text:
- Creative
- Animation
- Film Production
- Fine Art
- Graphic Design
- Illustration
- Music Production
- Photography
- UI/UX Design
- Writing
08.12.2013 Germany
I tried to merge the second to last and the last cover and quite like the effect. Of course, if I were a real artist, I wouldn't copy and paste the elements from different sources. I'd draw them myslef which would make the edges look softer and the blending of the color gradient smoother and more like a real night sky. The kids look more active, less like statists and with the boy in the middle, it should hint at who's the main character. Also, I prefer the flying may-bug to the standing one although it means I'll have to skip the fiddle (a central element in the story). I like the new font (at full size it looks like stitching) and think it goes well with the rest of the picture. Any suggestions?
04.12.2013 Germany
I tried to reduce the idea to only the silhouettes and thing this looks quite nice. What I don't really like is the blackness of the rest of the cover. I would probably need to counterbalance that with some color on the backcover...
26.11.2013 Germany
I played around some more. I thought that the human element was missing. I quite like the result although it is a little on the dark side. To me, it doesn't really say fantasy adventure just yet, so I'll keep piddling around. Feedback is welcome again.
21.11.2013 Germany
I played around with a couple of ideas and sketched out the first one. Since I'm not very good at drawing my own stuff, I used a May beetle from the net and adapted it. The font is NOT one that I could use commercially, but I think it's ok to use it for this sketch. Please let me know how I can improve this or if I'm entirely off.
20.11.2013 Germany
OK, I'm an Indie author and not a designer. Still, to publish my novels, I have to have great covers. Since I can't afford to hire a professional, I've got to learn this. I've got some artists in the family that will help me out as long as I can tell them exactly what I want. Of course, I'd like to take one of my own books as an example, but they have never gone through a change of design, so I went for a book I love and that's considered a classic in Germany:
Peterchens Mondfahrt
It's a children's book, telling the story of two children who find a crying may beetle on their windowsill as they go to bed. The beetle is missing one of his six legs which has been accidentally banned to the moon by the night fairy. It was stuck on a tree an evil lumberjack felled and the fairy sent the man and the wood to the moon. Now, the children and the beetle set out to get it back, and they have to face many, many adventures.
Covers that have been done for this book are plentiful. Most depict the children and the beetly flying toward the moon:
only very few have a different motive:
I will read through the book again today and tonight and see what I can come up with. Keep in mind that I'm not an artist, so the actual sketch of my ideas will probably not be very beautiful. It's just a way to nail down my ideas.
One thing that I was wondering is this: I am sure that I have to consider the audience the book is meant to be for. In the case of children's books, the cover has to please the parents (who buy the book) and the children (who I want to read and re-read the book because they love it so much). Am I assuming right that the cover for a children's book cannot be reduced to an extremely minimalistic style?


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A couple of sentiment surveys out this week show a dramatic divergence in investor bullishness. While one doesn't seem to get the heart beating too wildly, the other sees "horrifying" optimism on the loose.
The S&P 500 is set to close the year out with the best gain since 2003. A clutch of investment banks have been forecasting more modest gains next year (not hard when we're staring at 25% gains for 2013), with few daring to put a S&P top for next year much past 2,000.
On Thursday, the American Association of Individual Investors survey showed investor bullishness for the week so far of around 41.3% (1.4 points off last week) with bearishness at 25% (2.5 points off last week). That's certainly on the bullish side, though hardly dramatic: The long-term averages are 39% and 30.5%, respectively. On a historical basis, bullish sentiment maxed out at 75% in 2000, the crash year, while in 1987, bearish sentiment dropped to a low of 6%.
But bullishness is flying off the charts in a survey from Investors Intelligence released a day earlier. The number of bullish advisors rose to 58.2% in the latest week, from last week's 57.1%, and marking another new high for 2013. That number has now topped the 57.3% level from April 2011.
As for bears, Investors Intelligence said that level was stuck at 14.3% for the second week running and is the lowest since 13.6%, recorded on March 20, 1987.
