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IT design: You're not data, you're a human being
"Metrics" is rapidly becoming something of a cult among IT vendors. Many are betting the future of their companies on data gathering and foster a culture that treats user behaviour-monitoring like a religion. I've never fully believed in this practice, but it is hard to deny its allure. People are fickle and hard to predict; the …
Very glad that someone is at least thinking about this
When you have a practical monopoly, you can dictate terms, and Apple were so successful for so long in getting their consumers to do things Apple's way, that the mindset seems to have changed from 'What does the customer want?' to a kind of design imperialism - as if these products were coming out of some Ministry Of Technology which expects that the proles will just have to read the pamphlets and adjust their habits. They figure that if we want it that bad (iPhones and the shiny mobile space, next-gen game consoles, access to new TV and movies, etc) we will get it on the producers' terms or not at all.
Only recently have there been major signs of customer-dissension actually changing this mindset, such as the MS U-turn on some of the nastier proposed features of the XBox One, and the grudging semi-return of the Windows start menu. But everyone outside Apple has just been dazzled at the degree to which unwanted or unwelcome changes can be forced on customers without any major penalty on sales (if any).
As regards computing, I think the argument is skewed by the 'middle bell' consumers you mention. Before the reductionist age of the iPhone came in, we were talking about a band of people (and lets avoid demographics here, insert your own prejudices) who formerly relied on spouses, friends and relatives to set up and/or troubleshoot their computing experiences.
With practically all the options taken away (apart from the colour of the iPhone case), there was little left that could go wrong anymore. Today's middle-bell computing consumers feel liberated from the thrall of geeks, I think, and to boot have become the defining force in the consumer marketplace. What they will accept, en masse, is what the rest of us will end up with, like it or lump it.
On the plus side, it's still the same crazy jumble of spaghetti wires behind the shiny shiny, and those who are able to work with that can still do so, and arguably have better tools to do this than they have ever had. And, mostly, the tools are free.
It's just that geeks have to work harder these days to get their own computing experience 'their way'. And many of the most popular consumer products, following the iPhone/iPad model, are hermetically sealed in every sense imaginable. That won't change, so long as the numerous middle-bell consumers keep consuming.
Re: Very glad that someone is at least thinking about this
Nicely put
> That won't change, so long as the numerous middle-bell consumers keep consuming.
And there would be no problem with that as long as "the other solution" keeps existing. Plush dwellers, button pushers and juveniles out for a good time can get their functional tool, while tinkerers and professionals get to have an inspectable, modifiable machinery. Unfortunately the creeping monetization of everything (including debt) and the quest of selling everything on which you can affix a price sticker (even if you actually cannot and do not own it in the first place) means that so-called "Intellectual Property" (aka. economic nonsense) will continue be a growing menace to the continued existence of the "the other solution".
@MrMcginty Re: Very glad that someone is at least thinking about this
First class post, that's all I have to say.
Re: Very glad that someone is at least thinking about this
Compulsory change also involves someone else making decisions for you, bossing you about.
Regardless of the eventual benefit of the change, say a new version of MS Office, it annoys all users, though newcomers least of all as less of their knowledge is being made obsolete. "Where's the button to make it the way it was?" "I don't want the new stuff, I want to do it the way I always do it"
Don't agree with you about Apple. For a decade or more they were the living dead, with just a cult following of designers and architects. I've never owned an Apple product because, in turns, a Windows PC was the clear winner, they were expensive, they are all controlling. Now Android and Samsung are ahead in volume terms. Though to get anything like the privacy I get with a desktop PC I'll have to familiarize myself with a new operating system on a personal-data-stripping-by-design platform.
This is an illustration of capitalism and the pleasure of making a consumer choice (which is similar to holding a grudge against those businesses that have crossed you).
Think you're right about "liberation from the geeks", particularly with our aging population. Some find it humiliating that a technological change means they can no longer do something they used to be able to do and they find it difficult to learn new things (yes, it happens anyway but they're disappointed to have it brought forward rather than delayed).
Re: Very glad that someone is at least thinking about this
I don't have a problem with compulsory change. In fact, I prefer it. Someone gives me orders and it is my duty to obey. If it fails catastrophically, it's on their head, not mine. If I see a demand for Windows 8 from my clients, then I will run a Windows 8 box on my desk alongside my CentOS, Windows XP, Windows 7, and various OSX boxes. Just because I don't like the change in question doesn't mean I won't stump up and do the job.
The issue is the not all change is good, and change for change's sake is stupid. Change needs to provide a clear benefit. To me, to my coworkers or to my employer. If the change in question offers no clear benefit then why in $deity's name should we engage in it?
Should we engage in change because a $software_Company blogger or executive tries to shame people through statements like "holding back progress"?
Should we engage in change because that change reduces costs or advances a strategic plan of one of our vendors?
Should we engage in change because of peer pressure, lobbying, marketing or advertorials?
Or should we only engage in change where there is a definable reason to do so that benefits us? I'm not afraid of change at all. I am, however, overworked, exhausted and poor. If you want to foist change upon me you're going to have to demonstrate quite clearly how that change will make my life better. If you can't do it then I will resist.
Re: Very glad that someone is at least thinking about this
"Today's middle-bell computing consumers feel liberated from the thrall of geeks, I think..."
I think that is partially true but, speaking as someone who spent nearly two decades being the geek of the family, isn't it also partly the result of the exasperation of the geeks resulting in trying to make systems idiot proof? I imagine computer companies aren't any different since part of their quest is to reduce the number of tech support calls to zero. The ultimate goal is to have a 1/0 switch and [magic happens here] we get exactly what we want. I don't think anyone would complain, even Trevor, as long as the magic works but that's the problem. The magic too often doesn't work because the current attempts at magic are all misdirection without the amazing part.
Hmm, "Exasperation of the Geeks" isn't a bad movie title but it sounds a bit too much "Revenge of the Nerds" meets "The Net" meets "Plan 9 from Outer Space" for a general release so a porn movie perhaps.
Re: Very glad that someone is at least thinking about this
When you have a practical monopoly, you can dictate terms, and Apple were so successful for so long in getting their consumers to do things Apple's way, that the mindset seems to have changed from 'What does the customer want?' to a kind of design imperialism...
Well-llll... yes, and no.
In the first design shop I worked in which used computers, we had an old CompuGraphic 7500 system, and a desktop micro using MS-DOS. Christ, what a headache, trying to remember all the secret languages and magic words just to get work done. Simple things like changing directories and copying files were a source of constant pain. I'd been there about a year when we got our first Mac system, and suddenly, doing all the basic things I needed to do to get the computer to do what I needed it to do were child's play. Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer. What a breeze. That's a text file, that's a bitmap image file, that's a vector graphic file, that's an application. Put this here. Put that there. Create a "folder" and stash my stuff in it. Put this INIT file in there, so it'll load when the system boots. Things like disk space and memory management were suddenly a piece of cake. With the Mac GUI I could finally concentrate on getting my work done instead of trying to remember the secret languages and magic words. It's been nearly thirty years, and I still actually enjoy using my computer and experimenting with it and releasing my inner geek, despite my not being formally trained in IT.
That said, as much as I'm occasionally jealous, I don't think I'd want an iPhone, based on my observations of my wife with hers. I tried to use it once. What a pain in the ass. Even my skinny, bony fingers are too big and clumsy to work the interface properly; I have to use one of those fake "fingers". I can't customize the UI. I can't use any apps that aren't Apple-approved apps. I like the quality of the images and sound from the camera, but that's not enough to make me want one. I fiddled with a friend's iPad for a bit; it was fun to play with for about five minutes, but there was the same pain in the ass as with the wife's iPhone. My friend thinks his iPad is pretty cool, but I can't run what I want on it, I can't customize the UI, and it's pretty useless for what I'd want a tablet for, which makes it decidedly uncool to me.
Re: Very glad that someone is at least thinking about this
>Today's middle-bell computing consumers feel liberated from the thrall of geeks
I see no evidence of this. It's possible I'm hanging out with the wrong people, but a quick survey of the web shows that surprisingly large numbers of people are doing geeky things like rooting their phones and tablets and making apps for them.
They're not turning into instant Linux deities, but the idea of Joe and Joette Average rooting a complicated device with dd and ssh would have been unthinkable twenty years ago, back when most of the population had no idea what the Internet was.
The massive non-takeup of Win 8 just proves the point. Too many people look at it and think 'Fuck that'. They're not buying it - literally.
They are buying iPhones and S2/3/4s and such. But the genius of skeumorphism was to physicalise complicated tools and make them instantly comprehensible.
Most people know how that goes now and are willing to move up a level. So this is not the time to be herding the non-geeks towards the happy land of brightly-coloured Fisher Price computing.
What people actually want is tools that get out of the way. Some of them care about looks too, but most people just don't want their time wasted. And the most recent disasters - including Win 8 - aren't about change for the sake of it, but about forcing everyone to waste time for no net benefit.
This is not the way to win friends and influence social media.
Porn Movie Title?
How about "Ejaculation of the Geeks!"
I fear the cast would consist of a lot of socially inept blokes and a one attractive woman. You can make up your own "plot"
Re: "What people actually want is tools that get out of the way"
Brilliantly said !
I will be repeating that.
Re: "What people actually want is tools that get out of the way"
Spot on.
The 'MS knows best' way of operating really irritates me. Then they have the gall to ask if I would join the customer improvement programme? Yeah right, going by recent events they pay lip service to that at best.
I want an OS that gets out of the way and lets me do the job. MS isn't alone here btw.
Gnome3 and Unity are also on my 'crap list' This trend to dumb down the UI is all well and good if all you want to do is ...
Play MP3's, Watch Videos, Surf the Internet, Send Emails and write a document or two. Go beyond that and they fall down miserably (IMHO and I accept that others may have different opinions)
(all I want for Christmas is Gnome2, Cinnamon does not hack IMHO).
yours, a grumpy old man who really did get out of bed the wrong side today.
Re: Porn Movie Title?
How about "Ejaculation of the Geeks!"
Oh dear. Someone discovered hands free.
If only we had "Mom's Friendly Robot company"
Everybody loves mom!
Data Dumbassery
Management of Humans by data alone removes the 'gut' feeling innovators thrive with. It is an attempt to mitigate or eliminate risk or dissent that puts growth into silos to the detriment of the business as a whole. HP is a good example of purely 'analytical management' in practice: Elimination/scale back of engineering and R&D and focus on services. Profits jump temporarily, but the overall business has been hobbled and any foundation for future growth had been eliminated.
There is also the big question of interpretations of the data... Statistics are dangerous when applied to Humans as can be evidenced by the heavily weighted questions posed to focus groups. Either the data itself is manipulated to meet the needs of those asking the questions or the questions are designed to almos guarantee a finding. Focus groups are an offshoot of 'analytical management' which gets back to eliminating the 'gut' feeling. Everyone is scared to make decisions without supporting data and it is cancer to creativity and innovation.
Re: Data Dumbassery
Of course they are scared. Getting fired sucks. Getting sued sucks even more.
But having the whole world know you were incompetent in the first place is unforgivable. So you blame the first person with anything near to responsibility.
Totally with you on both Sony and not using search as a means of firing up programs. Good article.
Trevor's relationship with Sony is almost identical to mine, although Sony earned an additional red flag in my case, every single Sony device I have ever bought has failed within 18 months of purchase. Agree with search for programs, it really doesn't work for me either, although I do actually enjoy using a Bourne Shell variant, so typing/word memory doesn't seem to stop me there. I think the key point about Bourne Shell is that it hasn't changed for 20+ years. GUIs come and go every couple of years, and that is a problem.
The rootkit was the end of Sony for me. I only nearly copped it; but -as resident nerd- did have to clear off a few friends and family machines. To be honest, I'm a little conflicted with M$ making such a bollocks of the new XBox; but I'm still not giving Sony any money. Or microsoft unless they seriously get their act together.
