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When I used the exe file to install it it works on first start. Then when I restart it and boot from it, I get a purple screen then it flashes to the login screen what happend to the ubuntu logo?
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to put it simply, the graphic driver loads slower than the rest of the system. I fixed it with these directions.
Get your precious Plymouth splash screen back
I didn't not follow the directions from this particular website, I couldn't find the one I used but these are the correct direction. I have mine back and can now remove the "quiet splash" and see the boot messages if needed.
Edit: while there is an detailed explanation of why you might want to check out, I and going to copy and paste the instructions below in case the link expires.
Open a virtual terminal and type the following command:
sudo gedit /etc/initramfs-tools/conf.d/splash
This file may not exist, so you may be creating it from scratch now.
Enter the following content on the file you opened on the previous step:
Close and save the file.
Now, run the following command to commit the change:
sudo update-initramfs -u
Reboot and enjoy your Plymouth splash screen.
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So i will need my gpu because mine isent working atm – winter4w Jun 13 '12 at 2:50
I'm not sure what you are asking here. The fix has nothing to do with which gpu you have. If you can get to the log in screen your gpu is working. The reason that you have no splash screen is that the new kernels load so fast that the DRIVERS load after the rest of the system. This fix will get the system to wait for the graphic driver to load, hence allowing you to see the boot screen or any boot messages if you Esc. the splash screen. The system will boot slightly slower with this fix but if you have a fairly new system you will not notice the difference. – TrailRider Jun 13 '12 at 21:39
Unless I misunderstood your initial question. after you installed you didn't see the boot screen but went to the log-in screen, you were able to log in and run Ubuntu correct?? If so then Ubuntu is installed and you can use this fix to get the boot screen to show again. – TrailRider Jun 13 '12 at 21:48
Yes i dont see the boot screen but I am able to go on the login screen i was just wondering if I can get the boot screen – winter4w Jun 14 '12 at 3:57
Then this should work for you. – TrailRider Jun 14 '12 at 22:48
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The first rule of Fruit Fly Fight Club: Flies can't talk about Fruit Fly Fight Club. Because they can't talk at all. At least not to humans.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School took a break from studying lobster fighting and shifted their focus to fruit fly fights, and even mutant fruit fly fights.
(Via The Annals of Improbable Research.)
Fruit flies are strange creatures. Or perhaps it's that fruit fly researchers are strange creatures.
One of my cousins was a fruit fly researcher. She took fruit fly testicles and squashed them and then studied them under a microscope, looking for... something... I forget. I think just finding the fruit fly testicles in the first place was accomplishment enough.
Fruit fly researchers like to give their discoveries strange names. Typically, a gene is named after what results when you disable it. For example, a gene without which fruit flies die in two days is named Kenny, after the South Park character.
My favorite: The gene without which fruit flies get drunk really easily is called cheap date. (That last page has several more funny gene names.)
Yes, that's right. Fruit flies get drunk. There's a fruit fly drunk-o-meter, though I forget how it works. But one amusing aspect of fruit fly drunkenness is that just before they finally pass out, there's a big burst of activity.
Strange gene naming has spread beyond the fruit fly world. There is a human gene named sonic hedgehog after the Sega video game character. (It's related to the fruit fly gene "hedgehog", so named because disabling it causes the fly to develop into a ball with spikes.)
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Well the answer is easy ..... No!? Or is it..... This is really a two fold statement.
We do not have a sequencer for NT 4.0. So basically you cannot sequence your application from NT 4.0 directly and put them straight into your Windows XP SoftGrid environment!
So if that's the case, how do I get my application from NT 4.0 to Sequenced Virtual Application and then deployed? Well, I hate to say it but there is no easy route! The main thing to understand is getting a process behind you to bring your application up to a specific level and then sequenced on a supportable platform such as Windows XP.
Application Compatability
Application Migration Process from NT 4.0 (High Level)
The above show this process around taking an old NT 4.0 application and passing it through the application compatibility toolkit. Now I am not saying this is the be all and end all but it certainly can be used as a good guide, or flow process you can leverage off!
The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) enables software developers, independent software vendors (ISVs), and IT professionals who work in a corporate environment to determine, before rolling out within the organization, whether their applications are compatible with a new version of the Microsoft® Windows® operating system. ACT also enables such individuals to determine how an update to the new version will impact their applications.
You can use the ACT features to:
You can download it from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=24DA89E9-B581-47B0-B45E-492DD6DA2971&displaylang=en
Once your application is to a stable state you can look to run through the sequencing wizards as per normal and capture your application.
The core benefit is that you are just trying to get this one suite of applications working! Not regression testing it against many others 1,2,4,8,16,32,64, etc etc application along side it.
This can help save you and your business valuable time and stop massive amounts of pain with your upgrades from NT 4.0 to XP/Vista! We know that there are many companies still going through these migrations, and in my humble opinion I hope that this helps you migrate more dynamically from these older legacy platforms. (Good luck to the lads up North! You know who you are :-) )
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IR Atmospheric Windows
The Universe sends us light at all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. However, most of this light does not reach us at ground level here on Earth. Why? Because we have an atmosphere which blocks out many types of radiation while letting other types through. Fortunately for life on Earth, our atmosphere blocks out harmful, high energy radiation like X-rays, gamma rays and most of the ultraviolet rays. It also block out most infrared radiation, as well as very low energy radio waves. On the other hand, our atmosphere lets visible light, most radio waves, and small wavelength ranges of infrared light through, allowing astronomers to view the Universe at these wavelengths.
Most of the infrared light coming to us from the Universe is absorbed by water vapor and carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Only in a few narrow wavelength ranges, can infrared light make it through (at least partially) to a ground based infrared telescope.
The Earth's atmosphere causes another problem for infrared astronomers. The atmosphere itself radiates strongly in the infrared, often putting out more infrared light than the object in space being observed. This atmospheric infrared emission peaks at a wavelength of about 10 microns (micron is short for a micrometer or one millionth of a meter).
So the best view of the infrared universe, from ground based telescopes, are at infrared wavelengths which can pass through the Earth's atmosphere and at which the atmosphere is dim in the infrared. Ground based infrared observatories are usually placed near the summit of high, dry mountains to get above as much of the atmosphere as possible. Even so, most infrared wavelengths are completely absorbed by the atmosphere and never make it to the ground.
From the table below, you can see that only a few of the infrared "windows" have both high sky transparency and low sky emission. These infrared windows are mainly at infrared wavelengths below 4 microns.
Infrared Windows in the Atmosphere
Sky Transparency
Sky Brightness
1.1 - 1.4 microns
low at night
1.5 - 1.8 microns
very low
2.0 - 2.4 microns
very low
3.0 - 4.0 microns
3.0 - 3.5 microns: fair
3.5 - 4.0 microns: high
4.6 - 5.0 microns
7.5 - 14.5 microns
8 - 9 microns and 10 -12 microns: fair
others: low
very high
17 - 40 microns
17 - 25 microns: Q
28 - 40 microns: Z
very low
very high
330 - 370 microns
very low
Basically, everything we have learned about the Universe comes from studying the light or electromagnetic radiation emitted by objects in space. To get a complete picture of the Universe, we need to see it in all of its light, at all wavelengths. This is why it is so important to send observatories into space, to get above our atmosphere which prevents so much of this valuable information from reaching us.
Since most infrared light is blocked by our atmosphere, infrared astronomers have placed instruments onboard, rockets, balloons, aircraft and space telescopes to view regions of the infrared which are not detectable from the ground. As a result, amazing discoveries about our Universe have been made and hundreds of thousands of new astronomical sources have been detected for the first time.
Due to the rapid development of better infrared detectors and the ability to place telescopes in space, the future is extremely bright for infrared astronomy.
Ground based infrared observatories, using advanced techniques such as Adaptive Optics are providing fascinating views of the infrared Universe viewed through our atmosphere's infrared windows.
Mauna Kea Observatories
Although these observatories cannot view at other infrared wavelengths, they can observe the near-infrared sky almost anytime the weather permits, providing valuable long term studies of objects in space.
New missions are being planned to get above the atmosphere to observe the infrared Universe with better resolution than ever before. SOFIA, an airborne observatory, is schedule to start operations in 2004. The Spitzer Space Telescope, launched in August 2003, is NASA's next great observatory in space.
In the next decade, you will probably hear much news about discoveries being made in infrared astronomy, as we now can see beyond our atmosphere's infrared windows!
Infrared Astronomy HOME PAGE | Discovery of Infrared | What is Infrared? | Infrared Astronomy Overview | Atmospheric Windows | Near, Mid & Far Infrared | The Infrared Universe | Spectroscopy | Timeline | Background | Future Missions | News & Discoveries | Images & Videos | Activities | Infrared Links | Educational Links | Getting into Astronomy
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How To Read Someone's MindS
Impress your friends and terrify your enemies, by pretending to read anyone's mind. It's not as hard as it looks — there are some well-worn tricks that can make you appear telepathic. Screw magicians and their lame fire tricks — we're way more impressed with someone who can guess your favorite movie just by staring into your eyes.
We spoke with Las Vegas' resident Mentalist Gerry McCambridge and he broke down the basic steps to wowing people with your powers of telepathy.
McCambridge, who has spent the last 7 years at The Planet Hollywood reading throngs of tourists, doesn't just pull information from your brain — he'll also tell you exactly how he got there as well. So we asked him to break down his methods step by step.
Select the right subject.
You can't just grab any old victim for a good mind sucking off the street. Rather, you should select your prey delicately. McCambridge elaborates:
"Some people want to be the center of attention. So, if I'm asking for people to come up on stage a lot of times it's those type of people. And they tend not to be the best assistants because they want to have their 15 minutes of fame at my expense. So I'm looking for people who may not come up on stage at the drop of a hat, but aren't [so] overly shy that they're going to stay in the audience. The first thing I'm looking for is somebody who is smiling and laughing at the jokes that I'm putting out there. There you have someone who wants to interact. Then you have the over-responders and that's someone I don't want necessarily right away. That's what you look for first, the type person."
Mirror the subject (make them comfortable).
Once you've snared your subject, woo them into a sense of security, by mimicking their ways.
"Make sure you try something that they are comfortable with. Do you have any artistic abilities? Then you can do something where you using drawing. You feel them out based on what you're going to ask them to do. Then you use an NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) technique called mirroring. Where you get them comfortable with you by mirroring the way that they're responding to you. People can pick up on that and they feel more relaxed around someone they feel is close to them. If they're a shy person and you're loud and obnoxious, they're not going to feel comfortable standing next to you. If they are a little shy and you back off and act a little timid yourself, introduce yourself nicely, it puts everybody at ease."
Know the statistics.
Know your stuff. In order to become and excellent Mind Reader, you need to up on the latest trends and tendencies of the mind. McCambridge has spent years documenting his shows, taking notes of the different ages of people in the audience, the cars parked in the parking lots, what kind of event it was. And he makes good use of all this statistical data.
"I know statistically how people are going to respond to certain situations. When I offer you a choice of 4 different objects I know 92% of the time you're going to choose the third one on your own. When you tell someone to think of a number between 1 and 10, statisically they are going to gravitate towards 7. If you ask someone to respond to a question very quickly, that changes the response. If I asked you to think of a color very quickly 1, 2, 3 — red is the statistical first choice. Blue is the second choice. If you ask for a color quickly, people go for red. If you ask for a color and you give someone a three or four second space, they will go for blue, because they will change their mind thinking red is the obvious choice."
Look for signs.
But you've got to be aware of basic responses!
"Look for reactions. For example [something I might try] is instruct the person to respond to what I say with the word no. No matter what I say, you respond with no. Then I'll say think of a number between 1 to 10, and I ask is it the number 1? No. The number 2? No. We go through the entire thing with No and I tell them that it's the number 6 because of the fact that they looked at me different when they were actually lying to me. They couldn't make eye contact [or something similar to that]."
Utilize the body.
Learn the art of muscle reading.
"Without the people realizing it, I'm touching them in a very relaxed way that they don't realize what I'm doing. Based on the questions that I'm asking them, I can tell what the answers are by feeling the difference in their muscles. You body echoes what your brain thinks. And I've learned how to pick up on the echoes. An example is I tell the person to think of a letter in the alphabet, and then the audience sing the Alphabet Song. By the time their finished I can tell what letter they have because the second the audience said their letter, their brain thinks to itself "that's it!" That changes the physiological response in your body and I can pick that up, it's different than the other 25 letters."
Don't be afraid to admit failure.
If you fall flat on your face, pick up and try again. The audience will love you even more for it.
"[If the trick doesn't work] I usually try it a second time. If it's an important part of the show I may send the person back to their seat and say, 'OK let's try something else.' There is no sure-fire way, things go wrong, it actually adds more credibility to the show when the audience sees that sometimes it fails. What a mentalist does, it doesn't always work, and that's OK. "
The easiest trick in the book.
We'll tell you the name of the trick after you do it, because it spoils the reveal!
• Pick a number between 1 and 10.
• Multiply it by 9.
• If it's a 2 digit number, add them together.
• Now subtract 5.
• Map the result to a letter of the alphabet, where A=1, B=2 and so on.
• Think of a country which begins with that letter.
• Take the second letter of the country and think of an animal which begins with that letter.
• Think of the color of that animal.
• Are you thinking of a grey elephant from Denmark?
Obviously this is titled the Grey Elephant from Denmark. We tried this on 3 people in the office and, one out of three guessed Grey Elephant. Our suggestion, do it in big group and the odds will be in your favor.
Here's a clip of Gerry in action. Check him out over at his Mentalist website or live at the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.
Top image via Notre Cinema.
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Where Do You Buy Your Video Games?S
The daily Speak-Up on Kotaku doesn't have to be an essay. Sometimes all it takes is a simple question. Commenter Rueli is fed up with GameStop, and wants to know where everyone else goes for their retail gaming fix.
Gamestop finally broke the last straw. I've dealt with their crap for too long and now turn a new leaf...
So now the question: Where do you guys suggest I buy my games? Amazon?
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Submitted by PolygamousRanchKid
Link to Original Source
Comment: Re:narfled the garthok - I'm not dead yet (Score 1) 405
by nixish (#41601891) Attached to: If I was to be killed by science-fiction villains, I'd rather:
The question "If I was to be killed by science-fiction villains, I'd rather:" kind of assumes you're going to die. I'd rather re-word it, I would prefer: "If a science-fiction villain were to attempt to kill me I'd rather:"
You cannot deny your mortality. Get in in your head, buddy. We are just dust in the wind, in the end. If you accept that, firstly, you face the truth and not hide from it as can be inferred from the wording in this post. (pardon, if this is not correct but do not change your perception and tell me I was wrong after you have changed your perception. That's just mean.) Secondly, you can channel your thoughts, actions and your life accordingly. You actually become more powerful, with truth by your side. Lo and behold, truth is liberating.
Comment: two months ago (Score 1) 250
by nixish (#40731709) Attached to: I most recently switched ISPs ...
And that was because I moved. From AT&T Elite DSL, I now have Business Comcast Cable internet (one of my housemates works at home and her work pays for most of the internet bill :) ). It's a bit of an upgrade but on a couple of occasions (once a month in the last two months), it has slowed down to a crawl for several hours notceably. I hope it's not a chronic problem.
Comment: Green Tea with Intermittent Fasting (Score 1) 209
by nixish (#39849525) Attached to: What Is Your Beverage of Choice In the Morning?
I tend to fast about 16 hours a day. That's counting about 7 hours of sleep plus nine hours in the morning and day. I do this for some health benefits and weight control (managing to lose about 20 pounds in a month and a half was a bonus). Now I am working on my six-pack abs and fitness. Anyway, my point is, because of this Intermittent fasting, I have switched to Green Tea in the morning and perhaps a coffee in the after noon. I love the concentration boosts due to these beverages.
Comment: Can't happen without some basic house cleaning (Score 1) 438
by nixish (#38112002) Attached to: Human Survival Depends On Space Exploration, Says Hawking
Interestingly, did the ambition of a robust space dream for the US die when the US had no real competition from the Russians or anyone else in the world? It looks like the US accumulated all the technical know-how (probably in some super secret programs) while never really unleashing its full potential. What a shame. Obviously, it's not clear if even with all the technical knowledge, how viable colonizing other terrains is. But having all that technical knowledge gives humans an edge without doubt. And to make a U-turn in my comment, it all goes back to basic human distrust. If the countries could actually agree and work on this together, there would be proliferation of knowledge and a better chance at space colonization. That's not happening any time soon. Space colonization is an issue that probably cannot happen with some basic human unity and cooperation between the countries.
Comment: Interview (Score 1) 469
by nixish (#34428662) Attached to: WikiLeaks Should...
After reading these interviews on Forbes and Timeand reading up on wikileaks, I came to the uncomfortable conclusion that Assange is doing what he has stood for and has spoken of. He has been very consistent in his actions and his views are visionary.
When I read some of the stuff he has said, he comes off as a cynic. However, his underlying motivations are anything but cynical. He truly believes that putting this data out into the world will prevent/has prevented wars(Iran-US war) and that things will progress in the positive direction. I, while more than a decade younger than Assange, have become a bit jaded in my world view unlike Assange.
Perhaps he is a cynical optimist,as illogical and paradoxical that sounds.
Loose bits sink chips.
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View Single Post
Career Officer
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,263
Because def/acc/crit is poorly balanced and allocated to begin with. And so they should go bye bye! Poof! Gone!
We don't even need to consider how nonsensical it is that the enemy using crippling fire to destroy your ship is somehow invisible!
Placate on landing a Crit. Why is this garbage? Well it's garbage because it favors ships that do two things well. Hit, and crit! If you have a ship that can do those things often, you're in! It is particularly useful against targets that are easy to hit and crit!
It is not very useful against targets that are hard to hit and crit. Poopy!
Placate on being hit. Why is this garbage? Well its garbage because it indiscriminately activates regardless of the source of the damage. Sci abilities were never balanced on having to 'hit' the target. Not that many tac abilites are, but lets not visit that just yet. So you have a long duration low damage but very useful hold being broken due to this. Because it happens to pulse a small bit of damage. Or your turret plink plink plink set off the placate. It just doesn't make sense. On the one hand, this is VERY nice for those larger type of ships. They could use some sort of avoidance. NOT a great way to put it in the game though. Giving this to small fast wittle ships is almost criminal. Yah. Cause they NEEDED more defense, they were running out.
I'd like to say, that if this placate could be tweaked to only proc off of incoming energy weapons damage it would be better. And then if we could limit it to cruisers and sci's.....
but I digress.
It is similar to defense in that it ignores facets of the incoming damage. If any damage can cause a placate...well....ok. But not all damage was required to hit before....sooo.
Jam sensors, ams, ss, are boff abilites or console. Yah I know we all love ams. Still they are a little bit higher on the cost scale, and they have a bit of a CD and an immunity that sorta works.
And yes, as has been pointed out, only firing once to kill someone works, but I don't see that becoming a universally adopted strategy.
Cheers happy flying!!
Last edited by thissler; 01-22-2013 at 06:47 AM.
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Topics: Barack Obama
John Boehner calls on Obama to 'make the case' to Congress, public for Syrian strike
By |
Congress,Susan Ferrechio,Barack Obama,John Boehner,Syria
House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday wrote to President Obama calling on him to “personally make the case to the American people and Congress” for why the United States should engage intervene militarily in Syria after its government used chemical weapons on its own citizens.
