are you allowed to scaffold for the students? Perhaps some are overwhelmed by the task and don't know where to start.Are you talking about Secondary school students or College students?
4. I work in secondary and have used all of these - sometimes they're successful, sometimes not.
Chunk the task and provide a framework. Talk about what smaller questions need to be answered - and in what order - to complete the task. Write these down and the student can answer them one by one. If that is too advanced, you could provide the questions and/or sentence starters.
Does it have to be written? Could they complete the assignment in some other format: video, powerpoint, etc.
What is the purpose of the assignment (does it contribute towards a qualification? is it practice?) and what benefit will they get from it (do they need a certain grade to get onto a course they really want? are they trying to move up a set to sit with friends?) and keep reminding them of what why the effort will be worth it.
Remind them of previous good work and (hopefully) how easy they found it once they started.
If the piece doesn't have to be in their writing and they will have a scribe in exams, give them some practice now. Let them tell you what to write for them and write it down exactly as they say it.
Model good work. Do a similar task beside them (similar so they can't copy but they can still learn from your work habits).
I'd love some more ideas myself so I hope some more TA's answer this one!
5. I work in Year 3. In Numeracy I ask two of my lower ability pupils how many questions they are going to get right during the lesson and I reward them with housepoints if they are correct. I find it works with one pupil every time and the other about 80% of the time as he gets easily distracted.
I know there are probably better ways to get them working, but they seem to enjoy the competition with each other and challenging themselves to get more answers right.
These particular students are able to do the work but struggle to concentrate so I use this technique for them while I support other pupils who need more guidance.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1577 | Build the Open Shelves Classification
July 14, 2008
Build the Open Shelves Classification
—from LibraryThing.
You can follow its progress or contribute to its effort here
tag you’re it..
January 19, 2007
Here are a couple of swell ideas about tagging the library catalog. The first generates tags based upon subject headings from the catalog by using a particular table in the db.
and then there are user contributed tags:
It seems that ajax is the magic. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1598 | “There is only make.” The art department rules of Sister Corita Kent
Screen Shot 2017-08-01 at 9.54.02 AM
These “Art Department Rules” by Sister Corita Kent are as true as they are charming. You can support art’s education by purchasing a poster of them. I might make myself a t-shirt that says “There is only make.”
RULE FOUR: Consider everything an experiment.
There should be new rules next week.
While you’re on the Corita Art Center site, check out the gallery of her artwork for even more inspiration.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1613 | 99-Million-Year-Old Amber Hides Unexpected Discovery
Somehow sea creatures got fossilized in three resin around 100 million years ago, and it is an extremely rare find.
A piece of amber discovered in Myanmar in Southeast Asia has turned out to be a fascinating and rich resource for examining the world that existed around 100 million years ago.
In the last year, it has shown us a treasure trove of ancient animals including up frogs, snails, a snake, weird feathers, and some rather odd bugs.
A Fascinating collection
But what do all of these animals have in common?
They inhabit the land; they’re land-dwellers.
Amber is fossilized tree resin, and inclusions usually comprise terrestrial and, rarely, aquatic organisms.
But now, researchers say they have discovered something entirely unexpected in the piece of Cretaceous-era amber: sea creatures that somehow ended up side by side fossilized inside the amber.
Image Credit: Bo Wang.
Image Credit: Bo Wang.
A recent study reports how paleontologists have discovered four sea snails and a juvenile marine ammonite from the ocean. The researchers also detail how four intertidal isopods which usually inhabit the zones between high and low tides were also trapped in the ‘natural time capsule’ alongside sand that is more than 100 million years old.
The piece of amber is a treasure trove of ancient animals. As many as 22 mites, and what appears to be a goblin spider have been identified inside it.
In addition to that, 12 insects and a millipede were captured inside the amber.
And all of that creatures were packed inside amber that measures only 33 millimeters by 9.5 millimeters by 29 millimeters, resulting in a fascinating collection of rare, ancient animals.
The sea snails that were trapped inside the Amber. Image Credit: (Yu et al., PNAS, 2019).
Difficult to Date
And while the amber certainly is a fascinating package filled with different types of rare, ancient animals, researchers say it also is a mystery as paleontologists have not been able to accurately figure out how old it is.
The piece of amber was found in the matrix of volcanic rock, and uranium-lead dating of zircons suggests the amber is no more than 99 million years old.
However, a sandstone layer just above it was home to fossilized ammonite, though to have lived 113 million years ago.
The amber may be much older than the terrain where it was recovered from. This means that it may very date back around 113 million years. But that is something scientists still need to determine.
A Rare Find
It is rare to find aquatic organisms in amber, and it is infrequent to find marine organisms in amber, let alone macroscopic marine organisms mixed with intertidal, terrestrial, and potentially freshwater aquatic organisms,” paleontologists wrote in their study.
The researchers also explain in the study how their discoveries suggest that the Burmese amber forest was living near a dynamic and shifting coastal environment.
The ammonite also provides supporting evidence for the age of the amber, which is still debated and represents a rare example of dating using fossils present inside the amber.
All in all, it’s an extremely rare discovery. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1625 | Change Your Ways – Stop Using Folders in SharePoint Libraries
[This is a quick post that will be updated with more information later]
One indicator of how how mature an organization is with their SharePoint management and usage is if folders are often/always used in document libraries. This is a practice learned when using file shares and then migrated into SharePoint sites either by simply copying data straight from those shares or by users not knowing of a better way.
Thankfully, there is a better way! Using SharePoint columns, we can offer the same document organization but with added benefits of filtering, grouping, and sorting all documents in a library. Let's look at an example of how this can be a benefit for you and your file organization. Let's say I have my documents organized in folders in the following way:
Folders Hierarchy
Sample File Share Folder Structure
In the above example, the Shared Documents library is organized with two main folders: Clients and Suppliers. Under each folder, there are files and more folders – in this example the folders are Company names. As it happens, the same company, Company 1, is a Client and a Supplier. How would I find all contracts for the year 2015? I would have to look within each Company folder within both Clients and Suppliers. What if I wanted to see all contracts for Company 1? I would need to navigate down through Clients -> Company 1 -> Contracts -> 2015, go back and look in the 2016 folder, then go to to the Suppliers -> Company 1 -> Contracts -> 2015 folder, then go back and look in the 2016 folder. Hopefully, you can see this folder structure limits my ability to group documents in different ways without modifying the folder structure. A better way to organize the document library could be to put all the documents in the root of the library and then create metadata columns allowing the user to select Company Name, Type of Document, Year, etc.
Let's look at a simple example of what a reorganization would look like with another group of documents.
SharePoint Document Library with Folders
SharePoint Document Library with Folders
This document library has documents in the root and within folders. For this simple example (using IE 11 and a Windows 10 computer), there is only one level of folder hierarchy, but there could be many more. If we create one library metadata column called Document Type, we can take the files out of the folders and assign the same data as the folder names.
First step in this process is to create the library column. Open the document library in Internet Explorer 11 and click the Settings button within the Library ribbon.
Document Library Settings Button
Document Library Settings Button
Next click the Create column link in the middle of the Library settings page.
Document Library Columns
Document Library Columns
Name the column Document Type and select the type to be Choice. Give the column a description if you want, and then in the choices box type each folder name (in order that you want them to appear) on its own line. Click the OK button to save your column.
Column Choice Box
Column Choice Box
Go back to your Document Library using the breadcrumb navigation at the top of the page.
You should now see the new column to the right of your document list. The next step is to assign the Document Type to the documents. We will do this step before removing the documents from the folders so we can easily see what choice to make on each document. One way to do this is to use the Quick Edit view of the library.
The files in the root of the library will not get a Document Type in this example because they were not in a folder. You can easily go back and add an option for those if you would like – you would edit the Document Type column in the library settings.
Step 1: open one of the folders – first up in this example is Calendars.
Step 2: select the Quick Edit button on the Library ribbon.
Quick Edit on Library Ribbon
Quick Edit on Library Ribbon
Step 3: for each file, select Calendars in the Document Type column. Remember: Copy and Paste is your friend!
Step 4: once all the documents have been updated, click the View button in the Library ribbon.
Step 5: using the breadcrumb navigation, go back to the root of your document library (select the Browse link in the ribbon to see the breadcrumbs).
Repeat the steps until you have all the documents updated with the proper Document Type.
Open the document library in Explorer view by selecting the Open with Explorer button on the Library ribbon.
Open With Explorer
Open With Explorer
Within Explorer, go into each folder, and cut (using the Ctrl+x shortcut) the document. Navigate back to the root of the library in Explorer and paste the documents (using the Ctrl+v shortcut). Once that is complete, you can close the Explorer window. Reload the document library in the browser and you should now see all your documents listed with the right Document Type. Last step to the reorganization is to delete the folders!
Now you will be able to sort, filter, and group your documents more effectively. Protip: you can create shortcuts to your sorted, filtered, and grouped views. This will give your users a quick link to view that can answer the questions asked in the first example at the beginning of this post.
Files organized using folders within SharePoint document libraries is not only inefficient, but it can also cause technical issues that I will possibly cover in the future.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1628 | Hadoop Reducer – 3 Steps learning for MapReduce Reducer
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1. Hadoop Reducer Tutorial – Objective
In Hadoop, Reducer takes the output of the Mapper (intermediate key-value pair) process each of them to generate the output. The output of the reducer is the final output, which is stored in HDFS. Usually, in the Hadoop Reducer, we do aggregation or summation sort of computation.
In this Hadoop Reducer tutorial, we will answer what is Reducer in Hadoop MapReduce, what are the different phases of Hadoop MapReduce Reducer, shuffling and sorting in Hadoop, Hadoop reduce phase, functioning of Hadoop reducer class. We will also discuss how many reducers are required in Hadoop and how to change the number of reducers in Hadoop MapReduce.
Hadoop Reducer - 3 Steps learning for MapReduce Reducer
Hadoop Reducer – 3 Steps learning for MapReduce Reducer
2. What is Hadoop Reducer?
Let’s now discuss what is Reducer in MapReduce first.
The Reducer process the output of the mapper. After processing the data, it produces a new set of output. At last HDFS stores this output data.
Hadoop Reducer takes a set of an intermediate key-value pair produced by the mapper as the input and runs a Reducer function on each of them. One can aggregate, filter, and combine this data (key, value) in a number of ways for a wide range of processing. Reducer first processes the intermediate values for particular key generated by the map function and then generates the output (zero or more key-value pair).
One-one mapping takes place between keys and reducers. Reducers run in parallel since they are independent of one another. The user decides the number of reducers. By default number of reducers is 1.
Read: HDFS Combiner Tutorial
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3. Phases of MapReduce Reducer
As you can see in the diagram at the top, there are 3 phases of Reducer in Hadoop MapReduce. Let’s discuss each of them one by one-
3.1. Shuffle Phase of MapReduce Reducer
In this phase, the sorted output from the mapper is the input to the Reducer. In Shuffle phase, with the help of HTTP, the framework fetches the relevant partition of the output of all the mappers.
3.2. Sort Phase of MapReduce Reducer
In this phase, the input from different mappers is again sorted based on the similar keys in different Mappers. The shuffle and sort phases occur concurrently.
Learn Mapreduce Shuffling and Sorting Phase in detail.