My personal memory palace is (as a vague nod to the 21st Century) is Classic Shell; which gives a Win98/XP-style flyout menu which I organise according to classes of programs (games, office, system, graphics etc.) so I can find everything quickly. Can't really get on with command line...I always manage to find the one full stop or space that will completely wreck the computer. Plus remembering stuff is really not my forte.
I do have searches: the wonderful Everything which is good for finding out where the hell that download went to and the equally wonderful FileLocator Pro which is supremely useful for searching though code; but I don't want to be buggering around remembering the name of apps...when I fire something up; I'm already using my processing power for working out what I'm going to do with the program when it loads. Having to stop and remember the name of the damn thing would definitely throw a spanner in for me.
I know what it does, which toolbar it's supposed to be on and I know exactly what the icon looks like. Why should I remember the name?
re: search as a means of...
Totally with you on both Sony and not using search as a means of firing up programs...
When my wife is looking for a Web site and is uncertain of the domain name, she types it into the search box at Google, f'cripesake. Whenever I try to point out that it's not going to hurt anything to just take an educated guess and type it straight into the Firefox location field, she pitches a fit. Bahhh...
Re: re: search as a means of...
Did she perchance try visiting the White House's website a decade ago? I had a social studies teacher that accidentally sent my class to the .com site instead of .gov, back before Web filters were any decent. If you don't know the domain name, it's very possible to get hurt just taking a guess, and that's one of the reasons search engines exist in the first place.
I want what I'm used to! It still does the job!
I know a writer who insists on using Word 97. That's how she writes, and it doesn't get in her way. I tried getting her to move to Open Office -- she tried and tried, and hated it. So I'm gradually accumulating systems that run Windows XP, because Windows 7 doesn't play nicely with Word 97. She shouldn't be stranded in a world where she can only get Windows 8+. It would ruin her livelihood.
This is where the market for refurbished computers shines.
Re: I want what I'm used to! It still does the job!
VMs, including the one that comes with some (more expensive) versions of Win7, may be an answer - XP will soon stop receiving security updates.
"XP will soon stop receiving security updates."
This is what MS want Joe Public to think. In reality, security updates for XP will continue to be developed and distributed, they just won't be distributed through traditional channels.
To a different set of customers than the desktop PC ecosystem, MS have said:
1) Windows XP Embedded is Windows XP, just packaged and licenced differently
2) Windows XP Embedded security updates will be available until 12 January 2016 [1]
The work to provide those security updates is already paid for. But Microsoft apparently don't think that's enough; MS want Joe Public to get off XP and onto the latest greatest MS OS.
MS will probably be half right; quite a few people (from Joe Public, corporates, and from those in between) will soon be giving up on XP. How many of them will stay with MS in the current state of MS and Windows 8 and Android and Apple is a somewhat different question. The clued up folks are already having that thought.
Of course if MS continued to distribute the security updates for XP during the timeframe FOR WHICH MS HAVE ALREADY COMMITTED TO DEVELOP AND DELIVER THESE UPDATES, customers/users etc who are happy with XP would have less reason to look elsewhere. While MS were doing that, they'd have a chance to fix Windows 8.
Separately: someone outside MS taking the XP Embedded updates and "back porting" them to XP Classic would have to look carefully at the licence under which such updates were provided. It seems highly unlikely that reverse engineering or redistribution would be permitted. But you never know till you look.
[1] Sources:
Re: I want what I'm used to! It still does the job!
For large documents with lots of narrative text, I use a set (for structure) of .txt files and just keep typing and proof reading (multi tab editor) until I thnk it's right. Only then do I copy/paste into Word/LO and start to think about page layout and paragraph trimming, etc.
Re: "XP will soon stop receiving security updates."
Your point about XP embedded is technically correct, but my guess is that MS will deny "desktop XP" users these updates simply out of spite. It just seems to be the way the company operates these days. I think, as the article notes, they are "trying to copy Apple".
Re: simply out of spite
Hardly. To push users towards the failing Windows 8 more like. Big corporations (Apple's ongoing litigation shenanigans excepted) tend to do things to make money. Do you think keeping XP going is going to make MS much cash? I don't.
MacOS is there for you
If you want hierarchical icons and consistently placed menus, you should be using MacOS. Apple has always been better at having Human Interface Guidelines (even if they don't always follow them), and they haven't dramatically changed the interface since the switch to MacOS X. The downside is they've never fixed the OS X Finder, which still sucks at the basics compared to the Classic MacOS Finder.
I think a search-based interface is crucial to manage the complexity of modern systems. A hierarchical clicking system is fine when you have only a few files, but as the number of files goes up then it becomes unwieldy. The worst is the Windows XP Start Menu: Non-alphabetical, multi-column, with sub-menus jumping out at you like bogeymen if you don't move the pointer to the correct selection with the proper grace. When MacOS X 10.4 and Windows Vista introduced searching that worked, I was pleased to use it.
Re: MacOS is there for you
A search-based interface is fine if you take the 'handbag' approach to storage...essential to have it as an option. I organise my files as they come in, though, so I only need to search if I've lost something or it isn't where I thought it was.
The XP menu is fine; but again you benefit if you organise things as they come in. Every program you install comes with it's own folder and a bunch of icons and if you just leave it like that then -you're right- you end up with a mess. Usually, though, you only need one of those icons...the one that fires up the program; so if you just take the useful icons and categorise them then you can get a LOT of programs into a small, neat space. I've got somewhere north of 100 applications on this machine and I can get to everything very quickly. You can have it in alphabetical order (Right-click --> Sort By Name) if you like. I do mine in 'most used at the top' so if I'm looking for something I use rarely, I start looking from the bottom of the list upwards. It does take a little time to organise things like this; but over the life of the computer you're going to be wasting much more time looking for stuff if you don't put the effort in.
Re: the Start Menu
I strongly suspect part of the apathy for the XP style Start Menu springs from Microsoft completely failing to tell ordinary users how to manage the thing. It's sometimes obvious when the haters post about it's deficiencies they've just let Windows drop crap into it, without ever sorting additions, adding categories to the tree, removed junk or done anything to manage the ensuing mess. Without even noticing drag'n'drop works on it and takes seconds to undo what installers break.
Yet the same 'unstructure list' behaviour on the shiny new Start Screen is somehow magically more efficient...
My start menu has ordered imposed on it and in return I no longer need to remember where things are. I've effectively offloaded some of my cognitive load on the machine. It seems that I'm in a minority of people able to manage what installers throw at me, a minority that can be ignored in favour of dragging me back into the same mire the majority put up with.
To much concentration on metrics just drags us all down to the same level.
Design driven by "metrics" has a long and *dishonorable* history.
Ford Edsel anyone?
Somewhat ironically aren't most of those "corner cases" the reasons (or at least the justification) why most of those "bells and whistles" exist?
So you should be left with a core, fast application.
Yeah, right.
Re: Design driven by "metrics" has a long and *dishonorable* history.
You are correct in your observations. I just want to point out that I like the Edsel. They are just so queer looking I can't help it :)
Re: Design driven by "metrics" has a long and *dishonorable* history.
See also The Simpsons, the episode where Homer designs a car.
Re: Design driven by "metrics" has a long and *dishonorable* history.
Metrics and me...
Build in as many trackers as you like, I'll use NoScript and Ghostery and DoNotTrack and Adblock Plus and Flashblock and Ref Control and Beef Taco and any other software I like because I don't want someone looking over my shoulder every time I go browsing on the web!
Re: Metrics and me...
If the majority of the geeks and people at one end of the curve do that, does that mean that the metrics, and therefore design decisions, are based solely on people who don't care enough or don't know enough to block the trackers?
This could speed up the effect of concentrating on the middle of that curve. Right up until adblocking becomes normal, by whatever means.
Re: Metrics and me...
"Build in as many trackers as you like, I'll use NoScript and Ghostery and DoNotTrack and Adblock Plus and Flashblock and Ref Control and Beef Taco and any other software I like because I don't want someone looking over my shoulder every time I go browsing on the web!"
Unfortunately ADP has apparently succumbed to the almighty dollar of Google adverts:
Metrics tell you what but they don't tell you why
For any given piece of software, the majority probably don't know about all the features and there are a lot of people who barely know the basics. If you let majority voting drive the design of future versions, the result is a Windows 8^W^Wa mess.
Re: Metrics tell you what but they don't tell you why
So design by metrics is an algorithm that converges on a product with no features at all.
Re: Metrics tell you what but they don't tell you why
"So design by metrics is an algorithm that converges on a product with no features at all."
Well it will have an "exit" option on the file menu.
All users everywhere use that.
Re: Metrics tell you what but they don't tell you why
"the majority probably don't know about all the features and there are a lot of people who barely know the basics."
This includes software and interface design, programming (GUI or the other kinds), and most other human activities.
Reminds me of a Churchill quote: "The best argument against democracy[*] is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."
[*] Surely a type of a metric applied to all of us, eh?
Re: Metrics tell you what but they don't tell you why
Not with TIFKAM. The exit option was the last barrier to a truly efficient app.
search as a gui replacement
Had the terrible experience the other day of trying to help an intern with Ubuntu 13 try to figure out how to mount a samba share. Everything is search driven and it sucks hard on several fronts. Hadn't really appreciated what people were hollering about until just now as "surely, search is a supplementary method to getting what you want."
First, stuff isn't where I can find it easily without search (control panels, menus, icons, whatever)
But the search results themselves are damn worthless (won't find the thing I want)
*and* the access is slow as sin.
So, no added ability to get things without knowing what/where they are already, and worse access speed, and you need to *guess* to find what you want. That said, the quality of web search has progressed enormously in the last decade, so the QoR and QoS will probably improve. Still, this really seems like it ought to be a supplementary, rather than a primary means of access to important system tools.
the sony case is interesting
I don't recall ever owning a Sony device, but the events mentioned came back to mind when I read the article. Yes, I probably have an anti-Sony bias as well, in all likelyhood driven by the backlash that I read on this and other similar sites/forums.
Re: the sony case is interesting
That social magnification thing I talked about? Yeah...
The blind
There was an interesting, almost throwaway, remark in that article on the lines of 'Considering the blind when designing web-sites'. There must be hundreds of readers of El Reg who design or operate web-sites - I run two myself and will admit I have never given anything other than the most passing thought to users with physical handicaps. Yet one of my neighbours is blind so I have less excuse than many.
How do you accommodate people with severe physical handicaps ? I suppose adding sound to your links would be a start, But how do you make a Club program readily comprehensible ? I could see it being necessary to make every date a separate 'sound bite'. How I would do this within the size constraints of a 'free' hosting arrangement suitable for a small Club, that too escapes me !
Chris Cosgrove
Re: The blind
Blind people use screen readers. What you need are versions of your site that are easily read and used by those with screen readers.
It basically means writing two sites; one simple and textual for blind people. No fancy anything, no graphics, no fooferah. The other a pain in the ASCII CSS nightmare for the sighted.
Personally, all my future websites are going to be for the unsighted first. Content is king. The sighted stuff will come later, after we've finished beating the content into whatever is the visual aesthetic of the day. (Though I remain "not a fan" of a steamrollered-flat Metro-fetish of today's designers.)
Re: restricted vision
You're not doing an unscreenreadable animated unsearchable unindexable Flash-only version then, Trevor?
Some people still do :(
Please would you help re-educate them. Thank you.
Re: restricted vision
If you still use Flash on a website then you deserve nothing less than 2 weeks in the stocks in the town square. There's just no excuse for this on new websites. (Though I have some sympathy for it existing on older sites that haven't been updated.)
Re: The blind
"It basically means writing two sites; one simple and textual for blind people. No fancy anything, no graphics, no fooferah. The other a pain in the ASCII CSS nightmare for the sighted."
Back when I was still on dialup I'd regularly load a site without graphics for speed.
I think I might try that with the reg and see what that happens.
Regarding images is the problem that no one bothers with a text description of the image rather than just some random string of letters and numbers?
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Randy Schoch delivers Chinese treats with an American twist.
Tommy's Mai Tai