Obama has not announced how he intends to intervene after chemical weapons were used to kill and injure thousands of Syrians, but a military strike of some kind appears imminent.
Dozens of members of Congress, meanwhile, are demanding that any military action be approved by lawmakers first and are circulating a letter with a growing number of signatures that calls on Obama to seek congressional authorization before he acts.
Boehner, R-Ohio, is not making the same demand, but his letter calls for more in-depth consultation with Congress and asks for answers to a comprehensive list of questions about the potential upcoming military strikes, including how Obama justifies military action without first seeking constitutionally mandated congressional authorization.
Boehner’s letter poses 14 questions to Obama, including why the use of force is needed and how Obama would respond if the Syrian government retaliated with an attack on U.S. allies in the region. Boehner also asked, “What is the intended effect of the potential military strikes?”
Boehner signaled in the letter that the Obama administration has not conferred thoroughly with Congress over the matter, despite Obama aides making calls to the top lawmakers on committees that oversee the military. Boehner also received a brief call from an Obama administration official.
“While the outreach has been appreciated, it … has, to date, not reached the level of substantive consultation,” Boehner wrote.
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This Weekend Steve Martin Also Apologized For A Racist Tweet
This weekend, the world was out to get Justine Sacco fired for her ignorant tweet and failed to notice what Steve Martin was up to.
Martin was having some fun on his Twitter page, discussing the merits of grammar. Fans of his would ask him questions about wording and he'd fire back a funny comment until one particular comment struck people the wrong way. @BethanyWedel wrote: "Is this how you spell lasonia?" And Martin wrote back...
Moments later, unlike Sacco, Steve Martin had the wherewithal to delete the comment but it was too late. People started calling Martin out for his remark, which honestly I don't even understand. Is he making a joke about how an African American would say lasagna? Or is he commenting about how they wouldn't know how to spell it if it were written in a menu. I have no idea.
After many of his fans started calling him out, he wrote:
Many of you like to compare Justine Sacco to the scenario of "What if Chris Rock or Sarah Silverman said that!". Well here is a similar scenario presented to you from the same exact weekend starring Steve Martin, an extremely accomplished comedian. And yes, he too had to apologize. Unfortunately for Sacco, she's not a comedian for hire, and her bosses had the right to remove her for her grossly inappropriate comment.
In 2004 Gilbert Gottfried made comments about the Tsnumi victims while hired to be the recurring voice of the Aflac duck. He tweeted 12 jokes, one of which was "Japan called me. They said "maybe those jokes are a hit in the US, but over here, they're all sinking." He was then fired from his job. That's right. A comedian was fired...from his job.
But the question is was Steve Martin's tweet harsh enough in your eyes to warrant an apology or should he just quit spending so much time on Twitter and write a sequel to The Jerk already. (I love this movie)
- Todd Spence (twitter)
Um_ok User
Just to see, I asked my black friend to repeat Steve Martin's words and I play the part of the stupid person and everyone around us laughed. Then I switched it up and I said it to my black friend around a new group of people and suddenly I was told that was rude and insensitive. Sorry people but the day you all play stupid and start seeing that black neighborhoods tend to have lower IQ levels and the inhabitants have a lesser grasp of the english language then other areas. This isn't me being racist, its simple fact. Go ahead and "axe" somebody. Ebonics came about through laziness just like the Southern Drawl has existed...but we just called it dumb rednecks. Steve made a factual comment that italians would likely know how to spell a dish they have been served all their lives and black families might not. Don't like it? easy, every time you hear another black person speak with terrible english, correct them and tell them they perpetuate a bad stereotype and should learn to use proper english to set better examples for their community. Or, just live with the fact that so many black neighborhoods are just lower on the IQ scale and will never learn...just like so many other poor ethnicities have equally low IQs. Honestly, race makes no difference because we could be speaking about poor white, mexican, or any race for that matter and they all tend to se english as a second language with their primary being their own version of slang.Â
Trey-Evitt-16 User
I think we're overly sensitive. I am white-as my Saxon Sutton Hoo helmet avatar might be a clue-and from South Carolina. I have joked about pronunciation of certain words with black friends since....ever. "Ask/Axe" being the most common. Where I'm from, near the Geechee/Gullah regions, the "Str" consonant blend is pronounced "scr", so, "Straight" is pronounced "Scraight". I once said, "Depending on your neighborhood, 'indiscreet' is either an adjective or a preposition"and friends both black and white cracked up. And...get this. We were in jail. Yes it was low-security, classified among minor misdemeanor offenders from traffic violations to small amounts of marijuana, but if you've been locked up, you know jail is no place for a whiteboy to be perceived as "racist", even among non-violent offenders.
The real quandary is, "Is my intelligence being questioned, or are we joking around about colloquialisms and pronunciation".Â
"1bigfatcat" 's point is well-taken, that, on a serious level, anti-white hate/discrimination goes challenged for the most part; it is rare for an act of black-on-white violence to be classified as a "hate crime". And it awakens my "inner skinhead" that neither Nelson Mandela's memorial services, nor First Lady Obama's previous trip to South Africa, afforded a dialog about white victims the Boer Genocide.Â
Black comedians seem to get more leeway;Â
"Gynecologist" is correct Cris Rock would never feel the need to apologize for the same remark Steve Martin made.Â
Any idiot thinking Steve Martin is racist would have to read this tweet, Google his image and see him with "a banjo on his knee"Â His agnostic free-thought, his description of himself as "born a poor black child" in "The Jerk", and his beginnings as a Second-City/SNL comic in the subversive counterculture of the 60s and 70s should speak volumes. Racist atheists are few and far between.
joedoaks User
Oookay.... I'd only give that a 3. That's for both comedy and racism. You ever READ how horrifically some supposedly educated people can spell nowadays?
TacoLoco User
that was probably the funniest thing steve martin has said in 20 years, i guess only black people can make race based jokes in america
LMNT115 User
I don't get it....why is it a black comedian can stand on stage and tear into ' Whitey ' and everyone laughs...but a white comedian throws down something like what Steve Martin's unacceptable ?
Xzelick User
Todd Spence thinks that Japanese Tsunami happened in 2004, what an idiot. Â Gilbert Gottfried was fired after the Tohoku earthquake/tsunami in 2011!
Would have been funny if Chris Rock said it.
BigBlueMouse User
" he commenting about how they wouldn't know how to spell it if it were written in a menu. I have no idea."
That's not surprising, since you've used the word "reocurring", which doesn't even exist.
It's an obvious joke, dummy. Lasonia sounds like a black woman's name.
1bigfatcat User
I'm a white male and therefore it's legal to hate on me and discriminate against me.
Every day, people treat me with prejudice because I am a white male. Â
How about this:Â Instead of taking offence, take "tolerance!"
Comedy is comedy.....unless you don't like it, then it's "racist."
Either black, islamic, Japanese, american, etc., comedians ALL tell jokes on each other, or NO one tells jokes on each other.
Be fair, and tolerant!
Matt-Kim-806 User
it's not a double standard you just think the cases are the same because you're stupid
Needles_Malloy User
@1bigfatcat Since you admitted you are white, you are hereby immediately (at birth) guilty of white privilege. Every word you have ever spoken, is literally, the most racist statement uttered since a Hitler speech. The only way to assuage your much-deserved guilt is to vote for Obama, twice, and then tell all of your other white-guilted Obamadrone friends that you have begun step 1 of your 123,698 step journey to make amends to the blacks.Â
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Decomposition Rates of Biodegradable Materials
based on 11 ratings
Author: Sarah Benton
Although we cannot help but create some trash living in modern society, we do have some choice in what we purchase and how we dispose of this trash. In most areas, at least some sort of recycling is available. Biodegradable waste such as vegetable and fruit skins, peels, and some food scraps can be composted.
There are many benefits to composting: it's a great way to keep excess waste from heading to the landfill and perpetuating nutrient cycling. Once organic waste has decomposed, the compost can be used to add nutrients to gardens, flower beds and house plants.
When we can’t recycle or reuse items, they ultimately end up in a landfill. One of the main concerns of landfill use is keeping groundwater supplies clean. When it rains, water leaches through the layers of garbage, picking up toxins. These toxins include heavy metals and harmful chemicals that, unless collected or blocked from reaching the groundwater, can have negative effects on the drinking water supply. This runoff from the landfill is called leachate. Another cause for concern in landfill use is the build up of methane gas. Methane gas can be explosive when it accumulates. In order to limit what goes into our landfills it is important for students to learn how a composting system works and how a landfill works.
How can one show the decomposition rates of biodegradable materials?
• 2 2-liter soda bottles
• Spray bottle
• 1 apple
• Black trash bag
• Twist-tie
• 2 coffee filters
• Rubber gloves
• Knife
• Scissors
• Soil (from the ground, garden or compost, not potting soil)
• Leaves/grass clippings
• Gravel
• Cardboard, paper, plastic from recycling bin
• Camera (optional)
1. You will begin by building your compost model. You will need the 2-liter bottle and the knife or scissors to start.
2. Cut the top half off of the bottle and invert inside the bottom half. See figure 1.
3. Take one coffee filter and cut about an inch off the perimeter of the filter.
4. Place the filter down in the neck of the bottle so that it will filter any liquids that might come out of your model.
5. Repeat steps 2-3 to build the outside of your landfill model.
6. Cut the apple in half. You will use one half in the compost model, and one half in the landfill model. Measure the apple and write down observations of how it looks. You may wish to photograph it at this time.
7. Pour an equal amount of gravel into both models to make a shallow first layer.
8. Pour an equal amount of soil into both models to make a bigger second layer.
9. Add leaves and grass clippings into the compost model.
10. Put the ½ apple into the compost model. You might want to place it somewhere where you will be able to see it from the outside of the bottle.
11. Layer cut up pieces of paper, plastic, etc. from the recycling bin in the landfill model.
12. Cut the corner off of the black trash bag to make a mini trash bag. Put the second half of the apple inside the bag and close with a twist-tie.
13. Put the mini trash bag into the landfill model. Layer soil on top of the layer of “trash”.
14. Fill the spray bottle with water and give each model the same number of sprays of water.
15. Put both models on a windowsill where they will get equal light.
16. Throughout the month, observe the models on a regular basis. Do not move the models or take anything out of them. You should spray them with water on a regular basis. Keep track of your observations and watering schedule in a science notebook. You may want to organize it like the table below. (Table 1)
17. Optional) You may wish to take a photo of each of your models on a regular basis. You can use the pictures to illustrate the changes in your project.
18. When your models have been decomposing for one month, take them apart. Find the apple in each. Carefully write down what the apple looks like. Measure the apple. If you have been taking photographs you will want to take a picture of each apple.
19. Also look at any liquid that has come out of the landfill or compost. This is the leachate. Write down some observations of the leachate (you could also take a picture). Does it look clean or dirty? Does it smell?
20. Compare the two models. What was realistic or not realistic about your models? Which is a better method for decomposing the apple? Why do you think this is important?
Figure 1
Table 1
Compost Model
Landfill Model
Watering Schedule
# of Sprays
Compost Model
Landfill Model
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Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent Review
Whose side is he on?
Version tested: PlayStation 3
Not every game looks amazingly realistic. Not every game has fancy menus. Not every game has the official licence, name or tits. Not every game has Mark Hamill doing voice acting. Alright, every game does have Mark Hamill doing voice acting, but not every game has Mark Hamill doing voice acting on a Tuesday. What we can rely on though - what holds the world to order - is the understanding that if someone shoots Mark Hamill, or indeed anyone, to death, they will fall down on cue.
So it'd be pretty rubbish if you heard gunshots after somebody had fallen over, and indeed it is pretty rubbish when this happens in Splinter Cell: Double Agent on the PlayStation 3. It happens on level one, when your little agency cohort gets a bit ahead of himself and finds himself captured by Islamic extremists. It's a pitiful sight (and, eventually, sound), and it's symptomatic of a port that's at best loveless and sometimes rather hateful - something made all the more annoying given how brilliant Double Agent was on the Xbox 360.
Splinter Cell has always built tension effectively, but Double Agent took things further, putting you in the hands of opposing masters; your ultimate goal was to infiltrate and undermine a terrorist organisation, but to do that you'd have to appease them while you kept your NSA bosses happy, by snipping wires and drawing on terrorist faces while they slept. All sorts of things affected the trust your superiors had for you, and some decisions were genuinely troubling: told to kill a helicopter pilot, would you pull the trigger in his face, knowing that he's dead anyway, or risk pissing off your terrorist boss by refusing? With multiple objectives competing for your time and competing with one another, staying undercover was just as important as finding cover had ever been.
Some of the best missions take place at the terrorist HQ, but you get to tour the world too.
Double Agent on PS3 is ostensibly the same game - with the same training levels, the same single-player campaign, the same nonsense story you probably won't care about, and a couple of new multiplayer levels that will be released on Xbox 360 before long anyway - but in making the transition to Sony's new console, something's gone wrong. Things are rubbish even before you start, as once-smooth load-screen cinematics shudder and crackle distractingly. In-game, your first task is to infiltrate a geothermal plant in Iceland: on Xbox 360, there's barely a frame missing; on PS3, the frame rate's dipping below the surface of acceptability before you've even climbed out of the water. Were this because the game was trying for 1080p it might be understandable, but Double Agent runs in the same 720p resolution on both consoles. Glitches, like the aforementioned gunshot mentalism, do little to convince you of the game's composure.
Fortunately, it's a problem that seems to lessen once the game gets going, and the rest of the package is much the same as it is on Xbox 360. The campaign mode is an agreeable selection of levels that involve all the requisite sneaking around, and trying to avoid discovery by keeping an eye on guards, grabbing them by the neck and dropping silently onto their heads when the need takes you, and everything you need is at your disposal.
And now you can be a girl visually, as well as sounding like one.
The controls are much as they were, allowing you to manoeuvre Sam Fisher around with the left stick and rotate the camera with the right, while shoulder and face buttons swap between inventory items and perform stealthy take-downs. The main change is that you're given the option to pick locks using the Sixaxis' tilt sensor. Instead of rotating the analogue stick until you feel a buzz, you now tilt the controller left and right until the tumblers in the lock start to jiggle visibly. If you're not taken with this, you can switch it off and simply rotate and watch for movement, but there's nothing massively wrong with the new system, even if it is a bit throwaway.
Turning in the direction of the Internet (hello), Double Agent distinguishes itself with a pair of new multiplayer maps and a new skin - the female spy. The latter is what it is (a character model with ladybumps), while the former are more likely to appeal to people who've already played the initial missions extensively, and so may be welcome, but will no doubt attract more interest when they arrive on Xbox Live along with the girlie spy. Otherwise, the multiplayer side of the game is set up in much the same way. The menus are laid out slightly differently, but you can still set up squads, look at global leaderboards for challenges and versus levels, and view your friends list. And that means you get the same excellent, balanced game of cat-and-mouse, as mercenaries try and stop the nimble spies reaching and hacking their data, with the same system of bonuses, unlockables and upgrades to add further incentive to return, which you will, time and again. There are six more expert co-op challenges here, too.
It was a lousy job, but balancing a lamp on his back was all that Sam could do with that haircut.
Overall, if you've got the option to choose between the two, the Xbox 360 version is definitely preferable. What more the PS3 has will be added via downloads, and in technical terms there's no debate. Taken alone though, Double Agent on the PS3 is still a fine game, and its clunkiness is excusable when taken in the context of its achievements, dragging fans out of their comfort zone in commendable fashion, and arguably providing enough content between its separate single- and multiplayer components that each could stand alone. It's not the easiest game for newcomers to approach (the tutorial's dreadful), but even stealth virgins will see the light after an hour or so in the dark, and probably ought to add another mark to the score. Make ours a double.
8 / 10
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KFFL Exclusive Interview: Brandon Burton, CB, Utah
by Cory J. Bonini on February 18, 2011 @ 12:37:02 PDT
KFFL.com draft analyst Cory J. Bonini recently conducted the following interview with Utah Utes cornerback and 2011 NFL Draft prospect Brandon Burton.
1) Discuss your process of deciding to declare for the draft as a junior.
Uhm, my decision process ... I just sat down with my family, friends and coaches, and uhm, just evaluated, ah, you know, my draft status and got my feedback from the NFL. Sat down, like I said, with a couple other people and just decided to go ahead and make the move, the next step to the NFL draft.
2) Have you reached out to any NFL players about the draft process? If so, what advice were you given?
Uhm, yeah, the advice I was given was, just, I made the decision regarding coming out, uhm, so just put everything I have into it. You know, if I can do that, everything will go fine and I couldn't fail at anything I wanted to accomplish.
3) Do you plan on participating in all of the drills at the Scouting Combine?
Ah, I do.
4) What is your favorite memory at Utah?
Brandon Burton, draft prospect
Uhm, favorite memory at Utah ... I'm gonna have to say, just, ah, hanging out with teammates. You know, memories like team dinners, barbeques, interacting with the community, are probably the most memorable times.
5) How much pride do you take in your special teams play?
I take <inaudible> pride in my special teams play. You know, to me, it's just as important as my defensive plays. Uhm, so, I'm always loving to go down and make the play on special teams. I feel that special teams <inaudible> can break the game, so I kinda, kinda play like it.
6) What aspect of your game do you feel like you need to improve the most?
You know, if I had to choose something, I'd say my eyes. Uhm, you know, I think a lot of defensive backs sometimes get caught looking in the backfield when they're not supposed to. So, I have to say just improvement on my eyes.
7) Compare yourself to a past or current NFL player: Who would it be and why?
I wouldn't say a certain player, but if it was a certain player I'd like to be compared to, uhm, ah, does it have to be a corner?
No, it can be anybody.
I'd like to be compared to, uhm, I'd say, Jerry Rice. You know, he was the ultimate professional about everything on and off the field, so I'd have to say I'd like to be compared to him.
8) Coming from a family with the academic credentials of yours, how important is it to you to finish your Economics degree at Utah?
I came out early and I am very close to finishing my degree, and it was very important in my household, I mean, education, academics comes first. My mom is a doctor, my dad is a chemical engineer, so you know they preached to me every day about getting an education, so getting my Economics degree is very important to me.
9) How do you relieve stress and spend your free time?
I try to do regular stuff. I sit down and watch movies, go out and see movies. I might go to dinner with some friends. Nothing too exciting <laughs>. I just try to do everything I can when I have time, so just really do something to sit down and relax cause I've been on my feet all day doing drills or something, so something that relaxes me, relaxes my mind.
10) Do you play fantasy football?
I'm very familiar with it, actually I haven't played, but it was a big thing in our locker room at Utah and we had a lot of players that played fantasy football. I never actually got into it, but pretty soon I think I will.
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Automatic theory formation in graph theory
Hemerson PistoriJacques Wainer
This paper presents SCOT, a system for automatic theory construction in the domain of Graph Theory. Following on the footsteps of the programs ARE [9], HR [1] and Cyrano [6], concept discovery is modeled as search in a concept space. We propose a classification for discovery heuristics, which takes into account the main processes related to theory construction: concept construction, example production, example analysis, conjecture construction, and conjecture analysis.;pid=S0104-65001999000300003&lng=e
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PS Product
Multiply two physical signal inputs
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The PS Product block outputs the product of two input physical signals:
u1Physical signal at the first input port
u2Physical signal at the second input port
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3:30 slump?
