text:
So you've probably heard a fair bit of the hype around Google Social Search being launched this week, but are thinking what the hell is that, or better yet, how does it work for me? The video above on Google Social Search gives you a pretty quick demo from Maureen Heymans, tech lead on the project from Google.
Ok, so it's pretty simple at heart, Google will now automatically connect, find and display relevant content within your searches, based on your public social graph (eg. what social networks you've given permission for Google to access) and add them at the bottom of the results page so you can easily see what your friends and connections have been saying about the exact thing you've just searched for!
This is pretty cool. In fact, it's incredibly cool to automatically pull opinions from your networks on the fly, before you get too far down one path in your research. Now here comes the whole "Social Search Optimization" debate….!


text:
Thomas Cook Airlines Launches Interactive LGBTQ Map
Thomas Cook Airlines analyzed close to 1000 incredible moments -- including first Prides around the world -- from over 100 countries that have all propelled the LGBTQ community forward since the Stonewall Riots in 1969. This information has been aggregated into an interactive world love map.
Some U.S. trends uncovered in their research include:
To see how accurate this research was, Thomas Cook Airlines also sent LGBTQ YouTube stars Riyadh Khalaf and Doug Armstrong to the U.S. to experience NewarkPride (yes, Newark... as in New Jersey!) and San Diego Pride. Both created epic video diaries of their time there... have a watch!
Riyadh said: "Newark Pride was a surprise for us. If I'm honest, I expected the event to be bigger but what we were greeted with was an intimate crowd of passionate marchers that weren't more than 400 in size. Compared to gigantic pride celebrations like that of London and Manchester, Pride in Newark felt incredibly intimate and poignant. The local LGBTQ+ community may not be huge but they were beaming with Pride, colour, bravery and conviction. It felt like a real honour to step into their space and celebrate this moment alongside them."
Doug said: "San Diego Pride itself was the best part of the trip. I was a little bit nervous about attending alone, but within seconds of getting out of my cab a friendly drag queen came over, made conversation, and filled me in with everything I needed to know. I quickly made friends throughout the weekend too. The atmosphere of the parade was electric and although it stretched for miles, it was a lot more intimate than other pride events I'd been to. Anyone is free to walk in the parade, and there was a real sense of community and friendliness that made me feel at home."
Also in Travel

subset: commoncrawl


text:
JB Pritzker, Governor
IDFPR Home
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text:
Wall Street CEOs: Who's paid the mostFebruary 25, 2013: 5:26 AM ET
It's that time of year again. Most of the nation's big banks have disclosed how much chief executives earned in 2012. While some had their compensation cut, others received hefty raises.
One caveat: Wells Fargo (WFC) CEO John Stumpf, who received $17.6 million in total compensation in 2011, is not on the list. Wells has not yet disclosed Stumpf's 2012 compensation.
Lloyd Blankfein: $21 million
The CEO of Goldman Sachs (GS), took home a pay package totaling $21 million.
On top of his base salary of $2 million, Goldman Sachs' board granted Blankfein a nearly $19 million bonus: $13.3 million in stock and $5.6 million in cash.
In 2011, Blankfein received total compensation worth $12 million.
He wasn't the only one who got a raise last year. The other top four executives at Goldman were paid base salary and bonuses worth a combined $71 million.
Brian Moynihan: $12.1 million
Bank of America (BAC) shares doubled in value last year, and Moynihan was rewarded with a big pay raise.
The CEO was granted $11.1 million in restricted shares for 2012. Including his base pay, Moynihan received a total pay package of just over $12 million.
The compensation package is much larger than the prior year, when Moynihan was paid $7 million.
Moynihan's windfall came as shares of Bank of America rallied from less than $6 in January 2012 to nearly $12 at the end of the year.
Michael Corbat: $11.5 million
Citgroup paid its new CEO $11.5 million in 2012, including one of the few cash bonuses doled out to top Wall Street CEOs last year.
Corbat, a 29-year veteran of the bank, took the helm after Vikram Pandit stepped down in October. Pandit, who received $6.7 million for his efforts in 2012, was the first CEO of a major bank to have his pay package voted down by shareholders in 2011.
Citi (C) has restructured the way it pays top executives. Instead of deferred cash compensation, 30% of their pay last year came in the form of "performance share" stock grants, which won't be paid out for another two years.
The goal is to strengthen the link between CEO compensation and how well the company performs. Corbat is due to get up to $3.1 million on that score.
Jamie Dimon: $11.5 million
Despite having his bonus cut in half, Dimon took home a total of $11.5 million in 2012.
Dimon's compensation included a $10 million bonus, down from $21.5 million in 2011, when he was the best paid bank CEO.
The decision to slash Dimon's bonus was in response to the $6.2 billion loss JPMorgan (JPM) suffered on the so-called London Whale trade. Dimon said the losses on credit derivatives were due to "sloppiness" and "bad judgment."
JPMorgan's board also decided to push back Dimon's eligibility to sell $79 million of JPMorgan's stock for 18 months.
James Gorman: $6 million
Morgan Stanley (MS) has been cutting back, and Gorman's pay was not immune.
