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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9310 | A Video Conversation
Will This Flood of Open Data Wash Past Us?
Linked Spending Data – How and Why Bother Pt3
As often is the way, events have conspired to prevent me from producing this third and final part in this How & Why of Local Government Spending Data as soon as I wanted. So my apologies to those eagerly awaiting this latest. To quickly recap, in Part 1 I addressed issues around why pick on spending data as a start point for Linked Data in Local Government, and indeed why go for Linked Data at all. In Part 2, I used some of the excellent work that Stuart Harrison at Lichfield District Council has done in this area, as examples
Linked Spending Data – How and Why Bother Pt2
I started the previous post in this mini-series with an assumption – ..working on the assumption that publishing this [local government spending] data is a good thing. That post attracted several comments, fortunately none challenging the assumption. So learning from that experience I am going to start with another assumption in this post. Publishing Local Authority data, such as local spending data, as ‘Linked Data’ is also a good thing. Those new to this mini-series, check back to the previous post for my reasoning behind the assertion. In this post I am going to be concentrating more on the How
Linked Spending Data – How and Why Bother Pt1
National Government instructing the 300+ UK Local Authorities to publish “New items of local government spending over £500 to be published on a council-by-council basis from January 2011” has had the proponents of both open, and closed, data excited over the last few months. For this mini series of posts I am working on the assumption that publishing this data is a good thing, because I want to move on and assert that [when publishing] one format/method to make this data available should be Linked Data. This immediately brings me to the Why Bother? bit. This itself breaks in to |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9352 | Season 2, Episode 12
Road to Nowhere
In the isolated woods of Northern Maine, Cody and Dave take on the role of two travelers, lost and out of gas on an abandoned logging road. Their only resource is a broken down truck which they pillage for all it's worth including a can of dog food.
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Twin Peaks |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9353 | Mobile search: Why Google could be the next Google
Ciaran just wrote about how everyone is buying Yahoo! including Nokia, the mobile handset manufacturer (something Rebecca talked about as well). We have spent time here speculating about the exact same things. The combination of this train of thought and Rand's post on what might dethrone Google made me decide to write my thoughts about what kind of company might win in mobile search.
In my mind, there are a few possibilities:
1. an existing large search engine (Google being the obvious choice) 2. a comeback play from a smaller search engine (e.g. Ask) 3. a mobile operator (e.g. Vodafone, Verizon) 4. a mobile operating system / software player (e.g. Symbian, who make the software for Nokia handsets, or Microsoft) 5. a start-up (e.g. ?) 6. something human-powered or with a different business-model (e.g. texperts) 7. a handset manufacturer (e.g. Nokia)
I'm going to deal with my thoughts on each in turn (and then tell you my favourite) but if you want to have your say, cast your vote:
##Have your say
##Existing large search engine
Can Google parlay its dominance in the grown-up web into mobile dominance?
This seems relatively likely in my mind - they know how to do search, and they can certainly work out how to do mobile. They have incredibly strong branding, and association with search. They are also already doing a lot with mobile maps, mobile gmail, mobile reader etc. Finally, as handsets get more iPhone like (if that is inevitable?) more and more people will be using grown-up Google anyway.
They have a huge headstart with their index, technology, branding and manpower. But it's not a foregone conclusion - for example, they have no particular advantage in the localisation arena or integration into the other features of the handset. Let's look at the next possibility.
##A comeback play from a smaller search engine
It seems a little unlikely to me. I don't want to write off the smaller engines as I think there is a lot to be said for Ask's algorithm, for example, but they just aren't growing in any sectors at the moment. The skills and technology they would need to win at mobile aren't that different to the skills they need to stage an online comeback. Unless we see signs that's happening, I'm going to remain a sceptic on this possibility.
##A mobile operator
We know the operators are desperate to avoid the fate of the fixed line operators, who became "just the pipe" during the explosive growth of the Internet. Remember AOL's walled garden? That didn't work out too well, did it?
For the same reason, walled gardens provided by the mobile operators (called 'carriers' in the US) have been being gradually rolled back. Consumers want to go where they want to go - they don't just want the news and sport that the operators want to force-feed them. If it's not going to be through the walled garden approach, then the operators need to get innovative to avoid the "just the pipe" fate. One way they might try to do this is by going after the search market.
At the moment, many of the operators have relationships with the regular search engines (see today's T-Mobile announcement), but they might see this as an attractive game to be in. The problem is the same as broadband providers going after the search market (such as we see in some European countries - e.g., or such as AOL attempted to do) - even if they win 100% of their users, that is still a pretty small market share compared to what a network-agnostic competitor can achieve in principle. This is enough for me to believe that it's not going to be the answer here.
##A mobile operating system / software provider
Ah. The classic 'Microsoft' route. Use dominance of the platform to leverage your way into a service market.
Hasn't worked so well for Live search yet (couple of percent market share in the UK and the US despite being the default search through IE7 and the search provider for the MSN properties which are the default homepages of Internet Explorer browsers).
Having said that, the mobile market is a different beast, due to the timescales of market and technology development. For search, the first time round, the timescale looked a bit like this:
1. no-one uses search engines (no, really, we didn't always have them) 2. search technology arrives but it sucks 3. Google creates something better 4. everyone ends up using Google
Microsoft attempted to grab this market through their desktop dominance somewhere between 3 and 4 with a sub-standard product. This is a tricky time because Google is the darling of everyone for changing their lives.
On the mobile, the timeline is a little different:
1. everyone uses search on the desktop (mainly Google!) 2. search technology mainly rocks (that's not to say there won't be significant improvements in coming years) 3. very few people use mobile search 4. ???
Whoever grabs market share (through branding, leverage of online presence, leverage of some kind of market power in a different sphere or however) will presumably have a search engine that works pretty well. This seems to suggest to me that there is a much greater chance of the play working in mobile than it did on the desktop.
The hindrance, of course, is that there isn't a Microsoft of the mobile world. Microsoft isn't a Microsoft of the mobile world. Symbian is probably the best contender and they have around 7% of the total market.
##A start-up
Google was a start-up, remember, who came along and ate the lunch of the (at the time) dominant search engines. Therefore in a market that isn't really that well-defined yet, you would be hard-pushed to bet against the guys in a garage somewhere right now. With the market the way it is, though, you have to wonder if they would be able to stay independent all the way through to dominance, or would they get bought by one of the other players identified here before they got a chance?
##A human-powered solution
Texperts are solving a problem in a fantastic way, but I think it is unlikely that human-powered is going to be the answer for general mobile search in the long-run. Remember that only a tiny fraction of the world's mobile users are using data / search at the moment - if that is going to grow in the same way as web search has (whereby search is the second most popular activity after emailing) then I reckon the winner is going to be (at least mainly) algorithmic.
##A handset manufacturer
Handset manufacturers would seem not to have the expertise to own the search market on their own. They would presumably need to acquire technology. They do, however, have the route to consumer and offer significant integration capability with other handset technologies (e.g. GPS) that may not be available to other players.
Duncan and I were discussing on the train home the other night about how at first glance, Nokia buying Yahoo! is similar to Microsoft buying Yahoo!. You could argue that Nokia would be foolish to tread down this route since they would be replicating a failed strategy -i n many ways, this option looks more like the Microsoft route of using dominance to leverage growth than the Symbian example above. Having said that, the same caveats that mean Symbian could pull it off (mainly related to the timescale / technology differences) apply here as well.
Similarities between Nokia and Microsoft
- Nokia and Microsoft control platforms (the handset in Nokia's case, Windows in Microsoft's)(*) - Both want a (bigger) share of the search market (Microsoft across the whole Internet, Nokia across mobile) - Both have market share and clout (Microsoft have a well-documented monopoly on desktop operating systems and office software and Nokia have nearly 40% of the total worldwide handset market) - Both fear irrelevance (Microsoft fear "not being part of the web revolution", Nokia fear handsets becoming a commodity like the desktop PC)
(*) I know a better comparison would seem to be Symbian (who make the operating system for many Nokia handsets) and Microsoft, but actually, I think the market power is primarily (at the moment) with Nokia rather than Symbian - most consumers know they have a Nokia rather than knowing they are using Symbian in a similar way to the way most consumers know they use Windows but don't know whether the box is a Dell or HP.
Having said that, there are a number of differences as well
- Microsoft is a monopoly, Nokia has a large worldwide market share (and only 5% of the US market) - Microsoft is already doing search, while Nokia is 'just' doing handsets - Microsoft has the cash pile to buy Yahoo! if it wishes, Nokia would be putting up practically its entire current assets to match the cash portion of Microsoft's bid and its market cap is only just over half that of Microsoft
##My thoughts
I personally quite like the Nokia option (though as noted above, I think it has to happen through acquisition). I don't think they can build their own search solution from scratch, but as others have noted, they could be an attractive proposition when combined with Yahoo! Even though they don't have the cash pile Microsoft has:
Nokia vs Microsoft
They have a market cap of 3.5 times YHOO and their shares are looking good:
Nokia share price graph
The possibility of combining some of the localisation technology that Yahoo! has acquired with the direct handset integration and technology Nokia has at their disposal creates some pretty interesting possibilities, to my mind.
After I had written all this, Tom pointed out that Nokia and Google are announcing closer ties. Maybe that answers that question then!
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About the author
Will Critchlow
Will Critchlow
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9379 | Male Breast Reduction FAQ
Also known as gynecomastia, male breast reduction in Minneapolis-St. Paul is the surgical correction of over-developed or enlarged breasts in men. Gynecomastia, a condition of over-developed or enlarged breasts in men, is common in men of any age. It can be the result of hormonal changes, heredity conditions, disease, or the use of certain drugs. Gynecomastia can cause emotional discomfort and impair your self-confidence. Some men may even avoid certain physical activities and intimacy simply to hide their condition. Gynecomastia is characterized by:
• Excess localized fat
• Excess glandular tissue development
• A combination of both excess fat and glandular tissue |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9405 | The Fuzz Face is a distortion guitar pedal designed in London by Arbitrer Electronics Ltd in the autumn of 1966. It produces a characteristic high distorted sound called fuzz.
Ivor Arbiter took the round shaped enclosure idea from a microphone stand and it was the first pedal including a DPDT stomp-switch. The effect became very popular because Jimi Hendrix played it and there were not many distortion pedals around at that time.fuzz face pedal
The gist of the Fuzz Face remains in the simple circuit that uses eleven components (2 transistors, 4 resistors, 3 caps and 2 pots) and the astonishing tones created with them; delivering a soft asymmetrical clipping that changes to hard clipping in both semi-cycles under the fuzz pot action.
Arbitrer Electronics manufactured the pedal from 1966 to 1975, Dallas Music Industries did a final batch in 1975-77, after that the production stopped. During its lifetime the pedal went through some minor cosmetic but major sonic changes. The fuzz face was re-issued from 1986 to 2000. In 1993 Dunlop took over the production selling the fuzz face in different flavors. Today, both the Dallas Arbiter and Fuzz Face trademarks are owned by Dunlop Manufacturing Inc.
This analysis covers the first Arbitrer Fuzz Face model equipped with PNP germanium transistors from the first releases which are considered the best sounding.
Table of Contents.
1. The Fuzz Face Models.
1.1 The transistors.
2. Fuzz Face Circuit.
2.1 Fuzz Face Layout.
2.2 Components Part List / Bill of Materials.
2.3 Circuit Bias Points.
3. Fuzz Face Input Stage.
3.1 Input Impedance.
3.2 Voltage Gain.
4. Fuzz Face Output Stage.
4.1 Output Impedance.
4.2 Voltage Total Gain.
4.3 Power Supply.
5. Fuzz Face Global Feedback Network.
6. Fuzz Face Frequency Response.
7. Building the Perfect Fuzz Face
8. Resources.
8.1 Datasheets.
1. The Fuzz Face Models:
The earliest models were covered in red, light or dark gray Hammerite paint with the Fuzz Face logo in white or black, the text in the smile reveals the pedal's age. The earliest ones were Arbiter-England, then they became Dallas-Arbiter England sometime in 1968 since then there have been a variety of words in the smile.
These days Dunlop manufactures a number of different finishes and sizes using various transistor flavors:fuzz face pedals family
1.1 The Fuzz Face Transistors.
The transistors are the most sensitive part of the design with a whole mythology that has grown up around them. There are two main possibilities:
• Germanium transistors: are claimed to have a warmer, creamier smoother sound.
• Silicon transistors: with higher gain are a bit harsher with some more high end.
Germanium transistors are considered to have an overall better sounding to this effect with some drawbacks: germanium manufacturing is not as consistent and controlled as silicon and they have shorter lifespan and more temperature sensitivity.
Dennis Cornell: "All the transistors worked in a very similar way and all did the job, but they did give a slightly different tone. I think the Arbiter-England one didn’t use the NKT275 germanium transistor; in those days we used the AC128."
"There were always problems with them, so I’d get involved in testing and repairing because they just didn’t all work right!"ac128-small
This last quote from D. Cornell explains why the production switched to the modern, temperature independent, cheaper and stable silicon transistors like the BC183L, BC183KA, BC130C, BC108C, BC109C, BC209C, and BC239C.
Germanium Transistor Selection: It is important to select the right transistor from the whole batch in order to archive the best effect performance. Germanium transistors tend to have high leakage current and an inconsistent gain value. This gain variation is crucial in the design, the best match uses a low gain in the first stage (β=70-80 approx.) and a high gain in the second stage (β=110-130 approx.).
However, there are some other options, for a more compressed sound you can use β=90-120 for Q1 and β=150-190 Q2.
There are some circuits that help to measure the transistor gain.
2. The Fuzz Face Circuit.
The circuit is a simple 2 stage amplifier with a feedback network path. It can be broken down into three parts: Input Stage, Output Stage and Feedback Network. The last block (the Feedback Network) will affect the rest of the analysis because it will influence the most important parameters: voltage gain, input impedance, output impedance and frequency response.fuzz face original schematic parts
The fuzz face design was inspired in other contemporary fuzz pedals like the Maestro Fuzz Tone (designed by Glen Snotty) and the Sola Sound ToneBender (designed by Gary Hurst) although the Fuzz Face was an easier circuit than the competitors with only 2 transistors instead of 3.
There is some controversy of when and where the 2-transistor topology appeared: the Tone Bender MK1.5 is similar to the Dick Denney designed Vox Distortion Booster circuit, nearly identical to the Italian made Vox Tone Bender circuit, and the Arbiter Fuzz Face circuit.
2.1 Fuzz Face Layout.
The single layer PCB with through-hole components fits without problems inside the oversized cast iron enclosure. In the picture below you can see the original enclosure (left) compared with the new compact Dunlop box (right):
fuzz face gutsThe original Fuzz Face uses single layer PCB with through-hole components. The right side of the board have all the pads to attach the cables to the battery clip, jacks, potentiometers and the DPDT foot-switch.
fuzz face pcb layout
2.2 Fuzz Face Components Part List / Bill of Materials:
This is the reduced list of components needed to build a Fuzz Face:
1 C1: 2.2 uF
1 C2: 20 uF
1 C3: 0.01 uF
1 R1: 33KΩ
1 R2: 470Ω
1 R3: 8.KΩ
1 R4: 100KΩ
1 Rvol: 500KΩ (Audio tap)
1 Rfuzz: 1KΩ (Linear tap)
2 Q1, Q2: AC128
Jack in, Jack out, battery clip, DPDT foot-switch.
2.3 Fuzz Face Circuit Bias:
These are the most important DC bias points of the circuit.fuzz face bias circuitnote:
• For the bias values showed above, the fuzz potentiometer is set to the midpoint (500Ω)
• The DC voltages might change due to transistor β variations, in this case, we are using a Q1 with β=85 and Q2 with β=120. If you want the see the AC128 PSpice simulation model, check the last part of this article.
• The important settings to get the best sound out of a Fuzz Face is to have Q1VC=-0.5 to -0.7 and Q2VC=-4.5V. For this purpose, some designers include trimmer resistors to substitute R1 and R3 so the VC of the transistors can be easily adjusted. More info on
3. Fuzz Face Input Stage.
The input stage is a Common Emitter (Collector Follower) PNP amplifier, it provides a high voltage gain with low input impedance and high output impedance. It is not the ideal input stage for signal integrity but the best for simplicity and fast high gain.
fuzz face input stage
• The 2.2uF input capacitor C1 blocks any DC level, removing hum and protecting the pedal/guitar against dangerous DC levels.
• The 33KΩ R1 resistor sets the main input stage parameters like the voltage gain, bias points, and maximum collector current.
3.1 Fuzz Face Input Impedance:
Is equal to the input impedance of a common emitter stage. It can be calculated as:
Zin = Zin of PNP Common Emitter = rπ
\[\\r_{\pi } = \frac{(\beta +1)\cdot Vt}{I_{EQ}}=\frac{(\beta +1)}{gm}= \frac{(70+1)}{0.0088}= 8K\]
For this math calculation the feedback network is ignored but in practice, it will lower the input impedance to 5KΩ approx. The Fuzz Face has a very low input impedance that will change with the position of the RFUZZ potentiometer (between 5.2KΩ and 8.4KΩ in the simulation). So the feedback network has a negative impact on this parameter.
As a rule of thumb, Zin should be at least 1 MΩ. In other pedals with similar input stages like the one in the Big Muff Pi a series resistor is placed at the input in order to higher the impedance (at the cost of creating a voltage divider that reduces the available input signal).
The Fuzz Face low input impedance will load the guitar pickups. This is the reason why they do not respond well when they are placed after other pedals. A practical advice is to put your Fuzz Face first on the pedal chain, just after the guitar. The germanium transistor needs to see the inductance/impedance from the guitar pickups. If they see a buffer at the input, they tend to sound awful.
3.2 Voltage Gain of the Input Stage:
In a Common Emitter transistor the voltage gain can be calculated following the equation:
\[A_{V}=-g_{m}\cdot R_{C}= -g_{m}\cdot R_{1}= 0.0088 \cdot 33K = 290\: (49dB)\]
note: The gm value of a transistor is defined as:
\[g_{m}=\frac{I_{e}}{V_{T}}= \frac{0.22mA}{25mV}= 0.0088\]
• IE is the DC emitter current, can be calculated looking at the bias points of the circuit, in a simplified form IE=(VCC-VC)/R1=(9V-1.6V)/33K= 0.22mA
• VT is the thermal voltage of a transistor, at room temperature the value is approximately 25mV.
In the real life, the input stage will not reach 49dB of gain, the feedback network will reduce this levels to 18.6 dB approx. In the image below the voltage gain of the input stage is shown varying the fuzz potentiometer.
fuzz face input stage voltage gainThe above graph shows a high pass filter with a cut-off frequency of 14Hz (18.6 -15. 6 = 3dB) all frequencies below 14Hz will suffer an attenuation 6dB/oct. This is due to the RC filter created by C1 and the input impedance (5KΩ approx.):
\[fc=\frac{1}{2\pi R C}=\frac{1}{2\pi \cdot Z_{in}\cdot C_{1}}=\frac{1}{2\pi \cdot 5K \cdot 2.2uF}= 14Hz\]
note: The hump originated when the fuzz control is set to minimum (the lowest dark green trace) is due to the C2 bypass capacitor which creates also filter (C2 - RFUZZ). This effect is more noticeable when the gain of the pedal is low because it has more signal feedback coming from the output through R4. When the gain goes high the feedback is smaller and the high pass filter influence is less important. The relationship between feedback and gain is explained in the Feedback Network Section.
FF Sound Signature I: Asymmetrical Clipping: For maximum dynamic range Common Emitter amplifiers are usually biased to have a collector voltage (VC) equal to VCC/2, in this case, it should be -4.5V. In the Fuzz Face the Q1 collector voltage sits around -1.6V, so the voltage swing on the positive semi-cycle is much bigger than in the negative semi-cycle.
For small signals (less than 50mVpp), the input stage will first hit soft saturation on the negative semi-cycle of signal like in the image below, this asymmetric clipping distortion is very musical.
fuzz face input stage signals
When the input signal has a higher level, the input stage will soft-saturate in both semi-cycles like in the image below. This feature of giving soft asymmetric distortion to small signals and clipping harder in both semi-cycles on big input signals (strong chords) gives a nice touch sensitivity which enhances the expressive possibilities.
fuzz face input stage signals
4. Output Stage.
The output stage is again a PNP Common Emitter Amplifier, this time with a variable emitter degeneration resistor (RFUZZ=1KΩ).
fuzz face output stage
4.1 Fuzz Face Output Impedance:
The value of the output impedance can be calculated using the formula:
Zout = RVOL//470Ω
Zout MAX = RVOL//470Ω=500K//470Ω = 469Ω
The fuzz face output impedance is affected by the feedback network and has a real value of 15KΩ (measured at 1KHz with RVOL=500KΩ). This value varies with the volume control level and the fuzz control position. However, it can be considered as a bad output impedance, it is too high and can carry problems when it is placed in the pedal chain.
The output capacitor C3 blocks the DC level from saturating any device following the Fuzz Face. It creates a high pass filter together with RVOL that will determine the lowest frequency that gets out of the pedal. Making this cap bigger will let more low frequencies out. The cut frequency of this HPFilter is:
\[fc=\frac{1}{2\pi R C}=\frac{1}{2\pi \cdot R_{vol}\cdot C_{3}}=\frac{1}{2\pi \cdot 500K \cdot 0.01uF}= 31Hz\]
The minimum cut frequency is 31Hz, it goes higher when RVOL goes down. It means that with low volume levels, the amount of bass frequencies of the signal are slightly reduced, making C3 bigger will let more low harmonics out. You can read more about it in the Frequency Response section.
4.2 Fuzz Face Total Voltage Gain:
The emitter degeneration resistor RFUZZ creates a local negative feedback, making the second amplifier stage more stable and immune to gain variations due to temperature, bias current and transistor intrinsic properties.
With this emitter resistance added, the Common Emitter PNP major parameters (ignoring by the moment the feedback network) can be determined by the ratio between the collector resistors (R2 + R3) to and the emitter resistor (the portion of RFUZZ not shorted to ground through the 20uF cap).
\[A_{V}=\frac{R_{C}}{R_{E}}= \frac{R_{2}+R_{3}}{R_{pot1}}\]
\[A_{V}min=\frac{470+8K2}{1K}= 8.2\: (18dB)\]
The voltage gain (AV) can go from 8.2 to as high as the transistor's basic internal gain (when RFUZZ is maxed out).
If we take into consideration the feedback network, once again the second stage will not reach values as 18dB. In this case, the total voltage gain measured at Q2 collector is around 19.5dB. Remember that the input stage had a gain of 18.6 dB, that leaves the second stage a total amount of 1dB of gain (19.5-18.6=0.9dB). The general amount of gain is considerably reduced due to the feedback network.
In the above image, the output voltage at Q2 is shown under the action of the RFUZZ potentiometer (the volume is set to max). It exhibits an attenuation in the low frequencies (high pass filter) with a fc=14Hz inherited from the input stage.
BUT the output of the pedal is not directly taken from Q2 collector, there is a voltage divider created by R2 and R3 (the power supply is effectively at AC ground). This divider reduces the gain by a factor of R2/(R2+R3) = 470/(470+8K2) = 0.054 (-25dB), so the real gain of the output stage is:
GVTOTAL = GVPEDAL - Attenuation of R2/(R2+R3)= 19.5 - 25 = -5.5dB
This voltage divider created by R2 and R3 will greatly reduce the output level. The value usually does not get as low as -5.5dB, the series resistor of the battery should be taken into consideration and will raise the output level.
It might look funny but It has a reason: the output signal is not much larger than the input signal to keep the huge amount of signal available from over-driving the input of the pedal or amplifier following it. The fuzz is not designed to overdrive the following system by level.
fuzz face output stage voltage gain
note: FF sounds different with different batteries and with the same battery as it gets run down. The internal series resistance of the battery is added to the 470Ω R3 resistor, modifying the value by a significant amount.
Emitter degeneration capacitor C2:
Any impedance between C2 emitter and ground (RFUZZ) will reduce the gain of the output stage, it is a form of local negative feedback. Increasing this impedance will reduce the gain. If we are looking for high gain it is a common practice to have part or all of the emitter resistor grounded with a bypass capacitor.
Capacitors present an impedance that decreases with frequency, the bias (DC) points will remain the same but high guitar (AC) signals will get higher voltage gain. In terms of design, the bypass capacitor C2 should have a reactance, at the lowest frequency you are interested to amplify, less than the value of RFUZZ. We can use the formula:
\[f_{c}=\frac{1}{2\pi R C}=\frac{1}{2\pi \cdot R_{pot1}\cdot C_{2}}=\frac{1}{2\pi \cdot 1K \cdot 20uF}= 7.9Hz\]
All the frequencies over 8Hz get full amplification. The 20uF is so big that almost all the frequencies get full amplification.
FF Sound Signature II: Soft Clipping - Hard Clipping: As the second stage is driven harder, it can reach hard clipping in both semi-cycles of the signal. The clipping begins softly for smaller signals (and gains) and then with the fuzz potentiometer action the clipping goes harder with harder playing. The second amplifier stage can make the clipping harder, with sharper squared corners under the fuzz potentiometer action.
fuzz face soft hard clippping
4.3 Fuzz Face Power Supply.
For component economy, the power supply does not include any capacitors to remove ripple from the power line which is something common in raw fuzz pedals. The usual solution in guitar pedals is to add some power filtering by placing 47~100uF cap together with a 100nF from the +9v to ground.
5. Fuzz Face Global Feedback Network.
Amplifiers use current or voltage as input or outputs, you can check the amplifier classification. The fuzz face has a negative feedback called shunt-series feedback (Current Controlled Current Source CCCS). Part of the output current is taken from Q2 emitter and introduced as current in Q1 base, so the feedback resistor R4 is shunt connected with the input and in series connected with the outputfuzz face feedback network
Why using feedback?
In amplifier design the degenerative (negative) feedback is used to:
• Desensitize the gain: make the gain value less sensitive to transistors (i.e component variation caused by temperature).
• Reduce nonlinear distortion: make the gain constant.
• Reduce the noise: minimizing the contribution to the output of unwanted electrical signals.
• Control the input/output impedance: raising or lowering their values.
• Extend the bandwidth of the amplifier.
The properties above are obtained at the expense of a reduction of gain. As a rule of thumb with more feedback, there is less global gain, following the formula:
• AFB = Total current gain of the amp in the closed loop.
• AOL = Current gain of the amp in open loop
• B = Feedback constant (not to be confused with the transistors β parameter).
How does the feedback work in the Fuzz Face?
The job of the feedback network is basically to reduce the huge gain of the Fuzz Face stages, making the whole circuit more stable and independent from problematic germanium transistors:
• When the fuzz control (1KΩ pot) is set to minimum, a big amount of signal is sent back to the input, creating a big feedback loop and reducing the total pedal gain (left image below).
• When the fuzz control increases the attack, the 20uF C2 cap will gradually shunt the negative feedback to the ground, thus letting the circuit operate with more gain (right image below).
fuzz face feedback network action
6. Fuzz Face Frequency Response.
The FF frequency response is shaped by the three capacitors C1, C2 and C3:
• C1: The 2.2uF input cap creates a high pass filter together with the input pedal impedance (5KΩ approx.), removing dangerous DC levels, hum and overloading bass.
All harmonics below 14Hz will have 6dB/oct of attenuation
• C2: Shunts part of the signal to ground, but its value is so high (20uF) that in the worst case only signals below 8Hz (and the audio spectrum) will be affected, so the contribution for the general frequency response can be discarded.
• C3: The output cap creates also a high pass filter, removing the excess of bass that the Fuzz Face delivers:
All harmonics below 31Hz will have 6dB/oct of attenuation. If the level goes down, the 500KΩ resistor will be reduced and the filter will remove more bass.
Eric Johnson seems to prefer a 100KΩ level resistor over the stock 500KΩ. Using a smaller resistor, the filter will cut more lows out (fc=160Hz) which will result in a brighter sound.
The plot below represents the total frequency response of the fuzz face, the different lines show the effect of the volume potentiometer. As the volume goes lower (blue line), the graph shows a steeper slope with more high content. This is due to the C3 output high pass filter effect ( C3 - RVOL)
The graph also shows a general roll off of the bass harmonics under 14Hz, this is due to the high pass filter created by C2 and Zin (input impedance of the pedal).
Broadly speaking the frequency response of the Fuzz Face is not very innovative, it just removes some bass and keeps all the highs which contribute to have powerful distortion. Other fuzz pedals like the Big Muff Pi have a more distinctive frequency response that could shape the tone in a more innovative way.
fuzz face frequency response
This last image below shows in red color the typical output signal, characterized by an asymmetric waveform and a hard-clipping when the fuzz potentiometer is maxed. The big amount of gain will clip the signal easily creating large amounts of higher harmonic content. Note that the output signal is not completely flat when it clips (it is slightly tilted), this feature adds more character to the sound .
fuzz face output signal
7. Building the Perfect Fuzz.
The Fuzz Face circuit has 9 components. Seems like simple stuff, and in principle it is, but the actual implementation of the pedal has plenty of black magic and mystery associated, and it takes a lot of effort to get the things sounding just right.
We have created a project so you can build the perfect Fuzz with all the knowledge and experience that we have while keeping the tweaks and character that make this vintage pedal distortion to sound round and harmonically pleasant.
the perfect fuzz face
8. Resources.
The Technology of the Fuzz Face by R.G Keen.
Fuzz Face Description by ScreaminFX.
Electrical Engineering Thesis by William E. Overton focused on the Fuzz Face.
Discussion Paper About Fuzz FAce Batteries by
Arbitrer Fuzz Face by Fuzzcentral.
8.1 Datasheets.
AC128 Transistor datasheet 1 pdf
AC128 Transistor datasheet 2 pdf
PsPice models used for AC128 Fuzz Face simulation:
• AC128 with β=85
.MODEL GERPNP_LOWGAIN PNP(IS=85.8N BF=85.000 NF=1.000 VAF=102.207
+IKF=9.981M ISE=0.435N NE=1.200 BR=20.000 NR=1.000 VAR=20.000
+IKR=1.248M ISC=120.8N NC=1.200 RB=173.312 IRB=5.000U RBM=43.328
+RE=20.000 RC=60.000 CJE=6.000P VJE=0.400 MJE=0.400 TF=0.150U
+XTF=9.996 VTF=2.000 ITF=9.983M PTF=1.000 CJC=3.750P
+VJC=0.600 MJC=0.330 XCJC=0.650 TR=2.865U
+CJS=0.0 VJS=0.700 MJS=0.500 XTB=1.000 EG=0.670
+XTI=4.000 KF=5.000F AF=1.000 FC=0.750)
• AC128 with β=120.
.MODEL GERPNP_HIGHGAIN PNP(IS=120.8N BF=120.000 NF=1.000 VAF=102.207
My sincere appreciation for D.Clark support.Thanks for reading, all feedback is appreciated This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9425 | Naomi Campbell, Empire
So apparently Empire featured an appearance by up-and-coming model Naomi Campbell last night...
Oh wait, make that one-of-the-biggest-supermodels-ever Naomi Campbell, which makes it all the more surprising that her name ended up misspelled in the Fox hit's opening credits last night.
"Special Guest Star Naomi Cambell," the credit read.
Hey, we understand, typos happen—we even made sure that we hadn't been misspelling Campbell's last name all of our lives and Empire knew something that we didn't. But no, it really was just an unfortunate typo for a much-hyped guest appearance.
But judging by Campbell's tweets and retweets last night when her episode was on, she either didn't notice or didn't care one bit.
Naomi Campbell, Empire
Chuck Hodes/FOX
Fox had no comment. But presumably, lesson learned.
Meanwhile, Campbell has been busy tearing it up at New York Fashion Week Fall 2015, rocking the runway for Zac Posen and hosting (and walking in, of course) her own benefit show, Fashion for Relief.
Justin Bieber, Naomi Campbell, NYFW
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images For Fashion For Relief
Oh, and if you caught Campbell as the saucy Camilla on Empire last night...what did you think?!
|
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9433 | Wednesday, May 01, 2019
Crimes Are Good
I get why the first round of people went to work for Trump. They figured they could control him. Dumbass president, needs some smart responsible people to take care of him. Not that all these people were smart, but they thought they were because they are people.
I don't think the first round were a bunch of dedicated public servants or anything, but maybe they didn't precisely go in it for the crimes. Now why are you there? There's no other reason. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9474 | Business Profile
O’Gara’s Bar and Grill
• 1626 Dan Patch Ave Falcon Heights MN 55108
• Dan O'Gara (Owner)
After serving the St. Paul community for three-quarters of a century, O’Gara’s Bar and Grill will be shutting its doors for the last time. During a press conference announcing the decision, the owner, Dan O’Gara, cited minimum wage increases and the lack of a tip-credit as two primary culprits behind his decision.
- (link) |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9490 | Rule 16 – Pretrial Conferences; Scheduling; Management
(a) Purposes of a Pretrial Conference. In any action, the court may order the attorneys and any unrepresented parties to appear for one or more pretrial conferences for such purposes as:
(1) expediting disposition of the action;
(2) establishing early and continuing control so that the case will not be protracted because of lack of management;
(3) discouraging wasteful pretrial activities;
(4) improving the quality of the trial through more thorough preparation; and
(5) facilitating settlement.
(b) Scheduling.
(1) Scheduling Order. Except in categories of actions exempted by local rule, the district judge—or a magistrate judge when authorized by local rule—must issue a scheduling order:
(A) after receiving the parties’ report under Rule 26(f); or
(B) after consulting with the parties’ attorneys and any unrepresented parties at a scheduling conference.
(2) Time to Issue. The judge must issue the scheduling order as soon as practicable, but unless the judge finds good cause for delay, the judge must issue it within the earlier of 90 days after any defendant has been served with the complaint or 60 days after any defendant has appeared.
(3) Contents of the Order.
(A) Required Contents. The scheduling order must limit the time to join other parties, amend the pleadings, complete discovery, and file motions.
(B) Permitted Contents. The scheduling order may:
(i) modify the timing of disclosures under Rules 26(a) and 26(e)(1);
(ii) modify the extent of discovery;
(iii) provide for disclosure, discovery, or preservation of electronically stored information;
(iv) include any agreements the parties reach for asserting claims of privilege or of protection as trial-preparation material after information is produced, including agreements reached under Federal Rule of Evidence 502;
(v) direct that before moving for an order relating to discovery, the movant must request a conference with the court;
(vi) set dates for pretrial conferences and for trial; and
(vii) include other appropriate matters.
(4) Modifying a Schedule. A schedule may be modified only for good cause and with the judge’s consent.
(c) Attendance and Matters for Consideration at a Pretrial Conference.
(1) Attendance. A represented party must authorize at least one of its attorneys to make stipulations and admissions about all matters that can reasonably be anticipated for discussion at a pretrial conference. If appropriate, the court may require that a party or its representative be present or reasonably available by other means to consider possible settlement.
(2) Matters for Consideration. At any pretrial conference, the court may consider and take appropriate action on the following matters:
(A) formulating and simplifying the issues, and eliminating frivolous claims or defenses;
(B) amending the pleadings if necessary or desirable;
(C) obtaining admissions and stipulations about facts and documents to avoid unnecessary proof, and ruling in advance on the admissibility of evidence;
(D) avoiding unnecessary proof and cumulative evidence, and limiting the use of testimony under Federal Rule of Evidence 702;
(E) determining the appropriateness and timing of summary adjudication under Rule 56;
(F) controlling and scheduling discovery, including orders affecting disclosures and discovery under Rule 26 and Rules 29 through 37;
(G) identifying witnesses and documents, scheduling the filing and exchange of any pretrial briefs, and setting dates for further conferences and for trial;
(H) referring matters to a magistrate judge or a master;
(I) settling the case and using special procedures to assist in resolving the dispute when authorized by statute or local rule;
(J) determining the form and content of the pretrial order;
(K) disposing of pending motions;
(L) adopting special procedures for managing potentially difficult or protracted actions that may involve complex issues, multiple parties, difficult legal questions, or unusual proof problems;
(M) ordering a separate trial under Rule 42(b) of a claim, counterclaim, crossclaim, third-party claim, or particular issue;
(N) ordering the presentation of evidence early in the trial on a manageable issue that might, on the evidence, be the basis for a judgment as a matter of law under Rule 50(a) or a judgment on partial findings under Rule 52(c);
(0) establishing a reasonable limit on the time allowed to present evidence; and
(P) facilitating in other ways the just, speedy, and inexpensive disposition of the action.
(d) Pretrial Orders. After any conference under this rule, the court should issue an order reciting the action taken. This order controls the course of the action unless the court modifies it.
(e) Final Pretrial Conference and Orders. The court may hold a final pretrial conference to formulate a trial plan, including a plan to facilitate the admission of evidence. The conference must be held as close to the start of trial as is reasonable, and must be attended by at least one attorney who will conduct the trial for each party and by any unrepresented party. The court may modify the order issued after a final pretrial conference only to prevent manifest injustice.
(f) Sanctions.
(1) In General. On motion or on its own, the court may issue any just orders, including those authorized by Rule 37(b)(2)(A)(ii)-(vii), if a party or its attorney:
(A) fails to appear at a scheduling or other pretrial conference;
(B) is substantially unprepared to participate-or does not participate in good faith-in the conference; or
(C) fails to obey a scheduling or other pretrial order.
(2) Imposing Fees and Costs. Instead of or in addition to any other sanction, the court must order the party, its attorney, or both to pay the reasonable expenses—including attorney’s fees—incurred because of any noncompliance with this rule, unless the noncompliance was substantially justified or other circumstances make an award of expenses unjust.
(As amended Apr. 28, 1983, eff. Aug. 1, 1983; Mar. 2, 1987, eff. Aug. 1, 1987; Apr. 22, 1993, eff. Dec. 1, 1993; Apr. 12, 2006, eff. Dec. 1, 2006; Apr. 30, 2007, eff. Dec. 1, 2007; Apr. 29, 2015, eff. Dec. 1, 2015.)
View Advisory Committee Historical Notes |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9513 | Computer Information Systems
Associate in Science (A.S.)
Student working on a computer with dual screen monitor
Tech-savvy professionals play a critical role in helping organizations run more efficiently. With a Computer Information Systems degree, you'll be one step closer to landing your dream job as a tech expert.
Computer Information Systems Degree
This degree program is designed for analytical thinkers who share a strong interest in technology and data. Through your studies, you will:
• Explore the many transfer degree options that are available in this field, including computer science, information management, and web and mobile computing
• Learn the fundamentals of information systems, software development, programming, and data structures
• Develop specialized skills, including analytical and problem-solving skills
Program Overview
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Learn More
Tech Companies are Hiring
The App Association reveals that approximately 1 million computing positions are expected in the U.S. by 2024.
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Taylor Ward
"Computer Information Systems has been incredible in learning the basics of programming so early on. Every semester allows me to expand upon that knowledge to create programs I never imagined." |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9548 | The flashcards below were created by user sweetpea281 on FreezingBlue Flashcards.
1. when does root development start?
when the crown is complete and erupting
2. what is the cervical loop made of?
inner enamel epithelium and outer enamel epithelium squished together (no stellate rticulum or stratum intermedium)
3. once the cervical loop extends deeper into the ectomesenchyme what does it become?
hertwing's epithelial root sheath (HERS)
4. how is dentin formed along the root?
• HERS induces dental papilla to differentiate into odontoblasts
• Odontoblasts leave the dentin matrix
• HERS disintegrates
5. what are epithelial rests of Malassez
HERS that didn't disintegrate and get lost, they can become cystic and cause problems
6. What can't enamel form in the root?
without the stratum intermedium and stellate reticulum the ameloblasts cannot form
7. what induces cells of the dental sac to become cementoblasts?
8. what is the only slimy trail (matrix) to have a name?
cementoblasts matrix-cementoid
9. what are the cementoblasts cell bodies called and where do they leave it?
• cementocytes
• within the matrix
10. through _____ the dental papilla now forms into the ___ of the tooth.
• induction
• pulp
11. the ectomesenchyme from the dental sac ____ into the _____ ____ adjacent to the cementum
• differentiates
• periodontal ligament
12. the ectomesenchyme from the___ ___ differentiates into the ____ ___ surrounding each tooth.
• dental sac
• alveolar bone
13. what does the periodontal ligament anchor into?
cementum and alveolar bone
14. how are multirooted teeth formed?
cervical loop splits into multiple roots
15. what are the developmental disturbances during root formation?
• enamel pearls
• concrescence
• dilaceration
• accessory roots
16. what is it when the ameloblasts get lost and start forming enamel in abnormal places?
enamel pearls
17. what is it called when two teeth get stuck together by cementum?
18. what is it called when because of injury or pressure the HERS get distorted and make the roots bend?
19. what is an accessory root?
extra roots because of injury pressure or metabloic disease of HERS
20. what kind of eruption is actual vertical movement of the tooth?
active eruption
21. what kind of eruption is it when gingiva recedes around tooth?
passive eruption
22. what is reduced enamel epithelium and what does it do?
• enamel organ squished together
• REE fuses with the oral epithelium and disintegrates it to make a tunnel for eruption
23. what two kinds of cells are needed for primary tooth shedding?
• osteoclasts
• odontoclasts
24. what cell dissolves the bone around the tooth in primary tooth shedding?
25. what cell dissolves the roots of the tooth in primary tooth shedding?
26. What happens when the primary tooth is not quite ready to come out?
osteoblasts, odontoblasts and cementoblasts replace the reabsorbed bone and root. That is why kids teeth will feel really loose and then suddenly tighten up again
27. what is the nasmyth's membrane?
left over REE and oral epithelium that sticks to the newly erupted teeth and catches stain
28. how do you remove the nasmyth's membrane?
polishes off
29. all succedaneous teeth form and erupt _____ to the primary teeth except the maxillary incisors that erupt _____ to the primary teeth.
• Lingually
• Facially
30. what are the two types of developmental disturbances during eruption?