Read: Features of HDFS
3.3. Reduce Phase
In this phase, after shuffling and sorting, reduce task aggregates the key-value pairs. The OutputCollector.collect() method, writes the output of the reduce task to the Filesystem. Reducer output is not sorted.
Hadoop Quiz
4. MapReduce Number of Reducers
In this section of Hadoop Reducer, we will discuss how many number of Mapreduce reducers are required in MapReduce and how to change the Hadoop reducer number in MapReduce?
With the help of Job.setNumreduceTasks(int) the user set the number of reducers for the job. The right number of reducers are 0.95 or 1.75 multiplied by (<no. of nodes> * <no. of the maximum container per node>).
With 0.95, all reducers immediately launch and start transferring map outputs as the maps finish. With 1.75, the first round of reducers is finished by the faster nodes and second wave of reducers is launched doing a much better job of load balancing.
Increasing the number of MapReduce reducers:
• Increases the Framework overhead.
• Increases load balancing.
• Lowers the cost of failures.
Read: HDFS NameNode High Availability
5. Hadoop Reducer – Conclusion
In conclusion, Hadoop Reducer is the second phase of processing in MapReduce. Hadoop Reducer does aggregation or summation sort of computation by three phases(shuffle, sort and reduce). Thus, HDFS Stores the final output of Reducer. Learn How to Read or Write data to HDFS?
If you find this blog on Hadoop Reducer helpful or you have any query for Hadoop Reducer, so feel free to share with us.
See Also-
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1633 | During the Digital Learning conference this year, I ran a workshop on "Multimedia in the Mathematics Classroom" (warning large file) which was a huge hit. I started by giving a presenting giving answers to why one would want to use multimedia in math, what does it look like, and what tools I use to actually construct the multimedia with students.
I started the second part of the workshop and gave the participants a chance to escape if they did not feel like participating. I handed out Flip cameras, and gave the very lose instructions, "Create a math video word problem." Some people left the session right away, but about 20 people stayed and worked on videos, while I circulated around the room and helped trouble-shoot.
Here are three of the videos created by the participants in about 40 minutes. A fourth video was created by another group but due to technical issues, we just shared it during the session.
(Note: If you are in one of these videos, and uncomfortable being shared online, let me know via the contact form, and I’ll take down the video.) |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1634 | I have a table with nchar(32) column, with FullText search and auto change tracking activated.
Data set:
Name, SuperID
Item1, (LO}(bJ$
Item2, (LO}(bJ$
Item3, (LO}(bJ$
I run two queries:
select Name, SuperID from Asset A WHERE A.SuperID LIKE
select Name, SuperID from Asset A WHERE ( CONTAINS
(A.SuperID ,N'"(LO}(bJ$"') )
The first one returns 3 rows, and the second returns only 1 row.
Why is it happening? How can I analyse the contents of the Full Text search index? The column values in the first three results are identical. I have tried to update indexes/stats but that doesn't change the outcome.
UPDATE: I have tried removing quotes around the CONTAINS query but I get an error message:
"Syntax error near '(' in the full-text search condition
I should have phrased my question in a different way, I think! Have a look at the SuperID column values for the three rows that I would like to return. I have converted them to VARBINARY to ensure that there is no hidden trailing space trickery going on and they are actually the same:
So why does the CONTAINS query above return only one row instead of three?
• So, either none of the values returned by the first statement have "(LO}(bJ$", or all do? In the first statement, you're matching values that contain (LO}(bJ$, in the second "(LO}(bJ$". Just want to confirm that the double quotes aren't making a difference. – RDFozz Feb 16 '18 at 22:47
• @RDFozz, thank you for commenting. I have will update the question in a second to make it clearer! – Tony Sepia Feb 17 '18 at 0:55
Whilst trying to re-create the problem with a fresh table in a separate DB, I ended up comparing the Full-Text catalogue settings. In the DB where I saw the erroneous behaviour the Table Full-Text Pending Changes value was 21219 (!).
I have then checked the FT log and found that the Asset table hasn't been updated for a long time:
An internal query to load data for a crawl on database '-' and table 'Asset' failed with error code 1205. Check the sql error code for more information about the condition causing this failure. The crawl needs to be restarted after this condition is removed.
and also
Error: 30059, Severity: 16, State: 1 A fatal error occurred during a full-text population and caused the population to be cancelled. Population type is: AUTO; database name is Media (id: 6); catalog name is - (id: 6); table name Asset (id: 1076966963). Fix the errors that are logged in the full-text crawl log. Then, resume the population. The basic Transact-SQL syntax for this is: ALTER FULLTEXT INDEX ON table_name RESUME POPULATION."
I had to manually resume the FT updates. After that the search has returned 3 items!
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1635 | Simple Question
How is the SQL Server Quantum (4 ms) synchronised with the Server OS Quantum (normally: 187.5 ms)?
Simple Question Explained
After 184 ms of OS quantum being used (which corresponds to 46 full SQL quantums) the OS quantum has 3.5 ms of time before it will have to hand over the schedule to a different process. The SQL OS starts a quantum (4 ms) and after 3.5 ms, the OS quantum has decided to stop the current SQL OS thread which still has 0.5 ms before it would yield the schedule. What happens now?
Deep Dive on OS Quantum
In the next couple of sections I'll write up what I have found so far regarding the OS quantum and how the duration of a quantum can be calculated. The duration of an OS "quantum" is based on "ticks" and the duration of the "tick" itself is based on the "clock interval" which is normally 15.625000 ms. But let me elaborate a bit...
In the Blog article Know Thy Tick the author Jim explains the basics of clock intervals (aka "ticks") and what they are for.
When I read something like “the clock interval… for most x86 multiprocessors is about 15 milliseconds” I’m compelled to determine the value of my clock, or “tick”, interval. Fortunately, the book I read this quote in, Windows Internals Fourth Edition provides a reference for helping me with my affliction. ... The author, Mark Russinovich, of the aforementioned book has graciously made the utility ClockRes available on his web site. Running this utility, I was able to determine that the clock interval on my x86 multiprocessor PC is 15.625000 ms. Interesting, but my curious mind wants to know more.
The author of the article goes on to explain in his second article that...
Of course the real reason why the tick interval is important is that it affects thread scheduling. The Windows scheduler gives each thread a “quantum” of time to execute before allowing another task, at the same priority level, to run. The quantum that the scheduler assigns to a thread is a multiple of the tick interval. The specific quantum value chosen for a specific thread is bit beyond where I want to go with this article.
Ok, so I know what a quantum is, but not how long a quantum will run.
For now, let’s just examine the default quantum value for a foreground thread in XPe. In this case the Windows scheduler assigns a quantum of 18 or 6 tick intervals. (Yes, to convert quantum to tick intervals, one must divide by 3. ..., but the reason for the multiple is to allow the scheduler the ability to “charge” a thread for doing an operation which causes it to suspend.)
We now know that a clock interval (tick) should be around 15.625000 ms and on a Windows Desktop OS where the default quantum is 18 that this will result in 6 ticks or 93.750000 ms (18 / 3 * 15.625000 ms).
On a Windows Server OS the default quantum is different. The "Processor scheduling" setting is set to "Background Services"
This setting can be found via "System Settings | Advanced (tab) | Performance (section) | Settings ..." which will open "Perofrmance Options | Advanced (tab) | Processor scheduling"
The default quantum settings are then 36 (Background) to 36 (Foreground). The quantum is larger and hence longer. This is double the amount of the 93.750000 ms of the 18 (6 tick) quantum foreground setting on a Windows Desktop OS, which on a server OS set up for Background Services is around 187.500000 ms.
Observation / Explanation
When you change the setting from "Background services" to "Applicaitons" on either a server or desktop, then the HKLM\SYSTEM \CurrentControlSet\ Control\ PriorityControl\ Win32PrioritySeparation key in the registry is changed from 0x18 to 0x02. What is the default quantum value for 0x02? This can be found in a comment:
The value 0x02 implies that the "Short vs. Long" and "Variable vs. Fixed" fields are the default for the OS.
The default for these fields for XPe & XP Pro is: Short & Variable which is the same as having the following bits additional bits set: 0x24.
OR'ing this value in with 0x02 gives you 0x26, which you will find in the table in the article.
Reference: Comment to "Master Your Quantum" (MSDN Blogs)
The table explaining the quantum settings from the same article:
Win32PrioritySeparation Foreground Background
0x28, 0x29, 0x2A 18 18
0x18, 0x19, 0x1A 36 36
0x24 6 6
0x25, 0x14 12 6
0x26 18 6
0x15 24 6
0x16 36 6
Short Summary of OS Quantum
Based on the above information and article quotes, we know that a quantum is not a fixed size, but rather derived from an OS setting in the System Properties. A quantum varies depending on the Win32PrioritySeparation setting in the registry which normally corresponds to one of the setting in the "System Properties" (either "Background services" or "Applications").
A quantum at OS level is
• for the "Applications" setting
• 18 (which is 6 ticks) for foreground applications (93.75 ms)
• 6 (which is 2 ticks) for background applications (31.25 ms)
• for the "Background Services" setting
• 36 (which is 18 ticks) for foreground applications (187.5 ms)
• 36 (which is 18 ticks) for background applications (187.5 ms)
So now we know that an OS quantum on a Windows Server setup to be optimised for Background Services is ...
36 / 3 * 15.625000 ms = 187.5 ms
SQL OS Quantum
This section lists what I have found on SQL OS quantum...
From Paul Randall's description on the SOS_SCHEDULER_YIELD wait type:
This wait type is when a thread was able to execute for its full thread quantum (4 milliseconds in all versions of SQL Server, unchangeable), and so voluntarily yielded the scheduler, moving to the bottom of the Runnable Queue in its scheduler.
Reference: SOS_SCHEDULER_YIELD (SQLSkills.com Wait Types)
Schedulers in SQL Server DMVs
In an explanation on SQL Server DMVs for the sys.dm_os_schedulers DMV.
[...] Windows uses a preemptive scheduling mechanism and assigns a quantum of CPU time to every thread, when a thread consumes its quantum it is sent to a queue and other threads are granted execution.
In opposition, SQL Server uses a cooperative scheduling mechanism when threads can voluntary yield its quantum of time (you can see this behavior when you have a SOS_SCHEDULER_YIELD wait type). This allows SQL Server to optimize CPU utilization, because when a thread is signaled for execution but is not ready to run it can yield its quantum of time in favor of other threads.
Reference: Understanding SQL Server Schedulers, Workers and Tasks (MSSQLTips.com)
Detect SQL Server CPU Pressure
This is a very small section of an article regarding CPU pressure in SQL Server.
Reference: Detect SQL Server CPU Pressure (MSSQLTips.com)
sys.dm_os_schedulers (Microsoft Docs)
I guess the following quote is the most important snippet of information regarding SQL OS quantum that I could find:
quantum_length_us bigint Identified for informational purposes only.
Not supported. Future compatibility is not guaranteed.
Exposes the scheduler quantum used by SQLOS.
Reference: sys.dm_os_schedulers (Transact-SQL) (Microsoft | Docs)
My Conundrum
The Server OS Quantum regulates how much time the SQL Server Service is granted to execute "tasks". The SQL Server OS Quantum is defined as 4 ms. If I divide the 187.5 ms by 4 ms then I am left with 3.5 ms.