Here's the kicker: II said it's clear from this week's figures that advisors are too afraid to express a bearish view on the market, with many "even ignoring their own indicators."
II went a step further to get their bull-runneth-over point across, showing a sentiment chart (pictured above) in which the 4-week moving average of bullish advisors is divided by bullish plus bearish advisors. This chart (above) "reflects those who have a committed view and ignores the less opinionated correction advisors."
"This particular indicator is at a horrifying level, a record high for the decade and easily exceeding that of the 2007 bull market top. Out of the previous twelve instances over the past ten years when this indicator formed a peak in overbought territory there has been just one weak signal and even then a correction came, just several weeks later. Each correction was of the magnitude of at least 5%," says II.
The indicator is "fast running out of overhead room" and when it reverses, which II predicts will come in the weeks ahead, it will "mark a top of significance."
AAII notes that its own survey has a backward-looking tinge to it. It points out in a note that market sentiment often "directly reflects where the market has been, not where it is going," and even extremely bullish levels of sentiment come after strong market run-ups when investors are fully invested in the market.
TD Ameritrade, meanwhile, reportedly noted earlier this week that its investor sentiment index in November was up for a second straight month, hitting the second-highest level in its four-year history.
The II survey left an impression on some. Greedometer says if you can't see the bubble brewing you are:
- a long-only fund manager
- someone who sells to long-only fund managers
- someone who works in a senior position at the Fed
- visually impaired
- a combination of the above
-- Barbara Kollmeyer
Barbara Kollmeyer reports on U.S. markets from Madrid. Follow her @bkollmeyer
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Ultra-bear Albert Edwards has a question for everyone slamming his recession call
Bank of America Merrill Lynch targets 2,000 S&P 500 in 2014

subset: commoncrawl


text:
are you experienced? technology changes idea of author-brand
Having lots of stuff doesn't make you happy. Which is why there seems to be this growing movement afoot to get rid of as much stuff as possible. It's like they say (although I'm kind of paraphrasing here): declutter your mind – and your ass will follow.
I think this taps into an ongoing sea-change in the culture: an emphasis on the collection of experiences over physical objects. One of the driving motivations of human beings isn't the desire to own more stuff so much as the desire to feel more alive, and for past generations we've tried to feel more alive through the experience of owning lots of cool shit.
Technology (among other things) has rattled this paradigm. Have laptop, can travel. This gives us a level of mobility and freedom – provided we find a way to take advantage – that was previously unimaginable. In this kind of scenario, stuff no longer defines us. Stuff weighs us down.
Technology has transformed the way we think about music and books: two of the things that used to accumulate, for many of us, into massive physical collections. It's not that we defined a record album or a novel as an object instead of an experience; there just wasn't any cause to make those kinds of distinctions in the first place. The object was the experience. The experience came inside the object.
Music stopped being an object a while ago. And now we're seeing a similar transformation with our reading material. A book no longer has to be in traditional book form in order to be experienced. The forms, in fact, will vary; the experience of the book, be it on your iPhone or iPad or Kindle or in print, will be what defines it.
An author-brand used to be a kind of object: an unchanging set of assumptions and expectations about the kind of book that the author produced, defined not just through the writing itself but the artful packaging of the books and where those books were placed in the bookstore ("fantasy" or "science-fiction" or "romance" or whatever).
What happens when we don't buy books based on the covers anymore? When we don't even go to the bookstores but buy them quite literally out of thin air?
As an author, you are defined through the ongoing experience that you provide for the reader. That is how you will catch new readers and maintain old ones. This experience has been severed from the physical forms of books and now exists as a kind of energy that moves between you and your readers via cyberspace, which will eventually become so integrated with daily life that it will no longer be referred to as 'cyberspace', or a separate kind of space at all. Your author-brand becomes a living thing that streams out to your readership who then reflects it back to you who then streams it back to them and so on and so forth.
