text:
The story of the personal computer is a fascinating tale, and I can't help but get excited every time I read a new book or article that uncovers some new secret about this wild and wooly history. The lack of reliable information about the sales figures and market share for early computers compelled me to stay up all night a few years back, scouring the Internet and flipping through all my computer history books in the hope of compiling a complete set of figures.
It was not an easy job. Many sources are incomplete, and some are contradictory. Before IDC came along to count up all personal computers being sold every quarter, it was difficult to figure out the exact numbers for total machines sold. In the end, I had to combine and cross-reference many sources, canceling out those that contradicted each other and filling in the gaps with interpolation. There are undoubtedly some errors in the figures, but overall I believe they represent the most complete picture available for the industry as a whole over the last thirty years.
When you step back and look at the big picture, the overall dominance of the PC becomes clear. However, this was not always the case, and in fact it wasn't until 1986 that the PC platform first surpassed 50% market share. This was more than a decade after the first personal computer was sold.
What caused the rise of the PC platform? Undoubtedly, it was the clones. No other platform was ever cloned to the extent that the PC was. (The Apple ][ was cloned by Franklin computers and others before Apple sued them out of existence, and Apple did briefly flirt with licensed Macintosh clones from 1995 until 1997). If IBM hadn't come late to the personal computer party, and hadn't rushed its first PC from off-the-shelf parts and a third-party operating system, this story might have read very differently today.
The only person who predicted the Attack of the Clones was Bill Gates, who recalled that many mainframe computers had spawned work-alike clones in the past. It was this foresight that enabled him to get IBM to agree to a contract whereby Microsoft could license MS-DOS to third parties. IBM, thinking in mainframe timelines and assuming that clones would be perpetually years behind the originals, thought nothing of this stipulation. They were only concerned with getting the lowest possible flat rate for MS-DOS (which they mistakenly called PC-DOS) in the first place.
A combination of extreme foresight and even better luck enabled Microsoft's rise to dominance along with the PC platform. While some may look at this story as having a sad ending, I prefer to see things differently. While alternative platforms may be marginalized today, they still exist, and each platform contributed something of importance to the overall rise of the personal computer, which was the real triumph in this tale.
Before 1975, people could only dream of owning a personal computer. A handful of geeks and enthusiasts turned that dream into reality, and today personal computers are everywhere. Over 173 million computers were sold in 2004, and the figures are expected to continue to rise, as falling prices enable people all over the world to enjoy the benefits of personal computing.
Personal computer market share
as percentages: 1975-2005


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Bubble tea- what fun!
I had my first taste of bubble tea just recently, and I really love the little balls at the bottom of the glass. Here's my take on a bubble tea card, inspired by an image that I saw on google with the most amazing array of coloured teas.
This post is part of a fun blog hop in collaboration with Trinity Stamps and the Coffee Loving Cardmaker's blog. You should have arrived here from the fun loving and super talented Erica's blog.
If you leave comments along the blog hop, you have a chance to win a $25 gift card, PLUS a goodie bag of Trinity Stamps' amazing embellishment mixes. As you can see in the photo above, there are some really fun embellishments in coming up!
I chose to use watercolour to reproduce the lovely bright colours of the bubble teas that I saw online. I used a mix of Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers (try saying that quickly three times!) and Altenew Watercolor Brush markers. I first stamped my cups, lids and straws in Versamark ink, and heat embossed them in white.
I stamped the cups form the Coffee with Character stamp set directly onto my card panel, and cut the lids and straws out of another piece of watercolour paper. I popped the lids and straws up with foam tape.
The final touch on the drinks was the bubbles! I used Trinity Stamps embellishments, of course! There are so many to choose from, and such a variety!
To make the sentiment strip, I used exactly the same colours as I had used in the cups, and let the colours blend along the strip. This meant I got a few new colours that weren't in the original cups, but it came out super vibrant! "Let's get craftea" is made from a mix of words in the Caffeinated Sentiments Stamp set, and I think it fits the card perfectly. This card is heading off to a friend of mine with an invitation to get together and make cards, so it's exactly what I needed to say!
There is so much inspiration along this blog hop, I've had a sneak look at a few of the projects, and I'm blown away. Next on the list is the amazing Christine Burrilo-Kirch, and her amazingly elegant creation. I know you're going to love it.
In case you get lost, I'll leave the whole blog hop list at the bottom of this post.
Until next time, may your days be bright,

subset: commoncrawl


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In what feels like sacrilege by typing this post in MovableType, I'm sharing a Wordpress plugin that I created for a recent collaboration. About a year ago Mike Davidson asked me if I could solve the widow problem for an (at the time) unreleased project he was working on.
For those who don't know, in typesetting, a widow is a single word on a line by itself at the end of a paragraph and is considered bad style.
Unfortunately, you don't have a lot of control over that when setting type on the web (I don't stray too far when picking topics to write about, do I?) and most people never even notice when it occurs in body copy. But when you're dealing with a short headline, common on blogs and news sites, the errant word can be quite ugly.
The solution is to insert a non-breaking space between the last two words of your headline. Here's a simple PHP function that does just that:
function widont($str = '')
$str = rtrim($str);
$space = strrpos($str, ' ');
if ($space !== false)
$str = substr($str, 0, $space).'�'.substr($str, $space + 1);
return $str;
I could have used an anchored regular expression but decided against it for performance reasons.
Download the Widon't Wordpress plugin, unzip and upload
si-widont.php to
/wp-content/plugins/. Then activate the plugin from within Wordpress.
If you are a Wordpress user who cares about typographic nuances like widows you might also like (and maybe already use) Michel Fortin's PHP ports of John Gruber's Markdown and SmartyPants.
Brook Elgie has ported my Widon't Wordpress plugin to Movable Type.
A Textpattern plugin is still up for grabs.
And Eric Eggert has done the unenviable task of porting Widon't to Textpattern (the first half of his post is in German, scroll for English). You guys both rock!
Still More Updates
A Widon't plugin is now available for Expression Engine courtesy of Low and for jQuery courtesy of Dave Cardwell.
The Wordpress version of Widon't has been downloaded 1740 times.
029 Comments
Great stuff - Whilst it isn't a problem which gets me all riled up, it will be nice not to worry about this any more. Cheers.
If you're interested, you can cut down the code a bit if you use strrpos() instead of the rtrim() and strpos() combo.
Smashing! Except I don't use WordPress. However, the solution is clever and I'll be sure to use it in the future. Thanks for sharing Shaun.
Thanks, I never really bothered with this at all, but if you have a fix for it then I will definetly use it. Though I don't use WordPress that much, it can easily be ported to work with other platforms.
James, it is using
strrpos(). Without the
rtrim() this:
"Headline with Potential for Widows "
would become:
"Headline with Potential for Widows "
instead of the intended:
"Headline with Potential for Widows"
Type is old.
Typesetting less.
Widow a modern tweak.
And now widon't.
A wailing baby boomer's lament?
A term of the designer's craft.
I hope we recognize this tiny and wonderful moment when words become terms and I hope widon't becomes permanent!
Brilliant, buddy. I'm just jealous I don't have it on TXP. Kudos for restoring
� to its rightful place as a legitimate typographic character, no longer left for dead as a poor man's spacing tool.
Hey, nice idea! Thanks for sharing it. Hopefully this will be implemented in CSS one day so that it could be applied to hx tags by the browser automatically.
After reading this post over at least 5 times, I'm still struggling to understand what or how a widow looks like!?
An example anywhere I could muse over?
Couldn't you achieve a similar affect with CSS? Something like:
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6{ white-space: nowrap; }
No, that'll do it for the whole headline—we just want the last two words stick together. A CSS property would be really nice.
Dang, I swear I looked at your code a good 10 times. Despite that, I 'saw' that you were doing a strrev() and then doing strpos() to get the first space. I must have really been ready to go home from work. :-)
JBagley, I added an animated example of a widow, with and without Widon't. That should clear things up.
Nicely done. I'm using it on my personal site right now.
Oooh just lovely. Implemented on my site as well. Thanks Shuan!
Didn't know befor that this is called widow. But this plugin is good, I'll use it too.
Excellent. Hopefully someone will port it over to Textpattern soon.
I was going to take a stab at it but TXP plugins look unnecessarily complicated. Compiling PHP with the command line? No way to filter existing tags? And plugins come pre-compiled so there's no simple way to learn by example.
It took me longer to learn that I want absolutely nothing to do with TXP plugins than it took to learn, create and release the Widon't Wordpress plugin.
I think I'll let a seasoned pro handle this.
Thanks for this Shaun. Going to install on my site later this weekend. I came up with this very problem earlier in the week.
I've just created the textpattern plugin. Just replace the standard txp:title tag with the custom txp:egg_widont tag. Thats all. You can download the encoded plugin at: http://yatil.de/file_download/6
A blog entry will soon be published.
Right on. Thanks Eric! I'm updating the post right now.
This is a simple issue from my point of view, but super cool how you fixed it. Also thanks to the updates I can now add this to a good portion of the blogging software my clients use.
Despite I'm not using any animation in my website; this cutie may make me change my mind about that!
Weird. Ironically, Shaun, Widon't doesn't work with sIFR on my Wordpress site. The nbsp collapses and glues the last 2 words of every headline together.
I took the liberty of porting this plugin to Expression Engine.
That's what the I in sIFR stands for Beckley, ironic. I don't have anything to do with sIFR at this point. I'm sure it can be made to work though because it's working in my custom version of IFR on this site.
Nice Low. I'll update the post to include this and the jQuery versions.
Ah excellent, thank you very much for the link. Would it sound ungrateful of me to point out that there are two 'l's in Cardwell?
Certainly not. I blame copy/paste, sorry. :)