And we haven't even started the discussion of when the Clock Interval is set to something other than the default of 15.625000 ms....
Simple Question
Simple Question Explained
Even though the scheduler isn't preemptive, the SQL Server scheduler still adheres to a concept of a quantum. Rahter than SQL Server tasks be forced to give up the CPU by the operating system, they can request to be put on a wait queue periodically, and if they have exceeded the internally defined 4 millisecond quantum and aren't in the middle of an operation that can't be stopped, they voluntarily relinquish the CPU.
-"Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Internals", Kalen Delaney et. al. pp38
-Chapter 2 "The SQLOS" Jonathan Kehayias
So the notion of a "quantum" inside SQL Server is more of a "guideline" for programming tasks. IE when you write a task, like say, a task that performs a table scan, if you don't hit any page latch, IO latch, or lock waits for a while, you should stop what you're doing and ask to be put back on the runnable queue, in case there are other tasks waiting.
But it's up to the task programmer to implement this, and it might not be exactly 4ms for each kind of task. For instance the table scan task might use a simple heuristic based on the number of pages scanned to implement the yield points.
If the SQL Server thread is pre-empted by Windows while a task is running, it will be paused, and when its thread is next scheduled on a CPU it will continue where it left off. Presumably it will continue to consume the balance of its 4ms quantum, as it wouldn't know any difference. But again, the yield behavior is an implementation detail of the task, not a behavior of SQLOS, so different tasks might behave differently here.
Answer contributions originally left as comments
It's not and SQL Server doesn't use preemptive scheduling. Work items are expected to hit yield points and if they don't, you get things such as NONYIELDING schedulers. There is no parity. SQL Server doesn't distribute the time. It makes certain threads attractive to Windows to schedule and Windows schedules them. Quantum is just nomenclature for a piece of time. That's it. SQL Server isn't preemptive, it's the responsibility of whatever is running to yield itself throughout the code. – Sean Gallardy
When the OS quantum expires the thread is forcefully descheduled. This is transparent to SQL Server. SQLOS has no way of detecting when this happens. There is no Win32 API for that. Scheduling is transparent to user mode threads. The Windows scheduler does not know or care what user mode threads are doing. Windows only sees threads that are runnable and lets them run till the end of their OS quantum or until they block. – usr
In How to handle excessive SOS_SCHEDULER_YIELD wait type values in SQL Server by Nikola Dimitrijevic, the term "quantum" is used to mean essentially "the time a task actually spends assigned to a worker", but that's not the same sense as a Windows quantum, which is a period of time after which the OS will remove a thread from a CPU. They're just different concepts. If the OS forces a thread to end execution because the OS quantum has been reached, a context switch happens. SQL Server's thread is suspended, just like any other program. – David Browne - Microsoft and George.Palacios.
Extracts from the documentation: Inside the SQL Server 2000 User Mode Scheduler (written for SQL Server 2000, but still relevant):
Preemptive vs. Cooperative Tasking
UMS, by contrast, relies on threads to yield voluntarily. UMS takes the approach it does in order to keep from involving the Windows kernel any more than absolutely necessary. In a system where worker threads can be counted on to yield when they should, a cooperative scheduler can actually be more efficient than a preemptive one because the scheduling process can be tailored to the specific needs of the application. As I said earlier, UMS knows the scheduling needs of SQL Server better than the operating system can be expected to.
How UMS Takes Over Scheduling
If UMS is to handle SQL Server's scheduling needs rather than allowing Windows to do so, UMS must somehow prevent the OS from doing what it does with every other process: schedule threads on and off the system's processor(s) as it sees fit. How do you do that in a preemptive OS? UMS pulls this off through some clever tricks with Windows event objects. Each thread under UMS has an associated event object. For purposes of scheduling, Windows ignores threads it does not consider viable—threads that cannot run because they are in an infinite wait state. Knowing this, UMS puts threads to sleep that it does not want to be scheduled by having them call WaitForSingleObject on their corresponding event object and passing INFINITE for the timeout value.
In order to prevent Windows from scheduling multiple threads on the same processor and thereby incurring the overhead and expense of context switches, UMS attempts to keep just one thread viable—that is, not in an infinite wait state—per processor.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1647 | Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Using insignia to identify demon hordes
If the shoe fits, you could say.
To the layperson, many varieties of demonic species don't look cognizable as such. Take, for instance, the demon shown in these two images:
A demon, captured in a still frame taken from a video made during a period of high demonic activity, specifically, during an attack by same and othersThe same demon, captured approximately 1/3 of a second prior to the still frame shown left, most likely still in the process of possession, having yet to settle into final form
That's why demonic insignia is so important to find; by matching insignia to the markings on any object suspected of demon possession (here, it is an iron), demons that stray far from the more recognizable humanoid from can't hide as easy:
The demonic insignia given me by a demon-allied human, as more fully explained in Demonic insignia, authenticity confirmedIn spite of having yet to possess the iron completely, as made evident by the differences shown by the still frame shown left, the insignia aligns perfectly
NOTE | Since the time of the first post making a connection between insignia and the demons shown in my photos, my collection of insignia has skyrocketed, as have the number of matches between the insignia shown above. More to come...
The following video shows a technique that uses an edge-detection filter to make finding insignia-to-demon matches easier and faster, particularly for demons with a foreign shape and highly complex lines and curves:
A "sketch" or edge-detection filter reduces the number of curves and lines in an image to only those that border a transition between color or luminosity values that cross a specified threshold
Color from the original image (or a portion of thereof) can be reintroduced
to help identify the demon itself and its connection between the overlying insignia
The original, unedited image, with and without the overlying insignia
Insignia also serves a second, equally important purpose, in addition to identifying strange, new life: it tells you what that life is up to. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1667 | Jump to content
Cameron Schettler
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1. Having an option for a visual metronome rather than just an audio one would make on the go contributions/quick recordings via phone more effective. (In situations where headphones are unavailable or not a good option.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1712 | Ten Tips for Making the Most of Your Mac
On Wednesday and Thursday we had two PD sessions on getting to know your Mac. Here are the top ten key takeaways:
1. Take a screenshot with cmd-shift-3 (whole screen) or cmd-shift-4 (choose an area of the screen)
2. Use the Spotlight search feature (the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner) to quickly launch applications.
3. Yeah, Office 365 search works as well as a rhino trying to find a polar bear in a snow storm. But if you are searching for files and you’re using OneDrive to sync with your Mac, use Spotlight on Mac to search for your files instead! It’ll be much more accurate.
4. Keyboard shortcuts are the single fastest way to navigate your Mac faster. In the finder, use cmd-shift-D to go to the Desktop, cmd-shift-A to go to the Applications folder, and cmd-shift-H to go to your home folder.
5. When you drag a folder to the sidebar in the Finder, you’re creating an alias (called a shortcut in Windows) that will appear in every Finder window as well as every open and save dialog box.
6. Create an alias by dragging a folder to a new location while holding the cmd and option keys. You can do this to put links to your OneDrive folders and files on your desktop.
7. Most programs allow you to save a file as a different type. Microsoft programs do this in File > Save As, while Apple programs do this through File > Export
8. The Apple Preview program lets you draw and comment on PDF files. This can be used to fill out forms/worksheets.
9. When printing, you can use the Printer Presets menu to create a saved preset with commonly used options. For example, you could create one preset that prints B&W, 2- sided and another that prints in color, 1-sided.
10. Download the Caffeine app from lightheadsw.com/caffeine and run it from your Applications folder. It will keep your computer awake, which is useful when you’re projecting a Word document for a class or meeting and don’t want your computer to go to sleep in the middle of it.
And one more bonus: use the cmd-tab keyboard shortcut to show a list of running programs (if you hold down the cmd key) and to switch between them (when you press tab while holding down cmd). You can also quit programs this way by pressing the q key when the program is selected. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1713 | What is the Passing Score of PMP Exam?
passing score for the PMP Exam
Is there a passing score for PMP® exams? The short answer is: NO. The long answer is: PMI would determine your passing score based on the difficulties of the set of PMP® exam questions you have answered. The time-tested way of ensuring a pass in the PMP® Exam is to get at least 75% in quality PMP® Exam Sample Questions (click here for some quality ones).
Perhaps you are worrying about the fact that the PMP® Exam is adopting a NEW syllabus from 12 Jan 2016?
Rest assured that the PMP® Exam changes are considered to be minor and the level of difficulty is about the same. PMP® aspirants are safe to begin the PMP® Exam prep journey now.
Lessons learned from recent PMP® candidates taking the NEW PMP® Exam 2016 have attested to this.
Someone Stated that the PMP® Exam Passing Score is 61%. Right?
Yes and no. In the past, 61% was published by PMI as the passing score for the PMP® Exam (which means that PMP® aspirants need to correctly answer 106 or more PMP® questions out of the 175 real questions). In fact, PMI played around with the passing score several times. It once set the passing score to 81% in 2005 and the number of candidates who could make it dropped dramatically, leading PMI to reset it to 61% in just a few months. At that time, PMP® candidates would get a report card with score (in percentage) for correctly answering questions in each domain.
But no more now. From December 2005, PMI ceased to publish the passing score as it has adopted a more “scientific” approach to judge whether a PMP® aspirant is eligible for the PMP® title. Later, the PMP® Exam report card was revised in 2007 to give only the proficiency levels (i.e. Proficient, Moderately Proficient and Below Proficient).
Latest update: the PMP® report card now shown the “Target” level: Above Target, Target, Below Target and Needs Improvement (basically very similar to the proficiency level with “Above Target”=”Proficient” and “Target”=”Moderately Proficient”).
Actually, PMI has made this clear in the PMP® Handbook:
Basically, the above paragraph states that the passing score for every candidate is different. As no two PMP® aspirants receive the same set of PMP® exam questions, setting a definite passing score for the PMP® exam is not fair to the candidate who, unfortunately, receive more the “difficult” questions. The statistic model, termed as psychometric analysis, is used to calculate the passing score of each individual set of PMP® exam questions to make sure the “difficulty to pass the PMP® exam” is similar for each individual candidate.
Further reading: I got 4 Proficient and 1 Moderately Proficiency in my PMP® Exam, here is my study plan, materials, tips and more.
Do I Need to Get Above Target and Target in All Domains to Pass?
One or two “Below Target” would not automatically declare a fail to the PMP® Exam. In fact, whether a candidate will pass or fail the PMP® Exam is judged on the overall performance of the exam. I have personally know some candidates who got two “Below Target” and yet pass the exam. As PMI has put it, the proficiency levels for the domains are intended as a guidance for PMP® candidates to understand their strengths and weaknesses so that they will know which area(s) to focus on for their PDU activities or re-exam.
But as the number of questions for the five domains is different (according to the PMP® Examination Content Outline):
DomainPercentage of
Monitoring and Controlling25%
You will surely want to get “Above Target” (previously “Proficient) or “Target” (previously “Moderately Proficient”) in the heavy weights (i.e. Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, Planning) to assure a pass in the PMP® Exam.
And the “Above Target”, “Target”, “Below Target”, etc. will only be shown on the exam report card, these proficiency levels will NO shown in the PMP® Certificate and others cannot gain access to this information without your permission.