What kind of experience will you provide for your readers?
How will they experience not just your novels, but you? How will they experience you in order to find your novels in the first place?


text:
Document file size reduction
For intermediate product (for example, an image of a single piece) that is stored in the file was only used as a thumbnail at the moment, we have to save it from shrinking. Document file size has been reduced about 10%.
Memory usage reduction
It is now discarded once the data of the page was hidden by scrolling out.
The bug you can select only the pages when you clicked
Application will be suspend (display only) the page with no selected, the problem was fixed that may fail to return to resume from suspend when you click it.
Involuntary scroll when deleting
This has been fixed that caused involuntary re-selected and scroll when you delete an object.
We had a minor improvements and bugfixes other.


text:
'It's always been laughed at," says Tamara Tyrer, co-founder of burlesque outfit the Whoopee Club. "But I've always thought synchronised swimming was beautiful. So I wanted to make a show that celebrated it."
Tyrer is an expert in old-time glamour. For the past three years, Whoopee have been spearheading the neo-burlesque movement with shows in London and Edinburgh full of tassel-twirling cabaret, variety acts and saucy striptease. But their latest full-scale spectacle, Nymphaeum, is the most ambitious yet - an ode to the lavish MGM "aqua musicals" of the 1940s and 1950s, which featured the likes of swimmer-turned-showgirl Esther Williams, and the grand-scale choreography of Busby Berkeley.
A work-in-progress was showcased at Birmingham's Fierce festival in June, but after its London debut this weekend Whoopee plan to tour lidos around the country, tying-in with the renewed interest in Britain's outdoor pools. Get your nose clips and swimming caps ready - the synchronised swimming revival starts here.
And Tyrer's right. Synchronised swimming is beautiful. Watching the swimmers practise on a Sunday lunchtime at a heavily chlorinated Westminster pool is mesmerising. Everything has a dreamlike quality as the ripples of water turn the swimmers soft-focus. There's something triumphant and transcendent about their bodies being suddenly swallowed by the waves, then springing glorious from the foam. Effortlessly, they glide into tricky formations like a blooming flower, and assemble underwater support so that one swimmer can walk on water.
While they might affect the grace of water nymphs, the girls the Whoopee Club are working with are made of steely stuff. The Aquabelles, as they are known, are members of Seymour Synchro, Britain's oldest synchronised swimming club. The team cleaned up the medals at the recent British masters, and their number includes former members of the French under-18s team and the Egyptian Olympic squad. This performance will be different from their usual competitive routines - and they are revelling in the showbusiness side of their sport.
"This is very exciting for us," says choreographer Mariam Boutros. "It's like acting, which we don't usually do. It's quite creative - more flowing, elegant and beautiful." The material may be simpler than their medal-winning routines, but the Aquabelles aren't getting an easy ride. When they took a closer look at one of the old Busby Berkeley films, they realised the performers were doing the trickiest moves standing up in a shallow pool; the Aquabelles will be in the deep end.
The combination of athletic prowess and razzle-dazzle shouldn't faze them. Seymour Synchro was set up in 1961 by former trapeze artist Dawn Zajac, who was once offered a part in the million-dollar Aquacade for the 1939 New York World Fair. Starring a young Esther Williams, Tarzan's Johnny Weissmuller, and Olympian Eleanor Holm, it was where the "aquatainment" boom began. "I was supposed to be hanging [from a trapeze] above a water ballet," remembers Zajac. She turned the job down, but later returned to Hollywood to train in synchronised swimming before going on to coach the Great Britain and Austria squads. Now aged 89, she still drills the Seymour swimmers every week.
The hardest thing, of course, is making it look easy. Excellent breath control is essential, as swimmers may have to stay under for up to two minutes while they execute complicated manoeuvres upside-down in the water.
"To be really good involves different talents," says Zajac. "They've got to be a gymnast and ballet dancer; they've got to understand music, and be an actress. But first, they've got to be a good swimmer, able to do all the strokes perfectly." And yes, that means even the butterfly.