He will get stock options, a deferred cash bonus and base pay worth $6 million for 2012, according to a person familiar with the bank's plans. He also received a long-term incentive plan valued at $3.75 million.
All told, Gorman's compensation is down 7% from 2011, when he received a pay package worth $10.5 million.
Morgan Stanley announced plans last month to eliminate 1,600 jobs, or 3% of its workforce, including "more senior employees."
For 2013, Morgan Stanley has decided to hike Gorman's base pay to $1.5 million, up from $800,000.


text:
Ticket #10276 (closed defect: duplicate)
Occasional BSOD upon shutting down a VM
|Reported by:
|Owned by:
|VirtualBox 4.1.8
|Guest type:
|Host type:
Hey guys,
So here's the story: I was using v3.2 and older versions with no problem for months( host: windows server 2003 x86, guests: mostly xp x86) . then i decided to upgrade to the latest version (4.1.6 at the time i think). one time, while i was installing win7 x64 as a guest OS, the host froze and i had to restart it. that was the first time ever that i had such a problem with VBox. but not the last time. but first a little background on how i use VBox:
i usually run VBox through terminal service. by connecting remotely to the host and running the VM. there are a lot of times that 2 different VM's are running under 2 different accounts/sessions (which both are terminal service sessions). now this might have nothing to do with the problem, but i thought it was worth mentioning. sometimes i noticed, after shutting down a VM, the system fails to completely shut it down. VBox manager stuck with a black screen and status of "stopping..." or something like that. i couldn't close the window and if i tried to force it via task manager, i would get BSOD. i pretty much tried anything i could think of but it didn't help. most of the times, the VM shuts down properly but every once in a while, it either gets stuck or gives me a BSOD right away. sometimes, i can also see this in the log:
00:03:05.295 ERROR [COM]: aRC=E_ACCESSDENIED (0x80070005) aIID={1968b7d3-e3bf-4ceb-99e0-cb7c913317bb} aComponent={Console} aText={The virtual machine is being powered down}, preserve=false 00:03:05.982 Changing the VM state from 'DESTROYING' to 'TERMINATED'.
Also, sometimes the VM shuts down but if i try to restore a snapshot, its unable to access it and i practically lose the whole VM, with VBox manager giving error about not finding the snapshot. every time i have to open the .xml file of that VM and manually edit out the snapshot so it could start to work again. i even uninstalled the whole VBox once, tried to find any trace of left-over entries in the registry, removed them and installed the latest version ( 4.1.8 ), disabled the usb support and host-only network support in installation options, but it's still the same.
I thought it got something to do with graphical interface. so i started running my VMs via VBoxHeadless. with VBoxHeadless, i dont see that error in the log anymore but still every once in a while, upon shutting down a VM, i get BSOD. i don't really remember, but i think even by running a single VM, i still got BSOD once. which suggests its not about running different VMs under different sessions. i have attached the minidumps. i have also attached vbox.log files for two of those minidumps (one from v4.1.6 and other v4.1.8). the error codes in minidumps are different each time . the first minidump might be for the time when i was trying to install win 7 x64 as i said earlier. ( to be honest, i can't really recall whether i got BSDO or the system completly froze. cause in case of the latter, minidump, wouldnt be there). but nevertheless, all of those BSODs are originated from VBox and probably except the first one, the rest happened exactly after shutting down a VM.
If there's anything else i could provide, please tell me know.
Change History
Changed 9 years ago by B.Sam
- attachment dumps_logs.zip added
comment:1 Changed 9 years ago by B.Sam
I also got full Kernel memory dump (324 MB) for the last BSOD. since i suspect it might contain sensitive data, i can't send it publicly. but if developers think its needed, im able to send it to them.
comment:2 in reply to: ↑ description Changed 9 years ago by B.Sam
If there's anything else i could provide, please tell me know.
I wish i could modify my description. even though its a small change, but sometimes even small changes matter. anyway, the line should read:
If there's anything else i could provide, please let me know.
comment:3 Changed 9 years ago by B.Sam
Got another sweet BSOD last night! unfortunately, it seems the system failed to create a memory dump since it doesn't seem to be there. this BSOD, like other ones, exactly happened when the VM was supposed to terminate. i was looking at the task manager when this happened and although i'm not 100% sure, but it seemed to me VBoxSVC.exe was terminated while VBoxHeadless.exe was still running. I might be wrong of course.
I will attach the Vbox.log file. I'm also planning to downgrade to v3.2 in the coming week. since the VBox is running on a quite critical server, i can not risk it anymore.
Changed 9 years ago by MarkCranness
- attachment VBox.log.1 added
comment:4 Changed 9 years ago by MarkCranness
Related (based on error message in logs).
Using Close Virtual Machine > Save machine state to close and save a VM. Saving save state file stalls at 100% indicated, and VM can't be stopped or paused or anthing. See log attacched as VBox.log.1
comment:5 Changed 8 years ago by B.Sam
Is there any news on this? I've been using 3.2.14 for the past 2 months without a single bsod.
comment:6 Changed 8 years ago by AWsum+
I'm having exactly the same problem. I regularly get these BSOD in the host OS (which is Windows XP with SP3 AND Windows 7 with SP 1) when I shutdown a VM. It mostly (not always) happens when I have more then 4 VM's running and I shutdown one of them. In 95 percent of the cases where I get a BSOD when running VirtualBox, it happens when I shutdown a machine. Sometimes it also happens when i'm working on the VM, but not very often.