So, How Many PMP® Exam Question Should I Answer Correctly?
As the passing score of PMP® Exam is now based on “psychometric analysis”, candidates would get a higher score if they can answer the harder questions correctly and a lower score for the easier questions. This means that the harder questions are worth more than the easier questions. So, the minimum number of correct answers needed to pass the PMP® Exam is determined by the overall difficultly of the exam.
Therefore, when preparing for your PMP® Exam, do not just rely on a single provider of PMP® practice exams / exam simulator. It is more advisable to try questions from different providers in order to understand your strengths and weaknesses.
It is also advisable to make use of the old “61% passing score” for the PMP® Exam as your starting point and add 15%-20% more to account for the fluctuation in difficulties. That is, if you could get over 75%-80% for each new set of PMP® sample exams you have answered, you can almost be assured of a pass in the real PMP® exam provided that you perform normally during the exam.
Look here for a list of suggest free/paid PMP® sample exams that are time-tested and of high qualities. I have personally relied on these practice exams to help me pass the real PMP® Exam.
Wish you PMP® success!
Most Popular PMP Certification Exam Articles
GreyCampus PMP online training course bundle for US$149 only
Support website running for FREE, thanks!
Edward Chung
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Leave a Reply
18 Responses
1. Apple says:
I am taking the PMP exam in October. I have subscribed to PMP Prepcast simulator to prepare myself for the exam.
And I am strictly only using this simulator as it has got 1600 questions in all. Is that good enough to pass the exam if I go through the simulator multiple times?
• Have you also tried the other free PMP mock exams I have suggested? Although the PM PrepCast is quite good in itself, it is beneficial to get exposed to questions by other authors to get used to different question styles/wordings.
Wish you PMP success!
2. Ahana says:
Hi Edward,
This is Ahana from India.Thanks for your valuable information.
My question is I am a Textile Designer and I have done
4 year Bachelor degree in textile design . Worked for
3 years as a designer in exports company.Completed my
35 hrs of project management education.
Am I eligible to fill the PMP certification form?
• Hi Ahana,
Do you work in the capacity of project manager (not the title but the actual job scope)? If yes and if you have enough working hours then you are good to go.
3. Priyanka says:
Hi Edward,
I am planning to appear for PMP exam in March 2018. Is there any latest guide on exam pattern and passing percentage?
• The PMP Exam is essentially unchanged but quite a few PMP Exam takers are getting 5 Above Targets, it seems the exam is getting a bit easier now than before. Wish you PMP success!
4. Ranveer says:
Hi Edward, thanks for all this valuable information. I am following your blogs along with my preparation of pmp certification. Could you please answer me the following.
These grades like proficient and moderately proficient are these listed on pmp passing certificate? Or do employers check these grades when giving job offer?
• Rest assured that a pass is a pass in the PMP Exam and the PMP Certificate will NOT show these “target”/”proficiency” levels. And employers will not be able to retrieve these information themselves.
Wish you PMP success!
5. Shabir Jameel says:
Hi Edward,
This is Shabir here from India. Nice to know about you.
I have got trained for PMP Certification and have been completely involved in solving PMP Fastrack different versions for many months and now that i’m getting around 70 to 80% in the sample exams.
I came across a blog where i learnt that PMP exam format will be changed soon and i would like to ask about the pass % involved in currently if it is 61% or got changed.
Could you please share your thoughts on this when it is feasible and any more latest links for sample PMP exams?
Thanq in Advance,
• Hi Shabir,
Nice to meet you here.
For the passing %, PMI does not set a fixed percentage as each individual exam paper is different. PMI will judge the difficulties of the set of the questions and adjust the passing rate individually. It is therefore recommended that you can get over 75% in sample questions in order to ensure you can get a pass in the real exam.
And the PMP Exam will be based on a new PMBOK Guide (6th edition) from 1st quarter of 2018. That means if you are preparing for the exam now, do try to take the exam in Nov or Dec the latest.
Wish you PMP success!
6. Rajan Iyer says:
I think it depends on domain in which you get Moderate i.e. in case of Planning, Executing & Monitoring & Controlling section you got Moderate/Below Proficient there are like chances of failure as those section carries high value 79% of total exam.
7. HUI QIAN says:
Anybody know the passing line ？ I got 4M1B, shows failed, I am contact customer care to re-score, still remain the old score failed.
• Sorry to learn about that. With 4 Moderately Proficient and 1 Below Proficient, I am sure you are very close to passing the PMP Exam. Just keep up and try a second attempt to clear the PMP Exam!
Wish you PMP success!
8. Miguel says:
I’ve got 4 MPs and 1 P (Initiate) but they are said I’m FAILED 🙁
Has it sense to you? I’m asking to the Customer Center for more info…
Thanks in advance |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1719 | 554 results found
1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
2. Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
Smriti Mishra et al.
The conformational cycle of an ABC heterodimeric transporter reveals a divergence in the structural mechanism of ABC exporters.
1. Cell Biology
2. Neuroscience
Pharmacological evidence for a metabotropic glutamate receptor heterodimer in neuronal cells
David Moreno Delgado et al.
Innovative approaches were used to identify the specific pharmacological properties of heterodimeric metabotropic glutamate receptors composed of mGlu2 and mGlu4 subunits, and reveal their existence in a neuronal cell line and in perforant path terminals.
1. Cell Biology
2. Developmental Biology
BMP7 functions predominantly as a heterodimer with BMP2 or BMP4 during mammalian embryogenesis
Hyung-Seok Kim et al.
Endogenous BMP2/7 and BMP4/7 heterodimers form in vivo, and are the predominant functional ligand in many, if not all, tissues of developing mouse embryos.
1. Developmental Biology
Vg1-Nodal heterodimers are the endogenous inducers of mesendoderm
Tessa G Montague, Alexander F Schier
1. Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
Exploring conformational equilibria of a heterodimeric ABC transporter
M Hadi Timachi et al.
A heterodimeric exporter exhibits conformational equilibria in the presence of nucleotides, suggesting a unified mechanistic model for the conformational cycle of ABC exporters.
1. Cell Biology
Junke Liu et al.
1. Developmental Biology
Patterning and Axis Formation: Heterodimers reign in the embryo
Benjamin Tajer, Mary C Mullins
Experiments by three independent groups on zebrafish have clarified the role of two signaling factors, Nodal and Gdf3, during the early stages of development.
Available as:
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1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
2. Chromosomes and Gene Expression
Yann Duroc et al.
1. Chromosomes and Gene Expression
2. Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
The cryo-EM structure of a 12-subunit variant of RNA polymerase I reveals dissociation of the A49-A34.5 heterodimer and rearrangement of subunit A12.2
Lucas Tafur et al.
Cryo-EM structures of RNA polymerase I reveal considerable 'transformers-like' rearrangements where one subcomplex dissociates and is replaced by one domain of another subunit, possibly as an additional layer of transcriptional control.
1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
2. Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
Cryo-EM structure of the rhodopsin-Gαi-βγ complex reveals binding of the rhodopsin C-terminal tail to the gβ subunit
Ching-Ju Tsai et al.
The structure of a light-sensitive G protein-coupled receptor in complex with a Gi-protein heterotrimer provides a structural foundation for the role of the receptor C-terminal tail in scaffolding and signaling.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1729 | Securing your wallet
From Bitcoin Wiki
Revision as of 07:03, 8 August 2012 by Weex (talk | contribs) (Importance of security updates)
Jump to: navigation, search
Current releases of the bitcoin client offer passphase encryption for the keys in the wallet.
Wallet security can be broken down into two independent goals:
1. Protecting your wallet against loss.
2. Protecting your wallet against theft.
For a brief overview see also: Wallet Security Dos and Don'ts
Paper Wallets
Paper wallets are a fairly simple way to store your bitcoins independent of a computer. When generated securely and stored on paper or other offline storage media, a paper wallet decreases the changes of your bitcoins being stolen by hackers or computer viruses.
With each entry on a paper wallet, you are securing a sequence of secret numbers that is used to prove your right to spend the bitcoins assigned to one of your addresses. This secret number, called a private key, is most commonly written as a sequence of fifty-one alphanumeric characters beginning with a '5'.
One way you can create a paper wallet is at the website This website features a free client-side paper wallet generator written in JavaScript. The webpage can be saved as a file and used on an offline computer. Using it online is relatively safe for storing smaller amounts, but not airtight unless you take extra precautions to ensure your keys are not stolen by spyware. Alternatively offers a tutorial on how to generate a paper wallet with an online component so you can still check your balance easily.
To generate a safer paper wallet, it is best to "clean-boot" your computer with a bootable CD (such as a Linux Live CD), with your computer not connected to the Internet, to ensure that you do not have any active spyware that might steal any private keys you generate. Disconnecting from the Internet allows you to confirm that the paper wallet generator is truly self-contained and isn't depending on communication with a remote server. Run the saved paper wallet generator in a web browser, print your paper wallets or store them on external media (do not save them on the computer), and then shut down the computer. You may need to load an appropriate printer driver in order to print while booted from the live CD.
A paper wallet lists multiple Bitcoin addresses and their corresponding private keys. You can send Bitcoins to any address on the page, and they will be inaccessible until the private key is imported into a wallet. Since version 0.6.0 the bitcoind software has a command called importprivkey that can load private keys, but you can also use the "Add Funds" - "Private key" screen at MtGox or's My Wallet service to recover bitcoins from a private key. In the case of MtGox, bitcoins are deposited in your account and can be sent out of MtGox after the standard number of deposit confirmations.
Remember that spyware and viruses often attempt to monitor your computer activities so that their authors can steal from you. They are interested in your passwords (such as to banking, etc.) and anything of value. Bitcoin wallets and private keys are something of value that have already been targeted by malware. Paper wallets isolate you from much of this risk.
If your computer is infected with spyware or viruses - even if there are no symptoms or your antivirus isn't reporting anything - then anything you type, view, or save on your computer could potentially be stolen by someone remotely controlling your computer. Your private key could potentially be intercepted at the point you type it in to redeem it, so only enter a Bitcoin private key into your computer when your intent is to redeem its value immediately.
Importance of security updates
Securing an online wallet with the Bitcoin software
Making a new wallet
Making a secure workspace
The first step is to make a new user, so as root, run:
adduser new_user_name
After you've made your secure new user, to maintain security you should only use it for Bitcoin.
(instructions from [1])
Backup all data
1. Open Disk Utility
4. Choose a safe and strong password
Backup just wallet.dat
1. Open Disk Utility
4. Choose a safe and strong password
5. Move your wallet.dat file to the image
Mount Wallet and launch Bitcoin
NOTE: You should configure Bitcoin in this manner only on computers where you use Bitcoin, but do not use that computer to mine. For example, this is a good configuration for a notebook or tablet computer.
To mount the Bitcoin data directory on an encrypted drive
For help finding this directory, see Locating Bitcoin's Data Directory.
Locating Bitcoin's data directory
explorer %APPDATA%\Bitcoin
By default Bitcoin will put its data here:
To change the directory Bitcoin stores its data in:
Run in terminal or script: ./bitcoin(-qt) -datadir=./[Directory_Name]
By default Bitcoin will put its data here:
~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/
Note: Using a service like Dropbox to back up your Bitcoin data is not recommended as doing so introduces security concerns such as:
For these reasons, an alternative is Wuala which does not store your encryption key and requires a password each time. With Wuala, the client can be set to remember your password but the server will check each time to make sure that the client is sending the correct password. Like Dropbox, the basic, lowest-storage-space account with Wuala is free of charge, and coincidentally, Wuala is experimenting with allowing users to pay for "upgraded" plans using Bitcoin.