As well as the 10 swimmers, Nymphaeum has a cast of 20 dancers who'll be lounging beside the 1920s Porchester pool in London, forming lavish tableaux and joining the Aquabelles in the water for a grand finale with giant fountains. As with all of Whoopee's events, the audience are encouraged to be part of the show. Diving in isn't expected - but dressing up, interacting with performers and getting lost in the Whoopee fantasy world is.
Since its big-screen heyday, synchronised swimming in the UK has had a small but committed following at amateur clubs. For some, it shares the same slightly surreal world as ballroom dancing, with its fixed grins, sequins and slicked-back hair; the two have plenty in common, not least the art of making extraordinarily difficult moves look effortless. But if ballroom dancing can come in from the cold and find prime-time popularity, can't synchro do the same? Nose clip, anyone?
· Nymphaeum is at Porchester Baths, London W2, on Saturday and Sunday. Thewhoopeeclub.com


text:
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text:
A handheld electronic book reader, program product, and method incorporate enhanced annotation and/or usage tracking capabilities. Users may create "contexts" for defined terms in an electronic document. Moreover, annotation data such as contexts, comments and highlighting may be associated with various users, and displayed in connection with the display of an electronic document so as to indicate that different annotation data has been originated by different users. In addition, from the standpoint of usage tracking, usage statistics for an electronic document displayed in a handheld electronic reader may be generated on a page-by-page basis, and/or in association with term definitions. Moreover, usage statistics for multiple users may be combined and analyzed. Through such analysis, the usage statistics may be used in the conduct of various beneficial actions such as revising an electronic document, revising a lesson plan with which an electronic document is associated, determining whether a user has read a selected portion of an electronic document, or determining whether a user needs supplemental assistance.
Latest IBM Patents:
The application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/465,658 filed on Aug. 18, 2006, by Eric Lawrence Barsness et al. (ROC920010039US2), which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/951,363, filed Sep. 13, 2001, by Eric Lawrence Barsness et al. (ROC920010039US1), which applications are incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The invention is generally related to computers and computer software, and in particular to handheld electronic book readers.
Computer technology has had an important impact on the dissemination of knowledge, e.g., for entertainment, education and informational purposes. For example, classrooms increasingly are outfitted with computers and Internet connections to facilitate the learning process for students of all ages. Moreover, computer-assisted learning techniques have been developed to facilitate student comprehension of educational subject matter.
In addition, computer technology advances, in particular related to reducing the size and increasing the complexity of electronics, have permitted computers to be packaged into smaller and more powerful devices. Due to such advances, many handheld devices such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDA's) and the like now have memory capacities and performance comparable to the full size computers of only a few years ago. Among other uses, PDA's and the like can be used by students to store notes, documents, reference materials, class schedules, etc.
Another type of handheld device that has been developed is a dedicated handheld electronic book reader, which attempts to mimic the experience of reading a paper book through the display of electronic information on one or more electronic displays. Electronic documents, often referred to as electronic books, are stored in the readers and displayed one or two pages at a time. Then through selection of next and previous page buttons, a user is able to flip forward and backward through a book in much the same manner as with a paper book.
Some electronic book readers also support additional value-added features, such as permitting a user to underline or highlight text, scribble handwritten notes in the margins and look up definitions of particular words or terms in a dictionary. In addition, some readers are able to calculate reading pace and elapsed time, and provide information such as the time remaining to complete a book based upon the calculated reading pace of a user.
To date, however, handheld electronic book readers and other handheld devices have been mostly utilized for general entertainment or informational purposes, as the devices have not yet achieved a level of pervasiveness suitable for utilization in a classroom or educational context. However, one can envision a day when all students might carry handheld devices upon which are stored their textbooks and other educational materials, particularly given the likely advances in memory capacities and processing performance of handheld devices.