I provided all logs that I could find. If you need more information, please don't hesitate to ask. :)
Oh. I almost forgot. It happens on Virtualbox 4.1.8, 4.1.10, 4.1.12, 4.1.14 and 4.1.16. in WinXP and Win7
Changed 8 years ago by AWsum+
- attachment Guests VM's.zip added
Logs from the guests OS's (Windows and Linux)
Changed 8 years ago by AWsum+
- attachment Windows minidump files.zip added
Changed 8 years ago by infomaniac50
- attachment Mini061212-01.dmp added
Window Server 2003 R2 SP2
Changed 8 years ago by infomaniac50
- attachment infomaniac50 vbox log.log added
comment:7 Changed 8 years ago by infomaniac50
Here is my two cents. Analyzed the dump file and it looks like a BAD_POOL_HEADER error in vboxheadless.exe.
I run virtual box as a web service while using phpvirtualbox to access it over the network. Also it crashed as soon as one of my VMs was about to poweroff. I am also using the latest version of VirtualBox.
EDIT: My problem may actually be a bad ram issue on the host. Just got another dump check and in both instances it is a failure to read from the same address in memory.
comment:8 Changed 8 years ago by frank
The problem with restoring a snapshot during VM shutdown is a duplicate of #10491.
comment:9 follow-up: ↓ 10 Changed 8 years ago by virtualguy
Here too:
Random BSOD's when shutting down VM or saving its state, while at least one other machine is running.
Version: 4.1.x in virtually any hardware emulation combination
Host: both XPsp3 and 7sp1
Guest: independent of OS
comment:10 in reply to: ↑ 9 Changed 8 years ago by virtualguy
I have created a new Ticket https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/10867 because AWsum+'s and my observations are slightly different from OP. I have also attached Dumps and Logs to the ticket. Here is a quote about whats happening:
Random IRQ_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, BAD_POOL_HEADER & MEMORY_MANAGEMENT BSOD's occur on Win hosts when shutting down a VM or saving its state, while at least one other machine is running.
Tested on both XPsp3(32bit) and 7sp1(32bit) on two different computers with all 4.1 and 4.2 versions.
To reproduce: Start 2 VMS running only are bare live linux. Let one running, while saving the state / resume the other. Repeat. It might take upto 10 tries until host BSOD occurs.
comment:11 Changed 8 years ago by virtualguy
I found another related bug report https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/10736
comment:12 Changed 8 years ago by michaln
- Status changed from new to closed
- Resolution set to duplicate
This is a duplicate of #9897. Note that it only happened on 32-bit Windows hosts (and the effect was a host crash, not a hang). And it only affected version 4.1.x, not 4.0.x or older releases.
comment:13 Changed 8 years ago by B.Sam
Anyone who's done any kernel debugging, knows that these kinda unpredictable bugs are the hardest ones to find. And yet you've managed to identify and fix it with the little information you had. My hat goes off to you. Thank you and well done


text:
- Sous-fonds
- 1906-1966
Part of Black (Davidson) Family fonds
This sous-fonds contain Adena Black's diaries from the time of her marriage through the First World War, followed by correspondence from family members, her mother-in-law, Margaret Davidson, and, especially from her husband, Davidson. There are also a few letters from friends, some of whom, like the Houghtons, were associated with the Peking Union Medical School. The correspondence is grouped by family and, from Davidson, is arranged chronologically.
Also present are files documenting some of Adena's activities in China and, in particular, her attempts to market Chinese-made objects, initially through a partnership with Daisy and Marion Boulton in Toronto (1924-1928) and latterly (1931-1934) through the Peking Temples Company, incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware in 1931. The goods were sold through a store in Port Carling in Muskoka, and through other venues. These files contain correspondence, and financial records and, for the Peking Temples Company, incorporation documents.
This sous-fonds ends with correspondence relating to the death of Davidson Black, tributes to him, and the design for and photographs of his grave. There are also files documenting Adena's final years in China, including some on her husband's library, her continuing interest in the fate of the Peking Union Medical School, and the writing of Dora Hood's biography of her husband.
Black, Adena


text:
Single Game Hoop Tickets On Sale Beginning Monday Nov. 3rd
October 16, 2008
By ODU Athletics
By ODU Athletics
Oct. 16, 2008
NORFOLK, Va. -- Old Dominion men's and women's basketball single game tickets go on sale beginning at 10 am on Monday, November 3rd at the Constant Center and online. The Monarchs have another strong slate of opponents that include Richmond, UAB, and Winthrop. The Lady Monarch opponents include defending NCAA champion Tennessee, 2006 national champion Maryland and a re-match of the thrilling Sweet 16 game against Virginia.
To order single game tickets, visit the website (www.coxtix.com), call Cox Tickets at 888-3COXTIX, or stop by the Constant Center Box Office between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.