Whether you use Dropbox as your backup or not, use what Steve Gibson calls "pre-Internet encryption" (which he discussed in the context of Dropbox's security concerns) and use some form of encryption on the files before you back them up -- just in case someone other than yourself ever gains access to that backup. Make sure to pick a password that's memorable but secure.
The only file you need to back up is "wallet.dat". Ensure that Bitcoin is closed, copy this file somewhere else, encrypt it, and put it somewhere safe. Ideally, you would put this file in two places: one nearby, and one 100+ miles away.
General Solutions
Your wallet.dat file is not encrypted by Bitcoin, by default. The most current release of the Bitcoin client provides a method to encrypt with a passphrase the private keys stored in the wallet. Anyone who can access a wallet which is not using the passphrase encryption can easily steal all of your coins. Use one of these encryption programs if there is any chance someone might stumble upon your wallet.
• 7-zip - Supports strongly-encrypted archives.
• AxCrypt by Axantum
There is also a list of open source encryption software.
Password Strength
Brute-force password cracking has come a long way. A password of random [a-Z] [0-9] [!-~] of 8 characters long was previously thought secure but can be trivially solved now (using appropriate hardware). The recommended length is at least 12 characters long. You can also use a multi-word password. The Usability of Passwords
Choosing Your Password
Make sure you pick at least one character in each group:
Lowercase: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Number: 1234567890
<9 char = unsuitable for use
09 char = insecure
10 char = low security
11 char = medium security
12 char = good security (good enough for your wallet)
13 char = very good, enough for anything.
Storage of Archive
Linux solution
Create /usr/local/bin/
# /usr/local/bin/
# Performs backup of bitcoin wallet.
# Written by:
# Standard Options
BITCOIN=bitcoind # /path/to/bitcoind
GPG=gpg # /path/to/gpg
# Storage Options
# Update CP_DEST paths as neccessary.
# SSH - Storage on a remote machine.
#CP=s3cmd put
do_clean() {
# Remove temporary wallets.
if [ 1 -eq $USE_SHRED ]; then
do_fail() {
echo failed!
exit 1
# Perform the backup.
echo -n Making backup...
$BITCOIN backupwallet $WALLET
echo done.
echo -n Encrypting backup...
echo done.
echo -n Copying to backup location...
echo done.
exit 0
The shell script:
• GPG encrypts the wallet with your public key.
• Quit bitcoin(d).
• Copy your backed up wallet.dat into your bitcoin profile directory.
• If copying into existing profile, delete files blk*.dat to make the client re-scan the block chain.
And you'll be good as new.
Erasing Plain Text Wallets
Storing bitcoins with an eWallet provider incurs risks as well. Basically you grant the third party, in this case eWallet, full access to your wallet. These eWallets, or Electronic Wallets have a number of pros and cons. For example, you can access your wallet on any computer in the world, but the wallet can be forged or hacked and your bitcoins could be lost. You can also get eWallet applications for your Android phone, which also download the block chain like the normal client but allow the user to send bitcoins by QR code or NFC. The problem with this is that Bitcoins can be intercepted through means of mobile hacking.
See Also |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1752 | A Word A Week Photo Challenge – Play
We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. /George Bernard Shaw/
A Word A Week Photo Challenge – Play
Travel Theme: Play
Men do not quit playing because they grow old;
they grow old because they quit playing. /O.W.Holmes Jr./
Game on! Marseille, France
Sounds of music in Riga, Latvia
A bit of flower playfulness. Ravadinovo, Bulgaria
It does look like they are playing, doesn’ t it?
Ailsa’ s Travel Theme
The Universe Is A Great Casino
George Bernard Shaw has said: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.” To agree or not is up to you and, though the facts below from the gaming(gambling) world might not be helpful in making that decision, I find them interesting enough to share.
– The term “Casino” is of Italian origin, the root word being “Casa” (house) and originally meant a small country villa. The word changed to refer to a building built for pleasure, usually on the grounds of a larger Italian villa or palazzo that were used to host civic town functions – including dancing, music listening, and gambling.
– Not all casinos were used for gaming. For example, the Copenhagen Casino was a theatre, known for the use made of its hall for mass public meetings during the 1848 Revolution which made Denmark a constitutional monarchy. The Hanko Casino located in Finland was a banquet hall for the Russian nobility which frequented this spa resort in the late 19th century, and is presently used as a restaurant.
– The earliest versions of Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one are about 500 years old. It was invented by either the French or the Italians. Napoleon was a big fan of the game and used to play it frequently during his exile in Elba, then later in St. Helena.
– Poker was invented in 1820 by sailors in New Orleans. The USA president Richard Nixon used a large sum of money that he won in a poker game to fund his first campaign for Congress – after winning a cool six grand playing poker with his Navy buddies; Nixon won his way into office with his big poker winnings. There is a total of 2,598,960 (almost 2.6 MILLION) possible poker hands with a standard deck of 52 cards.
– The first Roulette wheel was not built for gambling purposes. It was instead developed by French mathematician and inventor Blaise Pascal, who was attempting to devise a machine that would stay in perpetual motion. The roulette wheel is considered a masterpiece comparable to the Swiss watch and has attracted many mathematicians, physicists and engineers to study the game due to its close relation to fields of science like physics and mechanics.
– Felix Falguerein, an Italian gambler, is believed to be a father of Baccarat history and modern baccarat itself: he created the rules of the game and made it to be a very popular in the Italy of the 14thcentury. He has created the game after the well-known myth about Etrustan ritual: Every virgin lady had to throw a nine-sided dice to determine her future, and the number of points she got determined her destiny. If she got 8 or 9 points she would become a priestess; if the number of points were 6 or 7 she would stay alive but had no right to come to a temple; but if a virgin had less than 6 points she would jump into the water from a mountain and end her life in such a tragic way.
– Craps was first named “crapaud”; a French word which means “toad” in reference to the way that people would crouch or scoot over the floor or sidewalk to play. It is coming originally from a simplification of an old English game called Hazard and could go back as far even as the Crusades. It’s considered bad luck to say the word seven while in a game.
– The first version of Bingo was a 1530 Italian lottery game known as Lo Giuco del Lotto d’Italia. The first prototype of bingo was played with dried beans and the game was actually called Beano. The largest bingo game in history took place at New York’s Teaneck Armory with 60,000 players in all and an additional 10,000 being turned away at the door. Bingo addicts are known for being superstitious – they have lucky chairs, lucky pens, lucky numbers and even lucky underwear.
– Over a thousand years ago in China Cheung Leung created Keno – as a game of chance to produce revenue to provision his army. The game was success and the city was saved. Keno became known as the White Pigeon Game because carrier pigeons were used to send the results from the games in the big cities to the smaller villages. It was also used to help fund the building of the Great Wall. The original game itself consisted of 120 Chinese characters that were part of an ancient poem.
– The original slot machine was invented by Charles Fey in 1899 in San Francisco and the first slots were based on poker and had free cigars and beer for the payouts. Big Bertha” was the world’s biggest slot machine, measuring a huge two metres across and 2.5 metres high. It was impossible for a human being to pull the lever in order to get the eight massive reels into motion, so it was powered by a five horsepower motor.
There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos. Why? Is time there an illusion? |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1767 | Directors Lounge Screening: Stephanie Hanna - Where Things Meet
By on
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Stephanie Hanna conceives her videos in a process of combining performances, texts, video and audio recordings. Her works often incorporate collaborations with other artists, viewers or passers-by. The Berlin-born artist returned to her hometown after receiving a BA in stage design in Utrecht. Back in Berlin, she also received a Master in “Art in Context” at UdK.
Video images of performances, with an often documentary character, are being digitally reworked and thus condensed; and more audio tracks and camera views added. The are being transformed into independent art works without concealing their originally open process. The performative constellation of her concept thus becomes almost tangible. Her videos turn into short film essays.
Changing dispositions of plastic objects in a shop window, used as an independent gallery space, are being recorded. Then, they become trigger for video-performances directed to the camera. (“Marktforschung” 2017 and “Castelo de Plastico” 2017). The videos also become collaborations in an open process. Whereas the editing turns the procedure further another step. In another work, based on a studio performance with objects, and recorded over several days, the artist works on her own, performing and handling the camera. However, the process continues with audio-recordings of two personae of herself, German and English, and of audiences watching the piece. In the finished piece (“what matters” - work in progress 2018/19) all protagonists, performer and voices seem to be directly interacting, with diegetic presence.
Another course in Stephanie Hanna's work are video works based on text. In some, the artist literally reads a text, while the picture gives an associative interpretation. The finished piece, however, is more complex than it first seems. Different motivations to read change the intonation, for example Susan Sontag or Robert Musil; editing of both voice and video recording also are result of a fluid process. Other pieces also encompass field recordings (“Occupy Zizek” 2011) or first-person action camera (“preparations for a depowerment manifesto” 2017).
The short video films are condense results of an open art process based on collaborations and interactions with others. In an inspiring way, Stephanie Hanna thus challenges traditional ideas of art or video-making. On the occasion of the screening, the artist will perform another part of “what matters” live together with the audience. And she will be present for a Q&A after the screening.
Artist Links:
Directors Lounge:
Image Gallery:
Stephanie Hanna, Lorelei
Stephanie Hanna, Lorelei
Thursday, November 28, 2019 - 21:00 to 23:00
• Bergstr. 2
D-10115 Berlin |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1768 | Day 29: The End of the journey
Deut 3:23-29 & Heb 11:23-29
Many of us would feel disappointed that after all the trouble Moses had been through he still did not enter the promised land. But do you see yourself through the eyes of Moses, taking your relationship with God for granted and maybe taking short cuts as a result of your unbelief that things may not turn out right? Do you find yourself doing it your way rather than his way?
These short cuts and acts of disobedience sometimes have eternal repercussions just like we read in this passage. Even though God remained merciful to Moses such that he let him see the promised land from the hill, he was never to step into it.
Remember to join our conversations on TwitterInstagramFacebook and right here.
God Bless You!
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1776 | by on October 7, 2019
Related Article: Benefits And Side Effects of Bellissa Soap
Bellissa Soap is a non-irritant mild cleanser formulated with Soap Noodles, Garcinia Indica Seed Butter., Glycerin. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract and Olive Extract.
HOW TO USE: Use Bellissa Acne Soap as a replacement for ordinary soap during bathing.
Bellissa Soap is useful for people suffering from skin dryness and infections of skin as it can relieve the symptoms of these conditions to make the skin soft and smooth. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract contains anti-septic and anti-bacterial properties that protect the skin from bacterial infections. It helps to treat skin diseases and combats common skin conditions like acne, wrinkles and dry skin. Aloe vera is used for dry skin. wound healing and as an anti-aging product. It also lightens and brightens the skin tone. Bellissa Soap is recommended for all age groups. It makes the skin soft. supple, well hydrated and improves skin tone.