subset: commoncrawl


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Tara Roberts - Just Do It
Whats Up Everyone? Sorry for the lack of updates, been busy traveling and finally got the time to update this blog. Thought that everyone could enjoy this photo set of Tara Roberts. For this set, Tara just put on this black bra with some Nike sweatpants. Keeping it casual, we used the chair to create this set with the window as the backdrop. I just started to snap away while Tara was moving around while she was on the chair. Check out the pictures we got below! Hope everyone has a great monday!


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Just a reminder that this coming weekend, we will have the Cobb County BMX awards banquet at Acworth Baptist Church from 1-4 pm. Also, this coming Sunday is a double point race at Noonday. Registration is $20.00.
Also, at this Sunday's race, we are holding Trunk-or-Treat! Bring any leftover candy you might have from Halloween, put it in your trunk and let the kids Trunk-or-Treat!Read More


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ShareMyProfile CB
GPLv2 or later
Free Download
8 March 2010
It supports:
aim, bebo, blinklist, blogmarks, bookmark, delicious, digg, diigo, facebook, faves, furl, google, linkedin, live, myspace, newsvine, stumbleupon, technorati, twine, twitter, xanga, ybookmarks
It can send to multiple address emails (separated by coma) and gives the opportunity to add an optional personal message.
This CB plugin is free, GPL and based on the CB1.2 framework.
PROS: It works good, has lots of share choices and is one of very few free available extensions for CB here on JED. That alone is a big plus.
CONS: only one (that I have found) is when the modal comes up it doesn't fade the background page and you have to also click twice on the X in the upper right corner to close the modal.