text:
Are You Looking For An Oakland Electrician?
You are definitely in the right place for finding a trustworthy electrician in Oakland.
And I know saying that we're trustworthy Oakland electricians really doesn't mean much to you because you've yet to experience our work.
Sadly words these days are cheap. So many companies claim one thing and act totally different once they have your money.
And it's because of this I decided as an electrician that telling you we are trustworthy doesn't end there.
I believe that there is no better way to make a claim that you can trust us as your Oakland electrician, than by backing those words with action before you even pay us for your electrical work.
Why Choose Five Or Free As Your Electrician In Oakland?
Our electricians service Oakland, and because of this you are always protected by the 5 Promises we make upfront to you. If we don't keep all 5 promises to you, your electrical work is totally FREE:
- Your Electrical Work Is Completed To Your Satisfaction
- Your Home Is Left Neat & Tidy – No Mess
- Your Quote Stays As Agreed Upon – No Changes
- Your Calls & Emails Returned Within 1 Business Day
- You're Not Made To Wait For A Late Arrival
You don't pay anything unless we meet all 5 promises to you. It's that simple.
As a customer you also get 5 solid guarantees from us that take all risk away from you ever wasting your money on any electrical work you use us for:
- $10,000 Love Us Or Leave Us Guarantee
- You Never Pay More Than It's Worth, Or We Pay You The Difference Guarantee
- 7-Year Material Warranty
- 17-Year Electrical Service Guarantee
- Friendliest Electricians In The Bay Guarantee
Feel free to read more about our 5 guarantees to you, and learn how they protect your electrical investment.
You will always receive these 5 Promises & 5 Guarantees with your electrical work when you use us. Period. That's why we're called Five Or Free Electrical Solutions.
How Do We Serve You?
All of our electricians are highly trained and skilled at what they do. Our team has over 30 years combined electrical experience.
And each one of our electricians has a lot of joy in what they do.
We have an absolutely no drugs policy. There is no toleration for anyone who works with us to be using any form of drug that hinders their performance or potentially causes any distress to you.
Each of our employees goes through extensive testing and training before we allow them to be a part of our team.
I completely understand that you're not going to let just any electrician into your home, you have to trust that electrician. That's why I put so much into protecting you with our upfront 5 Promises & 5 Guarantees and only hiring exceptional individuals to serve you.
So if you're looking for a reliable local Oakland electrician. Give us a call today, and see if we live up to all that we promise and guarantee you.
Call Today! 510-394-2770
Let us show you why so many customers have come to trust our electrical service in Oakland.
Search terms used to find electricians in oakland, CA:looking for oakland electrician,oakland electrician,local oakland electricians, electrician in oakland,oakland california electrician,electricians in oakland,oakland ca electrician


text:
UK Returns
In light of the present worlwide situation we understand you might not be able to get a returned item back to us as quickly as before. We are therefore more than doubling our usual returns period to 60 Days. The returns policy is exactly the same, ie TAGS have to be attached, items unworn in brand new condition, etc. returns policy click here)
If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase or need to return an item for any reason, simply return the items to us in their original condition and packaging within 60 days of receipt and we will issue you with a refund/exchange or store credit
Click here for more information on returns
International Returns
If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase or need to return an item for any reason, simply return the items to us in their original condition and packaging within 60 days of receipt and we will issue you with a refund
Click here for more information on returns
WE ARE OPEN FOR YOUR ORDERS! - We have put in place extra safety measures for our staff where we can work easily with plenty of distance between us and added extra cleaning processes. We continue to be guided by UK Government Advice. Thank you so much for your custom through this period. STAY SAFE!
UK Shipping
FREE - Standard 2-3 Business Day* Delivery- On Orders £29.95 or over (Normally £1.99)
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* Please note - All orders placed Monday - Friday before 16:00pm GMT will be dispatched same day. Next Business Day Services aren't guaranteed but 98% of all orders do reach their destination on the next business day. Next Business Day deliveries aren't guaranteed for certain exception post codes including the Scottish Highlands, Channel Islands and Northern Island. Orders aren't presently dispatched on Saturdays, Sundays or bank/public holidays
Click here for more information on UK shipping
Worldwide Shipping
We ship to 80+ Countries around the world using DHL. International shipping rates from £5. Some services are FREE on worldwide orders over £75
About Brixton Bowery Flannel Shirt
The Brixton Bowery Long Sleeve Flannel Shirt never goes out of fashion, classic style and easy to pair with most outfits.
Made from a 60% cotton, 22% polyester and 18% acrylic blend making a durable shirt that's equally comfortable. With a standard fit and standard shirttail hem.
Featuring two chest pockets with a custom Brixton woven label on the left, and adjustable button sleeves to finish.


text:
Donna's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Haddie McLean shared these cookies on the morning show and suggested that they would be good enough for breakfast. I adapted the recipe and make them a little less healthy by adding chocolate chips. If you prefer, skip the chips and add dried cranberries. You can also skip the shortening. The cookies will be not quite as moist but still taste good.