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Author: Message: Sort First Post on Top
Posts: 78
2/28/13 10:15 A
My mid-afternoon snack is 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, fruit, and 10 almonds
SparkPoints: (720)
Fitness Minutes: (150)
Posts: 13
2/27/13 6:59 P
I usually have fruit (apple, pear, grapes) along with yogurt.
Posts: 338
2/27/13 6:38 P
For your 3:00 slump, bring a couple clementines to work with you, or an apple or pear, or a handful of pitted dates (these are my candy.) Walk PAST the CVS store and continue to breathe the fresh air- skip the candy aisle. The candy is only going to give you a temporary fix and a crash later.
Posts: 380
2/27/13 6:37 P
My favorite 3 pm pick me ups are: apple, cheese stick, almonds. Any type of fresh fruit would do. Can you also extend the walk to a 15 minute one? Sometimes getting some exercise can be the best way to wake up :)
SparkPoints: (53,927)
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Posts: 9,448
2/27/13 6:06 P
By eating. :) I eat healthy snacks a few hours after lunch to compensate for that energy crash. If you're crashing, you also might want to look at your nutrition in the first half of the day to ensure that you're getting adequate fuel for your needs.
Looking at your trackers (Thanks for that, by the way, that helps make answering these questions a LOT easier) you aren't getting a lot of protein.
For that matter, your evening meals are too light, and include a lot (300-400 calories or more) of alcohol on top of light nutrition, leaving your body wanting. For example, look at your meals on the 24th... more than half of your daily calories are coming from drinks, and 400+ of those are the alcohol, leaving you with barely over 1000 calories of actual nutrition. That's not enough fuel for your body.
I t hink the problem is that your body is inadequately fueled overall. You tend to make healthy choices, but they're all mostly low in protein, and you overindulge in liquids/alcohol or candies.
As another example, look at your day on the 16th; you burned 400 calories running, but only got 893 calories of actual nutrition. That's simply not adequate, and it's no wonder you're running out of steam!
Edited by: DRAGONCHILDE at: 2/27/2013 (18:08)
Posts: 26
2/27/13 5:32 P
I work an office job, and everyday, between 3 and 4pm, I get really low energy. In the past, I have always used this opportunity to walk to the CVS next door and buy myself a pick-me-up snack--usually candy.
Obviously I'm trying to break that habit, but I still get that lull around 3:30. Any suggestions on a snack that might be a good high-energy choice? How do you deal with the low energy that can hit mid-afternoon?
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Where did atoms originally form?
I am studying the Big Bang and trying to make sense of it. Is there research or ideas on how atoms initially formed? Has there been experiments done starting with basic subatomic particles to create a Hydrogen atom, for example? I know we can take existing atoms and smash them together to form higher-order atoms. The question is: Is there an existing level of research addressing (new) Atomic Synthesis?
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• Oct 28 2013: Bumping my previous reply to the top as it expounds on my question..
6 days ago: Stars form heavier atoms by smashing together EXISTING atoms. The (new) in my question obviously refers to the simplest atom, hydrogen. My understanding is that the protons and neutrons make up the nucleus, with the electron currently thought to exist not in a planed orbit, but in a cloud. The electron is moving very fast in it's orbit, and it's angular momentum is what stops it from falling into the nucleus. My question relates more to how the atom forms.
Let's say the universe is cooling down and the quarks form the protons and the neutrons, electrons materialize, etc..,,, At this point, there is a real problem, at least in my mind. There is no angular momentum to stop the electron from ramming into the proton at this point, and there is no reason that the electron should prefer to organize versus follow the easy path of electromagnetism. I cannot rationalize this step from particles to atoms. Everything I've read just says the atoms formed once the particles came together.
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Rebuilding a Toilet Tank; Lawn Watering; Building a Simple Bookcase - Recap
<-- Previous EpisodeNext Episode -->
This episode opens with Rich Trethewey, discussing the most used plumbing fixture in the house: the toilet. Inside the toilet must flush water from the storage tank, which causes it to drain into the flush rim and then into the bowl. It must also eject waste from the bowl through a “P” trap formed from the ceramic of the bowl and into the waste plumbing. When the storage tank finishes draining, a valve must close and a regulator must operate to properly refill the tank for the next flush.
Richard walks down the table, and through history, showing a copper float (one of the first he worked on), a plastic float on an arm, and finally the modern integral arrangement, where the float rides up and down the fill column, and operates a lever that opens or closes the fill valve.
The most common problem people have is the constantly running toilet. This happens when the flapper doesn't quite drop properly, or when the fill valve is worn or misadjusted. Sometimes this can lead to a “leak” on the outside of the tank: cold water constantly entering the storage tank causes condensation to form on the outside of the tank, leading to drips and apparent leaks.
Rich next moves on to leaks between the tank and the bowl. These require more work. First, he shuts off the water and the angle stop – the valve that allows water to enter the toilet tank. Next, he flushes the toilet, which removes most of the water from the tank. He removes the connection between the angle stop and the tank – more water may drain here, so have a rag handy. A turkey baster or a wet vacuum helps remove any remaining water from the tank. Next, he uses a large blade screwdriver and a ½” open end wrench to loosen the bolts (on most tanks there are two, but some have three) that hold the tank to the bowl. Sometimes these are hard to remove, if corrosion has affected them. Removing the tank to the workbench, Richard shows the possible leak locations – around the water outlet controlled by the flapper, around each bolt, or around the fill valve inlet. Because removing the tank is a big job, he'll replace all the necessary seals. With a large slip-joint wrench, he removes the large nut around the outflow, then removes that nut and the rubber gasket. Next, he removes the fill valve. Finally, he removes the bolts.
For about $20, Richard has purchased a complete rebuild kit. At that price, it makes sense to do a complete rebuild. These kits are generally universal; they may require minor adjustment for some tanks. First, he puts in the new fill valve in place – a single plastic nut secures this. Then he puts the new flapper in place, also secured with a plastic nut. He hand tightens that nut and then uses a wrench to give it about another half turn. A spud gasket goes over that; this will form the seal between the tank outflow and the bowl inflow. Finally, he pushes three brass bolts with rubber washers through, and secures them to the tank with brass washers and nuts. That takes care of the internal tank parts. He secures each bolt to the bowl using a rubber washer, a brass washer, and a wing nut, taking care not to overtighten, as this could crack the tank. Both (or all three) bolts should be tightened at the same time to ensure the tank sits properly on the bowl instead of at a slight angle.
Back inside the tank, Rich puts the refill tube from the fill valve into the overflow pipe, and checks the height of the overflow – it should be below the height of the flush lever (if it is not, water will leak around the hole where the flush lever passes through into the tank). The overflow pipe is commonly plastic and may be easily cut down if needed. Once he turns the water back on, Rich will adjust the fill valve so the tank fills to the correct height.
Kevin goes outside the loft to speak with Roger. He takes with him a sheaf of viewer questions about watering lawns. Roger explains that proper summer care of lawns includes watering them deeply and infrequently. Roger's rule of thumb is one inch of water per week. He measures the water using a range gauge set near the sprinkler, and waters until he sees that one inch has accumulated. By taking care to note how long this takes, he can water by time in the future. But the gauge can help when natural rain falls: by looking at how much rain fell, the homeowner can determine whether he must water and if so, how much. Roger spreads his watering out – he prefers two waterings a week, ½” each time. That keeps the lawn well-watered but at the same time lets it dry between waterings.
Roger discusses sprinklers. The oscillating type creates a large rectangle of water, and is excellent for lawns of that shape. He also mentions a sprinkler with a small fan shaped deflector that creates a square pattern, and a sprinkler with several arms for round lawns. Finally, there's the arc sprinkler. It has a spike that may be driven into the ground, and it may be adjusted to water in a large circle, or by setting the stops the homeowner may select any angle of arc he needs. Roger also mentions quick connect fittings that make moving the hose from sprinkler to sprinkler very easy.
It is important to water at the right time. Roger recommends against watering at night, as this encourages fungus disease. Watering when the sun is high leads to excessive evaporation, which is wasteful. Roger recommends watering 4am to 5am! But most folks aren't awake then, so Roger has an answer to that problem: a timer.
One timer has a spring dial. Turn it to the amount of time desired, and it will slowly wind down until it shuts off the flow. A more sophisticated timer permits the user to program the day and times for watering with a keypad. An electronic circuit opens and closes a valve automatically. A “manifold” can split the water supply into several independently controlled paths. It has separate small valves permitting each “zone” to be operated independently. Finally, for viewers who saw it on a project, Roger shows a semi-permanent sprinkler installation. One digs a shallow hole and buries it. To operate it, Roger lifts on lid and connects a hose to the revealed quick connect, then turns on the water. The sprinkler pops up out of the other side; it is the arc variety and the angle it waters may be adjusted.
Viewers have sent in many emails about furniture projects. Tom decides to help them with a simple bookcase. He starts with cabinet grade birch veneer ¾” plywood. This may be painted or finished as desired. Tom's bookcase design is 32” wide, 42” high, 12” deep and has a pair of adjustable shelves.
He'll use a sheet of ¼” birch veneer for the back, but before he does that, he'll use it as a straight edge to guide his saw. A pair of spring clamps hold the panels together at the correct position. Tom cuts the sides first. He doesn't want to see the edge of the back panel, so he'll next cut a rabbit into the back edge of the side panels. To make the rabbit he'll use a router with a rabbiting bit. This bit has a ball bearing that rides along the edge of the piece and keeps the bit properly positioned. Measuring from the front to the start of the rabbit, Tom reads 12 1/8”, so that is the size he'll cut the top and bottom pieces. Once again, he uses the back as a straight edge. Once he's cut that piece, he cuts the shelves about ¼” shorter to they are slightly inset. With all the pieces properly ripped to width, Tom crosscuts them to the correct length, using a square to guide the saw for each cut.
Next, Tom sets a piece of stock on the sawhorses. This will become the arched toe kick. He measures in a bit from each edge to define some legs, and drives a nail into each sawhorse at that mark. To create an arched base, he measures to the desired height of the middle of the arch, then lays a piece of Masonite against the nails and presses it against the arch. By tracing this, he defines the arch. He picks a side for the front (based on the quality of the veneer) and then cuts the arch from the backside (to minimize chipping) using a jigsaw. Finally, he rips the toe kick to the correct width. Using the same technique, he creates arches in the bottom of the side panels.
To make the holes for the shelf pins, Tom first makes a jig by carefully drilling several 5/8” holes in a scrap piece of pine. These accommodate a 5/8” collar that fits around a smaller cutting bit on Tom's plunge router. This arrangement, with proper clamps, ensures that the shelf pin holes are properly positioned. Flipping the template over allows Tom to make the holes for the back of the shelf.
To cover the edges of the shelves, Tom uses heat activated edge banding. He cuts and trims this to fit the shelf's edge, and then irons it on with an ordinary clothes iron. He finishes by rolling it in place with a “J” roller, and then trimming the overhang off with a special tool. A few passes with some sandpaper touches it up.
To attach the toe kick to the side piece, Tom uses a pocket screw system: a special jig helps him drill the pockets, and special coarse-threaded, self-tapping pan-head screws attach the pieces. This unit is small enough that Tom does not use glue. While Kevin holds each piece in place, Tom carefully drives the screws. In this way, he assembles the carcass. He finishes by cutting a piece of the ¼” plywood and securing it to the carcass with a few nails. Finally, he adds a top made from the same plywood, securing it with the same self-tapping screws. This top adds structure and conceals the pocket screws that help hold the carcass together. It's overhang adds some visual interest, which Tom complements by wrapping the underside of it with some molding.
Plumbing or carpentry in the loft, or lawn tips outside the barn – whatever the question, Ask This Old House can help.
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Is there a Ubuntu variant that comes with flash pre-installed? I used to use Lubuntu, as chromium used to have it, but now it doesn't work. The reason I want it pre-installed is that I use it a lot as a live CD. Thanks
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Yes, but that's the same as trying to install flash. – CalvT Feb 1 '13 at 6:52
Ubuntu errh.. Canonical can't included Flash on the Ubuntu Live CD because it's proprietary software by Adobe, the same goes for MP3 decoding. You may just want to redo the LiveCD with persistence active and just install flash or install Chrome. – Uri Herrera Feb 1 '13 at 6:58
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There is a way to make changes persist that are made in a live session. It relies on a mechanism that searches all drives for a filesystem with the label "casper-rw". It will mount that filesystem as a writeable overlay over the non-persistant filesystem (this is called a union mount).
There are multiple ways on how to go about this. If you want to continue booting from a CD, then you can plug in a USB stick (before booting the live session, not after -- it must be present while the live session is booting).
Or you could make the USB stick contain two partitions, one with the bootable live system and a second partition with the "casper-rw" filesystem.
The details can be found here (read them in this order, the first article seems more to the point):
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Or.. or use Unetbootin, add space for persistence and save yourself of messing with file systems ;) – Uri Herrera Feb 1 '13 at 7:00
Unetbootin is one of the options in the second URL. It might be the preferred option for many. So it's a good point. – holmb Feb 1 '13 at 7:01
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In regards to cancer why do cells replicate themselves? If it's a mutation, what kind of mutation would this be classified as?
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I would rephrase the beginning of the question, if you agree. Right now it seems a bit "backwards". Cancer is defined as an uncontrolled growth of cells, so there is no specific reason (finality) for cancerous cells to grow. When a mutation causes cells to grow in an uncontrolled manner then you have cancer. – nico Aug 17 '12 at 9:12
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This article covers some of the key issues of cancer in layman's terms.
Essential, cancer is caused by multiple mutations in key regulatory genes which function in maintaining the cell cycle. This provokes uncontrollably rapid cell division, with only furthers the problem with genetic mutation. Here are some quotes from the article to strengthen your understanding in cancer cell mutations.
The cell cycle: Wikimedia Commons Image source
The cells become progressively more abnormal as more genes become damaged. Often, the genes that are in control of DNA repair become damaged themselves, rendering the cells even more susceptible to ever-increasing levels of genetic mayhem.
[...] Most cancers are thought to arise from a single mutant precursor cell. As that cell divides, the resulting 'daughter' cells may acquire different mutations and different behaviors over a period of time. Those cells that gain an advantage in division or resistance to cell death will tend to take over the population. In this way, the tumor cells are able to gain a wide range of capabilities that are not normally seen in the healthy version of the cell type represented.
[...] Mutations in key regulatory genes (tumor suppressors and proto-oncogenes) alter the behavior of cells and can potentially lead to the unregulated growth seen in cancer.
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Twitter. By now, you have likely heard of it. By the name of it, you would think it was a hot new toy for toddlers, or a new female pop group. However, names can be deceiving. In actuality, Twitter is a communication platform so powerful that it has the potential to topple kingdoms.
Twitter has been gaining steam for months as a popular way for marketers to reach and interact with their customers, and for news outlets to get an instant pulse on the events of the day, the hour, the second, and the millisecond. Twitter is the world's largest focus group, chat room, news desk, and water cooler wrapped into one incredibly simplistic web platform.
Recently, the power of Twitter has even been harnessed for the first time to support an underground movement to defeat fascism and defend Democracy. Iranians have been using Twitter as a means to show the world the injustices they are facing in their land, even after the oppressive government has tried to shut down all communication pathways to the outside world.
When Twitter isn't functioning as the Web 2.0 version of the Underground Railroad, it is often being used by fans to contact and interact with the subject of their fanatical idolatry. It seems that anyone that is anyone is twittering, tweeting, or twitting these days.
Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk for the cool kids!) has set up a micro virtual kingdom on Twitter, being one of the first celebrities to truly use the platform to its potential. When he isn't busy posting pictures of his MILF wife's hindquarters for his adoring fans to see, he is re-tweeting messages concerning social causes, updating fans on his latest projects, and communicating with his fan base.
In recent weeks, we have seen an influx of sports stars enter the world of Twitter. Taking a cue from those who cover them, several well known sports stars have begun using Twitter as a means to reach their fans and further quench their indomitable egos. From Shaq (@The_Real_Shaq) to the NFL's chirpiest WRs Terrell Owens(@TerrellOwens81) and Chad Ochocinco (@OGOchoCinco), Twitter has become a virtual field for trash talking and excessive celebrations.
And best of all, there are no refs to take their fun away.
However, this wild west mentality might soon change.
Social networking sites have already landed several athletes from the sports world into steaming tar pits. A player at the University of Texas got busted for some racist remarks he made on his Facebook status last year. A little-known cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles also got in a bit of a bind when a photo of himself chortling next to what he would have us believe was a tobacco bong and a line of sugar was posted on Facebook. Just prior to the NFL draft, there was a stir regarding an apparently racist Facebook group that several USC stars joined, but was since deemed to be an inside joke within the team. While several players managed to free themselves from the scorching social tar they found themselves in, others were buried under the pressure.
Twitter, unlike Facebook, poses an even bigger potential pitfall for players since their tweets are not only limited to their close friends. The entire world can read their tweets. From the embarrassing "Bout 2 take a dump." to the "I'm in the OC. Hit me up y'all!", its all there for every fan, reporter, and coach to see.
Be careful what you tweet, or it will be twittering its way onto the next SportsCenter broadcast. Twitter is one little birdie that can't be subdued.
While freedom of speech is the foundation of our Democracy and the right of every free human on the planet, it also poses a dilemma for coaches and organizations that hope to keep their secrets, issues, and strategies in-house.
The Miami Dolphins, under the stewardship of Bill Parcells, has been known for their less-than-democratic policies on the media. Loose lips sink ships, and the Tuna isn't too fond of the water, despite his namesake.
Parcells, Ireland, and Sparano do their best to control the messages and communications coming out of their complex. In the recent war of words between LB Channing Crowder and Rex Ryan, someone made it known that it was time to drop it because the usually talkative Crowder became mute as a mouse within days.
Now, the twittering menace is seeping into their complex like a bad infestation of termites—threatening to take down the restrictive media structure they have so painstakingly built. Yes, some Miami Dolphins have discovered Twitter and now have a direct line to the masses.
While rookie Sean Smith (@SeanSmith4) has mostly just been updating fans on how he is adjusting to the NFL and Miami, WR Davone Bess (@Lambo_Weezy) has taken a far different approach.
[UPDATE: Lambo_Weezy has been confirmed to be a Davone Bess Twitter impostor. Check here for all the details regarding the Davone Bess Twittergate.]
Davone pounced on the Twitter scene like he was orchestrating the Wildcat in Foxborough—pulling no punches. Yesterday, Lambo challenged Titans RB Chris Johnson (@ChrisJohnson28) to a foot race. The Dash of the duo formerly known as Smash and Dash took offense to this challenge, stating, and I RT (RT = ReTweeting which basically means Quote) "Feel insulted because somebody want to race me who ran a 4.64 i ran 4.24 do the math kill me."
Since this exchange, Lambo (Davone) has upped the stakes, saying that they should broadcast the race and the loser must shave their dreads off for charity. OGOchoCinco, the reigning king of NFL Twitterland, appeared to reach out to the NFL Network to air the duel.
But Davone took the social networking thing to the next level when he posted a link to a Ustream feed so that fans and twitter followers could hear him live. While Ustream generally allows video to stream as well, Davone for whatever reason did not make use of this feature, as only his voice could be heard during the broadcast.