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By Dave and Adam's Card World on April 22, 2013 in
Dave and Adam's will not have phone hours on Friday, November 28th in observance of Thanksgiving.
Normal customer service hours will resume Monday, December 1st
Sorry, it looks like your browser doesn't have cookies enabled. Dave & Adam's only uses cookies to keep track of your shopping cart while you browse dacardworld.com. Please enable cookies to further enjoy your shopping experience. If you have cookies enabled, please refresh your browser.
Blog Homepage \ 2013 Topps Five Star Baseball Preview \ FielderFiveStarPatch


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About Us
Welcome to the Sydney Humanities Salon!
The Humanities Salon brings together an exciting and diverse array of researchers and intellectuals in a variety of fora debates, in-conversations, panels and more to showcase research in the humanities. Our academics at the University of Sydney engage in cutting-edge research and energetic and innovative teaching in the humanities. With our regular events, we offer a lively program that brings the enthusiasm and rigor of our researchers to the public.
The Humanities Salon is an initiative of the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.


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Jets tight end Dustin Keller is writing a food column for the Times' football blog. [Fifth Down/NYT via Feast]
When Jamie Oliver made over Huntington, West Virginia's school lunches, many children stopped buying them. [Salon]
In a lawsuit, Billionaire William Koch accused Christie's of auctioning counterfeit vintage wine. [NYP]
Charlie Vergos, founder of Memphis' beloved Rendezvous barbecue restaurant, died this weekend at 84. [Diner's Journal/NYT]
Fueled by customer demand for good tomatoes year-round, giant tomato greenhouses are cropping up across the country. [NYT]
McDonald's recently opened its first "Hamburger University" training center in China. [NRN]
Between tougher federal fishing regulations and this year's cold snap, Florida is producing less local seafood than usual right now. [NYT]
Alumnae of Ireland's Ballymaloe Cooking School have spread founder Darina Allen's gospel of fresh, simple, Irish cooking worldwide. [NYT]
Sales of frozen food are skyrocketing, leading to an increase in the type of products available. [WSJ]


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If you like Riri, you'll like this editorial by Ellen Von Unwerth for the upcoming Esquire UK.
It is not the first time we wrote about Swedish painter Anna Halldin Maule, she since then introduced a few more of her (sexy)
This week we are dedicating our column to smoking hot sexy covers. Needless to say that all albums selected also carry extremely hot music, from Tropicalia to Glam Rock and garage rock revival to
German photographer and director Monica Menez creates stunning visual narratives with a surrealist, retro modern vibe. Her highly polished images offer a sense of escapism, while fashion's favorite themes of fetishism, fantasy and seduction become captivating scenarios in unusual situations.
French fashion designer Amelie Pichard, describes her brand as "dreamer but realistic, masculine but terribly sophisticated" and her latest SS14 collection is exactly that.
We often forget that music does not only come in the standardized and "universally accepted" language of English. Berlin based talent Lary reminds us all of this with her sexy and haunting "System".
I'll start by saying that, whoever believes that sex does not sell should not click here.
There's nothing like a sexy jazz infused jam to kick off your week and have you swaying through your to do list. "Lovit" by the talented
For Vogue Spain's December issue, Mario Testino shot the world's greatest models for this editorial "Las Majas".
Colors, colors, colors, we are such suckers for colors! This great editorial entitled Electric was shot by Herring & Herring featuring sexy models May Anderson and Sarah Stephens and styled by Julie Brooke Williams for erotic fashion magazine Treats! issue 2.
Luxury lingerie label Bordelle is back with its latest serving of high-class fetishism for SS 2011. Inspired by the sexual confidence of great icons of the 50's such as Bettie Page with a modern twist of Brigitte Nelson and Helmut Newton strong feminine imagery, the SS11 collection is a perfect blend of modern fetishism and […]
Sexy, raw and high fashion are the words that come to my mind when I browse the portfolio of Greek photographer Jannis Tsipoulanis, shooting for the Vogue, Numero and L'Officiel or doing campaign for La Perla, L'Oreal or Bulgari, his portfolio is definitely worth the look!


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Warp finally ties up the loose ends of Plaid's back catalogue.
Released on 10 July, Trainer, a 2CD, triple vinyl chronological compilation of Ed and Andy's rarest material, including long-lost Latin-tech classic Scoobs In Columbia, the whole of the duo's super-scarce '91 album Mbuki Mvuki and eight unreleased tracks including Uneasy Listening, the first track Plaid ever produced.
Meanwhile, Plaid will be playing a show 320m above sea level, on top of the Floien Mountain in Bergen, Norway, one of a host of pan-European dates they're fitting around an appearence at this year's Reading and Leeds festivals.
17th June 00
Plaid News
6th September 14
+ News
4th August 14
+ News
12th July 14
+ News


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Board members are Doug Case, chair; Marci Knauft, vice-chair; Todd Stubblefield, Brian Maiden and Troy Fitzgerald. With all present Thursday, the board:
- BILLS: Approved payment from general fund for $66,862.41. Unanimous.
- HIRES: Approved hiring Victor Valeria as educational assistant; Carol Forney-Clayton as sixth-grade teacher; Lori Sutherland as volleyball coach and athletic director at Sager Middle School; Erica Lackey as ASB advisor at Sager; Kristen Wegner as co-annual advisor at Sager; Debbie von Borstel as co-annual advisor at Sager; and Terri Klundt as sixth-grade volleyball coach. Unanimous.
- RESIGNATION: Accepted resignation from Lisette Kopetski as Life Skills educational assistant at Davis. Unanimous.
- REPORTS: Heard report on increase in enrollment by about 25 students from last year; possible ways to approach low state test scores in lower grades.
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Back to Breitbart TV
"Let's remember how they created their wealth," Todd said. "They didn't do it in some incredible business creating jobs and all of this- they just acquired wealth for being the Clintons."
Todd acknowledged it took work for former President Bill Clinton to position himself to be attractive to donors, but explained it was a different kind of hard work.
"This is not like shoveling coal, this is not like building a factory," Todd added. "It's not like they have acquired their wealth from hard work."
Follow Pam Key On Twitter @pamkeyNEN
"The media class is the wall that we have to climb over for our voices to be heard. Once our voices are heard, then democracy will happen."
Andrew Breitbart
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Elisabeth Williams� Tweed Jacket 52 52
A little too unfitted for me Generally a nice product for the price, but I am going to take the princess seams in a bit more to get a more flattering fit for my 5'6, 130 lb. body with bust and hips of the same measurement. November 23, 2014
Great jacket This is my first purchase from Blair and I am very satisfied. This jacket is well-made, fits nicely and a great value. I gently washed and dried the jacket before wearing and it did not need ironing. I wore this with a black tank top and dress pants. I'll surely be purchasing more from Blair! November 19, 2014
I like the color, the fit and the style. I am very pleased, as usual with your product. It is a very pleasant shade of purple and goes with the slacks I plan to wear with it. I am very glad I ordered it. I know I will be very proud to wear it. November 15, 2014
Nice Jacket I had to exchange for a bigger size. The fit is great now. Pretty color-got the light violet. I will get a lot of wear out of it. November 15, 2014
Jacket runs a little big for size Runs a little big for size. Colors will compliment many outfits. Hasn't been through laundry, yet, so don't know how it will hold up. November 12, 2014
Made nicely but HUGE shoulder pads Some of us need shoulder pads, some of us don't. Unless you were born without shoulders at all, these will be too large for you - these would have been too large in the 1980s! HOWEVER, the rest of the jacket is of good quality and lined and made very nicely. I am going to take it to a tailor to have the pads removed and have it altered. So fair warning..otherwise, it's a lovely jacket. Perfect for fall and spring. October 13, 2014
pretty color and fabric Was too big in the chest for me. Would have liked a either plain front or buttoned, not zippered. Also, a lining would have kept the facings from turning forward, which makes it a feature that you have to constantly be adjusting. Tacking the facings down would be another option. August 24, 2014
Very versatile styling. The zip-front tweed jacket goes well with black jeans, slacks, and skirts. The color "teal" can be bluish-green or greenish-blue. This jacket's teal is more greenish than bluish. The jacket's versatility makes it a good addition to a wardrobe. April 14, 2014


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At the Clarion Suites Maingate hotel, we love to show our guests the best that Central Florida has to offer! Located less than 2 miles from Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, we invite our guests to enjoy our clean, spacious accommodations at a great value.
Central Florida hosts more than 40 million visitors a year, many of whom are coming to visit the wonderful Walt Disney World® Resort and Universal Orlando Resort; but those are just a few of Orlando's area attractions only minutes from our doors!
Here's just a sample of the fun destinations less than an hour from Clarion Suites Maingate:
But convenient location isn't all that our Orlando, Florida hotel offers – Take full advantage of the complimentary scheduled transportation to and from Walt Disney World® Resort, Universal Orlando® Resort and SeaWorld® Orlando!
Orlando, Florida's world-renowned theme parks may often get top billing, but there is so much fun to be had at the Kissimmee and Orlando area attractions just outside of their gates.
Golf is a staple of the Central Florida lifestyle. We're fortunate to be surrounded by some of the finest courses to practice your drives and get that wedge some use!
We recommend:
After a full day of adventuring, kick back and relax in our comfortable suites without breaking the bank. Our hotel suites in Orlando, Florida have the value you're looking for, in the location you've dreamed for your family vacation!
Click here to reserve your Orlando, Florida hotel suite at Clarion Suites Maingate hotel, or please call (407) 390-9888.


text: The Power of Good Visuals by Lisa De Pasquale 30 Apr 2013 View Discussion Share This: In response to How to Make a Music Video: Rihanna's 'Stay' : Thanks for sharing this, Jon. I thought I'd watch the video with no sound first just to see how the story came across. The sense of longing and sadness came through. Watching a second time with the sound made it even more powerful. With all the talk about the importance of storytelling in culture and politics, it's good to remember that the visual component should be just as powerful as the written or spoken element. Including the video again below in case anyone missed it.