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup shortening or butter, optional 1 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1-1/2 cups flour 3 cups rolled quick oats 1 cup chocolate chips or dried cranberries 1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, shortening, and brown sugar. Beat until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Beat until smooth. Add flour and mix well. Add oatmeal and again mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Using 2 teaspoons drop a small amount of batter on cookie sheets. Press dough flat with palm of your hand. Bake for 8 – 9 minutes. Do not over bake. Remove cookies from pan and cook on a rack. Store in plastic bags.
Makes 70 small cookies
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 60
Fat, gm.: 2.5 Protein, gm.: 1 Carb. gm.: 8 Cholesterol, mg.: 5 Fiber: 0.6


text:
As a former resident of Philadelphia, WMMR is my all time favorite radio station, and the Preston and Steve Show is my favorite morning radio show. I listen to it every morning on my way to work and, while I sometimes may disagree with what they say, often I find they are fair and rational and funny–very, very funny. But when I heard this morning that Giorgio Tsoukalos was going to be on the program, I was curious because (a) he is either a charlatan or an idiot and (b) his hypotheses are ridiculous and I don't think respectable radio shows like the Preston and Steve Show should be giving this guy any legitimacy. More on this below.
So I tuned in during work hours (with permission) so I could listen to the interview. And lo and behold, Preston and Steve (and everyone else on the program) were giving this guy all sorts of validation. As someone who is working towards becoming a historian, as someone who spends countless hours fact-checking and researching and learning ancient languages to better understand the social and cultural evolution and development of these civilizations, Giorgio Tsoukalos is an affront to it all. And people actually buy into his trash. They buy his filth and eat it up like it were some gourmet meal.
I took some notes and I'd like to share them with you, my readers, below, and then I'd like to say a few more things about this interview.
1. Nazca Lines
Tsoukalos brought up the Nazca lines. And while he is talking about this he is saying things like 'well who did they make these images for?' and 'they didn't have balloons to go up there and see these things' and other nonsense like that. The stench of this man's bullscat is sickening. First, just because we don't know how something happened doesn't mean we can just leap to the conclusion 'therefore aliens'. This is not how historians and archaeologists find answers. Making this incredible leap it is how we substitute fiction and myth for answers. It is no different than when a fundamentalist Christian will say 'we don't know, therefore god did it.' It is intellectually lazy because it basically suggests that we should just stop looking for answers and blindly accept the 'aliens guided the process' argument based on absolutely no evidence whatsoever.
What is worse, however, is that we do know something about the Nazca lines and who made them: they were made by people. Humans who have the ability to conceptualize, plan, and execute an idea. What Tsoukalos is actually saying is that they don't believe humans could have conceptualized such a feat and put it to action without some exterior force guiding them. But again this is silly.
We know that ancient civilizations–even primitive ones–were full of smart people who were both mathematically inclined (i.e., they started to develop an aptitude for advanced math, which of course was part of their evolutionary processes, both culturally and physically, which made them more apt at engineering these great feats). And we know that they used a large manual labor force to build. The Nazca lines took years to make with a large labor force and quite likely the engineers behind the process used grid layouts to create them (much like how crop circles are made today). There is no need to fabricate an alien authority or overlord, when humans are more than capable of developing and using these tools themselves, probably for religious purposes (based on the archaeological and anthropological findings in the area, it seems like this area was a religious mecca for the Nazca). This is discussed in more detail below.
2. Cultural Explosion:
Another falsity that Tsoukalos brings up is that there was this supposed cultural explosion around the world. But he is grossly misinformed (or he is just lying). Despite what he says, cultures around the world were not 'jump started'; real archaeologists and historians see a gradual progression of development. Culture did not just spring forth from the ground ex nihilo, but had humble beginnings and took thousands of years.
Again, Tsoukalos is just inventing things here or he doesn't actually know the facts. Not only did there exist a gradual progression of development but this development happened at different times, in different ways, through a series of different evolutionary processes. Let's just take one example (of the many I could provide), the pyramids.
He has been quoted as saying that the alien astronauts 'gave us the nudge' we needed to build them. But in fact this is just more speculation. Anyone with a background in Egyptian engineering can show a direct linear progression from what were essentially burial mounds to more complex structures, all the way to the pyramids.
Again, the slightest bit of research is all it takes to discount his entire theory! In fact the construction of the great pyramids used the engineering features that worked in earlier pyramid types (like the function of building a wide base at the bottom to a narrow base on top, or using the 'step' pattern from the 'stepped-pyramid' design to construct the bent-pyramids and great pyramids). See below:
The unfortunate thing about Tsoukalos' perspective is it essentially presupposes that humans are incapable of cultural evolution which flies in the face of all known human history, which rests entirely upon the development of culture and social groups. It presupposes that we needed another being (instead of 'Ra', Tsoukalos uses 'alien', but one might as well use 'leprechaun' or 'fairy' or 'snarfwidget' because they are all speculative, intellectually lazy examples of people just inventing an outside intelligence to take credit for human evolutionary processes).