• dentigerous cyst
• eruption cyst
31. what is a dentigerous cyst?
the REE forms a cyst around the completely formed crown. it can displace teeth and cause pain and must be removed surgically
32. what is an eruption cyst?
a dentigerous cyst formed around the developing crown. when the tooth erupts it will go away
33. What developmental disturbance during eruption is around a completely formed crown?
dentigerous cyst
34. what developmental disturbance during eruption is around a developing crown?
eruption cyst
35. true/false. a dentigerous cyst will go away on its own when it erupts?
false, a dentigerous cyst must be removed surgically
36. true/false. a eruption cyst must be removed surgically.
false a eruption cyst will go away on its own when the tooth erupts
Card Set:
2010-10-03 18:33:08
root development and eruption
Show Answers: |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9556 | Enroll Now
This Course Includes:
30-Day Money Back Guarantee
About the Course
Scrum Fundamentals provides practitioners with a core understanding of Scrum, the most popular agile method, and helpful advice to help them deliver high-quality products that add the most value to their customers.
In this course, Tommy Norman (CSM, CSP, PSM I, ALM MVP) provides an introduction to agile software development using Scrum, which is a lightweight, adaptive framework for managing complex projects.
It consists of roles, artifacts and events as well as a simple set of rules to govern the relationships and interactions between them.
Skill Level
• Beginner
What You Will Learn
• The history of Agile
• The roles, artifacts, and events in Scrum
• How to start a Scrum project
• Essentials of writing good User Stories
• How to maintain your Product Backlog and Release Plan
• Agile estimation techniques
• How to effectively plan for and execute a Sprint
• Agile engineering best practices
• How to integrate QA into your Sprints
• How to inspect and adapt your process
Who Should Take This Course
• Anyone involved in the development of software applications looking for a practical introduction to the Agile framework Scrum
Course Requirements
• Familiarity with the basics of software development projects
Author Instructor Biography: Tommy Norman
|
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9561 | Mold information
Requirements of Chair Mould Manufacturers in Production
What are the requirements of the Chair Mould in the pro […]
What are the requirements of the Chair Mould in the processing process, please welcome the chair mould manufacturer to introduce to you below:
1. Wear resistance
When the blank plastically deforms in the cavity of the plastic chair mould, it flows and slides along the cavity surface, causing severe friction between the cavity surface and the blank, thus causing the plastic chair mould to fail due to wear. Therefore, the wear resistance of materials is one of the basic and important properties of chair mould. Hardness is the main factor affecting wear resistance. In general, the higher the hardness of the chair mould parts, the smaller the wear amount, and the better the wear resistance. In addition, wear resistance is also related to the type, quantity, morphology, size and distribution of carbides in the material.
2. Strength and toughness
Most of the working conditions of chair moulds are very harsh, and some of them often bear large impact load, which leads to brittle fracture. In order to prevent the chair mould parts from breaking suddenly when working, the chair mould should have higher strength and toughness. The toughness of chair mould mainly depends on the carbon content, grain size and microstructure of the material.
3. Fatigue fracture performance
During the working process of the chair mould, fatigue fracture often occurs under the long-term action of cyclic stress. It takes the form of small energy multiple impact fatigue fracture, tensile fatigue fracture, contact fatigue fracture and bending fatigue fracture. The fatigue fracture performance of chair mould mainly depends on its strength, toughness, hardness and the content of inclusions in the material.
4. High temperature performance
When the working temperature of the chair mould is higher, the hardness and strength will decrease, resulting in early wear or plastic deformation of the chair mould and failure. Because the chair mould material should have higher tempering resistance stability to ensure the chair mould has higher hardness and strength at the working temperature.
5. Cold and hot fatigue resistance
Some chair mould are repeatedly heated and cooled during the working process, which makes the surface of the cavity subject to tension and pressure change stress, causing surface cracking and peeling, increasing friction, hindering plastic deformation and reducing dimensional accuracy, thus causing chair mould to fail. Cold and hot fatigue is one of the main forms of hot-working chair mould effect. Help this kind of chair mould should have high cold and hot fatigue resistance.
6. Corrosion resistance
When some plastic chair mould, such as plastic moulds, work, due to chlorine, fluorine and other elements in the plastic, strong corrosive gases such as hci, hf and the like are decomposed and separated out after being heated, thus eroding the surface of the cavity of the chair mould, increasing the surface roughness thereof and aggravating wear failure. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9565 | The notion of Hybridity was initially used in animal husbandry to improve the quality of hogs by interbreeding a native sow with another breed to improve the genetic pool of the swine population.
Hybridity as an Emerging Phenomenon of Biological and Cultural Diversity
The four regions of the Global South represented their versions of hybridity in UNESCO’s Philosophy Manual: in African cosmologies, the cultural transmission of Ibn al-Muqaffa’s tale of “The Man on the Well with a Dragon,” the resolution of opposite directions in Yanagi Soetsu’s aesthetics and in Gloria Anzaldua’s notion of “mestiza consciousness”.
UNESCO’s Philosophy Manual reports that in Andalzua’s book, Frontera, she articulated the emergence of the global phenomenon of the “in-between, the encounter of cultures, where new cultures and new sensibilities are born”. It is “a crossroad where roads meet and for a moment are one”. According to her, this new realm is represented by the mestiza as an inclusive “cosmic race” who provides “hybrid progeny, a mutable, more malleable species with a rich gene pool.”
"Because I, a mestiza,
Continually walk out of one culture
And into another,
Because I am in all cultures
At the same time" (225).
In the context of climate change ethics, this notion of hybridity could contribute to the further elaboration of the principle of resilience within the context of climate change adaptation.
Share your pictures with us
For your Comments:
Is Hybridity also an emerging phenomenon in your part of the world?
Can you share a picture or tell us about hybrid gadgets (such as a Swiss knife or a piece of furniture) or living organisms (such as a grafted plant or a cross-bred animal) that have proven themselves to be resilient to adverse environmental conditions?
How were they able to survive or helped people survive?
If you like, you can upload images or other examples to this padlet board. Padlet is easy to use; if you need help, here are some instructions.
Share this article:
This article is from the free online course:
Climate Justice: Lessons from the Global South |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9566 | What's the cost to businesses?
A recent article in the Guardian Security experts: ‘No one should have faith in Yahoo at this point’ (December 2016) highlights how even the largest of corporations can be vulnerable to hacks and data breaches.
Clearly this incident is likely to do Yahoo a lot of reputational damage, but you might be thinking ‘who cares, I don’t mind who can read my email’. Well perhaps this hack on a Jeep Cherokee might change your mind. Watch the video!
Still feel safe in your car now?
In the aftermath of that hack 1.4 million vehicles were recalled. So whilst no crime was committed (this time), it still cost the manufacturer.
Is cyber crime a serious problem in your country? Do you think many businesses are attacked, or only a few? Is it mostly large businesses that are the target, or are small businesses also affected? How much do you think cyber attacks cost businesses annually? Is this cost growing?
There are links to UK government statistics and surveys relating to cyber crime and cyber security breaches available from the bottom of this page.
Share this article:
This article is from the free online course:
Secure Android App Development
University of Southampton |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9599 | Installation: ============= As with any autoconfiguring GNU software, installation is as easy as this: sysprompt> ./configure sysprompt> make sysprompt> make check sysprompt> make install Known to work with: - Linux/x86, EGCS-1.1.2 or GCC 2-95. The "make" step takes about 10 minutes, on a 586 DX / 133 MHz / 64 MB or about 2 minutes on a P-III /550 MHz / 512 MB. More detailed installation instructions can be found in the documentation, in the doc/ directory. Problems with CLN: ================== You should use at least CLN V1.0.2, since all earlier ones are somewhat buggy. Even V1.0.1 has a few problems and GiNaC will not support older versions. Please install it properly on your system before continuing with GiNaC. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9602 | Tactics Tuesdays: Watch for the Doggy Dinner Bowl Look in Women | Girls Chase
Tactics Tuesdays: Watch for the Doggy Dinner Bowl Look in Women
Chase Amante
Hey! Chase Amante here.
Already a GirlsChase.com subscriber? Log in here.
doggy dinner bowl look
Women wear a specific facial expression when they want sex now. Keep your eyes peeled for it to get some easy wins.
There's a way a woman will look at you when she's totally into you and ready to go.
She tilts her head down. Her eyes widen. Her pupils dilate. Her eyebrows rise. She'll probably smile, and when she does, it looks like a childlike grin she can't control. You transfix her: she stares at you, looking like that, smiling like that, when you're not looking, and also when you are. If you stop speaking and just stare at her yourself, she'll stare back, with those transfixed eyes, longer than she normally would. You have the entirety of her attention. Her awareness radius has shrunk to you, and you alone.
She may face her body completely toward you. She doesn't have to, but she often will.
If she breaks eye contact, when she does it'll be to look down, even if she's usually the in-control sort who doesn't break eye contact down.
The nonverbal message you get from her as she does this is "I'm ready for it. Waiting for you."
The look is not sexy in the traditional flirtatious sense. It is not a thing a woman learns how to do. It is innocent, in a way. There is no practiced sensuality in it.
It's different from normal flirtation.
Instead, the look is wholly, strictly an involuntary expression that more says "I'm eager and willing" than it does "I'm flirty or horny." Eagerness and willingness are the key emotions behind the look. She is ready for whatever you want with her. She's handing herself over to you.
This look is impossible to mistake once you've learned to look for it.
If you haven't yet, it's one of the most absolutely essential looks to watch for.
As soon as you see it, it's 'game over' (in a good way)... if you notice and take action on it.
Chase AmanteAbout the Author: Chase Amante
Neal's picture
Hey Chase, I'm in a Facebook groupchat where they constantly talk about cars. Attracting women with cars, fixing cars, and even a 17 year-old girl posted she has a requirement that her bfs know how to fix cars (or at least change tires). Can you guys do an article on women and cars?
Chase Amante's picture
Some women will adopt the niche interests of men they like. Sometimes it's a favorite sports team of a father or boyfriend. Sometimes it's video games a father or boyfriend introduced them to. Sometimes it's cars.
The important thing is not actually rooting for her team or playing her favorite game or driving her favorite kind of car. Rather, it is establishing attitude similarity with her on the subject. She's just looking for clues you are similar to the sort of men she likes, and the sort of men like that [team/game/sport]. There are also many, many men who like that [team/game/sport] whom she does not like.
Don't get too distracted by superficial things. People can say they love a car or a type of animal or a politician, but just because you have that car or that type of pet or root for that politician doesn't mean you get an easy 'in' with that person.
You still must go the standard route: improve your fundamentals and deploy some game.
Ben's picture
The first DDB girl seems fake/insincere to me when real girls have had that facial expression when talking to me I've always felt that they disliked me.. any idea why?
The third DDB girl (the asian ice-cream holding one) seems distant, like she whatever is going on around her isn't interesting.
Am I just miscalibrated on this?
Chase Amante's picture
Yeah, well, the trick with images is they do not capture the context. When I look at that first image of the girl, I imagine her staring at me that way with prolonged eye contact, acting a little shy, helpless to keep that smile off her face. DDB. But if you imagine her flashing a quick smile at you like that, then directing her eyes away, or making that face between a couple of snide remarks, or anything along those lines, not DDB.
I tried to do the best I could in this article of painting a context for the images I chose here, but the picture a guy gets in his head looking at any one-off image of a woman will partly come from his own experiences. If you've gotten that specific look in a different context often enough, or women that look like that specific kind of girl tend to give you non-DDB looks like that more often, your immediate gut reaction will be to imagine the image in that context and not see it as DDB.
With the third image (Asian girl) I think I can see what you mean... if I look at it a certain way, she almost has this dream-like, faraway quality to her. But then I look at it the way I looked at it, and she has this "I can't control smiling at you this way!" grin on her face, with her eyes focused right ahead, and it's DDB.
Any time you're posting static images and asking people to imagine the intentions behind the expression, it's a big of a Magic Eye game. Different people are going to see different things when they look.
That said... you should aim to err more on the side of "it's DDB" than "it isn't DDB." False positives aren't going to hurt you nearly as much as false negatives with this sort of thing :)
Axe Rogue's picture
Great article, liking the analysis. Reminds me of the "steak look" I got from a girl once while walking on campus.
She stared at me with dilated pupils, mouth slightly ajar, and full eye contact. I likened it to the way you would look at a nice, juicy steak. Or maybe she just wanted to eat my face, hahah.
At the time, I could tell she was into me. I also ecall how her reaction was involuntary, i.e. not her conciously trying to entice me with a look.
Chase Amante's picture
Yes, that's it! Any kind of desirous, involuntarily look... like she is looking at a scrumptious piece of food.
When you see an expression with that quality, you're in a good place with her.
SZ's picture
Hey Chase,
1. How do you build value to a girl before a date? especially a cheap date to get them to come out and pay? What makes things difficult is that with cheap dates like coffee, pizza, etc. You are on line and I'm sure she'll look at you to pay. Can't really get my thoughts right on how I can get away without paying and how can I feel comfortable.
2. so this is a response to your reply to my comment about me having sex with many girls at work.
I actually moved very fast with them and sleep with these girls from work, sometimes same day. there wasn't any build up at all really, and it was quick.
does that change anything with my game? I remember you were saying that my style of game was more slow because of work, but to me things happened pretty quick and would have happened quicker if I noticed, these girls were straight forward and ready.
3. I saw that you wrote that there are healthy psychological reasons on why it's good for a guy to want to have a high notch count. I would like to know what they are because as I get older I feel guilty about wanting to Increase my numbers to the 100s.
4. Another reply to another comment from you about thinking phone game could be a reason why I'm losing girls.
I actually just started using the phone, before I would text to set up the date and them text to confirm, no deep diving or anything. then I tried phone calls, girls are open with me on them.
so the problem is with texting and calling.
I'm thinking I'm not making them comfortable enough or something, what can I do to make girls want to see me and make it a priority after the pick up?
I know you'll say to have a better approach, but the approaches and number grab go good for me. I get compliance, touch, ask for the date, get a yes, then get the number.
the biggest problem is the time in between that and the date, it's like they're two different people.
so what should be done before the date?
how do I get women sold on me fast?
5. What would be your method of pulling from apps if you get a lot of matches? I'm running into the same problem again with chicks, can get my foot in the door, but dates are hard.
The girls usually don't respond after my opener or they stop replying after their reply from the opener.
Tried deep diving, nothing works consistently, and I know you don't use apps, but wanted you take on it. Like an online template or something.
6. This question will be broken up because its different questions about the same topic.
A. Getting a job to get to 100 lays. I don't know if I read this wrong, but you said I wouldn't get to 100 lays without doing one of those 7 tips to get laid quick. Did you really mean that in general? or just to get laid quick? because I'm confused if you're saying that getting laid the old fashion way is not gonna work for me at all to get to 100 lays.
I hope I can still get to my high lay count the natural way and still use these notch raising methods.
My thing is I want to solve my pick up problem now before I commit to any notch cheat code.
I want to be able to fix my sticking points first then use the cheat codes to make it even easier.
so I hope I can still get to my goal one way or another.
B. Would getting laid by a lot of girls being a Lifeguard, working at a hostel or hotel, or working at a bar or club, work for an older dude? wouldn't girls look at him like he's low status because it isn't a career job? would girls really chase a guy like that?
C. Is it even possible to do any of that with a career? seems very time consuming.
Thanks Chase
Chase Amante's picture
1. Make a good first impression. If you fail at that, have a good phone call with her.
2. I don't remember the context there or what we were discussing, apologies.
3. "I want to explore, have a good time, and enjoy bringing pleasure to wonderful women." That's pretty healthy.
4. Make sure you are following proper texting procedure, and if that still doesn't work, try using phone calls. If that still doesn't work, your initial approaches may not be going as well as you think they're going.
5. There are much better folks to ask about this than me. However, here's my strategy for when I (on rare occasions) use apps.
6. A. Yes, you read that right. You've been talking about getting into action for the better part of a decade now. Unless you use something from that notch count guide, I cannot imagine a universe in which that happens otherwise. B. Yes. C. It will probably have to be your career, unless you choose one of the non-job options (like 'get a motorcycle'). Even then, of course it is going to be time-consuming... you are talking about sleeping with 100 women. Which means having substantial interactions with at least 2,000-3,000 women. Which means total interactions with probably 4,000-6,000 women. At least. Until you reach the point where your game is razor sharp and you have a way to funnel women directly toward you. If you were a natural, those numbers could be far lower. But you're not, you have a long ways to go, and you will need to talk to enough women to refine things and get there. There is no way to achieve anything you are far from without putting in the time and effort to do it.
SZ's picture
Had a couple questions Chase,
I know you said apps were bad to meet chicks, but I get so many matches that I want to add this as a supplement. I figure might as well get good at this to have another avenue for myself.
1. Is it ever ok to text and ask when a chick is free to talk instead of calling out the blue? I ask because a girl I called and she said she was doing something. I just don't like calling at bad times.
plus this phone call was gonna be longer than the normal recommended time because I met this girl online and she lives like an hour away. The talk was gonna be a little long, so I felt if she told me she was free to talk it would be easier than just calling and having to call again another time, and who knows what if she's busy again?
I wanted to build comfort to get her to come to me.
I don't want a relationship, but if I can get a girl to come through here and there, that would be nice.
is it on to ask a girl over text when she would be free go talk ?
if so, what would be the best way to ask to get her to want to talk?
Idk I felt like this chick didn't wanna talk on the phone for some reason, but if you live far why not?
The way I set it up, I asked when she is free and I'll call her, I'm guessing this sounds too planned, but I felt it was OK because if she tells me when she's free I can just call one of those days.
or maybe it's better to ask her what she's doing at that moment instead and if she says she's free then ask if she can talk?
I'd really like to know how to make this work instead of just calling out the blue.
especially when this girl and I don't know how we sound or really act off text. at least with real life pick up she and you know how you sound and etc. so calling feels more normal.
but if you never met the chick and she lives far, and you want to spend a little more time on the phone building some rapport, I feel a text asking when she's free would work, only thing I hate is I don't want to keep texting to find out in case she isn't free to talk, or maybe if she says she's doing something I could not even mention it hmmmmm....
let me know your thoughts and advice please.
2. So the same chick said sorry she was busy through text, so I just texted her to give me a call or text when she can. no reply, she ain't text or nothing, should I just be done with it since this chick lives kinda far? if not how should I contact her again or any girl that doesn't even respond when you ask them to call or text you when free?
3. What would be the best way to get a girl who's an hour or more away drive to come to you? What would that game be? thing is with this app, the good looking chicks all live far and no where near me. I want them to come out to me if I can do it. So if there is a way or method that you would do, I'd like to know your thoughts on what I could do to make her want to drive and see me? I'm thinking phone game, but do you deep dive on the phone like a date and have her come straight over?
4. are there ever girls that just want to text instead of talk? I'm guessing they want you to get to know them through text? so far girls have been avoiding phone calls.
I asked girls out on apps and ask for the number and they stop talking to me or they give the number and do not pick up, so what to do in that situation? Do they just want to text or something? what would be the best way to deep dive over text if that's the option?
Thanks Chase!!
Chase Amante's picture
I've never heard of anyone doing that effectively: "When are you free? Let's plan a time for a phone call!" Makes the call sound like a super big deal. Both parties will be nervous about it. A call should be a fun, light, spontaneous event, not some planned ordeal.
If she doesn't answer, that's fine. Leave her a great, strong, sexy, fun voicemail for her to listen to.
The chick in question dodged your call, said she was busy, then ghosted you over text. If you're taking it at face value that she was 'busy' and you should've 'scheduled a time', you are getting entirely the wrong message from her. The right message is "I'm not interested, so no matter what way you try to reach out to me, I will ignore you or consider it an inconvenience."
2. -- yes, or try this.
3. -- make a very strong first impression, have a couple of strong phone calls, then invite her. If you did your job right, and she is interested, she will come. If you didn't do a good job and/or she isn't interested, she won't enough.
4. -- phone calls are an inconvenience, but the more she likes you the more she will feel excited you are calling or she will feel like she has to talk because "OMG, it's SZ! He is so cute!" At which point, either she will talk, or she won't because she's too nervous, but she'll feel bad and feel like she did something wrong (by ignoring you). That said, if you can get her out with texts, get her out with texts. It's easier/faster/simpler. Phone calls are mostly for women you screwed up the initial approach with, screwed up something else after the approach with, have waited too long to set a date up with and now they've forgotten you, or you have some other reason to need to rebuild trust and interest, or else address some difficult issue text is taking too long to address.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9607 | What Apps Will Be Screwed By Twitter's API Changes?
Today Twitter announced a series of API changes aimed at "mainstreaming" the user experience of the product. In other words they don't want you to use any apps to access your account besides its own. Here's what's on the chopping block.
Twitter's still being pretty coy about which apps will and won't be granted authorisation saying that its guidelines for developers remain guidelines for developers:
... includes, of course, "traditional" Twitter clients like Tweetbot and Echofon. Nearly eighteen months ago, we gave developers guidance that they should not build client apps that mimic or reproduce the mainstream Twitter consumer client experience." And to reiterate what I wrote in my last post, that guidance continues to apply today.
So that's two right there that are definitely on their way out unless they evolve. Who else is about to go? Here's the beginnings of a list:
Tweetbot Tweetcaster Seesmic UberSocial Plume for Twitter Twitterrific
What else is on its way out? Let us know below and we'll update.
What we've also noticed today is that Twitter has changed the wording around marking a tweet as your favourite. Instead of being marking tweets as "Favourites" now you'll "Like" them. Sounds suspiciously familiar...
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NFC & 2Dbarcode autofill support for voting machines
[vote for,
For countries like Australia with the "below the line" preferential voting system, it would be handy if voting machines had NFC/2DBarcode support for auto filling the voting screen.
This would allow for using websites or smartphone apps to generate preferences that most closely matches the voter's intention.
2D barcode mode will also be useful for on the day distribution of flyer's by political parties (or even non specific political parties), to hand out voting settings suggestion in the the political flyers on voting day.
Even in first past the post voting system can benefit from this, in the sense that other smaller parties will be more detectable if included in more better known voting suggestion website/apps.
Think of it as similar to the difference between shopping mall store and internet app marketplaces. In shopping mall, only the one with the biggest amount of money will have the media clout to bludgeon most other smaller stores. But in an app store, you can discover smaller apps more easily, since your customer will find you, rather than you finding em.
The module for this should really transmit this only over UART to the voting logic computer. Can't get any simpler than that in terms of attack vectors. (Please do not use PHP as your voting machine programming language, nor hook it up to an SQL database.).
PROS: Opens up a whole new market of voting suggestion websites/apps that can more easily interface with voting machines.
CONS: Upgrades to voting machines required.
mofosyne, Nov 29 2014
AVANTE Ballot Marking Device http://www.avantete...ons/ballot-marking/
The first system to produce true "software independent" or "system independent" verification for visually impaired voters using PDF-417 2-D barcode [mofosyne, Nov 29 2014]
Oh btw my opinion is that voting machines should print on top of a paper ballot (In addition to electronic counting). Paper-less voting is a bad idea in general.
The ballot should have a barcode printed as well, that contains a copy of the information marked on the ballot.
The ballot reader will need to ensure that both the barcode and the marking matches.
mofosyne, Nov 29 2014
For autofilling via barcode, a barcode may look like the barcode for [link:AVANTE Ballot Marking Device]
This shows that while the barcode is not ultracompact and does take a sizable amount of space, it is not impractical as a method of storing autofilling suggestions via PDF-417 2-D barcode
mofosyne, Nov 29 2014
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9676 | How to get out of the FriendZone :(
Hayley Quinn is joined by ‘GBSexpert’ Rebecca to explore:
* What it means when she says ‘I just want to be friends’
* How to go from friends to lovers
* How to build your self esteem so that this never happens again!
You can find out more about Rebecca at
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9687 | Take charge of your health. Sign up for HealthyWomen newsletters:
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Health Conditions Black Women Need to Be Especially Aware Of
Health Conditions Black Women Need to Be Especially Aware Of
By Stacey Feintuch
Created: 02/06/2019
Last Updated: 12/10/2019
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Unfortunately, black women have to be especially aware of certain health conditions. It sounds scary, but the more you know, the better. Here are a few health issues that black women may want to learn more about.
Sickle cell anemia
In the United States, this genetic disorder most commonly affects black people. For a baby to be born with sickle cell anemia, both parents must carry a sickle cell gene.
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited form of anemia, a condition where there aren't enough healthy blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body. Red blood cells are normally flexible and round, moving easily through blood vessels. When you have sickle cell anemia, red blood cells become rigid and are shaped like crescent moons. Because they're irregularly shaped, they get stuck in small blood vessels. That can block blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body.
There is no cure for most people with sickle cell anemia. Treatments can relieve pain and help prevent problems associated with the disease.
Premature delivery
A preterm birth is when a baby is born early enough to potentially cause problems with the baby—before 37 weeks of pregnancy have been completed. In 2016, about one of every 10 infants had a preterm birth. The rate of preterm birth was 14 percent among African-American women in 2016, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's about 50 percent higher than the rate of preterm births among white women, which was 9 percent. Read more about managing risk factors for premature birth.
Breast cancer
Black women are 20 percent to 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer. That's due to factors like genetics, differences in health care and the biology of cancer. The American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging recommend that black women be added to groups considered at high risk for breast cancer, the first time black women have been classified as a high-risk group.
The organizations suggest that women at high risk for breast cancer have screenings more frequently and use an MRI or ultrasound as well as a mammogram. They say a woman at high risk might have a mammogram at the beginning of the year and then an MRI six months later. They suggest that these women get evaluated starting no later than age 30.
Certain populations are at an increased risk for diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, 13.2 percent of all African Americans age 20 or older have diagnosed diabetes. African Americans are 1.7 times more likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites.
Cervical cancer
A study published in Cancer found that the death rate from cervical cancer in the United States is higher than previously thought, especially among African-American women. Researchers found that black women in the U.S. are dying from cervical cancer at a rate 77 percent higher than previously believed. That's twice the rate of white women in the United States. Researchers also found that black women age 85 and older had the highest death rate. The study found that black women in the U.S. who haven't had a hysterectomy are about as likely to die from cervical cancer as women in underdeveloped countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
Most medical organizations suggest that all women between the ages of 21 and 29 have a Pap test every three years. Women between ages 30 and 65 should have a Pap test and an HPV test every five years or a Pap test alone every three years. Women over age 65 who have had regular screenings with normal results shouldn't be screened for cervical cancer. Women who've been diagnosed with cervical cancer should continue to be screened according to their doctors' recommendations.
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The powerpoint below talks through the phonics screening, which will take place at the end of Year 1. It also goes through phonics and the terminology you might find useful!
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9748 | Mars Rover Photo Shows 'Human Shadow,' Or Maybe It Doesn't
From rats to skulls to a disappearing doughnut, so-called "ufologists" claim to have seen all sorts of strange things in photos taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover.
Now they're saying that a rover photo taken in 2012 (see below) shows the shadow of a human or human-like alien "messing with" the rover.
"The person has no helmet and their short hair is visible and in high detail," Taiwan-based ufologist Scott Waring wrote in a post on his blog UFO Sightings Daily. "The person has on air tanks on their back and a suit that covers most of the body except the hair."
(Story continues below image.)
Waring goes on to wonder if the image indicates that the rover isn't on Mars at all but right here on Earth--or that humanoid aliens live on the Red Planet.
Of course, there's always the (more likely) possibility that the shadow only looks like that of a human form. It makes sense that our brains would interpret the image this way. Humans are wired to spot patterns and even faces in images--it's a phenomenon called pareidolia.
Here's the same shadow from a slightly different angle taken about 28 seconds later. Yes, it still looks vaguely like a person. But if it is, "he or she" managed to keep perfectly still, because the figure hasn't budged even slightly.
Our verdict? It's just the rover's own shadow.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9770 | Injury Free Nova Scotia: Bylaws (revised September 2017)
l) Legal Name
1. The name of the organization shall be Injury Free Nova Scotia Society, herein referred to as “the Society”.
ll) Board of Directors
1. The Board of Directors shall be called the Leadership Team.
2. The Leadership Team members shall serve without pay; however, members are eligible for reimbursement of reasonable travel expenses associated with their services as members, as per organizational policies.
3. The Leadership Team shall consist of a minimum of five and a maximum of nine members, plus the Executive Director, who serves as a non-voting ex-officio member of the Leadership Team.
4. The Leadership Team members shall serve for terms of two years and may re-offer their services at the end of each term for an additional two-year term.
5. Any decision to retain a Leadership Team member past the initial two-year term shall require Leadership Team consensus.
6. Leadership Team vacancies shall be filled by the Leadership Team, through consensus, in discussion with the Executive Director.
7. New Leadership Team members shall commence their service at any regular Leadership Team meeting.
8. Regular attendance at Leadership Team meetings shall be an expectation of involvement. Leadership Team members are required to attend 80% of all scheduled meetings of the Leadership Team to maintain their membership on the Leadership Team.
9. The Leadership Team may revoke the membership of any member upon motion where the Leadership Team decides that such a member has conducted him/herself in a manner contrary to the best interests of the organization.
10. All materials produced by the organization will refer to the board as the “Leadership Team”.
lll) Officers
1. The officers of the Leadership Team shall consist of two co-chairs and a Treasurer, each nominated by the Leadership Team at the Annual General Meeting.
2. Elected officers shall serve a term of two years and can be re-elected through a motion made at the Annual General Meeting.
3. In accordance with the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stocks, the Annual General Meeting will be held within 90 days from the fiscal year end of March 31.
4. The Co-chairs shall share the chairing role, presiding over all Leadership Team meetings, setting and following agendas, serving as signing authorities and performing other duties as associated with the office. Each will carry out all the required duties of the position in the other’s absence.
5. The Treasurer shall account for and report on the funds, budget and expenditures of the organization and will serve as a signing authority.
6. The Executive Director is the spokesperson for the organization, in work with the media and with government representatives.
7. The Executive Director is responsible for ensuring that meeting minutes from Leadership Team meetings are taken, distributed, and approved by members. The Executive Director is also responsible for maintaining all documentation related to Leadership Team meetings.
8. All documentation is kept for a minimum of 6 years, in accordance with the Canada Revenue Agency guidelines.
IV. Committees
1. The Leadership Team shall appoint standing and ad hoc committees as needed. These committees shall consist of individuals both within and outside of the Leadership Team. Members of ad hoc committees are identified and chosen based on their expertise, experience and knowledge of the issue being explored.
V. Meetings
1. The Annual General Meeting shall be held within three months after the end of the fiscal year of the Society. The following business items are mandatory and are determined to be ordinary business:
• Minutes of the preceding Annual General Meeting
• Consideration of the Annual Report of the Society
• Consideration of the Reviewed Financial Statements of the Society
• Appointment of new Leadership Team Members
2. Regular Leadership Team Meetings shall be held four times a year.
3. The Leadership Team may call any other general meetings as required to support the Society. The nature of business to be discussed shall be communicated to the members by email at least seven days in advance.
4. Leadership Team members shall be provided with at least two weeks email notice of a meeting, specifying the place, date, teleconference details, and time.
5. A Leadership Team member shall be responsible for notifying the Executive Director they are unable to attend a regularly scheduled Leadership Team meeting. They must also assign proxy, via a proxy form, to another Leadership Team member prior to non-attendance. The proxy form is provided by the Executive Director.
6. Leadership Team meeting agendas shall be provided at least seven days in advance.
VI. Voting
1. A majority of Leadership Team members (half plus one) constitutes a quorum.
2. In absence of a quorum, no Leadership Team meeting shall take place, and no action shall be taken. Any informal discussion that occurs at that time by the attending Leadership Team members shall be captured as meeting notes and distributed to the entire Leadership Team.
3. A new date for the Leadership Team meeting shall be set within one week of the meeting where no quorum was achieved.
4. Passage of any motion at a Leadership Team meeting requires a simple majority (half plus one).
VII. Conflict of Interest
1. Any member of the Leadership Team who has a financial, personal, or official interest in, or conflict (or appearance of a conflict) with any matter pending before the Leadership Team, of such nature that it prevents or may prevent that member from acting on the matter in an impartial manner, will offer to the Leadership Team to voluntarily excuse themselves and vacate their seat and refrain from discussion and voting on said item.
VIII. Finances, Accountability and Reporting
1. The fiscal year of the Society shall be from April 1 to March 31.
2. The financial records of the Society will be kept in the custody of the Executive Director at the Injury Free Nova Scotia Office, Box 2344, Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P2N5.
3. Execution of contracts can occur with approval by any two of the Executive Director and officers of the Leadership Team.
IX. Amendments
1. These bylaws shall be amended by a two-third vote of Leadership Team members present at any meeting, provided a quorum is fulfilled and that a copy of the proposed amendment(s) are provided to each Leadership Team member at least one week prior to said meeting.
2. Notwithstanding the identification of an issue resulting in the pursuit of a bylaw amendment, the bylaws shall be revisited by the organization every two years. |
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9786 | Definitely NOT Monica
All Rights Reserved ©
Chapter Eight
Opening the door to the Fairside Community Hall two days later, Jenny checked her watch. 6.45pm. Only fifteen minutes until their meeting was due to start. Walking inside, she made a beeline for her usual seat and took her disinfectant and wipes out of her bag. Once again, Petra was already there, sitting quietly and staring into space.
‘Hi Petra,’ Jenny said, as she started to wipe the seat of her chair.
Petra looked over at her. ‘Hi, um… God, sorry.’
Jenny pointed down at her name badge. ‘Jenny, it’s Jenny.’
‘Sorry Jenny, I’ll get it right next week. My memory’s not the best these days.’ Jenny looked over at her, and Petra looked back defensively. ‘Not from fucking drugs, just a shitty memory is all.’
‘Of course, sure.’ Jenny lowered her eyes quickly, and finished cleaning her chair. Once she was satisfied, she sat down and looked over at Petra again. ‘How have you been?’
‘Oh, life’s a bitch. And then you fucking die.’
Jenny sucked in her cheeks and wondered what to say, when she noticed a twitch at the corner of Petra’s mouth. Petra broke into a smile, which immediately transformed her face into what could easily be described as beautiful. ‘Sorry, doll, it’s been a long week.’
Jenny grinned back at her. ‘That bad, huh?’
‘Try having a fucking husband who threatens to take your children away, and children that say you’re an embarrassment to them.’ Petra sighed heavily.
Jenny turned in her seat towards Petra. ‘Well, try having a bullying twin sister and parents who think you’re a freak show, not to mention all three of them accusing you of becoming a lesbian behind their backs.’
Petra’s eyes widened, and the two of them looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. They were so busy laughing, that they didn’t notice Ellen had walked into the hall.
‘So, what’s all this laughter about then? Did I hear you say you’re a lesbian Jenny? Who’s the lucky girl then?’ Ellen’s eyes shone, as she looked at them both. Petra immediately stopped laughing, and her face became a mask of seriousness once more. Jenny, on the other hand, started giggling.
‘It’s YOU Ellen. You’re the lucky girl!’ Petra and Ellen both stared at her in surprise.
‘When did we become lesbians then?’ Ellen asked with a chuckle, but something in her glance made Jenny acutely aware that sometimes Ellen didn’t actually remember whether she had slept with someone or not. She took a few deep breaths, and swallowed back the last of her laughter.
‘You know how Bridgette came over when we were having coffee last week?’ Ellen nodded at her. ‘Well, at our family dinner on Sunday she announced to mum and dad that you’re my lesbian partner.’
‘She what?’ Ellen said with shock. ’What on Earth made her think that?”
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Jenny shrugged and giggled again, ’something about the way you said we were special friends I guess.’
Petra was looking at them both curiously, and Jenny smiled at her. ’We’re not special friends Petra, we’re just friends. We met for coffee last week. In fact, why don’t you meet us next time too?’ Jenny ignored the panicked expression on Ellen’s face.
‘Yeah, maybe,’ Petra answered.
The three were distracted from their conversation by the sound of the hall doors being swung open. Maddison entered first, trailed by the four men in the group – Phil, Anthony, Grayson and Jonty.
‘Hi ladies, good to see you,’ Maddison smiled at Jenny, Ellen and Petra in turn as she walked past their chairs to get to her own. The men all sat down on their own chairs, and a chorus of ‘hello’ and ‘how are you?’ rang around the circle. The mood was surprisingly upbeat, which was a drastic change from their first meeting a month ago when they’d all looked as if they had been dragged there at gunpoint. Jenny glanced at Petra, who was sitting on the other side of Ellen, and surreptitiously re-examined the scar on her eyebrow. No, surely not. It’s just a scar. It could mean anything. Literally anything. It doesn’t exactly mean her husband’s a gun wielding psycho. But… she does seem to hate him. Jenny looked over her shoulder nervously, as if Petra’s husband was going to burst through the doors at any second and gun them all down.
Across from Jenny, Maddison had wiggled her bottom into position in the old armchair and was checking her watch. Suzanne was, once again, the only one of the group running late. ‘I’m sure Suzanne will be here soon, so we may as well get started. An hour and a half goes quickly, and we don’t want to waste it. How has everyone been? Does anyone want to give us an update?’
There was silence around the circle, and Phil smiled good-naturedly.
‘I don’t mind giving an update. I’ve been out running, and I joined the gym this week.’ The group murmured their approval, and a couple of them gave him a few claps. ‘Not doing sooo great on the, er, feeding-my-face side of things, but the running is obviously working cos I’ve lost a couple of kegs off my butt.’
‘That’s great Phil,’ Ellen said. Looking around the group, she smiled. ‘I’ve been going to the gym too – though maybe not as successfully as Phil. The thing is, my personal trainer, Mario, well he’s extremely good looking.’ Ellen held up her hands, as if to show it wasn’t her fault. ‘I’m thinking of maybe setting a more achievable goal for myself.’
Maddison checked her notes, and looked thoughtful. ‘Your initial goal was to go for one week without having sex. What do you think is more achievable at this point in time Ellen?’
‘Oh, I was thinking, maybe five - no, four - days?’ Ellen looked at Maddison for approval, who nodded back at her. Maddison’s face showed no judgment whatsoever, and Jenny wondered what everyone else was thinking.
‘Anyway, aside from the gym, I went to Jenny’s for coffee last week.’ Everyone in the circle looked at Jenny, who ducked her eyes in embarrassment. ‘It’s the first time I’ve been over to a platonic friend’s house in, well, I don’t even remember the last time I did that. It was nice.’
Maddison looked over at Jenny. ‘That’s great! Jenny, was having someone in your house a first for you as well?’
‘Well, yes, I guess. I mean, my best friend Amber comes over sometimes, and my sister, but I don’t really invite anyone else to my apartment.’ She checked the faces of the group for boredom. Seeing none, she continued, ‘I work from home, so I don’t really meet anyone anyway. But I find it, kind of, stressful having people over. Anyway, Ellen came over and then my twin sister Bridgette arrived. So then a few days later Bridgette told my parents I was a lesbian.’ Oh my God, why did I just say that to the whole group? Did I have to tell them that? Jenny Sullivan - Do. Not. Say. The. C. Word.
Maddison was looking at Jenny and Ellen with concern, while the men in the group were looking more than a little interested. Jenny cringed, and looked at the floor.
‘We’re not having sex, for God’s sake, we just had a bloody coffee and Jenny’s sister got the wrong end of the stick,’ Ellen said to the group. Maddison looked relieved, while the men looked somewhat disappointed. Jenny smiled at Ellen gratefully.
‘Right, moving on,’ Maddison looked at the others in the group. ‘Does anyone else want to give an update on how the past fortnight has been for them?’
A few minutes later, Jonty had informed the group that he had been to see a recruitment company to get some assistance in finding a job but they weren’t very encouraging about his chances, Petra admitted to a trial separation from her husband to “sort myself out”, and Anthony updated the group on the fiasco at work. Anthony was just telling them that his boss had put him on six weeks performance management due to the lost commission of the Ruakiwi Road property, when Suzanne walked through the hall doors.
‘Hello Suzanne,’ Maddison looked at her watch pointedly, ‘it’s good of you to join us.’
Suzanne merely shrugged, and sat down in her chair. Jenny looked at Suzanne’s red knee-high leather boots. She found it hard to fathom how someone with such beautiful shoes could have such an incredibly ugly attitude.
‘Please make sure you get here on time next week, it’s very disruptive to the group having you arrive midway through our conversation.’
‘So sue me,’ Suzanne spat, crossing her arms angrily. The others in the group once again looked at Ellen, who put her hands up in surrender. ‘Sorry guys, as I told you last time, I’m a criminal lawyer. And, anyway, I’m not even allowed to work at the moment.’
Maddison ignored the exchange, and focused her attention on the rest of the group. ‘Does anyone want to put their hand up to tell their own story this week? Once again, we’ll use this as a platform to reflect on both the speaker, and on the group as a whole.’
Jenny looked at the ground. Don’t pick me, don’t pick me. Pleeease don’t pick me. I will be sick. All over the room. I will literally helicopter vomit if you pick me.
Grayson cleared his throat and put his hand up, snapping his fingers. ‘I’ll go next,’ he said. Jenny breathed a sigh of relief.
Maddison and the rest of the group smiled at him – except Suzanne, who had a face like thunder. ‘Thank you Grayson, you can start whenever you’re ready.’
‘Right, so. I’ll get straight to it then. I’ve loved the geegees, er, the horses that is, since I was a little lad. We were townies, but there was a bunch of settled tinkers lived nearby.’ Grayson saw the confusion around the circle. ‘Travellers,’ he explained. No-one was any the wiser. ‘For feck’s sake - gypsies?’ There were a few nods around the circle, Grayson sighed with relief. ’They had a couple of horses, they used to race ‘em late at night on people’s farms.’
Jenny watched in fascination as Grayson told his story, arms flailing about, legs twitching, words pouring out of his face quicker than her brain could compute what he was saying.
‘Me ma and da caught me once, sneaking off to watch them horses race, and I got a right feckin’ hiding. Didn’t stop me watching though, just made me get better at sneaking out. Later on, I got a school holiday job working at a bookies. Would’ve stayed there if me ma hadn’t forced me to go to college. I did accountancy. I know, right? I’m far too interesting to be an accountant.’
The group laughed, and even Suzanne managed a small smile.