Many Dolphin fans took to the message boards to debate whether Lambo_Weezy was the real Davone or not, since some of his antics seemed out of character for the reserved nature of his public persona. However, OGOchoCinco (the verified REAL Chad Ochocinco) seemed to confirm that @LamboWeezy was indeed the real Davone Bess.
A man has every right to spend their free time however they see fit as long as it falls within the realm of legality and social mores, but they must also act in a responsible way if they don't want the authority of their employer to whack them upside the head.
It is for this reason that platforms such as Twitter are so dangerous for young athletes and so threatening to tight-lipped organizations such as the Dolphins.
As an organization, the Miami Dolphins regulate the amount of interaction their players have with the media and with fans. However, Twitter bypasses this control. Through Twitter, players can communicate directly with local reporters, rival players, and fans in Ohio with the click of a button.
How long will the Parcells Regime continue to live with this social infestation in their house before they begin to clean it up? They will likely try to reign it in soon before more players start jumping on the Twitter-wagon.
On a broader note, does an organization have the right or the power to control how their employees leverage these new social technologies?
Or is it their duty as leaders of their organization to keep things like Twitter from toppling their kingdom too?
Until we tweet again, this is @Finstache signing off.
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On the Record: Benkler on NSA, the Manning Trial, and the Future of Journalism
From the Print Edition / Interview / October 21, 2013 /
Photo by Jonathan Nomamiukor
ON THE RECORD: Can you discuss the Constitutional ramifications of programs like the NSA and the NDAA act?
YOCHAI BENKLER: The thing to understand about the NSA surveillance program is that it represents a fundamental inversion of the model at the heart of the fourth amendment: the idea of privacy as a check on government power. We use the term privacy and sometimes we mean vis a vis commercial firms and sometimes we mean vis a vis the state. In either case, they are ways of checking power — either the power of commercial power or the commercial state. In the fourth amendment, the core idea is that the state shouldn’t know too much about us.
Large amounts of social behavior and activity need to be outside the gaze of the state. What does that mean? It means that essentially we believe that the state needs to be blind to much of what goes on because we can’t rely on the state perfectly to apply the laws always at the right place at the right time at the right measure with the right level of intensity for all conditions. Instead we have a large opacity and only when the state has reason — articulable reason in advance to look at something specific – do we let the state peek, look inside, and do something. The reason is that law by necessity will be vague, incomplete, there will be gaps, there will be conflicts, there will be ambiguities, and there is a lot of discretion. And in that discretion is where abuse comes. So how does that connect to the question of 5th amendment and due process and particularly vagueness? Nowhere is that clearer than in the material support statute.
OTR: Can you elaborate on your last point and discuss the Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project ruling?
YB: Material support is so broad and terrorism itself is such a broadly defined set of activities that there’s an entire population of potential subjects that may or may not fall close to the line that are now also under the perfect gaze of the state. When the state is nearly omniscient and has in its back pocket a set of vague and broad laws – be they terrorism related like material support or computer abuse related like computer fraud and abuse act – this provides enormous freedom of action for prosecutors, for investigators, to go after people in ways that are overzealous, in ways that are abusive, in ways that are simply inappropriate. So we see from the banality of the analysts stalking ex-lovers to the amazing report the ACLU put out in September of FBI abuses in pursuit of domestic advocacy groups.
We see enormous scope in these vague laws for abuse. And that enormous scope is then enabled by complete visibility of the state onto the behavior. We’re continued to be told by advocates of the program that with the right levels of the rules, with minimization to the left and FISA court to the right, we’d be able to replicate the protections we had on the fourth amendment while we have the information as opposed to without having the information. We’ve seen repeatedly over the last dozen years that these rules fail. They don’t actually deliver. And they don’t deliver because they represent a fundamental conflict between the commitment of the fourth amendment to keep the state relatively blind and the commitment of the NSA and its professional, competent, honest staff to try to get universal visibility so they can deal with the emergency they perceive as overwhelming.
And its this fundamental contradiction between the sense of urgency and emergency of people on the inside and the commitmentof the constitution to keep the state blind in order to keep it limited that is causing this series of failures. And that’s why we also need the solution to be one where we basically step back from the war constitution rather that we tweak the institutions a little bit to the left or a little bit to the right.
I think one of the things that has become very clear after 9/11 is that America responded with a panic response. With a response of a kind that you see someone fighting for their lives, throwing aside all rules and trying to do something. And in the first instance this may have been understandable. The torture program was the most extreme, violent program of that lapse. Formatively at least we’ve abandoned it. The system of indefinite detention that we’ve retained in the teeth of the fact that fundamentally you really cannot justify continuing to hold people forever under an indefinite war that has no boundaries and has no time limit and yet we’re stuck with it. We see doctrines develop about the unilateral power of the Presidency to initiate war like behaviors – the drone program, the development of secret law whether it be around surveillance, whether it be around targeting of American citizens, all basically building on the notion that the American public probably can’t handle the politics necessary. But in reality what this does is that it takes the emergency immediate response and turns it into a stable constitution.
And when you see in area after area, whether it’s surveillance or drone targeting of U.S. citizens, or indefinite detention, or material assistance as it is applied broadly to practically all Muslim communities. You see a series of events that if you step back for a moment and you don’t deal with the particulars, “oh was it legal under this subsection or that subsection,” but you step back for a moment and you say “stop… is it really reasonable for America to think that forever you can have a system of indefinite suspension somewhere. We can have a system of executive branch only-decision to kill Americans. We can have a system that applies to things that are basically straight speech and assembly counting as forms of terrorism in America by Americans with no real direct or imminent threat simply because of the potential that maybe they’ll help a terrorist organizations shift resources somewhere else – even a terrorist organization that is not really directed at the U.S. but at some remote ally. That is what was so powerful about humanitarian law project. There you have organizations – one was Kurdistan Workers Party, the other the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, neither of which had anything to do with the United States. You had an organization whose sole role was to teach them peaceful dispute resolution and interacting with U.N. aid organizations. That was sufficiently close to terrorism that the Supreme Court held that they could be within the material support statute. That’s not really an American constitution we can recognize.
OTR: Can you speak a bit about how you came to be a key witness for the Manning trial?
YB: I came to participate in the Manning trial initially because I was working on the future of journalism as a broad research question. Journalism had undergone similar discontinuities to those that we have already seen
in certain branches of entertainment, in software. Decentralization complimented by multiple business models, and organizational models, both social and commercial. And wikileaks was a particularly interesting example – one that I agreed to write a piece for the CL-CR journal. And then the embassy cables broke out, the attack on wikileaks on multiple dimensions – on their storage, communications, on their payments systems occurred, and I spent a lot of time writing up an article on wikileaks.
At the time I was primarily focused on the journalism side, not the whistleblowing side. Then when I saw the treatment of Manning during the first year of his imprisonment, I organized a letter of 300 professors protest- ing the conditions of his incarceration. In that context, his defense turned to me asked me if I would testify… if I could testify particularly on the context of aiding the enemy… on what Wikileaks was like and what the nature of the fourth estate had become. Because what was important at the time was what Manning did in regard to aiding the enemy charge was what any other whistleblower or leaker will do: turn to the press… and that there was no reasonable distinction to be made between Manning and someone who had leaked to the NY Times. And this was important because it was important to establish that the aiding the enemy charge here was essentially leveled under conditions that would’ve made it available as against any leaker, certainly against any leaker subject to the military code, but aiding the enemy is not necessarily limited to those subject to the code.
So I spent a bit of time preparing and the testimony itself was interesting. It was a challenging four or so hours of back and forth, particularly with the prosecution. But I think it allowed me to make very clear that a reasonable person looking at wikileaks from the prospective of late 2009, early 2010, would have seen an edgy online journalism source that had broken dozens of stories. Many of which, most of which, had nothing to do with the United States. They would have seen an organization that even the Pentagon’s own report on it kept using the terms “correspondent, journalist, editor, opinion piece,” with regard to pieces on Wikileaks. And when they challenged wikileaks it was never on accuracy but rather on the substance of whether they agreed or disagreed with the argument. So even a reasonable reader of the Pentagon’s memo itself on wikileaks would have come away understanding that this was a new media organization. And that was the substance of the testimony.
OTR: Could you discuss the role New Media plays in the 21st century and the future of Journalism?
YB: I think a core feature of network economy is the radical decentralization of the capital necessary to produce, process, and store and communicate information, knowledge and culture. This is true for software, it’s true for music, it’s true for video, and relatively later in the game it became true for journalism. We now see a wider array of strategies being deployed to provide the basic thing we call “the news of the day.” Some of it is purely social and voluntary – we see this when people capture videos of riots. We see this when people capture abuses by police in Occupy or in Tahrir Square. Some of this happens with people who are politically motivated, engaged with people who are particularly motivated and engaged in a recreation of the party presses like the Daily Cause or Town Hall. Some of it is small-scale commercial like snopes.com or talking points memo where you essentially have a very small scale organization doing an outsized job able to sustain itself on a low cost low returns model rather than the very high costs, high return model of the traditional media. And some of the traditional media, like the Times, continue and grow and reach to an international English reading audience. Perhaps in this regard the most interesting example is the Guardian which moved from being a respected UK publication into being one of the top ten news outlets read in the United States, with many more readers in the U.S. than in the U.K.
So the network fourth estate really now combine all of these components put together. We see organizations anchored in academic institutions like factcheck.org or media matters that are focused specifically on fact checking and media criticisms. We see experts who may be academics or may be in think tanks creating outlets that become much more professional. You can agree or disagree with them.
So that’s what we’re seeing – we’re seeing the emergence of a new multidimensional, multi-type of organization and motivation structure media ecosystem. But we also see traditionalists hanging on to the old way of doing things and refusing to recognize the value of the new. And the place we see this the most clearly is the reporters privilege debate and the questions over reporters privilege now in congress where we see
the traditionalist hanging on for dear life to the concept that you can only give reporters privilege to people who make a living or somehow make money off of journalism and refuse to recognize the incredibly important role that amateur journalists and people who are not journalists but nonetheless report on specific issues and become major experts play. There’s no question for example that Alexa O’Brien played a larger role in reporting on the Manning trial and provided more professional and thoughtful and really deep understanding of the case than any of the traditional media because she was there following it the entire time. She understood the context. And any law or framework that ignores the journalistic role that she played in covering that case simply misses the critical component of what journalism is today.
OTR: Could you discuss some of the pressures modern day journalists face in this country?
YB: The most important pressures that American journalists face today has to do with national security reporting and the efforts to prevent public exposure and public criticism of the war constitution and the way that it’s applied. Whether it be on drone strikes, whether it be on indefinite detention, or mostly what’s on everybody’s mind today: surveillance. Primarily that means the question of the investigations of journalists —We saw the public outcry over the subpoenaing of phone records of the associated press, over the affidavit claiming that that fox news reporter Jamie Rosen was a coconspirator in espionage act violations, and we saw the threat of incarceration and subpoena for James Risen over the leak. So the question then becomes how much we actually protect journalists and their sources in the national security area from the state and its power to prosecute them and their sources. And the question is how broadly that protection covers. And the second question is what we do with whistleblowers and whether we give any protection to whistleblowers and if we do whether we limit it to traditional media. What we are seeing today in the efforts in congress is a relatively strong emphasis on defending traditional media although not as much as I think we need.
We are also seeing a willingness to throw the online journalists who are not fulltime journalists under the bus. We see this very clearly in Senator Feinstein’s attempt to limit the Schumer bill. We see it very crisply in the house bill that explicitly requires that you make money to be protected. Nonetheless both the Schumer bill and the bill in the House have very strong components that if you do a little mix and match could actually provide coverage to journalism as a function. The critical thing to understand is that journalism is no longer an organization or business model. Journalism is a social function. If you collect news that is relevant to the public and disseminate it with the intent to disseminate it to the public you are fulfilling the function of journalism. It is that social function that the first amendment freedom of the press protects. It is that social function that the law needs to protect. It is that social function that we need as a democracy. If we take some portions of the house bill and we get rid of some limitations of the senate bill we can have a truly powerful bill that will cover all acts of journalism. Acts of journalism rather than journalists: that’s what we need to protect. We have the tools, it’s not clear that we have the political will. We need to keep pushing for protection for journalism as a function rather than journalism as a class of paid professionals.
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man in dugout canoeEach September, hundreds of people gather in a wooded area outside Rexburg, Idaho, to rediscover their "stone age" heritage. They work with primitive tools, learn to build fire by rubbing sticks together, and participate in a rigorous assortment of classes designed to teach them some of the 'lost' arts.
It's called "Rabbitstick," after the aboriginal tool that requires a certain primitive knowledge base to master. The organizer of the week-long event, Dave Wescott, calls it the largest gathering of primitive technologists in the country.
"There's not a lot of look-see. It's a lot of hands-on," says Wescott. "And to me that's critical because you don't own a skill until you've done it; and when you've taught it to someone else, you can really call it your own."
woman tanning hide"This totally changes people's lives," says Montana resident Lynx, a regular participant at Rabbitstick. "This is as close to a family reunion as I have. It's a remarkable special thing. People come from all walks of life, but we all have this one thing in common; and it's very powerful and special. Maybe we're all the black sheep of our own families, and this is the safest family we can be ourselves in."
Dave Wescott has spent most of his adult life as a licensed outfitter; and he's not surprised about all the talk of "family." "For some reason this stuff has made them different," he says. "I wanted to be Tarzan and an Indian until I figured out it wasn't going to happen. None of my family did that. I come here and connect with people who had the same experiences and thought processes as me. They are family."
people in costumesSteve Watts travels from North Carolina each year to attend Rabbitstick. He's the president of the Society of Primitive Technology, an international organization. "To me it's about rediscovering our stone age heritage which we all share," he says. "Otherwise, it's just arts and crafts. Whatever I teach I try to put it into some historical anthropological context. The idea is to try to literally touch your own heritage. There are several other gatherings like this across the country, but this is sort of the Mother Church. This is where you'll get some of the best instructors in one place. It's the place to come."
More information on Rabbitstick
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5 Reviews
Scarface: The World is Yours
Say hello to the most foul-mouthed game since Mario Strikers
Unsatisfied by movies where the main character dies at the end? Scarface: The World Is Yours gives you the chance to put things right, glossing over the finale in which murderous anti-hero Tony Montana is shot in the back in his palatial, drug-funded mansion.
Instead, Tony gets to blast his way out of the ambush, at the expense of everything he fought so hard to get. The mansion is impounded by the police, the money vanishes into thin air and his precious reputation is left in tatters.
Back from the nearly dead, Tony's mission is to win back what he lost, and with the help of old friends who are still intimidated enough to work with him, he sets out to rebuild his criminal empire.
You horse!
So what we've got is a GTA-style gangster game starring one of the most memorable - and sweariest - gangsters in movie history. You can shake the nunchuk to make him swear randomly as he walks down the street. It's ****ing ace!
Tony's Miami adventure isn't set out exactly like a GTA game, though. Instead of completing lots of unconnected missions for different people, spread all over the city, there's a more tightly focused narrative. The aim is simply to earn enough money to fund a return to Tony's former lifestyle, and the only way to do this is by selling drugs.
There are dealers all over the place. When you get hold of a new stash, you can sell it in 200g chunks. To get the best price you have to hold the A button while a little meter fills up, releasing it when it's at max strength. Too much or too little and you've blown the deal. The same system is used for talking your way out of trouble with the cops and intimidating rival gangsters.
Scarface is underpinned by a mini business sim, in which you take over territory, find the highest price for your merchandise and blow the profits on the luxury items needed to restore Tony's credibility.
Gangs and police can be paid off to reduce the two 'heat' meters that make your progress ever more difficult as they build up. Other than that, it's flashy cars, speedboats, guns and women all the way.
Red mist
When you get into a mission, the gunplay works swiftly and accurately with the Wii remote. There's a free aim function, which is more than adequate, or by holding Z you can lock on to a particular enemy and make small adjustments with the remote to target different areas. Aiming for the nuts (left or right) scores quite highly, as does blowing off a limb, head or kidney.
Once your foe is down, shaking the nunchuk gives him some final sweary disrespect. The point is to build up your Balls meter, which can be used to activate Blind Rage mode - ten seconds of first-person invincibility, which is very useful in a tight spot. In fact many missions are extremely difficult if you don't start them with maximum Balls.
The best thing about the game is that it manages to be laugh-out-loud funny even while remarkable amounts of crimson pixels spurt forth from those unfortunate enough to cross Tony Montana. Battles are punctuated by shakes of the nunchuk to deliver wittily foul-mouthed ripostes, and even random pedestrians have multiple levels of wisecracks when you start a conversation with them. Luckily Tony refuses to kill civilians, so you can only grin and bear it when a chat-up line goes humiliatingly wrong.
The worst thing about the game is the restrictive layout of the city. The visual promise of GTA-style freedom is dashed once you've done a complete circuit around the little islands that make up the map and found that many of the areas around the looping main road are nothing but sealed-off scenery. It's a big game but there are few alternative routes to different areas.
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As I follow it, there's a full installer for .NET 3.5
And a .NET 3.5 SP1 installer
Also as I follow it, the first of those two links is what you use when you have, say, a clean XP machine with no previous versions of .NET on it (or at least nothing past 1.1). The second link is what you use if you have .NET 3.5 already and just need .NET 3.5 SP1 on top of it.
Is there an installer that assumes you have no previous version of .NET on your machine but also has .NET 3.5 SP1 as well? Or am I wrong and that second link does that?
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I think the second installer will install everything, even if no previous .NET framework exists. (Apart from V1.1)
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Yeah and I have a clean VM in progress to test this, I was just wondering if anyone knew for sure :) – Schnapple Oct 26 '09 at 15:03
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Yes, the second installer link you provided is the full installer for .NET 3.5 SP1. Also do remember to apply the .NET 3.5 SP1 Update too.
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BBC Culture
State of the Art
Leonardo da Vinci’s groundbreaking anatomical sketches
About the author
• Jack of all trades
Leonardo da Vinci's restless curiosity led him to try his hand as a painter, sculptor, engineer, inventor, anatomist, writer, geologist and botanist, among other things. (Corbis)
• Last meal
Leonardo's paintings are among the most famous in art history. The Last Supper (completed 1497) depicts Christ and his disciples at their final meal before the Crucifixon. (Corbis)
• Dig for victory
Leonardo devised machinery for excavating canals (pictured) and a complex system of locks to regulate water flow. (Corbis)
• Under the skin
The great polymath brought together superb draughtsmanship, scientific knowledge and an artist's sensibility in his anatomical drawings. (Royal Collection)
• The beat goes on
He stated firmly that the heart was comprised of four chambers at a time when it was generally understood to be made up of two. (Corbis)
• In a similar vein
Leonardo's work in diverse fields led him to draw comparisons between them. He saw links between the soil and flesh, rivers and blood vessels. (Corbis)
• Show some spine
The work now known as the Anatomical Manuscript A contains some amazing insights, like the first accurate depiction of the human backbone. (Royal Collection)
• All in your head
The drawing A Skull Sectioned from 1489 studies the position of the facial cavities in relation to surface features. (Corbis)
Alastair Sooke looks through the ultimate Renaissance man’s anatomical sketchbooks – scientific masterpieces full of lucid insights into the functioning of the human body.