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From U$2060 per person in double occupancy
Flash! No need to fly all over Brazil to enjoy cool days and hot nights. This great City/ Beach combo is designed to help you really chill AND thrill most economically. Enjoy Rio, then head to Buzios, Rio's "Hamptons", where the young and beautiful come to play...
You will embark on your International flight to Rio de Janeiro
Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Afternoon free.
Overnight at the hotel
Breakfast at the hotel
We leave the hotel after breakfast to visit the world famous Sugar Loaf where we can see the natural beauties from up above. Take the two-stage car up to the top of the Mountain and admire one of the most breathtaking views of the city of Rio. The first cable-car will take you to the top of Urca Hill, which rises 215 meters above sea level and offers spectacular views of the entire bay and its islands. From Urca Hill you will continue in a second cable car to the top of Sugar Loaf which rises 395 meters above sea level and offers a 360 degree view of the entire city including Botafogo and Copacabana Beaches, Corcovado and downtown Rio.
Overnight at the hotel
Breakfast at the hotel
Day at Leisure
Overnight at the hotel
Breakfast at the hotel
BUZIOS - In the morning, transfer from your hotel to Buzios (3 hours), a resort quaint little town surrounded by 17 beaches.
Afternoon free to walk around town, enjoy the bars and restaurants and relax by the beach.
Overnight at the hotel
Breakfast at the hotel
Experience the beauty of the Búzios peninsula on a Schooner Cruise that will take you to all 12 of its famous beaches as well as 3 gorgeous islands. During the tour, passengers can use the diving equipment provided (masks, buoys and kayaks) to better experience the beauty of the Búzios Bay. We will pass by many of Búzios' most beautiful beaches, including Armação, Ossos, Azeda, Azedinha, João Fernandes, João Fernandinho, Branca, Feia, Tartaruga, Virgens, Amores and Canto. Service onboard includes a variety of fruits and Caipirinhas. *The tour last approximately 2 ½ hours and embarks at 9:30am, 12:30pm, and 3:30 pm. * Embark/Disembark at the pier in downtown Búzios, next to Rua das Pedras. *The Schooner Tour does not include transportation from hotel. Passengers must arrive at the pier on time.
Rest of the afternoon at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel
Free day to enjoy some of the beaches, water sports, scuba diving, shopping at town, etc. Please check locally at the hotel for more options.
Breakfast at the hotel
We will transfer you from the hotel to the airport in Rio for your International flight back home
6 overnights with daily buffet breakfast included
Half Day Sugarloaf Tour & Schooner tour in Buzios
Transfers point-to-point
Bilingual "buddy guide" assistance in your arrival in Rio
24 hours assistance during your travel
Rountrip International Flights from Miami to Rio
|2014 Per Person in Double Occ
|u$ 2,060
|u$ 2,285
|u$ 2,675


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Post Content
The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority's (MBTA) mTicket is a first-in-the-nation mobile ticketing app which supports an end-to-end smartphone ticketing system and serves all commuter rail lines and ferries across the state.
mTicket is comprised of customer-facing apps for both iOS and Android phones, conductor validation apps for staff, a management console, secure payment integration, and a cloud-based back-end for customer service and support.
Commuter rail and ferry customers can now buy tickets anywhere, anytime, in seconds, with their own smart phone acting as both vending machine and ticket. Riders select tickets using intuitive from/to menus and then pay with a credit or debit card. Repeat users can make purchases in as little as 15 seconds as the app remembers previous selections and securely stores payment details. Riders can buy tickets any time before riding and keep them in the app's "My Tickets" section until needed. Riders can purchase single-ride, round trip, 10-ride tickets or monthly passes.
When riders board a train or ferry, they "activate" the ticket they wish to use. A dynamic, color-changing code appears on the phone's screen, acting as the customer's visual "flash pass." mTicket holders show their phone screen to the conductor, who visually validates the ticket at a glance. In addition to the flash pass functionality, the app also supports advanced barcode scanning.
Of the state's 135 commuter rail stations, only a handful have ticket vending machines, meaning that, in the past, the only option for many travelers was to buy a ticket with cash once on-board. The option to buy at any time with their phone and credit card adds an unprecedented level of convenience for these riders. A significant added benefit is that this frees up valuable conductor time en route as staff spend less time handling cash transactions and more time on other priorities.
Buying an mTicket can also save riders a bit of cash and aggravation in some scenarios. When ticketless riders race past an open ticket booth or machine in a busy station and then use cash to buy a ticket on-board, they incur a $3 surcharge. Now those riders can buy an mticket instead, avoiding the surcharge (and long lines at the station) while sparing conductors a time-consuming cash transaction.
Mobile ticket sales grew steadily – from zero to an impressive 16% of all ticket sales – while cash-on-board sales dropped. Through August 19th, over 1 million tickets were sold, reaching $10 million in sales. This rapid and growing adoption speaks to the early and continued success of mTicket.
Ultimately, both commuters and the MBTA benefit significantly from use of mTicket. Commuters enjoy more flexibility in their ticket-buying options and MBTA staff gain valuable time during travel thanks to the drop in cash-on-board transactions.
The MBTA Mobile Ticketing Project has also been named one of the top ten transportation projects in the country and will be competing for top honors in the 2013 America's Transportation Awards.
More information about mTicket can be found here.
Visit here to learn more about the 2013 America's Transportation Awards, and to submit your vote for mTicket to win the People's Choice Award for the best transportation project in the country.
Tags: Innovation, Mobile, mobile app, transportation
Recent Posts
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As state government becomes increasingly digital, new and innovative technologies can enhance the Commonwealth's ability to operate more efficiently. The Commonwealth has partnered with MassChallenge, the world's largest startup accelerator to create the MassIT Government Innovation Competition. The competition gives the Commonwealth access to entrepreneurs …Continue Reading Astra IDentity and CarKnow win the Commonwealth's First MassIT Government Innovation Prize
MassIT Government Innovation Contestants Pitch their Ideas posted on Oct 23
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MassIT & New Urban Mechanics Live Stream: How to Pitch Your Innovation to Gov posted on Sep 12
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Tags metal, rock, hard rock & metal, doom, occult
Genres doom metal, heavy metal, traditional doom metal, stoner rock, stoner metal (beta)
(flag as incorrect)
August 19, 2011
Fifteen tracks including music by Candlemass, Electric Wizard, and Grand Magus.
Doom power! Great Sound !! Thanks for the songs
Did we meet when I was in Tucson this winter? If not we should have...
Sadly no... let me know if you ever make it out this way again.
Great mix, lots of stuff I haven't heard in quite a while. Doom on!
Werewolves On Wheels by lawrence.kessler
Odd mix of 70's Heavy, Trippy and Occult trax.
occult, 70s, psychedelic, biker
In Doom We Trust by lawrence.kessler
metal, rock, hard rock & metal, doom, occult