‘My da used to work long hours at a steel mill, saving money to pay for my gaff while I was away at college. College fees are free in Ireland, except you have to pay for your own place to stay. Not like here in Noo Zeeland. Bloody extortionate what they charge for uni fees. I know because my Adelaida wants to go back to Uni, get a Diploma in Holistic Nutrition or some other shite. Anyway, one day, I told my da I didn’t need his money anymore, he could keep it, spend it on himself, like. Told him I had a part-time job and could pay my own way. He never asked what it was, and I never said. They probably knew I was gambling, but I had two younger sisters and they were happy to put aside money for them instead. Irish weddings are expensive, ya know?’
Everyone nodded, though no-one had the faintest idea how much an Irish wedding would cost.
‘Anyway, I got my degree and a bunch of winnings in the bank. Seems a few lads took offense to my success, and I got beat up real bad a couple of times.’ Grayson looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘The third or fourth time, I can’t remember which, I ended up in hospital. Some of those lads I won money off, got it in their head I was cheating them.’
Grayson noticed a few eyebrows raised, and anticipated their unspoken question. ‘Nah, I wasn’t cheating them. I was,’ he corrected himself quickly, ’am, real good at betting, reading people. Ya know? So, after the fourth time I got my face busted, me ma was in hysterics and da took me aside and said I should go travelling. Find my own way, like. I went to Australia first, but I’m not much use with all them creepy crawlies they got over there. And don’t get me started on the bleedin’ heat. So I ended up here, in New Zealand. Got myself a good accounting job, found myself a couple of legit betting syndicates, even put money into a racehorse with a couple of mates.’ He shook his head, as if to ward off a painful memory. ‘Bloody donkey that was.’
Jenny was enthralled, and a quick glance at the rest of the group confirmed that everyone else was just as spellbound.
‘So, then I met Adelaida. She’s South American, a beauty therapist. We got married before she ever really noticed my gambling habits. She just thought I had a lot of money, and spent a lot of money. Actually, that’s probably pretty accurate. It wasn’t a problem until Adelaida started going on about having a baby and needing financial security. And not financial security,’ he looked at each of them, ‘to look after the feckin’ baby, right? She wants to be able to afford a tummy tuck and a boob job once she’s finished pushing out sprogs. Seems that’s what they all do over there.’
Jenny blinked in surprise, and noticed Ellen beside her doing the same.
‘I dunno, I suppose it’s something to do with being South American. I want kids, to be sure. But enough to give up the odd bet? I mean, it’s not a problem, not really – we still have money, I’ve still got a job. I don’t really see why I should give it up?’
‘Grayson,’ Maddison was looking at him intently, ‘tell us a bit more about your addiction to gambling, how it affects your life and your relationships.’
’Firstly, I don’t know if I’d call it an addiction.’ He looked over at Maddison, and she raised her eyebrows. Clearly, she was more in the loop about his habits than he had given her credit for or even knew himself.
’Okay, so, I ‘spose the problem is that I think about horses and racing a lot. Maybe even all the time. I guess the first thing I think about in the morning is what races are on that day, the last thing I think about at night is how much money I’ve won or lost. I, um, I even think about racing during, you know, sex.’
‘And sometimes, if I’m honest, I can’t actually eat or sleep until I’ve put a bet on.’ Grayson was starting to talk faster and faster. Jenny was having a hard time trying to follow what he was saying, and a glance around the group confirmed everyone else was having the same difficulty.
‘Sometimes, just one bet isn’t enough. Ya know? I need to put down more money, more bets – it’s kind of like scratching an itch. And when I’m stressed at work, chucking a couple of bets on is the only way I can feckin’ calm down. That’s all it is, really. A stress outlet. If I lose a bit of money one day, I like to get to the bookies first thing the next morning so I can get even again. Those days, course, I have to tell Adelaida I’ve got an early meeting at work.’ Grayson suddenly fell silent and his eyebrows knotted together, as he appeared to think over what he had just said.
‘Ludomania,’ Jonty’s voice, barely above a whisper, cut through the silence. Everyone turned to look at him.
‘Say what?’ Grayson asked.
‘Ludomania,’ Jonty said, looking at the floor as his pale face flamed red, ‘is the urge to continuously gamble despite harmful consequences or, um, a desire to stop.’
Grayson looked at Maddison, who nodded back at him, before he looked around the rest of the group. ‘That’s probably not normal, is it?’
‘I think about eating every minute of every day,’ Phil suddenly declared. ‘Even though I know how bloody unhealthy I am, and all the risks of being this fat.’
Petra nodded at Phil. ‘And I can’t go ten fucking minutes without thinking about my… pain relief, even though I know I might lose my kids every time I take another pill.’
‘We all know what I think about most of the time,’ Ellen said, shrugging her shoulders, ‘and I know all the risks and dangers of sex with strangers.’
Jenny looked around the group, before clearing her throat nervously. ‘I just want to get up and spray all of your hands and bags and clothes with disinfectant. I suppose there aren’t really any negative consequences to doing that, aside from how weird you’d all think I am. Unless you’ve got cuts on your hands because then it might hurt a bit, but I still wish I didn’t have the urge.’
‘And I just want to walk around taking stuff,’ Anthony said, smiling. ‘Not even the good stuff, just useless stuff that I don’t even want. I constantly want to look in all your bags and wallets, and take all of your useless crap.’
Everyone in the group smiled back at Anthony, including Suzanne. Maddison nodded her encouragement, before focusing her attention back on Grayson.
’I think what the group is illustrating, Grayson, is that no-one is ‘normal’, whatever that may be. But when a compulsion starts to dictate your decisions, and threatens your wellbeing or the wellbeing of those around you, or it consumes every waking thought, then it probably is an addiction. And that’s why you’re here in this group.’ Maddison looked around the circle. ‘Perhaps we could all put some thought into alternative activities that Grayson could get involved in - activities that are inconsistent with gambling?’
Grayson suddenly sagged in his chair, as if the wind had been knocked out of him, and the rest of the group fell silent. Anthony put out a hand and clapped him on the shoulder. Man speak for “hang in there mate.”
Grayson smiled, and then quickly patted his jeans dramatically. ‘Phew, for a minute there Anthony lad, I thought you were trying to pick my pockets.’
Everyone laughed, and the tension in the room evaporated as quickly as it had come.
Continue Reading Next Chapter
About Us
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9804 | You are here
NRIs Collaborative Work
The majority of the national, subregional, regional and Youth IGF initiatives collaborate, in order to organize a set of activities for the annual IGF meeting. So far, these activities were focused on the following:
• NRIs Main session
• NRIs Coordination Session
• NRIs Collaborative Sessions
• Work Meetings on different subjects
• Development of several publications in a bottom up consultative process
Preparatory process is organized in accordance with the key IGF principles through regular virtual and onsite meetings. All records are publicly available on the links below:
Контактная информация
United Nations
Secretariat of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9808 | Skip to main content
Matrices and Flash games
By Murray Bourne, 18 Nov 2007
Matrices are useful whenever we need to transform one geometric shape into something else.
This excellent tutorial from has some good example Flash files showing how the Flash matrix transform matrix works:
Understanding the Transformation Matrix in Flash 8
The tutorial includes matrix multiplication and the inverse of a matrix and has some applications at the end. Here's a screen shot from the tutorial:
matrix transformation
Matrices are also useful for telling robots what to do (the transformations in this case are in 3D).
See the 2 Comments below.
2 Comments on “Matrices and Flash games”
1. Krishna Kumar says:
How to embed these games in PHP website? I want to embed in wordpress site.
2. Murray says:
@Krishna: Nobody is doing development in Flash any more, since it does not work on mobile devices. it would be better to use something like JSXGraph.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9809 | Skip to main content
Proof that nothing is everything
By Murray Bourne, 06 Mar 2007
Here's a great little proof that 0 = infinity:
zero = infinity proof
Image source: Photobucket [no longer available]
Can you spot the flaws in logic?
Actually, this also raises issues about the notation we use in mathematics, and how easy it is (jokes aside) for students to be easily confused by poor notation.
See also: Towards more meaningful math notation, where I expand on this difficulty.
See the 6 Comments below.
6 Comments on “Proof that nothing is everything”
1. MathNerd says:
I actually get it!
Clever proof.
2. Nothing is everything « Let’s play math! says:
[...] in Algebra & beyond, Mathematics at 11:59 am by Denise Does this proof at squareCircleZ blog mean that, if I get nothing done today, I can cross off everything on my [...]
3. Guy says:
cute 🙂
4. Aaron says:
I have better... If light has no mass, which can actually be tested, & you take the force equation and apply the mass of light. F=0a Then 0=00 and therefore 0??
This explains darkness as well, when viewing the darkness in the night sky, one is seeing polarization of the suns light, it's light rear end that gives us darkness, which is also testable in shadow.
5. Anonomys says:
well i mean it is very complicated as you can see. I am doing a math project and i have to choose one specific topic to do my research paper on and like it is so amazing. Its like a huge astonishment
6. Melvin Goldstein says:
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(This is standard simple LaTeX.)
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9826 | Programming Assignment : GraphicsTown
This assignment will be part of a larger GraphicsTown “Project”
Due: Tuesday April 10th.
Synopsis: You will extend the Graphics Town Framework, replacing the boring demo objects with more interesting objects, and adding good lighting.
Learning Objectives: You will get experience implementing (and designing) lighting, and in designing and implementing graphical objects.
Evaluation: We will check that you have made interesting objects, and that you have successfully implemented a complete lighting model including specular and diffuse shading. We will check that you have replaced the demo objects with things that are more interesting, but you still have some things moving. Completing the basic requirements will grant you a satisfactory grade; implementing extras will allow you to compete for even higher grades.
Handin: Submit through the Canvas system (link coming soon)
For this assignment, you need to start working with the Graphics Town framework, and replace the initial demonstration objects with new objects.
You must implement lighting on your objects. Somewhere in your scene, we need to be able to see both diffuse and specular shading effects (although, not every object has to be shiny). Your lighting must properly respond to the sun light direction in the Graphics Town framework. But of course, you can add other lights and make things fancier. (have street lights at night? a glowing volcano that lights everything up? a helicopter with a search light?)
Remember, Graphics Town cannot be dead. You must have objects moving. Preferably something more interesting that spinning cubes. Make cars drive around, helicopters or spaceships that fly around, birds or people or … Or all of the above. It’s your town. Make it cool.
Over the whole project, you’ll have a few weeks. So we understand that for this phase, things won’t be that exciting yet.
Getting Started
Make sure you can download and run the framework. Then, invest some time in understanding it.
Your first task is to understand the framework. Look at grobject.js, which documents how objects work. Look at the example objects to see what you have to do. Understand why the shaders have to go into the HTML file (although, we’re working on fixing that). Get a sense of what the framework does and doesn’t allow.
Then make an object. Start simple. Maybe just a cube. First write a simple shader (solid yellow?) to make sure you understand how to add shaders. Write a shader to get the lighting right. Then try a slightly more complicated object. Like a house.
It is good to be ambitious. But it is also good to start small. Get simple things to work first.
Defining motions procedurally is a bit of a trick. (see helicopter below) One one hand, there’s no magic: think of what you want things to do, and then define a function that does it. But even with this, start simple and add complexity. Unfortunately, since we haven’t learned about curves in class, you may be a little limited. So, for example, you might start by having a helicopter fly in a circle (of course, it’s rotors spin as well). Then try something harder: have it pick a random place to fly to, turn to face that direction, then fly in that direction until it gets to the goal (and once it’s there, pick a new goal). Think about how to use the time to define movements: this can be tricky. One strategy: remember the amount of time since the last draw, and then move the object the appropriate amount for that amount of time. (your objects should not move if time is stopped)
There is a “texturedplane” object. You are free to take a look, but keep in mind that textures will not be required this time around (they will be, next week)
We have added a helicopter that has a more complex behavior than just spinning around. It flies between valid landing sites (including one of the cubes). You can look at this behavior code to get an idea of how to make more complex behaviors. (this qualifies as reasonably complex). If you want to keep the helicopter, you can – you just have to improve its appearance (ideas below). You can improve the flying around behavior as well, but that’s optional. (you can also just remove the helicopter). The helicopter uses indexed face sets, and the twgl drawing commands – which can be convenient for making your own objects.
After getting started, you are required to…
1. Replace the default objects (cube, simplest, and textured plane) – you can keep groundplane if you like. You don’t have to remove the files, but don’t load them in the HTML.
2. You must have at least 3 different kinds of objects in your world (the example has this: cubes, the simple pyramid and the textured plane).
3. Your objects must demonstrate lighting that is properly affected by the sun direction (and possibly other things). Your lighting must clearly have diffuse and specular (although not necessarily in the same place).
4. Something must be moving. Hopefully more than just spinning around.
5. If you want to keep the helicopter, you must improve how it’s drawn. At a minimum: 1) you must make the rotor spin (correctly, even as the helicopter turns), 2) must improve its shape, 3) must add at least another rotor to it, 4) update its shader so it doesn’t get magically lit from the bottom, and isn’t a block of solid color. The helicopter is there to show you about making behaviors, and to give you an example of indexed face sets in twgl. If you keep it, you must make it look nicer.
6. Your program must be self-contained so we can run it directly by opening your submitted .zip file. It’s ok to rely on an internet connection (e.g. to load up textures from image hosting services), but make sure to check everything before you turn it in. It might be a good idea to explain, in your readme file, any file dependencies on stuff your code loads from the web. Check it. Make sure you didn’t forget any files.
Some optional things…
1. If you keep the helicopter, you don’t have to worry about improving it’s behavior – but you can.
2. For P7 don’t worry about textures – they will come next week.
3. If you want to add a fancy model, you’ll want to have it’s geometry stored in a file. You’ll want an object loader (post coming soon). But… make at least some of your objects yourself (once you have an object loader, you’ll probably want to find objects on the web).
Planning Ahead
This is just the first phase. Over the next weeks, you’ll add more things: Week 2 is texture (you can either add new objects that have texture, or texture the existing ones). Week 3 is fancier effects (you’ll learn some tricks in class, like fancy shading and ways to fake water and snow and rain and fire). Week 4 will incorporate motion motion effects.
You might want to think about where you want to get to in 3-4 weeks. If you want to make a desert island, you might not want to make skyscrapers in week 1, since you’ll just want to throw them away.
E-mail: [email protected] 微信:itcsdx |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9835 | Lindsay Siviter’s Jack the Ripper Tour Quiz
If you’ve taken the Jack the Ripper walk with Lindsay Siviter, why not attempt her quiz and see how many of the fascinating facts you can remember?
Lindsay Siviter’s Jack the Ripper quiz consists of ten questions – which require either multi point answers or true or false answers – all of which are related to the information and the facts that you will have heard on her walking tour around the various Whitechapel Murders scenes.
Tour guide Lindsay Siviter holding the Mitre Passage sign.
Lindsay Siviter
The quiz is intended as a little light hearted fun that we’ve added to the tour as an addition, since one of the most common questions we get asked at the start of the walk is “is there a test at the end?”
Now, we can answer, in all sincerity, “yes”!
Lindsay has compiled 10 easy to answer questions for you to ponder.
You will have heard, or even seen, the answer to each question as you made your way round the tour route so, in that respect, it shouldn’t prove too difficult to answer each and every one of them.
If you took the tour with friends or family, why don’t you challenge each other to see who can answer the most questions correctly and discover which of you is the undisputed Jack the Ripper quiz champion?
On completing the quiz your score will be given to you instantly, along with the questions you got right and the questions which, perish the thought, you may have got wrong!
You’ll then be awarded a certificate from our Department of Ripperology, detailing your score for posterity, which you can then use to taunt your fellow walkers – if, that is, you got a higher score than them.
To begin the quiz, simply enter your name in the boxes below. Your name will only be used for your certificate at the end of the quiz, so you can, if you so desire, enter an alias.
So, if you are ready, the clock is ticking, let the challenge begin.
Good luck! |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9836 | • Header6 Word Bubbles
The beauty at Adawehi Wellness Village
You are here: The Heart’s Journey Blog / Word Bubbles
Word Bubbles
by Jackie Woods
There is a game on Luminosity called “Word Bubbles.” It gives you two or three letters from which you are to make up words as fast as you can. You get points for speed and number of words. Plus, extra points are given for complex words. All this takes place as the clock ticks. It is the ticking clock that causes my shoulders to tense. If I had all the time in the world, I am sure words would bubble up from me with no effort. But as the time gets closer to the end, my mind seems to slow down, and my anxiety level increases.
Seriously, what difference does it make whether I go slow or go fast, or whether I spell lots of words or just a few? Yes, it is just a game, but it is a game I am playing to benefit me. And since the game is for improving my mental recall, the game should have a relaxing effect instead of a tensing one. So why the tense shoulders as the clock shouts out that the end is near? I forget that the outside measure means nothing. What appears to be an outside evaluation of my mind’s ability is really just the Luminosity folks version of my success. It has nothing to do with the real success of my mental progress.
Life is very much like the game of “Word Bubbles.” Your life is for the purpose of evolving your essence. It is for your benefit. Outside measures don’t count unless you allow their evaluations to have credibility. The outside may provide you with tools for faster evolution of the inner you, but outside opinions should not make your shoulders tense, your mind hand over your evaluation sheet, nor your emotions to become anxious. The pressure most people allow to be put on them by an outside source is just downright stupid.
So let me repeat. You are the owner and manager in the game of life. It is your life’s game, put in place to serve you in fulfilling your potential. Remembering that allows you the right to keep your own score card. It allows you to ignore the ticking clock, the score others give you, and your internal need to win. So relax and enjoy learning from whatever opportunities your game of life offers. Watch the progress of your light expanding and enjoy the process.
Would you like support in evolving your essence?
These selected recordings by Jackie will help.
PowerRealChoice.sm_ Word Bubbles
HarmonyStress.sm_ Word Bubbles
RediscoverYourDivinity.sm_ Word Bubbles |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9839 | Tré Burt Announces ‘Caught It From The Rye’ Album & Shares Single
Singer-songwriter Tre Burt announced his debut album, Caught It From The Rye, and shared the title track, which came with an accompanying video. The new album arrives on January 31 via John Prine’s Oh Boy Records.
Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Burt came to Prine’s attention via Oh Boy Records’ Jody Whelan. It’s worth noting that Prine has only signed two artists to Oh Boy in the past 15 years, with Burt being one of them. The singer-songwriter spoke about the song, “Caught It From The Rye,” in a statement:
The songs of mine I find most interesting to play are the ones I can’t remember writing. Caught It From The Rye is one of those songs. I remember where I was though, and the conditions of that particular time. I was living out of a broken-down car during a warm summer in Portland, OR. I spent a lot of time hanging out in the forest brushes in Washington Park with my guitar. I had just found a fresh box of cigarettes someone must’ve dropped and was feeling pretty lucky all things considered. I sat down at the base of a tree and when I looked up I saw an unmistakable shape of a butterfly made by a break in the leaves and branches against the blue of the sky. The sun shot down on my lap. When I looked back down at my notebook I wrote the first line,”The sky then opened up and from it came a light”. After that, all I remember is rocking back and forth in the dirt in a state of hypnosis.
Check out the video below:
Caught It From The Rye Tracklist:
1. What Good
2. Caught It From The Rye
3. Undead God Of War
4. Franklin’s Tunnel
5. Only Sorrow Remains
6. Real You
7. Moth’s Crossing
8. Get It By Now Blues
9. Last Hurrah
Tour Dates for Tre Burt |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9846 | Thursday, February 18, 2010
Pain and agony
Our church joins with another local church to produce a lenten devotional—different people reflect on different passages and then all the reflections are published together, each one prefaced by its scripture.
I mentioned before that I had been asked to write one of the devotionals for that packet. I tweeted that it was killing me. I may have tweeted that more than once.
Seriously, writing the little 300-350 word reflection was pure agony. I spent hours on it, and I have four word documents to prove it. I was a mess. I first wrote too expansively, then I wrote too narrowly, and then I realized that I had no idea what the scripture meant anyway. I called my friend and forced her to argue out the passage with me. I went on a walk with my sister-in-law and we talked it out from different angles. I called my mother, repeatedly.
My mother, the Cut-n-Slash Queen, and I struck a deal: she would not look at anything written until the devotional was completed, at which point she would just do a quick edit. That way she wouldn’t get all caught up in my ever-shifting verbosity. Even without any written words between us, our phone conversations were painful. She would, more likely than not, strip my carefully constructed ideas down to nothingness, except, maybe, for one little idea that she thought might have potential. “Write about that,” she’d say. “You might have something there.”
I talked about my failed attempts at service. I talked about how the most effective service springs from my desires and interests. I questioned the basics—like whether or not there is any point in helping poor people at all. I talked about love feasts versus fasting and sweet rolls versus brown bread. I talked about Zoloft, foster kids, relief kits, my mild eating disorder, and my Fabric Phobia. I started to wonder if I was missing Isaiah’s point all together.
And it was then that my idea was born: I would write a letter to Isaiah and ask him my questions! Who said I had to have the answers, anyway?
I’m including the letter here. If you want, you can pretend you’re Isaiah and answer my questions yourself. I would enjoy that. (For background, read Isaiah 58:1-12.)
Dear Isaiah,
With all due respect, this scripture doesn’t make much sense to me. I’ve never dressed in sackcloth, I hate fasting, and praying out loud just isn’t my style. Despite the occasional well-planned good deed, I consider myself to be rather selfish. I help other people because I want them to appreciate me.
Just this past December I made dinner for a local homeless shelter. It was to be our Family Christmas Present For Jesus. My kids helped plan the menu and came along to the shelter to cut the cake and wash the dishes, but I did most of the grunt work. Despite the stress and messy kitchen, I had fun. I even got a little giddy watching the guests scarf down my food.
Now according to you, our little feed-the-poor event was true worship, but I don’t know about that. I had ulterior motives: I wanted to introduce my children to another sector of our community, and cooking is something that energizes me. And guess what? I got my ego stroked and felt rather proud of myself (in a humble sort of way).
I’m wondering, Isaiah. In some circumstances, might our good deeds become false worship? Or does the fact that we are helping others negate such wickedness?
And one more thing: are you saying that community service counts more than one’s everyday moil and toil? If so, I’m in serious trouble because most of my life revolves around hanging up the laundry, teaching my children how to put their shoes away, and resolving innumerable spats with my husband. Isn’t every part of life supposed to be worship?
So anyway, Isaiah, I’m not sure I catch your drift. But I do know that cooking that dinner was such a blast that I just might have to do it again sometime soon.
1. Well done and said. I mean, asked.
I'm going to need to get may hands on one of those devotionals this year- I always appreciate them.
2. I like how you answered a question with a question... those are the best kind of answers!
1) I just googled Zoloft... and treats OCD...who knew? But I kinda like having OCD... after all we all have our quirks.
2) What's the deal with your fabric phobia? (have you ever worn smart wool?)
3) I don't think there is any harm in finding "joy" out of helping others... If we felt we HAD TO HELP OTHERS... it wouldn't be as much fun as WANTING to help others...
What is a Blondie? (twitter)
3. Giving altruistically via what brings you joy and happiness -- preparing food and loving it--- fed both body and soul of those who recieved -- they gave back to you by enjoying every morsel of food, nourishing your soul.
expressions of gratitude and gratefullness went both ways -- worship doesn't get any better than that! what a tremendous example for children - who learn so much thru life experiences.
4. Holy Cannoli... whoever anonymous is hit the nail on the head! Wow... I like it!
...wait a second... I bet that was your Mom... It's worded perfectly. Ha Ha Ha
6. Mavis,
a. I HATE sewing. It makes me want to curl up in a fetal position and suck my thumb.
b. Blondies are brownies without the chocolate. They're wicked.
c. No, that wasn't my mother, but whoever it was makes a good point.
7. Dear Jennifer,
You're doing a wonderful job
We're all very proud of you, keep up the good work
Love, Isaiah |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9855 | << Chapter < Page Chapter >> Page >
Cornucopian theory
Of course, some theories are less focused on the pessimistic hypothesis that the world’s population will meet a detrimental challenge to sustaining itself. Cornucopian theory scoffs at the idea of humans wiping themselves out; it asserts that human ingenuity can resolve any environmental or social issues that develop. As an example, it points to the issue of food supply. If we need more food, the theory contends, agricultural scientists will figure out how to grow it, as they have already been doing for centuries. After all, in this perspective, human ingenuity has been up to the task for thousands of years and there is no reason for that pattern not to continue (Simon 1981).
Demographic transition theory
Whether you believe that we are headed for environmental disaster and the end of human existence as we know it, or you think people will always adapt to changing circumstances, there are clear patterns that can be seen in population growth. Societies develop along a predictable continuum as they evolve from unindustrialized to postindustrial. Demographic transition theory (Caldwell and Caldwell 2006) suggests that future population growth will develop along a predictable four-stage model.
In Stage 1, birth, death, and infant mortality rates are all high, while life expectancy is short. An example of this stage is 1800s America. As countries begin to industrialize, they enter Stage 2, where birthrates are higher while infant mortality and the death rates drop. Life expectancy also increases. Afghanistan is currently in this stage. Stage 3 occurs once a society is thoroughly industrialized; birthrates decline, while life expectancy continues to increase. Death rates continue to decrease. Mexico’s population is at this stage. In the final phase, Stage 4, we see the postindustrial era of a society. Birth and death rates are low, people are healthier and live longer, and society enters a phase of population stability. Overall population may even decline. Sweden and the United States are considered Stage 4.
As mentioned earlier, the earth’s population is seven billion. That number might not seem particularly jarring on its own; after all, we all know there are lots of people around. But consider the fact that human population grew very slowly for most of our existence, then doubled in the span of half a century to reach six billion in 1999. And now, just over ten years later, we have added another billion. A look at the graph of projected population indicates that growth is not only going to continue, but it will continue at a rapid rate.
The United Nations Population Fund (2008) categorizes nations as high fertility, intermediate fertility, or low fertility. They anticipate the population growth to triple between 2011 and 2100 in high-fertility countries, which are currently concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. For countries with intermediate fertility rates (the U.S., India, and Mexico all fall into this category), growth is expected to be about 26 percent. And low-fertility countries like China, Australia, and most of Europe will actually see population declines of approximately 20 percent. The graphs below illustrate this trend.
Questions & Answers
what is the stm
Brian Reply
How we are making nano material?
what is a peer
What is meant by 'nano scale'?
What is STMs full form?
scanning tunneling microscope
how nano science is used for hydrophobicity
what is differents between GO and RGO?
what is Nano technology ?
Bob Reply
write examples of Nano molecule?
The nanotechnology is as new science, to scale nanometric
Is there any normative that regulates the use of silver nanoparticles?
Damian Reply
what king of growth are you checking .?
Stoney Reply
why we need to study biomolecules, molecular biology in nanotechnology?
Adin Reply
what school?
biomolecules are e building blocks of every organics and inorganic materials.
anyone know any internet site where one can find nanotechnology papers?
Damian Reply
sciencedirect big data base
Introduction about quantum dots in nanotechnology
Praveena Reply
what does nano mean?
Anassong Reply
Damian Reply
absolutely yes
Akash Reply
characteristics of micro business
for teaching engĺish at school how nano technology help us
How can I make nanorobot?
Do somebody tell me a best nano engineering book for beginners?
s. Reply
how can I make nanorobot?
what is fullerene does it is used to make bukky balls
Devang Reply
are you nano engineer ?
what is the actual application of fullerenes nowadays?
Karamat Reply
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9858 | John W. Tumelty Logo
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View More Criminal Defense ResultsView More DWI Defense Results Free Consultation
Public Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct Charges: What You Need to Know
There are many different types of crimes with which you can be charged ranging from infractions to misdemeanors to felonies. Disorderly conduct is one of the most commonly assessed crimes in New Jersey. This is a crime that involves some level of disruptive or offensive public activity. Alcohol is often involved in carrying out many crimes classified as disorderly conduct.
Disorderly conduct enables officers to arrest those individuals engaged in public behavior that is so offensive or disruptive that it interferes with another person’s enjoyment or use of public spaces. This is often because the offender is accused of using drugs or alcohol.
Disorderly conduct, however, does not always require that alcohol or drugs are present or involved. Any type of disruptive conduct, such as disturbing the peace, fighting, loitering or being too noisy could all be classified as disorderly conduct. Public intoxication is another commonly assessed crime. It is a crime to be intoxicated in public and law officers do maintain discretion to detain people who are intoxicated to a detrimental level. This may be used to bring the person into a local jail cell and allow them to sleep it off.
The primary purpose of public intoxication laws is to enhance the safety of a person who is intoxicated.
Usually, these are almost always charged with a misdemeanor and can be punished with alcohol education programs, fines, community service, probation and jail sentencing usually less than one year. However, you should always consult directly with your experienced criminal defense attorney to figure out what applies in your case.
You need a fighter on your side if accused of a crime- talk to the Law Offices of John W. Tumelty today to protect your rights at 609-345-3300 or via our online contact form.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9867 | 7 Best Linux Distributions for Multimedia Enthusiasts
Ubuntu Studio
Get Ubuntu Studio HERE
Get GeeXboX HERE
Get ArtistX HERE
Get dyne:bolic HERE
Get Musix HERE
64 Studio
Get 64 Studio HERE
StartCom MultiMedia Edition
Get StartCom MultiMedia Edition HERE
1. I'm a professional graphic designer and Ubuntu Studio works best for me. It's really hassle free to use as it has all the necessary tools that I want. I don't know if those other distros mentioned here are as complete as Ubuntu Studio when it comes to graphics editing software.
2. Actually Sabayon is the best, these are all barely sufficient, sabayon x86_64 is killin any of these distros with lives, avidemux, or just down and dirty with mencoder. All audio/video codecs are already there, along with everything else you need being available as a binary without need for compiling if you wish to use equo for a program instead of emerge.
3. Ubuntu like totally rocks dude. Really good stuff and easy to use.
4. I set up Ubuntu Studio for my daughter, connected an old Evolution MK-149 midi keyboard via a SB Live! sound card. I was gobsmacked when we fired up Rosegarden and pressed a key on the MK-149 and it played. It took a bit of playing about to get it to use the hardware midi chip and load sound fonts, but nothing difficult.
great stuff
ps the keybord is Win98 vintage and only worked marginally under XP.
5. You missed Dreamlinux! It has graphics software, audio-video software and plays just about every format of multimedia files.
6. None of the above is competent enough to produce music at acceptable levels. The Linux community has too many recorder and editor software, but no piece that has at least amateur level sound generators and samples. i've struggled too long to replace FL Studio but there's no Linux software that can even approach that level. Sorry!
7. AnonymousMay 20, 2010
love ubuntu, but not so good with sites like youtube or hulu
8. Thanks this is really helpful infomation for a beginner's point of view!!
9. Never seen Kxstudio in there. You can install the repos and make any of the buntus just like kx, but kx does all that and more for you. Like a nice kernel and jack working out of the box.
10. ??! Yes, help-full indeed!
I'm only missing the comparison between those distro's, so I don't know what to do.
dyne:bolic says to be shaped for media-activists. But maybe another distro does these things as good + more features; I don't know?
11. I'd love to see a 2013 updated list to this. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9886 | jsonp({"type":"FeatureCollection", "features":[ { "type":"Feature", "geometry": { "type":"Point", "coordinates":[-79.816700,-6.833330] }, "properties": { "markerid":"63", "markername":"Callanca", "basemap":"osm_mapnik", "lat":"-6.833330", "lon":"-79.816700", "icon":"", "iconUrl":"https://www.keteka.com/wp-content/plugins/leaflet-maps-marker/leaflet-dist/images/marker.png", "address":"Callanca", "text":"Peru, Lambayeque, Chiclayo
Among locals, Callanca is famous for its food – over 2,000 people show up on weekends in the summertime (December-March) to have a large, late lunch with the family. Several of Callanca’s 18 outdoor restaurants are large enough to accommodate a dance floor and late lunch typically transitions into an evening dance party. Callanca restaurants are particularly famous for duck, goat, ceviche, and home-fermented juices and alcohols made from corn and grape (and up to 20 other flavors). If you are in Chiclayo or anywhere else in Lambayeque on a weekend, we insist that you visit for Callanca at least for lunch, if not for a full day of hiking, farm visits, and eating. Also, Callanca is always at least sunny all afternoon, if not all day.", "zoom":"8", "openpopup":"1", "mapwidth":"640", "mapwidthunit":"px", "mapheight":"480", "marker-createdby":"fischlj", "marker-createdon":"2013-08-20 21:55:26", "marker-updatedby":"fischlj", "marker-updatedon":"2013-08-23 18:51:09", "layerid":"11", "layername":"Peru", "layer-createdby":"admin", "layer-createdon":"2013-03-22 01:49:51", "layer-updatedby":"fischlj", "layer-updatedon":"2013-08-23 17:09:32", "controlbox":"1", "overlays_custom":"0", "overlays_custom2":"0", "overlays_custom3":"0", "overlays_custom4":"0", "wms":"0", "wms2":"0", "wms3":"0", "wms4":"0", "wms5":"0", "wms6":"0", "wms7":"0", "wms8":"0", "wms9":"0", "wms10":"0", "kml_timestamp":"" }}]}); |
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Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil Herbal Concentrate
A calmative, non-comedogenic facial oil for all skin types, including problem skin.
Total: £38.00
30 ml
Midnight Recovery Concentrate
The UK’s #1 Luxury Anti-Ageing Facial Oil*
Total: From £38.00
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9898 | New Favicon
March 14, 2010 by Noah
After moving this website from to, I never got around to making a new favicon.ico for it (the icon for can be seen as the emblem on my tutorials page).
The new icon in 962, 482, 322, and 162 sizes:
96x96 48x48 32x32 16x16
(These are PNG images with alpha channels, if you're using a lame browser like IE 6 that can't show them correctly, then... I pity you. Catch up with the rest of us in 2010 and use a real browser.)
It's an emblem I made up at least 7 years ago, it's a composite of the letters "CjK", as in my Internet alias, "Casey James Kirsle."
Speaking of favicons, I created the icon using a command-line tool in Linux called icotool. In Fedora it was provided by the icoutils package from the fedora yum repository.
# create (-c) favicon.ico (-o) from source PNGs cjk-16.png and cjk-32.png
$ icotool -c -o favicon.ico cjk-16.png cjk-32.png
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9920 | Fax transmission is one of how businesses send information. It is a relatively old way of companies sending information. Despite the fact that they are under threat because of the electronic communication, many companies still have fax machines which they still use to send a fax.
Although many companies prefer email communication, the fax transmission is still a favorite method in which the organizations send information. With the Faxzee fax service, you will be able to safely and confidentially send and receive your messages. This read looks at the benefits of fax transmissions.
fax machineOne of the benefits of the fax transmissions is that they are reliable. To send fax all that you need is a recipient fax number and the fax machine. When a fax is sent, it is certain that the recipient will be able to receive it and even print it.
This is unlike the email communication which can be infected by some viruses, or the recipient might not have the right software to open it. The fax machines are also not prone to virus attacks like the computers. When a fax is sent to the right number, then you are assured that the message will immediately be received.
Sending messages through fax is not only fast but convenient as well. When a fax is sent, it is instantly received by the recipient. Sending emails are equally fast although it may take slightly more time especially if a large attachment is being sent.
Downloading and uploading of large files usually take a lot of time. With a fax machine, you can scan a physical document, upload it and send it immediately to the recipient.
Since fax machines have been used in the offices for many years most of the people that are tasked with the sending and receiving the messages are conversant with them. They are easy to use which means that you do not need to retrain or train staff on how to use them. They are easy to operate which make them a favorite for many people.
copy machineSending messages via email is not safe because hackers can easily hack the servers and access the information. This is however not the case when you send a fax. Chances of confidential messages being intercepted when you send fax are minimal.
What you need to do is to secure the office or rather the location from which the fax machine is kept. Also, there is no risk of receiving of receiving viruses on your system like is the case when you receive email.
Categories: Faxing Tags: , , , |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9925 | Focus on...
Wrinkles: caused by skin ageing, treated with specific active ingredients
A major concern for women, wrinkles are one of the signs of ageing. Understanding the different processes involved in their appearance helps to better target the most suitable anti-ageing and anti-wrinkle creams.
Wrinkles: a biological indication of skin ageing
As it ages, the skin changes, it loses its natural hydration and its fundamental substance degenerates. Due to a lack of hydration and nutrients, collagen production decreases. This support tissue of the skin weakens, losing tone and firmness. Cohesion between the dermis and the epidermis becomes less strong. Depressions form on the skin’s surface: these are wrinklesWrinkles are one of the first visible signs of the skin’s ageing, and mainly occur on the face. There are two categories:
• Expression lines located on the forehead and between the eyebrows, at the nasolabial folds and the corners of the mouth.
• Weakening folds linked to sagging of the skin, loss of skin tone and firmness. These are responsible for altering face shape, creating bags under the eyes, jowls and a double chin.
The mechanisms that produce wrinkles
Three mechanisms produce wrinkles:
• The action of the muscles: the skin is constantly worked by the movements of the underlying muscles. These micro-contractions promote the formation of lines between which the skin becomes taut, stretches and finally creases.
• Modification of the dermal constituents: intrinsic and photoinduced ageing lead to a flattening of the junction between the dermis and the epidermis.
• Modification of the skin’s relief: with age, the lines that tauten the skin distend and slowly hollow out. This phenomenon speeds up after the age of 60.
Specific active ingredients to treat wrinkles
While wrinkles can never be made to completely disappear, cosmetics can be used to repress certain mechanisms and prevent others.The main active ingredients used in anti-ageing and anti-wrinkle products are antioxidants, pro-collagen substances (vitamin C, etc.), moisturising agents that lock in water (hyaluronic acid, etc.), and depigmenting agents.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9931 | Enroll means to become covered for benefits under a group health plan (that is, when coverage becomes effective), without regard to when the individual may have completed or filed any forms that are required in order to become covered under the plan. For this purpose, an individual who has health coverage under a group health plan is enrolled in the plan regardless of whether the individual elects coverage, the individual is a dependent who becomes covered as a result of an election by a participant, or the individual becomes covered without an election.
29 CFR § 2590.701-2
Scoping language
Is this correct? or |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9965 |
lirik lagu ’03 steve harvey (remix) – fly anakin & koncept jack$on
[intro: (fly anakin)]
(word word word word word word yo aye yo)
aye tropes what up (yo yo yo yo yo)
yo yo, yo…
[verse 1: fly anakin]
it’s a shift like the rhythm of naked women, (aye) tour the atlas with the set gaining riches (aye)
street scriptures, velour rugs in kitchens (aye)
i’m bad business, the bad man with the plan
toting a lighter with the world in my hand
the game plan was to rack up the money and take ya fans
i’m a thief in the night we taking flights to carribeans seasoned
looking lovely for cambodian reasons
pull the wool over eyes inject the serum
the lifestyle i chose got these b-tches sitting near em
it’s the game that we in
excludin’ friends commence to counting these ends
velvet rugs in my cypher n-ggas playing pretend
i been real since pro keds spanish b-tch in my bed
pull out the shirley like its 03 the phantom is dead
the team live bet it f-ck with ya pride, the overseers ain’t believe us
now they stuck in the tide but who am i
[verse 2: koncept jack$on]
sittin’ inspired with my n-gga craftin’ a vision
max decisions over m-ssivist from the mistress
paraphernalia stayin’ stashed by a henchman
he set his cash said we’re splittin’ that and we’re missin’
f-ck cancer i’ll be d-mned are we lifted
been in the cut wit a club dancer
that tucks pampered
she f-cked ’cause she in love with the stanzas
the plug showin’ love with the bud and xans for self fam
we been legit comin’ with the mail man
waitin’ on a package like mr. smith
nervous it was to suppose to hit the ritz might light the 5th and miss the 6th
getaway location at the ritz sh-ts risky
my n-gga laid rotation with the shatter sh-t crispy
waves 360
the 2003 steve harvey hairline switch airlines
flee the panama for jail time
never spare swine
turn my water into red wine sinnin’
we disregarding your religion
yo i ain’t tryna get locked let’s do this with precision
and be successful trade bezels and the women
yeah… yeah
[verse 3: nickelus f]
i been in grind mode
i ball a quarter pound of weed with my eyes closed
i been eatin’ good petey got a little size on
hostile in cow zones
surfin’ the styrofoam
if i ever need help hmm… i got n-ggas to dial on
i don’t care if the manner can’t n-ggas get styled on
get my high 5s and slide out like a tri bone
i’m the black michael dougl-ss
a fire of b-tters my basic instinct
b-ssy -ss-ssin fatal attraction
the benjis… simply
n-ggas can’t get with me
’cause you don’t wanna have me mask up
raise the arm and climb over ya fen cing
these n-ggas ain’t like me
that’s why these n-ggas don’t like me
they hate outright ’cause they can’t outright me
shiesty my shoulder icy how i like my hi-c
pockets fat like how i like my wifey
like tree, i’m what you get when you mix bruce with spike lee
big in punches
open up your chest like your heart wanted to sight see
i’m eatin’ n-ggas lunches… petey |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9966 | You ARE Everything and EVERYTHING is YOU!
On my early walk, I noticed this little creature struggling in the road. As I reached down to pick it up, it recoiled. It had no idea who or what this giant thing was touching it and trying to scoop it up into its palm.
As I observed the worm, I saw myself.
Once I was just as lost as this little guy who had somehow been cast out into oncoming traffic. Once, I had lost my way and I did not know left from right or up from down. I was confused, panic-filled, and lived with impending doom.
Like most of us, sometimes we need a helping hand to help us find our way back home.
This tiny creature is an aspect of infinite intelligence, just like you and me. It has a right to live an abundant, safe, cozy life just like the rest of us. I helped this little creature find its way back home and to the safety of the cool grass because I know everything that is--is a reflection of some aspect of myself.
What we do for ONE--we do for all and that includes...
Click to Continue Reading...
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Linux on Chrome OS
Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 8:24 pm
by fadedwave
I've just purchased a Chromebook, which I understand now is capable of running Linux apps ( ... g-forward/)
I'm running Scrivener for Windows on my desktop PC, but the Chromebook is going to be my portable 2nd computer going forward.
What would I need to do to get up and running with the Linux version of Scrivener on a Chromebook? Will it sync with the Windows version (I'm running the latest beta of Scrivener 3 at the moment)?