Related Article: Composition of Bellissa Soap
Bellissa Soap Customers Reviews:
Posted in: Health
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1777 |
Even a God-King Can Bleed
From The Vault - Fallout Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Even a God-King Can Bleed
TaskCripple Caesar's head with a throwing spear.
Reward500 XP
base idxx000a6a
Gametitle-FNV GRA.png
Gametitle-FNV GRA.png
Even a God-King Can Bleed is a two-star (★★) challenge in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Gun Runners' Arsenal.
In order to complete this challenge, you must cripple Caesar's head with a throwing spear.
Behind the scenes
• The name of this challenge is a reference to the film 300. It references King Leonidas telling Xerxes, upon meeting for the first time, "...and before this battle was over, that even a god-king can bleed." Leonidas makes good on this threat at the film's climax where he throws a spear at Xerxes, which grazes him, leaving a deep wound on the side of his face. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1778 |
Jed's Letter
From The Vault - Fallout Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Jed's Letter
Fo4 note.png
Editor IDLC062_HarpersFerry_JedsLetter
Jed's Letter is a paper note in Fallout 76.
• Harpers Ferry: The note is located on a desk on the second floor of the south wing of the Armory.
We've got two more cases of 10mm coming in tomorrow, so that should take care of the ammo.
I've talked to Larry, and he's got plenty of drinking water, but we've got to do something about Henry. When we put him in charge of the food stockpile, we didn't expect that idiot to collect a hundred boxes of Sugar Bombs. How does he expect us to survive on that sugary junk after everything goes to hell?
Tell him to start collecting real food or else he can shelter in his own bunker.
Holotapes and notes in Fallout 76 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1785 | Dear Customers, You can send to us any your request/question about buy new cusomized Vostok watch / about repair service for your russian watch / about any customized or rare to find spare parts You need. We'll try to help every our customer. Put please all correct your data for we can process our conversation through direct e-mail messages and then we can use your shipping address was written here for sending your orders. If You need send the photos to us - use please any free photo-bank, for example like this one use.com. Simply upload to photo-bank your photos and the You'll get a link to this gallery, insert this link into the Comment field.
We sell mostly USSR and Russian watches & watch parts on eBay. Many great russian watches factories were closed in 1990s. But You still can find in our eBay-store lot of spare parts for USSR and RUSSIAN watches, Vostok Amphibian & Komandirskie, Raketa, Pobeda, Poljot and many other spare parts. It's not simply watches... It's a little piece of Great History.
Now we are starting to build our own website for provide some new additions services, like customized newely made Vostok watches / repair & restoration service for vintage soviet watches / producing of customized spare parts & accessories.
We have lot of positive feedbacks on eBay from many our satisfied customers around the World. Join now and we hope You'll get what You're searching for!
How contact us? For conversations with customers we use e-mail. Write please your Name, where from are You and shorly your question. Unfortunately, anonymous letters will not get reply. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/1796 | Oncoming Storm: Surface Tension
by Chengar Qordath
Chapter 1: Ranges and Ribbings (Not like that, Kicker)
Load Full Story Next Chapter
Going out to a shooting range probably isn’t most people’s idea of a good way to impress a girl you like. Blame it on the fact that I’m a military brat.
Well, that wasn’t the only reason. I had also taken who I was hanging out with into account. “So what do you think, Dash? Pretty cool?”
Rainbow stared at the guns my parents were getting ready with open curiosity, but then tried to suppress her eager grin and play it cool. “Yeah, it’s alright. Thanks for the invite, Cloud.” Considering some of the movies she’d dragged me to in the past, it had seemed reasonable that she might like to see the real thing. Hopefully she wouldn’t be too disappointed by the lack of aliens to shoot and random explosions everywhere. Or, considering some of the crazy stuff she’d been involved with, the lack of magical rainbow lasers. I’m just not sure guns are as cool as weird friendship powers.
I really wasn’t sure what to make of the fact that weird magical monsters had started showing up at school, much less that Rainbow and her friends blasted them with their own magic. Which they now somehow had. I know high school is supposed to be weird, but I’d never thought it would be that weird.
Well, if Rainbow had the Magic of Friendship, I’d have to content myself with the magic of superior firepower. Once we had everything set up and safe, I took one of our bolt-action rifles and quickly knocked down several targets. Once I’d emptied the mag, I shot a look Rainbow’s way, hoping for a compliment while trying to avoid making it too obvious I was fishing for praise. Gah, things between us had been awkward ever since...
Rainbow nodded approvingly, but her feet shuffled across the ground. “That's pretty cool. I mean, being a straight shooter isn't easy. Shooting a gun I mean, and not being straight with people. Not that that isn't hard too but ... yeah ... straight.”
“I think I get it.” I had no idea what she was talking about. However, I definitely thought things were way weirder and more awkward than I’d planned. “So ... wanna give it a shot?”
Rainbow’s awkwardness fell away in an instant, and she reached out for the rifle with an eager grin. “Sure!” I was just about to pass it to her when she hesitated for a moment. “Er, as long as your folks are okay with that. No point bothering them with ... stuff. Or whatever.”
“Oh.” I shot a glance at Mom and Dad. “I don’t think they’d mind. I mean, the whole reason we brought you out here was to show you our guns and let you play around with them.” I grimaced and quickly corrected myself. “Well, not playing, because guns aren’t toys and you should never treat them like that. But ... uh...”
“I get it, Kicker,” Rainbow assured me. “Fun, but take the safety stuff seriously.”
“Exactly.” Dad cut in, walking over with an extra set of safety glasses and earplugs for Rainbow. “And since we’re taking safety seriously, let’s review the rules.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes. Parents. “I told Rainbow everything she needs to know before we got here, Dad. It was the first thing we talked about once she agreed to come.”
Rainbow nodded along, backing me up. “Yeah, s'cool Mr. Kicker. Don't point it at anything you don't want to shoot, don't be an idiot, don’t scr—er, mess around with them...”
Dad frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “I'll ease up when you can recite the rules from memory.” He counted them off on his fingers. “One: treat every weapon like it's loaded, even when you know it isn't. Two: finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot. Three: safety on until you're ready to shoot. Four: point the barrel at the ground until you're ready to shoot. Five: Safety gear stays on until you're done shooting. Got it?”
Ugh. Why was he being such a hardass with Rainbow? I was trying to make this fun for her! Didn’t he get that? He was gonna mess up everything! “Daaad! She's got it!”
“Uh, yeah.” Rainbow agreed, her eyes on the ground and her tone far more subdued than her usual peppy confidence. “I got it, sir.” I don’t think I’d ever heard Rainbow call someone ‘sir’ before, but the way her eyes kept nervously darting between Dad and me almost certainly meant ... well, something. Probably something related to the whole ... us ... thing.
There was a bit of awkward silence as Rainbow got her safety gear and earplugs on, and then I silently passed the rifle over. Rainbow slowly settled it into position, which surprised me a bit until I noticed her eyes occasionally flicking back up to Dad. She was definitely making a conscious effort to follow every single one of the safety rules. It probably was a lot more work for her to remember all that—it was all second nature to me, but I’d been learning this stuff since before I met Rainbow in middle school.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Rainbow squeezed off a shot. Considering it was her first time with a gun, she did pretty well. Solidly on-target. “Nice shooting, Rainbow.”
Rainbow shot me a cocky little grin. “Well yeah. What’d you expect?”
I chuckled and shook my head. Same old Rainbow. “Easy, hotshot, you’re not an expert sniper just ‘cause you hit the target on your first try. Let’s work on your stance a bit, recoil is gonna be throwing you off.” I stepped up to her and started helping her straighten her shoulders and get her legs a bit more solidly planted.
Then I remembered my parents were there. Watching. While I was touching Rainbow. I took a hasty step back from her, and I could feel my cheeks warming up. “Um ... that should be fine.”
Rainbow was blushing too, and her voice came out hard and snappish. “I—I got it Cloud!” She hastily brought the rifle back up and snapped off another shot without taking the time to aim properly. When the bullet didn’t even come close to hitting, Dash let out a frustrated grumble, staring down at the rifle as it it had betrayed her.
I flinched sympathetically, but I wasn’t sure what to do about it. Rainbow’s never exactly been graceful when it comes to ... well, anything less than being awesome. Any time she starts losing a game there’s a decent chance the power will mysteriously get cut off or the board will ‘accidentally’ get knocked over. Granted, the last time that kinda thing had happened was before ... er ... before.
Still, I was quite surprised when Rainbow did something she’d only done maybe twice in all the years I’d known her. “Kicker? Little help here?”
While I was a little tempted to tease her—it’s a rare day when Rainbow admits she needs help from anyone—I wisely put that urge aside. Rainbow’s usually pretty thick-skinned and can give as good as she gets, but her pride had just taken a hit, and that’s always been a bit of a sore point for her. “Right, try trying tucking the rear of the gun tighter against your shoulder. Like...” I started to reach out to help her, but froze when I remembered how weird it had gotten last time.
Rainbow frowned and adjusted her stance a bit. “Soooo you mean like this?”
I shook my head. “No move it a bit higher than that. No, not that high. Lower. No, now, it’s too low. And maybe a bit more to the side too?”
She let out a frustrated grumble. “Why don’t you just show me? It’s gonna take forever if you try to talk me through it.”
“Uh, right.” I tried to help her get the rifle in place without touching her too much. Which ... didn’t exactly work too well. When I took hold of her shoulder to help her get the rifle’s butt firmly in place she surprised me again, actually leaning into my touch. I managed to catch her eye for a moment, and we traded nervous smiles. After I got her settled my hands lingered on her for just a second longer than necessary. “So ... there you go.”
Rainbow grinned at me, then took the shot. She nailed the bullseye.
I beamed and slapped her on the back. “Nice one, Dash!” Now that she had a success under her belt, I figured it was safe to follow the praise up with, “Of course, that was probably just beginner’s luck. But still, nice shot. For a newbie.”
Rainbow answered me with a proud smirk. “Sounds like somebody’s jealous...” She snickered and poked me in the side. “I guess I can see that, when I’m just so much better than you are even though you’ve been practicing for years and this is my first time. Try not to take it too hard, Kicker. You’re good, but I'm the Captain of Everything.”
“Captain of Everything?” I repeated incredulously before grinning and playing along. “I thought you were just the Captain of Awesomeness.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “It's an all-inclusive title. Duh.”
I grinned and hip-bumped her. “Only everything that's awesome.” I tapped my chin thoughtfully. “Though really, who wants to be captain of things that aren't awesome? Being Captain of Everything means you’re the captain of lameness and uncoolness, too. Guess we could split the difference and say you’re the captain of everything that’s awesome.”
Rainbow grinned and playfully punched me in the shoulder. “Well, that goes without saying, dummy.”
She actually hadn’t hit hard at all, but I decided to be a drama queen about it, groaning in pain and grasping my shoulder. “So violent and abusive...”
“So whiny and wimpy,” Rainbow countered without missing a beat.
I probably would’ve tackled her and tried for a headlock or something if not for the fact that the shooting range really isn’t an appropriate place for horseplay. Not to mention that the last time we’d started wrestling was in the locker room after practice, and that had ended up with us kinda ... uh ... yeah.
Dad chuckled at our antics. “That’s good shooting, Rainbow. Think you’ve got enough of a handle on the basics to move up to something bigger?”