The promise of using handheld devices such as electronic book readers in educational environments, however, demands a rethinking of many basic educational processes. In other areas, computer technology has enabled increased collaboration and information sharing between students, as well as between an instructor and students. However, to date, handheld devices have been predominantly used as stand-alone devices, and have typically been connected to other computers and devices only when it is desired to download new content. Given, however, the additional capabilities of handheld devices, such as the ability to annotate an electronic book via highlighting and note taking, it is believed that a unique opportunity is presented for increased collaboration between the users of handheld devices. Moreover, it is believed that the ability to monitor the usage of a handheld device may present an instructor with the opportunity to obtain valuable feedback regarding students and their usage of particular electronic books.
Therefore, a significant need has developed for improved collaboration and information sharing tools for use in connection with handheld devices, and in particular, handheld electronic book readers and the like used in educational or classroom environments.
The invention addresses these and other problems associated with the prior art by providing a handheld electronic book reader, program product, and method incorporating enhanced annotation and/or usage tracking capabilities. While other applications are envisioned, from the standpoint of an educational and/or classroom-type setting, the annotation and usage tracking capabilities described hereinafter provide significant benefits in terms of improving the educational process for both students and instructors alike.
Consistent with one aspect of the invention, annotation of an electronic document via a handheld electronic book reader is enhanced through associating a user-selected portion of an electronic document with a particular defined term in that document to create a "context" for that defined term. As such, a user is able to select contextual examples of the usage of a particular defined term, and store such examples for later retrieval.
Consistent with another aspect of the invention, collaborative annotation functionality is provided, whereby annotation data such as contexts, comments and highlighting for a particular electronic document is associated with various users and displayed in connection with the display of such a document so as to indicate that different annotation data has been originated by different users. Consequently, multiple users are able to collaborate in the annotation of a common electronic document.
Consistent with yet another aspect of the invention, page-based usage statistics may be generated for an electronic document viewed in a handheld electronic book reader. Furthermore, usage statistics may be generated in association with particular term definitions stored in a handheld electronic book reader. Through usage tracking of these particular items, and at this particular level of granularity, more comprehensive and valuable usage statistics may be obtained.
Consistent with an additional aspect of the invention, collaborative usage tracking is provided, whereby usage statistics for multiple users interacting with a particular electronic document on multiple handheld electronic book readers are generated and received into an analysis computer. Moreover, consistent with another aspect of the invention, usage statistics from one or more users may be utilized in performing one or more of revising an electronic document, revising a lesson plan with which an electronic document is associated, determining whether a user has read a selected portion of an electronic document, and determining whether a user needs supplemental assistance.
These and other advantages and features, which characterize the invention, are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and forming a further part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, and of the advantages and objectives attained through its use, reference should be made to the Drawings, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is described exemplary embodiments of the invention.
The embodiments described hereinafter focus on improving the functionality and utility of electronic documents, in particular to enhancing the collaborative and annotative capabilities of electronic book readers and like handheld devices, as well as utilizing usage tracking concepts to provide useful feedback on reader usage of electronic documents, e.g., to improve such documents or lesson plans associated with such documents, to monitor student activity, to identify students needing supplemental assistance, etc.
An electronic document may be considered to incorporate practically any content provided in electronic form, be it educational, historical, informational, fictional, non-fictional, technical, entertainment-related, etc. Moreover, an electronic document need not constitute an entire literary work such as a textbook or novel, but may constitute only a portion of a particular literary work or book, as well as a collection of works or books. An electronic document may be specifically formatted for use in connection with a particular hardware platform, or may be platform independent. Thus, the invention is not limited to any particular electronic document implementation discussed herein.
Turning now to the Drawings, wherein like numbers denote like parts throughout the several views,
It will be appreciated that a wide variety of highlighting mechanisms may be used to highlight portions of an electronic book, including the use of underlining, unique font faces, font sizes, font attributes, italics, bolding, capitalization, colors, patterns, grayscales, icons, outlines, etc. Moreover, different formats for user-created comments, e.g., bitmapped images, vector graphics, text strings, etc., may be used.