But then he and his ilk take it to the next level by suggesting that, since pyramids exist on different continents, built by different people, then there must have been some ancient alien presence guiding it all. But they don't take into account the various differences in cultural stages throughout every continent. They presume that since the end result is 'pyramids' they all were built around the same time, which is simply false.
Take into account the largest pyramid in the world, the Great Pyramid of Cholula. Initial construction began in the 3rd century BCE (about 2200 years ago), and was built over the course of hundreds of years, with various phases of construction occurring throughout, finally completed in the 9th century CE (1200 years ago). This is a relatively late pyramid, despite its magnitude, when compared to the Great Pyramid of Giza which was constructed over 4500 years ago, which is over 2300 years before construction began in Cholula! And subsequently the majority of other 'pyramid-types' from around the world came later and later. The only exception are the ziggurats of many ancient Near Eastern civilizations, some of which were built as early as the fourth millennium BCE.
But Tsoukalos, et al, will not tell you about the problem of dating; they want you to falsely believe that the pyramids were comfortably built by civilizations across the globe all around the same time. This is the trouble with these sorts of crazy hypotheses. They suggest the exact opposite of what is archaeologically known about these structures.
Tsoukalos likes to use the word 'primitive'; we were just too 'primitive' to do anything right. They insist that we were so unsophisticated and backwards that we couldn't possibly have built these amazing structures ourselves. However the record suggests the opposite is true. Indeed, one has to wonder where Tsoukalos learned the English language. 'Primitive' has a lot of definitions, but all of them are fairly technical and specific. At the point when we started building pyramids, during the 3rd millennium BCE, the Bronze Age, man was far from primitive. 'Primitive' humans may be those humans who lived during the stone age or before. But at the time of the 3rd millennium BCE, man had already developed a strong cultural structure for themselves. Written language, beer, agriculture, metalwork, advanced conceptual thinking and story telling, laws, mathematics (base 60), astronomy, and so on. And perhaps most important, we did not just suddenly 'appear' like this. Man didn't one day gain these skills sui generis, that is to say, humanity hadn't just started to gain culture, it was entrenched in it. That we gained this sophistication over a long period of time and built these structures after a steady, but noticeable, cultural progression is nothing new to anyone who has done the slightest bit of research.
This is most obvious when looking at archaeological discoveries. We didn't go from the stone age to the iron age over the course of a few generations–it took thousands of years, mainly with the innovation of new ore smelting techniques (going from the Copper Age, to the Bronze Age, to the Iron Age). And within these ages are various sub-phases of cultural development. For example the ancient Near Eastern bronze Age spans as thus: Early Bronze Age I – Late Bronze Age IIB took 2100 years and the progression, while slow, was noticeable enough to determine which stage of cultural evolution occurred at which point and belonged to which designation within said age. And throughout the world, these stages happened at different times, at different rates, all of which depended upon a variety of factors (there is no such thing as a 'universal bronze age/iron age').
This absolutely destroys the case for ancient astronaut theory as laid out by Tsoukalos. If there had been an alien hand guiding us, you would see something completely different. The archaeological record would show a universal change at the same time rather than a series of slow progressions over time in various locations. One would expect exactly what these people are claiming; one would expect to find pyramids being built at the same time, in the exact same manner, in the exact same way, functioning exactly the same way. But we don't. The pyramids in South America don't at all resemble the pyramids in Egypt; nor do they serve the same function (i.e., Mesoamerican pyramids functioned as step-pyramids with a temple at the top, whereas Egyptian pyramids were burial structures for royalty). Why? Because they were not constructed by aliens nor were they built by humans with the guided hand of aliens. They were constructed by various types of peoples, from all over the world, at different times, for different reasons, to serve different purposes.
3. Ancient Astronaut 'Reasoning'
During the interview, Tsoukalos states that he is giving us 'his facts'. It may be that Tsoukalos is giving us his approximation of facts, within his own delusional worldview, but in reality he doesn't have 'facts'. What Tsoukalos has is a series of speculative claims based upon pseudo-correlations between poor understandings of the past. His case is so terrible that he has no factual grounding to stand on. It is just all fiction.
Worse, he doesn't seem to realize this or he is intentionally being dishonest. The way Tsoukalos forms his conclusions is quite similar to other pseudoscholarship, like the absurd Hold Blood, Holy Grail people, or the Zeitgeist mythers who draw crazy correlations with limited (or without any) supporting data and then propose these bizarre special-case scenarios and claim, after they are done, that what they have is a 'fact'. Bob Price breaks this down beautifully while engaging all the flaws and fallacies of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, in his The Da Vinci Fraud: Why the Truth is Stranger than Fiction (New York: Prometheus, 2005), 23-4:
Despite their indefatigable research, motivated no doubt by true scholarly zeal, these authors seem unacquainted with inductive historical method. They proceed instead, as they themselves recount the evolution of their hypothesis, more in a novelistic fashion, just like their recent disciple Dan Brown. That is, Baigent, Leigh, and Lincoln constantly connect the dots of data provided by medieval chronicles and such, linking them with the cheap Scotch tape of one speculation after another: "What if A were really B?" "What if B were really C?" "It is not impossible that…" "If so-and-so were the case, this would certainly explain this and that." These are the flashes of imaginative inspiration that allow fiction writers like Dan Brown to trace out intriguing plots. It is essentially a creative enterprise, not one of historical reconstruction.