Or am I better off using Chrome Remote Desktop to log into my Windows PC?
Re: Linux on Chrome OS
Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 1:31 am
by devinganger
The last "official" version of Scrivener for Linux is very old and does not even directly sync with the current release version of Scrivener for Windows (, if I remember correctly, let alone with the beta.
You are probably better off with remote desktop at this time, unless your Chrome OS device runs Wine. There seems to be a lively community of hardy souls who are running the beta under Wine.
Re: Linux on Chrome OS
Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2019 7:25 am
by theswede
As Devin mentions, the Linux version will not sync with the current version of Scrivener on Windows, MacOS or iOS. You can write on the Linux version and open it in the current version, but not the other way around.
To get the Linux version running on your Chromebook, provided the Chromebook is x86 and capable of running Linux applications, your best bet is the AppImage which has graciously been made available by a third party, apparently with L&L's blessing.
Note that using this will require some basic understanding of how to use Linux, and is not fully plug and play. It's not like running an installer. But once it's setup it works extremely reliably.
Re: Linux on Chrome OS
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2019 11:44 pm
by HeywoodFloyd
I have just installed the unsupported Linux Scrivener on my ASUS Chromebook C202SA-YS02. It's a 3-year-old machine designed to be used by grade-schoolers, so it's nothing special.
The following is taken from about a half-dozen web pages I'm too lazy to link to, but searching for the names of .deb files should give you download locations.
* Turn on the Linux beta in settings
* Download the Scrivener .deb file to the Linux directory
* Double-click on the Scrivener .deb file to install it
* Get the libpng12-0 library by entering this sequence of commands on your Linux terminal (Nota Bene: the L&L forum formatting concatenates the URL to get libpng, so typing it as you see it won't work. You should be able to cut and paste the URL. You might be able to just use the link and save it and install using the Files app as with the other .deb, but that's not what I did.):
sudo wget -q -O /tmp/libpng12.deb ... _amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i /tmp/libpng12.deb
sudo rm /tmp/libpng12.deb
* Download and install these .deb files into the Linux directory and install using by clicking on them in the files app
After doing all that (plus installing linking to the dictionary, discussed in another thread), old, unsupported Linux Scrivener on ChromeOS!
The biggest downside is that you can't save your projects on the SD card: everything has to be in the Linux directory. You can copy and paste to the SD card or into your Google Drive folders (for automatic backup) using the ChromeOS file app, though.
I was running using Crouton, and constantly having memory issues. Now, I'm using less than half of my available memory. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/9999 | BMW M5 Forum and M6 Forums banner
1. The Most Depreciated Cars Of The Past Ten Years (Guess what made the list lol)
E39 M5 and E52 Z8 Discussion
ARTICLE Jalopnik really like the BEAST :blink: I've lost count of how many of times/articles have mentioned the E39 M5. I'm going to have to read that Jalopnik Fantasy Garage (M5 vs M5 vs M5 vs M5) article also in the quote. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10011 | Booty: Africa and Sub Section Thesis Essay
Submitted By Lee-Hurt
Words: 743
Pages: 3
Chapter 8
Chapter Thesis:
The Abbasid age was a time of remarkable achievements in architecture and fine arts, in literature and philosophy, and in mathematics and sciences.
Section Thesis: African Societies: Diversity and Similarities
Africa is so vast and its societies so diverse that it is almost impossible to generalize about them; differences in geography, language, religion, and politics contributed to africa lack of political unity over long periods of time.
Sub Section Thesis: Societies With and Without States
Some African societies had rulers who exercised control through a hierarchy of officials in what can be called states, but others were stateless societies organized around kinship; stateless societies were larger and lacked concentration of political power.
Sub Section thesis: Common Elements in African Societies
Religion, economics, and history were closely intertwined in Africa.
Sub section: The Arrival of Islam in North Africa
Between 640 and 700 CE, the followers of Muhammad swept across north Africa from Suez to Morocco's Atlantic shore, by 670 CE, the Muslims ruled Ifriqiya; with the arrival of Islam in Africa, ties in Africa became closer.
Sub Section Thesis: The Christian Kingdoms: Nubia and Ethiopia
Islam was not the first universalistic religion to take root in africa, and the wave of Arab conquests across northern Africa had left behind its islands of christianity; Christian converts had been made in Egypt and Ethiopia even before the conversion of the Roman empire.
Section Thesis: Kingdom of the grasslands
As the Islamic wave spread across north Africa, it sent ripples across the Sahara, not in the form of invading armies but at first in the merchants and travelers who told the dusty and ancient caravan.
Sub Section Thesis: Sudanic States
The Sudanic states often had a patriarch or council of elders of a particular family or group of lineages as leaders.
Sub Section Thesis: the Empire of Mali and Sundiata
The empire of Mali was the creation of the Malinke peoples, who in the 13th century took control of Ghana, which was by then in decline; the beginning of Malinke expansion is attributed to Sundiata, a leader whose exploits were celebrated in great oral tradition.
Sub Section Thesis: City Dwellers and Villagers
The cities of the western Sudan began to resemble those of north Africa; the towns were commercial and often included craft specialists and a resident foreign merchant community.
Sub Section Thesis: The Songhay Kingdom
As the power of Mali began to wane, a successor rate was beginning to emerge, the people of Songhay dominated the middle areas of the Niger valley; their leader Sunni Ali was a ruthless leader.
Sub Section Thesis: Political and Social life in the sudanic States
In all the Sudanic states, Islam was fused with the existing traditions and beliefs, the fusion of traditions can clearly be seen in the position of women because of matrilineal societies.
Section Thesis: The… |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10013 | State Policy Essay Topics
//State Policy Essay Topics
State Policy Essay Topics
Here are some great topics on state policies. Where you have links, they lead to the review of credible sources, which you can use to write your essay (summaries and APA and MLA citations are included).
Economics essay topics
1. Does national debt pose a threat to the country? Should the government be held responsible for increasing the national debt?
2. Should the government spend part of its budget in foreign aid?
3. Should the state spend part of its budget in space exploration? Review of credible sources on the topic.
4. Should the rich pay a higher percentage of taxes?
5. What can increase long-run economic growth? Whose role is primary here: of a state or of business?
6. What national policies can increase the economic welfare of citizens?
7. Does globalization have a positive or negative effect on the national economy?
Justice, election and immigration laws essay topics
8. Is political compromise a good thing?
9. Should the electoral college exist?
10. Should the costs of election campaigns be capped?
11. Should prisoners be allowed to vote?
12. Should the death penalty be banned? Other sociology topics.
13. Are community sentences effective in tackling crime or do they simply alternate with incarceration so that the prisons are not overcrowded?
14. What should be the state’s policy in relation to immigration? Consider both work immigrants and refugees, from Syria in particular.
policy proposal topics
Defense and homeland security essay topics
15. What should be the policy in relation to gun carry?
16. Should the state interfere with the military conflicts of other states? In what way? In what cases?
17. Are government surveillance and intelligence community infringing on the citizens’ rights? Review of credible sources on the topic.
18. Should intelligence be given access to social media accounts? (See other ideas and sources for a social media essay)
19. Is the role of the media in relation to security rather positive or negative?
20. Should there be laws prohibiting hate speech? Should hate speech be regulated on the Internet?
21. Does the state do enough to ensure the security of the nation? You may consider separately airports/schools/poor districts, etc.
Heath and social care essay topics
22. Should the United States change the healthcare policy? Why? See other healthcare topics.
23. Should abortion be legal?
24. Should euthanasia be legal?
25. Should genetic engineering in humans be legal? Review of credible sources on the topic.
26. Should unconventional forms of medicine be part of national healthcare?
27. Should marijuana be legalized?
28. Should television commercials for alcohol be banned?
29. Should there be state regulation of fast food chains/McDonald’s/schools’ menu?
30. Should the state regulate the price of pharmaceutical products?
31. Can/should the state tackle the issue of high divorce rate?
32. Should the developed states address human trafficking issues? How? Can the opt-out donation system ease the situation? Should doctors be required to report the cases when people who are not on the national list receive a needed organ? Review of credible sources on the topic.
Labor and education laws essay topics
33. Should the state regulate the education fees of the colleges and universities?
34. Doe college still pays off for the individual citizens?
35. Does the state benefit from a bigger number of people receiving higher education? If yes, should higher education be (a least partly) funded by the state?
36. What should be the policy of the state in relation to class size? The two options are either to pay teachers teaching large classes more or to reduce the number of students in a class by opening new schools and classes.
37. Should immigrants be required to learn the national language?
38. Some developing countries pay a high price of its citizens’ health for economic development. Should the developed states help and demand their suppliers from developing countries to comply with their labor laws?
39. Should taking vacations be compulsory?
Environmental policy essay topics
40. Should the state invest in fighting against global warming/global ecological threats when there are many countries that contribute to the worsening of the situation?
41. Should the government pass laws to make fracking illegal?
42. Should people be fined for not recycling?
43. Some people claim policy concerning the cutting of trees is somehow ambiguous because it is difficult to say what is the primary need: logs to be used for paper, houses, and furniture or the alive trees. What should be the policy of the state concerning deforestation?
44. Should the developed states help and demand their suppliers to comply with the European norms in relation to the environment?
These topics are rather general and are meant for the general public. Alternatively, you can write about any current political event assessing its relevance and possibly predicting its outcomes.
It is also possible to argue for the positive or negative effect from a particular policy, which was introduced in the past or has been introduced recently.
You can also investigate the political science theoriescompare various state types or critically evaluate the ideas of a particular political thinker.
If you need professional assistance to turn your rough draft into a winning sociology essay, consider creating an editing or proofreading order.
If you lack time or knowledge to write your sociology research paper on your own, you may use the services of this paper writing company (Disclosure: This is an affiliate link and I will get a bonus for referring you. I have researched the company and think it can be trusted but please make your final decision at your own discretion)
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10040 | Modeling Sequences with Quantum States
In the past few months, I've shared a few mathematical ideas that I think are pretty neat: drawing matrices as bipartite graphs, picturing linear maps as tensor network diagrams, and understanding the linear algebraic (or "quantum") versions of probabilities.
These ideas are all related by a project I've been working on with Miles Stoudenmire—a research scientist at the Flatiron Institute—and John Terilla—a mathematician at CUNY and Tunnel. We recently posted a paper on the arXiv: "Modeling sequences with quantum states: a look under the hood," and today I'd like to tell you a little about it.
Read More →
A First Look at Quantum Probability, Part 2
Welcome back to our mini-series on quantum probability! Last time, we motivated the series by pondering over a thought from classical probability theory, namely that marginal probability doesn't have memory. That is, the process of summing over of a variable in a joint probability distribution causes information about that variable to be lost. But as we saw then, there is a quantum version of marginal probability that behaves much like "marginal probability with memory." It remembers what's destroyed when computing marginals in the usual way. In today's post, I'll unveil the details. Along the way, we'll take an introductory look at the mathematics of quantum probability theory.
Let's begin with a brief recap of the ideas covered in Part 1: We began with a joint probability distribution on a product of finite sets $p\colon X\times Y\to [0,1]$ and realized it as a matrix $M$ by setting $M_{ij} = \sqrt{p(x_i),p(y_j)}$. We called elements of our set $X=\{0,1\}$ prefixes and the elements of our set $Y=\{00,11,01,10\}$ suffixes so that $X\times Y$ is the set of all bitstrings of length 3.
We then observed that the matrix $M^\top M$ contains the marginal probability distribution of $Y$ along its diagonal. Moreover its eigenvectors define conditional probability distributions on $Y$. Likewise, $MM^\top$ contains marginals on $X$ along its diagonal, and its eigenvectors define conditional probability distributions on $X$.
The information in the eigenvectors of $M^\top M$ and $MM^\top$ is precisely the information that's destroyed when computing marginal probability in the usual way. The big reveal last time was that the matrices $M^\top M$ and $MM^\top$ are the quantum versions of marginal probability distributions.
As we'll see today, the quantum version of a probability distribution is something called a density operator. The quantum version of marginalizing corresponds to "reducing" that operator to a subsystem. This reduction is a construction in linear algebra called the partial trace. I'll start off by explaining the partial trace. Then I'll introduce the basics of quantum probability theory. At the end, we'll tie it all back to our bitstring example.
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A First Look at Quantum Probability, Part 1
In this article and the next, I'd like to share some ideas from the world of quantum probability.* The word "quantum" is pretty loaded, but don't let that scare you. We'll take a first—not second or third—look at the subject, and the only prerequisites will be linear algebra and basic probability. In fact, I like to think of quantum probability as another name for "linear algebra + probability," so this mini-series will explore the mathematics, rather than the physics, of the subject.**
In today's post, we'll motivate the discussion by saying a few words about (classical) probability. In particular, let's spend a few moments thinking about the following:
What do I mean? We'll start with some basic definitions. Then I'll share an example that illustrates this idea.
A probability distribution (or simply, distribution) on a finite set $X$ is a function $p \colon X\to [0,1]$ satisfying $\sum_x p(x) = 1$. I'll use the term joint probability distribution to refer to a distribution on a Cartesian product of finite sets, i.e. a function $p\colon X\times Y\to [0,1]$ satisfying $\sum_{(x,y)}p(x,y)=1$. Every joint distribution defines a marginal probability distribution on one of the sets by summing probabilities over the other set. For instance, the marginal distribution $p_X\colon X\to [0,1]$ on $X$ is defined by $p_X(x)=\sum_yp(x,y)$, in which the variable $y$ is summed, or "integrated," out. It's this very process of summing or integrating out that causes information to be lost. In other words, marginalizing loses information. It doesn't remember what was summed away!
I'll illustrate this with a simple example. To do so, I need to give you some finite sets $X$ and $Y$ and a probability distribution on them.
Read More →
Viewing Matrices & Probability as Graphs
Today I'd like to share an idea. It's a very simple idea. It's not fancy and it's certainly not new. In fact, I'm sure many of you have thought about it already. But if you haven't—and even if you have!—I hope you'll take a few minutes to enjoy it with me. Here's the idea:
So simple! But we can get a lot of mileage out of it.
To start, I'll be a little more precise: every matrix corresponds to a weighted bipartite graph. By "graph" I mean a collection of vertices (dots) and edges; by "bipartite" I mean that the dots come in two different types/colors; by "weighted" I mean each edge is labeled with a number.
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Constantly the eyes of God are upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
The tiniest strip of land creates the world’s largest ripples. It is tiny in size, but humongous in soul. If the land of the world war a body, Israel would be its heart; if the peoples of the earth were on organism, Israel would be its soul. If the nations of the world knew how much they benefited from the Land of Israel, its nucleus, the Holy Temple, and its people, the children of Israel, the nations of the world would protect its holy purity with everything they’ve got. Israel is the bellwether of the world: How Israel goes, so goes the world.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10073 | This might seem a confusing array of conceptual baggage
August 9, 2019 9:45 AM Subscribe
“The dread this creates is the opposite of what a conspiratorial worldview supposes: it doesn’t postulate a cabal that orchestrates evil, but points to a series of essentially unrelated cultural circumstances that converge with one another to exponentially increase the damage done by their individual effects. If conspiracies are comforting because they’re a narrative where bad actors have agency, and can perhaps be overcome if they are exposed, now it feels more like people with good intentions are hopeless to change the effects already in motion. You might be familiar with this feeling from the cliffhanger at the end of issue 11 of Watchmen.” The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest On Alan Moore’s last comic book, the current state of things, the perils of imagination, conclusions, and the cosmic horror of Disney.
posted by The Whelk (2 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
Regarding a point made towards the end of the article, it wasn't the treatment of Harry Potter in Century per se, it was that the way the characters from the Billy Bunter stories were treated in Black Dossier was waaay kinder (and more interesting) than the Harry Potter stuff in Century. That was just pointless and mean.
posted by sukeban at 11:18 AM on August 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
I feel like we all have different checkout points for Alan Moore, and the League has always been a difficult read for me. I'm not terribly well-versed in his '90s Image-guy superhero stuff, but what I have read seemed phoned in; otherwise, for me, there is no better writer in this medium, but I understand why what I love most from his recent work (The Courtyard/Neonomicon/Providence) is not for everyone.
LoEG has mostly seemed like an off-putting literary experiment that presumed familiarity with work running the gamut from the obscure to the fucking obscure, and -- considering the audience for the average comic -- this is hard to interpret as something other than straight up trolling. I admire that a little, but the books tend to give me a headache. The ones I like best were Volume II and the Nemo standalones, all approachable as simple action stories. The art is quite good throughout.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 5:47 AM on August 11, 2019
« Older "We Should Stop Using Republican Talking Points" | Nowadays, people have far too many names. Newer »
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10082 | Mighty Writer Optimus Education ReviewReview-Graphic
Reviewed by Sarah Booker, Optimus Education, Special Children Magazine: Issue 234 Jan - Feb 2017
Mighty Writer is a very tactile resource that brings writing to life.
Screen Shot 2017-01-12 at 13.35.20
It is a floor mat 164cm wide by 127cm deep with ‘toolbars’ arranged around the edge. The various toolbars contain sentence starters/conjunctions, images, punctuation and symbols for adjectives, verbs and adverbs.
I use the mat to support the children’s writing in many different genres, from storytelling to factual reports. I also use it to work on grammar. Pupils sit around the edge and learn how to build up a sentence word-by-word, phrase-by-phrase, using the correct punctuation. When we are all happy with the piece, I hang the mat up on the wall using the two poles that come with the kit. This way the children have a visual prompt in front of them when it comes to putting pen to paper.
Two years ago, in my previous school, I was invited to trial the Mighty Writer soon after I had taken over a Year 2 class in the middle of the school year.
I found that the children were really reluctant to write. The class included a typical range of abilities, from pupils with SEN to the gifted and talented. However, they all lacked confidence and were constantly rubbing things out because, as they said: ‘It’s not perfect.’
Screen Shot 2017-01-12 at 13.34.06
When I used Mighty Writer with them, they became really engaged and the act of physically working together on a sentence gave them huge confidence.
Because they had so many visual clues to help them write, they became readier to make changes and add things, and realised that sentences could evolve and that this was fine.
I suspect that this was because they were not being asked to put pen to paper from the start, so they didn’t have to worry about making mistakes in their early attempts.
Screen Shot 2017-01-12 at 13.34.41
The mat helps children with SEN, especially those with ASD, because it is so visual and kinaesthetic. They can see, reach for and touch the full stop and physically put it in place. The mat works just as well for gifted and talented children because I work on extending their sentences and vocabulary.
In fact, soon all the pupils in the class were enjoying working on extended noun phrases because they could pick a picture from one of the tool bars and think of all the ways they could describe it. It made writing more fun because they were reaching out and picking up words and adding details to these, along with punctuation, and physically placing them on the mat, rather than sitting still at their desks while I wrote on the whiteboard.
I do not know if it was the physical act of picking up a full stop and plonking it down at the end of a sentence that locked it into their memories, but the class as a whole became better about remembering to use full stops.
The mat also comes with various symbols to represent adjectives, verbs and adverbs. So I might put the adjective symbol in front of a noun, and get the children to think of their own description when they came to write the piece up, the symbol acting as a little prompt. Soon, however, just the picture of the noun became enough to remind them to use an adjective because they could remember the class discussion and see the hard wooden chair. Their confidence soared and it was not long before they were writing other pieces using the same structures.
Screen Shot 2017-01-12 at 13.34.56
Sometimes I used to put the mat on the floor and step back just to see how they would play with words; they used to come up with all sorts of sentences and really used their imagination because they could pick any picture they wanted. The key is that they wanted to use it because it was so tactile.
Screen Shot 2017-01-12 at 13.35.09
I found it was like using Pie Corbett’s methodology where storytelling is taught in a multisensory manner. With this, actions are used to make stories, especially the key connectives, memorable.
In the same way, the pupils had all their sentence starters on the tool bar in front of them – suddenly, first, next, at that moment – and when they went to write, they would use these because they remembered them.
The mat comes with a standard set of tiles with 88 images, including living things, objects and environments, as well as lots of blanks so you can create your own words and images and then wipe them off afterwards.
For instance, there are five blanks in the conjunction set, eight for connectives/sentence starters, and 20 for images/nouns.
Extra themed images on toolbars can be acquired separately. For instance, there are themed tool bars with 22 tiles each for stories including Three Little Pigs, Little Red Hen, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Goldilocks, each colour coded around the edge so that you can put them away easily.
Other themes include real life, fantasy and outer space.
Sarah Visual v2Try Mighty Writer for yourself
"I think the Mighty Writer really motivates and inspires children to write while enabling them to become more confident in their literacy skills."
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"Mighty Writer has quite literally transformed my children's writing. Not only is it interactive, visual and fun, but it targets the technical aspects of teaching writing in such a clever way, it's simply genius!"
Andrea Pearce, Year 2 Form Tutor and Head Of English, St Wystan's School
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10151 | In a Federal Register notice published on June 6, 2012, the Department of State (DOS) invited public comments on changes it is proposing to Form DS-7002, Training/Internship Placement Plan (T/IPP). That form is required in the Trainee, Intern, and Student Intern J-1 exchange visitor categories.
A copy of the proposed DS-7002 can be downloaded to the right. For comparison, access a copy of the current Form DS-7002 here.
Comments are due to DOS by July 6, 2012. The Federal Register directs the public to submit comments by e-mail to [email protected] with “OMB Control Number 1405–0170” in the subject line of the message, or by fax to 202–395–5806, “Attention: Desk Officer for Department of State.” (DOS also asked NAFSA to request that members also send courtesy copies of their comments directly to the Exchange Visitor Program at [email protected], if it’s not too much trouble, in addition to submitting their comments as above)
A brief summary of the proposed changes to the form:
Participant Information section
• The checkboxes indicating that the form will be used for Trainee, Intern, or Student Intern will be removed
Site of Activity Information
• The DUNS Number field will be removed.
• The student intern regulations [22 CFR 62.23(i)(3)(iii)(A)] still require program sponsors to obtain the Dun & Bradstreet identification number (DUNS) of all potential host organizations (unless the host organization is an academic institution, government entity, or family farm). However, the DUNS number would no longer have to be provided on the DS-7002.
• The questions: “Does your organization have a Worker’s Compensation (WC) policy;” and “Will your WC Policy cover the intern/trainee?” will be added.
• Use of the word “your” would seem to apply to the site of activity, not to the program sponsor, but DOS could clarify this by asking instead, “Does the host organization have a worker’s compensation policy,” and “will that WC policy cover the intern/trainee?”
• The form will ask for the “Number of Full-Time Employees” and the “Annual Revenue.”
• Clarification is needed as to whether this information should be provided about the site of activity or about the host organization.
Contract Agreement
• The contractual certifications are expanded, for each party. Some notable changes:
• Under the program sponsor certification is the requirement for sponsors to certify that they have “verified with the Supervisor” that “continuous on-site supervision and mentoring of trainees and interns will be provided by experienced and knowledgeable staff” and that skills, knowledge, and competencies will be received “through the structured and guided activities listed in the T/IPP, and will include activities such as classroom training, seminars, rotation through several different departments, attendance at conference, and similar learning experiences.”
• Attestations regarding deviations from the T/IPP
• Attestations that the purpose of activity is to receive training, not to provide “sources of labor.”
• Attestations that supervisors and sponsors will contact each other and the Department of State regarding risks to the health, safety, or welfare of the participant or of behavior that may bring the Department or the exchange visitor program into disrepute.
Training/Internship Placement Plan
• Divides the “Knowledge, Skills, or Techniques to be imparted during this phase” question into 4 specific sub-questions
• Separates the Methods of Supervision and Methods of Evaluation question into two separate questions. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10201 | Please reload
July 31, 2016
Looking for something to read over lunch? The eBook versions of my short stories are all $0.99. Personal favorites: “Branded Faith” (the inspiration for my new novel The Red Wraith) and “Love and World Eaters” (which draws on my time as an intern at the Chicago Field Museum).
January 27, 2015
Oldie but goodie: the trailer for Outcasts, my short story collection. It's available on my Short Stories page, along with a standalone version of each story.
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I write mostly speculative fiction. Usually fantasy, with historical elements mixed in. Sometimes there's a bit of mystery too, or (shhh!) even a little romance.
But it's weird—it's always weird. Consider yourself warned. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10202 | A Chess Puzzle, Part II: Ruminations
This is part II of my series of blog pieces on a mathematical chess problem. In part one I tried to keep the math to a minimum, but after looking back at the post I see that it may still be a bit too much, and in the next couple of posts the math is only going to get more dense, but there is not much I can do about it.
So for this post I decided to give you a breather, and talk a bit about what the point of all this is.
After digging through my phone I just realized that it has been eight months since I was in the doctor’s waiting room, staring up at the ceiling, and visualizing an infinite chess board with chess pieces sitting on it, none of which were under attack. I took a photo of the ceiling with my phone and included it in my previous post. The date was May 15, 2019.
That fact surprised me; I was sure it was only a few weeks ago that I started scribbling little chess positions on scraps of paper, making notes for a blog post or maybe an article in the American Mathematical Monthly. Gigi’s family will tell you I spent much of the Christmas holiday sitting in a chair, with scraps of paper filled with diagrams and chess boards and incomprehensible hieroglyphics.
What appears to be the case is that this question, of how to fit pawns or queens on an infinite board without attack, spun off numerous other questions and math problems, and some of them were tricky, and some led to questions that seemed difficult. And in the process of thinking about these problems I became lost in a sort of reverie, and lost track of time. Days turned to Weeks turned to months. Eventually I found easy ways to answer many of the problems, and later posts will show those results. But you should realize that it took many tries before I found what now seems to be the obvious approach.
One of the problems was hard enough that I felt that I would need to just leave it in the article is as a conjecture, and hope that somebody smarter than me would be able to solve it.
But just this past Sunday, while out on a training run for the Zion Half Marathon, I came up with a way to solve the problem, and within an hour after getting home I was able to write QED at the end of a proof. Now it too seems obvious, but even so might have made a good Putnam math problem.
In any case, here is the thing. There is a reason why there are all these math symbols and arrows. Each symbol has a precise meaning, and in order to solve a problem it is often the case that the hard part is figuring out how to state the problem in a clear and precise manner. In writing down the math, you are creating a machine, and once done the machine can do a lot of the heavy lifting.
And here is the other thing: why do I do this? Because, believe it or not, it’s fun.
Here’s another preview:
A Chess Puzzle, Part I: The Infinite Chess Board
A while ago I was in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, staring at the ceiling, and looking for something to keep myself amused before the appointment. (The visit was nothing serious, just wanting to update my vaccinations.)
Ceiling at doctor’s office
The ceiling was covered with those white acoustic panels, forming a very large colorless and seemingly infinite chess board. I stared at the tiles, trying to think up some kind of puzzle to keep me amused while waiting. I came up with this:
The Chess Density Problem
Suppose you have an infinite chessboard, and an infinite number of one of the six kinds of chess pieces (King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight, and Pawn). What is the densest packing of “friendly” pieces you can have on that board?
Just asking the question raises more questions:
• What do I mean by “infinite” ?
• What do I mean by “densest” ?
• What do I mean by “friendly” ?
• And how would one prove such things?
So far I’ve spend a fair amount of time and scratch paper on this — quite a bit while sitting around with Gigi’s family for Christmas — and have some things to report. The first version of this post was very math-heavy. Now it is a bit lighter. You’re welcome.
Friends who have suffered through games with me will tell you that I am terrible at playing chess, and spend far too long to come up with a bad move that in standard chess notation would probably be denoted “Nf3 Nc6??”. Not just Chess, but Go, Twixt, Bridge or other strategic games. In defense, I can only say that I am spending all of that time trying to solve the problem, based on the game-theoretic fact that a “best” move exists. The decision tree is so deep, however, that no computer yet exists that can explore it completely more than a few moves ahead.
Good chess players acquire skill through experience and study, making decisions with imperfect knowledge. They stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon of moves and can walk down trails blazed by others. I can only stand at the edge, frozen by the awesome infinitude of the depths. Then I fall in.
Anyway, this isn’t the organic chemistry of Chess, but the simpler math of atoms and fundamental particles, Boards and pieces. Moving on…
Density: A Simple Example
Here is a simple (finite) example of four Queens on a $4 \times 4$ board, where no Queen is attacking any other, either on rank, file, or either diagonal:
Four friendly Queens
So for the $4 \times 4$ board, with its 16 squares, you can only “pack” at most four queens, meaning the “density” (which I denote $\delta$) of Queens on this board is
$$\delta = 4/16 = 1/4$$
Is this the “best” we can do in this case? The answer is yes, for the simple reason that at most one Queen can be on each row (or they would not be friendly), and there are four rows.
What is Already Known
This “packing” puzzle is what’s known as a Mathematical Chess Problem, and falls in the category of “recreational mathematics”. That is, mathematics done for amusement rather than “professional” work on “serious” problems. It should be noted, however, that often these problems lead to questions which are actually “deep” and lead to more important work.
In any case, from the literature, the task of arranging “friendly” chess pieces is called an Independence Problem (or an “Unguard” problem), and a chess position in which all of the pieces are friendly is called “Unguarded”. If an unguarded position is the “best” we can do (ie, there is no unguarded position with more pieces), we will call it maximally unguarded.
So, for example, on the standard $8 \times 8$ chessboard, here are examples of how to arrange “friendly” Pawns, Knights and Kings:
32 Friendly Pawns
32 Friendly Knights
16 Friendly Kings
We will show (later) that these are “maximally unguarded” positions, and so the density of these pieces on the standard 8-board are 1/2, 1/2, and 1/4, respectively.
And here is how to arrange the remaining three “friendly” pieces, the Rooks, Bishops and Queens:
8 Friendly Rooks
14 Friendly Bishops
8 Friendly Queens
These last three are maximally unguarded positions, and so the density for these three pieces on the standard board are 1/8, 7/32, and 1/8, respectively.
To see this in the case of the Rooks and the Queens, we can use the same argument as we did above with the Queens on the 4-board, by noting that there are exactly 8 rows and only one Rook or Queen can be on any row.
For the 14 Bishops, you can make a similar argument, by noting two things:
1. There are exactly 15 diagonals in one direction (shown below in blue), and
2. For each diagonal numbered 1 and 15, there is only one square available for placing a Bishop, and those two squares are “hostile” along the red diagonal, so you can only choose one.
Fifteen Bishop Diagonals
We have separated out the pieces into these two sets of three, because each set have their own unique characteristics, unlike the other set; and the differences in density become more pronounced as the size of the boards becomes larger and becomes infinite. Not only that, but the kind of “density” has to be defined differently, and even the size of the “infinite” board becomes important; as we’ll see, some chess boards are more infinite than others.
Chess Boards: Finite and Infinite
All of the “chess boards” we will be working with will be two-dimensional, and each “square” on which a chess piece can be placed can be indicated by a pair of numbers $(x,y)$, where $x$ and $y$ are coordinates in some set $A$, which we will call the Address space. A chess board that uses coordinates in Address space $A$ will be denoted $B_A$. Mathematically, the board $B_A$ can be identified with the Cartesian product $A \times A$.
For example, the squares of our standard $8 \times 8$ chess board can be specified using $A = \{0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7\}$. The set of integers from 0 to 7 is sometimes denoted $\mathbb{Z}_8$, and so the standard chess board is $B_{\mathbb{Z}_8}$. To make life simple(r), we will also call this board $B_8$, or simply the “8-Board”, and similarly an $n \times n$ board (where n is an integer) will be called the “n-Board”, or $B_n$.
Here for example is the 5-board $B_5 = B_{\mathbb{Z}_5}$:
The 5-Board
Okay, so far so good (you still with me, here?). Now the point of all this mathematical gobbledegook (a scientific term), is that I wanted to look at the “Unguarded” chess problem on an infinite chess board, meaning that I want to use for a “coordinate space” $A$ an infinite set. The first one that comes to mind is the set of whole numbers, ie
$$\mathbb{W} = \{0,1,2,. . .\}$$
And so we can define our first infinite chess board as $B_{\mathbb{W}}$, consisting of all $(x,y)$ where $x$ and $y$ are non-negative integers.
Intuitively, the board can be visualized like this:
The ω-Board
This picture looks a lot like the ceiling at my doctor’s office, which is what started this whole thing.
Now the “size” (cardinality) of the whole numbers is “infinite”, but the specific mathematical name for this “infinite” value is $\aleph_0$ (pronounced aleph-null). Unlike the conventional symbol for infinity ($\infty$), $\aleph_0$ has a more precise meaning, and it refers only to “countably” infinite sets, ie, those which you can count with the integers 1,2,3, etc. A related infinite “ordinal” number is called $\omega$ (small omega), and with some “abuse of notation” we will refer to $B_{\mathbb{W}}$ as $B_{\mathbb{\omega}}$, or simply the $\omega\text{-Board}$.
Chess Boards: Infinity and Beyond
There are many other ways to define infinite boards, but for now the only other board we will look at uses as its coordinate space the closed unit interval on the real line, that is,
$$I = \{ x \in \mathbb{R}: 0 \le x \le 1 \}$$
The board $B_I$ can be visualized as the unit square, including every single point on the boundary and in the interior as a distinct “square” on which you could place a chess piece:
The c-Board
The size of the set of real numbers in $I$ is a transfinite number which is infinitely larger than $\aleph_0$, and is called simply $c$, the infinity of the continuum. If we embrace “The Continuum Hypothesis“, this number c can be identified as $\aleph_1$, the next largest infinity. We shall therefore also call $B_I$ the c-Board, or $B_c$. The number of “squares” on $B_c$, unlike the $\omega\text{-Board}$, is uncountably infinite.
Sneak Preview
The “density” results for each infinite board and piece will be shown (in later posts) to be as follows.
The pieces are in order of their decreasing (2d or fractal) density, and thus their increasing “power”:
Piece Board 2d-Density Fractal Dimension 1d-Density (**)
Pawn $B_\omega$ 1/2 2 *
Knight $B_\omega$ 1/2 2 *
King $B_\omega$ 1/4 2 *
Rook $B_\omega$ 0 * *
Bishop $B_\omega$ 0 * *
Queen $B_\omega$ 0 * *
Pawn $B_c$ * * *
Knight $B_c$ * * *
King $B_c$ * * *
Bishop $B_c$ 0 1 $1/2$
Rook $B_c$ 0 1 $1/\sqrt 2$
Queen $B_c$ 0 1 $1/\sqrt 2$
(*) Not Defined for this piece on this board.
(**) 1d-Density = 1 / (Hausdorf Content)
As you can see from the two tables, there is something very different between the two groups of pieces, and how they “pack” on those infinite boards. In following posts, I will try to explain what the differences are, what a Fractal Dimension is, and what other mathematical issues and questions arise in the process.
All Possible Worlds
There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio,
than are dreamt of in your Philosophy. –Hamlet
The Bottom Line
What Exactly Does This Mean?
So What?
Everyone is George Bailey
You Have Probably Already Died, Many Times
A Simple Example
So anyway, that’s what I’ve got so far.
Longitude Part I: The Geometry of a Sextant
The Purchase
As I was only wanting to acquire a sextant for our book club discussion on Dava Sobel’s book “Longitude” (see below), I didn’t want to spend much money, and so put down $15 on Amazon for the brass sextant you see pictured above. I was hoping that the thing would be functional enough that I could demonstrate its usage, but found that not to be the case, as-is. I suspect that this object I bought was not so much a sextant, as a knock-off of a copy of a replica of a sculpture of an artist’s rendition of a sextant. I have now formed a vague notion that this item was produced in a back-alley of a run down area of Calcutta or Shanghai, by a person with little education but some skill in metalworking, casting, and possibly jewelry. Whether they have ever been on a boat, or could pick out the star Regulus on a clear night (city lights permitting), the question remains open.
One way or another, the good news is that after realizing this object was not functional, in the process of making it so I found that I learned a lot more about sextants that I ever would have, had I bought a truly functional precision instrument (for $200 more) in the first place.
So let’s get to work.
The Sextant
Though they look complicated, the simple idea behind a sextant (or quadrant, octant etc) is just to measure the angle between two things in the sky, either two bodies (like the moon and Regulus), or between one body (Polaris or the sun) and the horizon. This is easy to do on land, but at sea with everything moving it is difficult.
The clever idea (which it appears Newton had first) is to use two mirrors (actually, one and a half), in such a way that the two objects you are measuring can be brought “next” to each other optically by adjusting one of the mirrors. Once done, it is then just a matter of precisely measuring the angle the movable mirror was rotated. This nice diagram below (gleefully stolen from Wikipedia) shows how to get the (elevation) angle of the sun above the horizon:
Using sextant swing
Using the sextant and swing (From Wikipedia)
While we are on the topic, we should show the proper names of all the main components of the sextant:
The main elements are the frame, which is the 60 degree wedge that forms the base of the sextant. There is usually a handle on the other side of the frame so you can hold it. Along the outside of the frame is the arc, which has degree markings, starting from zero on the right. The frame also holds the fixed “horizon mirror“, which is only half-mirror, half clear glass. The movable arm is the index bar, which has a pointer (the index) that points to the angle on the arc. The “index mirror” is fixed to the index arm, and is a full mirror that rotates on a pivot and brings the second object into view. The shade glasses are deployed for shooting the sun, and prevent you from going blind. The drum allows you to do fine adjustment of the index arm, which whose angle on the arc you can see with the magnifying glass. Finally, the telescope is a tiny low-powered telescope which allows you to get a good look at the objects whose angle you are measuring.
Here is an oblique view of my sextant, lying on its side. Ordinarily the geared arc is pointing down toward the earth. You can see that the horizon mirror is clear on the left side, and mirrored only on the right. So when you hold the sextant with the the telescope pointing to the horizon, the left side is looking straight ahead, at the horizon. Meanwhile, the right side is reflecting light from the index mirror, which is coming in at some angle above the horizon (indicated by the index arm).
Here for example is the sextant with the index arm angle set to zero. This setting should allow the light from the horizon to bounce off the two mirrors and come into the little telescope at zero degrees. In other words, the view in both the left and right half of the horizon mirror should match.
The Geometry
The first geometrical question to address is, how does changing the angle θ of the index arm affect the angle β of the light coming in from the index mirror? Intuition suggests that since there are two mirrors, the angle will be doubled. Indeed, the rule is:
The angles on the arc of the frame should be marked like a protractor, but with the angular values doubled.
Of course (for me) this requires proof. We will need to draw a diagram:
The lines in blue show the path of light coming in along line CO, reflecting off the index mirror at O, continuing along line OA, and then reflecting off the horizon mirror at A, finishing along AB to the telescope. Let’s assume the index mirror makes an angle of θ with the line OB, and so the angle between the ray of light OA with the mirror at O must be 60°-θ. Now light bounces off of mirrors at the same angle they came in, so the incoming ray of light CO must also form the angle COE which is equal to 60°-θ. Finally, the index mirror forms an angle EOD with the horizontal line OD of 60° + θ, meaning that the residual angle β we seek is the angle EOD minus EOC, that is,
β = EOD – EOC = (60° + θ) – (60° – θ) = 2θ
so β = 2θ. That is, the angles marked on the arc, in order to properly represent the incoming angle β of light on the index mirror, must be a value of exactly twice the actual angle formed by the index arm at that point from the zero mark.
The Reformation
It didn’t take long for me to discover that my shiny new $15 sextant was not really functional as-is. It needed work. So the first thing I did of course (as is my nature) was to take the whole darn thing apart.
Issue #1: Frame
The largest and most important component is the Frame — the large flat bit with the round gear-teeth around the edge. This serves as the “optical bench” upon which all the components are mounted. In addition, the gearing must be uniform, and the markings on the Arc calibrated, so that precise angular measurements can be made.
The first problem was that the frame was not flat. As many of the components are mirrors which must be aligned in 3 dimensions, the subtle bends in the frame would throw off any measurement. With all the pieces now removed, I was able to flatten out the frame.
The second problem was that the markings on the arc were clearly not precise. One clue may be found in the numbers, which on close inspection seem to have been crudely carved in by hand with a Dremel or similar tool. This is not a problem that can be resolved, short of recasting the whole thing.
Issue #2: The Index Mirror
The first thing to note about the correctly made sextants in the previous section is that the index mirror is not aligned with the axis of the index arm, but slightly off, about 15 degrees. The one I got by comparison was not like that, and its mirror was lined up exactly with the index arm like this:
It turns out that this is wrong, or at least not very good or practical design. In fact, what it should look like is this:
Now the actual angle does not need to be 15°, but should be around there. The rule here is a bit more heuristic and goes like this:
The index mirror should not be in line with the index arm, but offset by an amount greater than zero but less than 30°. 15° is close to ideal.
So what’s going on here? This is a mixture of mathematics and practical engineering.
Let’s parameterize this situation, and define a sextant whose index mirror is off-axis by an angle of δ a δ-Sextant. By this definition, what I bought is a 0°-Sextant, while the ones in the cartoon diagrams appear to be 15°-Sextants.
Okay, so what is so bad about my 0°-Sextant? Well, for looking at objects near the horizon (ie, where the index arm is near 0°), there is nothing really wrong at all and it works fine. I’m not familiar with the original design considerations, but two big factors have to do with the positioning of the horizon mirror, and the light-gathering ability of the index mirror. So let’s consider the horizon mirror first. Here is the geometry of the general δ-Sextant, with the index arm set at zero (so we are looking at the horizon):
Now by the same argument as before, the successive reflections of the ray of light coming in from the horizon form an angle of 60° -2δ away from the horizontal. So in order to the light to drop down a height of h (so that it can reach the telescope), the horizon mirror must be set back by h*cot(60° -2δ) from the center of the sextant. As we increase δ from 0 to 30 the cotangent approaches infinity, making the mirror position increasingly impractical.
Therefore, taking a mid-point value of δ=15° would put the mirror in a practical location, much less than infinity. The mirror was mounted on the index arm with two small screws. I drilled two new holes for the screws and used a tap-and-die kit to thread the holes for the screws. The new mount for the mirror brought it close to the required 15 degree orientation.
Issue #3: Index Gear “Drum”
The index gear “drum” as depicted in the good diagram is a very precise worm-and-gear arrangement, with a “micrometer” fine-tuning for getting fractional degree measurements.