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Weyburn's Parks Board is setting up plans for an event on International Trails Day, to be held on Sunday, June 1, using in part some of the funds which were originally going to be used for the cancelled Winterfest event.
City council was told that funding had been made by the provincial ASUPCA organization, and it could be used for the event, which will include a dedication of the new gazebo located near the Soo Line Museum.
The event is being held to encourage city residents to explore the Tatagwa pathway system, and will include a wrap-up lunch for participants at the new gazebo.
Coun. Nancy Styles indicated she had extended an invitation to the minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, Kevin Doherty, to attend the event and see Weyburn's park system.
In addition to the gazebo, there are also plans for a pumpjack to be placed along the boardwalk near the museum, and a new play structure. A local service club will be approached about helping with the play structure by partnering with the city.
At the Mar. 10 council meeting, Mayor Debra Button signed a proclamation to declare Trans-Gender Awareness Week, from Mar. 30 to Apr. 5. Mar. 31 is marked as the International Trans Day of Visibility. The TransSask Support Services has been able to get proclamations from as many as 10 different communities, with a dozen different events planned all around Saskatchewan. Trans Awareness Week is stated as "an opportunity to inspire, inform and educate our citizens about the challenges faced by members of the Sex and Gender Diverse Community, and celebrate the lives of transgender, transsexual, genderqueer and intersex people across Saskatchewan."
In the monthly report from the Public Works and Parks department, a significant water main break was reported on Feb. 18 on New City Garden Road. The repair work was hampered by poor weather and extremely deep frost, and public works crews took three days to find the break, repair the main and restore water service.
Part of the difficulty was the water was not surfacing anywhere near the break, and pinpointing the location of the break was difficult.
During the month there was also a leaking water service connection on Brimacombe Drive, on Second Street and on Hartney Avenue at Ninth Street, with a sewer service connection on Laing Crescent.
Council passed a bylaw to extend the time required to complete the assessment roll. Normally the assessment roll is to be done by Apr. 1, but was extended to Friday, Apr. 25.
Jon Michaud, director of finance, said this is the third year this extension was needed by the Finance department. He noted there would be no real impact on the department's operations, and in part this was needed because of the major reassessment carried out last year.
Council gave first reading to an application for a change of use for a building in the Light Industrial Zone. The building and property are owned by Jeff Tosczak of Great Plains Ford, and was previously approved for warehouse use. It is now being converted to an auction room for the sale of vehicles and accessories, which is named as a discretionary use in the Light Industrial Zone. The building has a gross area of 1,301 square metres or 14,000 square feet.
A public hearing on this request was held at the council meeting, and council approved the change of use for the building, with the condition there is a minimum of 20 parking spaces available, and if outside storage is required, it must be enclosed or properly fenced.
© Copyright 2014 Weyburn Review


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When you think of the classics of adventure gaming, you think of LucasArts and Jane Jensen, of Maniac Mansion and Gabriel Knight. We have seen many LucasArts game brought back through TellTale Games, and now Jane Jensen herself has returned to revamp Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers for a 20th anniversary release in mid-2014.Read more
Tag: PC Gaming
Baldur's Gate II Enhanced Edition for Mac & PC Confirmed for November 15th Launch!
Updating an absolute classic of gaming, Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition combines both Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. The Enhanced Edition includes four new characters with their own quests. Beamdog announced November 15th launch date for the game on Mac & PC with a $24.99 pre-order, iOS and Android versions to follow.Read more
Cognition Episode 3 The Oracle Review – The Best Of This Chilling Series Yet!
After the first Cognition episode I praised the game but complained about the accents; the second episode had me spouting high praise for the game while still noting an issue with accents. But after completing the third episode all I can say is WHO CARES about the accents, this series is so good I just can't wait for the conclusion! …Read more
Avadon 2 Reminds Me of Bop-It 2; Do It The Same … but BETTER!
While my full review will have to wait for the release in November, I have been playing the preview of Avadon 2 from Spiderweb Software on the Mac, and now that the window has opened to release public preview impressions … I can tell you I am impressed. Everything good about Avadon remains good, and everything lacking is better. Type …Read more
IndieGameStand Launches Dedicated Storefront for Indie Games!
IndieGameStand launched as a pay-what-you-want site that featured a new, hand-picked indie game every 96 hours. It remains a great concept, but today the site is expanding to feature a permanent store designed to make it simpler for indie developers to sell games without the hassles of other sites. Now developers can sell games directly and keep more money. To …Read more
Ballads of Reemus 2 Kicks Off Kickstarter Project!
The Ballads of Reemus was a fun adventure game that evoked the classic LucasArts era of gaming. It was fun and funny with plenty to do and discover. Now Reemus is back for another adventure – well, he will be if you back him on Kickstarter! Develop Zeebarf plans to use funding to bring the game out in June 2014. …Read more
Underrail Launched on Steam Early Access for $9.99!
Most so-called hardcore RPG fans who have been around for more than a few years mark the Fallout games (1 & 2, anyway) as near the pinnacle of the genre, with only occasional post-apocalyptic fare like Arcanum being released to satisfy that itch. Now StygSoft's intriguing Underrail has been released on Steam Early Access for $9.99. Underrail is a post-apocalyptic …Read more
Exploring the World of Gothic II Gold – a Retro Romp Review
I was surprised I never did a netbook gamer review of Gothic II Gold. Why surprised? Because it is in my 'Top 5′ games, and I have played yearly since 2003. It is a huge, open-world, story-based fantasy RPG full of Orcs, Goblins, Mages, dragons and an intriguing plot. The game remains amazing to play and one of my favorites. …Read more
Legend of Dungeon Launches for Mac/PC/Linux on Steam Today!
I wrote about the Kickstarter and early development of Legend of Dungeon, noting the title made me roll my eyes – but the trailer made me smile! I called it "a classic, lo-fi dungeon-crawling, rogue-like, real-time, beat-em-up, co-op romp that doesn't take itself too seriously?" I've played some and it is fun, and now it's available on Steam for $9.99! …Read more
GoG.com Kicks Off 5th Birthday Celebration With 'Pick 5 for 80% Off" Sale!
GoG.com is kicking off their 5th birthday celebration, and as always we get great deals on games! The first sale is 'Pick 5 Games & Save 80%'. It is pretty simple – choose five games from a great list of 25 games, and you will have then all for around $10. What are you waiting for?!? Head to GoG.com now! …Read more
Bloodlust Shadowhunter – Demo and Gameplay for New Action-RPG!
Action-RPG games are fairly rare, and ones about vampires are rarer still. Aside from Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption from 2000 and Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines from 2004, there is … not much. Enter Bloodlust: Shadowhunter, which has a new twist as you play a resurrected vampire hunter now a vampire – and must decide to embrace or destroy your destiny! …Read more
Avadon 2: The Corruption Gets Trailer and Release Window
In early 2011 I reviewed Avadon The Black Fortress, calling the opening of the new franchise a resounding success. Now we are in the final months of waiting for the sequel, as Avadon 2: The corruption is set to release this November with more intrigue, role-playing, plot twists and strategic combat the fueled the original. Here is the trailer!Read more
GoG.com Offers Amazing One-Day Wizardry 6-8 'Gem Promo' Sale!
Every week GoG.com offers a 'Gem Promo'. This week they feature the Dark Savant Trilogy – Wizardry 6+7 and Wizardry 8, an RPG epic from the golden age of PC dungeon crawling for 60% off. Pay $2.39 for one, and $3.99 for the other if you get both, or get one for 50% discount. Promo is for 8/26 only.Read more
EA Offers 'Great Game Guarantee' Refund System on Origin
Imagine you bought the recent Realms of Arkania game, and within an hour you were horrified at the bugginess. Steam and GoG.com are good about refunds in these cases – but what if it was an acclaimed game like Skyrim, and you just couldn't connect? Tougher sell for a refund – so now EA's Origin has a 'Great Game Guarantee'. …Read more
Trailer for Hotly Anticipates Indie RPG 'Eschalon Book III' Arrives!
Back in 2007 I called Eschalon Book 1 the 'Indie Game of the Year'. In 2010, Book II arrived and was even better, so the final chapter is hotly anticipated by RPG fans – and the trailer has arrived. Enjoy the video, knowing the game will launch in time for the holidays.Read more
Plantronics Gaming Throws Down With Their New RIG Headset
Plantronics has a message to gamers: "If you're into your games AND your mobile devices, we've got the headset for you!" The RIG headset and mixer audio system let you play interactive video games, take calls, and listen to music from your smartphone or tablet. It's the first member of the RIG family of gaming devices, and it is coming …Read more
The Bureau XCOM Declassified
The XCOM universe expanded to include one of 2012's best PC games and one of 2013's best iPad games. This week it expands further with a cold war look at a secret agency in The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. The image shows it's loaded up in Steam waiting for me to get started playing – look for my review next week! …Read more
Larian Studios Releases Launch Trailer for Dragon Commander
Once again, I have cool news about Larian Studios, the creators of one of my all-time favorite games — Divine Divinity. In early April I talked about the Divinity: Original Sin Kickstarter, and a couple of weeks later noted the addition of a tier that also gave you a digital copy of Larian's RTS (real-time strategy) game Divinity Dragon Commander. …Read more
Hands-On with the Realms of Arkania Remake – Just Say 'Nein'!
Every now and then a game comes along that is so special that you just have to pre-order it, to offer up money to make sure it happens … and then when it arrives it is such a bug-filled and unfinished mess that it is hard to even contemplate how someone 'released' it. Such is the case with Realms of …Read more
EA Games New Cash Cow? The iTunes App Store!
Electronic Arts (EA) launched the Origin content delivery service called Origin in 2011 to combat Steam in the exploding digital game delivery market. The big concern apparently wasn't about games themselves as much as the highly profitable in-game DLC purchases. EA could deal with paying a chunk to market the main game – after all they'd been doing that with …Read more
Open World Fantasy RPG Balrum Launches Kickstarter Campaign!
I love the classic game Ultima VII, and it has inspired dozens of games since it was released in 1992. The most recent example is the Eschalon series from Basilisk games – another excellent set of games! Now I am reminded of the greatest Ultima game as I watch the Kickstarter video for Balrum. Project Title: Balrum Status: Active Closing …Read more


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At the LPGA's season-ending tournament, Lydia Ko took home the big cash prize, while Stacy Lewis tripled up on season awards.
Opinion & Analysis
Lydia Ko won the LPGA finale in a four-hole playoff over Carlota Ciganda for her fifth-career title and a cool $1.5 million.
Stacy Lewis crowned a resurgent year for the Americans on Sunday, sweeping three prestigious LPGA awards.
Suzy Whaley collected 52 percent of the vote on the first ballot to become the PGA's next secretary and its first female officer.