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When the solemn and blessed subject of Divine foreordination is expounded, when God's eternal choice of certain ones to be conformed to the image of His Son is set forth, the Enemy sends along some man to argue that election is based upon the foreknowledge of God, and this "foreknowledge" is interpreted to mean that God foresaw certain ones would be more pliable than others, that they would respond more readily to the strivings of the Spirit, and that because God knew they would believe, He, accordingly, predestinated them unto salvation. But such a statement is radically wrong. It repudiates the truth of total depravity, for it argues that there is something good in some men. It takes away the independency of God, for it makes His decrees rest upon what He discovers in the creature. It completely turns things upside down, for in saying God foresaw certain sinners would believe in Christ, and that because of this, He predestinated them unto salvation, is the very reverse of the truth. Scripture affirms that God, in His high sovereignty, singled out certain ones to be recipients of His distinguishing favors (Acts 13:48), and therefore He determined to bestow upon them the gift of faith. False theology makes God's foreknowledge of our believing the cause of His election to salvation; whereas, God's election is the cause, and our believing in Christ is the effect.
A.W. Pink (1886 – 1952)
The Attributes of God


text:
12 Sentenced in Deadly 2008 Attacks Against Orissa Christians
A judge in India sentenced 12 people to six years imprisonment on Tuesday for their role in the mass violence against Christians in Orissa's Kandhamal district in 2008, in which dozens were killed.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a Christian organization working for religious freedom, sent a press release to The Christian Post that details the court's decision. Besides the prison sentence, the men will also have to pay 5,000 rupees (about $90,000 U.S. dollars) in connection with arson, rioting and the torching of houses in Jarkinaju village on Aug. 25, 2008. Ten other people accused in the case were acquitted, however, due to lack of evidence.
"Justice must be done, and must be seen to be done. The aggregate of justice in the fast-track courts in Kandhamal does not inspire a sense of confidence and closure among the victims. Many killers are roaming free, and a Member of the Legislative Assembly is at large after his conviction, because the courts seem to think he is too important to be incarcerated," said Dr. John Dayal, a Member of the Government's National Integration Council (NIC).
The anti-Christian outbreak in Orissa started after the assassination of local Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) figurehead Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati by followers of Maoist insurgents. Official records say that 90 Christians were killed in the subsequent riots, and over 54,000 people were driven from their homes. Hindus were reportedly angry that many Dalits, or "Untouchables" from the lowest caste, were converting to Christianity, seeing it as a way out of their status. Dalits are treated as less than human in sections of Hindu society and comprise close to one-fifth of India's one billion-plus population.
Human right activists have protested against the many acquittals and dismissals of murder cases related to the violence, and have said that significant flaws in India's justice system are resulting in many guilty people walking away free.
"Any convictions in Kandhamal mark a step forward, and credit must also be given to the human rights defenders providing essential legal aid to victims and witnesses," said David Griffiths, CSW South Asia Team Leader. "However, we continue to urge the state administration in Orissa to fight against the prevailing impunity, because the victims deserve justice, and because the rule of law is the essential foundation for peace."
Christian Indians have been demanding justice for many years now, saying that offenses against believers in India continue to this day.
"We saw 14 to 15 families being forced to drink cow urine as part of the conversion ceremony to purify their sins and then they had to sign a letter saying that they had become Hindus and would obey orders to attack Christians," one resident from Kandhamal reportedly revealed, referring to attempts by Hindus to force those who had converted to Christianity back into the caste system – with many of those refusing allegedly either being raped or killed.


text:
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text:
What does it say about the current state of fast food in Southern California that all of a sudden we seem to be eating lots of it out of bowls? This is not to be critical of bowl cuisine, for I rather enjoy eating out of bowls.
Bowls are casual. Bowls are fun. Bowls are zany. Bowls remind me of Moe Howard and his haircut. Bowls remind me of the sugar-drenched breakfast cereal I ate as a lad. It's more enjoyable to eat spaghetti out of a bowl than off a plate. And bowls are what you go to the oddly named Yellow Fever for, just down the street from Zamperini Field, better known as Torrance Airport.
Why, you may be asking yourself, would anyone choose to name a restaurant after an often fatal tropical viral disease? According to the wall menu, Yellow Fever is: "When someone is obsessed with Asian things. An infectious tropical disease. Ridiculously tasty Asian bowls." They acknowledge the viral part, but still, the name is a bit off. But not the food, which is straightforward, satisfying and, if not actually "ridiculously tasty," at least sufficiently tasty.
The drill, as is true at most bowl joints, is a matter of mix-and-match, add and subtract. At Yellow Fever, which sits in a mini-mall across from the Torrance Crossroads, you go to the counter, where the very friendly staff walks you through the options. First, you have to decide whether you want rice, noodles or salad in your bowl. Then, there's a choice of seven bowls, named for places that offer ingredients that match (more or less) their monikers.
The Seoul Bowl has grilled filet mignon. The Shanghai Bowl is braised pork belly with "kung pow" sauce. The Bangkok Bowl is made with green coconut curry. The Kona Bowl has Spam and eggs. And each of them has ingredients like Asian slaw (which seems to be marinated shredded carrots), mushrooms, kale, almonds and so forth mixed in as well. Not all the ingredients hold up well in the bowls — the mushrooms seem a bit weary, the baked kale is wilted — but tossed with the sauces, the taste is good, even if the texture can be a bit saggy.
There are sundry add-ons from "Lil' Sumpin's" like garlic and ginger chips for 55 cents to "Big Sumpin's" like avocado and a fried egg for $1.50. There are "Things to Share" as well like "Lucky Pickles" (unexpectedly pickled green tomatoes, of the sort found in a New York deli) and "Ugly Egg Rolls" (which are more notable for their oiliness than their ugliness).
To wash it down, there's a tasty green tea and lemonade mixture called a "Bruce Lee," which is immortalized on a complimentary button that reads, "Bruce Lee Lives." There are four buttons handed out at the counter, including one with a cartoonish rice bowl on it. Be the first to collect the whole set.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Send him email at email@example.com.


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text:
In this Q&A, Temple University authors Daniel Biddle and Murray Dubin discuss Octavius Catto, the subject of their new book Tasting Freedom.
Q: Octavius Catto was a pioneer of the Civil Rights movement in the Civil War era. Where did you hear about him, why is he so little known, and what prompted you to write his life and times?
A: Murray discovered him in 1993 while doing research for a book he was writing on the history of South Philadelphia. Dan heard a historian talking on the radio about black life in the city in the 19th century and discussing Catto. Catto is little known because he died so young, before he had a chance to become prominent on the national scene. We both thought his life was extraordinary.
Q: How and where did you do your research? What surprises did you discover?
A: We did our research in Pennsylvania, New York, Washington D.C., South Carolina and New Jersey in churches, college reading rooms, and the Library of Congress. We scoured diaries, letters, newspapers, census records, box scores and song sheets in an effort that took more than seven years. We didn't realize until more than a year into the work that there was a civil rights movement in the 19th century.
Q: Tasting Freedom provides an extensive history of the Civil War era and how African Americans faced racism on the baseball field, on streetcars, as voters, in the military etc. How did Catto and his "band of brothers" combat this discrimination?
A: He and his contemporaries in the North needed to fight for many rights that whites took for granted. Their weapons were their organizing skills to mold public opinion and educate whites, exemplary public behavior, bravery on the Civil War battlefield and physical courage in the face of threats and bodily harm to integrate the streetcars.
Q: Catto taught at the Institute for Colored Youth. He was very instrumental in educating free slaves and helping them get established. His famous speech at a graduation contains the phrase, "There Must Come a Change!" It started as a history of the school and ended with a call for equal rights. It had an immediate impact and was reprinted and circulated widely. How far-reaching was his speech?
A: The Institute for Colored Youth sent more teachers South to teach freed slaves and their children than any other school in the nation. It's clear that I.C.Y. students were listening to Catto.
Q: Catto's story intersects with historical figures such as the "feminist"/abolitionist Lucretia Mott, and famous orators like Frederick Douglass, with whom he shared stages. How did Catto establish himself in Philadelphia society and make the social/political connections he did?
A: Catto was a prominent educator who ran the boys school at the Institute for Colored Youth, the best school for black youth in the city, and arguably the best school for youth of any color. That elevated him to an important role in the community. He was a charismatic speaker who was the son of a well-known clergyman. Active in civil rights activities in his 20s, he fought the same battles that Douglass and Mott were fighting. And he was a rising Republican leader in the black community.
Q: Tasting Freedom has a terrific chapter about baseball and Catto's experiences with the Pythians. Interracial matches were played unofficially. Catto's team played in the first game between white and black clubs. Did he have the respect of whites, or did he have a negative reputation?
A: The Philadelphia Athletics, the top white team in the city in the 1860s, permitted the Pythians to play on the Athletics' field and were supporters of Catto's effort to compete against white teams. It was not uncommon to see white ballplayers in the stands watching Pythian games.
Q. The chapter on the battle for streetcars shows Catto's strength as an agitator. He tried to change laws. What do you think he could have accomplished had his life not been cut short?
A: That's the question we wish we could answer. But we'll try: We believe he would run for public office locally and won, and then would have sought higher office in the state. We also believe he might have received an appointment by the President to represent the United States overseas in a diplomatic position. And we think he may have left Philadelphia at some point to run his own school, perhaps in the South.
Q: You provide detailed descriptions of Catto's enemies and the reaction to his death and its aftermath. How great was the riot that occurred?
Catto was shot to death in an 1871 election-day riot in Philadelphia that was one of the worst days of violence that the city had ever seen. We described the riot in the book as "five blocks in one direction and three in the other." Scores of black men were shot and beaten and an untold number were scared away from the polls.
Q: You end Tasting Freedom with an epilogue on Catto's legacy. How do you measure Catto's contribution to history?
A: Influence is difficult to measure. We know that W.E.B. Du Bois knew about Catto because he wrote about him in "The Philadelphia Negro." And we know that black leaders in the early 20th century read Du Bois. So it makes sense to say that Catto's life was known to the black men and women who began the NAACP and who led the Harlem Renaissance. We also know students that Catto taught became civil rights leaders in the South and went on to teach black students across the nation.
Q: So what are two white guys doing writing about African American history?
A: We are newspaper guys and what we care about our good stories. The story of Catto's life is a great story that no one has ever told. Even more important is the story of the civil rights movement in the 19th century, which has been little told. We thought that putting the two together would be a great yarn.
To watch a video of authors Daniel Biddle and Murray Dubin discuss Tasting Freedom, click HERE.
Filed under: african american studies, american studies, cultural studies, political science, sociology | Leave a comment »