Turning now to
Reader 30 typically includes at least one processor 31 coupled to a memory 32. Processor 31 may represent one or more processors (e.g., microprocessors), and memory 32 may represent the random access memory (RAM) devices comprising the main storage of reader 30, as well as any supplemental levels of memory, e.g., cache memories, non-volatile or backup memories (e.g., programmable or flash memories), read-only memories, etc. In addition, memory 32 may be considered to include memory storage physically located elsewhere in reader 30, e.g., any cache memory in a processor 31, as well as any storage capacity used as a virtual memory, e.g., as stored on any mass storage device or on another computer coupled to reader 30 via an external interface 36.
Reader 30 also typically receives a number of inputs and outputs for communicating information externally. For interface with a user or operator, reader 30 typically includes one or more user hard buttons 33 and a touch screen 34, which receives input as well as displays information to a user. User input may also be received via another computer interfaced with reader 30 over external interface 36.
For additional storage, reader 30 may also include one or more mass storage devices, e.g., a floppy or other removable disk drive, a hard disk drive, a direct access storage device (DASD), an optical drive (e.g., a CD drive, a DVD drive, etc.), and/or a tape drive, among others, as well as external memory such as flash memory, memory cartridges or cards, and the like. Furthermore, computer 36 may include an external interface, e.g., serial or parallel interconnects, USB interconnects, IEEE-1394 interconnects, telephone interconnects, Ethernet interconnects, wireless interconnects, etc., to permit the communication of information with other computers coupled to the reader. It should also be appreciated that reader 30 typically includes suitable analog and/or digital interfaces between processor 31 and each of components 32, 33, 34, and 36 as is well known in the art.
Reader 30 operates under the control of an operating system 38, and executes or otherwise relies upon various computer software applications, components, programs, objects, modules, data structures, etc. (e.g., content 40, annotation data 42 and statistics 44, among others). Moreover, various applications, components, programs, objects, modules, etc. may also execute on one or more processors in another computer coupled to reader 30 via a external interface 36. In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments of the invention, whether implemented as part of an operating system or a specific application, component, program, object, module or sequence of instructions, or even a subset thereof, will be referred to herein as "computer program code," or simply "program code." Program code typically comprises one or more instructions that are resident at various times in various memory and storage devices in a computer, and that, when read and executed by one or more processors in a computer, cause that computer to perform the steps necessary to execute steps or elements embodying the various aspects of the invention. Moreover, while the invention has and hereinafter will be described in the context of fully functioning computers and computer systems, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various embodiments of the invention are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of signal bearing media include but are not limited to recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory devices, floppy and other removable disks, hard disk drives, magnetic tape, optical disks (e.g., CD-ROM's, DVD's, etc.), among others, and transmission type media such as digital and analog communication links.
In addition, various program code described hereinafter may be identified based upon the application within which it is implemented in a specific embodiment of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular program nomenclature that follows is used merely for convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by such nomenclature. Furthermore, given the typically endless number of manners in which computer programs may be organized into routines, procedures, methods, modules, objects, and the like, as well as the various manners in which program functionality may be allocated among various software layers that are resident within a typical computer (e.g., operating systems, libraries, API's, applications, applets, etc.), it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the specific organization and allocation of program functionality described herein.
To perform many of the hereinafter-described collaborative functions, reader 30 is typically capable of being interfaced with a number of external devices via interface 36. For example, to receive electronic books and other electronic content, as well as additional annotation data and the like, reader 36 may be coupled to a content server 50, e.g., via a private and/or public network. Moreover, reader 30 may interface with other electronic book readers, either directly (e.g., as for reader 52), or via intermediate electronics (e.g., as for reader 54).