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Letters: Obama bullying small businessesNovember 24th, 2014, 12:00 am by
COSTA MESA, Greg Barnett: Recent editorials on the Affordable Care Act, like "State is keeping Obamacare afloat" [Editorial, Nov. 18], are spot-on. However, one point that wasn't mentioned is why the numbers of Obamacare enrollees has increased in California. This is due in no small part to the fact that President Barack Obama enacted regulations that all businesses must have at least "one non-common law employee" in order to qualify for group coverage from the federal government.
Mr. Obama has picked ...Read the rest of this entry »


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Quote of the Day
"Privatization does not mean you take a public institution and give it to some nice person. It means you take a public institution and give it to an unaccountable tyranny.
"Public institutions have many side benefits. For one thing they may purposely run at a loss. They're not out for profit. They may purposely run at a loss because of the side benefits. So, for example, if a public steel industry runs at a loss it's providing cheap steel to other industries. Maybe that's a good thing. Public institutions can have a counter-cyclic property. That means they can maintain employment in periods of recession, which increases demand, which helps you to get out of recession. A private company can't do that. In a recession, you throw out the work force. That's the way you make money."
—Noam Chomsky
"The Corporation" (2002)
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Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Did Jeffrey Toobin Let Ted Cruz Lie About Prop 8?
Why Breitbart's Big Hollywood Is Wrong About Almost Everything
Rank the Academy Award's Best Pictures: 1927-2013


text: Sen. Jeff Sessions: Obama Budget Betrays Future Generations by Piling on Debt Print article Send a Tip by Tony Lee 4 Mar 2014 post a comment Though President Barack Obama said Tuesday that his $3.9 trillion budget was designed with the interests of America's future generations in mind, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee, said it was an irresponsible one that betrayed future generations and was out of touch with reality. "This budget betrays both our responsibility to Americans today – struggling to get by in this slow-growth, high-debt economy – and to our children, who will inherit perhaps the greatest debt any nation has ever accrued," Sessions said in a statement. Sessions said that contrary to Obama's assertion Tuesday that the budget "enables us to meet our obligations to future generations without a mountain of debt" and "adheres to the spending principles members of both Houses of Congress have already agreed to," it would increase the country's debt to $25 trillion while obliterating the spending caps agreed upon in the Ryan-Murray budget compromise. When Obama took office on January 20, 2009, federal debt was $10.6 trillion. Sessions said that Obama's plan dramatically raises taxes by $1.76 trillion, adds $8.3 trillion to our nation's gross federal debt, and is "an open declaration that deficits don't matter, debt doesn't matter, and that reality itself doesn't matter." "As Washington prospers, workers suffer," Sessions, who has been a champion for American workers during the amnesty debate, said. "The causes are clear: energy restrictions that destroy jobs, regulations that hamstring productivity, a health law that shrinks the workforce, a welfare policy that penalizes work, a trade policy that sends jobs overseas, an immigration policy that reduces wages, and a crushing tax and debt burden that drains our vitality and growth." He also said that Obama's budget simply "rejects the very idea of limits" and "is the manifesto for a big-government, tax-and-spend ideology." "It will further grow the government, shrink the middle class, and shield the political elite from accountability as they raid the nation's wealth," he said.


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Who We Are
So what exactly is Tree to Tree?
Aerial Adventure Park
6 colored levels and over 60 Extreme Obstacles! Wobbly Bridges, Balance Beams, Zip Lines and more.
Woody's Ziptastic Zip line Tour
An adrenaline filled adventure. This exciting guided Zip line tour features a Super long 1200 foot+ zip line and 40 foot rappel.
Team Building and Adventure Corporate Workshops
Tree to Tree offers half day or full day programs that are designed to solidify team culture, motivate and inspire. Aerial Adventure or Zip Line Tours may be added to any workshop for a truly action packed event.
- Short Distance from Portland and the Coast. Reservations are required.
News from Woody's Tree Stand
New! On behalf of the Doyle/Beres family... we would like to offer to the firefighters and emergency response teams free admission to our aerial park on the weekend of November 1st and 2nd. Reservations are required, click here for more information
New! Wounded Warrior Weekend great success! Tree to Tree is very pleased to say that we are able to donate over $1745.00 from our admissions on wounded warrior weekend. This is such a worthy cause and we are very grateful to all our brave warriors for their service to the greatest country in the world.
New! Woo-hoo! T2T was just voted one of the top 10 zip parks in the country on usatoday.com!
New! The "Duelers" racing zips are here and so much fun! Ask about discounts when you make your reservation. Stay tuned for the Tree-top Plunge...coming soon!
New! If you love adventure as much as we do, why not work at T2T? Click here for more details!
Coming soon... call for available dates.
Action packed and high energy one day adventure workshop featuring the "physiology" of the brain and how it relates to empowering others. Click here for more details. Seminar is also available at several offsite locations. Email our facilitator Jason Asher at email@example.com for details!
T2T is Now Open
Nearby Attractions
Tree to Tree didn't wear you out? There are plenty of attractions and amenities nearby to keep you occupied while you're visiting the area. From bowling to farmers markets, you are certain to find something that fits. See more
After your adventure, visit a cluster of independent spirits located within minutes of T2T at the northern edge of Oregon's Willamette Valley. Over 20 members pursuing dreams of crafting the finest wines from the most fertile environment...passion, creativity and diversity guide their way. See more
Restaurants / Lodging
Did you work up an appetite? Do you need to rest after your T2T adventure? Area restaurants offer a delectable assortment of filling cuisine, and with plenty of local lodging choices available, you're sure to find what fits your needs and budget. See more