text:
Think of 30 Rock, first season, third episode. Jack the-Great-and-Powerful Donaghy is setting up Liz No-I-Don't-Need-Any-of-Your-Help-Especially-Not-with-Dating-which-I-Don't-Have-Time-for-because-I'm-All-About-My-Career-Thanks-a-Lot Lemon with his friend from out of town. Jack catches her in the hall and tells her the name of the fancy restaurant where he's set up the blind date. A pause. He takes in her typically casual attire [i.e. unglamorous sweatshirt and jeans]. "What are you going to wear?" he asks (as though he doesn't know). Exasperated with his overbearing behavior, Liz insists "I don't have time to change." Jack shakes his head gravely, "That won't do." He hands her cash and tells her to go to a women's clothing store during her lunch break. Liz grudgingly accepts and turns up looking elegant for a change.
My first thought on seeing this sequence of events was, "He was right to do that (albeit their work relationship –- as per sit-com logic –- isn't spectacularly appropriate)." Then my second thought was, "It's kind of sad that Liz needs a man to mentor her, especially when it comes to her appearance and dating. Couldn't they have written her a female mentor?" Jack Donaghy is obviously a gleaming showcase for Alec Baldwin, but it got me thinking, where are all the female mentor characters?
What? You say you can name countless examples? Allow me to complicate things. In all of the films, shows, and books I can think of, the woman's mentor is normally a male, either gay or a potential love-interest. If a woman happens to give the heroine some mentoring, it's limited to certain advice-giving incidents, which are often questionable and sometimes destructive.
The Devil Wears Prada and Miss Congeniality provide adorable and hilarious examples of the gay male mentor. These guys get the heroine into glamorous clothing and force her to stop whining about how unfair their life is. Dangerous Liaisons, in contrast, has the wickedest pair of faux-mentors (older female and male) that a young impressionable girl could ever have. In Gigi, the far less sinister incarnation Aunt Alicia gives her niece lessons on how to be a dazzling courtesan, but the film makes it evident that all of her advice is superficial and useless.
Though he's neither her gay pal nor a potential love interest, George Clooney schools Anna Kendrick on how to do business in Up in the Air. The film makes it plain early on that there is zero romantic tension between George and Anna's characters so if the point was that gender is irrelevant when it comes to what he has to teach her, then point taken. Then again, couldn't they have just as easily given George a male coworker and given Anna as a foil to Vera Farmiga, George's parallel female exec and love-interest? Since Vera turns out to be hiding a relationship-ending secret, then never really gets the opportunity to explain herself and soften the unfortunate implications, the filmmakers set up George as a model for Anna to follow if she wants to succeed, whether they intended to or not.
On Mad Men, though Joan (dear Joan) does try to give Peggy advice from time to time, Don is her model for success. Liz Lemon may not try to model herself on Jack Donaghy, but as the series progresses and he actively tries to mentor her (usually against her will), she relies more and more on his particular problem-solving methods. Also, though it pains me to say it, there's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Again, he's not gay or a love-interest (Buffy/Giles 'shippers forgive me), but Giles is Buffy's Watcher and main source of guidance. Her mother Joyce is loving, but either oblivious to the dangers Buffy faces or simply not there. Potential female mentoring figures –- her psychology professor Maggie Walsh and Gwendolyn Post (maybe the only female Watcher ever) –- turn out to be evil.
Literature isn't much more encouraging. In Rona Jaffe's The Best of Everything, four young women try to make it in New York during the 1950s and much heartbreak –- personal and professional –- ensues. More importantly, there isn't a female mentor in sight. The only potential one, Caroline's boss Miss Farrow, is the grandmother of Miranda Priestly. To be fair, the men don't particularly try to mentor any of the women (other types of relationship are on their minds), but the one possible female mentor is a shining example of everything Caroline doesn't want to become.
Even in Jane Austen's novels the mentoring female figures aren't really around when they're needed (if they exist at all) or they're somehow neglectful. Rather, it's the natural good sense of the protagonist that ends up saving her. That, and a good hard metaphorical slap in the face from a male character. Elizabeth Bennet doesn't exactly listen to her aunt or her sister's cautions about Wickham –- it's the confrontation with Mr. Darcy that sets her right. Emma Woodhouse listens to no one –- until Mr. Knightley scolds her for being selfish and cruel.
It's not that I think a man isn't an appropriate mentor for a woman. I'm certainly not suggesting that women collectively hate each other. And I'm not accusing Jane Austen or anyone elseof trying to push an agenda,* but this seems to be a dominant pattern in storytelling. I'd say it's the result of a combination of factors.
First there's the strength of the Pygmalion myth (and its Broadway cousin), wherein a man creates his ideal woman and falls in love with her, the modern riff being the gay stylist who enables the woman to get the man of her dreams. Second, the heroine often needs to be parentless/lacking a mentor in order for the story to unfold (or the conflict has to be with the parenting figure). If the statistics of film, television, and literature held true in the real world, the percentage of orphans would be astronomical.
Although female mentors might not be plentiful, heroines sometimes get help from best friend/sister figures, whether it's the wisecracking Dorothy to Lorelei's dumb blonde in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes or Mameha and Sayuri in Memoirs of a Geisha. What's more, the males are hardly perfect. Don Draper is not the poster boy for contentment and Prof. Henry Higgins is not Prince-Charming-in-a-Cardigan. Fitzwilliam Darcy (yes I'm going to criticize him) is cold and insensitive. More than that, many of these males need their female counterparts to give them a good reality check. Peggy is often there to remind Don he's not nearly as clever or successful as he thinks. Eliza Doolittle is probably the first and only female to stand up to Higgins. Darcy needs Elizabeth to accuse him of being less than a gentleman in order to properly thaw out.
All this notwithstanding: more female mentors please. There seems to be a shortage.
*I don't think I'd accuse Jane Austen of anything ever.


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Are you ready for some football?
The American Gaming Association predicts that American sport fans will bet about $4.7 billion on the 51st Super Bowl game match up between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons.
That's a whole lot of clams, cash, moola, duckets, Benjamins and greens.
I don't know the odds of which team is more likely to win the coveted trophy. But I do know that if you bet your greens on my Kickin' Cali Collard Dip, the odds are you will score a tasty touchdown.
Kickin' Cali Collard Dip is a great departure from the usual suspect. It's made with collard greens instead of spinach. The use of garlic and red onions compliment the greens perfectly. The crushed red pepper gives it a spark. And the secret ingredient that takes it over the top is freshly chopped mint. Yes – fresh mint. You can even add chopped bacon bits, lump crab meat or bay shrimp it you want. Let your imagination be your guide. Serve it with my tasty homemade, baked tortilla chips or a medley of sliced bell peppers as a low carb option.
You gotta score this recipe. Make it a tradition. Make it for your Super Bowl gathering. Make it any time. It's a touchdown in taste. Give it a try and you will see how kickin' it really is.
Kickin' Cali Collard Dip
3 cups of cooked collard greens (chopped, cooled, drained well) or; 1 can of collard greens (approximately 27 ounce can)
1 – 8 ounce can chestnuts (drained and chopped)
8 ounces cream cheese, very softened
8 ounces sour cream
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
⅓ cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped (could substitute fresh for more texture)
2 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt (add more to taste)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more if you like)
Cracked pepper to taste
Optional ingredients: ¼ cup chopped bacon bits, ½ cup bay shrimp or lump crab (but you be the judge).
Add sour cream and softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Whisk very well, until well incorporated and smooth texture.
Drain collard greens well. You may want to put them in a colander or strainer and press out as much liquid as you can.
Add greens and all remaining ingredients into cream cheese and sour cream mixture, and mix well. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving. Serve with tortilla chips or vegetables.
Baked Tortilla chips
1 – 12 ounce package corn tortillas
Lemon pepper
Sea salt
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut each tortilla into 8 chip sized wedges and arrange the wedges in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
Spray each tortilla wedge until slightly moist. Sprinkle tortilla wedges with lemon pepper and sea salt.
Bake for about 7 – 8 minutes, or until the chips are crisp, but not too brown.