“Bring it on!” I knew what Rainbow’s answer would be before she had actually said it. Dad had worded the question too much like a challenge, and implying Rainbow couldn’t do something was just about guaranteed to make her try to do it.
Dad looked Rainbow over, then nodded to himself and opened up another rifle case. “Alright then, let’s move on. This one’s a classic—my father actually used a rifle just like this one while he was in the service. Smaller sights and more kick, but you did want to try out something a bit heavier.”
“Whoa...” Rainbow carefully accepted the new rifle, staring down at it. “I’ve seen these before! This is the rifle they used in Cyborg Zombie Werewolf VII!”
Dad stared at her, either trying to process how there could be a Cyborg Zombie Werewolf movie or baffled by the fact that there had been at least seven of them. Eight, actually. I would know, since Rainbow made me watch all of them. Cyborg Zombie Werewolf VIII involved the title character going to the moon and fighting alien lizard-men.
I decided to change the subject before Rainbow could start gushing about the movies. “Dad must like you if he's letting you use his M-1. It’s kind of a family heirloom. Though the real test would be if Mom lets you use her .45.”
Mom let out a short bark of laughter that made her opinion on the odds of that ever happening quite clear. I’d say Mom loves her pistol as if it were one of her children, but I think that would be overstating how much she cares about her children.
“I bet I could win her over,” Rainbow announced with a confident grin. “You like me, don’t you Mrs. Kicker?”
“Of course.” Mom slapped a mag into her favorite gun. “Small, fast-moving targets are far more rewarding to hit.”
Rainbow chuckled one hand nervously rubbing the back of her head. “That’s a joke, right? You’re just messing with me?”
“Feel free to keep thinking that,” Mom muttered, offering her a disarming smile before taking aim and emptying her gun into her target. Every shot was within half an inch of the bullseye.
Rainbow’s eyes darted over to me. “Uh, Cloud? Was your mom always this scar—er ... I mean, intense? Or is this a new thing?”
“This is kinda new,” I murmured.
Dad cleared his throat and shot a look Mom’s way. “I’m sure Nim likes you just fine, Rainbow. You and Cloud have been friends for a long time, after all.”
“Yup, that’s me and Cloud.” Rainbow took half a step closer to me. “We’ve been good old gal-pals since forever. We’re friends. Friendly friendly friends. Of friendship.” She took another step, practically pressing up against my side. “So ... er ... yeah. I’m cool, she’s cool, everything and everyone’s cool here. Right? Awesome.”
She glanced over at me, and a bit of her usual confidence came back. “‘Course, I’m way cooler than Cloud, but it’s not really fair to compare us.” I shot a playful frown her way and she quickly amended. “I was joking. It’s totally fair to compare us.” She smirked and hip-bumped me.
I chuckled, one arm easily settling around her back. “Yeah, 'course you are. Just be careful, or I might joke right back. I could always let you use that one shotgun Dad added the pistol grip to. Remember, Dad? The one Aunt Wind used that kicked so hard...”
Dad snickered and nodded. “I would’ve warned her about it, but then I remembered when she stole one of my G.I. Joes way back when we were kids. By the time I managed to get him back she’d ruined his kung fu grip. I loved that toy. Not to mention she kept calling it a doll instead of an action figure. So ... I forgot to warn her just how hard that gun kicked, and it wound up knocking her right off her feet.”
Rainbow grinned and nodded. “Ah. So that's where the brattiness in the family comes from.”
I grinned and slugged her in the arm. “You calling me a brat? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure I can kick your butt if you don’t take that back.” My eyes flicked to my parents, and I prudently amended, “After we leave the gun range, of course.”
Rainbow answered me with a confident smirk. “Bring it on, Cloud. But lemme show you just how awesome I am...” She slipped away from me and picked up the rifle, setting it against her shoulder and settling into a pretty good shooting stance. When she fired, she hit less than an inch away from the bullseye.
I gave her a brief round of applause. “Looks like you're a natural. Better watch out, or Mom and Dad might try recruiting you.”
“Pass,” Rainbow answered. “No offense, s’awesome what you guys do, but I’ve seen what Cloud has to handle in the Junior Cadets. The exercise is no big, but the rest of the package is ... thanks, but no thanks.” She grinned and carefully set the rifle aside. “But as far as my badass skills go ... well yeah, I tend to get what I aim for.” While the confident smile remained firmly in place on her face, I noticed her slowly rolling her shoulder, then trying to sneak a hand up to rub it without anyone noticing.
I stepped over to her and casually put an arm across her back, which just happened to leave my hand in a good position to rub her sore shoulder. “You okay?”
“No problem,” Rainbow answered, lightly shrugging off my arm and letting a little pride seep into her voice. “I bet I could shoot that gun a dozen times without breaking a sweat.”
Fortunately, I had plenty of experience with knowing how to help Rainbow out while leaving her pride intact. “Yeah, it’s no big deal. Though one little trick I’ve used whenever the recoil really gets to me is to...” I leaned over her back, helping her get the rifle settled into place.
“Like this?” She leaned back just a bit, pressing against my chest as I helped her get the gun set against her shoulder. “And am I holding it right, or...?”
I took her hands and shifted them just a bit to give her a slightly more secure hold on it. “Yeah, just like that.” When I started to pull my hands away her thumb shifted up to gently hold me in place. I certainly wasn’t going to argue the point. Her hands felt ... well, a lot nicer than I would’ve expected Rainbow’s hands to feel.
I stayed right there with her until she fired again. Another perfect shot. “Looks like we make a good team, Dash. Nice shooting.”
Rainbow turned her head to face me, grinning. It made me realize that our current position had our faces resting pretty close to each other. “Thanks for the help, Cloud.”
I locked eyes with her, only to be interrupted by my mother loudly clearing her throat. “Cloud. No distracting the shooter.”
“Huh?” I blinked, and it suddenly dawned on me that Rainbow and I had been getting rather ... cozy with each other. Right in front of my parents. I quickly pulled away from her, my cheeks burning. “Er ... right. Of course. I was just trying to help her with her aim. And—well—it obviously worked. Because she was shooting well.”
“Yeah!” Rainbow agreed, her own cheeks bright red. “So, er, that’s...”
“I think she’s gotten the hang of it,” Mom snipped. “If she needs any more pointers, I’m sure Tor can handle it.” Her hand settled on my back and firmly directed me away from Rainbow. “We’re going to go work on your marksmanship. Last time we were out here, you failed to qualify as an expert on two of the twelve runs we did. Qualifying as a sharpshooter isn’t enough—I expect you to get an expert badge.”
I sighed, already resigned to my fate as she dragged me away from Rainbow. “Yes, Mom.”
In the aftermath of our trip to the shooting range, it was almost a relief to get back to the normal school routine. At least my teachers never gave me a hard time about only getting 39 out of 40 questions right on a test.
After suffering through my morning classes it was lunchtime. Despite the fact that I had a bag lunch from home, I headed for the cafeteria so I could eat with my friends.
Sure enough, as soon as I claimed a table Rainbow smoothly settled into the seat next to me, setting down her tray and and licking her lips while unabashedly admiring my ... lunch. Considering the cafeteria seemed to be offering their classic menu of brown glop, yellow goop, and green goo, I couldn’t blame her.
Rainbow continued staring as I pulled out my sandwich, a small bag of chips, an orange, a can of diet soda, and a cookie. I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Got anything worth trading?”
Rainbow looked down at her tray. “Jello?” She paused and poked the green goo. “At least, I think it’s jello. It wiggles when I poke it.”
“Maybe half a cookie,” I answered skeptically. “And I'm only giving you that much ‘cause I feel sorry for you.”
“Yeah, I feel sorry for me, too.” She poked at the contents of her tray a bit more. “I'll toss in half an apple and a brownie.”
I frowned in thought. The cafeteria apples were usually pretty decent since Applejack’s family farm provided most of them. The brownies... “Is it one of the good brownies, a stale one that'll break your teeth, or undercooked goopy one?”
The most ringing endorsement Rainbow could bring herself to offer was, “It's ... edible. Maybe a little goopy. But I figured you'd like goopy.”
Before I could ask just why Rainbow thought I’d like an undercooked gooey brownie, Blossomforth settled into the seat across from me. “Hello Cloud Kicker, Rainbow Dash. What's this about goop?”
“Oh heya Blossom,” Rainbow casually waved to her. “Just trading for food.”
“Well, I'm trading food,” I countered. “Rainbow's trading ... vaguely food-like substances. Reconstituted food byproducts.”
“Ooh, gotcha.” She set down a tray that was covered with goop that looked even worse than what Rainbow was eating. “Well, um, anything worth trading here?”
Rainbow frowned down at her tray, and after great deliberation pointed at a bowl of something that I think was supposed to be pudding. “I could use that stuff to spackle my walls. Maybe patch holes in my bike’s tires.”
I shivered sympathetically. “Yeah. Look, Blossom, you’re my buddy and I like you, but you're on your own with that.”
Blossom stared skeptically down at the contents of her tray and experimentally jabbed at her ‘food’ with a fork, only to have the tines break off. Sure, it was a cheap plastic fork, but still... “This is supposed to be nutritional?”
“I think it's supposed to be cheap,” Rainbow countered.
I nodded along. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure the cafeteria’s food comes out of bags labeled ‘Use only for livestock and students.’”
Rainbow shook her head. “Nah, Applejack tried to feed this stuff to her pigs once. They wouldn’t touch it. Even the goats wouldn’t, and they’re ... well, they’re goats. Kinda says it all.”
“For what it’s worth, you two have my sympathies.” I unwrapped half of my sandwich and took a moment to appreciate the fact that, for all her unpleasable hardass-ness, at least Mom didn’t make me eat cafeteria food.
Rainbow’s eyes flicked down the remaining half of my sandwich, still wrapped up and untouched. It wasn’t hard to see the gears turning in her head, trying to figure out the best way to get my food.
Blossom looked up from poking her own ‘food,’ her eyes also lingering on the other half of my sandwich. “That looks really good. What is it?”
With both of them staring, I just couldn’t help rubbing it in a bit. I slowly took another bite of it, then softly moaned in pleasure. “Mmm, so good! This turkey is so moist, and the swiss cheese is just a perfect complement to it. And ... yes, Mom put bacon on it too! And all on honey-wheat bread ... oh this is best sandwich ever!”
Blossom cocked her head to the side. “Turkey, bacon, and swiss cheese?”
“Cloud...” Dash whimpered, staring at me with wide, sad eyes. “Have I ever told you what an awesome, kind, and generous friend you are?” While Blossom didn’t say anything, the tray full of cafeteria goop sitting in front of her was a fine testament to just how terrible her circumstances were.
With both of them teaming up on me, there was only one way it could end: I let out a token grumble as I unwrapped the other half of my sandwich and tore it in two. Rainbow got the larger of the two portions, because ... well, because. “Evil women taking advantage of my soft heart...” I muttered. “I hope you’re happy when I starve to death.”
Rainbow’s eyes lit up as I passed the food over to her. “Thanks Cloud, you rock!” She immediately tore into it, grinning around a mouthful of sandwichy goodness.
I chuckled and took the apple off her tray as payment. “Welcome, Dash.”