The knob is supposed to engage the gear teeth in the frame, and rotate the movable index arm (on which the index mirror is mounted). However, instead of using a worm-and-gear mechanism, it has a “direct drive”, in which the knob turns a wheel gear that meshes with the frame.
On close inspection, it was found that this gear must have been made by drilling out each of the gear teeth, and manually filing them down. The width and separation of the teeth have a visibly discernable variation, of about 5% or so. This bit is of the “juggling dog” variety, which is to say the amazing thing is not that it does its job well, but that it does it at all. Indeed, this gear tended to jam up at certain parts of the arc, and so required some additional filing just to get it to juggle at all.
Issue #4: Vernier Scale
In place of the high-precision worm-gear/micrometer, this sextant uses a “Vernier Scale“, which is admittedly a very clever device that was invented in ancient China (but named after French mathematician Pierre Vernier) to extract more precision out of otherwise crude devices. The general idea is to have a second scale that is just slightly smaller (9/10ths) than the base scale. This makes the smaller scale lines rarely line up with the base scale, except at one marking, which indicates how many tenths of a marking need to be added to the base reading:
Vernier Scale (wikipedia)
Here is what our vernier scale looks like (bolted to the index arm):
There is just one problem with our Vernier. The scale is not 9/10’s of the base, but 10/10ths:
In other words, as a Vernier scale, it is totally useless. It is most likely that the poor starving artisan in Bangalore was just told to copy another copy and assumed the scales were supposed to match. There is no way to fix this. But as the gears that drive the index arm along the arc are themselves only accurate to about 5%, the additional precision that would be provided by the Vernier is pointless. At least it has a 0 degree line, with which I can line up the 0 on the arc and calibrate zero-degree separations.
Issue #5: Sun Filters
While sextants are often used at night to measure distances between stars, they are also used to calculate the Sun’s altitude above the horizon (at noon for example). For this reason, sextants come with sun filters to prevent injury to the eye. The sun filters on this sextant are faintly colored glass, and should NEVER be used for any reason. Hopefully, nobody ever has used them. They are, like the rest of the sextant, purely decorative. The only fix is to replace with actual solar filters, or remove them altogether.
Issue #6: Telescope
To its credit, the telescope is not really a problem. It even appears to have a very slight magnification, and is properly aligned with the fixed horizon mirror.
Issue #7: The horizon mirror
The horizon mirror, ideally, is split down the middle, with only the right half mirrored and the left half transparent, allowing the direct forward view to come through. Unfortunately, the mirror was glued in slightly at an angle, so that the vertical line between the mirrored and transparent sides is tilted by about 5 degrees. I did not want to risk breaking the mirror so left it alone. It was also offset vertically from the index mirror, and so added spacers to raise it up a bit.
Issue #8: The Handle and Horizon bars
The back of the sextant has a vertically oriented handle, along with two posts which when aligned should match the horizon (when computing the sun’s altitude):
The vertical handle was not exactly vertical, and so I inserted a spacer to adjust the alignment:
Issue #9: Magnifying lens
The magnifying lens, intended to magnify the vernier and base scales for easy reading of the angle, doesn’t magnify. It appears to be an optically flat piece of glass, identical to the “sun filters”. I removed it as it only gets in the way.
This was a pretty but functionally useless toy when it arrived. After two weeks and a number of visits to Ace Hardware, it was almost serviceable enough to calculate separations to about 1 degree. I would not depend on it to save my life.
The Planet Uranus in Opposition
Note: I hope to update this piece when I catch Uranus at the turning point, August 2018. As of right now we are in thunderstorms, so it may take a while.
Okay Let’s Cut to the Chase
Here is an animated GIF of two astrophotographs I took of the planet Uranus from my house in Virgin, Utah. The first one was taken on October 24, 2017 around 2:00 am, the next on November 19,2017 at 10pm (click on the image for full-size animated versions). See if you can spot Uranus. In the course of that month it has moved a bit, near the center of the image, so you should be able to see a blue-green dot jumping back and forth.
One-month TIme-lapse of Uranus. (Nikon D-5000, F9 3 minute exposure, equatorial mount)
If you still can’t catch it, here is an annotated versions, with labels and stuff (again, click on the images for the full screen version):
In addition to the dated labels, I have put in some graphics showing the constellation Pisces, as well as a chart, showing where computer models say Uranus should be in that part of the sky, for various dates between 2016 and 2020. I had to pull all of these other things in, just to convince myself that I really caught the planet, and not just a random earth satellite or other transient object.
It has taken me quite a bit of work to get to this final product, of which I am quite proud, and happy that it came out so cleanly, riding exactly along those predicted lines. In August of 2018 (now) I hope to capture that endpoint of maximum extent. The rest of this blog piece is the retelling of the story of this image, along with the occasional digressions into the geometry of the whole thing.
About the Planet Uranus
Uranus (Wikipedia) Voyager II photo 1986
Here is a picture of the planet Uranus, taken by the Voyager II spacecraft in 1986.
By the time I came to work at the NASA Jet Propulsion labs in ’87 the Voyager II probe had already passed by Uranus and was approaching Neptune, so I never got a chance to see these “live” images coming in. It’s not much to look at, and is best described as a large ice ball (unlike Saturn or Jupiter which are mostly gaseous). Even with a really good earthbound 8″ telescope, you’re not going to see much more than a fuzzy dot.
Though it had been seen before (even in ancient times), the object was not identified as a planet until it was observed and reported by William Herschel in 1781, who thought it might be a comet. However, after reporting it to the Astronomer Royal Nevil Maskelyne (who figures prominently in the quest to measure Longitude), Maskelyne concluded that it was probably a planet.
Other than its name (being the only one in the solar system based on the original Greek gods, and not the later Latin names of the Roman gods), Uranus is notable for having its rotational axis nearly horizontal to the orbital plane, so that for half the Uranian year (about 45 earth years) the “north” pole is in perpetual day, and the other half the year is perpetual night.
Uranus in Opposition
What started all this for me was the announcement last month that the planet Uranus was in what they call “opposition“, meaning that it was on the opposite side of the celestial sphere (as seen from Earth) as the Sun. From the Sun’s perspective, this means that the Earth and Uranus are on the same side of the Sun, and typically on closest approach to each other:
Planetary Opposition (source: Wikipedia)
The news in social media suggested that it would be so close that “it could be seen with the naked eye.” That sounded like hogwash to me, as there have been a lot of viral bogus memes around about being able to see things like the rings of Saturn and such.
Having now tracked down the planet, I can attest that — technically — it would be possible for a young person with excellent sharp eyesight to see the planet Uranus without binoculars … if they knew exactly where to look, and gazed at it out of the corner of their eye, and in a place (like where I live) with extremely dark skies and no cities nearby, but only on a cool clear night. But otherwise, forget about it.
The Plan
Barn Door Equatorial Mount
Anyway, with the announcement of the opposition of Uranus in October I decided that this was a good opportunity to do some amateur astronomy and try to capture Uranus with some very low-tech equipment, which is a Nikon D-5000 camera mounted on a crude “Barn Door” equatorial mount. Using this mount, I can take long-exposures of up to 15 or 20 minutes, without smearing of the stars due to earth’s rotation.
The Barn Door mount is a clever contraption which anybody can build with $20 of parts from Ace Hardware or Walmart. The idea is simple, you just have two boards attached with a hinge, one board fixed to a tripod. You line up the hinge with Polaris (the north start), and mount the camera to the board that moves.
But before setting up my rig, I first had to track down the current position of the planet, which was said to be somewhere inside the constellation Pisces (the fish). Credit here must be given to Martin J Powell’s website NakedEyePlanets.com, which has this great chart of the path of Uranus:
Navigating the Stars
For anyone interested in astronomy, one way to begin is to learn how to find your way around the sky visible to the naked eye, without aid of telescopes and such. To do this, you need to learn some old-school tricks, in the form of stories. For example, to find Polaris, you first find the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) and follow the line traced by two of the stars in the “pan” of the dipper.
Rant: With the latest GPS-enabled telescopes, it is far too easy to track down stars, planets and other bodies. These days, all you need to do is type in the name of the object (e.g. Uranus), and the telescope’s computer will use its GPS to determine where the telescope itself is located, as well as the current date/time, and then guide the telescope to the place in the sky where the object may be found. Or you can use one of the “Planets” apps on smart phones, which you can hold up in the sky and see what you are looking at.
The Greatest Women Mathematicians
I have to admit a reluctance to putting the modifier “Women” in this post, because it would seem to imply that on an absolute scale the mathematicians I mention here are not intrinsically great. Perhaps a better title would be The Greatest Mathematicians (who happen to be Women). In any case, it has always bothered me when I see girls and women either discouraged from or outright forbidden from becoming mathematicians. One way or another, it is I think a sign of our times that “mathematicians you’ve never heard of” is kind of redundant.
I present these mathematicians in no particular order, for many reasons. Among those reasons is my personal opinion that the field of mathematics itself is not (again popular notions notwithstanding) like a vertical ladder, where first you learn counting, arithmetic, then algebra, geometry, trig, calculus and so on. In fact Mathematics, like Art, is more of a tree, with many branches, and many ways of thinking and seeing things. Some math is visual, some verbal, even some tactile. The fields these women pursued were likewise in many different areas, and their peculiar genius or accomplishment in each was profound. I won’t talk about all of the women pictured above, just the ones about which I would like to make a point. If you like, google “Greatest Women Mathematicians” for a very long and interesting list.
Maryam Mirzakhani
When I was writing this piece this morning I was shocked and saddened to see that Maryam Mirzakhani had just died last year (2017) of breast cancer. She was only 40, but had already done some profound work in geometry, especially Riemannian geometry — used by physicists in general relativity and elsewhere. She won the Fields Medal for her work in 2014, and became the first woman in history to win this award, described as the “Nobel Prize in Mathematics”. Maryam was born in Iran, and upon news of her death, a number of Iranian newspapers broke the taboo of printing a picture of her (a woman) with her hair uncovered.
Cathleen Synge Morawetz
Just one month after Maryam Mirzakhani died, we also lost Cathleen Morawetz (1923-2017), Professor Emeriti at New York University. Unlike most of the other mathematicians in this list, I had the great fortune to meet and get to know Cathleen in the 1980’s, while doing postdoc work at the Courant Institute in New York, where she at the time was the Director.
I had gone to Courant to continue my studies of nonlinear wave equations, and Cathleen had made much of her own fame in that area, studying compressible fluids and shock waves. She was also the creator of the “Morawetz Inequality(ies)”, which have proven to have many uses, even to the understanding the stability of Black Holes.
Cathleen was a very smart and jovial woman, and I will miss her.
Emmy Noether
Going back a bit, it would be difficult to convey just how profound and far-reaching was the work done by Emmy Noether, who lived from 1882 to 1935, and whose work touched many different branches of the tree of mathematics, including abstract algebra, geometry, and dynamical systems. One of the most profound theorems she proved (actually two with her name) is now known as Noether’s Theorem. What Noether’s (first) Theorem says is that for any conservation Law (such as energy, momentum, charge, etc), there is a fundamental geometric symmetry in the universe that corresponds to it. To express this poetically, Emmy proved that in mathematical physics, Truth (Law) is Beauty (Symmetry). Emmy’s Theorem resolved questions that Einstein had not been able to solve (!), and Einstein lobbied with Göttingen University (where she worked without pay or title) to promote her to a professorship. Eventually she was made professor, but with the rise of Nazi Germany soon had to leave the country for the US, due to her Jewish ancestry.
Sofie Kovalevskaya
Sofia “Sofie” Kovalevskaya lived from 1850 to 1891, and like Emmy Noether made substantial contributions to mathematical physics. She was a true pioneer, the first European female to earn a PhD in modern times. Together with Augustin Cauchy, she proved the Cauchy-Kovalevskaya Theorem, regarding the solutions to many equations in physics, especially those governing waves (light waves, sound waves, matter waves etc). Without her work I likely would not have had a job. Sofie was good in math but unlucky in love, her heart often broken. She had married and had children early on, and occasional star-crossed relationships later, but was also an early radical feminist and maintained a close and possibly romantic relationship with playwright Anne Charlotte Edgren-Leffler, the sister of Gosta Mittag-Leffler. Besides her main theorem, she was also the discoverer of what is now called the Kovalevskaya Top, an exact solution to a spinning top that completed work begun long ago by Euler and Lagrange. She was also a writer, and wrote “Nihilist Girl”, a semi-autobiographical work.
“It is impossible to be a mathematician without being a poet in soul.”
–Sofie Kovalevskaya.
Florence Nightingale
(Yes that Florence Nightingale)
Diagram of Causes of Mortality (click to enlarge)
Besides being the founder of modern Nursing, Florence Nightingale had a knack for mathematics and especially statistics, and made great contributions in the visual display of quantitative information, a field which later was made popular by Edward Tufte in his seminal works. Ms. Nightingale was one of the first to make use of the Pie Chart, making clear causes and relationships in mortality among WWI soldiers.
There are so many others, such as Maria Gaetana Agnesi (the first woman appointed as full professor, but who died and like Mozart was buried in a pauper’s grave) but on my short list I have saved Hypatia for last. No likeness has ever been found, but she was said to be as beautiful as she was smart.
The first documented female mathematician, Hypatia lived in 400 AD in Alexandria, and is considered by many to be the patron saint of mathematics. And a martyr. She was the daughter of the mathematician Theon, and inherited from him the position of Director of the Library of Alexandria, the ancient repository of world knowledge. Though Theon was considered a great geometer and wrote many treatises on Euclid, Hypatia was said to have surpassed her father in mathematics and astronomy, made astrolabes, and wrote many other works and commentaries on geometry.
None of Hypatia’s works have survived, nor much of Library, whose destruction was considered one of the great tragedies in intellectual history. Hypatia was brutally assassinated by christian extremists, opposed to the “practice of sorcery, witchcraft, and mathematics”. Ironically, she was also a great teacher, and one of her most devoted students was Synesius, who studied under Hypatia as a neoplatonist, but eventually he converted to christianity and became a bishop, and contributed to the understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity.
Hypatia fought hard to save the Library, but the world was changing and she could not stop it. So much was lost when the Library fell. With it was lost much knowledge, and science, and wisdom, that we will never recover. The fall of the Library presaged the Dark Ages. Had the Library stood, some have said, we might have landed on the moon in 1492, not just Florida.
To be a woman. To be a scientist. To be a mathematician. All these things require more of one than any of us could ever know.
Be brave, these women tell us.
Be brave.
You Will Be Remembered
On my Sunday training runs for the Zion Half Marathon, I usually go for a run up Utah SR 9, heading towards Zion from the town of Virgin. A few miles up, I pass by this gravestone just off the highway, the only remaining thing of the ghost town called Duncan’s retreat.
I have never seen anybody stop here. Most people are tourists going 70 along this lonely stretch of highway, hell bent for Springdale lodging, and if they were looking anywhere it would be the other way, towards the Virgin River. A rock quarry lies just behind it, and nothing that would draw your attention to it.
The history book has this to say about the long-gone town:
A man named Chapman Duncan settled here in 1861. Shortly after several other families moved here also. In 1862 the Virgin river flooded and destroyed most the town. A lot of the people moved away but new settlers came. By January of 1863 about 70 people lived here. In 1863 a post office was built, a school was built in 1864 along with a meeting house. In 1866 floods took its toll on this town also and over the next few years high water from the Virgin river destroyed the fields and killed the town. By 1891 the town was deserted. All that remains of the town today is a grave of a lady named Nancy Ferguson Ott who died here in town in 1863. Her grave is located on the north side of highway 9. (Submitted by Bob Bezzant.)
My understanding from other locals is that Duncan used to live in our town of Virgin (now population 600), but “retreated” to this place far from Virgin to get away from the bustling metropolis.
When Nancy Ferguson Ott died, Duncan’s Retreat had 70 citizens, a post office, families, friends. It was a town, and they thought it would stick around long enough for there to be a cemetery with more than just Nancy, but Nature and circumstance had other ideas.
Now she is utterly alone, on a lonely stretch of anonymous highway, with no one around, no town, no post office, no friends no family.
I stopped to look at the grave marker. There are fresh flowers, stuffed animals, cards. They are replaced regularly by somebody somewhere. I do not know who.
I take some comfort in this, and I hope you do too. No matter who you are, or how alone you may feel in this world, Nancy Ferguson Ott is here, on State Route 9, miles from anywhere and anyone, to deliver this message to you: No one dies alone. You will be Loved, You will be Remembered.
Relativity, Simplified. Really.
I’ll make this (mercifully) short.
Consider this statement, which I call Ω:
Everything travels through the Cosmos at exactly the speed of light.
Ω is Relativity. That’s it. Really, it is. And Ω is true not only for Special Relativity, but the General one too. All you have to know is that the “Cosmos” means both space and time.
If you were to ask somebody what Relativity says, they would probably say something like “everything is relative.” The problem with that is, it’s not precise. In fact, it’s not even true. Some things in physics (and the world) are thought to be absolute. So I’ve been trying to come up with a good version of Relativity that can be justified mathematically, and that little box is what I came up with. If you understand what each word means exactly, everything follows from this statement, and if you like you can stop reading now and get on with life. Because that really is what relativity says.
The rest of this short post is just me rambling about why I like it. In a later post I’ll defend it. Also, here is a cool picture of a galaxy for no reason. But it’s cool (*).
Why I like This Version of Relativity
One of the things I like about this version (Ω) is that it is simple and precise, sounds a little strange — but just enough strange to be right — and answers immediately a number of other questions people ask about relativity, matter, speeds etc. For example:
Q: Will we ever be able to go faster than light?
A: NO. The reason you can’t go faster than the speed of light is that you can’t go any slower either. Nothing in the universe can go any speed in spacetime but c, the speed of light. The only thing you can ever change is the direction in space-time that you are going.
Q: Why does Relativity say that when you go faster, time slows down?
A: Because you are always going exactly at the speed c, so if you go faster in the space directions, you have to go slower in the time direction so it still adds up to exactly c.
See? Details later, film (and math) at 11. But really, it is true. Ask a physicist. He’ll scratch his head, then say yeah, that works, then go have a beer.
(*) Photo: Centaurus A, (Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/R.Kraft et al.; Submillimeter: MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A.Weiss et al.; Optical: ESO/WFI)
An Anti-Christmas Carol
Another useless parasite.
Merry Christmas, Everyone.
A Christmas Carol – Marley’s Ghost
“Are there no prisons?” asked Scrooge.
“Both very busy, sir.”
“Nothing!” Scrooge replied.
“You wish to be anonymous?”
“But you might know it,” observed the gentleman.
The Seven Billion Species of Man
Automotive Math
Calculus is taught all wrong and too late. The basics could be taught in the car on the way to Kindergarten.
Here is how it goes. Any kid who’s been in a car knows that the speedometer tells you how fast you are going, and the numbers in the odometer (mileage) tells you how far you’ve gone. Another way to say that is that the speedometer shows how quickly the odometer is changing. And another way to say that is that the speedometer is the “differential” of the odometer. To be fancy, we can use a small “∂” for differential and so we say:
$$Speedometer = ∂\,{Odometer}$$
That’s differential calculus. How things change. Subtraction.
Put another way again, the odometer tells you what the Sum total distance was after going all those speeds that the speedometer indicated. Instead of saying “Sum” with a big S we stretch it out into a long skinny S like this: $\int$ and we say
$$Odometer = \int { Speedometer } $$
That’s integral calculus. How changes accumulate. Addition.
Subtraction undoes addition. That is the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Duh. Next stop, Rocket Science !
On Leadership and the President as CEO
• Financial Management
• Communication
• Motivation of Others
I am *Terribly* Sorry to Hear That
This micro-post serves as a permanent placeholder for the coming years, in which those who voted for this administration will I suspect find that many promises have been broken. And after the first days of triumphant fanfare and euphoria, unfolding events both sad and tragic will be all too common, and not at all what they were promised by shady and cynical salesmen.
And so, in the face of such monumentally bad omens, saying “I TOLD YOU SO” seems too much like inappropriate gloating, and the wrong attitude to take in a world that will already be suffering under the weight of a bloated and narcissistic ego.
And so, in place of that response, I will say in a spirit of compassion the following words, exactly the same each time, with two *asterisks* to emphasize the terrible, and to point back to the ALL CAPS statement above which I am thinking, but will not speak:
I am *terribly* sorry to hear that.
My one promise is that those words will be sincere, and I truly will be very sorry to hear about whatever new travesty has just ocurred. That is my New Years resolution, such as it is.
From Euclid to Euler to Einstein
It is of course the holiday tradition this time of year, to exchange gifts and ponder over how you would explain modern mathematics to the ancient Greeks.
In line with the latter part of that tradition, I’ve been sketching out a diagram to explain Euler’s number $e$ (2.71828…) to Euclid. It turns out that even though the classic Greek mathematicians knew all about the number π (3.1415…), they never knew about or defined the number $e$. Which is a shame, because they could have. And had they done so, they could have beaten Einstein to the punch 2500 years earlier.
Just a quick note here: for those of you who have not heard of $e$, it pops up all over the place in science, and especially when things are growing or accelerating. For example, suppose you just crossed the state line, and for some reason you thought that the mile-markers were actually speed limits, so that at the one-mile marker you slowed down to go at one mile an hour, and so on. Suppose that there were a lot of mile markers along the way, and so you were continuously speeding up with each marker. Obviously you would be going pretty slow, but at least you are speeding up. It turns out that if you obeyed the signs to the letter, by the end of one hour from mile marker one you will be at the $e$ mile marker, and would be going $e$ miles an hour.
In any case, after much fiddling around and fanfare, here is the diagram I came up with that I think would make Euclid happy. It is a “proof without narrative”, and simply uses the classically understood conic sections (e.g. circles, and hyperbolas) to show how the numbers π and $e$ may be used to relate areas of pie-shaped sectors in two conic sections, to the linear measurements along their respective curves:
One of the things I like about this diagram is that on the one hand it shows how these two numbers are similar, in that they both provide a ratio relating the area of a sector in each type of conic section, with a linear measure, but on the other, we see how these two numbers differ in a fundamental way with successive sectors.
For circles of radius 1, its area compares with its radius squared by a ratio of π (so the pie-slices are each π/8). For the hyperbola, drawing a line from the center to the vertex of the hyperbola, a sector of area one is made by drawing a second line whose x-axis length differs from the area by a ratio of $e$. In both cases we have a ratio relating a linear measure to an area.
But at this point the similarity ends. For as we go to successive circular arcs, the areas remain in fixed linear ratios, so to produce a quarter of a circle, you have an arc-length of π/4, and so on. But for the hyperbola, to produce a sector of area 2, you need to draw a line segments whose x-axis length is not $2 * e$, but $e$ to the power of 2, in other words $e^2$. For an area of three, you need to use $e^3$, and so on.
So what we see is that the number π seems to be most commonly used as a linear factor or ratio, having to do with rotational symmetry in space, while the number $e$ seems to be used as the base of an exponent, and is involved with things that grow exponentially over time.
Which brings us to light, waves, and Einstein’s space-time.
What do cones, planes and conic sections have to do with spacetime? Suppose you turn a flashlight on and off quickly. The light pulse from that event travels out in all directions at the same speed, $c$, the speed of light. Einstein (and Minkowski) suggested that we view the event where time plays the role of a fourth dimension. If we toss out one of our three dimensions, and make the time dimension the z-axis, we can visualize the light propagating out.
So in the picture on the right, the horizontal plane represents space at time $t=0$, and the vertical dimension is time, with the “up” direction representing the future, and “down” representing the past. The flashlight has just gone off at time zero, but now the light wave is expanding out in a circle, getting larger with time. And so as it grows over (upward) time, the expanding circular wave traces out the “future light cone”. Conversely, all of the light from the past that reaches us can only come from the region below the plane, marked by the “past light cone”.
The thing to note is that these “space-like” planes are always horizontal, though they may tilt a little due to relativistic motion of the observer. Space-like planes can be identified by the fact that their “normal” line (the one perpendicular to the plane) are pointing roughly up, in a time-like direction. Space-like planes can only intersect light-cones in circles or ellipses. In no case can an observer’s “plane” ever become vertical, so that its normal vector is pointing in a space-like direction outside of the light cone. Such planes are called “time-like”, and have the property that they always intersect light cones in hyperbolas.
So I am hoping that you are starting to see how I think these two numbers $pi$ and $e$ are related, but also very different. Somehow, the number $pi$ is related more to space, and to circular rotation in space, while $e$ seems to be related to time, hyperbolic curves, and exponential growth over time.
It turns out that we can even be very specific about how $e$ and $pi$ are related to each other, but it requires the introduction of a number that the ancient Greeks would have no concept of, and that is the number $i$, the square root of negative one.
The relationship was itself discovered by Euler himself, and has come to be known as Euler’s Equation, and has also been called (at least by mathematicians), The Most Beautiful Equation in the World. I hope some time in a future post to try to explain what the equation means, but for the moment, we will just display it here and be done with it.
And yes, this is how I spend my holiday vacations. Having Fun ! Happy new year !
The Geometry of Meteor Showers
Whenever a meteor shower is coming up, the news gives details on how to find the constellation in which the “radiant” can be found. Don’t bother trying to find the constellation. Too much work. Here is all you really need to do:
On the night of the shower, go outside around 2am. Look eastward, toward where the sun has been rising, and halfway up the sky, along the path the sun takes. That's the center ('the radiant'). Further away from this point the meteor trails will be longer.
That’s it. The rest of this post is just my rambling about the geometry (or astrometry as it were) that makes this all work. You won’t need it. If you come out sooner, around midnight, the radiant will be close to the horizon, and as it gets closer to sunrise the radiant will be almost overhead.
The Radiant
If you study the pattern of meteors in the picture above, it looks like we are flying through a bunch of stars very quickly, and that the center point where all those stars appear to be streaking from is simply the direction that we are flying.
It turns out that is exactly what you are seeing. The center point (in the upper left quadrant of the picture) is called the Radiant of the meteor shower, and it is the current direction in which the earth is moving, as it travels along its orbit around the Sun.
The Picture
Here is a (simplified) picture describing the general situation. To keep things simple, I’ve put the little guy (who’s supposed to be us) right on the earth’s equator, around 3am his time. We are looking down at the earth from above the North Pole, and the earth is rotating counter-clockwise on its axis. Meanwhile, the earth is travelling around the sun at 18.6 miles a second, going from right to left in the picture.
The comet dust in the picture was left behind by a comet years before, and now is for the most part not moving much. The earth however is plowing through the dust trail at 18.6 miles/second, and so the relative motion of the dust to the observer is likewise 18.6 miles a second, or about 30km/s.
That speed, by the way, adds a lot of energy to the situation. Many of the comet dust particles are small, some just grains of sand. But if we take a quarter-inch piece of iron, with a mass of one gram say, and compute its kinetic energy when the earth hits it, we get
$$E = \frac{1}{2}mv^2 =\frac{1}{2}(1gm)(30km/s)^2 = 450,000 Joules$$
Now a Joule is the amount of Energy to drive a one Watt light bulb for a second, which is about how long a meteor flare takes. So the light that our quarter inch piece of iron is putting out during that second is close to a half a megawatt of power. Impressive.
Another Picture Closer In
So here is a much closer picture. We’ve now rotated the picture so that the little guy is on “horizontal” ground, and we only see a small slightly curved part of the earth. The atmosphere is a very thin shell not more than 70 miles above the earth (1 percent of the earth’s diameter), and the shaded part is what the little guy can see from where he’s standing. It is a flat lens shaped piece of atmosphere, and the comet dust is coming in at about a 45 degree angle, about to slam into that circular lens. I’ve drawn a cylinder around all of the dust that will hit the part of the sky that the guy can see.
Now if you look at the cylinder of comet dust coming at you from the little guy’s perspective, the rays of dust look like this:
Which looks just like the photo of the Geminid meteor shower. So, the reason that showers look like rays flying away from the Radiant is simply a matter of perspective, and the Radiant itself is just the direction that we are are flying, along earth’s orbit.
A Bigger Picture, Further Out
Just to tie everything together, here is a diagram showing the geometry of a typical meteor shower, arising from a regularly reappearing comet such as Halley’s comet:
In the case of Halley’s comet, the diagram shows how the orbit of the comet may intersect the Earth’s orbit in two places. In the current picture, the Earth is passing through one of the intersections, and is going in the direction of the constellation Orion (bottom left). This is the Orionid meteor shower, which this year (2016) will be visible from October 2 to November 7. The other intersection occurs when the Earth is heading in the direction of Aquarius, which happens around May 5-6, during the Eta Aquarid’s meteor shower. Not all comets have orbits which intersect Earth’s orbit twice, but Halley’s does.
Valid Religion
1. Fallibility, that this religion may have made some mistakes
2. That absolute Truth is unknowable by man,
Rainbow, Part II: Yellow Is An Idea
This is part II of my discussion of color which began with Part I, “The Infinite Piano”. In the first part I explained that the colors of the rainbow are single “notes” on an infinite piano whose keys are pure “tones” of light, and the “sheet music” for a more complex color such as PINK can be written as a 3-note chord composition in RED, GREEN, and BLUE. This composition can be written out over the color piano keyboard with three vertical bars, each indicating the loudness or softness of each of the three keys we need to play, using ranges from 0 to 255, like this:
We can further shorten this musical notation by saying (Red,Green,Blue) = (255, 192, 203). Now you may think that I just made up those particular numbers, but in fact if you check with Wikipedia, the internet standard for color on computer displays has exactly these three values for the color pink. They chose the range 0 to 255 because it is easy to express using 8 bits — which makes computers happy.
We live in the computer age, and this (R,G,B) system is now used to define all the colors that you can see on a computer monitor. So, it sounds like color is three dimensional, and you can represent any color in nature (or at least in a photo of nature) using just three colors. But is this true ?
Anyone who has tried to match paint colors may doubt this. Each paint manufacturer has their own system of specifying colors, and complex formulas of mixing their “component” pigments into Salmon, Chestnut, or other copyrighted name and color. There are many systems of defining color, such as Munsell and CIE-Lab, which are 3-dimensional, like this:
By SharkD - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8401562
3D Munsell color space (Wikipedia – credit)
These systems are oriented toward luminance-based applications such as TV’s and computer monitors that emit their own light. There are also CMYK (Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-BlackKey) and Pantone™ systems, which are effectively 4 dimensional dimensional and used mostly in pigment-based applications such as printing and paint. But Pantone also had a six-dimensional version called Hexachrome, which add Orange and Green to form a CMYKOG space (now discontinued), and there is also a CcMmYK system used in six-color inkjet printers. These latter are called “subtractive” systems, because the pigments effectively absorb colors from white light to give you their indicated color.
So clearly something must be going on. Why do we even think color is three dimensional, when there are so many color systems using more than three. What’s up?
The Yellow That Isn’t There
Let’s take a closer look at this Wikipedia computer color thing. If you look up Yellow in wikipedia, you’ll see that standard Yellow is defined in color coordinates by (R,G,B) = (255, 255, 0). But if we plot that “musical chord” out on our piano we get this:
Now this is crazy, because there is clearly a “yellow” key halfway between green and red, and we aren’t hitting that key at all. Instead we are leaning with a strong 255 “forte” on both RED and GREEN. Indeed, in the same Wikipedia entry for Yellow, it indicates that the “spectral” coordinates of Yellow is 570–590 nanometers. This is the wavelength of the light which is colored yellow in the rainbow spectrum.
To understand what is going on requires an understanding of human beings more than the color spectrum, and how we evolved. Modern humans perceive color with the use of three kinds of cells in the retina of our eyes, called cones. These cones come in three types, each of which respond only to specific “chords” in the color spectrum. The three chords look something like this (approximately):
cone_spectrum_2What this says is that we have in our eyes three kinds of cells (not counting rods which detect brightness), which respond to “color chords” that are centered (roughly) around the blue, green and red keys. There is no cell that responds just to “yellow” chords, and so the way that we “see” the yellow color is that our brains get strong positive signals from both the Green and the Red cones.
One of the interesting consequences is that it is possible to make a person “see” yellow even if there is no yellow in the light at all. All you have to do is to take a pure green and red light (such as from two distinct lasers), and shine them on the same spot on the wall:
Our retinas will report to the brain that where they intersect it is getting a strong green and red signal, and the brain will interpret that as yellow — even though a light spectrometer pointed at the wall will report that there is no yellow there at all. It is a color optical illusion !
Here is the take-away from all this: the color YELLOW is an IDEA, as are all other colors. It is something unique that our brain thinks — a state of mind — in response to what the outside world is doing. In the case above, the YELLOW our brain “sees” is entirely in our own heads. Now most of the time, in nature, there really is a yellow frequency light wave “out there”, and we know from the yellow in the rainbow that this frequency of light actually exists. You can create a pure yellow by simply dropping salt into a flame (sodium ions radiate at that color). But the idea of yellow must be distinguished from the light that usually triggers it.
And so, YELLOW as a specific color of light must be understood as a separate dimension from RED, GREEN, and BLUE. So how many dimensions does color really have? We will explore this further in the next post, “Shadows of The Infinite.”
The Colors of the Rainbow, Part I: The Infinite Piano
The phrase “All the colors of the rainbow” is often used to refer to every imaginable color that you can see. What is interesting is that almost the exact opposite is true: With the exception of the rainbow itself, you almost never see the colors of the rainbow in nature, and indeed almost all of the colors that you do see are NOT in the rainbow.
Look closely at the rainbow spectrum above. Try to find Pink. Or Brown. Or Teal. Or Chartreuse, Mauve, Vermillion, etc etc… You won’t and you can’t. So what’s going on?
Think of it this way: picture the rainbow spectrum above stretched out over the keys of a piano. But not just any piano will do, and 88 keys are nowhere near enough. You will need a piano where the keys are infinitely thin, and there are an infinite number of keys, so the keyboard looks like this:
So the idea is, each color in the rainbow is just a single (very thin) key, a single note on the piano, and as you run your finger along the piano, playing a glissando, you are really just playing just one note at a time. But in our world, the colors that we see are each a chord, made up of many of these keys played together. You will need a lot of fingers, and a hand-reach far beyond that of even Rachmaninov, covering the entire piano for some colors.
And it has to be a real piano, not just a harpsichord where strings a plucked. Remember, the reason a piano is called a piano is that you can play each note soft or loud (piano e forte = soft and loud), depending on how hard you hit the key or step on a pedal. So, in the real world, if you see a green leaf, for example, most likely what is being “played” is a very strong solid GREEN fortissimo note, with millions of close “greenish” unison notes nearby but more pianissimo, kind of like this:
Just to explore this piano metaphor a bit further, we should note that light is a wave just like sound, and has specific frequencies and wavelengths. But one difference is that we can hear a very wide range of frequencies of sound, across roughly ten octaves. Since the speed of sound and light are so different, let’s put it in terms of wavelengths. Each octave is half the wavelength of the previous one, and so for sound the range of wavelengths goes from 17 meters (low pitch 20 Hertz) to 1.7 cm (20,000 Hertz). The standard piano covers about seven of those musical octaves. By comparison, the wavelengths of light we can see go from deep red, about 700 nanometers (billionths of a meter), to deep violet, about 400 nanometers. In other words, the color/light piano usable to humans is just short of covering a single octave of light. Not much opportunity for harmonizing, although some shades of violet could be a perfect fifth above deep red.
(I should apologize for one mistake in my piano picture: to make the analogy exact, the RED should be at the left, as it is a deep low-frequency bass, while violet should be at the right, a high-frequency treble. So let’s call this a left-handed piano get on with life.)
So where are all of our more familiar colors located? Some of them are fairly complicated chords. For example, you might play a RED note loudly, a GREEN note softer, and a BLUE note just a bit more strongly … and if you did, the name of that chord is — guess what? — PINK.
The “sheet music” for this single 3-note chord composition could be written out over the keyboard with three vertical bars, each indicating the loudness or softness of each of the three keys we need to play, like this:pink
We could even assign numbers to each of these loudness values, say, from 0 being absolute quiet (ie, don’t touch the key), to 255 being the LOUDEST you can hit the key. In the case of “PINK”, it would look something like this:
We could even shorten this musical notation by saying (R,G,B) = (255, 192, 203). Now you may think that I just made up those particular numbers, but in fact if you check with Wikipedia, the internet standard for color on computer displays has exactly these three values for the color pink.
So, the take-away from this first part of my blog is that the universe of color is much larger than the single keys on the rainbow piano. You’ve got to play chords. But even then it gets complicated, and more interesting, which we’ll see in part two, “Yellow is An Idea“.
Remembering Paul Sidney
At various times from fourth grade through eighth, Paul Sidney was my best friend and worst enemy. I have now lived for fifty seven years, and Paul retains a special place of honor, being the only person on the planet that I have ever punched in the nose (or wanted to).
That was in the sixth grade, at Steven Millard Elementary school. I can’t even remember exactly what it was about, though Paul did have a biting wit and what we would now call a “snarky” attitude. Very likely it was a sarcastic comment he made at the time about a crush I had on Diane, a girl I first met in square dancing class in fourth grade. Now that I think of it this was Paul’s great talent, being one of the few people in whom I felt I could confide my deepest feelings, and who later would use those secrets to torment me in artful and insidious ways.
It has taken four years for the news to reach me that Paul had died, June 12, 2011. He was 53.
I had always thought that I would be hearing about Paul, over the years. He was a very good writer in Junior high school, and we had something of a rivalry in creative writing. He could have been a writer, or an actor, graphic artist, or any number of things. I googled his name every so often, looking for books published, lectures given, organizations he had founded, Tony-award winning musicals starring Nathan Lane written by him. Nothing. Somehow he had just fallen off of the map.
The obituary was just a note, no detail, no evidence of a memorial with thousands of friends and admirers, remembering him, telling stories, laughing, crying, people who were touched by him.
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
And was buried along with her name
Nobody came
After eighth grade, I and most of my classmates went to Irvington High School. Paul did not. For reasons we never learned, he went to Moreau, a Catholic High School in Hayward. I only saw Paul twice after that. Once was at the Fremont Main Library by Lake Elizabeth, and he was studying at a table, probably for a class. We said hi. The only other time was a few years later, my senior year, when I saw that he was appearing in a Halloween stage production of “Dracula”. He played Beddoes, the assistant.
That seemed appropriate. Paul always had a sense of the macabre. I remember hanging out with him, reading his creepy comic books, graphic novel versions of Edgar Allen Poe, “The Telltale Heart,” complete with gruesome beating hearts.
For some reason Paul always reminded me of Lucy van Pelt, from Peanuts. Smart beyond their years, a bit crabby, a fussbudget, but with an acerbic wit, a sabre that he could unsheathe at the drop of a malapropism. Something feminine or feline as well. Even this seventh grade photo (above) has him sporting a faux leopard-skin vest. Oscar Wilde.
Reading back on this piece, it almost sounds like our relationship was romantic, a love-hate thing, doesn’t it? I don’t know, I was a kid, and pretty much clueless. All I knew was that he was a very smart guy, and one of the few who challenged me in the world of ideas, and words. Perhaps I did love him.
Paul and his sister Kay, 2000
Paul and his sister Kay, 2000
I contacted Paul’s sister Kay, and wrote a letter (on paper, with pen), asking about Paul, and what happened. I wish I could say that I was surprised, but was not. Things did not go well for Paul. His parents divorced, and in High School Paul began to exhibit the first signs of Schizophrenia, a disease with which he struggled the rest of his life. His family tried to help him, but it is in the nature of the disease that having any sort of life as I would have wished for him is virtually impossible. He ultimately died from the effects of COPD, a congestive lung disease exacerbated by a lifetime of smoking.
As I once wrote, a small mouse in Connecticut once taught me that the greatest gift that you can give someone, is to remember them. Each life, no matter how small, touches someone. Their life matters. They had a life, they had a story.
This one is for you, Paul.
A Thousand Cranes
origami crane
I will be giving lessons on how to fold these cranes at the Future Faire in Virgin on June 20. Feel free to come down and join us, or fold your own crane at home (directions below) and send them to me, at the address in the instructions. Read on for the story…
Our little town of Virgin has been through some divisive troubles lately, and there are some hard feelings going around. At heart though, I believe that everybody in this town cares about Virgin, whether they are sons of pioneers or newcomers from out of state, or upstream refugees from bustling metropolitan Springdale. I am sure they all have only the greatest hopes for it to become the town of their dreams.
When I was in fourth grade our teacher, Mister Haney, taught us about Japan, and the arts of calligraphy and origami. There is an ancient legend, he told us, that if you fold a thousand origami cranes (Senbazuru) you will get your wish and prosperity will be yours for a thousand years.
I am announcing the “Thousand Cranes for Virgin” Project. I am asking for anybody that cares about our town to take a few minutes and some origami paper, learn how to fold a classic origami crane, and send them to me. I hope that within one year, we will have over a thousand cranes, which we can string together and keep in our new Community Center (the old restored church), as a sign of our common love for this town, and to ensure its happiness and prosperity for a thousand years.
Here’s how to fold an origami crane, and where to send it:
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Why Christians Need Confessions
Carl R. Trueman
Despite claims to the contrary, the Christian world is not divided between those who have creeds and confessions and those who just have the Bible. It is actually divided between those who have creeds and confessions and write them down in a public form, open to public scrutiny and correction, and those who have them and do not write them down. The reason is simple: every church (and indeed every Christian) believes the Bible means something, and what it thinks the Bible means is its creed and confession, whether it chooses to write its beliefs down or not.
Of course, those who argue that they have no creed but Christ and no book but the Bible are usually trying to protect something important and biblical: the supreme authority of Scripture in all matters of Christian faith and practice. They rightly fear allowing unbiblical traditions or ideas to impact the substance of what the church believes. Yet for all of the good intentions that they may have, I believe that that which they want to protect—the unique status of Scripture—is actually best protected through explicit confessional documents, connected to a carefully thought-out form of church government.
In fact, and somewhat ironically, it is those who do not express their confession in the form of a written document who are in danger of elevating their tradition above Scripture in such a way that it can never be controlled by the latter. If a church has a document that says it is dispensational in eschatology, then we all know where such a church stands on the issue of the end times, and we can do the Berean thing and test the position by Scripture to see if it is so. The church that tells you simply that its position on the end times is the same one as that taught in the Bible appears to be telling you everything, but is actually telling you nothing at all.