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I'm Aidan Bodeo-Lomicky, a student at Monmouth University in New Jersey. I am majoring in Marine and Environmental Biology and Policy, and I have a passion for all things nature and conservation. When I was 10 years old, I stumbled upon the vaquita, a tiny endangered porpoise. I was heartbroken when I read its story, so I decided to start this blog, along with many other efforts to help this species. V-log (pronounced VEE-log) started as a website where I posted updates, artwork, facts, and poetry about the vaquita weekly, and had other pages to help inform you about the vaquita and its helpers. It has grown tremendously and become a primary source for news and information about the vaquita and the groups that are trying to protect it. I hope I will help save a species in need.
If you would like to buy the second edition of the first-ever vaquita book, which I wrote, please visit https://www.amazon.com/Vaquita-Biology-Endangered-Porpoise/dp/1507755775. Thank you!
I am the former president of the Muskwa Club, Inc., and V-log is an official member of ¡VIVA Vaquita!


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The Washington Post has tried from time to time over the years to distance itself from the media myth that its coverage of the Watergate scandal brought down Richard Nixon's corrupt presidency.
The newspaper's publisher at the time of Watergate, Katharine Graham, said at a program at the Newseum in 1997:
"Sometimes people accuse us of bringing down a president, which of course we didn't do. The processes that caused [Nixon's] resignation were constitutional."
Michael Getler, then the newspaper's ombudsman, wrote in a column in 2005:
"Ultimately, it was not The Post, but the FBI, a Congress acting in bipartisan fashion and the courts that brought down the Nixon administration. They saw Watergate and the attempt to cover it up as a vast abuse of power and attempted corruption of U.S. institutions."
Still, the media myth that it was the Post — and, specifically, reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein — who exposed Nixon's corrupt ways can be too tempting and too perfect to resist.
Such was the case in today's edition of the Post, in a commentary by Dana Milbank, who declared that "in the mid-1970s," the Post "took down a president."
It was a passing reference in a commentary that challenged the dire assessment about the Post published in latest issue of New Republic.
Still, the "took down a president" passage hints at latent hubris and suggests how the Watergate meme can be used as a not-so-subtle reminder of greatness by Post loyalists and insiders.
But as I write in my forthcoming book, Getting It Wrong, to argue that the Post took down Nixon is to "misunderstand the scandal and to indulge in a particularly beguiling media-driven myth."
It is, I further write, a misleading interpretation that "minimizes the far more decisive forces that unraveled the scandal and forced Nixon from office."
What I call the "heroic-journalist myth of Watergate" took hold for a number of reasons, among them the sheer complexity of the scandal. Not only was Nixon turned from office but 19 men associated with his presidency or his 1972 reelection campaign went to jail.
The "heoric-journalist" myth has become, I also write in Getting It Wrong, "a proxy for grasping the scandal's essence while avoiding its forbidding complexity." That the Post and its reporters supposedly uncovered Watergate "is deeply ingrained in American journalism as one of the field's most important and self-reverential stories."
Despite, that is, the periodic protestations from the Post.
Hearty thanks to Jim Romenesko for linking to this post.


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GLEN ALLEN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Dynex Capital, Inc. (NYSE: DX) announced today the Company's Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.13 per common share for November 2021. The dividend is payable on December 1, 2021 to shareholders of record on November 22, 2021.
Dynex Capital, Inc. is an internally managed real estate investment trust, or REIT, which invests in mortgage assets on a leveraged basis. The Company invests in Agency and non-Agency RMBS, CMBS, and CMBS IO. Additional information about Dynex Capital, Inc. is available at www.dynexcapital.com.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding the business of Dynex Capital, Inc. that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
View source version on businesswire.com:
Alison Griffin
Source: Dynex Capital, Inc.
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Portland resident wins bell weight contest
Dorothy Goodman was the winner of First Congregational Church's recent fundraiser "Guess the Bell Weight Contest." The 99-year-old Portland resident was off by one pound.
The official weight was 1,313 pounds; Dorothy came the closest with her "guesstimate" of 1,314 pounds. She won $300 for her share of the 50-50 contest.
Installed in 1906, the bell was removed when workers razed the 70-foot-high steeple due to its deteriorating condition. The contest was one of several fundraisers to restore the bell and replicate the steeple next spring.
The cast-iron bell is 2 inches thick and 26 inches high. Diameters are 19 inches at the top and 35 inches at the base. The official weight included a 66-inch diameter rocker wheel and the wooden mounting platform.
"I was shocked. I still haven't cashed the check. I just want to look at it," said Goodman. "My family was really excited about it. I got a lot of hugs and congratulations."
Each "guesstimate" cost $5, and contestants could enter as often as they wished. The contest received 120 entries ranging from 273 pounds to 7,000 pounds, said Tom Huggler, chair of the church's board of trustees.
"Dorothy is either really lucky or very, very smart to come within 1 pound of the actual weight," Huggler said after Goodman won.
Goodman disclosed her formula: n The 1 is because she will be 100 on her next birthday. n The 3 is because her birthday is in March (the third month of the year). n The 14 is because she will be 100 in March of 2014.
Although not a member of the church (she belongs to St. Patrick), Goodman often attends its Monday Night Community Meal. Before the contest ended, she asked Pastor Marilyn Danielson how many times the winner would get to ring the bell once the steeple and bell are restored.
"Jokingly, I told (Danielson), 'Tell her she can ring it 99 times if she wins and wants to," said Huggler, "Guess I'll have to make good on my comment – although Dorothy may well be 100 when the restored bell is ready for ringing next spring or summer."
When Danielson presented Goodman with her check, the winner exclaimed, "That was a fortune during the Depression!"
"I want Dorothy to start buying my lottery tickets!" Huggler said.
Goodman's luck may not have held, though.
"When I played cards today, I didn't do so good," she said.
To nominate someone as Person of the Week, email Karen Bota at firstname.lastname@example.com or send her a tweet @KarenB_ISS.