Indeed, Price hits the nail on the head (even if you don't agree with everything else he says). The same should be said for Tsoukalos and his ilk on the History Channel who produce shows like Ancient Aliens. Tsoukalos' points seem cogent and reasonable if you have absolutely no background knowledge of the past, if you do no followup research, if you let him guide you along his fictional narrative. And it is a narrative, don't let his flashy hair distract you from this. Case in point:
His whole position is based on 'possibility' but 'possibility' is a lose term to use when you have no supporting data, and your position instead contradicts every other known fact or data point out there. Then such a thing is not possible. Then you're just wrong.
Tsoukalos and others like him also seem to suffer from extreme cases of pareidolia where they see images that resemble, artificially, modern objects or modern concepts and then presume, from that point, that these must be depictions of modern technology in antiquity. And they argue, much in the way Price demonstrates above, that since modern technology couldn't exist in antiquity, these must be depictions of alien technology that the ancient 'primitives' simply didn't grasp. See the problem with such an argument?
Here are some more 'arguments' from Tsoukalos:
Anyone who suggests that 'we were building pyramids' at the time that Sumeria was 'being created' (even if he meant 'was being settled', this would still be wrong since the region of Sumer was settled at least 1300 years prior to the first pyramids) should not be talking about history.
4. Conclusions: Caveat Emptor
I have always felt as though the Preston and Steve Show did their best to weed out the trash from the lot. Of course I know that ratings come first, and yes Ancient Aliens is a ratings-grabber because, like most bunk controversial hypotheses, they sell. But I was incredibly disappointed today in the overall thrust of the show. I was expecting some hard-hitting questions. I wanted to hear someone go, 'Ok, come on! You cannot be serious! Aliens?!' Instead I heard a lot of parroted agreements from the team.
Sensibility died a little today. And the tragedy here is that real historians, who work in museums, or educate our students in academic institutions, or who spend time in far away countries (or even this one) doing digs to discover the truth, are completely ignored by the Preston and Steve show. Did they bother inviting on a credible scholar of ancient Near Eastern history (like anyone at ASOR?! ) to participate in the conversation? It isn't like there aren't a handful of excellent universities in the area (Rutgers, UPenn, Temple, Ursinus, etc…); they could have invited any number of experts on the show with which to discuss this issue. Did they invite Bob Cargill onto the program? Cargill, for those who don't know, is a scholar who not only opposes 'Ancient Astronaut theory' but also appeared in the first season of Ancient Aliens but was cut out of following seasons because, I can only assume, he made more sense than Tsoukalos who produces the show.
I will still listen to Preston and Steve, that won't stop over this. Everyone makes mistakes. But I wish they would do something to make amends for this error. They should bring on someone to set the record straight. Thousands of listeners tuned in to listen to Tsoukalos spout his bullscat and many probably will believe what he said without question, because in our society most people don't bother fact-checking their sources (which is why there are still people out there who think The Onion is a real news source–seriously). Tsoukalos had a free pass to spread his fiction to those listeners and I believe that Preston and Steve have a duty, an ethical obligation, to rectify this.
And to those who are yet unconvinced of my opinions on 'Ancient Astronaut Theory', I issue this caveat emptor: believe what you want, it is a free country. But history is not a boring subject you fell asleep in during High School. History the the chronicle of all of society's memories. It is a compendium of humanity–what it means to be 'human'. As a historian, one is tasked with maintaining these memories–just as your brain is tasked with keeping your memories intact, undamaged, available for use–for your future survival. History may not repeat itself, but people who fail to heed the past are doomed to repeat it. What Tsoukalos is doing, what he is suggesting you do, is replace that humanity. To remove what it means to be human and substitute it with 'Alien'. His version of the past will destroy the substance of humanity, and in its place will be little green men. Think I'm being overzealous here? Maybe. But let the buyer beware.
Further Resources:
Filed under: Ancient Near East, Archaeology, Belief, Life, Minimalism, Scholarship, Science Content | Tagged: ancient aliens, ancient astronaut theory, Debunked, Giorgio Tsoukalos, Preston and Steve |


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text: Betelgeuse, Alpha Orionis, is the second brightest star in Orion constellation and the ninth brightest star in the sky. It is a supergiant star, distinctly red in colour, located at an approximate distance of 643 light years from Earth. It is an evolved star, one expected to explode as a supernova in a relatively near future. … [Read more…]


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HARRISBURG – Recently, PennDOT announced that its Driver Licensing Centers, normally closed on Mondays, would be open on Monday, Nov. 5, the day before Election Day, to serve customers with last-minute Voter ID needs.
The department, along with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the union representing its Driver Licensing center employees, announced that those centers will remain closed on that day.
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The Shining "making of" documentary Room 237 has released a brand new trailer. There's not a lot going on, but the track and the eventual surprise are a perfect compliment to Stanley Kubrick's original work. The documentary attempts to explore the various different themes hidden or merely implied in the horror movie. It's getting a lot of love from the critics, and this new trailer is a perfect homage to the original. IFC has just picked up Room 237, and will release it later this year under their IFC Midnight label.