In short, creeds and confessions, connected to a biblical church polity, are a vital part of maintaining a healthy New Testament church life. Here are seven reasons why every church should have them.
1. Confessions delimit church power.
In an age when words, especially words that make truth claims, are always suspected of being part of some manipulative power game, it is perhaps counterintuitive to think of confessions as delimiting the power of the church. Yet a moment of reflection makes it clear that this is exactly what they do. An elder in the church has authority only relative to those matters that the confession defines. Thus, if someone in church declares the Trinity to be nonsense or commits adultery, the elders have both a right and a duty to intervene. Both issues are covered in the Westminster Standards. But if someone wishes to turn up at church wearing a bright yellow suit or decides to become a vegetarian, the elders have no right to intervene. They might have personal reservations about the person’s sense of appropriate dress or wonder how anyone could live without the occasional burger, but it is not the church’s business to address either matter. Indeed, this is what stops churches from becoming cults: clear and open statements about where church authority begins and ends, connected to transparent processes of exercising that authority.
2. Confessions offer succinct summaries of the faith.
If you have on your bookshelf or in your pocket a copy of the Westminster Standards, you have more theological punch per page than anything other than the Bible. Theological tomes often seem vast and forbidding, and few have the time to read them. Yet the Shorter Catechism can be carried in a pocket, read through in a few minutes, and easily memorized. It is an entire theological curriculum in an easily digestible form. Of course, there are other books out there that do similar things. But are there any that do it so efficiently and in such an easily digestible form? The church with a good confession and a good catechism has a ready-made pedagogical tool for instilling the truth into its people.
History has proved this over and over again. Here, for example, is a quotation from B. B. Warfield in 1909:
What is “the indelible mark of the Shorter Catechism”? We have the following bits of personal experience from a general officer of the United States army. He was in a great western city at the time of intense excitement and violent rioting. The streets were over-run daily by a dangerous crowd. One day he observed approaching him a man of singularly combined calmness and firmness of mien, whose very demeanor inspired confidence. So impressed was he with his bearing amid the surrounding uproar that when he had passed he turned to look back at him, only to find that the stranger had done the same. On observing his turning the stranger at once came back to him, and touching his chest with his forefinger, demanded without preface, “What is the chief end of man?” On receiving the countersign, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever”—“Ah!” said he, “I knew you were a Shorter Catechism boy by your looks!” “Why, that was just what I was thinking of you,” was the rejoinder. (Selected Shorter Writings, vol. 1, 383–84)
And Warfield’s laconic postscript to that story is, “It is worth while to be a Shorter Catechism boy. They grow to be men. And better than that, they are exceedingly apt to grow to be men of God.” The reason, of course, is that the Shorter Catechism is arguably an excellent and concise statement of the whole counsel of God.
3. Confessions allow for appropriate discrimination between office-bearers and members.
There is some debate within Reformed circles over exactly how much doctrinal knowledge should be required for membership in a church. For myself, I believe Romans 10 indicates that the bar should be set toward the lower, rather than the higher, end of the spectrum. A basic confession, as long as it is combined with a humble and teachable spirit, is enough.
Even if some disagree with setting the bar low, however, all should agree that there is to be a difference between the degree of knowledge required of an office-bearer and a new member. Where one starts in the Christian life should not be where one finishes. There is to be growth in maturity, one aspect of which is growth in doctrinal knowledge, and the confessional documents of a church offer a road map or aspirational framework that gives substance and structure to this growth. The church with no confession or with only the most minimal of doctrinal statements has the disadvantage of not being able to set before the people any biblically ambitious vision of what a mature Christian’s theology should be.
4. Confessions highlight that which is of importance.
One could perhaps express this point in negative terms: if it is not in the confession, it is going to be difficult to argue that it is of any great importance. This is one reason why confessions should be somewhat elaborate. If, for example, a church has a ten-point doctrinal basis or confession, the problem the elders are going to face is how they are ever going to convince their people that an eleventh doctrinal point is really that important. If it is not in the confession, then the church is functionally allowing for liberty of conscience on the matter. For example, if the statement does not reference baptism and thereby allows both paedobaptists and credobaptists to hold office, then baptism as an issue has been made a matter of practical indifference. The same applies to any doctrine—perseverance, sanctification, eschatology: if it is not mentioned, then the church has no official position on it and it is relegated to being a matter of minor importance.
Again, to return to the former point: the new convert or the new member is not necessarily going to know at the moment of joining the church what is important and what is indifferent. A good, elaborate confession provides the church not only with a great pedagogical map, but also with a fine resource for teaching the people about what really matters and why.
5. Confessions relativize the present and connect us to the past.
We all know that Christianity is not reinvented every Sunday. We all stand on ground that has been laid for us by many brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone before us. Yet often we can be tempted to live as if this were not true. This is hardly surprising, as we live in an age where the antihistorical forces of the wider culture are powerful and all-pervasive. Whether it is a commercial telling us that the next purchase we make will bring us happiness or science promising some great breakthrough that will ease our lives, everything around us points to the future as that which is most important and certainly as vastly superior to the past.
By contrast, Christianity is a religion rooted in history. It was constituted by God’s historical actions culminating in Christ, and it comes to us through the faithful articulation and preservation of its message by God’s church throughout the ages. That is profoundly countercultural and something of which we need to be constantly reminded. Ironically, it may well be that those who claim no creed but the Bible are actually reflecting merely the spirit of our age in all of its antihistorical triumphalism.
In this context, the use of creeds and confessions is one intentional means of connecting ourselves to the past, of identifying with the church of previous ages, and thereby of relativizing our own significance in the grand scheme of things. The recitation of ancient creedal formulas in the worship service is one practical example of such. The affirmation of historic confessional standards, as expressing the doctrinal commitments of the church’s office-bearers and the content of the church’s pedagogical ambitions for her membership, is another.
6. Confessions reflect the substance of our worship.
When I teach my course on the Ancient Church, I always emphasize that the dynamic of early Trinitarian and Christological debates is doxological and inextricably connected to Christian worship. Put simply, the early church’s cry of worship, “Jesus is Lord!” and the conjunction of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the baptismal formula point toward a foundation of deep theology. They provided the context for the discussions that would ultimately bear fruit in the Nicene Creed and the Chalcedonian Definition. The church’s confessional tradition begins with reflection upon the meaning of acts of worship.
For two millennia, the worship of the church has not changed relative to the fundamental points—that it is a declaration that Jesus is Lord and that salvation is an act of the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and our confessions explicate the content of these points.
Thus, we should not think of confessions and the doctrine they contain as being antithetical to vibrant worship. The possession of a confession, of course, does not equate to vibrant worship, nor does it guarantee it, any more than the mere existence of a legal code guarantees a civilized society. Yet confessions are prerequisites of vibrant and thoughtful worship, the things that make sense of what we do as Christians.
This confessional function is likely to become more obviously important in years to come. As other religions collide with Christianity, and especially as some of those religions use the same kind of biblical vocabulary that we use, it is going to be more and more crucial that we understand not only what words to use, but also what those words actually mean. Your friendly Mormon neighbor might well agree with you that Jesus is Lord; he may even sing some of the same hymns at his worship service. Thus, you are going to need to know what exactly your church means when it says “Jesus is Lord” or performs baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Good confessions enable you to do that with greater ease than anything else.
7. Confessions fulfill a vital part of Paul’s plan for the post-apostolic church.
As Paul wrote from prison to his protégé, Timothy, his mind was focused on how the church was to manage once he and the other apostles had passed from the scene. His answer had two components: a structure in which the governance of the church was put in the hands of ordinary but faithful men, and a form of sound words. Both were necessary. Without structure, the church would have no leadership; without a form of sound words, she would drift from her theological moorings, losing touch with her past and with other congregations in the present. A form of sound words, a confession, was crucial for maintaining both continuity with the apostles and unity among Christians in the present. And that is what our confessional documents do today: they bind us to faithful brothers and sisters in the past and with the same in the present.
The cry “No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible!” has a speciously pious and biblical ring to it, yet we should not be ashamed of being confessional Christians, for confessions enable us to maintain certain biblical priorities. We should give thanks for this, even as we try to show nonconfessional brothers and sisters a better way of preserving the things that are of value to all Christians.
The author, an OP minister, teaches church history at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia. He has written The Creedal Imperative. New Horizons, February 2013.
© 2020 The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
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flintloque-logo-304x90A Tale from the White Liar Tavern
"Dwarven Spirits"
A Flintloque Short Story by Tony Harwood
Artwork Conceived and Created by Tony Harwood and Edward Jackson
..."Humpf" said the old Dwarf sitting in the corner, if you re-charge my tankard, I'll tell you a tale of high adventure and cold, evil spirits.”
The regular clients looked on with some trepidation as this particular Dwarf was already unsteady on his feet caused by the large amount of beer he had already drunk.
“OK,” said one well mannered Guildsman, “I’ll see you one more tankard – but it had better be a good story!”
The Dwarf started his tale;
“Some years ago when I was still in my prime, I was part of the famous Princess Juliana Chasseur Elite Regiment, a group of experienced brewers who were uniformed by the guild of brewers and served honourably.”
At this stage there were muffled comments from the older customers, who had differing views on how ‘honourable’ this particular regiment had been during the early Mordred Wars.
“During a quiet period I was instructed to lead a small group of Musketeers who were charged with escorting two wagons of supplies. The adventure started well and we were soon many miles into our trek. However the weather changed and due to some poor map reading and bad light we were soon lost within woods on the border of Diberia and the a strange and dark Witchlands that were it's neighbour. I decided that it was best to make camp and wait for the weather to change and the sun to rise.”
“The next morning the rain continued and, if anything, the heavy fog that now filtered through the trees was even worse than the rain of the day before. Nevertheless we decided that it was best to move forward and leave these evil woods. Within minutes there was uproar as a large group of Ogre Deserters smashed through the trees and after a short struggle took the larger of the two wagons.”
Once again from within the White Liar there were grumbling comments about how this particular regiment dealt with threats and one or two who were now openly questioning the worth of buying ale for such a poor story.
“I was conscious of my duty and had the remaining wagon checked. It was full of bedding while the stolen wagon had all the food and drink. There was no way that my small group could best a band of Ogres, but we had to try!”
“How did you manage that?” came a cursed shout from the back of the White Liar.
The haggard Dwarf took a long draft from his tankard and continued his tale.
“As the afternoon turned into early evening and the chill air began having a negative effect on my comrades, a plan was hatched. It was well known to us that the Ogres of the area were very superstitious and as the Full Moon rose I decided that we would dress in the white bed linen and impersonate evil spirits, thereby frightening off the Ogres allowing us to retrieve the food and drink.”
“We cut eye-holes in the sheets and slowly crept through the undergrowth. When we saw the Ogres, they were already drunk from drinking our Dwarf Ale and with a silent command we all charged – crying out, wailing as we ran. The Ogres took one look at us and ran as fast as they could, leaving the supplies for us to recover.”
“Since then at every Full Moon, I have found some solace in drinking myself into a drunken stupor, an action that has taken its toll on both my physical and mental health.”
“What sort of story is this – and more importantly what a waste of good ale!” were some of the more polite comments from the now frustrated customers of the White Liar. “How come you need this ale to give rest-full sleep – you recovered the wagon and survived!”
The old Dwarf lifted his head, his eyes blood shot and blank.
“Well you see, when we started out there were just seven Dwarves, but in that charge against the drunken Ogres, I counted at least twenty spectres each calling out in a wailing holler and since then on the night of a Full Moon, such as we have this evening, those ghosts once again visit me and continue their wailing, giving me no respite until the rising of the morning sun. That is why I drink so much on the night of a full moon."
In the silence of the tap room a faint noise could be heard from outside, growing steadily louder.
"Hark here they come now.” mumbled the Dwarf as he finished his drink in one and fell into unconsciousness.
The White Liar emptied faster than it had ever done before and with some prodding and a last firm push the Landlord got the old Dwarf out of the door just in time. As he pushed the door home he saw what looked like floating white sheets descending towards the Dwarf. He bolted the door shut and took a long breath, the snoring Dwarf collapsed in the gutter as the spirits descended.
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information contained on the character Profile will be changed
from time to time so use a pencil.
Weight (mass): 16 drams (dr)=1 ounce (oz); 16 ounces=1
pound (lb); 14 pound=1 stone (rarely used). A (short) ton=2000
Listen to the GM. If he describes a situation and you are
to busy to listen, he may be to busy to explain it again.
If you are inclined to dominate a group, or fade into the
background, try to limit your inclination. Roleplaying
works best if all players have a say. Other players'
objectives may not coincide with yours, but if a group is
to function well, everyone must be accommodated.
Area 2450 square yards=1 selion; 2 selions=1 acre; 30
acres(approx.)=1 yard (or virgate); 120 acres=1 hide.
Roleplaying makes paperwork. It pays to be organized.
Plan ahead. Any plan is usually better than no plan at
Time 60 seconds=1 minute; 60 minutes=1 hour; 4 hours=1
watch; 6 watches=1 day; 10 days=1 tenday; 3 tendays=1
month; 12 months=1 year.
Try not to divide the group. Apart from the fact that two
groups of two are more likely to succumb to an attack
than one group of four, dividing the party may oblige the
GM to banish one group from the room while he deals
with the other.
Control competitive instinct. There is no percentage in
trying to compete with other members of your group,
and it is pointless trying to compete with an omnipotent
Liquid Volume 4 gills=1 pint; 2 pints=1 quart; 4 quarts=1
gallon; 50 gallons=1 hogshead.
Dry Volume 4 pecks=1 bushel; 8 bushels=1 quarter; 4
quarters=1 tun.
The standard unit of currency is the silver penny weighting
one dram, a sixteenth of an ounce. This coin can very slightly in
value from one region to another as a result of silver content. All
prices are given in silver pence (the plural of penny); the
abbreviation for penny/pence is "d". Copper coins do not exist; the
silver penny is often divided into two halves (halfpenny) or four
quarters (farthing).
Never turn your back on a door...the universe is full of
doors so, never turn your back on the universe.
Gold coins exist but they are rare. A gold penny (one dram)
would be worth 20d, although gold coins generally come as one
ounce coins worth 320d — The Khuzan Gold Crown is the only
remotely common gold coin.
Never forget human nature and sensibilities. Your real
life friends are more important than any game.
A shilling is not a coin, it is simply 12d. Similarly a pound (£)
is any combination of coins worth 240d.
Dice are used to generate attributes and to resolve game
actions. When two numbers separated by a small "d"(e.g. 4d6) are
encountered, a die roll is called for. The number before the "d" is
the number of dice to be rolled, and the number following the "d"
is the number of sides it should have. Hence, "3d12" indicates that
three 12-sided dice are to be rolled. Generally, it is the sum of the
dice rolled that is needed, but "1d100" and "1d1000" are special
cases. The first means percentile dice, the second means roll 3d10
reading one die as hundreds, another as tens, and the third as
ones. A suffix may be included to indicate that the result is to be
modified by addition (e.g. 3d6+2), subtraction (3d6-2),
multiplications (3d6x2), or division (3d6/2).
Except where otherwise indicated, fractions should be
rounded to the nearest whole number. For example, 4.5 rounds to
5 and 4.49 rounds to 4.
Medieval societies do not employ neat systems of weights
and measure, but for ease of play the following universal system is
Length 12 inches=1 foot; 3 feet=yard; 4000 yards =1
4 farthings = 1 penny
12 pennies = 1 shilling
20 shillings = 1 pound
The prevailing form of government in civilized regions is
feudalism. Under this system, all land is (theoretically) owned by
the king, who grants heritable fiefs to trusted magnates (tenants-inchief) who provide for local government and defense. The great
nobles, in turn, grant portions of their fiefs to lesser nobles, a
process known as subinfeudation.
Feudal Nobility
The distinction between gentle (noble) and simple (common)
birth is the most significant in feudal society. The exclusive rights
and privileges of the gentry include the right to bear arms, ride
warhorses, organize and command military forces, hold
fortifications, and dispense justice at feudal courts. Any simpleman
who trespasses on these rights can expect harsh punishment.
Gentlefolk receive better treatment before the law which
protects the privilege of rank. In a dispute between a noble and
simple person, there is rarely doubt as to the outcome.
A person whose parents are gentle has gentle status. Few
commoners are admitted to this exclusive group, but it is possible |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10325 | For Corny Fun, Check Out Arizona Opera’s “Hercules vs. Vampires”
M.V. MoorheadOctober 2017
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But it was also the plot of Hercules in the Haunted World (Ercole al Centro della Terra), a hokey, albeit visually beautiful, 1961 Italian “Sword and Sandal” movie directed by the great Mario Bava, starring the British bodybuilder Reg Park as Herc and the British horror star Christopher Lee as the heavy. In this operatic version, the flick is projected above the orchestra and singers, who perform a full score by American composer Patrick Morganelli, with the script serving as libretto. Presto! Movie kitsch becomes legit operatic saga.
It’s packed with jaunty sidekicks and brutal battles and mystic oracles and magic apples and imperiled damsels and lethal risen dead and a procrustean ambulatory mineral monster. And, of course, plenty of hurled boulders. You know, the good stuff.
Hercules vs. Vampires in Tucson. Photo by Tim Trumble.
Arizona Opera also notes that this is a family-friendly event. And since we’re only a week away from Halloween, folks are invited to come in togas or other costumes and to arrive an hour before curtain time to participate in activities like a “Hercules Photo Booth,” or to “Groove to the sounds of DJ Procrustes.” Because when things are this corny, it’s better to lean in than fight it.
Hercules vs. Vampires plays Saturday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 22 at 2 p.m., at Symphony Hall. Tickets start at $25. Go to azopera.org for details.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10328 | phrases, sayings, proverbs and idioms at
The meaning and origin of the expression: Morning person
Browse phrases beginning with:
Morning person
Other phrases about:
What's the meaning of the phrase 'Morning person'?
Someone who functions better in the morning, as compared to later in the day.
What's the origin of the phrase 'Morning person'?
This is an American phrase from the latter half of the 20th century. The separation of people into owls and larks, that is, those who go to bed and get up late, as opposed to those who go to bed and get up early, has led to their description as either a night owl or a morning person. The earliest citation I can find of morning person is a reference to 'morning-personality' in an advertising piece from the Indiana Evening Gazette, in January 1960. The article encouraged the purchase of instant mashed potatoes and was headed 'Pillbury Has Potatoes In Easy Package Form':
"What kind of 'morning personality' are you? Are you the kind of gal who has to drag herself down to the kitchen in housecoat and flapping slippers, to get her family's breakfast?"
The earliest citation that explicitly mentions 'morning person' is from the Minnesota newspaper The Evening Tribune, February 1964:
"Your morning person sprints through his task until noon, but after lunch he sags listlessly and can't wait for quitting time." |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10339 | [BEAT] Ramil´ – Aibala (backtrack without guitar)
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10359 | Mae Jemison, First African-American Woman in Space, on the Shuttle's End
Physician and astronaut Mae Jemison was the first African American woman to travel in space, flying on board space shuttle mission STS-47 in 1992. With the final shuttle launch scheduled for tomorrow, Jemison tells PM why the program stagnated, and why citizens should care.
What was special about the shuttle?
Because it was a reusable vehicle, we were able to study what happened to it and got some familiarity with it. We could take up equipment and put things into orbit that couldn't travel on a larger, non-human-rated vehicle because of all the G-forces. We couldn't have launched the Hubble Space Telescope on anything else. And having the capacity to repair things in orbit, such as the Hubble and Space Station, was also important about the shuttle.
I think we took that for granted. In many ways, if there was a failure in the program, it was that we did not recognize what an incredible piece of equipment and engineering the shuttle was. Any time there was an accident or a delay or a hold, people said it was a failure. No, it was an incredible piece of equipment. Yes, it was complicated, but going into space, having all of these capacities, is a sophisticated kind of venture.
Are you nostalgic at all that the shuttle program is ending?
My sadness about the shuttle ending is only because we don't have another vehicle right now that the U.S. can use to get people into orbit. We don't even have any vehicles on the drawing board with the same capacity that the shuttle has. The shuttle should have kept flying while we committed ourselves to building the next generation of shuttles, or the next generation of space-faring vehicles that were reusable, single-stage to orbit and could eventually get out of low-earth orbit.
Was there a specific time when you saw the program lose its commitment?
The magic left after the Challenger accident. We were so stunned as a society to see this happen. The shuttle had made space seem so commonplace up to then, people thought it was just like getting on an airplane. Then after the accident, we [started] thinking it's dangerous. Well, it's always been dangerous. We needed to continue to move on. You don't stop and become timid. You rededicate yourself and pay attention.
A report came out that said we needed to take small steps forward. The reality is, the way you make changes sometimes requires you to take revolutionary steps. Sputnik was a revolutionary step. Committing to going to the moon and Apollo were revolutionary steps. When we started talking about using off-the-shelf components, I think it led to something like Constellation where suddenly we're going all of the way back to the Apollo days and using that as the model. We started saying we didn't want to have to create new technology. Well, no, that's part of our job. That's the reason for our existence to do stuff that nobody else can do. Not go back and try to rebuild a Saturn V, just a little bit fancier. You have to push the technological envelope and make a commitment to something even if you don't know exactly how to do it.
After the Challenger accident, when you say people in the program were more timid, do you think the program started going downhill?
I would say it stagnated. I came in the first class after the Challenger accident, and I think we were more withdrawn and timid then. We said it's going to take us 20 years to go back to the Moon. But we did it the first time in 10 years!
You know, I was thrilled to be joining the astronaut program and I saw a lot, but I always wanted to push more. If you want to talk about any failures, it was that we stopped thinking that we could do difficult things. We thought they had to be easy and not test our capacities. Humans need to be bold if we want to expand our horizons.
What do you think will be the future of the space program?
I don't know where it's going to go. So much of it has to do with a dedication from the American people, but they aren't interested in baby steps. People were riveted when we saw Sojourner on the surface of Mars. We were on Mars! Space represented something even more than pride against Russia. It fired our imaginations.
Space should be a civilian venture, one that can actually get humans and nations to work together, rather than one that's another outpost for us to expand. The last thing we need to do is to take this nonsense about not figuring out how to share a planet into low-earth orbit.
And it would be a shame if things were privatized to the extent that we didn't see a role for the government anymore. If people go to the moon without an understanding about what it represents for all of the people on Earth and orbital space, then we end up having problems. As citizens, we paid for most of the technology that it takes to get into space and private companies are taking advantage of that. We need to know that we all have a stake in what happens.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10373 | Tim Cook smiled and waved his hands to quiet the crowd. “Hello everyone, I know you’re all excited to hear about the new iPhone 6!” The deafening applause began to calm, and the room slowly became silent. Tim smiled and reached into his pocket. “We’ve gone in a quite different direction this time. This time […] |
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The thin microgreens contain a robust flavor, similar to mustard but much less spicy. It can add depth to any dish that requires fresh greens--or in this case, reds! It's striking colors make at a great garnish or an addition to any micro greens salad. Non-GMO microgreens seeds. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10411 | A shiny Web App from LEGO— truck + trailer
January 21, 2019
[This article was first published on Sebastian Wolf blog, and kindly contributed to R-bloggers]. (You can report issue about the content on this page here)
How to Build a Shiny “Truck” part 2 — Let the LEGO “truck” app pull a trailer. An example of a modularized shiny app.
In September 2018 I used an automotive metaphor explaining a large scale R shiny app. RViews published the article. I would summarize the article in one phrase. Upon building large applications (trucks) in R shiny there are a lot of things to keep in mind. To cover all these things in a single app I’m providing this tutorial.
You can find all files of the app under https://github.com/zappingseb/biowarptruck — folder: example_packaged
Summary (skip if you read the article in RViews)
The article I wrote in RViews told the reader to pay regard to the fact that any shiny app might become big someday. Ab initio it must be well planned. Additionally, it should be possible to remove or add any part of your app. Thus it has to be modular. Each module must work as a LEGO brick. LEGO bricks come with different functionalities. These bricks follow certain rules, that make them stick to each other. These rules we call a standard. Modules designed like LEGO bricks increase your flexibility. Hence the re-usability of your modules grows. When you set up your app to like that, you have the possibility to add an unlimited number of LEGO bricks. It can grow. Imagining small scale applications like cars. Large scale applications are trucks. The article explained how to build a LEGO truck.
If you build your car from LEGO / more and different parts can make it a truck.
If you built your app from standardized modules / you have the flexibility to insert a lot more functionalities.
A modularized shiny app — Where to start?
The image below explains the idea of the modularized shiny app.
You start with a core shiny application. See it like the chassis of your car. It’s made of LEGO. Any other part made of LEGO a stick to your chassis. Such parts can change its functionality. Different modules will help you build different cars. Additionally, you want to have a brick instruction (plan). The plan tells which parts to take and to increase flexibility. The back pages of your brick instruction can contain a different model from the same bricks. If you can build one app from your modules, you can also build a different app containing the same modules. If this is clear to you, we can start building our app in R-shiny:
Implementation rules:
• Each module is an R package
• The core R package defines the standardization of bricks
• The core app is a basic shiny app
• The brick instruction (plan) file is not in R
Why these rules exist, will become clear reading the article.
The app we want to build
The app we want to build will create different kinds of outputs from a panel of user inputs. These different outputs will show up inside the app. Additionally, all outputs will go into a PDF file. The example will include two plots in the plot module and one table in the table module. As each module is an R-package, you can imagine adding many more R-packages step by step. A lot of outputs are possible within shiny. The main feature of this app is the possibility to add more and more modules. More modules will not screw up the PDF reporting function or the view function. Modules do not interact at all inside this app.
The core R-package
The core package contains the structure that modules have to follow to fit into the core app. There are two kinds of structures that we will define as R-S4 classes. One that represents modules and one that represents output elements in those modules.
Class diagram of the core application: The left side shows the reports. The app can generate each of those. Each contains a list of elements to go into the report (plots). The right-hand side contains the class definition of such elements. Each element is of kind AnyPlot. This class contains a call (plot_element) that produces the element upon calling evalElement.
For task one, we call the object (class) a Report. The Report is the main brick we define in the core app. It contains:
plots — A list of all elements shown in the report
filename - The name of the output file (where to report to)
obs - The handling of the input value input$obs
rendered - Whether it shows up in the app right now
Additionally, the Report class carries some functionalities to generate a shiny output. Moreover, it allows creating PDF reports. The functionalities come within the methods shinyElement() and pdfElement() . In R-S4 this looks like this:
setClass("Report",representation(plots="list", filename="character", obs="numeric", rendered="logical"))
setMethod("pdfElement",signature = "Report",definition = function(object){
pdf([email protected])
lapply([email protected],function(x){
[email protected] <- TRUE
},error=function(e){warning("plot not rendered")#do nothing
setMethod("shinyElement",signature = "Report",definition = function(object){
lapply([email protected],
Now we would also like to define, how to structure each element of the Thus . Thus we define a class AnyPlot that carries an expression as it’s the only slot. The evalElement method will evaluate this expression. The pdfElement method creates an output that can go to PDF. The shinyElement creates a PlotOutput by calling shiny::renderPlot(). The logElement method writes the expression into a logFile. The R-S4 code shows up below:
setClass("AnyPlot", representation(plot_element = "call"))
# constructor
AnyPlot <- function(plot_element=expr(plot(1,1))){
new("AnyPlot", plot_element = plot_element)
setMethod("evalElement",signature = "AnyPlot",definition = function(object){
eval([email protected]_element)
setMethod("pdfElement",signature = "AnyPlot",definition = function(object){
setMethod("shinyElement",signature = "AnyPlot",definition = function(object){
setMethod("logElement",signature = "AnyPlot",definition = function(object){
write(paste0(deparse([email protected]_element)," evaluated"), file="app.log",append=TRUE)
The core app
To keep this example simple, the core app will include all inputs. The outputs of this app will be modular. The core app has to fulfill the following tasks:
1. have a container to show modules
2. Read the plan — to add containers
3. include a button to print modules to PDF
4. imagine also a button printing modules to “.png”, “.jpg”, “.xlsx”
5. include the inputs
Showing modules
For task one we use the shinyElement method of a given object and insert this in any output. I decided on a Tab output for each module. So each module gets rendered inside a different tab.
Reading the plan
Now here comes the hard part of the app. As I said I wanted to add two modules. One with plots and one with a table. The plan (config.xml) file has to contain this information. So I use this as a plan file:
Plot Module
Text Output
Construction plan of the web App
You can see I have two modules. There is a package for each module. Inside this package, a class defines (see section module packages) the output. This class is a child of our Report class.
The module shows up as a tab inside our app. We will go through this step by step. First, we need to have a function to load the packages for each module:
load_module <- function(xmlItem){
Second, we need a function to generate a tab out of the information of the module:
module_tab <- function(xmlItem){
As we now have these two functions, we can iterate over the XML file and build up our app. First we need a TabPanel inside the UI such as tabPanel(id='modules') . Afterwards, we can read the configuration of the app into the TabPane . Thus we use the appendTab function. The function XML::xmlApply lets us iterate over each node of the XML (config.xml) and perform these tasks.
configuration <- xmlApply(xmlRoot(xmlParse("config.xml")),function(xmlItem){
appendTab("modules",module_tab(xmlItem),select = TRUE)
name = xmlValue(xmlItem[["name"]]),
class = xmlValue(xmlItem[["class"]]),
id = xmlValue(xmlItem[["id"]])
Each module is now loaded into the app in a static manner. The next part will deal with making it reactive.
Rendering content into panels
For Dynamic rendering of the panels, it is necessary to know some inputs. First the tab the user chose. The input$modules variable defines the tab chosen. Additionally the outputs of our shiny app must update by one other input, input$obs . So upon changing the tab or changing the input$obs we need to call an event. This event will call the Constructor function of our S4 object. Following this the shinyElement method renders the output.
The module class gets reconstructed up on changes in the input$modules or input$obs
# Create a reactive to create the Report object due to
# the chosen module
report_obj <- reactive({
module <- unlist(lapply(configuration,function(x)x$name==input$modules))
if(!any(module))module <- c(TRUE,FALSE)
obs = input$obs
# Check for change of the slider/tab to re-calculate the report modules
# Derive chosen tab
# Re-render the output of the chosen tab
output[[configuration[[which(module)]][["id"]]]] <- shinyElement( report_obj() )
The reactive report_obj is a function that can call the Constructor of our Report object. Using the observeEvent function for input$obs and input$modules we call this reactive. This allows reacting on user inputs.
Deriving PDF files from reports
Adding a PDF render button to enable the download of PDF files.
The pdfElement function renders the S4 object as a PDF file. If this worked fine the PDF elements add up to the download button.
An extra label checks the success of the PDF rendering.
# Observe PDF button and create PDF
# Create PDF
report <- pdfElement(report_obj())
# If the PDF was successfully rendered update text message
if([email protected]){
output$renderedPDF <- renderText("PDF rendered")
output$renderedPDF <- renderText("PDF could not be rendered")
# Observe Download Button and return rendered PDF
output$downloadPDF <-
filename = report_obj()@filename,
content = function(file) {
file.copy( report_obj()@filename, file, overwrite = TRUE)
We finished the core app. You can find the app here: app.R and the core package here: core.
The last step is to put the whole truck together.
Module packages
The two module packages will now contain two classes. Both must be children of the class Report. Each element inside these classes must be a child class of the class AnyPlot. Red bricks in the next picture represent Reports and yellow bricks represent AnyPlots.
Final app: The truck consists of a core app with a PlotReport and a TableReport. These consist of three AnyPlot elements that the trailer of the truck carries.
Plot package
The first module package will produce a scatter plot and a histogram plot. Both are children of AnyPlot by contains='AnyPlot' inside there class definition. PlotReport is the class for the Report of this package. It contains both of these plots inside the plots slot. See the code below for the constructors of those classes.
setClass("HistPlot", representation(color="character",obs="numeric"), contains = "AnyPlot")
setClass("ScatterPlot", representation(obs="numeric"), contains = "AnyPlot")
setClass("PlotReport",contains = "Report")
HistPlot <- function(color="darkgrey",obs=100){
plot_element = expr(hist(rnorm(!!obs), col = !!color, border = 'white')),
color = color,
obs = obs
ScatterPlot <- function(obs=100){
plot_element = expr(plot(sample(!!obs),sample(!!obs))),
obs = obs
#' Constructor of a PlotReport
PlotReport <- function(obs=100){
plots = list(
HistPlot(color="darkgrey", obs=obs),
Table package
The table package follows the same rules as the plot package. The main difference is that there is only one element inside the plots slot. This one element is not a plot. That is why it contains a data.frame call as its expression.
setClass("TableElement", representation(obs="numeric"), contains = "AnyPlot")
setClass("TableReport",contains = "Report")
TableElement <- function(obs=100){
plot_element = expr(data.frame(x=sample(x=!!obs,size=5)))
#' Constructor for a TableReport
TableReport <- function(obs=100){
To render a data.frame call inside shiny, we have to overwrite the shinyElement method. Instead of returning a renderPlot output we will return a renderDataTable output. Additionally the pdfElement method has to return a gridExtra::grid.table output.
setMethod("shinyElement",signature = "TableElement",definition = function(object){
setMethod("pdfElement",signature = "TableElement",definition = function(object){
Packaging advantage
A major advantage of packaging each module is the definition of dependencies. The DESCRIPTION file specifies all dependencies of the module package. For example, the table module needs the gridExtra package. The core app package needs shiny, methods, XML, devtools . The app does not need extra library calls. Any co-worker can install all dependencies
Final words
Now you must have the tools to start building up your own large scale shiny application. Modularize the app using packages. Standardize it using S4 or any other object-oriented R style. Set the app up using an XML or JSON documents. You’re good to go. Set up the core package and the module packages inside one directory. You can load them with devtools and start building your shiny file app.R . You can now build your own app exchanging the module packages.
Like every kid, you can now enjoy playing with your truck afterward and you’re good to go. I cannot tell you if it’s more fun building or more fun rolling.
Dear Reader: It’s always a pleasure to write about my work on building modular shiny apps. I thank you for reading until the end of this article. If you liked the article, you can star the repository on github. In case of any comment, leave it on my LinkedIn profile http://linkedin.com/in/zappingseb.
To leave a comment for the author, please follow the link and comment on their blog: Sebastian Wolf blog.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10436 | Welcome to the world of Slayers, Vampyres and Deamons…where forbidden desires and ancient prophecies threaten all who crave peace…
The End of Hatred
Etherya’s Earth, Book 1
Slayer Princess Miranda, heir to the throne, has hated the Vampyres for a thousand years. Since the Awakening, she has fought to protect her people choosing to be a warrior more than a royal. When a female Vampyre washes up on the shore of her compound’s riverbank, she seizes the moment to take the offensive.
Read more > |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10438 | For Parents
I have the password: Proceed to the class
Phase 1 Class
Understanding the parent’s role in intervention, breaking denial and recovery.
• Online PDF version of “Help Your Child Become Drug Free” book
• Drug Trends
• Progression of Chemical Use from Experimentation to Addiction
• The Emotional Illness of Substance Abuse and the Disease of Addiction
• The Home Contract
• How to Drug Test Your Child
• The Six Stages of Recovery
Phase 2 Class
Importance of Parental Relationship: breaking the relationship to intoxication.
• Therapists, 12-Step Fellowship: Who’s Responding to the Call?
• The need to “Feel Felt” – having experience that parents “get them”
• American Culture: Solution focused, achievement, production oriented parenting vs. relational parenting
• Slowing down and creating space for your child to grow
• Parental emotional, psychological and relational development
• Not powerless, but have a powerful role |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10442 | » News » Sai's Take: Aisi Kaisi Democracy!
Sai's Take: Aisi Kaisi Democracy!
May 06, 2019 08:58 IST
'Have we finally gotten over the holy cow syndrome?' asks Saisuresh Sivaswamy after watching Aisi Taisi Democracy in action.
Aisi Taisi Democracy performers Sanjay Rajoura, Varun Grover and Rahul Ram. Photograph: Kind courtesy, AisiTaisiDemocracy/
IMAGE: Aisi Taisi Democracy performers Sanjay Rajoura, Varun Grover and Rahul Ram. Photograph: Kind courtesy, AisiTaisiDemocracy/
The ongoing election campaign, which has descended into an orgy of name-calling and vitriol, brings to mind the missing art of satire.
At a time when the ruling party is in the battle of its life, with the Opposition mounting a better than expected challenge for the throne of Dilli, perhaps it is too much to expect the protagonists to indulge in civility and use a scalpel where they have been swinging the Stormbreaker.
Luckily, help is at hand in the form of Aisi Taisi Democracy, in the person of 3-man stand-up comic team of Varun Grover, Sanjay Rajoura and Rahul Ram who have been on a tour of India holding a mirror to the masses, making us laugh at the image we see reflected.
It's brutal, it's savage, it's no-holds-barred, and it's all delivered with the deadpan expression and narrative that only stand-up comics can bring to their trade.
The bulk of it, of course, is reserved for the ruling party and its chief vote-catcher, also referred to sometimes in the show as Gobiji and at other times by his normal nomenclature.
Sometimes it is inferred.
Like talking about those losers for whom it is second nature to post horrific, misogynistic messages on social media to take down successful, independent women, they say such men will surely see their follower count go up by 1.
But most times the humour and target are direct.
Why is there so much brouhaha over the lack of employment? Can anyone deny that in the last 5 years one sector has seen a boom in recruits -- of gau-rakshaks?
I first saw the trio a few years ago, when the new, full majority in 30 years government was still in its first glow, at a time when sporadic voices were being raised at the curbing of freedoms, the intolerance, the censoring of free speech, and wondered if those who were protesting had been to the show.
After sitting through two hours of brutal satire, aimed at everybody -- including Raj Thackeray and the Shiv Sena -- in the heart of Mumbai, would they still claim that freedoms were being curbed?
Like back then, Friday's Mumbai show was also a sellout, with the audience giving the comics a standing ovation at the end. Many of the jibes you couldn't hear clearly for the resounding applause that often interrupted them.
That we can laugh at others, and laugh well at that, is well known. Have Indians also finally mastered the art of laughing at themselves, their follies -- and, importantly, at those who we have elected to power?
Have we finally gotten over the holy cow syndrome?
Speaking of which animal (and without giving too much of the show away), Varun Grover narrates an incident when a cow was found to have parked itself on the runway of the Ahmedabad airport, forcing flights to avoid landing on the airstrip and choosing to fly overhead, or go to other airports, rather than go head-to-head with the bovine.
No one wanted to be on the wrong side of the animal, you see, and it took a few hours to get it off the airport and resume normal operations.
Just think about it, Grover said, here is an animal we are all so used to seeing sitting docilely at traffic signals, legs and tail tucked in so as not to cause any disruptions, but which suddenly seems to have developed so much confidence that it can occupy an airport runway today.
What explains this surge in the animal's confidence?
"Arre, even my confidence would get a tremendous boost if you drank my urine, thought it contained medical properties, na? Just imagine, there will be a long line outside my house to get the first flush of the day, with people vying for it. Why, some may even want to drink it right from the source itself, can you imagine!"
Sai's Take
There was a whole song by Ram, who belts out versions of popular Hindi classics with the lyrics twisted to reflect the zeitgeist (including the toe-tapping Chunav ka Mahina), on the missing data under the government, how greater reliance is placed on RSS data than on NSS data.
Special mention is reserved for the teeming ranks of bhakts who use WhatsApp forwards to whitewash anything and everything the government does. Including something as mindless as demonetisation which, from its initial tune of wiping out black money and terrorism, was finally touted as 'good intention, but bad implementation'.
"This bhakt showed me a WhatsApp fwd that said Modiji has brought the country to the 4th position, wah Modiji wah. In what, I asked him, but the stupid chap did not know, just that we were in 4th position now. Can you imagine!"
So how does the Narendra Damodardas Modi campaign of 2014 differ from that of 2019?
Through Tinder screenshots, Grover said the Modi of 2014 had a warm, glowing profile. With a touching profile, courtesy Prasoon Joshi, and a soft-focus DP that showed him as a trustworthy person.
Cut to 2019 and the Tinder profile is of -- Vivek Oberoi!
"Can you imagine, here is an actor who won't be offered anything on credit by the neighbourhood kirana store in his lane, but who the prime minister is depending on today to win him an election!"
The beating scientific thinking and temper have received under the government, "with anything and everything attributed to the Vedas and ancient legends before the Englishman took them away" (actually it was the Muslim invaders who preceded them that took everything away) was not spared, either.
"Can you imagine, no less than the prime minister said that ancient India practised the world's first instance of plastic surgery. Just think, we had the ability to transplant a full head, but couldn't find a human one, we had to use an animal head. Was that the best we could do?"
Casteism, the unwanted male gaze romanticised as, well, romancing (right from Dev Anand's time), sexual harassment, pollution and Diwali firecrackers -- all our foibles were thrown back at us in a manner that made you laugh at them.
And through the loud guffaws and ringing applause, somewhere the thought seeps in that all along, for the two-hour duration, you were only laughing at yourself.
Which is a damn better thing to do than crying for yourself. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10447 | Who Was the Last King of England?
As of December 2014, the last king of England was King George VI, father of Queen Elizabeth II. He ascended the throne in 1937 at the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII, and reigned until his death in 1952.
Born Albert Frederick Arthur George Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, King George VI was the second son of King George V. Upon the death of George V in January of 1936, the elder son, Prince Edward, became king. In December of the same year, he abdicated the throne in order to marry an American divorcée. The coronation of King George VI took place in May of 1937. Though he had been called Albert in the past, he took the name George after his father. He was the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom through World War II, working closely with Prime Ministers Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10470 | Animal cruelty, CCTV in slaughterhouses and microbeads
The government has published a draft Bill to increase the maximum penalty for animal cruelty tenfold and “have regard to the welfare needs of animals as sentient beings.”
Richard said, “long time dog or cat owners like me will support this. We can have better protection than the EU on animals, including the export of live animals.”
It has also announced that CCTV will be mandatory in slaughterhouses and that there will be a consultation on banning all ivory sales in the UK.