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Interview With Alain Laferrière
The Program Manager of Softimage Japan talks about his career at Softimage, the Japanese Industry and XSI 4.0.
June, 28th, 2004, by Raffael Dickreuter, Will Mendez
How did you get started in the cg industry?
I got interested in computer imagery from a young age, playing with the first video game consoles and personal computers and following the evolution of CG with a deep interest. The "demo scene" development communities for both C-64 and Amiga computers also brought a lot of innovation in realtime graphics synthesis.
At University of Montreal I studied computer graphics and did a M.Sc. in human-computer interfaces ( agents ). There, I met Réjean Gagné, Richard Laperrière and Dominique Boisvert, who would later implement the Actor Module in SI3D, and many other friends who were, or are still working at Softimage today. After I completed my studies I got a job interview at Softimage and was hired ; it was a dream come true ! I started in the modeling team, then moved on to motion capture & control, then headed the new Games team and now Special Projects Japan.
What do you do on your spare time?
I love music very much and I've been DJ'ing on and off since the age of 13, so I buy records and practice mixing. I also like programming personal projects, reading, cooking, nature, going out with friends, going to the gym, etc.
Tell us a bit about the highlights of your 11 year career at Softimage
- April 14th 1993 – my first day at Softimage !
- solving a data loss problem with an Ascension "Flock of Birds" motion capture system not working properly with a Onyx computer, which was being used at a Jurassic Park theme park at Unviersal Studios. I implemented a fix in Montreal and I was sent to Los Angeles to configure the system. I had a chance to meet the movie actors and Steven Spielberg made an appearance, it was a very impressive "Hollywood" type first experience for me.
- then I worked on an interesting project : one of our customers was using a Waldo-like hand manipulation device to radio-control the facial expressions of the robotic heads used for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies. The actors had to wear the Turtle heads while servo-motors moved metal blades around their face to flex and animate the head latex skin ; as well as a radio receiver backpack which was hidden in the turtle shell. Since the facial animation had to be redone live at each shot , it was not possible to produce a constant facial animation quality. First, I wrote a motion capture driver for the Waldo device and a designer modeled the turtle head in SI3D and connected the Waldo inputs to its facial animation shapes. Now we were able to record a live facial animation using the Waldo device, then perfect it in SI3D by editing the animation curves. After that, I modified the motion capture communication protocol to support motion control, and wrote a control driver to radio-broadcast the data which was previously motion captured and edited in SI3D. With this pipeline it was possible to author a perfect animation sequence which could be played back identically at each shot. The project had an extra dimension of danger, since there were urban legends of actors getting mutilated by the blades attached inside the robotic heads. Something that keeps your mind busy when your head is inside.. 😉
- Fall of 1994, I went to Japan with Daniel Langlois for a 2 weeks business trip, which mutated into a large effort between Softimage and SEGA to create a first generation of 3D game authoring tools. I was called to stay there for nearly 3 months in the first trip, and to frequently pay visits to Japan afterwards. I supervised the project and other developers helped me designing and implementing the features ( 3D paint, color reduction, SEGA Saturn Export / Import and Viewer, raycast polygon selection, etc). It was a very intense and exciting coding experience. Following this, SI3D quickly became the standard for 3D game authoring in Japan.
- RenderMap – a project which I started after talking to a Japanese game designer, who explained me how he was planning to use clay models to create the characters of his next game. They would scan the clay models into high-resolution polygon mesh models with colors at vertices, and then transform into texture data by rendering front and back view images and re-projecting them on the low-resolution model. With this method there is no control over how the texture is being distributed on the geometry, and although it works for polygons facing the camera, the texturing quality quickly degrades as polygons face at an increasing angle. Instead, I thought it would be better to fire rays along the surface to capture the color information and if those rays could hit a high-resolution version of the object, then we could carry the texturing data from high-res to low-res. RenderMap solved this by using mental ray to fire rays at the intersection of triangles and texels ( according to their location on the object ) and accumulating the weighted color contributions to a final color per texel. You could carry the high-res data to a low-res model, by placing the high-res model in the same location as the low-res one, but making it slightly bigger. Since it uses Mental Ray, it also allows to burn procedural effects into texture maps, generate vertex colors, normal maps, etc. My colleague Ian Stewart implemented the much improved version in XSI.
Manta model before applying RenderMap – we can see the results of rendering using mental ray in the render region.
Texture data after being pre-rendred with mental ray using RenderMap.
- dotXSI file format – an initiative which I launched over 7 years ago, at a time when our customers were asking us to design a high-level 3D data interchange solution. After much discussions with my colleagues in the Games team, we finally opted for using the Microsoft .X format concept, with many new data templates to support a lot of features which were not covered in basic .X files. Since that time, the format has become very popular in the cg and games markets as a generic data interchange solution between authoring tools and pipelines. I was initially hoping to see a good level of popularity one day, but it has now reached well beyond those early expectations. This was also an opportunity for us to understand the fundamental differences between a high-level generic format and an optimized "memory image" data format which can be loaded and used directly by a game engine without further optimizations. From this, we derived our strategy behind the dotXSI file format and the FTK ( File Transfer Kit ), which is a library to read and write dotXSI files and which can be used to write converters between dotXSI files and optimized memory image formats tailored to any custom game engine ( or between any other format and dotXSI ). I came up with the ".XSI" name suffix, which was later adopted by the marketing team for the name of the XSI product itself, although I had no involvement with this decision.
- April 99 – moving to Japan
- various Special Projects with Japanese clients
- misc. SI3D features like vertex colors, generic user data, GC_ValidateMesh, SI3D 4.0 ; and now XSI tools
Working in Japan: Was it difficult to adjust to a new location and culture?
Not really. I got a good experience of Japan during my first trip ; having a routine and working on-site at SEGA was a chance to feel how life would be living here. I came back again on business trips about a dozen times, my interest growing until I relocated in April 99. Adapting to the Japanese culture is a life-long effort, but Japan is very welcoming so this can be relatively painless. Of course I always miss my friends and family, but fortunately I go back a few times a year and we stay conneced by mail and phone.
What is the biggest difference when working for a company in Japan compared to Canada?
Since I work from home the differences for me are very low. But traditional Japanese companies are more hierarchical than american ones so you have to be aware of that. Also, your ability to connect with a team will completely depend on your ability to communicate in Japanese.
Do companies in Japan and Northern America work closely together on projects?
Many Japanese companies have branch offices in North-America, however I don't know how much is new production work, regional adaptation or collaboration on a joint project.
How do Japanese customers differ from Canadian customers?
The main difference of course is the language. And Japanese companies employ many designers and programmers, so there are many sources of feedback to report issues and submit suggestions for improvements. Sometimes there are misunderstandings, missing information in order to reproduce a problem or understand what a specific request is about or why it's important, so I keep an eye on all incoming feedback from Japan and work with our support teams in Japan and Montreal and our Japan resellers to make sure we have all the information needed to fully understand and address customer requirements.
Another difference is related to the fact that most customers in Japan are game developers. It is normally easier for film companies to switch pipelines from one 3D application to another than for game companies, because the final output for film is a rendered movie while for games is most often data which needs to be compatible with a run-time game engine. A large portion of our customers in Japan are game developers, so they tend to migrate pipelines at a slower pace than for customers in other markets since they need to validate the workflow and data compatibility with a new pipeline before they can adopt it in production. Japanese customers are very thorough in their analysis of new technologies and do not migrate without serious consideration. XSI has already been used in production for a while by many Japanese companies, and its popularity is now accelerating. This is very exciting to see !
When dealing with high profile gaming companies how do you meet their demands for new features that are not implemented?
We gather all incoming feedback from Japan, prioritize according to severity, popularity and amount of work involved and then plan the next version features. In cases where a customer requires something which is specific to them, like special training ( features, SDK ), assistance to setup / migrate a pipeline or custom development, then there is always the possibility of purchasing R&D time from Softimage through our Special Projects team.
Part of your job is "managing escalation of critical issues". can you give us an example?
If a customer reports something very bad like a production showstopper or something which prevents the adoption of XSI in production, then we may escalate the issue internally and implement a fix which is provided to the customer as a QFE ( Quick Fix Engineering ). This is a service available to customers under maintenance. QFEs done in answer to issues in our last released product are always integrated in the next public release : either a point release ( Service Pack ) or the next main version.
Softimage 3D has been a long time favorite by Japanese companies and we are seeing some migration to XSI, Why has it been so hard for them to move to XSI more quickly ?
There is a cost involved in migrating since you need to train designers and port your pipeline ( workflow, plugins ) from one application to another. We released our first generation of game tools in SI3D at the time where the 1st generation of game consoles were coming out : SEGA Saturn, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo 64. Since we designed this in conjunction with SEGA, it quickly became the de-facto standard for 3D game authoring in Japan. Then, Alias released Maya in 1998. Although the first version was not ready for production use ( Japanese customers called it "mada", i.e. "not yet" ), Alias had 2 years to work on Maya until we released XSI 1.0. Of course, we lost some users from SI3D to Maya during this period. It was a hard time for us, but we wanted to build a solid architecture from the beginning rather than something we would need to patch along the way. Now we can see this bet is paying off, as our development speed has greatly improved and is now imposing a pace of innovation which is getting difficult for our competitors to follow. With XSI 4.0 which includes the new poweful and affordable Foundation product, and many new advanced features throughout our product line, we have everthing we need to accelerate the expansion of our user community.
What features that you originally developed for SI3D have found their way into XSI?
Polygon raycasting, vertex colors, generic user data, polygon reduction, dotXSI support, RenderMap, pipeline tools ( export, viewing ), etc. These were implemented in XSI by my colleagues in Montreal. I wrote a few things for XSI like a User Normal Editing interactive tool and some realtime shader examples which I published on XSINet. Now I am studying the new Xgs and CDH features of XSI 4.0 ( which I think are really cool btw ! ).
What features excel in XSI for game companies?
Character modeling and CDK ( Character Development Kit ), polygonal modeling, polygon reduction, texturing, RenderMap / RenderVertex, CDH ( Custom Display Host ) and Xgs ( Graphics Synthesizer ), Realtime Shaders, dotXSI pipeline and FTK, ability to attach generic user data to scene elements and have it automatically supported through the dotXSI pipeline, general ease and flexibility of customization using the XSI Net View, Relational Views, Synoptic Views, and finally, the XSI SDK itself which is rich and now provides strong support for UI customization, among many new things in 4.0.
Will 4.0 change the gaming industry in Japan , and gaming industry in general?
Definitely. The low price point of our new Foundation product is opening up access to XSI to middle and low-end segments of cg production. It will also become easier for 2nd and 3rd parties to collaborate with high-end clients using XSI on joint projects.
As for the features of 4.0, there are many innovations which bring exciting new opportunities to our users. For example, the new rigid body dynamics are based on ODE ( Open Dynamics Engine ), an open source royalty-free solution. It is possible for game users to adopt ODE in their run-time engine and create realtime simulations which are entirely compatible with how things behave in XSI ( or you could simply plot / bake and export the animation if you do not want to recompute it in the game engine ). Also, the CDK ( Character Development Kit ) brings all the tools needed for making custom character animation rigs.
The CDH ( Custom Display Host ) allows an external application to communicate with XSI and display its output into a XSI view. It is possible for XSI to drive an external application and vice-verca ; this external application could be a game engine synchronized with XSI, or any custom tool which can be interacted with from within XSI. The Xgs ( XSI Graphics Synthesizer ) allows to create scene-level realtime rendering effects and can communicate with realtime shaders for advanced effects.
The Polygon Reduction tool in 4.0 is simply amazing, Texture Layers provide a very powerful workflow for multi-texturing management, Material Libraries simplify material management and the SDK is both rich and powerful.
XSI v4.0 is our biggest release ever since v1.0. It contains many other interesting features which are not listed here, as well as a large number of fixes for issues which were reported by our customers around the world.
What advice would you give to an artist of Northern America or Europe who wants to start working in Japan?
Learn the whole package. Designers in Japan do not tend to specialize in one thing, but instead are called to work on many different aspects of production : modeling, character design, animation, texturing, custom data editing, etc. The more flexible and proficient you are with the package, the easier you will connect with a Japanese production team.
Learn Japanese. Even though you can usually always find a few Japanese persons in each company who can speak a good level of English, it is more an exception than the rule and it would be better not to rely on that to bridge the gap with your Japanese colleagues. The better you understand and speak Japanese, the more chances you will have to connect with the team and contribute to the project. An american friend of mine who worked in a game company in Tokyo learned conversational Japanese very quickly because he was completely immersed in a Japanese working environment, but if you can learn some before heading to Japan it will make things a lot smoother and expand your opportunities.