We tend to think of Leonardo da Vinci as a painter, even though he probably produced no more than 20 pictures before his death in 1519. Yet for long periods of his career, which lasted for nearly half a century, he was engrossed in all sorts of surprising pursuits, from stargazing and designing ingenious weaponry to overseeing a complex system of canals for Ludovico Maria Sforza, the ruling duke of Milan. During the course of his life, Leonardo filled thousands of pages of manuscript with dense doodles, diagrams, and swirling text, probing almost every conceivable topic. Not for nothing, then, is he often considered the archetypal Renaissance man: as the great British art historian Kenneth Clark put it, Leonardo was the most relentlessly curious person in history.
Yet according to Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man, a new exhibition at the Edinburgh International Festival, one area of scientific endeavour piqued Leonardo’s curiosity arguably more than any other: human anatomy.
Leonardo’s interest in anatomy began when he was working for Ludovico in Milan. “On the 2nd day of April 1489”, as he wrote at the head of a page in a new notebook, he sat down to begin his “Book entitled On the Human Figure”. After executing a sequence of stunning drawings of a skull, though, his studies went into abeyance, probably because he lacked access to corpses that he could dissect.
Bodies of evidence
But his ambitions to publish a comprehensive treatise on human anatomy persisted – and around two decades later, he returned to his otherwise unused notebook, which is now known as the Anatomical Manuscript B and is kept at the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. In it he made a number of pen-and-ink drawings recording his observations while dissecting an old man who had died in a hospital in Florence in the winter of 1507-08.
In the years that followed, Leonardo concentrated on human anatomy more systematically than ever before – and by the end of his life he claimed that he had cut up more than 30 corpses. In the winter of 1510-11, while probably collaborating with a young professor of anatomy called Marcantonio della Torre at the University of Pavia, Leonardo compiled a series of 18 mostly double-sided sheets exploding with more than 240 individual drawings and over 13,000 words of notes. Now known as the Anatomical Manuscript A, and also in the Royal Collection, these sheets are full of lucid insights into the functioning anatomy of the human body.
Leonardo made many important discoveries. For instance, he produced the first accurate depiction of the human spine, while his notes documenting his dissection of the Florentine centenarian contain the earliest known description of cirrhosis of the liver. Had he published his treatise, he would be considered more important than the Belgian anatomist Andreas Vesalius, whose influential textbook On the Fabric of the Human Body appeared in 1543. But he never did.
Heart of the matter
Yet arguably Leonardo’s most brilliant scientific insights occurred after Marcantonio’s death from the plague in 1511, when the great polymath fled political turmoil in Milan and took shelter in the family villa of his assistant Francesco Melzi, 15 miles (24km) east of the city. It was here that he became obsessed with understanding the structure of the heart.
The heart surgeon Francis Wells, who works at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge and recently published The Heart of Leonardo, recalls coming across Leonardo’s studies for the first time as a medical student. “I remember thinking that they were far better than anything we had in modern textbooks of anatomy,” he says. “They were beautiful, accurate, absorbing – and there was a liveliness to them that you just don’t find in modern anatomical drawings.”
During his investigations, Leonardo discovered several extraordinary things about the heart. “Up until and after his time, because of course he never published, the heart was believed to be a two-chambered structure,” Wells explains. “But Leonardo firmly stated that the heart has four chambers. Moreover, he discovered that the atria or filling chambers contract together while the pumping chambers or ventricles are relaxing, and vice versa.”
In addition, Leonardo observed the heart’s rotational movement. “If you look at a heart, it is cone-shaped,” says Wells. “But it’s a complex cone in a geometric sense, because it’s a cone with a twist. This is because the heart empties itself with a twisting motion – it wrings itself out, a bit like the wringing out of a towel. In heart failure it loses this twist.”
According to Wells, Leonardo didn’t fully understand the function of cardiac twist. “But everything starts somewhere,” he says. “There’s a passage in which Leonardo describes the slaughter of some pigs on a Tuscan hillside. You or I would probably enjoy a nice glass of red wine while the pork was cooking, but Leonardo was thinking about this at the time. They killed the pigs by pushing little spears through the chest into the heart, and Leonardo noticed the rotational movement of these little spears in the heart. It was totally blue-sky research, of no use to anybody of his time, but it was a correct start along the road to understanding cardiac twist, which is now one of the hottest topics in understanding heart failure.”
Perhaps most impressive of all, though, were Leonardo’s observations about the aortic valve, which he made while experimenting with an ox’s heart. Intrigued by the way that the aortic valve opens and closes to ensure blood flows in one direction, Leonardo set about constructing a model by filling a bovine heart with wax. Once the wax had hardened, he recreated the structure in glass, and then pumped a mixture of grass seeds suspended in water through it. This allowed him to observe little vortices as the seeds swirled around in the widening at the root of the aorta. As a result, Leonardo correctly posited that these vortices helped to close the aortic valve. Yet because he never published his far-sighted research, this remained unknown for centuries.
“This wasn’t understood until the 20th Century,” says Wells, “when it was shown most beautifully in [science journal] Nature in 1968 by two engineers in Oxford. There was only reference to Leonardo da Vinci. There are two extraordinary things about that: first, there was only one reference, and second, the reference was 500 years old.”
So what made Leonardo such a brilliant anatomist? “One mustn’t get carried away claiming that Leonardo was a completely unique figure,” says Martin Clayton, head of prints and drawings in the Royal Collection, and the curator of the Edinburgh exhibition. “There were lots of investigative anatomists around at the time, and there were lots of artists who were interested in anatomy. But Leonardo pushed these two things further than anybody else. He was the supreme example of an anatomist who could also draw, or of an artist who was also a very skilled dissector. It was the union of these two skills in a single figure that made Leonardo unique.”
Alastair Sooke is art critic of The Daily Telegraph.
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Mickey's - Miller Brewing Co.
Displayed for educational use only; do not reuse.
819 Ratings
(view ratings)
Ratings: 819
Reviews: 292
rAvg: 2.53
pDev: 30.83%
Brewed by:
Miller Brewing Co. visit their website
Wisconsin, United States
Style | ABV
American Malt Liquor | 5.60% ABV
Availability: Year-round
Notes/Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
(Beer added by: pezoids on 07-03-2001)
View: Beers (26) | Events
Beer: Ratings & Reviews
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Ratings: 819 | Reviews: 292 | Show All Ratings:
Photo of UCLABrewN84
3.08/5 rDev +21.7%
Serving type: can
07-30-2011 03:45:45 | More by UCLABrewN84
Photo of BuckeyeNation
2.13/5 rDev -15.8%
"one night frank was on his way home
from work, stopped at the liquor store,
picked up a couple of mickey's big mouths,
drank 'em in the car on his way to the
shell station; he got a gallon of gas in a can.
drove home, doused everything in the
the house, torched it.
parked across the street laughing,
watching it burn, all halloween
orange and chimney red".
That's from the classic song 'Frank's Wild Years' which is on the classic (aren't they all?) Tom Waits album Swordfishtrombones. It was the first time I'd ever heard of Mickey's Big Mouth Malt Liquor. My only regret is that this review will come from a 24 oz. can, not a Big Mouth bottle.
Crystal clear straw yellow beneath a voluminous cap of dirty white froth that displays impressive persistance and lays down a surprising, though still underwhelming, amount of lace. The sweet, corny, grainy nose manages to avoid offending. It ain't much, but then anyone drinking this beer is unlikely to give a shit (I'm conducting research and 'horizon expansion' and wish to be excluded from that group).
It's difficult to distinguish this beer from other macro lagers. Yeah, I know that it's a malt liquor, but it doesn't strike me as that much different from the lower octane beer; maybe because of the low ABV. It's tastes of sweet grain, bitter grain and sour grain (the trifecta!) with a light, verging on watery, body. The beer is slightly skunky, but that seems to be part of its... ahem... charm. At least there's no deterioration with warming. That's an admirable quality, right? Of course, it wouldn't have far to go in a downward direction.
Maybe Mickey's is better from a big mouth bottle (or a chalis?). Maybe it was better before Miller began brewing it. Who knows? Who cares? Don't expect much and I promise you, that's exactly what you'll get.
Serving type: can
09-24-2004 21:48:23 | More by BuckeyeNation
Photo of mikesgroove
South Carolina
2.9/5 rDev +14.6%
huge thanks to the kind trader who realized i was working on this list and sent me this as a great extra. 40oz bottle poured into a tall pilsner glass, this one was consumed on 08/24/2010.
the pour was much better then i am used to coming out of a 40 for sure, dark amber color with a nice head of a finger and a half that lay on top of the glass throughout the session, aroma of wet cardboard, earthy malts, hay, corn, lots of grain, basically the standard here that i was pretty much expecting. nice medium feel was a welcome treat as it did not come across as overally thick, but not too light either. clean taste, although terribly malt heavy with a bit of a sting in the finish. still it was easy to polish off and i would not argue it against some of the others i have had lately.
overall not bad at all, i have had much, much worse an might do this one again on a whim.
Serving type: bottle
08-25-2010 10:53:39 | More by mikesgroove
Photo of womencantsail
2.58/5 rDev +2%
A: The pour is a crystal clear golden yellow color with a fizzy white head.
S: A fair amount of metal and vegetables. Lots of sweet corn and apple juice. There is a bit of grain and skunk in there as well.
T: This is actually quite similar (flavor-wise) to your average adjunct lager (probably why I used to drink it). Sweet grain and corn with a mild skunk.
M: Light in body with a fair amount of fizzy carbonation.
D: Eh, not as easy to drink as it used to be ("back in the day"). Still, there are definitely worse malt liquors out there.
Serving type: bottle
10-16-2010 07:58:08 | More by womencantsail
Photo of ChainGangGuy
2.13/5 rDev -15.8%
Appearance: From out of the glass hand grenade pours a clear, bright gold body with a thinnish, white head.
Smell: Sweetish, basic, bland malts and adjuncts with some faint hints of garden-variety flowers.
Taste: Same with the nose - sweetish, basic, bland malts and adjuncts. There are some faint floral qualities, but there's almost nil when it comes to hop bitterness. Watery, though clean finish.
Mouthfeel: Thin-bodied. Medium-low carbonation.
Drinkability: No thanks. It's a shame they redesigned the container, getting cut by those peel-back metal tabs was part of the fun.
Serving type: bottle
03-20-2009 17:50:03 | More by ChainGangGuy
Photo of TMoney2591
2.48/5 rDev -2%
Served in a snifter.
And, thus, following the good stuff, Swill Fest 1.5 kicks off, complete with a viewing of Human Centipede. This offering pours a clear straw topped by a finger of white foam. The nose comprises wheat, corn, and hay wet with the runoff from some dark, murky bog in the old English countryside, the kind of thing you'd see in some rustic Gothic throwback tale. The taste holds notes of corn, corn syrup, and a heaping helping of bad apple juice. Up until now, I was unaware that apple juice could go bad in this manner. now I think it could be a possibility. The body is a hefty light, with a moderate carbonation and a watery feel. Overall, I think this gives yet another reason for why malt liquors don't get any real respect: They don't really deserve much.
Serving type: can
12-25-2010 03:14:42 | More by TMoney2591
Photo of NeroFiddled
3.1/5 rDev +22.5%
Smells like grain and alcohol with barely a suggestion of hops,
...and it's supposed to taste like that!
Serving type: bottle
05-13-2006 18:46:16 | More by NeroFiddled
Photo of biboergosum
Alberta (Canada)
2.53/5 rDev 0%
Ok, I've seen these around for ever and a day, but never got around to trying one. The bottle is different, kind of like a stubby, but actually more like a mini beer keg, with a large mouth.
This beer pours a clear medium straw colour, with lots of puffy white head, which doesn't stick around for long, leaving spotty lace in its wake. It smells of skunky white grain, and backyard weeds. The taste is cloying corn and rice husk sweetness, and a light vegetal skunkiness. The carbonation is average, the body slick, but generally all right, and it finishes fairly smooth and grainy, the sweetness and skunk becoming one unholy duality.
Packaging kitsch aside, this is one big-assed pass for me. And I don't even get to laugh it off as a cheap throwaway purchase - up here, this beer sells as a "premium import". Jebus.
Serving type: bottle
12-25-2009 06:52:54 | More by biboergosum
Photo of emerge077
2.23/5 rDev -11.9%
Can from a shady liquor store, the one time I don't check the date, the can is old. "NOV14 11" printed on the bottom. I was fooled since it wasn't dusty...
Pale straw gold, urine shade with rapid rising trails of carbonation. Compact white foam biscuit lid up top, slow to settle, leaving some lace in the glass, and an ever present veil of skim on the surface (surprisingly).
Smells like adjunct city, corn and possibly rice, rather sweet with apple notes from the yeast and some metallic, musty dishrag minerality. Wafting notes of misspent college nights and bad judgement.
Sweet taste, pretty astringent as it warms, cereal grain, wet paper, vague fleeting apple. Fizzy but relatively clean. In the malt liquor continuum, Mickey's falls a bit short of center.
Serving type: can
02-07-2012 01:52:41 | More by emerge077
Photo of drabmuh
3.08/5 rDev +21.7%
Bad beer Thursdays -- two for one edition. This is simultaneously a well known "bad beer" but also a top 5 American Malt Liquor, neat. Poured from a green 40 ounce bottle into a Paulaner 1 L dimpled stein.
Beer is yellow and clear, heavily carbonated with a thick head of large white bubbles, actually bubbles of all sizes, no staying power though. It's gone before I know it's there.
It actually smells rather pleasant. Sweet, pilsner, it has a slight odd aroma to it but it definitely doesn't smell bad.
Beer is medium in body and has an odd bitterness at the finish...and here comes the boiled corn aftertaste. Bummer, you really let me down Mickeys. I was hoping for so much more. At least the aftertaste is short lived. I can say that much for it. It's drinkable, more so than the others, just not very good tasting.
Serving type: bottle
02-25-2011 01:16:56 | More by drabmuh
Photo of zeff80
1.95/5 rDev -22.9%
It's been about 3 years since my first and only malt liquor. I thought I'd re-visit the style.
A - Clear, straw-yellow with tons of bubbles. Two-finger, white bubbly head of foam that does not last long nor leave any lace.
S - Not much other than corn and grains.
T - Grains and corn with a spicy alcohol presence - I can't really define it as hops but it was spiced.
M - Best attribute. Crisp, sharp and dry with a light bodied.
D - Still not loving malt liquors. I took my time on this one not to savor it or because of the high ABV - I just wasn't that interested it drinking more of it.
Serving type: can
02-28-2010 01:45:31 | More by zeff80
Photo of Knapp85
3/5 rDev +18.6%
My uncle introduced me to Mickey's a few years ago. One new years eve he got a case and we sat around drinking them trying to figure out the guessing game on the bottle caps. The beer might not be the greatest but at least they give you something to do while drinking it. Anyway it pours just like any other American adjunct lager I've had with a yellow body and A white head. The head fades and leaves us with sweet smelling brew. The beer tastes alright and doesn't have a bad aftertaste at all. It was a drinkable brew thankfully and it helped bring in the new year!
Serving type: bottle
05-14-2011 00:21:49 | More by Knapp85
Photo of jwc215
3.55/5 rDev +40.3%
40 oz. screw-cap bottle:
Pours straw yellow with a thick white head that slowly descends to a lasting wide patch. Some spots of lacing stick.
The smell is more of a macro lager than a malt liquor, but pretty decent within that realm - some grain, but overall quite clean and inoffensive.
The taste is of sweet grain, some cooked corn, a touch of husk and a but of alcohol. Honey sweetness in the finish.
The body is light and pretty slick.
No need to put this one in a paper bag. For this style, it's very inoffensive and very drinkable. A kinder, gentler malt liquor. It has a smoothness to it, and the taste is more than tolerable - a bit too sweet. Not as aggressive as the stinging bee on the label would have it, but very drinkable and inoffensive for the style.
Serving type: bottle
07-28-2008 04:36:01 | More by jwc215
Photo of WVbeergeek
2.03/5 rDev -19.8%
Mickey's hand grenades appears pale golden yellow tone with a large bright white quickly dwindling head leaves even fine lacing around my glass. Aromatics have cereal tones with corn and rice pulling up a chair, and mild herbal grass notes as well. Flavors collide upfront with cooked veggies, herbal notes, mild sweetness, and a somewhat metallic note though it finishes relatively clean after all of that. Mouthfeel is light bodied pretty thin with unnatural carbonation that tickles the throat. Drinkability is one of those ghetto college staples that will always sell with or without a marketing campaign.
Serving type: bottle
02-06-2007 01:45:04 | More by WVbeergeek
Photo of Halcyondays
2.15/5 rDev -15%
12 oz. stubby green bottle,
A: Pours a very pale yellow with a large cap of foam after gushing out of the big mouth bottle into a pint glass. Surprisingly good head retention, light spotty lacing.
S: Very light, some grain malt is all I pick up from this one.
T: Very fusely with a husky grain character and a bit of wheat. Overall, the flavour is very light. Hop character is barely noticable but adds a grungy wet hay aspect to the aftertaste.
M: Low carbonation, very light-bodided, airy.
D: An average malt liquor, but too pricey for the style. I got bored with this beer far to easily. At least it doesn't become undrinkable due to an alcohol character like some others of this style are.
Serving type: bottle
06-21-2008 18:50:03 | More by Halcyondays
Photo of tempest
3.1/5 rDev +22.5%
Drank straight from the wide-mouth, green stubby bottle - as it was meant to be. This beer is surprisingly not bad. I think there's some truth to the bottle's "Fine Malt Liquor" label. Because as far as malt liquor goes, this isn't that far behind Rogue fancy-pants Dad's Little Helper. In terms of flavor, this beer reminds me of a dull PBR. It just has gentle bready malts behind a vague sweetness. Completely drinkable and inoffensive. Worth a try, just because it's Mickey's.
Serving type: bottle
12-23-2008 17:01:37 | More by tempest
Photo of rhoadsrage
2.05/5 rDev -19%
(Served in a nonic)
A- This beer has a straw yellow crystal clear body with a big carbonation of large bubbles and a bubble white head of molten candy.
S- The soft green apple acetaldehyde grows as the beer warms with a light flinty note that is nice but soon overpowered. There is a faint field corn note in the finish.
T- The clean flavor has a slight tartness with a faint corn flavor that comes through on the exhale. The green apple flavor has a jolly rancher candy quality to it that gets stronger with each sip. M- This beer has a light mouthfeel with a watery texture and a fizzy finish.
D- This beer is light but not clean. The tartness and corn and apple flavors are very pronounced and become a bit more obnoxious with each sip.
Serving type: can
07-14-2010 16:48:57 | More by rhoadsrage
Photo of Jason
3.03/5 rDev +19.8%
Presentation: 40 oz green glass bottle, no freshness date. Tough looking flexing green hornet as their mascot. Under the cap is a psuedo-word of the day, cam-a-flu (n) Feigned illness to get out of work or a date. I guess real winners of the world drink this stuff.
Appearance: Pale yellow, crystal clear with a thin white lace with a decent retention. Some of this sample was poured out to get a look at the head retention and true colour.
Smell: Light lager like twang, almost import lager-like. Minimal malt in the nose, quite clean.
Taste: Touch of smoothness within the crisp light bodied mouth feel. Very slim malt character, quick bite of hop bitterness that fades just as quickly as it comes in. Seltzer water feel to this brew with a pretty clean finish though a tag a long astringent flavour stays around for a bit.