Meanwhile, Blossom had opened up my sandwich to have a look, presumably to make sure there wasn’t anything in there she didn’t like. Apparently my food passed muster, because she took an experimental little bite, blinked, then shoved the rest of it into her mouth with a single gulp. After some chewing that was so noisy and messy that even Rainbow was taken aback by her table manners, she wiped her mouth and grinned broadly at us. “That was fantastic! This one would love to know where you got it from!”
“Er...” Well somebody had taken their weird pills today. “It's the same sandwich I bring every day? From home?”
Blossom settled back into her seat. “Um ... right, I knew that.” She smiled disarmingly “What I meant was that I really liked it. Turkey and cheese and bacon and bread! And all of it made with love and care!”
I traded a look with Rainbow, who shrugged and took another bite out of my sandwich. “I ... guess, yeah?”
Before the conversation could get any stranger, a new voice cut in. “Love, care, and if Mom’s been handloading again, trace amounts of gunpowder. All part of our daily regimen of nutrients and minerals.” My little sister flopped down into the seat next to Blossom. “Hey, Cloud, Rainbow, Blossom. ‘Sup?”
“Hey, Sparks.” I grinned as she pulled her own lunchbag out. “I better warn you ahead of time, these two harpies are gonna do everything they can to beg, borrow, or steal away some of your food. I can’t blame them considering what the cafeteria serves, but still...”
“Too bad for them,” Sparkler commented as she pulled out her own sandwich. “I’m not a soft touch like you. If they want half my sandwich, they can pay me a 200% markup for it.”
“Bah.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Why isn’t Sparkler as awesome as you, Cloud?”
“She’s adopted,” I deadpanned.
“Ouch,” Sparkler snarked right back, dramatically putting a hand over her chest. “I feel that, Cloud. You got me right in the heart.”
“Nah, I think that’s just you having a heart attack from how fat your butt is,” Rainbow cut in. “You know, ‘cause you’re greedy and not sharing your food.” She paused a moment then turned and jabbed me in the side. “And hey, what was with that ‘harpies’ comment anyway? Just for that, you lose the cool points I was gonna give you for sharing.”
I rolled my eyes and poked her right back “It was a joke. Relax, Dash, you know I lo—” The rest of the joke died in my throat. After recent events, it suddenly didn’t seem nearly as funny as it had been ... well, before.
Rainbow let out a loud and awkward cough, then hastily shoved the rest of my sandwich into her mouth so she’d have an excuse to not say anything for a while.
Sparkler blinked and frowned, staring confusedly between the two of us. “Okay, did I miss something? ‘Cause it looks like everyone’s going nuts.”
“Nothing!” I hastily snapped out. “Nothing weird’s going on at all. Nope. Totally normal here.” I decided to follow Rainbow’s example, and cracked open my soda and started chugging it down. Hopefully that would give me time to compose myself.
Blossomforth looked back and forth between Rainbow and me, a smile slowly forming on her lips. “Ohhh, look at all that unresolved romantic tension. When did you two hook up?”
Rainbow’s eyes bugged out and she started choking on my sandwich, while I barely managed to avoid spraying soda all over Blossom’s face. Which, admittedly, would’ve been no less than she deserved after dropping that bombshell on us.
Sparkler wasn’t anywhere near as freaked out, but she’d still let out a weird sound halfway between a grunt and a wheeze. She shook her head and groaned. “Blossomforth!!! Come on! I love a good smartass line as much as anyone, but geeze!”
“What?” Blossom asked, her face the very picture of innocent confusion. “Isn’t it obvious? You can practically taste the love coming off of them.”
My eyes briefly darted to Rainbow, just in time to catch her looking at me. I hastily turned my head, and I could feel my cheeks warming up again. Rainbow’s face was pretty red too, but that might just have been because some of my sandwich had gone down the wrong way.
Evidently Sparkler had decided that Blossom was on to something, or at least that she was close enough to make for some good teasing fodder for a bratty little sister. “Cloudy and Rainbow underneath a tree, B-A-N-G-I-N-G ... First comes lust, then the sex drive—then comes Mom with her .45.” She smirked at both of us nibbled away at her sandwich.
Rainbow grabbed what was left of my soda and chugged it down, then let out a loud cough followed by a pained wheeze. I forgot all about the awkwardness and my sister being a massive brat, my attention fully on Rainbow. I gave her a quick slap on the back to try and help her out. “You okay?”
“I’m good...” She weakly tried to wave me away. “Just, y’know, a little food went down the wrong pipe. S’no big deal.” She grimaced and shook her head. “Gah, what the heck was that, Blossom? Don't ever do that again!”
“You sure you’re okay?” My hand stayed on her back, gently rubbing it in reassuring circles. “I don’t have to do the Heimlich on you or something, do I?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I said I'm fine. Stop making a fuss, Cloud. S’no big deal.” She finished off my soda, then glanced down at it and seemed to remember it wasn’t hers. “Uh, I’ll buy you another one of those.” She paused, then amended. “Well, I’ll buy one and split it with you. I didn’t drink the whole thing, after all.”
“Sounds good to me.” I eased away from her, slowly removing my hand from her back. “So ... moving on from that bit of awkwardness...”
“Uh ... yeah.” Blossom shifted awkwardly in her seat. “Um, I think I should go.”
I certainly wasn’t gonna argue with her after the minor disaster she’d just caused. That was a couple steps beyond a faux pas. “Right, so long, Blossom.”
As Blossom got up and left, Sparkler worried at her lower lip, then leaned in a bit and murmured “Um, sorry ... didn't mean to get you guys quite that bad.”
“S'fine...” Rainbow waved her apology off, then her eyes narrowed and she grinned. “I'll just have to get you back is all. Blossom, too.”
I snickered and smirked at my sister. “Oooh, you're in for it now, Sparks. When Rainbow decides to get payback, the pranks get ... creative.” Not that her normal pranks were dull, by any means. Though she still needed to work on her exit strategies—at least I’d gotten her to be a bit more subtle than that time back in middle school where she’d carved her name into the school lawn in twenty foot tall letters.
Sparkler tried to play it cool, shrugging and affecting an air of nonchalance. “Nah, I don't think so. After all, I just found her kryptonite, and I’ll ruthlessly exploit it if she messes with me too much.”
“That only worked because Blossomforth surprised me,” Rainbow countered. “Seriously, who just says something like that in middle of lunch? S’not gonna work if I know it’s coming.” She smirked and leveled an accusing finger at my little sister. “So, how do you plan to avert my wrath? You better have a good plan, or you’re gonna get it...”
“Especially since I’ll probably be helping her,” I chimed in.
Sparkler grinned mischievously at us. “Maybe Blossom was onto something—look at you two doing stuff together and acting all ... couple-y.”
“Blossom’s a butthead,” Rainbow responded with her usual eloquence. Her eyes narrowed and she grabbed her spoon, then used it as an improvised catapult to blat something that was allegedly applesauce onto my sister’s nose.
I snickered softly. “I see you’re starting off with the classics, Dash. Good old goop on the face.”
Rainbow shrugged immodestly. “A bit basic, but that’s just a warm-up. Gotta do a few basic pranks before I’m ready to bring my A-game.”
“Classy,” Sparkler deadpanned, grabbing a napkin and wiping her nose. Her eyes flicked to the side, and when I followed them I saw Blossom leaving the cafeteria. Sparkler looked over her shoulder, then leaned in close and dropped her voice. “Hey, seriously though ... she seem kinda weird to you?” She paused a moment, then helpfully clarified. “Blossomforth, I mean—Cloud's always weird.”
I decided to be the mature big sister and ignore her needling. “Blossom?” I thought back over the conversation. “She was acting a bit odd, yeah.”
Rainbow nodded along. “Yeah, even before she said that weird stuff about me and Cloud she was acting kinda strange. She got a fever or something?”
Sparkler let out a long sigh, her shoulders slumping. “Okay, it's not just me then.”
I thought back to how she freaked out over getting part of my sandwich. It was like she’d never gotten food off of me before. “She been acting like that all day?”
“Longer'n that, really,” Sparkler confirmed. “At least since Monday. I just wrote that off as Monday at first, but...”
“Huh.” Everyone has a weird day, but if she’d been like that all week... “What's up with her?”
Sparkler shrugged helplessly. “Hell if I know. I asked Star about it, and she showed me this thing on her phone that showed her where Blossom's phone was. And things were weird.”
Rainbow blinked and stared at her. “Okay, first of all, what?”
“Star. My cousin. Likes flannel, uses her computer a lot?” Sparkler ‘helpfully’ explained.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I haven’t forgotten about Cloud’s cousin, smartass. But what were you talking about with her phone?”
Sparkler sighed. “She, um ... well, it's ... oh, just shut up and look.” She pulled out her phone and turned on an app. After a couple seconds it loaded up a map of the school, then a line of movements with timestamps and Blossom’s name on them. “Look at this! She's been all over the school!”
Rainbow cocked her head to the side. “Uh, Sparkler? Right now I’m kinda more worried about the fact that Star has an app on her phone that she can use to track Blossomforth all over the school. Am I the only one who thinks that’s really creepy?”
“Yeah, I think I need to have a talk with Aunt Wind about that. Star’s always been a bit weird, but this is a whole new level of...” I trailed off as I looked over the data. “Okay, why's Blossom spending hours at a time down in the school's basement?”
“Right?! Thank you!” Sparkler sighed and turned to Rainbow. “Look, we can talk about Star's digital shadowing later—right now, let's focus on the creep factor of Blossom going into the basement. Of the school. According to Star’s data she’s even hanging out there late at night after school’s closed. Like, do I even need to sound off on the horror movies that paint that as a warning sign?!”
Rainbow frowned in thought. “Doesn’t mean anything too weird going on. Plenty of kids would sneak into the basement to draw graffiti, sneak out of classes, or make out 'n stuff.” Her eyes briefly flicked to me when she mentioned the last point.
I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest. “Rainbow, does Blossom seem like the kinda gal who would do any of those things? She never cuts class, usually freaks out and starts blushing if you even mention making out, and graffiti ... do I even need to say anything about how not Blossom that is?”
Rainbow sighed and her shoulders slumped. “Okay, fine, you’re right.”
That led to the next logical step in the process. “Wanna go check it out?”
Rainbow thought it over, then shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, might as well.”
Sparkler groaned and facepalmed. “Have either of you two ever seen a horror movie? I mean, seriously? I bet as soon as you guys go down there you’re gonna split up, too.” She rolled her eyes in disgust and shook her head.
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, we’ve seen horror movies.” They were Rainbow’s second favorite genre after cheesy action movies with lots of explosions. “We’re just gonna go check it out. If we see anything weird we'll get out and call for backup.”
“You'd better.” She reached across the table to poke me. “I don’t want you ending up as one of the pod people, getting an alien brain bug controlling you, or anything else weird. Got it?”
Rainbow scoffed and waved her concerns away. “You’ve been watching way too many movies.” She flicked a bit of imaginary dirt off her shoulders. “Besides, I've taken on two crazy evil demon girls and the Sirens. I'm sure Cloud and I can handle whatever’s going on in the spoooky school basement.”
Next Chapter: Into the Depths (Mind out of the gutter, Kicker) Estimated time remaining: 30 Minutes
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