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I could spend every day in this wonderful place called Central Park.
If I can ever get up the courage, I would like to spend one or two days alone in New York. I would love to go the park each day and read, eat a cupcake, sit and listen to that young girl playing her cello or the old man playing his guitar to "Imagine" and just enjoy my surroundings.
This year I had to wait for my sisters for a few hours, so I did at least get to walk around, find a great bench and read for a little while alone. Not to adventurous, but one step at a time! Not a bad view at all!
I did find a few cupcakes along the way each day. I love trying new bakeries as well as returning to my tried and true favorites!
from The Food Hall in the Plaza


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Caleb McLaughlin Wants to Play Static Shock
Apple's new Game Center page lists the iOS devices that will let you get involved in this whole playing games with other people thing that's happening soon. Second-generation iPod Touch owners: you're in luck! iPhone 3G owners: you're not!
Game Center, which will be arriving with the imminent iOS 4.1 update, will allow users to join up with friends to do battle in epic cathedrals and elsewhere—unless, of course, you're still riding around on an iPhone 3G, in which case you're stuck flinging Angry Birds by yourself.
The second-gen iPod Touch has a slightly beefier processor, which could have something to do with it, but at this point Apple's stance is painfully clear: iPhone 3G is old and busted. [Apple via MacRumors]


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Fareed Zakaria is a foreign affairs analyst who hosts "Fareed Zakaria GPS" on CNN at 1 and 5 p.m. ET Sundays.
Zakaria says he has some doubts about the focus of Pakistan's armed forces.
(CNN) -- A Taliban spokesman issued threats and ultimatums against Pakistani officials this week, as the country's military continued its offensive against the militant group in the Swat Valley.
Speaking with CNN on Wednesday, Muslim Khan announced that all national and provincial parliament members from the Malakand Division, the northwestern region where the Swat Valley is located, must resign within three days. "Otherwise, we will arrest all their families," Khan threatened, "and we will destroy all their buildings."
As the Pakistani offensive continued against the Taliban, Fareed Zakaria interviewed the nation's former president, Pervez Musharraf, for his show Sunday. Musharraf is a former chief of the Pakistan Army who took power in a 1999 coup and stepped down as the nation's president under pressure last summer.
Zakaria discussed the challenges facing Pakistan with CNN.
CNN: Will Pakistan's push against the militants in the Swat Valley and surrounding areas succeed?
Fareed Zakaria: It will certainly succeed in a short-term military sense. But it will produce massive displacement of people, chaos and instability, and these are the forces that in the medium term tend to help thugs and militants stay powerful. People will despair of both the Army and the Taliban, which is a bad outcome. Proper counterinsurgency involves narrower operations, less collateral damage and most important, staying and holding the territory that you win.
CNN: Why is the Pakistani military still not capable of counterinsurgency?
Zakaria: Because they see their main enemy as India, and their forces are largely trained and equipped to deal with that threat. They have never fully embraced the view that their existential threat lies not in the east but in the west.
CNN: What about the argument that the military actually helps these groups?
Zakaria: Take a look at the book by Husain Haqqani, "Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military." In it, he writes that Pakistan's military world view is that it is surrounded by dangers and needs to be active in destabilizing its neighbors through the tacit support of militant organizations.
CNN: Do you think it is true?
Zakaria: While President Musharraf broke with the overt and large-scale support that the military provides to the militant groups, and there have continued to be some moves against some jihadists, there is no evidence of a campaign to rid Pakistan of these groups. The leaders of the Afghan Taliban, headed up by Mullah Mohammed Omar, still work actively out of Quetta.
The Army has never launched serious campaigns against the main Taliban-allied groups led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar or Jalaluddin Haqqani, both of whose networks are active in Pakistan. The group responsible for the Mumbai attacks, Lashkar-e-Taiba, has evaded any punishment, morphing in name and form but still operating in plain sight in Lahore.
Even now, after allowing the Taliban to get within 60 miles of the capital, the Pakistani military has deployed only a few thousand troops to confront them, leaving the bulk of its million-man army in the east, presumably in case India suddenly invades.
CNN: You spoke with the former president on your show this week. Did you raise these thoughts?
Zakaria: Yes, I did, and he vigorously contested them. He is a proud and loyal soldier of the Pakistani army, first and foremost. When I asked why they focused on the threat from India instead of the Taliban, he responded that we are being a bit patronizing: "We must not try to teach Pakistan army where is the threat coming from. They analyze things. They have conferences. They take very, very deliberate decisions. We know when the threat is down and when it is up, and they take action accordingly."
And he also indicated that the military is committed to going after militants in Pakistan. "We are going after them. And we are doing our best. Now that is what needs to be underscored here. We are doing our best, but maybe there is a difference of opinion on how we need to handle tactical." Watch more of the Musharraf interview »
CNN: And are they doing their best?
Zakaria: I still have my doubts that they are fully focused and willing to turn their backs on all militant groups. But the former president was passionate about the positive role of the army and the Pakistani intelligence service in Pakistani society, saying, "The world is lucky that we have this army and the ISI. Now, instead of weakening them, abusing them, criticizing them, we must strengthen them. Because if they don't deliver, who else is going to deliver? We'll all fail. So, therefore, don't criticize the ISI and army. They are suffering with all this and yet going ahead."
I hope you will watch and see if you believe what he says or not.
E-mail me at email@example.com to let me know your thoughts.
All About Pakistan • Pervez Musharraf • The Taliban


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Hello everyone!
I hope you all are staying warm and taking care of yourselves in the midst of the cold and national politics. While I'm currently bracing myself for a return to the Minnesota weather, I'm trying to fit in as much reading before the spring semester as possible, along with trying to keep track of all the great books I've devoured in the past few weeks. So, without further ado, here is some of what I've been reading since classes ended:
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
This was the first book I dove into after flying home from Minnesota for the holidays, finally done with exams and papers and trying to remember how to read for fun again. Black Leopard, Red Wolf is the first in a new trilogy from Man Booker Prize-winner Marlon James, and even if I hadn't already wanted to read it after reading the synopsis, the cover would have been enough to draw me in. Set in a masterfully built fantasy world based on Africa and African kingdoms such as Songhai and Kush after the fall of the Roman Empire, the book is told from the point of view of Tracker, a mercenary hired to find a mysterious young boy. However, the reader is informed from the outset that by the end of the years-long search, the child is dead. While it took me a few chapters to orient myself and truly feel that the plot had begun, James' world building and prose are both fantastic, and I was fascinated by how he constructed the many cities and kingdoms through which Tracker travels. Tracker's narration, told in his distinctive voice, only makes it harder to put down. While the book has considerably more violence and gore than I usually read (including several scenes that reference sexual assault), I am excited to see what the next book holds. (This interview is a great look at the book's origins, as well.)
Strong Female Protagonist (Book One & Book Two) by Brennan Lee Mulligan and Molly Ostertag
I initially began reading Strong Female Protagonist online ages ago, but unfortunately lost track of it, despite how good it is. This means that I was thrilled when a friend lent me the first two physical books over the break and I was able to devour all of it at once. Strong Female Protagonist is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and striking superhero stories I've ever read/watched, centering around a young woman–Allison Green–who eventually quit heroing to attend college and learn about different modes of making the world better. What follows is an intriguing look into ethics and philosophies surrounding saving the world, told through a host of engaging characters that I adored. Molly Ostertag's art is fantastic, as well, and I would honestly die for the power couple that is Feral and Paladin.
Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith
Danez Smith's second poetry collection Don't Call Us Dead is one of those books that I want to write about but consistently end up staring at the blinking cursor instead. Clocking in at a slim 82 pages, Smith's poems are the kind that stay in my head long after I've closed the covers, their urgency and craft impossible to ignore. Smith writes truthfully and at times defiantly about the dangers faced by Black men, particularly queer Black men, and their bodies. Shifting from police violence to AIDS and back again, here metaphors and allusions to gods and pigs mingle with lines that are as stark as the black words on the page: "i tried, white people. i tried to love you, but you spent my brother's funeral making plans for brunch, talking too loud next to his bones." These poems contain anger and pain, but also tenderness, a love for boys such as those in "summer, somewhere," where "paradise is a world where everything/is sanctuary & nothing is a gun." Don't Call Us Dead is the kind of book that often feels beyond review. Instead, it leaves me wanting to simply press it into the hands of everyone I meet.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
I adored Celeste Ng's debut novel Everything I Never Told You, but it took me an embarrassingly long time to finally read her bestselling follow-up, Little Fires Everywhere. Set in the minutely planned community of Shaker Heights, Ohio, the book centers around two very different families who find themselves on opposite sides of a local custody battle, in which a white couple seeks to adopt a Chinese-American baby. However, this book is so much more than its summary–Ng's methodical development of her characters and the lyrical prose with which she reveals their past and present makes the novel feel almost like an in-depth character study of both the families and their larger community. At times as suspenseful as a thriller, Ng's writing never rushes, but rather lingers beautifully within each character and moment. Just as the character of Pearl is described as lingering in "the gray spaces," so too does the book, in a way that made me feel like I had to lay in bed thinking about it for hours after I finished it.
Florida by Lauren Groff
While I'm only about a third of the way through Lauren Groff's new short story collection, Florida has already reminded me of why I love Groff's prose so much in the first place. Each story is eerie without being supernatural, embracing the strangeness and uncertainties that emerge in everyday lives with a sort of psychological urgency that leaves me on the edge of my seat. She writes about sisters, a lonely boy, and, often, a troubled mother, among a host of other characters. I am endlessly impressed by the ability of her writing to describe sensations and images in ways that are both surprising and cunningly accurate. The first story, "Ghosts and Empties," is a particular favorite: "Window after window nears, freezes with its blue fog of television light or its couple hunched over a supper of pizza, holds as I pass, then slides into the forgotten. I think of the way water gathers as it slips down an icicle's length, pauses to build its glossy drop, becomes too fat to hang on, plummets down."
That's all for me today–it's time to fit in some more reading before I have to start packing. Have a great rest of your Sunday, and keep warm!