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Peers and paychecks: Sullivan greets faculty with merit pay idea
In her first major public faculty meeting since her emotion-packed summertime reinstatement, University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan joked, extolled the importance of honor in daily life, and told members of the faculty that in addition to the three percent bonus they'll get from the state this December, the best ones– as judged by their peers– may see some merit pay in their future.
"The prospect of review by one's peers can be powerfully motivating," Sullivan told the mostly full Abbott Auditorium at the Darden School at the Tuesday night meeting of the Faculty Senate.
The August 28 event included two standing ovations for the president who found herself pushed out of the presidency shortly after students scattered for the summer– until a groundswell of alumni, faculty, and student support led to her unanimous reinstatement on June 26.
Faculty Senate chair George Cohen brought a plush blue elephant doll to the podium to symbolize "the elephant in the room," and Sullivan touched on the crisis only briefly, thanking the faculty for their support and urging them to embrace innovations in university governance and even in its hallowed halls.
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7 comments
deleted due to insult directed at rector
Dear President Sullivan: Please investigate your human resources organization, conducted by outside professionals and include a best practices study to compare to other top university HR structures. You will see that your HR organization lacks the capability and structure UVA's peer HR organizations -- and any capable HR organization, possess. Regarding compensation, it has no compensation staff -- and even worse, has no compensation management with education and experience to support faculty and staff policy, compliance and salary operations which are so critical at this juncture. You had such a person at a Director and that person was non-renewed by unethical means though that person's work was exemplary.That person's role is now being advertised at a compensation specialist level, and will report three levels below the VP. This was reported to Michael Strine and no action was taken. PLEASE take action on this now -- you and the faculty and staff deserve better.
Merit pay based on a review by your peers .... I don't see how successful that could be because it would be driven by emotion and personality.
Additional comments are not permissible on Hoo d'etat: Top UVA alums demand BOV answers and I have an update for my post dated 8/17/12. My post spoke to a particular UVA staff member holding THREE jobs (and I'm sure there MUST be others).
This is my reply.
@ Cville Eye August 17th, 2012 | 10:06pm "What employees are these? Are their spouses' unemployed? Are they paying off college loans?
8/29/12 Update:
The RN that shared this situation with me indicates, that this staff member is excellent at her job and can't seem to get a desired upgrade BECAUSE her supervisor doesn't want to lose her. This particular staff member has given up her THIRD job, to spend more quality time with her children who are under the ages of ten. No college loan, no spouse in the home, and refuses to seek help from the state.
When a UVA supervisor has a staff member who is OBVIOUSLY talented and could benefit with a pay grade upward, they have an OBLIGATION to assist that staff member. I can understand wanting the unit to flow smoothly, like a well-oiled machine, but to "look the other way", when someone needs a hand up, is unacceptable.
Just thinking……would it be possible for HR to create and develop a program that would encourage supervisors to promote from within?
Enough is enough. Get rid of Dragas before she insights a riot among faculty at uva...
In answer to UVA Invisible . . . All of this talk about the faculty will do nothing for the staff at UVA. Many staff work under terrible supervisors who overload them with work, make unreasonable demands and stand in the way of good talented staff members from moving upwards. All you need to do is read the staff survey down about a year ago and read the comments. Many staff members identified bad supervisors by name in these comments, all are redacted, and specifics of how they have been treated.
Yes, the faculty are important to UVA, as are the students and alumni, but without many hardworking staff members who have seen their take home pay go down in the past two years don't get close to 50% of George Cohen's salary (196,000 per the Richmond times dispatch). And many of these staff members are UVA alums and many have masters degrees or more! I'm glad Sullivan and the faculty will work together to make UVA better, let's just hope they realize that staff need to be involved as well, and it this should be a place at the table, not making copies or ordering refreshments!
@Tired Out August 30th, 2012 | 6:44am "
"In answer to UVA Invisible . . . All of this talk about the faculty will do nothing for the staff at UVA."
Tired Out, I've never said or indicated in ANY of my postings that "the faculty will do nothing for the staff at UVA," Did I misread your posting?
Actually, during my long tenure at the University, many faculty members have stepped in to help staff members AND senior STAFF members stepped in as well. Maybe these were isolated cases but there were situations that faculty members did step up.
I DO agree 100% with the rest of your posting and I dare say, that if ALL STAFF MEMBERS (excluding faculty members) decided, as a group "project" to stay at home one day, University of Virginia would come to an immediate stand still and there would be unbelievable pandemonium and chaos within our serpent walls. Of course, THAT should never happen because, we too, are PROFESSIONALS at what we do.
I agree with you! The BOV needs to reflect the entire Charlottesville/Albemarle community; it IS a public university and we need to be represented.
This make up has a nice ring to it: a student, a faculty member, a staff member, alumni AND a member of the community. If the Governor wants to throw in a few high dollar appointments, so be it BUT on the condition that THAT "donation" go directly into the "coffee and donut" pot at UVA. Hmmmm...just kidding....I think!


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