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Book review: The Parallel Apartments by Bill Cotter
Strange plot points make way for truths behind confusing, human moments in Cotter's follow-up to Fever Chart
Wed Feb 19 2014
CommentsAdd +
Photograph: Lauren Spinelli
Time Out Ratings :<strong>Rating: </strong>4/5
By Bill Cotter. McSweeney's, $25.
Bill Cotter's sophomore novel starts in 2004 New York City, as 34-year-old protagonist Justine Moppett learns she is pregnant by a man she despises. Soon after, she meets her birth mother for the first time, in a Dunkin' Donuts, and the ensuing conversation yields unsettling information about her adoptive family. These revelations spur an odyssey, one marked by disturbing events, in which babies are born, mass killings take place in motel rooms, and copious amounts of Dr Pepper are consumed.
Apartments produces anxiety but ultimately rewards tribulation, recalling at times Updike's capacity for wringing both pathos and humor from vulnerable circumstances. Cotter's characters are both endearing and cringe-inducingly maladroit, and he does his best work in the awkwardness created by mishandled moments of human frailty. As the matchmaking hermaphrodites, bloviating professors and shopaholic madames materialize, and as the journey becomes more unsettling, Cotter's stunningly constructed prose provides comfort from the mayhem. Every shudder is well worth joining Justine, as she goes through the past, darkly.
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Century Springfield Meadows
- Click to Talk
View property, WalkScore, and Driving Directions
Fax: (803) 548-2213
The Century Springfield Meadows is located in Fort Mill, SC in one of the most desired neighborhoods in upstate SC. We are close to Charlotte, NC, Uptown Charlotte, I-77, I-485, Rock Hill, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Anne Springs Close Springs and so much more. Our 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apartment homes have many amenities you desire.....washer/dryer connections, designer kitchens, private detached garages, faux granite. Visit Today!
November rent free plus 1/2 off December!* *Restrictions Apply
Floorplans and Pricing
1 Bedroom
|The Athens
|1 Bathroom
|$860 - $940
|Check Availability
|The Sydney
|1 Bathroom
|$890 - $970
|Check Availability
2 Bedrooms
|The Barcelona
|2 Bathrooms
|$1010 - $1115
|Check Availability
|The Atlanta
|2 Bathrooms
|$1050 - $1075
|Check Availability
3 Bedrooms
|The Amsterdam
|2 Bathrooms
|Check Availability
Features and AmenitiesBack to Top
Special Features
- 1, 2 and 3 Bedroom Apartment Homes
- Saltwater Swimming Pool
- Poolside Entertaining Area w/ Fireplace & TV
- Cardio Fitness Center & Strength Training Center
- Resident Business Center with WiFi
- Private Detached Garages and Storage Available
- www.centuryspringfieldmeadows.com
- 36' Kitchen Cabinets and Faux Granite
- Natural Color Schemes and Recessed Lighting
- Designer Kitchens with Black Appliances
- Washer/Dryer Connections
- Pantries, Bay Windows & Garden Tub in Select Units
Community Features
- Apartment
- Business Center Onsite
- Club House
- Fitness Center
- Freeway Access
- Garages
- Garden Style
- Garden Style
- Market Rate
- New Construction
- Pool
- Short Term Lease
- Standard
- Surface Lot
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Apartment Amenities
- Air Conditioning
- Cable or Satellite
- Carpet
- Ceiling Fan
- Dishwasher
- Extra Storage
- Garbage Disposal
- Internet Access
- Microwave
- Patio or Balcony
- Vaulted Ceiling
- Walk In Closets
- Washer Dryer Hookup
- Window Covering
- Wireless Internet Access
Additional Information
Year Built: 2010
Apartments in Community: 248
Pet Policy
Maximum of 0 pet per home.
- Pets Allowed
Local Schools
- Banks Trail Middle School
- Nation Ford High School
- Riverview Elementary School
We believe school data to be accurate, but do not guarantee that. Please be sure to verify where your children will attend school before making your housing decision.
As you search for your perfect apartment, please keep in mind that rental rates (including specials and discounts) and availability are very fluid in the apartment industry. Based on many factors, the rental rates (including specials and discounts) and availability can actually change not just daily, but hourly, if not even more quickly. While our advertisers do take steps to keep their information current, the rental rates or availability you may find here now at ForRent.com may not be the same as when you contact the communities.


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BEDFORD — Bedford put on its normal show against St. Francis Friday.
Bedford coach Jeff Wood likes to call it the Hullibarger-Boss show.
"That's just normal for us," he said.
Alec Hullibarger and Brad Boss rose to the top to help their fellow Kicking Mules blister St. Francis 56-25.
Bedford came out strong, outscoring St. Francis 29-3 at the half.
"We just put it to them. We always told the kids to start off great with every game. We came out and played really hard," Wood said.
Boss finished the night with three touchdowns on 12 carries for 87 yards and led the passing, going 6-for-7 for 128 yards. Hullibarger ran the ball 10 times for 76 yards.
Collin Carter's 4 receptions for 105 yards put him ahead of all other receivers in yardage.
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High School football
Friday Night Frenzy Recap: Mooresville At Lake Norman
Friday Night's Game of the Week was nothing short of electrifying as the Lake Norman Wildcats held on at home to beat the Mooresville Blue Devils with a final score of 40-38. Both teams now […]
Friday Night Frenzy Game Of The Week Recap: Ashbrook at Forestview
Gastonia was home to last week's Friday Night Frenzy Game as the Forestview Jaguars hosted the Ashbrook Green Wave. The home team prevailed as Forestview topped Ashbrook 48-22.
2013 N.C. – S.C. Shrine Bowl Rosters Announced
The rosters for the 77th North Carolina – South Carolina Shrine Bowl were announced today. The oldest high school all-star game in the nation, played between teams made up totally of players from the Carolina's, […]
Talking Sh#t w/The QCB Show #4
Here's another entertaining episode of Talking Sh@t w/The QCB! My Co-Host Neil Silas and I bring the heat in this episode like only we can. Bartholomew Wilcox also made another guest appearance…Check it out, Funny…QCB I'm out son, Nice
HS Football: Five From Friday
Each week we will give you 5 thoughts from all the Friday night High School Football action that took place in Charlotte and surrounding.
High School Football Rivalry Series Schedule
Join WFNZ for play by play radio broadcasts of the following High School football games!
Doubleheader Kicks Off Charlotte High School Football
The 2013 Charlotte High School football season will kickoff on Thursday, August 22 with a doubleheader at American Legion Memorial Stadium on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College. The CharlottePreps.tv Kickoff Night powered by OrthoCarolina will begin at 5:30 with the second game following 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
Recruiting Gurus Tom Lemming And Jamie Newberg On The Mac Attack
Mac Attack 02/06/13: Tom Lemming from CBS and Jamie Newberg from FOX/Scout joined Mac during the show today for their thoughts on National Signing Day and how the locals teams classes look
HS Football Game Of The Week: Providence At Charlotte Catholic
Kiss 95.1′s Croghan from The "O" Show was at Charlotte Catholic, his alma mater, for our Game of the Week with WBTV! See photos from the game here!
"Don't Believe The Hype" on National Signing Day
"Don't Believe The Hype" is considered one of the Greatest Rap/Hip Hop Songs every by the legendary group Public Enemy.


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FORT MYERS, FL--Parents are one step closer to getting better health care for kids right here in southwest Florida. The owners of the new Papa Murphys Pizza are dropping some dough, so to speak, on the Golisano Children's Hospital Foundation.
The campaign to raise a $100,000,000 to build a new children's hospital at Health Park started back in 2011.
Hundreds of children dove to catch "Flying pizzas" from the new Papa Murphys Pizza in Fort Myers.
"This is just my way of reaching out and helping a community that has helped me out so much," said Pappa Murphy's owner Gary Nychyk.
The real story is why the owner of Papa Murphy's is doing this. When Nychyk's nephew, Randall, was three years old he was diagnosed with fibrillary astrocytoma.
"Which is basically a star shaped tumor in his brain," said Nychyk.
Randall is now in remission, but it touched his uncles heart so much that he's donating 50% of Papa Murphys proceeds for the next week to the Galisano Children's Hospital fund. The new children's hospital will be built in south Fort Myers.
"I think that the children will get more attention from the doctors which is very important," said mother Thea hallowell.
Right now the current children's hospital is inside the Health Park Medical Center.
"Many children are transferred to Tampa or Miami because of the overcrowding," said Lee Memorial Health System's Jeannie Cummings.
So the Lee Memorial Health System started a campaign in 2011 to build the brand new, 128 private room, hospital especially for children.
"I think it is amazing, it is something we dont have here and if my children needed those services I would want them here locally where I live," said mother Janna Trottier.
Tom Golisano himself recently donated 10-million dollars to the fund.
"We are at 81-million dollars against our 100 million dollar goal," said Cummings.
Lee Memorial says the new children's hospital will alleviate some of the over crowding issues in regular hospital.
Construction is expected to start this Fall and be completed by 2016.


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'Gravity' Leads BAFTA Nominations: FULL LIST
The British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) handed out its award nominations this morning and Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity garnered 11 followed closely by 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle. The awards take place on February 16 at London's Royal Opera.
Stephen Fry will host.
Read the full list of nominees, AFTER THE JUMP...
Continue reading "'Gravity' Leads BAFTA Nominations: FULL LIST" »


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Changes to the NHS Pension Scheme in 2015
As you may be aware, the Government has announced that new pension arrangements are to be introduced into all public sector pension schemes including the NHS Scheme from 2015. Much of the detail is still being worked out but the main features of the new arrangement include:
• A Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) scheme, with benefits based on a proportion of pensionable earnings during your career
• An accrual rate (ie the rate that your pension builds up) of 1/54th of each year's pensionable earnings with no limit on pensionable service. This is a higher accrual rate than both the 1995 and 2008 sections of the NHS Scheme
• Revaluation of active members' benefits in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 1.5 percent per annum
• A normal pension age at which benefits can be claimed without reduction for early payment is linked to the same age you are entitled to claim your State Pension.
A State Pension Calculator is available on the Gov.uk website.
• Pensions in payment to increase in line with inflation (currently CPI).
Further information about how a CARE scheme works will be made available on this website in due course.
NHS Pension Schemes: An Overview.
2015 Scheme factsheet
A summary of the proposed final agreement on a scheme design from 2015 can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforming-the-nhs-pension-scheme-for-england-and-wales-proposed-final-agreement
At present only limited information is known about the new arrangements, which are still under design and discussion with NHS staff representatives. Meanwhile please do not contact NHS Pensions as it is unlikely they will be able to provide any further clarification at this time.
Copyright © 2012 NHSBSA