Notes: Not much to the brew for flavour, quick and clean to drink. Big time college crowd 40oz brew, a step above Magnum ... the other Miller Brewing produced Malt Liquor. Not a bad web site they put out also
http://www.mickeys.com.
Serving type: bottle
03-23-2002 06:02:25 | More by Jason
Photo of Wasatch
2/5 rDev -20.9%
Serving type: bottle
03-16-2010 00:43:27 | More by Wasatch
Photo of Zorro
2.55/5 rDev +0.8%
Pour a clear yellow beer, pretty much what I expected.
Smell is mildly malty and grainy, no off flavors.
Taste is slightly sweet and is mostly of grain. Not as bad as it could be.
Mouthfeel is thicker than expected.
It is as drinkable as any other macrobrew.
Serving type: can
02-13-2004 02:51:43 | More by Zorro
Photo of woodychandler
3.13/5 rDev +23.7%
M-I-C-K-E-Y, Why? Because I want to bump up my bottle numbers. 'S, it's true, I'm ticking. M-A-L-T L-I-Q-U-O-R R U coming over? I have a 40! D-R-U-N-K. Woody's a fool, Woody's a fool, forever may his banner fly! No, I'm not high. M-I-C-K-E-Y-'-S!
Man, screw that "Back to the Future" action, this is more like "Peggy Sue Got Married"! This is the kind of drinking action that I did in my earliest prime as a teenager thirty years ago, asking random strangers to go into bars and take-aways to score a 40 or two (or more) of beer so that we could get wildly wasted and totally disrespect beer. I was at IHLNC today for the Winter Warmer bash and after a 5.5 hour shift, I did not need any more of that, nor did I want to give up. Queen Garden 6-Pack to the rescue! No better time than the present to get my bottle count up, up, up.
A foamy finger of bone-white head with decent retention, initially. Color was a deep golden-yellow with NE-plus quality clarity, allowing me to look through the walls into the neighbor's doings. Nose was comparably sweet with some of the high ABV offerings of today, but with a none-too-subtle cereal quality mixed in. Mouthfeel was effervescent and scrubbing to the point that I felt like I had a new palate. I kid you not, this was a very pleasant diversion after today's skull-ripping. It was plenty sweet with a lot of adjunct characteristics, but it was also a beer that I felt comfortable sitting with in front of the TV. There was nothing off about it, despite its being in a GREEN (oh, no!) bottle, but either pasteurization or good handling or both kept it that way. YMMV. Finish left me simply craving a Hammond's-brand hard pretzel to cut some of the cloying sweetness. Would I drink this again? Heck, yes! Would it be my first choice? Heck, no! Was it cost-effective/worthy? Yep. What would my back alley homies say? Hey, I've hung out and imbibed with them enough to the point that they call me "Pittsburgh" and don't throw their empties in my yard, instead leaving them hanging in a bag on the fence for me to collect and recycle. They'd applaud me. I applaud you.
Serving type: bottle
12-05-2010 00:09:51 | More by woodychandler
Photo of DoubleJ
2.95/5 rDev +16.6%
Welcome to start of the Brown Paper Bag Invitational! In this short series, I will be tasting malt liquor for the next few days, and this is sure to be fun. The only other malt liquor I've ever had was Olde English, and I was greatly offended. We'll start tonight with a "light" malt liquor, the one with the stinger that looks to be on steroids...Mickey's! On to the beer:
Do you like your body pale? Very pale straw color, the carbonation bubbles providiing some attraction to the eyes, the soapy head providing a solid canopy thus far. The aroma is milled corn, maybe with a trace of the can...run-of-the-mill cheap lager smell.
Heyy....this isn't bad at all! The body is light, but the carbonation is conrolled well, it doesn't bombard your palate. This is quite sweet. Sweet corn upfront, then some mild corn syrup-llike texture and sweetness. The alcohol is there, but hidden in the background with a dull bitterness and kick to it. Semi-dry finish.
For what you get, this is a solid malt liquor without too many flaws. It's also one of the lightest on the market, so it may not be the best pick if you're looking for a quick buzz and nothing more.
I survived the first stage without any major wounds. We'll resume the Brown Paper Bag Invite tomorrow night.
Serving type: can
09-19-2008 03:35:48 | More by DoubleJ
Photo of Beerandraiderfan
1.41/5 rDev -44.3%
Well, I doubt I'm saying anything we don't already know. This stuff is shhhiiity. Nasty yellow appearance leaving nothing in terms of head, lacing or retention. Horrible dumpster 4 day old beer smell.
Taste isn't the worst thing I've drank, but it's close. I guess it gets better the more you drink of it, and it is cheap . . . but all you can taste is the alcohol, which isn't even all that high. Brutal.
Serving type: can
11-26-2009 00:37:53 | More by Beerandraiderfan
Photo of beerthulhu
New Jersey
2.83/5 rDev +11.9%
A: Pours a clear, bright, yellow with a creamy white head that left a spotchy lacing behind. Visible carbonation was soft.
S: The nose was light, with some corn and fresh grains.
T: For flavor there was corn mash, a light malt sweetness and a light herbal hopping. The beer finishes with a sweet corn malting and herbal hop fade. Overall the flavor was fairly clean albeit limited in complexity but did have a noticeable hop presence.
M; light, a tad watery with a decent herbal hopping.
D: Decent for an old-school macro.
Serving type: bottle
03-06-2008 00:27:10 | More by beerthulhu
Photo of Brad007
3.88/5 rDev +53.4%
Pours a pale golden color with a one finger head that quickly fades to nearly nothing.
Aroma is strong with corn/bready malt in the nose. Nothing special here and to be expected.
Taste is strong and sweet with corn, baked bread and a touch of alcohol in the middle.
Mouthfeel is full of the same flavors as above (corn, baked bread) except that they linger. Not harsh or anything. Seems average.
Not bad. I was expecting worse but this really isn't a bad example. It's drinkable for what it is.
Serving type: bottle
03-20-2009 23:59:57 | More by Brad007
Mickey's from Miller Brewing Co.
60 out of 100 based on 819 ratings.
|
Columns | October 15, 2011 21:44
Non-random Fischer Random
Non-random Fischer Random
The 2009 poster of the Mainz Chess Classic, which doesn't exist anymore. There Chess960/Fischer Random was played every year.
In that blitz game, Nigel Short played the St. George Defense (which usually arises after 1.e4 a6 but now appeared on the board after 1.Nf3 b5 2.e4 a6) and even managed to beat the 13th World Champion (who, admittedly, blundered an exchange in the middle game). He thus created an appropriate echo of another St. George game, in which another British Grandmaster, Tony Miles, managed to beat former World Champion, Anatoly Karpov (at the Skara European Team Championships in 1980).
In fact, Short also beat Kasparov with the now-rare King’s Gambit – and with a rare line within the King’s Gambit at that - providing another argument for those people (and I think I consider myself to be among them) who claim that all it takes to solve boring computer preparation is some creativity in the opening. Is that too much to ask of professional chess players?
Of course, some will say that it’s easy to experiment in blitz, but that one can’t expect the chess elite to actually start studying the King’s Gambit for important tournament games. Playing this dubious gambit in serious competition will cost them serious money! I only partly agree with this argument, because there’s no reason why playing blitz should, in principle, not be as profitable as playing classical chess. (It seems that even Kirsan Ilyumzhinov agrees with me on this point!)
But let’s for a moment assume that it’s impossible to force the King’s Gambit (or the St. George, or any other opening that’s not considered to be ‘main stream’) down professional players’ throat: what if we simply adjusted the starting position a little to help the pros make up their minds? Suppose from now on everybody would needs to start their game with the following position:
PGN string
So much for all Najdorf and Ruy Lopez theory! And that’s just the beginning, of course. All openings would have to be studied anew, because the slight modification will create all sorts of subtle and not so subtle differences. The game would still resemble chess sufficiently not to lose the interest of the general public, but the nuances would be different enough for the insiders to immediately appreciate the complete make-over of “boring” chess opening theory.
Perhaps some will argue that this new beginning position is actually to Black’s advantage, even though it’s still White to move. Well, that might turn out to be true, but how ‘fair’ is the current starting position? Isn’t that considered to be better for White? Even so, to make it a bit fairer maybe we shouldn’t put a black pawn on a6 (which might also makes queenside castling slightly less attractive), but a black knight?
PGN string
Heck, we could even have this position and let White choose whether he wants to play with White or Black. It still would be a much more modest change and thus be much more likely to be accepted by both professionals and laymen. Doesn’t this modest change of the initial position makes the ‘real’ Fischer Random chess look absurdly radical?
We can get rid of all the special regulations of Fischer Random chess, or Chess960 as it seems to be called these days: no more need to create the various starting positions with a special computerized algorithm; no more need for confusing different castling rules. We can simply play the above position for the next, say, 600 years - until theory has evolved so much again that we’re ready for the next step – put a white knight on h3 as well. (And in the mean time, we can enjoy the evolution of completely new chess openings as more and more games are coming in.)
Perhaps even more importantly, the quality of the games will be much higher than those played under the current Fischer Random rules. Why? Simply because Fischer Random opening positions are too unfamiliar and weird even to super-GMs, causing them to blunder in a much higher percentage of the games than in regular chess. Normal pattern recognition is mostly useless in Fischer Random. As Tim Krabbé once said, “Fischer Random puts us back 200 years.”
I suspect Krabbé was even being polite in his estimation. Maybe it puts us back not 200 but 400 years. Remember those games from the 17th century in which even the strongest players in the world used to fall for what we now think of as ‘cheap opening traps’? Well, I recently went to watch the Dutch Fischer Random Championship in my hometown, Amsterdam. I was just in time to witness what everybody felt was the ‘dream final’ - the decisive game between Dutch GM Dennis de Vreugt and Yasser Seirawan, who in regular chess beat many a World Champion in his best days, including Karpov and Kasparov.
I was in for a disappointment: Seirawan blundered a full piece as early as move eight, thus robbing the audience of a thrilling finale (and handing De Vreugt his well-deserved title on a silver platter). I felt bad, not only for Yasser but also for the tournament organizers. Honestly, I think no audience in the world likes to see such ‘drama’.
And that’s hardly the only example from GM-practice in Fischer Random chess. I remember Gata Kamsky blundering on move six a few years ago. I think it was against Aronian – I’d love to show you the game, but unfortunately, because to my knowledge there isn’t any good commercial database storing Fischer Random games, let alone allowing for any kind of simple search functionality (no handy ECO opening codes, sorry!), I can’t. Whereas some people are still debating Lasker-Lasker, New York 1924, any game of Fischer Random or Chess960 seems utterly forgettable.
Why not get rid of this artificial stuff and just move a pawn or piece to a6 in the starting position instead? Even if you think I sound like a Luddite, it’s hard to deny that it’s a lot easier for all.
Share |
Arne Moll's picture
Author: Arne Moll
arkan's picture
Finally possible to comment :)
I don't think this will solve anything at all, a pawn at a6. Randomness should be a factor, maybe something like let the tournament software randomly choose beteen the a2-h2 or a7-h7 pawns before each game?
Also i don't see why chess960 is so bad? It's just not very common yet
Arne Moll's picture
Yes, the comments option was switched off by accident.
Anyway, why should randomness be a factor? Isn't the main goal of this form of chess to avoid any kind of heavily analyzed opening theory? Well, that can also be achieved by simply putting a pawn on a6 in the starting position.
(If the goal is to play a different kind of mind game, then I think the game of Go is a wonderful alternative!)
Macauley's picture
Nyah. Chess 960 is much more interesting to watch than just putting a pawn on a6. In St. Louis last month they didn't even use a computer to select the starting position. It's not hard to follow the rules for setting up a position. Also, doesn't DGT make a clock that will give you the position a the touch of a button then times the game?
Arne Moll's picture
I'm not denying Chess960 is interesting to watch, or fun to play - and watching or playing one game with a pawn on a6 would be equally interesting (or uninteresting, depending on your personal preference).
What would, in my opinion, become more and more interesting after just one single game, is to see this position occur in more games so that opening theory, one of the key 'scientific' properties of chess, actually gets a chance to develop.
This is an aspect that's completely lost in the Chess960 proposal, where each round a new position is chosen (or was this different in St. Louis?). It's this 'reset' principle that, in my view, completely destroys the beauty of opening theory evolution. This, and the 'homework' aspect, are not lost in my proposal, nor would it be hard to collect and distribute games played with this genre in a normal database file and explain its nuances to the general public without having to go through the basics of the starting position each and every time.
thechamp's picture
Sorry, but boring proposals. Capablanca, Fischer and everyone advocating randomness of sorts is trying to kill classical chess. Possibilities are endless in chess - no need for any adjustments to the starting position. Why not leave this old and still vibrant game alone.
Rudy's picture
Moving a black pawn one or two square from it's starting square (at random or not) doesn't give rise to a new kind of chess. E.g., the starting position with a black pawn on a6 is the same position with colours reversed after 1.a3 in a normal game of chess. So, this instead limits one's options. A similar argument holds if black places his knight on a6.
Thus this doesn't look like the way forward for our game of chess.
st32's picture
I would have been the first to mention this if the comments were not switched off :)
Arne Moll's picture
I did realize the situation was the same as after 1.a3 with Black to move: the reason why I kept the pawn on a6 was to preserve the comparison with the St. George Defense.
Not sure how this would limit one's options. That's the same as saying that in Chess960, having a bishop on b1 instead of c1 'limits one's options' because you can't put your bishop the a1-h8 diagonal anymore!
With a black pawn on a6, 1.e4 c5 would surely look like a Sicilian but it would not be the same, thus killing all existing Sicilian theory and providing a new basis for fresh ideas. It might turn out that 2.b3 is now the best move, or that 1.b3 is a better way of dealing with the situation. It would take decades to establish this. It sounds pretty exciting to me.
Rudy's picture
The suggestion of putting a black pawn on a6 limits the number of reachable positions compared to the normal configuration of pieces. Thus, in a sense, the complexity of the game decreases and there is less room for creativity.
But this problably isn't the reason why you suggested the starting position should be adjusted. As I understand it, there are two reasons. In the first place, it renders established opening theory useless (well, not totally, since there still are ways to transpose to known theory). Second, it enhances our understanding of the game. It would be beneficial to know exactly how a different starting position influences winning chances (or drawing chances for some of you out there!) and then use this knowledge in a normal game. Come to think of it, would Adorjan still say that black is OK if the pawn is on a6? In a way, black has lost some of his reactive possibilities. I'm guessing that a hedgehog with a tempo up for black is disastrous, since he can't put the tempo to use (and this may hold for other sicilians as well).
But certainly, i can't disagree it isn't exciting, but it does look a bit artificial.
As for chess960, should we not play chess960, because a GM blundered a piece in the first couple of moves?
adam's picture
interesting proposal; however, imho chess960 is a more promising alternative, it would just need _much_ more support from players, sponsors as well as fans... for instance, although world champions have been crowned multiple times by now, having no database in an age with live rating sites updated several times a day clearly describes the situation
i want to ask something that may be trivial: what is lasker-lasker (1924)?
Levon's picture
adam's picture
thx, very nice game. must have heard about it a long back, but couldn't recall
Kenneth W. Regan's picture
At Hans Bodlaender's, I'm on record as favoring this form of "Fischer Non-random":
With 960-squared possibilities, probably a few thousand really meaningful ones, it would really set back "theory" 200 years!
thechamp's picture
It's interesting that Arne Moll wants to "kill all excisting sicilian theory". The openings - their names and the long tradition of developed theory - is a living cultural treasure. Think again Arne!
Arne Moll's picture
Thechamp, I think you misunderstood me, or maybe I didn't make it clear enough: I love our game as it is and I think there's plenty of room to avoid boring theoretical duels without doing anything to the starting position!
Dan's picture
Arne, I've read chess websites for a decade and never commented because I've never felt strongly enough. But this idea of yours is beautifully brilliant and I think it should be the next step in the evolution of chess. Like many such ideas, it seems destined for a long time to be misunderstood and unappreciated by many, possibly even the majority. Also like many profound ideas, it is deceptively simple, but this is a large part of its brilliance. As you rightly point out, the "minor" alteration becomes increasingly significant as one moves up the rating ladder - to GMs, it's a monumental difference. And yet, unlike F-Random, it preserves the essence of the game. Fischer Random's flaw is that it's too wildly different, as you point out. As its name and creator remind us, it's random (incoherent, meaningless), and therefore disrupts in too violent and shocking a way the inner coherence and logic of chess that is its essence. A game perhaps appropriate only for Bobby Fischer himself, or someone of his inner chaos and insanity. If only we could stop idolizing far-and-away the single most insane and dangerous of chess genius, we may be more receptive to good ideas.
Many amateurs won't appreciate the idea because they won't think it's a major difference. They like Fischer Random for that reason. But the truth is a pawn on a3 or a6 is a monumental difference. Some of those who bemoan the dying of chess by opening theory, in my view, are plain dishonest with themselves. They laud themselves as ultra-creative as a defense mechanism to defend bruised egos. Their problem isn't really with opening theory, it's that they lack comprehension, may be a bit lazy (or frustrated with past attempts) and, yes, may lack creativity compared to better players. Wanting to "invent" from move 1 is not a sign of brilliance or creativity, people! Like some spoiled child who slaps paint on paper and wants to be praised a brilliant artist, they want to be appreciated as creative geniuses without doing any work or respecting the history of the game. In what other field - math?, science? - do we praise people who want to invent everything anew, without absorbing the body of material collected by humanity first? Most theoretical chess opening lines leave us in early mid-game positions that are unclear, with many possibilities reflecting different styles and values. That's where the limitless creativity kicks in, and if you listen to any GM review his or her games you won't help but be filled with an appreciation for his/her creativity. Do some opening lines lead directly to equal endgames? Sure. The exception proves the rule.
I am co-owner and Director of the Chess Club of Fairfield County, With bias but also good reason, I believe we are the best chess club in the world. We are a 4,000 square foot building, newly renovated, dedicated 7 days/week to chess. We do not rely on philanthrophy - our funding is from the chess community. We'd be happy to have a "St. George's" tournament or other event with your idea as the centerpiece. Feel free to contact me at anytime to discuss! Thanks again for the great idea, Arne. Don't be deterred!!
Alfonso's picture
A "pedantic" note: Skara 1980 was not a chess Olympiad, was an European Team Championship. The 1980 Olympiad was at Malta.
Arne Moll's picture
You're right of course, thanks. Corrected.
patyolat's picture
Suppose that Fischer Random was originally invented first. How do you think people would react if someone suggested that 959 possible starting positions should be discarded and only one used from now. They correctly would pont out that whole games could be calculated by a computer than memorized by a player, and "played" it in a tournament. Fischer considered this cheating and he definitely had a point. Unfortunately people as we know like the status quo, and insist to play only that one old boring starting position.
By the way I prefer to call it Fischer Random, since I believe the inventor deserves that his name is attached to his invention. We don't call Rubik's Cube Cube54 or Cube4325200327448985600 either.
Arsen Babayan's picture
"We can simply play the above position for the next, say, 600 years"...