Moreover, as will be discussed in greater detail below, additional computers, e.g., analysis computer 56 coupled to content server 50, may also be utilized in performing a number of the collaborative functions described herein. It should further be appreciated that the functionality allocated to any of components 50-56 may be combined into common hardware, or partitioned among additional hardware devices.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the exemplary environments illustrated in
The aforementioned environments may be utilized to implement a number of collaborative tools to enhance the utility of a handheld electronic book reader consistent with the invention. For example, annotation capabilities may be enhanced for an electronic book reader by permitting user-created contents to be associated with term definitions stored in an electronic dictionary. In this instance, a context refers to a passage from an electronic book or other electronic document that shows how a particular term is used in practice. A context may therefore include text surrounding a particular usage of a term, such that the context provides a user with an example of how a particular term is used. A created context may be associated with a particular electronic document, or in the alternative, may be associated with a particular user or system dictionary which may be maintained separately from an electronic document. As will become more apparent below, a context is typically created by selecting a portion of a displayed electronic document, and then directing a handheld device to store the selected portion as a context. In addition, view capability is also supported whereby one or more stored contexts, either user or system created, are displayed either collectively or selectively in connection with a particular term definition.
In addition, a context may be stored as a component of an annotation file, which functions much like a "Cliff Notes" for an electronic document. Additional annotation data, such as highlighting data and/or comment data, may also be incorporated into an annotation file along with one or more contexts.
An annotation file may be separately or jointly exportable along with an electronic document, such that the annotation data stored therein may be available for import into the same or a different reader. By providing the capability to export annotation data in the manner described herein, multiple users may be permitted to share the annotation data. Furthermore, it may be desirable in some implementations to associate specific annotation data with specific users, and allow a user to select among the annotation data generated by different users, or to display annotation data associated with multiple users at the same time, with some form of visual indication utilized to distinguish between the annotation data associated with different users. Alternate display representations may be utilized to distinguish the annotation data for particular users, including, for example, different colors, pattern, icons, font attributes, underlining, italics, etc.
The hereinafter described embodiments also enhance the collaborative capabilities of a handheld device by supporting usage tracking to monitor the usage of a handheld electronic book reader by a user. Through such usage tracking, page-based statistics may be generated, with such statistics associated with particular pages in an electronic document. Information such as the time during which a user views a page, the number of times a user reviews a page (i.e., views the page subsequent to a first time the user views the page), the total time spent reviewing a page, and/or the number of times a user powers off a device or closes a book while viewing a page, may be monitored.
Moreover, additional usage statistics such as definition-based usage statistics associated with term definitions may also be generated. In such instances, the number of times and amount of time spent viewing definitions of particular terms may be monitored. Moreover, when contexts are supported, the amount of time and number of contexts being viewed by a user may also be monitored in the manner described herein.
By tracking the aforementioned usage statistics, a number of useful applications can be envisioned. For example, usage statistics associated with multiple users may be tracked and collected by an analysis computer to compile the results. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure, an analysis computer may perform nothing more than collecting the statistics from one or more handheld devices, or may perform additional processing of the data to generate collective statistics or perform other, more detailed statistical analysis. Comparative performance for multiple users can then be analyzed if desired.
As another example, usage statistics may be utilized to determine whether and how to revise an electronic document. For example, if it is determined that a particular page or section of an electronic document takes too long to read, requires excessive review, and/or results in a user turning off the device, it may be determined that that page or section is too difficult, and needs to be simplified. As a result, an author of an electronic document might utilize usage tracking as described herein to facilitate authoring of an electronic document with the feedback of one or more users used to improve the content of the electronic document, much as "beta testers" are used in the software industry.
Usage statistics may also be utilized to assist an instructor in determining whether to revise a lesson plan. As an example, if it is determined that particular reading assignments take an inordinate amount of time, an instructor may revise a lesson plan to change the number of pages in a particular assignment.
Usage statistics may also be utilized in compliance measures to ensure that students are reading assigned material. For example, page statistics may be monitored to verify that a user has viewed each page in an assignment over a threshold period of time that verifies the user actually read the page. Even if the usage statistics are not constantly reviewed by an instructor, the fact that users or students recognize that their activities may be monitored may encourage better compliance with reading assignments.