Meanwhile the government has banned microbeads, helping to reduce plastic in the ocean, and MP Richard Graham plans to introduce a Bottle Refill scheme in Gloucester “so that all of us can refill our bottles in cafes for free, rather than increasing the numbers of bottles thrown away.”
Cabinet Member for Environment
Cllr Richard Cook said, “banning
microbeads and Bottle Refill schemes
all help - as will our new recycling |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10558 | My Hero Academia: Two Heroes
Genre: DVD: Anime (Europa)
| 2018 | Del 3 av 4 i serien My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia: Two Heroes
Finns i lager?
Stockholm Hämta i butik
Feature-length anime based on the manga by Kohei Horikoshi. Set in a world where the majority of the population possess superpowers known as Quirks, student Izuku Midoriya (voice of Justin Briner) dreams of one day becoming a hero despite the fact he doesn't have a Quirk. Determined to achieve his goals, Izuku attends The Hero Academy and soon catches the eye of renowned hero All Might (Christopher R. Sabat) who agrees to train him. When All Might is invited on a trip to I-Island where they conduct experiments on Quirks, he asks Izuku to accompany him, but he must promise not to divulge details of their shared Quirk that they call One for All.
- DVD region 2. Import från England.
- Ljud: Engelska (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Japanska (Dolby Digital 5.1) - Text: Engelska |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10565 | Interview about 56 GBaud PAM4 BER Analysis (Video)
At the ECOC 2018 we showed a live experiment with 56 GBaud PAM4 pattern generation and error analysis. If you missed it, you might like this interview.
In this video you see:
• The generation of different PAM4 signal types (e.g. with pre-emphasis or unequal eye openings) with our SHF 12105 A Bit Pattern Generator (BPG) connected to our SHF 614 A 6-Bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC).
• An accurate bit error ratio (BER) measurement of a 56 GBaud (112 Gbps) PAM4 signal by our SHF 11220A PAM4 Sampler and the SHF 11104 A Error Analyzer. SHF is the first company to show a commercially available solution which enables real BER analysis at this speed.
All data sheets can be found in our Products & Solutions section.
Don't miss any news: |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10569 | Saturday, 15 February 2014
Langkawi: Day 2 Eagle Square
After a hearty lunch at Pappa Rich in Kuah Town, we headed to the famous Eagle Square. You've read it right, we had lunch at Pappa Rich as there weren't many places to eat during lunch time. Most places were closed, operating only during the night time. Go figure!
Anyway, during the walk from the car park towards the square, we came across a rundown market hall selling local souvenirs. Not many stalls opened and the place looked haunted! Except for the workers who were busy chatting away...
The condition was so bad
Princess braving the scorching afternoon sun
Quiet, serene and peaceful sea
The majestic eagle, Langkawi's proud mascot
Princess to eagle: stop pecking my head! LOL!
This straw hat costs RM15, bought it the same morning: depreciation value 0 within a day
There were many tourists in awe with the huge eagle, busy snapping away. Naturally there were opportunists sitting in a corner eyeing these tourists. There was a couple of guys with a huge albino snake when we were there, asking if we would want to take a picture holding the snake o.O Can't recall how much it was though as we quickly shook our heads and moved on. The wonders of people, taking every single moment to make money, which is good as opposed to robbing. Thank goodness!
No comments:
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10579 | Patent DE 10 2006 031 113
What is SICcast plus® ?
SICcast plus® is a silicon carbide ceramic (SiSiC).
Silicon carbide ceramics are used when highest wear rates coincide with extreme usage conditions. These usage conditions may include extreme chemical exposure and temperatures up to 1100 °C. Silicon carbide ceramics are a tried and tested material for such applications.
Production methods common on the market make it very difficult to produce large, complex parts so far (e.g. by joining).
The new
SICcast plus® procedure is used to cast parts according to the tried and tested SICcast plus® high-precision casting procedure at first. After demoulding, the resin share is broken down into carbon by pyrolysis and then converted to silicon carbide as well by silciation.
This novel procedure now makes it possible to produce large parts with highly complex forms and backcutting as well as large wall thickness differences.
For the preparation of an offer and / or to test whether it is possible to coat your component, please fill out the checklist and we will contact you as soon as possible.
Your Contact Details
Visit our affiliated company
Checklist - Feasibility check |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10580 | Houdini 18.0 Nodes VOP nodes
Periodic Worley Noise VOP node
Computes 1D, 3D, and 4D tileable Worley noise, which is synonymous with "cell noise".
This operator computes 1D, 3D, and 4D tileable Worley noise, which is synonymous with "cell noise".
Periodic Worley noise works by scattering points randomly through space according to a nice Poisson distribution, generating cell-like patterns. In addition to regular Worley noise, this version smoothly repeats itself subject to given repetition period values. The generated noise is not anti-aliased. For best shading results, use the anti-aliased Celluar Noise instead.
The input period values are how long it takes for the pattern to repeat itself in a certain dimension. These values must be non negative integers. A value of 0 for the period in a given dimension means that the pattern does not repeat itself in that dimension.
The metric option let’s users choose which distance metric to use when calculating distance between points. Euclidean (default), Manhattan, and Chebyshev are the options.
The main return values represent the distances to the N closest points, where N is 2 or 4. The distances are sorted from closest to farthest, such that:
dist1 <= dist2 <= dist3 <= dist4
If only two points are scattered, dist3 and dist4 are undefined. It is possible to combine these distances to generate noise patterns. The noise generated tends to be very cellular in nature. In fact, one attractive feature is that you can determine cell boundaries by using the expression:
if (dist2 - dist1 < tolerance) ...
which will be true if the point in space is crossing the boundary between two cells. You can look at dist1 as the amount of generated noise (see other pattern generators such as Boxes or Stripes), which can be connected to a mixing bias (see Mix), a displacement amount (see Displace Along Normal), or other float inputs.
The seed associated with the first closest point is also returned. The seed is pretty much guaranteed to be unique for every point, meaning that it is unlikely that two points close by will have the same seed associated with them.
The relative costs for computing noise of different types is roughly:
Cost | Noise Type
1.0 | Perlin Noise (see Periodic Noise operator)
1.1 | Original Perlin Noise (see Turbulent Noise operator)
1.8 | Worley Noise (see Worley Noise operator)
1.8 | Periodic Worley Noise
1.9 | Voronoi Noise (see Voronoi Noise operator)
2.1 | Sparse Convolution Noise (see Turbulent Noise operator)
2.3 | Alligator Noise (see Turbulent Noise operator)
See also
VOP nodes |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10653 | statsmodels.stats.diagnostic.acorr_ljungbox(x, lags=None, boxpierce=False, model_df=0, period=None, return_df=None)[source]
Ljung-Box test of autocorrelation in residuals.
The data series. The data is demeaned before the test statistic is computed.
lags{int, array_like}, default None
If lags is an integer then this is taken to be the largest lag that is included, the test result is reported for all smaller lag length. If lags is a list or array, then all lags are included up to the largest lag in the list, however only the tests for the lags in the list are reported. If lags is None, then the default maxlag is currently min((nobs // 2 - 2), 40). After 0.12 this will change to min(10, nobs // 5). The default number of lags changes if period is set.
boxpiercebool, default False
If true, then additional to the results of the Ljung-Box test also the Box-Pierce test results are returned.
model_dfint, default 0
Number of degrees of freedom consumed by the model. In an ARMA model, this value is usually p+q where p is the AR order and q is the MA order. This value is subtracted from the degrees-of-freedom used in the test so that the adjusted dof for the statistics are lags - model_df. If lags - model_df <= 0, then NaN is returned.
periodint, default None
The period of a Seasonal time series. Used to compute the max lag for seasonal data which uses min(2*period, nobs // 5) if set. If None, then the default rule is used to set the number of lags. When set, must be >= 2.
return_dfbool, default None
Flag indicating whether to return the result as a single DataFrame with columns lb_stat, lb_pvalue, and optionally bp_stat and bp_pvalue. After 0.12, this will become the only return method. Set to True to return the DataFrame or False to continue returning the 2 - 4 output. If None (the default), a warning is raised.
lbvaluefloat or array
The Ljung-Box test statistic.
pvaluefloat or array
The p-value based on chi-square distribution. The p-value is computed as 1.0 - chi2.cdf(lbvalue, dof) where dof is lag - model_df. If lag - model_df <= 0, then NaN is returned for the pvalue.
bpvalue(optional), float or array
The test statistic for Box-Pierce test.
bppvalue(optional), float or array
The p-value based for Box-Pierce test on chi-square distribution. The p-value is computed as 1.0 - chi2.cdf(bpvalue, dof) where dof is lag - model_df. If lag - model_df <= 0, then NaN is returned for the pvalue.
See also
Regression model fitting.
Results from linear regression models.
Ljung-Box and Box-Pierce statistic differ in their scaling of the autocorrelation function. Ljung-Box test is has better finite-sample properties.
Green, W. “Econometric Analysis,” 5th ed., Pearson, 2003.
>>> import statsmodels.api as sm
>>> data = sm.datasets.sunspots.load_pandas().data
>>> res = sm.tsa.ARMA(data["SUNACTIVITY"], (1,1)).fit(disp=-1)
>>> sm.stats.acorr_ljungbox(res.resid, lags=[10], return_df=True)
lb_stat lb_pvalue
10 214.106992 1.827374e-40 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10685 | XML Sitemap
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10703 | Found 435 symbols starting with T:
The Sacred Chao Symbol
The Seat Symbol
In March 1999 at the Geneva Motor Show, SEAT presented a modern stylised logo, more rounded compared to the last one and with the use of the silver colour on a red background — instead of the previou…
The Seed of Life
An overlapping circles grid is a geometric pattern of repeating, overlapping circles of equal radii in two-dimensional space. Commonly, designs are based on circles centered on triangles (with the si…
The Sims Plumbob
The Sims Plumbob is the classic symbol of the long-lived sims video game.
The Square and Compasses Symbol
The Square and Compasses (or, more correctly, a square and a set of compasses joined together) is the single most identifiable symbol of Freemasonry.
The Stasi Seal
The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit, MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation German: Staatssicherheit, literally State Security), was the official state …
The Subaru Symbol
The Sulfur Symbol
Alchemical symbol for sulfur.
The Symbol of Life – Man in the Maze
The Symbol of Life in the Man in the Maze symbol depicts a human figure at the entrance of a maze that has only one path.
The T Letter
This symbol represents the T letter in sign language.
The Taegeuk Symbol
Taegeuk (also rendered as Taeguk) is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese word taiji which is translated as "great polarity" and commonly associated with certain philosophical values. It is also t…
The Tetractys Symbol
The tetractys (Greek: τετρακτύς), or tetrad, is a triangular figure consisting of ten points arranged in four rows: one, two, three, and four points in each row, which is the geometrical representati…
The Tommy Hilfiger Symbol
Tommy Hilfiger Corporation is a US $6 billion apparel and retail company, offering consumers high quality products including men’s, women’s and children’s apparel, sportswear, denim, and a range of l…
The Toyota Car Symbol
The Transgender Symbol
Another transgender symbol, a combination of the male and female sign with a third, combined arm representing non-binary transgender people (Unicode: U+26A7 ⚧).
The Trefoil Symbol
Trefoil (from Latin trifolium, "three-leaved plant", French trèfle, Italian trifoglio, German Dreiblatt and Dreiblattbogen) is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used i…
The U Letter
This symbol represents the U letter in sign language.
The UEFA Logo
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA, Union des Associations Européennes de Football) is the administrative body for association football in Europe, although several member states are pr…
The UK Labour Party Symbol
This is the UK Labour Party Logo under Kinnock, Smith and Blair's leaderships
The Ukrainian Hryvnia Symbol
The hryvnia, sometimes hryvnya or grivna (Ukrainian: гривня, pronounced [ˈɦrɪu̯ɲɑ], abbr.: грн (hrn in Latin alphabet)); sign: ₴, code: (UAH), has been the national currency of Ukraine since Septembe…
The United Nation
The UPS Logo
The original logo first saw use in 1919 when the company was American Messenger Company.
The V Letter
This symbol represents the V letter in sign language.
The Victor Sybmol
The victor symbol (Spanish: víctor or vítor) is an emblem that is painted on the walls of some Spanish and Latin American universities to commemorate students who have received the degree of doctorat…
The Virgin Symbol
From the symbol of Mercury (U+263F ☿). This symbol is used to indicate a virgin female (for example, in genetic analysis).
Graphical index
• Symmetry:
• Shape:
• Colors:
• Curveness:
• Crossing: |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10707 | The Poems
Two Thirteen-Line Poems on How We Need a New Poem
From the Christmas, 2006, issue
(No. 17)
But only a good one. Hammer, mine the day.
Have other poems dropped like depth charges
to break something loose, picture a tight-lipped
brigadier, reciting a roll call, “Acorn, Akhmatova,”
loaded—fired against the circle of whiteness
surrounding the city—reload—and again.
And old women, helping the effort, walk
the streets beating pans to flush out a poem,
report that an old Chinese man looked into
Wah Fook Seafood Trading and smiled, lifted
the stick of an arm and waved gently like a king.
I need something more, comes the reply, more than
police cruisers sailing the streets like sharks.
The young man on the street corner is always there,
growing the thin film of hostility on the inside
of his frame, that much extra weight in a bucket—
heart stamping each day like a blown tire,
not speaking because he knows his voice would sound
like an angry dog—his pet rats lined up on his arm
even seem frightened, as though on a sinking ship,
the sign reading, “OUT OF WORK, OUT OF HOME, PLEASE
HELP. THANK YOU.” Nobody from the passing
stream stops to think if he were God, quietly there,
even a dollar would get you into heaven.
He knows, instead, the fussing crow wing
of a broken umbrella, waving him away. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10719 | HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. In layman terms, it is a preknown agreement between a HTTP client and a HTTP server on how to communicate with each other.
In order to get a resource from a HTTP server, a HTTP client initiates a HTTP request addressed to that server. When the HTTP server receives that request, it constructs a HTTP response back to the client. The header portions of HTTP requests and HTTP responses are in plain-text format.
Whenever a resource is available, the client will be able to extract it from the response. However, if the resource is unavailable, the client will be able to get a status within the HTTP response. Given that, the client can then decide on any further actions.
HTTP requests and responses are not encrypted. In order to secure the communication between a HTTP client and server, HTTPS has to be used. In addition to defining the communication protocol, HTTPS includes how encryption is performed on data that is communicated between the client and server. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10726 | Can Mark Zuckerberg's 'supreme court' end Facebook's era of absolute monarchy?
Mark Zuckerberg
A constitution for Facebook?
Suppose that, ten years from now, you make a post on a social network. The post is removed by a moderator for violating the social network's terms of service. You disagree and appeal the decision, escalating your case all the way to an independent tribunal which sits outside the network's normal power structure. On the appointed day, you carefully select an appropriate outfit – serious, professional, but not finicky – and set up your webcam to make your case before the internet's new judiciary.
This is not yet reality, but it may not be far off if an intriguing plan by Facebook to set up something very much a court system comes to fruition. Constitutional scholars, who might otherwise be studying the proper design of national legislatures, are paying attention. If other tech giants were to copy the idea it would transform the online world for good.
When Mark Zuckerberg first proposed the notion of a "supreme court" for Facebook last March, it wasn't clear how serious he was. "I feel fundamentally uncomfortable with sitting here in California at an office, making content policy decisions for people around the world," he said. In November, though, Mr Zuckerberg pledged to build it by 2020, and in January Facebook released a draft charter sketching out what it might look like.
The court won't diminish Mr Zuckerberg's power over most his company, which, thanks to its dual-class share structure, is nearly absolute. But what really made longtime observers of Facebook sit up and take notice – given its history of wielding its global power over its billions of users in opaque and seemingly arbitrary ways – was its promise to be bound by the decisions of the new body, and, if necessary, to be overruled by it.
"We recognise that we don't have all the answers," Andy O'Connell, an algorithm policy manager at Facebook who is helping to set up the body, tells the Telegraph. "We are a company largely based in Silicon Valley, and while we endeavour to engage with diverse stakeholders when we're developing policy... this is an important way to provide accountability and oversight through an independent mechanism."
He says that accepting and implementing the decisions of the court – now a somewhat less grandiose-sounding "Oversight Board" – is crucial to the whole exercise, though there is some ambiguity as to whether it will set precedents or just make one-off rulings.
As currently imagined, the board will have 40 members, drawn from many different disciplines and areas of the world in order to reflect a pool of users that stretches from Cleveland to Kolkata. The first 40 will be chosen by Facebook; thereafter new members will be appointed by the board itself. They will serve up to two three-year terms, receiving compensation which shall not be diminished while they are in office, and be removable by Facebook only if they break the charter of their office.
None of them will be current or former Facebook employees (or contractors), nor government officials. They shall consult experts and probably have a professional staff to work with. And they shall, from time to time, form odd-numbered panels from among their ranks in order to hear cases referred to them both by Facebook and by Facebook users.
This won't involve actually setting Facebook's rules, but only interpret them, and perhaps recommend changes if they are so moved. Notably, their decisions also will not trump any national laws, which Facebook is committed to following in all the countries where it operates. But beyond that, they will change how Facebook's own rules are applied to its 2.3bn users around the world.
Credit: AP
At present, however, these are all just Facebook's "suggestions". Mr O'Connell cannot yet say exactly how the board will pick from among the millions of cases Facebook handles every day, or how it will avoid the suspicious that Facebook is controlling its agenda (though he says this is important). He says it is still an open question whether board's desired diversity will be achieved through quotas or some other mechanism.
But for Mr O'Connell, this uncertainty is a feature, not a bug. Facebook does not want to lock down its plans without extensive consultation, including a series of meetings in cities such as Singapore, Delhi and Nairobi.
In ten years' time, he hopes, the board's work will mean that Facebook's moderation decisions are better understood. "I think a huge function of this body is going to be reason-giving, and publicly explaining the trade-offs and the considerations that go into these hard decisions," he says. "We know that these matters currently get very serious treatment, and are based on lots of serious thought, but that process and that reasoning isn't always clear."
To hear that, you might think that the board was primarily about PR, about communicating what Facebook already does rather than changing how it operates. But Mr O'Connell is emphatic that this is not the case: "We think it's really important that the process both be actually independent and fair and unbiased, and perceived to be fair and unbiased."
Such a body is almost without precedent in the corporate world, according to Kate Klonick, a professor of law at St John's University in New York City who has long called on Facebook to "bind itself to the mast" by adopting something like a constitution. The fact that it is now doing so represents an epochal shift in which Facebook is finally recognising its responsibilities as, in her phrase, one of Earth's "new governors".
Once, perhaps, tech giants could get away with claiming to be private spaces, but Prof Klonick argues that most people now understand them as public bodies which exercise power over their right to free speech and their access to knowledge. That has created a crisis of legitimacy and accountability – because currently, there is none.
"When [Facebook] get it wrong, it becomes a reputational liability for them," she says. "If they take something down that people want to see or think they have a right to post, they have a problem. And they also have a problem if they keep up too much stuff, like something that is graphically violent. By jettisoning these harder decisions, they have an opportunity to basically say 'hey... it's not our fault, this oversight board is completely independent'." If that sounds cynical, Prof Klonick is actually "cautiously optimistic" about the board, because it aligns Facebook's more selfish interests with the interests of its users.
Others are more sceptical. K. Sabeel Rahman, the president of the US think tank Demos, was among the first scholars to use the c-word in relation to Facebook. He sees the present moment as similar to points in history when parliaments were forced to restrain the power of kings and governments forced to restrain the power of corporate monopolies. He suspects Facebook's efforts at internal reform will fail because they do not change its deeper business model, which he claims inevitably generates problematic content in the course of trying to dominate users' attention.
"Doing content moderation without interrogating those underlying structures, it's – I'm trying to think of an appropriate anology," he says. "Rearranging the deckchairs is the classic one." Nevertheless, everyone in tech world "will be watching this quite closely".
So what might the future look like if other Silicon Valley companies follow suit? "If this proves successful for Facebook, and if users feel there is some kind of accountability and legitimacy gained, that's something that will catch on," says Thomas Kadri, a PhD student who works with Prof Klonick. That would mean councils, courts and oversight boards not only at social media firms across the internet.
Look, he says, at Amazon: it suffers "a lot of the same gripes" from vendors across the world who grapple with arcane and opaque rules, their livelihoods depending on decisions they do not understand. It, too, is under increasing scrutiny for its vast power, which a constitution would help to legitimise.
It is even possible, says Mr Kadri, that a single body would arise to oversee multiple tech giants at once, a kind of super-court perhaps backed by governments or other international bodies. But that is not his preferred option because it would sap the tech firms of their ability to implement unique and distinct philosophies, to serve as "laboratories of democracy", as US states are sometimes said to be.
That does raise the question of whether, as Mr Rahman puts it, "Facebook should have that much power in the first place". To ask tech firms to wield their truncheons carefully and justly is to accept their self-appointed constable's role. Mr Kadri, though, believes that ship has sailed. "It's scary to think of them as governors generally, but it's much scarier to think about them as executive, legislature, judiciary and press all rolled into one," he says. "Whether or not we like to think about them in terms of governing roles, the reality is that that's what they're doing."
Mr Rahman is not so sure. He urges governments and voters not to forget the tools of regulation and antitrust enforcement with which they previously subdued the monopolies and robber barons of the 19th century. "There are familiar techniques for restraining unchecked power," he says. "Facebook is offering up one technique, which is good. But the rest of us should be asking whether there are other techniques also needed."
If Facebook wants to avoid that, it will need to convince the world that its board truly is independent and impartial. And since there is no actual constitution here, nor soldiers sworn to defend it, it could always go back on its promises. Zuckerberg maintains ultimate control over the corporation, with a majority of shareholder voting power.
What if one day the company suspends the board entirely after a series of decisions it dislikes? "The possibility of some kind of constitutional crisis may sound hyperbolic, but these are some of the questions that we're going to need to see fleshed out," says Mr Kadri. Conversely, the board itself could become controversial, just as Twitter's safety council has been in some quarters, if it is seen to create a new class of social media apparatchiks who impose their will on users.
That, perversely, might be what success looks like for Facebook. Any normal judiciary creates debate; if the oversight board works properly, it should too. Indeed, victory for Mr Zuckerberg may only truly be clear when and if he suffers a proper defeat: overruled, as rulers so often are, by his own troublesome judges. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10728 | Fake Mail Generaor - Temporary mail to receive email in 10 seconds
Sender Subject View
Receiving mails... Receiving mails...will be refreshed after seconds
What is Fake(Disposable/Temporary) Mail?
Fake mail, it's a temporary mailbox that accepts email. Fake mail are also known as disposable email, temporary mail, throwaway email.
|
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10760 | Featured Post
Wednesday, 15 October 2014
Doctor Who: Mummy on the Orient Express
The Orient Express in space, a mummy only the soon to be deceased can see on the rampage and a carriage load of scientists who do very little: it can only be an episode of Doctor Who.
The episode kicked off with the death of an old lady and ratcheted up a fair old body count as it progressed. However, a high body count alone doesn't equate to a tense thriller and this lack of real menace is mainly where 'Mummy on the Orient Express' fell short. The mystery as to what on earth was going on with a shuffling mummy that appears for sixty six seconds before indian head massaging its victim to death was fairly intriguing but, as is becoming a habit in this series, was too quickly resolved too late into the episode. It felt like there was an awful lot of build up for little in the way of pay off; half of the escape from the train (space train, don't you know) happened off screen. And essentially, The Doctor solved the whole thing himself in a sixty six second monologue.
More of a mystery, of course, was quite what had happened to the significant character cliff-hanger from the end of last week's 'Kill the Moon'. I was convinced Jenna Coleman's Clara Oswald wouldn't appear in this episode and, thanks to her shorter hairstyle, spent the first five minutes after the credits trying to figure out if it was her and, indeed, why she was there. This was a missed opportunity, ultimately wasting the shock of the previous episode and forcing writer Jamie Mathieson to try to claw The Doctor and Clara back to the same emotional place. He does an admirable job and 'Mummy on the Orient Express' is at its best during these character beats, particularly when Clara is forced by The Doctor to lie to Maisie (Daisy Beaumont) and earlier as they discuss the trip on the train as being their 'last hurrah'.
That is not to say the episode isn't without other merits as well: the mummy looked great consistently and from all angles, which is hard to achieve – I loved the dragging foot; the doomful sixty six second ticking clock made the deaths of the miscellaneous supporting characters more meaningful, making us feel the time they had remaining slipping through their fingers (although the ticking clock device has been used elsewhere to greater effect) and David Bamber's Captain Quell was the stand out guest star.
Mention should be made of Frank Skinner's appearance as Perkins, which wasn't as bad as I was worried it was going to be. It was just Frank Skinner in a hat though, wasn't it? Still, he got some decent lines and definitely helped to lift the tone in places.
A solid enough yarn, 'Mummy on the Orient Express' contained threads of the series-long themes (The Doctor vs Soldiers, who exactly was Gus? We never did find out.) and managed to get Clara and The Doctor back together...for now. However, after the heights of 'Kill the Moon' and 'Listen', this episode was always going to struggle to dazzle.
Doctor Who Continues Saturday on BBC ONE.
Contributed by Jane Harrison
Read our Review of Episode 3: Robot of Sherwood
Read our Review of Episode 2: Into the Dalek
Read our Review of Episode 1: Deep Breath
No comments:
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10780 | How Praying Together Shapes the Church
Stream or download the audio recording from this breakout session titled How Praying Together Shapes the Church with John Onwuchekwa that was delivered at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. Prayer is as necessary to the believer as breathing is to the body—but rarely does it come as naturally. In fact, prayer in the church often gets subtly pushed to the side in favor of pragmatic practices that promise tangible results. This workshop focused on the necessity of regular prayer as a central practice in the local church—awakening us to the need and blessing of corporate prayer by examining what Jesus taught about prayer, how the first Christians approached prayer, and how to prioritize prayer in our congregations. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10809 | Best Wombats Songs
The Top Ten
1 Moving to New York
Love this song so much! It's amazing! If you like let's dance to joy division, you'll love this!
One of the best British indie punk songs. My favorite from the Wombats by far. The hook works well.
Are you kidding me!? THIS is the best song by The Wombats BY FAR, wait no this is the best song of the year 2007! It is THAT good. Listen to the single version, it's amazing. This should be top of the list with like 30 percent of the votes!
2 Jump Into the Fog
I love this song, and it was also the first song I ever listened by wombats. Amazing lyrics and really good guitar ;D
The melody, guitar, lyrics is so brilliant. It is, in my opinion, one of the greatest songs in the Indie-techno-pop figure this century.
Timeless song, love the vibe!
I have voted for this song because I love it.
its great
its catchy
beth song they have done by far!
i could listen to this song all day.
3 Let's Dance to Joy Division
For me the best of them, it's a great song and also the voice sounds great, all of this song it's great, I have no complain about it and the instruments sound really cool, not so complicated but it's a great song, also leaves a great message, to see the positive things when we are having bad moments and focus on the good things and be happy
Almost Impossible to choose between this and moving to New York, but this one got my vote because it has an amazing vibe and a great upbeat rhythm. It really gets you in the mood for almost any occasion. It is also nice to see some Liverpudlians making the most of their accents. Overall a fantastic song that you can't stop dancing along to (even if you are like me and you can't dance.. )
It is also accessible to a wide range of audiences, I am 13 and I absolutely LOVE the Wombats even if my friends prefer Miley Cyrus..
This song makes me smile SO MUCH, it's so cute and /ironic/! His accent is the cutest thing I've ever heard and this song is just so catchy it makes me dance! :-)
Come on, I absolutely love Moving to New York and Kill the director but lets dance to joy division just tops off a gig-purely amazing!
4 Kill the Director
Should definitely be among the top 3! - FOB2012
Why is "Moving to New York" number 1. Not their best. Kill the director is GLORIOUS!... I'm prepared to defend this with rapier v rapier combat.
Wombats = :o
They are all musical geniuses! Lip-sinking to joy division right this second! Mumford good too xx
5 Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)
This is one song that is so incredibly catchy. It is stuck in my head 90% of the time. There's been a lot of questioning as to what the meaning of this song is... Any ideas?
This song is good to listen to on any occasion, and showcases the style of The Wombats quite well.
Such a good beat!
They simply bring much more awesomeness to the INDIE genre (if that's even possible.. }
6 Techno Fan
OH MY GOSH I LOVE THIS SONG! Only number 6!? This should definitely be number one the beat is incredible and the lyrics are so good:) LOVE THE WOMBATS
Techno Fan is my forever favourite! This and Your Body Is A Weapon caught my attention the most out of all the songs. Its very catchy and it makes anyone want to do the whole head banging jizz
One of their bests, song I loved the most from hearing them live
JESUS CHRIST this is the best song in the world; my favourites are techno fan, 1996, jump into the fog and Tokyo
7 1996
Awesome song!
Just a good nostalgic song about the 90s. Some people like it because they were born in 1996 but why would you want to go back if you weren't old enough to remember it then. Regardless of that excellent song.
Well they chose a good year (born in '96) and then paired it with awesome music. First Wombats song the I heard and I still really like it. Good chiller song, I love it and it should be wayy higher!
Really good songs, perfect for travelling or hanging with friends. Definitely best song of this year for me!
8 Our Perfect Disease
This is even better than Tokyo, deserves more votes in my opinion, should be at least in the top 5...
9 Backfire at the Disco
This song always cracks me up, especially the phenomenal chorus!
10 Your Body is a Weapon
Yes! This song is so good and always makes me happy! I love how their songs are always so well written and catchy, this song is forever stuck in my head together with all their other songs. Hope this song will also be on their new album ( which will be released in the near future) last week I went to their first gig after they had been recording in the studio for five months, it was awesome! :) they even played a new song that wasnt released yet! They also played your body is a weapon for the first time live ever so I was so lucky! Great experience! They're live even better! Love the wombats!
THIS is their best song... By far
This new song was featured on the vampire diaries T.V. series. the song has was released as a lyris cartoon like style video on YouTube. it was released on 1st october 2013. the song was released the next day on itunes and YouTube. I personally like this song listen to it asap guys you will certainly like it...
The first song from Glitterbug and it is brilliant! Still got that cheesyish Wombats charm without it ruining the song
The Contenders
11 Metro Song
This song is so energetic and full of life and damnnn it's so good
12 Greek Tragedy
One of their new singles. I have no idea how to describe this song. The intro is amazing and the lyrics and the chorus. Just wow. 'She hits like ecstasy' I really love that line. You guys have to listen to it. I personally love their new style.
Best song of all time.
This song conveys emotions that I can't put into words. Every time I hear it, it's like the first time I hear it.
First song I've heard from the Wombats, definitely my second favorite since "Give me a try" is my first.
13 Lost in the Post
My personal favourite, the song itself is brilliant but the same can't be said about the video sadly.
Why isn't 'lets dance to Joy Division' in this list?
14 Derail and Crash
15 School Uniforms
This is definitely one of my favorites from the first album. The lyrics are memorable and the music is great!
16 Cheetah Tongue
So catchy and brilliant
17 Turn
Their best song
18 Give Me a Try
First song I ever heard from them and still my favorite. So catchy and I love the lyrics.
Great song. 1st I heard from them.
19 How I Miss Sally Bray
One of my favorites better than moving to newyork which I frankly think is one of their worst
20 Valentine
Valentine is one of my favourite songs by them and forever will be. I love the story the song tells and also the character of Valentine.
Haha love this song and it always makes me laugh deserves to be higher
Love this song it's amazing. That's all.
"all she wanted was a little direction
All she ever need was a friend
All she made were the worst impressions
All she ever did was offend"
21 Patricia the Stripper
22 Curveballs
Underrated I am OBSESSED with this song. The chorus is awesome
AMAZING MUST LISTEN TO! One of the best off their new album!
So underrated this song is beautiful and easily the best one off glitterbug and I just can't get over the outtro!
23 Walking Disasters
dope song
24 Here Comes the Anxiety
I don't really know why this song is that far down. It rocks.
I just love this song! I don't know why. It's so different fr their other songs. I'm always singing along to it! :D
25 Pink Lemonade
Great song from the new album
"Pink, pink lemonade
And does he kiss you 'til your lips explode?
Pink, pink lemonade
And does he take you places I can't afford to go?
Pink lemonade, you know I
Know behind that sugar there's only lies
Lies, lies, lies"
26 My Circuitboard City
Probably some of the strangest lyrics out of them all! (and they have some weird lyrics) but a very good, catchy song! And immense live. Definitely my favourite wombats tune!
27 Anti-D
One of their slower songs, this one was so well played and sung live! It was really beautiful. I love all their other songs as well and all my favourites are already in the top ten, but this one really should be there too! It's a really good song with a very deep meaning and great lyrics.. So beautiful.
There most emotional and captivating song, showing off a range of tempo skills and layering.
28 Guillotine
Probably the best be-side song ever... I bet all of you have never heard of it, it's quite good.
29 Addicted to the Cure
Really good song. I'm suprised that this song isn't on the list
This should be in the top ten at least! it's the first song I heard by these guys
Its really good and it should definitely be in the top ten, it's so powerful
30 Emoticons
This should be a lot higher, I think this is one of their best.
Awesome song. So deep! And those 3 last lines are just incredible!
This should be on the Top 3!
How come this song is here, it's so greattt
31 Be Your Shadow
Very addictive and catchy song from their new album
Yeh probably my fave song, this should be way higher
How is this song only here? Such a good song!
32 Last Night I Dreamt...
I dunno it's something about the instruments paired with the vocals in the first verse that make this song infectious. So catchy and absolutely brilliant!
33 Flowerball
Love it. Great song. - awildzapdos
34 My First Wedding
The most ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ The Wombats have ever been and a fantastic song in its own right. Their best album (A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation) in my opinion.
35 Girls/Fast Cars
Who DOESN'T like this song? I find it ridiculously entertaining and funny. The beat is solid and the lyrics are hysterical. It also does speak some truth :b I love this song, so why not stick it on the list?
Just love the lyrics in this song. By far my favourite on 'This Modern Glitch'. Me and my friends love the guys and all love Girls/Fast Cars. Find the lyrics really relatable but I'm not sure whether that's a good thing
I actually love this song so much. It is really cool and the beat is awesome
The best.
36 Schumacher the Champagne
One of the best on this album
Absolutley hilarious and relatable. so underrated I love this song
37 The English Summer
38 Walking Disaster
This song is amazing! Should be in the top 10
39 Headspace
I've got to admit I'm surprised this isn't already on the list! It's such a good (and catchy! ) song, yet it's so unknown. I'll let you decide for yourself.
40 Party In a Forest [Where's Laura?]
A great song to rock out to and it's in 6/8 meaning that you can waltz to it if you so desire.
41 Dr. Suzanne Mattox PHD
42 Is This Christmas?
Great song. No idea why it wasn't on here, it's great, but very underrated
43 Tales of Girls, Boys and Marsupials
Weirdly brilliant and hillarious. How can you not love this song! Simple and perfect
44 Wonderful Distraction
The lyrics are so intelligent and it's a simple but beautiful song and its great
45 We Don't Mean That Much
46 Avalanche
47 Little Miss Pipedream
Such a simple song but it's so perfect and the lyrics are so clever
48 Lethal Combination
BAdd New Item |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10818 | Venice and Naples are among the Italian cities that could be wiped out by coastal erosion and rising sea levels by 2100, UNESCO says in a new study.
Ferrara, the Po Delta, Ravenna, the Cinque Terre, Piazza del Duomo in Pisa (site of the Leaning Tower), and the baroque cities of the Val di Noto in Sicily,
…may also be submerged by the end of the century, according to a University of Kiel study led by Lena Reimann and published in Nature Communications. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10824 | Arduino Smart Watch App Inventor Issues
882 viewsGeneral Questions
Sir., in my smart watch project, I can get the Phone Call component working like in your project. I’m using your block code example and nothing happens when I receive a incoming call. In the App Inventor forum, no one answer me. Please, can you help me? it’s a problem with my Android version ( Samsung J8, 8.0.0)? it’s a problem with my App Inventor Companion ( version 2.51)? it’s a problem with the actual App Inventor 2 Plattform? it’s a Google current restriction or Samsung restriction? since from now, thanks for your attention. Best wishes.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10832 | Skip to main content
iPhone X Hands-on: The iPhone, Nearly Perfected
There's something that just feels natural about the iPhone X when you put it in your hands. There's no Home button to get in your way, and there's only screen in front of you. It's a evolution ten years in the making, but at $999, is it exciting enough to be worth the splurge?
Let's put it this way. I just came away from using the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, and they just feel like just nice upgrades by comparison. There's too much bezel on those phones, despite the fact that they share many of the same advancements as the iPhone X on the inside. The iPhone X (available Oct 27th for pre-order) looks and feels like the phone of tomorrow, and I'm not looking back.
The first thing you'll notice about the iPhone X is its display. The 5.8-inch Super Retina Display (2436 x 1125) pixels looked simply gorgeous as I watched a Wonder Woman clip. Apple has finally made the transition to OLED, and it says that it's colors are more realistic than anything else on the market. We'll have to wait to get the phone in our labs to confirm, but so far it looks great.
What about that notch that hangs underneath the screen, where the camera and other sensors go? It can be distracting, mostly when you're looking at an app with a white background. When playing video, it looks like you have the option of going full screen in landscape mode, which looks a bit odd with the notch in the way, or you can fill up most of the display.
iPhone X Key Specs
iPhone X
Screen (Resolution)
5.8 inches OLED (2436 x 1125)
A11 Bionic
64 GB, 256GB
Rear Camera
Dual 12-MP (both with OIS)
Front Camera
7-MP TrueDepth camera
64, 256 GB
Rear Camera
Front Camera
7-MP FaceTime HD
Unlocking Method
Face ID
5.7 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches
6.14 ounces
Silver, Space Gray
The one feature everyone will be talking about is the iPhone X's TrueDepth camera, which enables you to unlock the phone with FaceID. It works so quickly, that you'll barely notice it happening in the background. Apple claims that it will work in the dark and won't be fooled by photos. (I have a twin and can't wait to try him out.)
MORE: iPhone X vs iPhone 8 vs iPhone 7: Which One's Right For You?
The TrueDepth camera does a lot more than just unlock the iPhone X; it opens up new possibilities with messaging and augmented reality. In the Messages app, a new Animoji feature lets you take on the face of everything from a unicorn and a monkey to a pig, and you can record that message and send it out, complete with your facial expressions and voice. Many are going to say this is just a novelty, but you know millions of people are going to use it.
Apple is also extending the capabilities of the TrueDepth camera to developers, such as SnapChat. One filter put war paint on my face that looked so realistic that it literally looked painted on. And the iPhone X isn't even out yet.
The iPhone X does have the same A11 Bionic CPU as the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, so it should be just as fast. But only the iPhone X has dual optical stabilization on both of its back cameras, which means you should get better shots in low light and steadier looking images and video.
The design of the iPhone X looks better, too, and not just because of the all-screen front. The stainless steel band around the sides give the handset a premium finish, especially on the white model, because the silver gleams. On the space gray version, the steel band blends more into the phone's hue, so it depends on what you're looking for.
Navigating the iPhone X feels more seamless than with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, as you simply swipe up to go home, and swipe up and hold to see all of your open apps and flip through them. My one complaint about this setup is the speed; I wish I could see all my open apps faster without a delay. In addition, you can swipe between full-screen apps just by flipping through them at the bottom of the screen.
Want to see Control Center? You swipe down from the top, which isn't that much of a shift.
Unfortunately, the iPhone X still has a Lightning connector for charging (so much for the USB-C future), but it does support Qi wireless charging, an overdue feature that's also available on the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Fast wired charging is possible, but for that you'll need to pay extra for a 29-watt or higher power brick and a USB-C to Lightning cable.
The augmented reality capabilities on the iPhone X are also similar to those on the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. In the Warhammer Freeblade game, I could place robots on the table and then have them fight, and the shadows they cast looked just as realistic as their illustrated parts. But the experience felt more immersive on the iPhone X because of the dislay.
I'm not saying the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus aren't worth buying. What I am saying is that, based on my initial impressions, the iPhone X is the one everyone will want. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10867 | Argumentum Ad Hominem
A logical fallacy that is very common both in the Word of God and in present day life is Argumentum Ad Hominem. This is an argument that is not addressed to the truth or falsehood of an argument, but rather attempts to discredit the person advancing the argument by attacking his character, circumstances or hypocrisy. It might come in the form of attacking his motives, his background, his lack of advanced degrees or some other circumstance that is logically irrelevant to the truth or falsehood of the argument itself. There are several variations of this fallacy.
Ad hominem abusive is committed when a person’s character is called into question instead of addressing his argument. Circumstantial ad hominem is committed when it is concluded that a person’s claim is false simply because it is in his interest to make the claim. For instance, person A may say that person B’s argument that gun control is ineffective is false because person B is a member of the National Rifle Association, and so of course he would say that. It would be prudent to be suspicious of the claims of a tobacco company’s “research” that tobacco does not cause cancer, but to conclude that it is false because it is produced by a tobacco company is fallacious reasoning. If a conclusion is to be logically arrived at, the evidence must be considered. Ad hominem tu quoque is concluding that a person’s claims are false because they are inconsistent with his other words or his actions (i.e., hypocritical). Interestingly, Jesus decried the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and encouraged his disciples to heed their teaching, but avoid their example (Matt. 23:3). Had he told them to avoid their teaching because of their poor example, he would have been committing this logical fallacy. Learning about logical fallacies helps us appreciate the essentially rational appeal of the Word of God.
Whatever one feels about the personality or character of Thomas Edison, for example, one cannot invalidate his discovery or the value of the electric light on that basis. Were one to reject the use of the electric light because of a dislike for Edison personally, he would be acting irrationally and robbing himself of a blessing. So it is with God’s Word. Its perfection and power cannot be negated by the personal traits of the men who wrote it or by the actions of the men and women who believe it. As much as God’s Word validates the necessity of good character, it also reveals that the issues of character and truth must be kept distinct.
Obviously, the character of a person is very relevant to establishing his general credibility and whether he should be trusted. If he is a habitual liar, his occasional attempts to be truthful will not be taken seriously. So why is a logical fallacy employed when character issues are addressed in relationship to the truth or falsehood of a particular statement or argument? The key issue is relevance.