And I think this is the error in author's theory which triggers it totally void. 600 years? Seriously? I agree that it took 600 years for the modern chess theory to emerge and get to where it is now. But do not forget, that all the strategic and tactical theory is still out there and even if we completely disregarded the role of computers in modern-day chess theory, it would take no more than 100 years for the opening theory for a new starting position to grow and overgrow. In this computerized era it would take 5-6 years, let it be 10, to get another starting position analyzed and published in all details, while you would never do that for 960 possible positions of Fischer's chess. Fischer's idea was "show me you can play CHESS". By switching between starting positions you do not fulfill Bobby's desire, and if a super-GM blunders a piece on 10th move playing Chess960, sorry, then there are only two explanations for that: either the guy is a theory-freak or that's just an accident, which happens sometimes and the author's suggestion doesn't solve any of those in any way.
Another major drawback for this is that it's very difficult to find another position in line with author's idea which would not be of big... if not decisive advantage to either side. Black pawn to a6 - and Black is much better, as the author correctly mentioned. But the alternative (knight to a6) is a disaster for black - not only they are deprived of very important defensive piece on c6 or d7, they basically will have to play a piece down most of the game, as 1.d4 will become an automatic first move for white taking c5 square from the knight, let alone all possible captures Bf1xa6 by destroying black's queenside pawn structure.
So briefly, I think this is just another "nice try". In my honest opinion nothing has yet been suggested to even compete with Fischer's idea of revolution.
Mattovsky's picture
The idea is not really new. I can't find the source right now, but Dvoretsky made a very similar suggestion years ago.
chandler's picture
Yes, he made it in his chesscafe column a year or two ago; Arne maybe you should have a look at it. His motivation is also that positions should be understandable, but he explains it better and in more detail. And I think his suggestion is different... moving just a pawn or something like that. Please search for it and give a link :)
GeneM's picture
Dvoretsky discussed FRC-chess960, and his own alternative, on 2008/Jan, in "Polemic Thinking, Part Two", at...
Yes, we need to discard the 'Random' from Fischer Random Chess.
But No, not the way this ChessVibes column says to.
I believe that one of the 959 non-traditional setups should be annointed for the next couple decades, so that grandmasters and amateurs, both armed with Fritz and a creative spirit, could develop a whole broad & deep opening theory for the new setup, to rival the depth and breadth already achieved for the traditional chess1 setup.
Watching that new theory grow from nothing would be facinating. It would also be educational in ways we cannot foresee.
But what should the new setup be? I recommend the following, which after 1. e3 e6 in the traditional setup, can be reached in nine more legal move-pairs:
Importantly, S#549 has no corner bishops, and the two white knights start on the same shade of square. Positions which lack either of these two characteristics should not be considered at this time.
I was redirected here from... , its entry dated 2011/Nov/05.
GeneM (2011/Nov/05)
CastleLong .com
Arne Moll's picture
Sounds like a sensible suggestion. For me, the most important condition is that this position is fixed for at least a couple of decades, allowing theory to develop and games to be analysed properly by a large amount of people, rather than just a few specialists.
GeneM's picture
Fritz_13 has a new cloud-derived collaborative analysis feature named "Let's Check". This feature could have a tremendous effect on the rate of growth for opening "theory" for one new stable reused chess960 position such as S#549. The whole chess playing planet could contribute to a central repository of analyzed variations of all the not-yet-discovered opening systems for S#549.
Seems like the "Let's Check" feature is a significant new reason to consider adding reuse of S#549 to the long existing reuse of the traditional setup S#518.
harryo's picture
I think that the 1.a3 idea is too limiting for the future of chess. What would be really wonderful is to change chess competition so that players play three types of games in equal proportion in the really big global tournaments:
1) A traditional chess portion of competition
2) A fixed inter-generational FIDE assigned Chess960 start position portion of competition
3) A genuinely randomized Chess960 portion of competition
If we give these names it would be:
1) "Classical" portion of competition
2) "Fixed-position" portion of competition
3) "Fischer-random" portion of competition
Each of these three divisions has the following academic advantages:
1) Classical-start -> test of memorization transitioning into the mid-game
2) Fixed-start -> test of good research techniques transitioning into the mid-game
3) Fischer-start -> test of creativity transitioning into the mid-game
The big tournaments of the world would feature the elite players facing up in all these three forms of chess competition. The chess rating system would legitimize and recognize these three forms of play by giving them each an official ratings system.
Then in other parts of the world specialist tournaments would start to show up focusing on one of these disciplines depending on what the regional interest is. For example there are regions of the world right now that are highly focused on traditional chess. There are regions of the world willing to try fixed-start positions and there are regions in the world such as Germany that already have an exciting Chess960 culture.
I appeal to the chess world. Can Chess players of the world finally accept that traditional Chess and Chess960 are not mutually exclusive, but actually complement each other? Please I ask that the chess world lessons it's black and white mentality just for a short time while we rethink the future of chess.
Thanks for listening
woolyworm's picture
Yasser Sierawan's chess variant, where a hawk ( a piece combining the moves of bishop and a knight) and an elephant (a piece combining the powers of a rook and a knight) are introduced on a vacant square on the back rank, maintains the patterns of the classic game while cranking up the voltage. Yasser's game gets exceedingly complex once the new men are placed, but there is no reason why the players can't agree to use the same mechanism to introduce another bishop, say, or any other (or any number of other) pieces during a game. Using this technique preserves the contours of the traditional game and the reliance on opening theory, though valuable, is considerably less so. Try it. You'll like it.
woolyworm's picture
MatsW's picture
You should have a look at this, an alternative to Fischer Random where the pieces are manually (non-randomly) relocated:
MatsW's picture
By the way, I have already suggested a training variant, Chess256, close to Moll's suggestion:
Edwin's picture
From what I can tell watching the recent Tata Steel tournament wherein we saw the best players in the world square off, this talk of the death of chess is as premature now as it was in Capablanca's day. In many of the Tata games the top GMs got in trouble in the openings.
T's picture
Pick 1 960 position and use that for the next 10 years, then pick another and so forth ;)
Honestly I think normal chess has a lot of life still though.
Anthony's picture
I've stumbled across this interesting discussion, and like to add something. First, I should say that I'm not much more than a casual player - I did play for the school team, and I played a bit of club chess later, but if I tell you that I own only two chess books - a 1974 "Ideas Behind the Openings", and Fischer's 60 Memorable Games - you'll know that I'm pretty much a tyro in these computer-driven times. But I do love the game, and I think I agree with those who bemoan the fact that there's so much theory now that you can't even say who just won a game - was it you, or the sound variant you managed to remember move by move from a book? But I also understand why there's such a resistance to Fischer Random and similar variants. It's not "real" chess - it's not "classic" and so on. So here's a suggestion - daft or not, only you really serious players can say. But this suggestion has certain advantages; it's real chess - its' classic, so the purists should be satisfied. But it pretty much wipes out most - not all, and that's important - opening theory. You'd have to start again, which gives you another fifty years to build up theoretical lines! And, finally, I promise two things should any of you try this- and you should try this by playing half-a-dozen games with someone whose game you know well: one, that you'd be as frustrated as hell for the first two or three games - but then, your opponent would be in the same boat. And, two,that it would really test your ability to create - and - as Fischer put it - just play chess. This suggestion isn't even new- in fact, it's several hundred years old!! Let's call it Indian Chess. (Which is where the King's Indian, and Nimzo-Indian get their names of course - which is why I said that not all opening theory gets jettisoned), So what you do is revert to chess - classic chess - as it was played in India. That is, reverse the rule that allows pawns to move two squares from their original position. It was done to "speed up" the game of course, but maybe it's time now to slow it down again! By doing this, nothing about the game as we know it now gets chucked out. But just try this, and think of how little use opening theory is - and yet you're playing real, classic chess. For instance, suppose I happen to hate facing the Ruy Lopez: well, when I see e3 played by white, I can avoid any possibility of that opening by playing a6 straight away. Then my opponent has to think again - and really think again. It would need a mathematician to calculate how many combinations are possible in Indian chess after each player has made, say, two moves each - but whether it's a smaller or larger number than at present hardly matters, because without the book or the computer to do it for you - over the board, that is - you'd have to fall back on your native ability to play the game.
Classic Indian Chess: any takers?
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Lessons from a great salesman
Published: Tuesday, Jan. 10 2012 12:00 a.m. MST
Verizon Wireless store salesman Antione Haynes looks out the front door of a Verizon store with an Apple iPhone advertisement in foreground in Mountain View, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011. Verizon Wireless said Friday, Feb. 4, its first day of taking online orders for the iPhone produced record sales.
Paul Sakuma, Associated Press
Enlarge photo»
He may be one of the better salesman I have known. A native of Venezuela, he is called Vlad by his friends. I first met him several years ago when attending a free entrepreneurial seminar called Junto. Among all the participants, he was the most outstanding student.
Vladimir Canro arrived in the United States several years ago while still a young man. He had spent his youth in the streets of Caracas selling fruits and vegetables to any customer he could find. Over time, he obtained an associate's degree in engineering. He left Venezuela at the peak of President Hugo Chavez’s crackdown on the opposition. Using a green card, he found a construction job in Texas and decided that America was the best country for him. In time, he came to Salt Lake City to attend college with the hope of finishing his education. He landed in Utah on a chilly day in December without a warm coat, money or a place to live. For the first few cold nights, he found slept inside a large metal dumpster full of cardboard. He tells me cardboard is an excellent insulator from frigid temperatures.
If ever there was a person who could overcome the barriers in life, it would be Vladimir. His story, like that of so many emigrants, is one of perseverance, hope, faith and an inextinguishable fire in the belly to succeed. Today, he has surmounted every obstacle. He is working on a computer science degree from Weber State University and has a very good job as a salesman for Geiger Rig, and he is married with two young children.
What I have told you so far is in itself a terrific story. There is, however, much more to say about this amazing fellow. As part of the Junto class, he and his 20 classmates were told if they were to be successful in business they will need to sell their idea to investors. The instructor, Greg Warnock, an accomplished entrepreneur himself, first gave Vlad and his fellow students study materials on how to raise money for a new business. The students were then asked to apply what they had learned and report on their successes or failures.
The students were invited to meet with strangers, not friends or family, over a course of a week and raise $5,000 to fund a business idea. I am sure I don't need to tell you how very daunting this task is. Following their efforts, class members assembled to report their results. The outcome: Not one had been able to raise the money, except Vlad. Over several days, he had gone into high-rise office buildings, from business to business with no appointment, hoping to tell an owner about his idea. Receptionists hesitated. Owners balked. Vladimir waited and waited. Eventually the owners, hoping to dismiss the young foreigner, invited him into their offices for an anticipated very short visit. Once seated, Vlad went to work. Using amazing skills, both learned and natural, he marched along, collecting a whopping, mind-boggling $135,000.
“Vlad, how is this possible?" I asked. "Not even the best salesman would have achieved such success. Your barriers are significant. I can hardly understand you when you speak. You have no company; you have no brilliant idea to commercialize. What’s your secret?”
With a wide and pleasant smile on his face, he respectfully taught me the five key principles of selling that he uses and that the rest of us should employ as well.
The principles are as follows:
1. Never accept no for an answer. Vlad tells me customers say no six times but on the seventh request, they say yes.
2. Listen to customers. Don’t mention what is being sold until the customer explains what’s on his mind. Earn his respect, trust and confidence first.
3. Tailor the solution to meet the customers’ needs. It is critical to make the solution a perfect fit.
4.Never give up. Be persistent and patient.
5. Think outside of the box. Approach a sales opportunity with innovation and creativity. Do the unexpected. Think big.
Do you have a favorite sales story? Let’s hear about it. Please contact me at alan@doobizz.com.
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Take a Bite Out of Milling Costs
Vibration, excessive heat and silicon dust can bring a $300,000+ milling machine to a grinding halt. With downtime averaging several thousand dollars a day, diligent preventive maintenance and training are wise investments.
The cutter head is subject to the most wear. "Depending upon cutting conditions and the type of machine, tools can last [from] just a few hours up to several days," says Thomas Chudowski, product business manager, global road construction, Kennametal.
"Normally, increased wear is due to aggressive operation without making adjustments to conform to the jobsite and material conditions," adds Philip Taraschi, product specialist, BOMAG Americas Inc.
Watch your speed/depth
Operating speed drives much of the wear. "The speed of operation is critical in calculating wear to the cutter bits, holders and drum of the machine, [as well as] the life you get out of track pads and conveyor belts," says Dennis Munks, The Sollami Company. "Running at maximum speeds reduces the life of every component mentioned and increases vibration, which leads to other costly repairs. Running the machine at excessive speeds is usually the main cause for uneven tool wear."
Heat generation due to excessive speed deteriorates carbide tips. "When you lose the protective carbide, the tooth becomes dull and blunt," says Jeff Wiley, Wirtgen. "That creates vibration and slows the machine down as much as 40%."
In addition, material needs a chance to evacuate. "Massive wear on tools can be caused by not getting cut material out of the housing quickly enough as a result of the machine's cutting depth and/or advance speed," says Chudowski. Material gets re-circulated, causing wear on all components (tools, holder system and even the housing). "Also, water cannot get to the tool, negatively affecting rotation, as well as tool wear."
Inspect often
The cutter head requires constant attention. "Start by checking hourly and adjust the interval based on the wear you are observing," suggests Eric Baker, marketing manager, Roadtec. "Usually, there is a gap in trucks when this can be done."
Visually inspect the cutter teeth and spot-change any that need to be replaced. "Deep cuts in hard asphalt require more frequent inspections, while shallow cuts in soft or deteriorated asphalt will require less," Baker notes.
Taraschi also advocates frequent inspections, along with keeping water systems in good operating condition. "Inspections and water are inexpensive and essential tools, whereas labor and downtime are costly," he points out. If abrasive material wears into the holders, the expense and labor costs increase.
Why tools fail
According to Chudowski, typical tool failures and their causes include:
• Carbide breakage - This can occur when tools are mechanically overloaded (hitting hard objects such as drainage covers or steel reinforcements), or due to thermal overload (excessive heat resulting from insufficient water supplied to the tool).
• Lack of rotation - This can be caused by too much dirt in the holder bore (possibly due to a lack of water supply to the tool) or a worn tool holder.
• Body wear/steel wash - This can be caused by high machine speed in soft (often abrasive) conditions. Reducing machine speed or using a different tool design could help solve the issue.
Poor tool rotation quickly destroys teeth. "When the tooth stops rotating, it creates a flat side," says Wiley. "When it flat sides, it gets hot and fails."
The type of material being milled can impact tool rotation."Material with high asphalt cement (AC) content can cause tools to stop rotating," says Taraschi. "In some cases, it can be corrected by adding low caustic to the water system.
"If tools in a certain position continue to prematurely wear, check impact and skew angle positions," he advises. "If tools become mismatched to the point that the newer tools are wearing faster, clean up the drum with all new tools."
Tool holder condition can also play a big part. "For example, if the face of the holder is worn down, this will mismatch tool impact position," Taraschi indicates, "or holder internal dimensions are worn to the point that it will still hold the tool, but will allow the tool to drastically move out of the intended impact angle."
Faulty water spray systems are another leading cause of uneven tool wear. "The spray pattern must be a fan spray in order to get good coverage," says Wiley. "This system is filtered and you have to keep that system clean."
"Water system faults generally relate to poor system maintenance and/or milling in place without discharging material," says Taraschi. "This allows material to force into spray tips."
Causes of vibration
Vibration needs to be addressed as it arises. The three levels of vibration include low, medium and high cycle.
"High-cycle vibes are normally a pending fault in the engine to drum drive system," says Taraschi. "Medium-cycle vibes are normally a pending fault in the mill drum reduction drive system."
Low cycle are the most common form of drum vibration, he continues. They can result from the ZERO mount bearing (opposite drum drive side) beginning to fail, causing the mill drum to run out of cycle; material buildup inside the left and right drum shell areas from lack of wash-down maintenance, knocking the drum off balance; or missing tool holders or material flight blocks.
Drum vibration can also indicate worn/blunt tools, says Chudowski. If the vibration does not disappear after changing tools, the reason could be related to the drum being balanced incorrectly (or a lost counterweight); improper lacing design; incorrect drum installation; or a machine bearing that needs replacement.
Keep an eye on the product
The pattern behind the milling machine can be a good indicator of when to check the cutter head. "If the surface looks rough, stop the machine and inspect cutter tools and holders," says Munks. Also check bits at least twice daily during operation.
"There are visual checks you should perform every minute of the day," says Wiley. "For example, ground [personnel] have a job of visually inspecting moving parts - tracks, conveyors and, most important, cutter pattern."
The cutter pattern warns of potential issues. "For example, a white streak left behind the machine in the pattern could indicate worn out teeth, or holders that desperately need to be replaced," says Wiley. "Also, highs and lows on teeth and holders can lead to a poor cutter pattern no matter what speed you run the machine. 'Spotting' teeth can create grooves in the pattern that you can't control. Evenness and consistency are important to managing a good, consistent cutter drum and pattern."
Obviously, you can't control all variables that impact tool life. "The life expectancy of cutter tools varies so much depending upon the material being cut," Munks states. "Size of aggregate and compaction of material plays a big part in tool life."
But there are steps you can take to get as much life from tools as possible. "Once the cutter tool becomes blunt, change it before the carbide tip is totally worn down," Munks recommends. "Once the carbide wears away, extensive damage to holders and blocks can happen very quickly and cause major downtime and repairs. Real blunt carbide tips on cutter tools are also a major cause of vibration. Maintain sharp cutter tools throughout the entire drum, and reduce the amount of times you spot new cutter tools on the drum alongside worn cutter tools."
"The idea of every cutting drum system is that the tooth takes the majority of the wear and is the easiest component to replace," says Baker. "If the tooth is no longer there or not taking the wear, then other parts of the system take the wear. The tooth holder on most systems can cost anywhere from four to 10 times as much as the tooth, so you would much rather replace a tooth too soon than replace a holder."
Replacing tools as needed will also minimize any "domino" effect. "Usually, when one tooth fails, the tooth closest to that one in the pattern fails next and so on," says Wiley. "They all work together."
The size of the carbide on the tip of the tool can impact horsepower and production of the milling machine, as well, Munks points out. "Smaller horsepower machines generally need a sharper, smaller carbide tip on the cutter tool for better penetration, and it will reduce vibration," he explains. "Good penetration of the material being milled is a key factor in getting the most production out of any machine."
Use the right tools
"Cutting teeth are the No. 1 operating cost for a milling machine, so any improvements in consumption can be the difference between success and failure," says Baker. "Part of the equation is to match the two main components of the tooth - carbide and steel - to the application."
Premature failure is normally due to using the incorrect tool type, horsepower per tool impact rating and/or carbide and base structure for the material conditions, says Taraschi. "The life of a tool depends on having the correct tool matching unit horsepower to material conditions," he emphasizes.
"Today, a milling contractor might have as many as five different tooth models in his inventory to address every application in his portfolio," adds Wiley.
Taking the time to speak with tool manufacturers to ensure a good match (unit horsepower to regional material) will result in better production and longer tool life. "If you opt to install inadequate tools per unit horsepower to material, the results will be more costly due to frequent tool replacement and longer unit downtime," says Taraschi.
A tool that's too small for the application or machine won't last long. "A tool too big for a low-horsepower machine slows down the machine," says Chudowski. "The life of the tool might be extended, but the efficiency of the machine is unacceptable (not economical)."