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[Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools (UPDATED 26-03-09)
[Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools (UPDATED 26-03-09)
Perpendicular Face Tools
Description: Three Perpendicular Face tools to help create faces perpendicular to the end of lines.
Usage: Activate it at Plugins>Chris Fullmer Tools>Perpendicular Line Tools. Change the size of squares by entering a new dimension into the measuerments box after the face has been created. Change the radius of circles by entering "12s" for 12 sides into the measurements box. To use the custom face tool, create your face flat on the groundplane. The script attempts to line up the x axis as the bottom edge of the face.
New Video for v1.1 (outdated for 1.2. Doesn't show that you can hit the up arrow key to rotate).
v0.1 beta
v1.0 Updates:
* The original face now explodes upon exiting the custom face tool.
* Added support so that faces will stay oriented with a flat edge on the horizontal plane.
* Holding ctrl while creating a face will over-ride the flat horizontal feature and revert back to the default SketchUp "Arbitrary Rotation".
* Now faces can be added anywhere to a line - on the endpoint (existing feature), in the middle of a line, or on a vertex of 2 lines. The vertex of 3 lines is not supported.
* Attempted to fix some bugs with the custom face tool. It only was working once in a while. And only if the blue face was up. Now it is slightly better. But there are still times when it will need to be rotated 180degrees after it is placed. sorry
* Added a Toolbar!
* Changed so that circles default to have their vertices on top and bottom, not edges. Odd segmented circles will have the vertex on the bottom and a flat edge on the top (I think).
* The up arrow key rotates the faces after they have been placed. Squares will rotate 45 degrees. Circles will rotate the angle needed to alternate between having an edge or a vertex on the top. Custom faces rotate in 90 degree increments. Helpful for fixing faces that are oriented 180 off, or that were drawn on the wrong axis.
Last edited by Chris Fullmer on Thu Mar 26, 2009 6:04 am, edited 4 times in total.
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Wow Chris, this is such a good script and I know it will be very well used.
ps, the videos you create are so helpful, nice work.
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Chris, this is great! What a time saver.
Now, not to look the proverbial gift horse in the mouth but, is there a way to define the rotational orientation of the profile before it is created? I realize it can be rotated after it is placed and before FM.
Thanks again.
Etaoin Shrdlu
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
You compete for the "A day, a Plug" ?
Amazing one
Waiting updates
Ps What append when your list of Sub menu plugins will be more big than the screen?
Does exist scroll for this state?
My little scrolling black triangles are come back! (for the normal Plugins menu)
so no limitation of numerous plugins!
Last edited by pilou on Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:35 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Frenchy Pilou
Is beautiful that please without concept!
My Little site :)
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Very good implementation.
To get the face to 'orient' consistently the following could be considered...
Circle - not so important to get 'square', but if it has few segments it'd be best if a vertex were at the lowest point in Z ? If face is 'flat' in Z then make vertex minimal in Y. It's relatively easy to find locations of all of circle's vertices and pick one and rotate (transform) the circle face about its centre axis so its Z (or Y) is minimal OR make the edge 'horizontal' - both vertices have same Z (or Y).
Square - it's best to make one edge 'horizontal' so both of its vertices [start & end points] have same Z. If it's 'flat' in Z then make an edge's vertices equal in their Y. Followme can still skew the square along 3D paths but at least it'll start right.
Custom-face - if the custom-face is originally drawn 'flat' you can find its rotation around the Z axis - pick any edge and get its vertices' angle relative to say X axis. Then apply the equivalent rotation transformation to the line-end-aligned copy. That way you can determine the starting rotation of the face by rotating the original before using your tool - that would also let you have a rotated square 9diamond) as the custom-face if desired...
You currently take 'sp1' as the center of the face's bounding-box - which is the easiest, and probably the best way - having selectable 'sp1' on the original seems too awkward. You can always move the grouped face when it's perpendicular to the selected path end; you can also rotate it later too, before the Followme is done...
Last edited by TIG on Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Holy discombobley thats cool
Paul Russam
English doesn't borrow from other languages. It follows them down dark allies, knocks them over, and goes through their pockets for loose grammar.
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Just plain thank you.
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Hey thanks everyone! I'm glad you like it.
@Tig, I would love to implement all of that. I just need to make sure I understand it I think I can figure out how to make the circle work out so its lowest z is always a vertex. For the square, my code draws it always flat on the YZ axis and then rotates it once to be perpendicular. Would I just set another rotation transformation to then level the botom edge and top edge to be horizontal? Or does that have to be built into the original transformation? I could probably pull it off as a second transformation, but I am not sure how to make it be part of the first. I'll have to make a SketchUp model of how that should work. And the custom face I think I see what you mean to get orientation first, then use that after it is placed to re-orient it so that the x axis on the original is horizontal in the copy. Again, I think I can do that, assuming I can apply two rotation transformations to a group.
All right, no promises, but I will try to take on these changes and see if I can get a more predictable orientation system working. If its easy, it shouldn't take more than a day or two. If it gives me fits, then.......If you hven't noticed, moving,rotating, scaling are not my forte. They require some serious math thinking that I am not trained in. But I am trained in 3d. So as long as I can visualize it, I hopefully can figure out how to implment it. Thanks for the GREAT suggestions Tig!,
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Rotate it after it's placed onto the vertex. You know the rotation axis as it's the line you are perpendicualr to...
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
A big thank you again for your generosity. Nice work!
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Thanks guys. Tig, that makes sense. For some reason I was imaging a transformation as something that erases previous transformations effects once applied. So apply one transformation and it does that. Apply another and it jumps back to the original state before the first transformation and then applies the new transformation. I see now that its not like that (thank goodness). Seems silly I was confused since on hte custom face part I apply a translation first and then a rotation. I should have realized that transformations do not erase the effects of the previous transformation. So yes, I like the methods you describe to always have an edge horizontal. That seems quite logical.
Would there be a demand to have the custom face option accept more than one face? I know some of my profiles I use often include 3 or different faces that I want to use. So perhaps I'll try and make it accept multiple faces as long as they are co-planar.
Also I need to make it work when clicking on an edge, not just an end point. Some instances, like when the path makes a completed loop like a circle, there are no endpoints to use. So I'll get that into my next update. Maybe a toolbar too. I think I've got some extra time today during class
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
awsome chris!! a time saver, the essence of ruby ... now try some UV mapping scripts .... my biggest current peeve in SU (there are so many)
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
La Connaissance n'a de valeur que partagée
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
seems somebody understands! great tool and more as I expected
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
ok, I'm struggling to get the rotations to work. I'm working on the square first. I can get it to rotate nicely around the z-axis. But I have not figured out a way to determine exactly how much to rotate it to get it where I want. I think this is just my lack of general mathematical knowledge. So can anyone offer some help with this? The image shows a mock-up of the problem. The square is what I am rotating on the labeled centerpoint. Chord AB needs to align with chord CD. But chord AB is not supplied. It is the vector made of 2 points where the y values are equal and its length is equal to AB.
I'm sure that explanation makes no sense. Hopefully someone out there can read between the lines and figure out what I'm actually asking. Thanks,
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
could you not just align one of the sides to vertical (z)?
"There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see."
http://www.Twilightrender.com try it!
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
No, it doesn't show it well, but the sides are often not vertical. The alignment needs to make the top and bottom lie on planes that are "flat", but the sides are not necessarily vertical.
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Thank you Chris A very useful script, am using it right now
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
To rotate the square you have more than enough info. You don't actually need point-D.
You want to rotate it about the centre-point [let's call it point-O] - so you know that too.
You know point-A and point-C as you have them initially or have just calculated them already.
Now find the angle between the two vectors O->A and O->C.***
Select all of the square's edges (face will go with them?) and make a rotation-transformation about point-O by that angle: using the normal to the square's face as the axis of rotation...
Points A and C, and points B and D will then be coincident...
"new vector"
v = [x,y,z]
vector1 = Geom::Vector3d.new(v)
# Where v [x,y,z] is obtained from the sum of the two points v = (pointO - pointA) etc
# you might also want to ".normalize" the vector(s)...
# Find vector2 (O->C) the same way...
"angle_between vectors"
# The angle_between method is used to compute the angle (in radians) between this vector and another vector.
# Syntax
angle = vector1.angle_between(vector2)
# Arguments
vector2 - a Vector3d object
# Return Value
angle - an angle (in radians)
# Example
vector1 = Geom::Vector3d.new(x,y,z)
vector2 = Geom::Vector3d.new(xx,yy,zz)
angle = vector1.angle_between(vector2)
# A bit more complicated to my mind is doing it with the 'cosine rule',
# here it is though - you can easily find the length 'AC'
# you have the other two points and can use 'AC = pointA.distance(pointC)' method for that.
# You also know the circle's Radius - or can easily get it from the square's side dim.
Angle = Math::acos((Radius*Radius + Radius*Radius - AC*AC) / (2*Radius))
# Note: if Angle > 90 degrees (pi/2) then it's negative...
Last edited by TIG on Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:23 am, edited 3 times in total.
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Thanks for the usefull ruby !
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Your response hasn't gone un-noticed Tig. I thank you immensely for it. I'm still working on implementing it I think there is a small flaw in that I don't point C either. I think I know how to get it, so thats good. In fact, it is essentially what you provided with the "cosine rule". Thanks for that! That is currently what I'm working at. I had one method, but it was rather convoluted and started to fall apart for some reason, so I think it must not have been sound. This new method feels much more mathematically correct. I'll let you know how it goes. Hopefully within a few hours. Thanks sooo much for your help and ideas,
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Hi Chris
Small feedback : using customer shape crashes SU ( under Windows XP 3)without any message.
La Connaissance n'a de valeur que partagée
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Oh dear, thats not good. Can anyone else confirm? I don't have xp sp3 anywhere to test it on. Is it possible that it is a conflict with another script? That doesn't seem likely to me since I think I've written my code so that can not happen.
I do have xp sp2 I can test it on. Perhaps if I can duplicate it there, I can narrow down the problem. Thanks for the notice,
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Chris, I've done a couple of experiments with it. No crashes yet. I've got XP Pro SP3.
Etaoin Shrdlu
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
OK, let me see which plugin may be in conflict
Last edited by MALAISE on Sun Mar 15, 2009 8:52 am, edited 2 times in total.
La Connaissance n'a de valeur que partagée
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
An artist who is also a coder?
That's Chris Fullmer!
Thank you very much for taking the time to code this; with a couple of tweaks, this will be perfect.
-Miguel Lescano
Subscribe to my house plans YouTube channel! (30K+ subs)
Re: [Plugin] Perpendicular Face Tools v0.1 beta
Hi ALL
Filtering the last downloaded plugins, I've found a conflict with Jim's cd_power_n.rb ( mover2.rb) Has someone experienced that? several times tested.
( SU V7, Windows XP SP3 )
La Connaissance n'a de valeur que partagée