Though important, the personal character of a person, is, strictly speaking, logically irrelevant to the truth or falsehood of what he says. Very evil men can speak the truth and men of upstanding character can speak falsehoods. Billy Graham is widely respected as a man of integrity and good Christian character, but to believe every word he says on that basis is irrational and illogical. Indeed, the Enemy uses people of sincerity and credibility to unwittingly promote falsehoods. Sincerity, credibility and general good Christian character are no guarantees for truth in a propositional sense. The proposition that “all dogs have fleas” is not made more or less true or false by who argues for it. The statement is true or false in relationship to the reality it asserts.
Bill Clinton has been the subject of much discussion as to his character, and whether character counts in leadership. He has even been caught in a number of very public lies. But does that mean that we can logically conclude that everything he may argue for in the future will be false because he has been caught in various lies in the past? As much as we may find satisfaction in saying “yes” because of our personal distaste for the man’s lack of character, if we are to be logical and rational, we must say “no.” Logic demands that we fairly examine a man’s arguments and prove or disprove them on their own merits and not on the basis of his character. The reason American courts do not allow a jury to know of a defendant’s previous convictions is to guard against the tendency to find him guilty in the present instance simply because he has been convicted of something in the past.
Since we are talking about legal questions, what about the role of character witnesses in a trial –doesn’t this demonstrate that it is not fallacious to look at the credibility of a witness by looking at his motivation, background, etc? The issue is not whether or not there is value in determining the validity of a source or a witness. Clearly there is, and both the legal system and historical research depend on methods to test the credibility of sources. But the judgment testimony can often be colored by subjectivity, making it less valuable in the determination of guilt or innocence than the value of physical evidence.
Some of the most compelling courtroom dramas revolve around the testimony of witnesses and defendants. Often the evidence leading to conviction in a murder trial is the testimony of several eye-witnesses whose testimony agrees. But many African Americans in the “Old South” were convicted on trumped up charges and brutally hanged on the basis of false testimony by people who claimed to be “eye-witnesses,” but who had conspired to lie in order to frame the defendant. Later appeals based on actual physical evidence (fingerprints on a murder weapon, a wallet left at the scene, etc.), would have exonerated them.
So we see that the value of the testimony of witnesses is relative to the amount and kind of physical evidence available. The less physical evidence there is, the more a jury must weigh the credibility of testimony. In the case of Clinton vs. Lewinsky, it was a matter of his word against hers until some physical evidence demonstrated that she was telling the truth and he was lying. Subsequent attempts by Clinton’s lawyers to assail her credibility were fruitless in the face of this damning evidence, and he was forced to admit his lie.
The jury in a criminal trial must weigh the totality of the evidence and come to a reasonable conclusion of guilt or innocence. Reason is to outweigh emotion, and fact must be separated from fiction. The jury must decide if there is reasonable doubt or reasonable certainty of either guilt or innocence. A juror’s thinking is fallacious if he reaches his conclusion based on the testimony of someone he deems credible because of his apparent sincerity, his neat appearance, his degrees and titles or his apparently sterling character, but overlooks or rejects contradictory facts or physical evidence.
In practice, the ad hominem fallacy is so common in our culture that it has practically been accepted as normative. Politicians use it routinely to manipulate the public mind, and lawyers use it to manipulate juries with emotional appeals. At least some of what is wrong with the American legal system must be laid at the feet of the American public who serve as jurors. They appear not to have sufficient training in logical reasoning that they are able to come to a “reasonable” conclusion, or come to an understanding of a “reasonable” doubt. This shows up in the form of “justifying the guilty and condemning the righteous” (Prov. 17:15).
Advertising messages are replete with emotional appeals that center on the imagined credibility and character of a celebrity. Though these celebrities know practically nothing about the product and have no expertise that would qualify them to speak with authority about it, people will buy the product in droves because they like the person associated with it. One of the more logically irrelevant assertions in recent memory is: “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.” The absurdity of this ad would make it humorous were it not for what it reveals about the gullibility of the American public.
“We Be Not Born of Fornication”
It might help us to see how this fallacy was employed by the enemies of Jesus Christ, a person of perfect character. In John 8, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their rejection of him, and in the heat of the discussion, the Pharisees respond by saying, “We be not born of fornication” (John 8:41). The Pharisees believed that Mary was impregnated by Joseph before they were married, making Jesus a son born out of wedlock. This was a false accusation, since God was His father. But what if the accusation had been true? Would his being born out of wedlock negate the truth of his words? Clearly and logically, the answer must be no. The circumstances of a person’s birth are logically irrelevant to his present situation and the truth or falsehood of his words. Interestingly, Jesus never answers this charge, but over and over directs their attention to the evidence of his works, as in the following scripture:
John 10:36-39
(37) Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does.
(39) Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.
“A Prophet Is Not Without Honor”
Another example of this fallacy as faced by Jesus is expressed in the statement, “A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house.” Notice the preoccupation of his enemies on the circumstances of his family.
Matthew 13:53-57
(53) When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there.
(56) Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
How do the circumstances of a man’s family or upbringing bear logically on what he says in the present as far as proving or disproving the truth of his statements? Circumstances like this exist in every man’s background, but they are logically irrelevant to evaluating the truth-value of any statement he makes in the present. Christopher Columbus’ background is logically irrelevant to whether or not he discovered America. One cannot ultimately determine the validity of another’s statements or achievements by looking at his background, personal life or special circumstances. His statements or achievements must be evaluated on their own merits or disproved on the basis of evidence or logic.
The Apostle Paul Answers His Critics
The Apostle Paul encountered this fallacy also, as indicated by certain sections of the Epistles. He was being accused of misconduct in his personal life, as is implied by the following statement from 1 Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 9:3-7
(3) This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me.
(4) Don’t we have the right to food and drink?
(6) Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?
Obviously the Apostle Paul was being accused of misconduct in what he ate and drank, women he was seen with, not working to support himself while amongst the believers, etc. And the accusations were designed to discredit his apostolic ministry. But all of these issues are logically irrelevant to the truth or falsehood of what he spoke as an apostle. What if he got drunk every day, ran around with every woman in town and never worked? Would that invalidate the book of Ephesians as the greatest revelation ever given to man? Ephesians stands as written, even if Paul died the next day or went back to persecuting Christians.
Another charge leveled at Paul was that he was more concerned with making money by his teaching than he was concerned for the Gospel itself. This charge is implicit in this scripture:
1 Thessalonians 2:1 and 5
(1) You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure.
(5) You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness.
God entrusted him with His Word because his heart was pure to speak the truth as pleasing God, not men. But for the sake of argument, what if he suddenly did become covetous? Would that invalidate his words or render him incapable of speaking the truth? Certainly not. Even if he made a million dollars a day teaching the Word of God, ultimately, the truth of what he spoke would still be determined, not on the basis of the size of his paycheck, but on the basis of his words themselves. Do they fit with the Scriptures? (Acts 17:11). Do they come to pass when believed and acted upon? (Deut. 18:22). These are issues logically relevant to the question.
“The Accuser of the Brethren”
As “the accuser of the brethren,” one of Satan’s main methods is to attempt to discredit the believer’s testimony by casting aspersions on his or her personal character and motivation. What men do and say about the Bible, either for or against it, is not a logical basis upon which to judge its truth or falsehood. Much evil has been done by people who thought that they represented God and the Bible, but this does not discredit either, logically speaking. In fact, the Bible predicts this very behavior, even among those who supposedly are “believers.” The validity of the Bible must be judged by the evidence of its own words. Does it contain errors of fact or history? Does it contradict itself? Does it accurately describe reality? Does the God it describes keep His promises when they are believed? These are the questions that must be asked to logically verify or invalidate it.
The record of Baalam in Numbers 22 and 23 serves to illustrate the principle that the truth of a man’s words cannot be invalidated by examining a man’s personal life. Baalam is found disobedient to God’s Word and out in “left field” spiritually, yet proceeds to deliver a profoundly true prophecy in Numbers 23. Apparently God does not indulge in the ad hominem fallacy. Although He calls men to very high standards of virtue and excellence in their personal life, He at times has given His Word to men who were not exactly paragons of excellence of personal character. Though character is important, it is apparently not as important to God who speaks the Word as that it gets spoken.
If God had to wait for men to be of sinless character before He would allow them the privilege of speaking for Him, only one man would have ever had that privilege: the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather, God gives His Word to men who believe Him, and it is this faith that God accepts for righteousness. This is a logical and equitable standard whereby God can uphold His ethical standards and yet still have men to speak for Him.
God has no pen to write His Word but man’s, and no mouth with which to declare His Word but man’s. His primary desire is to bring those who represent Him to the place that the testimony of their mouth, the motivation of their heart and the virtue of their actions all harmonize. We who endeavor to speak for God must recognize the methods of the Adversary and be “blameless” and “above reproach” (1 Tim. 3:2). On the other hand, we must discipline ourselves to seek the truth wherever we may find it and learn to separate the message from the messenger. As long as the Adversary can deceive men’s minds with illogic to the end that they look primarily at the flesh with all its personal idiosyncrasies and imperfections, instead of at the truth that a person speaks, he can be successful in keeping people from hearing and believing the Word of God, which “effectually works in them that believe” (1 Thess. 2:13).
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10868 | One Hundred Scriptural Arguments For the Unitarian Faith
Boston: American Unitarian Association
By: Samuel Barrett (1825)
Scriptural Arguments
2. Because he not only never said that himself was God, but, on the contrary, spoke of the Father, who sent him, as God, and as the only God. “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). This language our Saviour used in solemn prayer to “his Father and our Father.”
3. Because he is declared, in unnumbered instances, to be the Son of God. “And lo, a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Can a son be coeval (the same age) and the same with his father?
4. Because he is styled the Christ, or the anointed of God. “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power” (Acts 10:38). Is he who anoints the same with him who is anointed?
5. Because he is represented as a Priest. “Consider the ….High-Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus” (Heb. 3:1). The office of a priest is to minister to God. Christ, then, as a priest, cannot be God.
8. Because he is an Apostle appointed by God. “Consider the Apostle,…Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him that appointed him” (Heb. 3:1 and 2).
11. Because, in the same sense in which we are said to belong to Christ, Christ is said to belong to God. “And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s” (1 Cor. 3:23).
12. Because Christ says, “My father is greater than all” (John 10:29). Is not the father, then greater than the son?
13. Because he affirms, in another connection, and without the least qualification, “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28).
14. Because he virtually denies that he is God, when he exclaims, “Why callest thou me Good? There is none good but one, that is God” (Matt. 19:17).
15. Because our Saviour, after having said, “I and my Father are one,” gives his disciples distinctly to understand that he did not mean one substance, equal in power and glory, but one only in affection and design, as clearly appears from the prayer he offers to his Father in their behalf, –“that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us” (John 17:21).
16. Because the Father is called the God of Christ as he is the God of Christians. Jesus saith unto her, “….Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father; and to my God and your God” (John 20:17).
17. Because an Apostle says of God, in distinction from the “Lord Jesus Christ,” that He is the “only Potentate,” and that He “only hath immortality” (1 Tim. 6:15 and 16).
19. Because the power which Christ possessed was, as him affirmed, given to him. “All power is given unto me” (Matt. 28:18).
20. Because he positively denies himself to be the author of his miraculous works, but refers them to the Father, or the holy spirit of God. “The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10). “If I cast out devils by the spirit of God” (Matt. 12:28).
21. Because he distinctly states, that these works bear witness, not to his own power, but that the Father had sent him (John 5:36).
22. Because he expressly affirms that the works were done, not in his own name, but in his Father’s name (John 10:25).
23. Because he asserts, that “him hath God the Father sealed,” i.e. to God the Father he was indebted for his credentials (John 6:27).
25. Because he represents himself as having been instructed by the Father. “As my Father hath taught me, I speak these things” (John 8:28).
26. Because he refers invariable to the Father as the origin of the authority by which he spoke and acted. “The Father hath given to the Son authority” (John 5:26 and 27).
27. Because he acknowledges his dependence on his heavenly Father for example and direction in all his doings. “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do” (John 5:19). “The Father loveth the Son, and showth him all things that himself doeth” (John 5:20).
28. Because he says, “I seek not mine own glory; but I honor my Father” (John 8:49 and 50).
29. Because he declares, “If I honor myself, my honor is nothing: it is my Father that honoreth me” (John 8:54).
30. Because an Apostle declares, that in Christ dwelt all fullness, because it so pleased the Father (Col. 1:19).
31. Because Christ is uniformly represented in the Scriptures, not as the primary, but the intermediate cause of all things relating to our salvation. “One God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (1 Cor. 8:6).
32. Because he declares, “I am not come of myself” into the world, “for I proceeded forth and came from God” (John 8:42; 7:28). Jesus knowing… that he “came from God, and went to God” (John 13:3).
35. Because our Saviour always professed to have no will of his own, but to be ever entirely guided and governed by the will of his heavenly Father. “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38).
36. Because he expressly denies that he is possessed of Divine attribute of independent existence. “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father” (John 6:57).
39. Because he expressly disclaims the possession of the Divine attribute of omniscience. “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but my Father only” (Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:32).
40. Because Christ is said in the Scriptures to have been “tempted of the devil” (Matt. 4:1). But “God can not be tempted with evil” (James 1:13).
41. Because it is related of our Saviour, that “he continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). Why should Christ thus pray, if he himself were God?
42. Because, in presence of a numerous company before the resurrection, he gave thanks to the Father for having heard him. “Father, I thank thee that thou has heard me, and I knew that thou hearest me always” (John 11:41 and 42).
43. Because Jesus besought his Father to glorify him. “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thyself with the glory which I had with thee before the world was” (John 17:5). The one who prayed to God to glorify him, cannot be God.
45. Because he said, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). Can he who uttered this be the Supreme God?
47. Because he never instructed his disciples to worship himself or the Holy Ghost, but the Father, and the Father only. “When ye pray, say Our Father which art in heaven” (Luke 11:2). “In that day, ye shall ask me nothing. Whatsoever ye ask of the Father in my name” (John 16:23). “The hour cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:23).
48. Because it was not the practice of the Apostles to pay religious homage to Christ, but to God the Father through Christ. “I thank God through Jesus Christ” (Rom. 7:25). “To God only wise, be glory through Christ” (Rom 16:27). “I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 3:14).
49. Because St. Peter, immediately after being filled with the Holy Spirit (holy spirit) on the Day of Pentecost, thus addressed the Jews: “Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles, and wonders, and signs which God did by him, in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain; whom God hath raised up” (Acts 2:22-24).
50. Because St. Paul expressly states that, “all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 5:18).
52. Because it is said that it is “to the glory of God the Father,” that “every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord” (Phil. 2:11).
53. Because the Scriptures affirm that “Christ glorified not himself to be made a high priest, but He (glorified him) who said unto him, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee” (Heb. 5:5).
54. Because it is expressly asserted that God gave to Christ the Revelation which was made to the author of the Apocalypse (Rev. 1:1).
55. Because an Apostle speaks of Christ, only as the image of God. “Who is the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15; 2 Cor. 4:4). It would be absurd to call anyone his own image.
56. Because Christ is stated to be “the first-born of every creature” (Col. 1:15).
57. Because he is said to be “the beginning of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14).
58. Because the Scriptures affirm, in so many words, that “Jesus was made a little lower than the angels” (Heb. 2:9). Can God become lower than his creatures?
59. Because Peter declares that “Christ received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved son” (2 Peter 1:17).
60. Because it is represented as necessary that the Saviour of mankind should “be made like unto his brethren” (Heb. 2:17).
61. Because, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Christ is compared with Moses in a manner that would be impious if he were the Supreme God. “For this man (Christ) was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch” (Heb. 3:3).
63. Because he himself expressly declares that it was in consequence of his doing what pleased the Father, that the Father was with him and did not leave him alone. “He that sent me is with me; the Father hath not left me alone, for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29).
64. Because he is said to have “increased in wisdom, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).
65. Because he speaks of himself as one who had received commands from the Father. “The Father, who sent me, he gave me a commandment” (John 12:49).
66. Because he is represented as obeying the Father, and as having been “obedient unto death” (Phil. 2:8). “Even as the Father said unto me, so I speak” (John 12:50). “I have kept my Father’s commandments” (John 15:10).
67. Because Christ “Learned obedience by the things he suffered,” and through sufferings was made perfect by God (Heb. 5:8).
68. Because he is spoken of in the Scriptures as the first born among many brethren (Rom. 8:29). Has God brethren?
69. Because Christ calls everyone who obeys God his brother. “Whosoever shall do the will of my Father in heaven, the same is my brother” (Matt. 12:50).
70. Because he offers to the faithful the like distinction and honor that himself has with the Father. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am sit down with my Father in his throne” (Rev. 3:21).
71. Because God, in the later ages, hath spoken by his Son, and appointed him heir of all things (Heb. 1:2).
72. Because Christ is styled the first-begotten of the dead (Rev. 1:5).
73. Because it is declared that God raised him from the dead. “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32; Rom. 10:9 and 10).
74. Because God poured out upon the Apostles the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ (Titus 3:6).
75. Because the reason assigned for the Holy Spirit not having been received earlier, is that Jesus was not then glorified. “The Holy Ghost (holy spirit) was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:39).
76. Because it is affirmed that Christ was exalted by God to be a Prince and a Saviour (Acts 5:31).
77. Because God made that same Jesus, who was crucified, both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).
78. Because God gave him a name which is above every name (Phil. 2:9).
79. Because Christ was ordained of God to be the judge of the quick and the dead (Acts 10:42).
80. Because God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ (Rom. 2:16).
81. Because all judgment is committed to Christ by the Father (John 5:22).
84. Because St. Paul affirms, that Christ, even since his ascension, “liveth unto God,” and “liveth by the power of God” (Rom. 6:10; 2 Cor. 12:4).
86. Because the Apostle John asserts that “no man hath seen God at any time”; which is not true, if Christ were God (John 1:18).
87. Because, in the prophecies of the Old Testament that relate to Christ, he is spoken of as a being distinct from and inferior to God (Deut. 18:15; John 1:45).
89. Because it does not appear from the Scriptures, that the Jews, except in two instances (See #90), ever opposed our Saviour on the ground that he pretended to be God or equal with God; whereas, had it been his custom to assume such identity or equality, in his conversation with a people so strongly attached to the doctrine of the divine unity, he would have found himself involved in a perpetual controversy with them on this point, some traces of which must have appeared in the New Testament.
91. Because, had his immediate disciples believe him to be the Almighty, would they have been so familiar with him, have argued with him, betrayed him, denied him, fled from him, and left him to be dragged to the cross?
92. Because the Apostles, after they had been filled with the Holy Ghost (holy spirit) on the day of Pentecost, did not preach that Christ was God; but preached what was altogether inconsistent with such a doctrine (Acts 2:22; 13:23; 17:3 and 31; 22:8).
100. Because, in a word, the supremacy of the Father, and the inferiority of the Son, is the simple, unembarrassed, and current doctrine of the Bible; whereas, that of their equality or identity is clothed in mystery, encumbered with difficulties, and dependent, at the best, upon few passages for support.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10880 | The Road to Atlantis by Leo Brent RobillardThe Road to Atlantis by Leo Brent Robillard
ISBN: 9780888015556
Item Availability: Item in stock
Road to Atlantis, The
Following the coast on their summer vacation, the Henrys stop at the beach to break up the monotony of their road trip. Matty and Nat build castles in the sand as Anne and David take turns minding the children. A moment of distraction, a blink of the eye, and the life they know is swept away forever.
Like shipwrecks lost at sea, each member of the family sinks under the weight of their shared tragedy. All seems lost but life is long. There are many ways to heal a wound, there are many ways to form a family, and as the Henrys discover, there are many roads to Atlantis.
Advanced Praise
An intimate portrait of a family blown apart by a tragic accident — a grievous loss that can never be reversed, only borne. As sensitively as a surgeon, Robillard traces the impact of that terrible moment on each of his characters, and we watch, breathless, as each finds their own way to heal.
Merilyn Symonds, author of The Paradise Project
Leo Brent Robillard's The Road to Atlantis is a poignant, resonant tale of a family's dissolution following the death of their daughter. In gorgeous, gripping prose, he explores how individuals cope with tragedy and how grief sifts through the generations until it can finally settle and heal. This is a novel that echoes with human emotion and meaning and that deserves to be read.
Lauren Carter, author of Swarm
A great read, beautifully constructed.
Sean Wilson, CBC All in a Day book panel
At fewer than 250 pages, this brief novel packs more emotional wallop than many books twice or three times its length.
Stacy Madden, Quill & Quire
I loved this book, it’s depiction of real people who are so thoroughly tied to the world, although there are certainly moments at which they might not want to be. The Road to Atlantis is an engrossing read, the reader swept along by its pace, and as amazed at what time can do as its characters are.
Kerry Clare, Pickle Me This
Book Club Questions
1. How does grief manifest itself in each of the story’s main characters? How do they respond to tragedy differently?
2. How does guilt complicate the healing process for both David and Anne? Does guilt precipitate their breakup, or only hasten the inevitable?
3. Robillard has said that his reason for writing is “To entertain. To commiserate.” How does The Road to Atlantis fulfil this goal? Did the novel compel you to read on? Did you empathize with its characters?
4. Did you find any of the main characters more compelling than the others? Did you identify with any more easily? Which one(s) and why?
5. Each segment of the novel introduces a new narrative character. How do the additions of these perspectives enrich the characterization? The plot?
6. In an interview, Robillard said, “We are more likely to be acted upon by forces beyond our control or comprehension than we are to unleash or wield these forces. And yet we are not helpless. We maintain the capacity to choose our actions and reactions to these forces.” The characters in Atlantis make many poor choices in the face of these forces. Did they need to make these choices -- and suffer there consequences -- in order to heal?
7. David shows signs of recovery midway through the novel before he hits rock bottom in “The House On Water Street.” How much of this collapse is his own fault? How much is Anne’s? Are there any other elements at play?
8. Why does Anne choose Danny? What push factors exist? Is there any pull?
9. What is the impact of the family tragedy on Matty? What influence, if any, might it have had on his relationship with Kim?
10. Before we meet Larry in the final segment, we have only David’s memories with which to construct him. How does his introduction as a narrative character change your perception of who he is? Why do you think he is included?
11. Water is a recurring motif in the novel. What does it represent? How does its connotation change over the course of the novel?
12. Why does Robillard introduce the model railroading. What is the significance of David’s fascination with it?
13. Robillard’s writing has been characterized as Hemingway-esque -- “sparse,” “economical,” “with a keen-edged grace.” What scenes stand out for you as particularly poignant or memorable for their prose?
14. Early in the book, David said, “He, and everyone around him, would delineate his history as before and after Nat.” Do you think he feels the same way in the closing scene?
15. Did you find the end of the novel satisfying? Did it end as you expected? |
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Fetching posts in Wordpress and ExpressionEngine with jQuery and AJAX
By /
2. The client specifically asked for AJAX to be used.
So, to do this with AJAX and Wordpress I used two Pages, using two different templates. The first template is the one that is part of the main site and has the same design as surrounding pages, and the other is a stripped down template with no <html>, <head> or <body> tags which retrieves the requested posts from the database and just prints out the content of each.
Let's look at these two templates, but first view the working example.
The post-retrieval template
Template Name: Ajax example - retrieve posts
if (have_posts()) :
while (have_posts()) : the_post();
the_excerpt(); ?>
<p><a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>">Read the rest of this entry »</a></p>
The Wordpress function query_posts is used to select which category or categories of posts to display (in my example I'm displaying posts from the Wordpress and ExpressionEngine categories), showposts is set to 1 because only one post is going to be displayed at one time and offset is used because each time this template is requested, a new post, the next one along from the previous one, will be displayed. The querystring is being sent from the page requesting the AJAX content which we'll look at next. What you put inside the Loop is up to you, but in my example I'm displaying the title, the excerpt and then a link to read the rest.
The post-display template
This template is made up of three parts:
1. A loop to count the number of posts in the category or categories to be displayed which will be used to help step through the posts using the offset parameter.
Template Name: Ajax example - display posts
$ajaxcount = 0;
$cat1 = new WP_Query('category_name=wordpress&showposts=9999');
while ($cat1->have_posts()) : $cat1->the_post();
$cat2 = new WP_Query('category_name=expression-engine&showposts=9999');
while ($cat2->have_posts()) : $cat2->the_post();
This looks a bit clunky, but I couldn't find a way to pass multiple categories to the WP_Query function. I'm using this function because the Wordpress documentation says:
This would only be necessary if you wanted to display posts from more than one category and it's only really used to get a number of the posts we want to display.
2. Another separate loop to display the default post, i.e., the one you see when you first visit the page and the link to view the rest of the posts.
<?php query_posts('showposts=1&cat=1,2');
<?php the_excerpt(); ?>
<p><a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>">Read the rest of this entry »>/a>>/p>
<?php endwhile; endif;?>
<p><a class="ajax-link" href="/path/to/your/category/">Read more articles from this category</a></p>
The query_posts function here is the same as it is for the other template except that as this page will be displaying the first post from the categories, we don't need to offset it, so that parameter is omitted.
Note that there is an actual path to the category you want to display in the link. Even though the link is disabled by the javascript, if javascript is turned off, you want your visitors to still be able to access a page. Unfortunately, you can only link to a page for a single category, but there has to be a small price to pay for not having javascript enabled.
3. The jQuery javascript to request the AJAX content.
<script type="text/javascript">google.load("jquery", "1.2.6")</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
var ajaxcount = <?php echo $ajaxcount; ?>;
var offset = 1;
$('#ajax-content *').fadeOut(500);
$('#ajax-content + p').fadeOut(500);
$('#ajax-content + p').fadeIn(1);
if (offset == ajaxcount) { offset = 0 };
return false;
First we load jQuery using the Google JS loader, and then after checking that the document is ready, set up two variables: one, ajaxcount, which contains the number of posts there are to display and the second for the offset which is set to 1 for the first instance. Each time the link is clicked, the offset variable will increase until it's equal to the count of posts at which point it will be reset to 0 so that we can display the originally displayed post again (and the loop can start all over again).
Then a function is set up to perform the actions whenever the link is clicked and return false is used to prevent the browser redirecting to the link destination. The first actions in the function are to fade out the current content of the div holding the content to be changed and also the paragraph holding the link that follows it (jQuery handles all CSS selectors fine so we can use the adjacent sibling selector here).
Next we fetch the page with jQuery's AJAX load function and give it a querystring equal to the current offset value.
(It should be noted that if you wanted to display posts randomly instead of in any particular order, you wouldn't need to send an offset value to the template that retrieves the posts, but because Internet Explorer thinks an AJAX request for the same URL, regardlesss of whether the content has changed or not, is the same as the previous request and displays the same content each time, you need to append a different querystring to the URL so that IE thinks the page is different each time. You could do this by generating a random number to append to the querystring – no-one is going to see the querystring anyway, except for the template retrieving the posts.)
Once the new content has been loaded, we fade the link back in. jQuery has a number of different effects for showing and hiding content, so you could change the way the old posts are removed and the new posts are loaded; I'll leave that up to you.
Update (24 March 2013): A couple of people have made comments suggesting they're having trouble understanding how the templates are put together, so I've uploaded the actual templates I used when this site used to run on Wordpress.
Creating the effect for ExpressionEngine
To create the same effect for ExpressionEngine would be very similar to the process for Wordpress. ExpressionEngine has an offset parameter too, so the javascript would be exactly the same. There would also be the same two templates: one for fetching posts and the other for displaying them. The only things that would be different would be the code used to retrieve the posts from the database.
Because you can have as many weblog entries tags in a template as you like, to count the number of entries to display would be a little more straightforward:
{exp:channel:entries channel="your_channel" category="1|2" dynamic="off" disable="member_data|pagination|trackbacks"}
var ajaxcount = {count}
You can have multiple categories by separating them with the | character.
You'd then use a similar weblog tag to display both the first post in the displaying posts template and the retrieving posts template with the only difference being the offset parameter for the latter (remember to enable PHP parsing for the template; it's turned off by default):
{exp:channel:entries channel="your_channel" limit="1" offset="<?php echo $_GET['offset']?>" category="1|2" dynamic="off" disable="member_data|pagination|trackbacks"}
Your content goes here.
You could also possibly send the value of the offset as an additional URL segment and use offset="{segment_X}" instead which means you wouldn't need to enable PHP for the template.
There's probably ways that some of the above could've been accomplished differently, so if anyone's done something similar but in a different way, I'd like to hear from you.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10898 | Windows 10 – Good or Bad for Touch and Mobility?
Posted on 01 October 2014, Last updated on 13 October 2014 by
Is it too early to be worrying about Windows 10 and how the changes will affect touch and mobile users? I don’t think so. The test and feedback program starts today (October 1st, see and as a touch-focused user that was very happy with the clear split between sandboxed, touch-friendly RT apps with sharing and always-on capability and the desktop as my productive, mains-powered space i’m now looking at a mash-up that could be more confusing than ever. In my eyes Microsoft has re-positioned touch and mobility back down the list of priorities and put a big question-mark over the future of touch-focused apps on Windows PCs.
A summary of the announcements from yesterday can be found in my summary here but in essence, all you need to know is that Microsoft are bringing back the single-desktop environment and allowing the RT apps (to be known as Universal apps) to float into it. Think about this…
Why develop Universal apps?
Skype will have a touch-friendly cut-down application and a desktop application that can run side-by-side on the desktop. One will be sandboxed and allowed to run when a PC is in Connected Standby/InstantGo and the other is the fully featured desktop app. Where will Skype go from here? Facebook will be fun too. You can choose the RT app, the IE desktop web site or the IE Metro web site. Evernote will have an app, a desktop app and a browser app. Not only is this confusing for users but it also brings up the question about future development of Universal apps. Why develop an RT/Universal app that will sit on a desktop and compete with the other app you’ve written?
Microsoft are going to have to promote Universal apps hard if they want the Store to work on Windows 10 PCs. The only place they can really start today is by encouraging developers to make Windows Phone apps (which will also be known as Windows 10) that are Universal apps that can run on the desktop but will those developers bother to consider a 2K screen layout? Microsoft will have to prove to developers that the economy for Windows Universal application development is going to improve drastically before the developers make any moves.
Above: Windows 10 Universal Apps on the Desktop.
Above: Windows 10 Universal Apps on the Desktop.
Universal apps ready for the desktop limelight?
Will floating RT apps onto the desktop make them more popular? If so, the economy for Universal apps changes for the better but if not, if users discover cut-down versions of their favorite apps and games, they might ignore Universal apps altogether even if they do bring better security, better sharing, better battery life and better touch user interfaces. Universal apps may not be fit for putting in front of desktop users. If they’re not good enough they’ll suffer, regardless of security advantages. In terms of software development for Windows, the financial planning just got a little harder. It’s very possible that Universal apps become 100% reliant on the Windows 10 phone market.
Microsoft’s message to developers today is nothing more than this: “The most important thing you should take from today’s announcements is that the best way to prepare for Windows 10 is to keep building universal Windows apps.” [Source.]
Touch second?
In the launch event yesterday Microsoft spoke primarily about desktop and business users. Microsoft did, however, mention a feature called Continuum. It’s not yet built into the preview version of Windows 10 and all it looks like is an auto-sensing UI feature. If you’ve got touch you’ll get a full-screen start page as you do now. Applications started from that screen will then float onto the desktop where you’ve got keyboard and mouse-focused controls. Is that a continuum, or a hybrid?
Snapping Windows together will definitely become a hybrid. Do I really want an old, non PPI sensing Windows dekstop app floating next to the Skype Universal application?
Continuum is where touch users will need to focus over the next 6-8 months but I suspect the first previews won’t really tell us much about the feature.
Windows 10 feedback
My first feedback to Microsoft would be this: Allow me to turn off desktop apps. Allow me to go into a Universal applications mode where the DAM (desktop activity moderator – as found on Windows systems with Connected Standby) hides and pauses all desktop activity leaving me with an efficient, secure, sandboxed, touch-friendly selection of apps. I don’t want a RT-style build with a desktop that is completely disabled though. I think the education market would appreciate this too – Chrome OS owes part of its success to sandboxing.
Respect to Microsoft for listening to customers feedback and offering up a preview program that will steer the final features and user-interface of Windows 10 but I worry that the 2-in-1, tablet and touch users are going to be under-represented. If you’re in that boat I encourage you to download the preview and give your feedback to Microsoft so that we can continue to have touch and mobility as first-class considerations in Windows 10.
16 Comments For This Post
1. DrNick says:
Yes. If you have to ask, then the answer is yes. Microsoft was very clear that yesterday’s announcement was about their enterprise customers and that they would be focusing on a few basic features that address some of their concerns. They made it very clear that what they showed yesterday was not all of Windows 10 and they would be talking about other features of the OS, even mentioning touch specifically, later on. Windows 10 is one day since it’s official announcement and (maybe) one year away from its release. We simply don’t know enough to be concerned about this sort of nothing.
2. DrNick says:
I meant “…this sort of thing.” Not “…this sort of nothing.”
3. James says:
Yes, agreed, this is just a early beta that focuses on the hardest sell for MS and that’s the desktop and Enterprise… Besides the consumer focused version is supposed to come out about February 2015…
This is an ongoing development, with monthly updates that can possibly be anything from the equivalent of SP releases to each being the equivalent to incremental OS updates… Like going from W8 to W8.1 but monthly instead of annually… compressing years worth of development into the next several months…
MS is also working on merging WP and RT, and the app stores are going to be merged as well… So I have to admit I’m surprised Chippy would write this kind of article given MS has long made it pretty clear they’re going for developing an adaptive OS platform that will cover just about the entire spectrum of devices from IoTs to desktops and even the XBOx One…
It’s not like the Threshold and other announcements that led to W10 were all that unclear or vague… and MS did specifically state this Technical Preview was just the first “Chapter” in the preview development and that they are focusing on the business users first…
But it’s not like he’s alone… a lot of people don’t seem to be keeping up with what’s actually going on right now and don’t seem to realize we’re a long way still from the final version of W10… though, to be fair, it’s not like MS has been very good getting their message across and educating the public properly on exactly what they’re doing…
4. hlov says:
I totally agree with you, I saw some screenshots and it looks like windows 7, I do like 8 and don’t find it confuse at all, but I have been using touch screen pcs for the past 8 years, I’m not going to put it on my Pro3 it feels like a big step back.
5. harvey says:
I am in the same boat with you. I really like the RT type sandbox apps and being able to switch to desktop mode to do some work. What I dont like in desktop mode on a touch device is that you have to manually bring up and hide the on screen keyboard.
6. xyz says:
I’m also worried about the future of touch in Win 10. But, what worries me even more: Modern UI apps lack so many features compared to its Android or iOS counterparts. One reason is the lack of APIs and OS features: live tiles are useless compared to widgets in android, no notification center, no third party keyboards, … MS must start to deliver, iOS and Android get new features more regularly than Windows despite the fact that Windows it the one that lacks behind…
7. me says:
For a sub 10″ screen without a keyboard and mouse, touch should be first. For things with a keyboard and mouse, touch should be dead last after trackballs.
8. Caldude says:
I’m worried about having a productive desktop environment. I say get rid of the tiles and tile pages. Make separate software to run windows apps that we install AS AN OPTION for all the social networking airheads. Bring back the old start menu and don’t clutter it up with those ugly Playskool tiles. I need a computer in order to do real work, not a toy. If I wanted that I would get an android tablet or an iPad.
9. mark says:
I want a real computer not a toy, and i like a start menu that uses my full 17″ screen, rather than the postage stamp size menu we had since xp. Tiles are useful at giving more info than a simple icon.
10. bobby says:
The start screen with its tiles is not a toy. It is a place where you can arrange and group 100 or so apps and links and be able to find them easily. That happens to be good for productivity.
11. me says:
I think the pursuit of one OS for all devices is a nice academic endeavor but may not have a real solution. So far, MS’ attempts make too many trade offs, resulting in sub-par experiences on all form factors. Windows 10 fixes some issues from 8 but adds others and ends up also giving sub-par experiences but in a different way.
12. bobby says:
If you think Windows 8 offersva sub par experience, I bet you don’t use it. It offers an excellent touch tablet experience and the same or better desktop experience. I use it everyday on every type of computer, and that is my experience. Yes, I am worried about whether a good mobile touch experience will continue.
13. me says:
No, I do use it. I have a Dell Latitude 10 with Windows 8. I also use it on notebooks that don’t run Linux mainly because of the better inherent security and low level performance enhancements over older Windows which will never/can’t be back ported to older versions.
I just ignore the UI issues. It’s definitely sub-par due to MS wanting both touch and desktop experiences in one OS.
14. pickels says:
The way I see it, no matter what they attempt, if they continue trying to create 1 OS for phones, tablets and notebooks/desktops then they’ll never create an excellent UI for all form factors.
15. hlov says:
It works for me ???? love windows 8, my SP3 is the best device I have ever use, I use both desktop and metro side
16. stan says:
What don’t get is why the metro tiles look so bad and why they didn’t just integrate them to the desktop. Not saying that the desktop should be littered with tiles but geez an application is an application. Why not modernize the desktop and eliminate the start screen. Anyone who used a umpc prior to win8 easily tweaked the desktop for touch..why not include similar tweaking options and add the option to put tiles along side icons.
Ex: I’d like to use metro IE on my x15 but Firefox with speed dial is way better than a crippled metro IE.
The regular desktop with frames application or similar option to segregate and organize but less resource hungry would be better than what we see in win8.1. It would allow user to use metro versions of applications that have less functionality for cheap or for free along side full featured applications and have a task bar instead of what metro offers. Oh and having to search for apps wouldn’t be an issue cause you can organize them in a frame if you wish or find them in the old style start menu. My old viliv x70 lasted me till 2013 and was a pleasure to use despite the 7″ screen all because i tweaked the interface to my liking and it wasnt metro ugly cause of the wallpaper etc..
Its almost like they tacked a bad cell phone interface to the os.
Sorry if this comes across as a disjointed incoherent rant… having one of those days!
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/10912 | So Long NES Classic, and Thanks for All the Aggravation
So Long NES Classic, and Thanks for All the Aggravation
Nintendo: Making Good Choices Since 1889™.
I have no idea how much money Nintendo missed out on because it failed to keep the NES Classic Edition adequately stocked over the holiday season. I can't even give you an estimate. I know very little about analytics; I'm not a numbers person.
I'm more of a words person. All I can offer you as proof that Nintendo screwed the pooch with the NES Classic are a couple of anecdotes. Here's a good one.
Editor's pick
NES Classic Discontinued in North America
I had surgery at the end of November last year. As I was being prepped to have my abdomen sliced open and the doctors were doing their small-talk thing (it was not my first time at the operating theatre rodeo), they asked what I did for a living. I told them.
The anaesthesiologist stopped just before he injected my IV line with a huge syringe of The Good Stuff, and said "Oh, man. Can you tell me where to get one of those mini-NES things? I can't find one anywhere. I'm dying."
Unfortunately, I had no answer for him. Actually, I just laughed; I was sedated and kind of drunk. But I had no coherent answer for the reams of people who asked me about the NES Classic's availability in the weeks following my surgery, including friends, family, acquaintances, gamers and non-gamers. I had no answer, because, again, Nintendo screwed the pooch with the NES Classic.
It appears Nintendo is determined to keep on humping the hound, too. Earlier today, Nintendo told IGN it plans to discontinue the NES Classic.
"Throughout April, NOA territories will receive the last shipments of Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition systems for this year," Nintendo said. "We encourage anyone interested in obtaining this system to check with retail outlets regarding availability."
It added, "NES Classic Edition wasn’t intended to be an ongoing, long-term product. However, due to high demand, we did add extra shipments to our original plans."
I feel you, kitty.
When video game archeologists (it's totally going to be a career in the future, start training up your kids now) study the detritus of the hobby, I doubt any discussion will generate as much heated bafflement as "What was Nintendo's deal with the NES Classic?" While I've noticed Japanese game developers sometimes overlook the powerful nostalgia behind their brands, Nintendo's never had qualms about cashing in on its past. Nor should it: The games and characters that made the company a household name are beloved for very good reasons. So even if I live long enough for my age to register as random NES junk-tiles instead of numbers, I'll never understand why Nintendo left such a huge, quivering stack of cash on the table.
Oh, I can take guesses. Maybe Nintendo doesn't want the NES Classic to interfere with the Switch's Virtual Console, whenever that rolls out. While this is the likeliest explanation, it's still dumb. The NES Classic Edition is the perfect serving platter for '80s nostalgia. Mom Wal-Mart who hasn't touched games since Axl Rose incited riots by no-showing at his concerts probably isn't going to drop $300 USD on the Switch, but she'll gladly spend $60 USD on an adorable little NES pre-loaded with the games she loved as a kid.
Classic lines in fantasy literature: "I can't carry the Ring for you, but I can carry you," "You killed my father; prepare to die," and "The NES Classic is available at local retailers."
Maybe Mom Wal-Mart will play the NES Classic herself. Maybe she'll show the games to her children. Maybe she'll immediately forget she even bought the stupid thing after she tries to pull out of the parking lot and discovers in the worst way possible that she forgot the baby on the roof of her car. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what she does with the machine. Nintendo still has her money.
Also, Nintendo's 2016 holiday season was as bare as Yoshi's butt. A fat supply of NES Classics could've done a lot to plug up Nintendo's Wii U-inflicted wounds with cash. Didn't happen. I can't even. Can anyone even?
I suppose it's possible Nintendo has a follow-up in mind, e.g. a new NES Classic mode stuffed with even more games than the original (Ooh! Can we get a top-loader variant?). Maybe a Super Nintendo Classic Edition is in the works. Hey, it makes sense. Nintendo's statement to IGN carries a note of grim finality, though. If something is going to succeed the NES Classic Edition, the company's not offering any immediate clues or comfort.
Either way, this is the end of the road for the NES Classic Edition as we know it. Game Over. Everyone loses. Except for all the scalpers who are currently stripping down to dive into their money bins Scrooge McDuck-style.
Nadia Oxford
Staff Writer
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