That said, there are times when a faster and smaller tool may be better to improve the overall efficiency of the total operation - for example, when the paving operation is directly behind the milling operation.
Material density also plays a role in tool selection. "If you are going to be cutting a looser material, you might need more steel to prevent the loose material from washing out the steel before the carbide is used," says Baker. "If you are cutting harder material, such as concrete, you would probably want more carbide, since there will be more impact wear."
Another part of the equation is tooth shape or geometry. "Some teeth have a steeper slope for more penetration, while others are more blunt," says Baker. "Proper selection is dependent on the type of material to be cut. The best way to find out which is best is with experience, but the tool manufacturers also have a lot of expertise they can provide to help in the selection."
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Written on Belfair Water District manager fired; court to determine severance :
I would like to know more about the initial exchange between then homeowner with a citizen complaint Pope and Dave "shramie" Tipton. I agree with Ken, it is a good lesson on customer service and human nature for all (not just elected and staff) to remember!
Written on Hit-and-run suspect bites trooper after claiming he has AIDS :
in response to technogeek:
Since someone has actually contracted HIV from a bite I think the odds don't matter to anyone who got infected. To that person it was 100%. I don't care if the odds are low, it's possible, and the guy should be prosecuted for more than just simple assault!
I think you missed the point. Let's recap: hughareu cited some CDC data and concluded that HIV transmission by human bite was a remote risk when blood was present.
I posted an example that would illustrate Mark Twain's saying: There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Now from that you may wrongly conclude that I somehow think this biter should get off easy, wrong again. There are many other concerns besides HIV when a bite occurs; Hep-B,Hep-C, herpes simplex virus, syphilis, TB and tetanus to name a few. I think he made a deadly threat and then delivered what a reasonable witness would believe to be a very serious if not fatal disease, the biter is fortunate to be alive.
Good on the WSP for not being trigger/punch happy after all of the mayhem here locally.
in response to hughareu:
Okay all you keyboard counselors, here are the facts.
Since this story is weak on describing the actual events, injuries and actual diagnosis of the assailant, please read this and get back on your daily regimen of anti-psychotics.
Can (a person) become infected with HIV through biting?
Infection with HIV in this way is unusual. There have only been a couple of documented cases of HIV transmission resulting from biting. In these particular cases, severe tissue tearing and damage were reported in addition to the presence of blood.
Can HIV be transmitted through a human bite?
It is very rare, but in specific circumstances HIV can be transmitted by a human bite. In 1997, CDC published findings from a state health department investigation of an incident that suggested blood-to-blood transmission of HIV by a human bite. There have been other rare reports in the medical literature in which HIV appeared to have been transmitted by a human bite. Biting is not a common way of transmitting HIV, in fact, there are numerous reports of bites that did not result in HIV infection. Severe trauma with extensive tissue damage and the presence of blood were reported in each of the instances where transmission was documented or suspected. Bites that do not involve broken skin have no risk for HIV transmission, as intact skin acts as a barrier to HIV transmission.
There is no risk from a bite where the skin is not broken.
There is a remote risk of transmission by human bite. All documented cases where transmission did occur included severe trauma with extensive tissue damage and the presence of blood.
It would be interesting to know how many times an HIV infected person bit another unaffectted person where blood was present and they did/did not contract the virus. Obviously that would be more relevent than say a statistic that weighted a human bite as part of the total numbers of contractions. As an example, if out of 10,000 HIV contractions only 3 were by human bite, but there were only 10 total bites with qualifing conditions, then the risk would be 30%. But if I mix the data with all types of contractions the odds are only .03%.
Written on LETTER TO THE EDITOR | Why I'm voting 'no' on SKFR levy :
Ok, here's a breakdown of some more false arguments:
rob and dahl = mind projection fallacy
dcr = onus probani fallacy
just me (the most clever) = fallacy of many questions
Written on Vote on Manchester Port Commission petition must be held in April :
ˈbʊli' [bool-ee]
Written on South Kitsap Fire and Rescue will ask voters to renew levy :
in response to PennyRobinson:
I moved away from Kitsap County and don't have to be concerned, but if I still lived in SK, I'd be asking Wayne if the taxpaying residents of his fire district could please be informed of any major expensive studies, like the merger study between SK and Bremerton, BEFORE the check to the consultants is written. It was really tacky to find out about the tens of thousands of dollars paid after the fact.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Written on PDC investigating vehicle complaint against fire commissioner candidate :
The timing of the release for this information is irrelevent. It is clearly a violation that the "perp" could have avoided...quit making excuses for the guilty. Dick West is clearly the right guy for this race!
Written on PDC investigating vehicle complaint against fire commissioner candidate :
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Written on Finally, some differences among Bremerton port contenders :
I've heard both of these guys talk, Shawn gets it, while Axel has to read from crib notes about what he is passionate about, reminds me of a Presidential candidate from Texas!
Written on Port Orchard mayor pitches city manager idea :
Hey fletc3her, you sound like a victim of a landslide election, lick your wounds and if you are such a hot shot, run for office, let's see what you can do...
Written on Part of South Kitsap fire district may merge into North Mason:
should have been done 50 years ago, thanks to the leadership in both districts for responding to this need
Written on School Replacement, Repairs Riding on Central Kitsap's Levy Measure:
in response to w.h.moore#247501:
Not correct, again. The increase for the average CK home valued at $250,000 will be $67.50 per year above the current Capital Projects bond portion of your local school collection.
It is impossible to tell anyone exactly how much this levy will cost any specific taxpayer because the process is based on the annual appraised value of property in the District. The language of the ballot measure sets exactly how much will be collected for each year. When it is time to send out the tax bills, the county divides that amount by the assessed value of all property and then multiplies the result by the value of each property to determine the amount of tax to be paid. That $67.50 is an estimate based on the current valuation of property in the District. It will change by the time our next tax bill comes.
Please explain the math: 58 million over five years is, 11.6 million each year, say the value of cksd is 7 billion, that would require a rate of about 1.65/per 1000 of AV. A home worth 300,000 would pay about 5 grand a year or 400 more a month...why are our numbers so different?
so what is that to a homeowner of say a 300,000 dollar home? $500 more a year for five years?
Written on Kilmer, Others Propose Bill to Cut State Elected Officials' Salaries:
Truth is, this is about leadership, demonstrate the correct fools who choose to only see through your partisan goggles ARE the problem, not dems or gop! Kilmer will continue to soar, but my guess is he slides in behind Dicks.
Written on OUR VIEW | For Congress, Vote Patty Murray, Norm Dicks ... and James Watkins:
in response to jodaddy:
"Due to what has happened and what I anticipate with the US economy we will have to adopt single payer health insurance."
Hasn't that been the plan all along?
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Written on Killer Olympic Park Goat Examined for Disease:
When the goats family was interviewed by officials, they said the old goat was hard of hearing and felt the hikers were taunting him by chanting feta, mutton and mazithra...later the hikers claimed they only said "ya betta not move nuttin, or the goat will play hell with ya", sorry that was baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!
Written on Big Savings Anticipated if Bremerton, South Kitsap Merge Fire Districts:
in response to USMCSNIPER539:
Roger, here is what you sound like to the rest of the world:
one shot, one kill
Written on Central Kitsap Fire Chief Announces Retirement as Merger Talks Progress:
benifit charge means more money out of the tax payers pockets especially the city, this is a hostile take over to drain us of our last pennies, but hey we will have the fish statues to sleep under....
Written on First Kitsap County Swine Flu Fatality Reported:
I think the vacination project in Kitsap county has been bumbled, don't cry about being a victim of supply, leadership requires you to take responsibility. When you have people like a health district bureaucrat/MD running an emergency incident you will have failures. Other county health officials recognized early that they needed to enlist those who regularly run large emergency incidents, and then give them the mission goals to run with. In this case our health director thinks this situation makes him king and his ego has caused harm to our community members, shame on you!
Written on Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue Will Delay Adding New Firefighters:
Let's see, you really didn't lose any money at all, what you lost was your projection of how much money you might have in the future. You still have 3 or 4 million in reserves right? Post your revenue/expense statement on your web site so we can all see how fat you really are. Why did you buy 14 new fire engines last year, at 400 grand each? Why do you have more support people (day shifters) than all the other kitsap FD's? You have plenty of fat to cut and still improve 911 responses (real workers who solve citizen emergencies).Quit BS'n the public and come clean.
Written on South Kitsap Voters Approve Levy to Open Station, Add Firefighters:
72% yes for EMS in SK says a lot! This is a service that we that word? VALUE! When a life is saved, be it a car accident, heart attack, alergic reaction to a bee sting while playing...this is low cost high value insurance for what 72% of the community really cares about, that is, the people who make up this community, even the vocal minority who bravely boasts they don't want or need it, anyone with an IQ knows you would beg loudest for help when you or someone you really cared about needed that help, you see as your neighbor we even care about you!
Written on Kitsap County Likely to Take on Debt for Bremerton Condos:
Dahl: 2 of the 3 county commissioners who approved the deal were from the "red" side, one is now a state legislator from the "red" side...will anyone be held accountable for this? NO just like those "dirty reds" who lied about the motives for entering into a middle east war...this isn't about blue or red, its about people we trust to make decisions for us and when they fail, to this degree there should be a judicial review for negligence.
BainbridgeClearCut: Ms. A was a mouthpiece for the KCHA and then was promoted to deputy director by Norm McGlaughlin with no qualifications seen...Norm ran with Cary, Dick Hayes and the others, their regime is so over that even Norm Dicks can't save them this time. How can a non-profit housing authority who acts and looks like governement, unfairly compete with general contractors who make their livelyhood in the development business without the non-profit advantage (condos, city halls, etc)this is criminal!
Roger: you are right on the money!
PennyRobinson: you are still an idiot and demonstrate that regularly.
Written on LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Vote ‘Yes' for SK's EMS Levy:
candyman, Ms. Penny is actually a guy who is an out of work county employee who has learned to drink too much...the world population reference is a dead give away with many other posts under different names where he thinks that death is an acceptable result of not enforciing safety codes, skate boarding accidents or what have you...a true nut job who gets boob boners from stupid blog posts that rile normal people. Place him on iggy!
jhazmar, you must be a product of the SK school system when they weren't passing their levies! OK, let's review your math...24 hours a day times 365 days a year equals 8760 hours a year. With 3, 24 hour shifts that about 56 hours week. When you take the 8760 and try to cover that with 8 hour shifts, you can take 40 hours a week times 52 weeks and you get 2080 hours a year. Divide 8760 by 2080 and you get a little more than 4 shifts required to cover that same 24/7 goal. So to do this would requires an increase of one additional shift or a 33% increase in the manpower...skcharge is right, you should change the batteries in your calculator or take a class at OC!
PS. Penny admit you are an idiot, its the first of 12 steps to your a friend of Bill and Ed
Written on OUR VIEW | Vote ‘Yes' for Mason District 5 Levy:
This just in....Mason 5 doesn't provide paramedic services so the law caps them at 25 cents per 1000 of assessed value for their EMS levy, that is why they are not asking for 50 cents....this is the most they can have per the law! How did the merger with Shelton effect costs here?
Written on OUR VIEW | Economics Mean Central Kitsap EMS Levy Must Wait:
hello fire commissioners....are you awake? Stop tnhe madness...before you lose all faith
Written on OUR VIEW | Renew Support for South Kitsap EMS Levy:
What a laugh and a half..."drive yourself to the emergency room", be brave and post that information around your neck so all emergency responders can respect your wishes, its natures law of selection at its best!
I live and work in SK and things are hard right now, but not so hard that we can't figure out a way to pay 3 dollars more a month to keep the EMS services SKFR now provides. I checked and compared to CKFR and Mason 2, SKFR has the lowest tax rate by far, yet they protect the most people and have more 911 calls for help each year than the other two combined! Let's perserve our community and its critical emergency services, join me in VOTING YES FOR EMS!
Written on SK Fire Ups Incentive for Voters to Pass Levy:
Once again SKFR has prepared for opportunities that benefit our community, the 1.3 million in 2008 SAFER act grant money avoids local property tax impacts for that exact amount. They have demonstrated our need for more Firefighter/EMTs on a national competitive process. The chief told us at a community meeting that the waiver on SAFER act grant matching funds is NOT for the 2008 awards, its for the 2009-2010 awards. He also told us that with this award, no Fire Department in Washington State has received more federal grant money than SKFR, because it is based on need. Look at SKFR's web site, you will see that they have the most work, nearly 9100 calls a year, yet have the lowest tax rate...that gets my suport!
Written on LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Sorry, SK Levy, My Tax Dollars Are Already Taken:
Yeah yeah yeah blame it on the new generation, that's a great move for the future, funny thing is back in the day when cars were invented, the horse riding generation said the same thing about the "young" generation (ask dahl, he sounds like he was there) So your enlightened approach is to pass along criticism to the future generation just as you were convenienient that the social problem isn't part of your doing! The definition of insanity is repeating the same thing and expecting a different result, guess that makes you a coo-koo, coo-koo...
Written on LETTER TO THE EDITOR: We'd Be Paying More With SK Levy:
With your thinking, you don't buy bread, milk or eggs anymore, because no matter what, the prices just keep going up and you aren't getting any more eggs than you got when you were 8 years old...have you gone on a fast in protest? Get over yourself, it cost more than a nickle to see a movie these days!
Ohhhhhh, I think dahl has been nailed. He and others are not interested in value for their tax dollar as they allude, they simply think all taxes are bad and they all need to go away, even when they serve the basic emergency needs and our children...I nominate dahl for chair of the CAVE club! Remember you get what you pay for!
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What's Up With Drilling and Earthquakes?
| Tue Jul. 24, 2012 1:44 PM GMT
There has been increasing concern about the potential role of fracking in earthquakes. The worries prompted the the US Geological Survey to look into it, and scientists found that the increase in earthquakes is likely man-made, but probably caused more by wastewater disposal than fracking itself. Now, a fabulous new piece from EnergyWire looks a little more deeply at the wastewater connection.
Reporter Mike Soraghan visited Oklahoma, where state officials are taking their time investigating the connection between the industrial processes and a magnitude-5.6 quake that damaged homes and highways along the Wilzetta Fault last year:
The whole article is an informative read on the state of science and policy when it comes to these quakes.
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Retirement will keep getting tougher
Corporations and state and local governments have replaced defined-benefit pension plans with less expensive defined-contribution plans. This trend will continue. Health-care costs for retirees are increasing faster than the inflation rate. Residential real estate prices have fallen sharply from their high points in most parts of the country, and the prospects for appreciation are mixed. Home equity loans, which typically have the effect of reducing the net assets available at retirement, are used too often.
Corporations are forcing employees out of the work force at younger ages. Conservative investments are returning less than 1 percent. And Congress may reduce entitlement benefits.
These are just some of the factors that spell trouble for those who are not saving for retirement at a serious clip.
One of the most important things to do is regularly invest a significant portion of your income for retirement. If you are not saving at least 10 percent of your net pay, you are probably not saving enough, especially if your employer no longer offers a defined-benefit plan.
When you receive a raise, immediately increase your savings. Rebalance once a year. That way, you are taking some profits from your more successful investments and reinvesting in alternatives that are at lower prices.
Do not invest too much of your retirement investments into your employer's common stock. You don't want to be too dependent on the financial stability of your employer.
Take advantage of any available tax-deferred retirement options. Make sure you use the benefits of IRAs, Roth IRAs, 401(k)s, and Roth 401(k)s if you can. If your employer offers a 401(k) match, make sure you contribute at least the minimum amount to receive the maximum employer match. Don't wait until your 50s to start a serious investment program. The earlier you start, the easier it will be.
Don't accept 100 percent of the financial burden regarding college education for your children. It's too expensive. Let your children know well in advance that they must accept a significant part of the financial burden and encourage them to look for scholarships, grants and loans on their own.
Do not be too conservative with your investment selections. If you are 10 years or more away from retirement, it makes no sense to have any of your retirement investments in low-yielding vehicles such as Treasury bills, money market instruments or short-term savings accounts.
Select only cost-effective investment vehicles. Invest only in no-load mutual funds, as opposed to commission-based funds. Select only mutual funds and exchange-traded funds that have a history of low costs. If you are many years away from retirement, make sure you have a significant percentage of your investments in some form of common stocks. On a long-term basis, common stocks should provide more growth potential than other investments.
Develop a diversified portfolio, with a portion in bonds as well as stocks. Have some investments in global and international vehicles. You may want to have a small portion of your portfolio in commodities including some gold.
However, I would not invest a large percentage in commodities that provide no income. Commodity investments are volatile and generally produce no or little income. My limit is 5 percent of the whole portfolio's value.
If at all possible, try to go into retirement without an outstanding mortgage. If you can, make extra payments while you are employed to reduce the mortgage, especially if your interest rate is high. You will have a lot more flexibility in retirement if you own your home mortgage-free.
If you are close to retirement and you believe your retirement income will be insufficient, consider options that will provide you with additional income. If you are considering self-employment options, talk to volunteers at your local SCORE chapter for free counseling and low-cost seminars before you actually retire.
Employers, both in the public and private sectors, continue to introduce policies that make it more difficult for employees to retire in financial comfort. Employees who want a comfortable retirement must take the initiative to improve their own financial future. People who recognize this and take the initiative early in their careers can ensure prosperous retirements.
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Reviews for The Devil's Own Hospitality
Xion is my fate 'Laura Heart chapter 1 . 10/22/2009
It was very good. I know about "dream writing" and it is very difficult to make understandable. You have a natural talent.
Lasgalendil chapter 1 . 12/1/2008
I. Am. Intrigued!
The whole dream like sequence showed us how bizarre and confusing the events must have seemed to Molly herself. I still maintain that the strongest part of this piece is the ambiguity-did Molly dream the whole thing, starting with the inn, or did it actually happen? The reader is forced to choose an option, which elevates the tension.
Grubbing around in the dirt under the bridle gives me the creeps...her horror and acceptance of the revelation were vivid. Realizing, or knowing concretely, for the first time, what sort of horror this creature is is quite terrifying. Especially given the foreshadowing of 'losing' when playing a fae's game.
The repetition of Schmendrick's warnings/plea tied the whole piece together-and left us even more intrigued. Is he wounded, dying? Wanting to hold her? Is danger passed or is it only just beginning?
This piece definitely ended on a strong note. Thanks for a great one!
Tiamat42 chapter 1 . 7/13/2007
Oh, very nice! The descriptions are just enough to give you an image, but not enough to be overbearing. It feels very much like a dream, but then again, so did the book, really. Molly and Schmendrick...what a couple, if only for the names. Boring normality meets wildly improbable and almost silly fantasy... what's not to like?
There were a couple of mistakes, missing words I think, and a few awkward sentences that only stand out because the rest of it flows so well.
I haven't read any Last Unicorn fanfic before this...but it's nice to see that it's out there. I loved this book once upon a time. ;)
Kyer chapter 1 . 3/23/2007
You wrote this after severe sleep deprivation? It's a wonder it's as understandable as it is. And quite lovely even if I wish it hadn't ended quite so soon.
pigtailedgirl chapter 1 . 3/2/2007
Wow. Wonderful story. It reads so much like the novel in style and description, I'm wondering if you are secretly Mr. Beagle. ;D
Fantastic and favored and printed.
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