text:
Thai coalition looks for new PM
The mood in Thailand was reportedly tense as the coalition met
Thailand's political parties are meeting to discuss who should replace Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, a day after he was stripped of office.
Mr Samak has not been seen since the Constitutional Court ruled he broke the law by appearing on a TV cookery show.
Parliament is due to elect 73-year-old Mr Samak's successor on Friday.
His People Power Party (PPP), the biggest in the six-member coalition, appeared to back away from an earlier pledge to re-nominate him as PM.
"What the party spokesman said yesterday was not the party's resolution. Our resolution is the next prime minister must come from the People Power Party," Reuters news agency quoted finance minister and PPP secretary general Surapong Suebwonglee as saying.
'Fuel the fire'
Now that the dust has settled after the Constitutional Court's astonishing decision on Tuesday, the bargaining has begun, according to the correspondent in Bangkok, Jonathan Head.
Party factions have been holding meetings throughout the day; some have been in contact with the exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is still influential because of his continued financial support.
26 Aug: Protesters occupy government buildings, demand the government step down
28 Aug: PM Samak promises no use of force against the protesters
30 Aug: Samak rules out resignation, after meeting with Thailand's king
1 Sept: A late-night clash between pro- and anti-government groups leaves one dead. Samak declares a state of emergency
4 Sept: Samak proposes a national referendum
9 Sept: Court orders Samak to resign for violating constitution
The PPP insists any replacement for Mr Samak must come from within its ranks, but its coalition partners are angling to get one of their own into the seat.
The second-largest of the partners, the Chart Thai Party, said the PPP should not re-nominate Mr Samak.
But Chart Thai's leader, Banharn Silpa-Archa – who as prime minister a decade ago presided over a currency collapse that triggered an Asian economic crisis – told Reuters he had ruled himself out.
The opposition Democrats are proposing a new government of national unity as the best way out of the crisis – with the clear hint that their party leader should get the job.
Bangkok dangerous?
For the past two weeks, the Thai government has been paralysed by thousands of protesters who have occupied its headquarters, demanding Mr Samak quit.
Protesters are still laying siege to Government House
They accuse him of being a proxy for Mr Thaksin, who was ousted in an army coup in 2006 amid accusations of corruption and abuse of power.
The demonstrators said they would continue to besiege Government House while waiting to see who parliament selects as the new prime minister.
They have already warned that they will continue their protests if Mr Samak or anyone else closely associated with Mr Thaksin is chosen.
The caretaker administration has anticipated the continued protests by proposing that ministers move their offices to the old international airport.
Deputy PPP leader Somchai Wongsawat is acting as a caretaker prime minister until the new premier is named.
Correspondents say his new role could fan Thailand's political flames as he is the brother-in-law of Mr Thaksin.


text:
(visited by Kalle Pihlajasaari)
22-Jun-2001 -- Visited the second Zimbabwe Confluence on the way back from June, 21 Total Solar Eclipse trip.
The Confluence was in an open field with copses of trees in the featureless, 1 m high sparse grass with occasional small termite nests (this one just west of the Confluence). Some paths and cattle tracks crossed the fields with a small stream of running water that needed to be crossed on the way. Standard barbwire fences separated portions of fields with some fence posts made using slivers of local rock.
I got to make the trip alone hence the self-portrait.
A notable feature was the local dam about 900 m ENE from the Confluence and worth the walk to visit.


text:
A few weeks ago I wrote about whether or not Apple will allow the iPad to be an "Open Market" for content providers other than Apple's own iBooks.
So I did a bit more investigative research, and found out that the good news is that at least for now, the answer is Yes. The bad news? Sister Steven isn't going to allow you to consume anything naughty. Bad content supplier, Bad! WHACK! You shall now recite the iPad End-User License Agreement ten times as your penance. Thank you Sister Steven, can I have another?
Click Here to read the rest of this article at ZDNet Tech Broiler.


text:
The ability to see through organs and even the entire body to visualize long-range connections between cells as well as fine-grained cellular structures has been a long-time dream of biologists. A study published in the journal Cell has now made that dream a reality, revealing simple methods for making opaque organs, bodies, and human tissue biopsies transparent, while keeping the cellular structures and connections intact. The protocols could pave the way for a better understanding of brain-body interactions, more accurate clinical diagnoses and disease monitoring, and a new generation of therapies for conditions ranging from autism to chronic pain.
Although the idea of tissue clearing has been around for a century, this is the first study to perform whole-body clearing, as opposed to first extracting and then clearing organs outside the adult body. The methodology has the potential to accelerate any scientific endeavor that would benefit from whole-organism mapping, including the study of how peripheral nerves and organs can profoundly affect cognition and mental processing, and vice versa.
Three-dimensional maps of intact organs and bodies are crucial for understanding complex, long-distance cellular interactions that play an important role in a range of biological processes. But until now, methods for making whole organs or bodies transparent and thus amenable to imaging and generating 3D maps have been limited to the brain or embryos. The team previously developed a brain-clearing technique called CLARITY, which involves embedding tissue into hydrogels to preserve its 3D structure and important molecular features, and then using detergents to extract lipids that make the tissue opaque.
In the new study, the researchers set out to make CLARITY suitable for whole organs and bodies, in part by making the process faster. First, they identified the optimal hydrogel that allows detergents to quickly remove lipids from tissue using an approach named passive CLARITY technique (PACT). To markedly speed up the clearing process without causing tissue damage, they introduced an innovative procedure called perfusion-assisted agent release in situ (PARS), which involves directly delivering the hydrogel and clearing reagents into the bloodstream of intact rodents. The reagents diffused throughout the tissues and completely clarified organs such as the kidney, heart, lung, and intestine within 2 to 3 days, while the whole brain and entire body cleared within 2 weeks.
The researchers also developed a recipe for refractive index matching solution (RIMS), which enables the long-term storage of cleared tissue and imaging thick, cleared tissue using a conventional confocal microscope. The new methods allow for the analysis of intact connections between cells as well as structures and molecules within single cells using standard genetic and molecular biology techniques. The easy-to-use tissue clearing protocols, which employ readily available and cost-effective reagents and equipment, will make the subcellular interrogation of large tissue samples an accessible undertaking within the broader research and clinical communities.
Source: Caltech