Usage statistics may also be utilized to determine whether specific users such as students require supplemental assistance, e.g., if a particular user takes substantially longer to read a particular assignment than the other students in a class. Thus, an instructor may be able to identify students that are having problems with a particular subject matter and provide supplemental assistance such as additional tutoring to those users.
Other end uses for the usage statistics generated as described herein will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure.
While the embodiments discussed hereinafter incorporate both annotation and usage tracking capabilities, it will be appreciated that the various functions described herein may be implemented separately and/or independently in different implementations. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific combination of functions and capabilities discussed herein. Moreover, the embodiments discussed hereinafter will focus on an implementation in a classroom setting; however, it will be appreciated that the herein-described techniques may apply to a number of different applications of electronic book readers and the like. Furthermore, and in particular with regard to the usage tracking capabilities described herein, a number of the herein-described techniques may be utilized in environments other than in connection with handheld electronic book readers or other handheld devices, e.g., in desktop computers and the like.
Again referring to
Annotation data 42 may also include highlight data, e.g., as represented by a plurality of highlight records 68 that define where in an electronic document highlighting should be applied. Furthermore, one or more comments may be defined by a plurality of comment records 70. The highlighting may be generated by a user, for example, by selecting sections of an electronic document and applying highlighting thereto, in a manner known in the art. Furthermore, comments may be represented by handwritten notes applied by a user, or by information obtained by other means such as through interaction with an actual keyboard or a simulated keyboard displayed on a touchscreen, as is also known in the art. In this regard, comment records may be represented by text strings, or by other types of information, such as a bit map or vector graphic image representative of the handwritten notes made by a user.
In certain embodiments of the invention, annotation data from multiple users may be compiled into an annotation file to permit collaborative annotation by multiple users. To this extent, it may be desirable to associate, with each context, highlight and comment record, an identifier for the owner or user that created such record. Accordingly, each context record, highlight record and comment record 69, 68 and 70 may include a respective owner field 69A, 68A, and 70A to indicate the creator of that particular record.
As described above, statistics 44 may include both page-based statistics and definition-based statistics, as well as other statistics for which it may be desirable to track in monitoring the usage by a user. For example, one or more page records 72 may be defined to store a plurality of page-based statistics. For each record 72, a page identifier field 74 may be provided, as well as an optional chapter identifier field 76 that identifies where in the electronic document the page is located. Other identification information that partitions a page into a particular section or other subset of a document may be used in the alternative.
Each page record 72 also includes a page time field 78 that stores the total amount of time a user spends viewing a page. An off count field 80 stores the number of times a user turns off or powers off a reader while viewing the page, and/or the number of times the user otherwise closes the electronic book while viewing the page. A review count field 82 stores the number of times, subsequent to the first time, that a user views a particular page, and a review time field 84 stores the amount of time a user spends reviewing a page.
As far as definition-based statistics, such statistics may be stored in definition statistic records 86, each including a term field 88 identifying a defined term, as well as a lookup count field 90, a context count field 92 and a help time field 94. Field 90 stores the number of times a definition for a defined term is accessed, while field 92 stores the number of contexts that are viewed in association with the definition. Field 94 stores the total amount of time a user spends viewing a definition and/or one or more contexts associated therewith.
It will be appreciated that additional usage statistics may be stored as part of statistics 44. Moreover, any number of data structure implementations may be utilized to store the information illustrated in
Routine 100 begins in block 102 by performing various initialization operations, including starting a capture thread that is utilized in connection with a portion of the usage tracking functionality described herein. Also, at this time, an electronic book may be loaded into the memory and/or displayed on the reader. Next, block 104 initiates an event-driven loop. A number of events relevant to the herein-described functions are detected and handled in blocks 106, 108, 110, 112 and 114. Other events, which are not relevant to the functionality described herein, are handled in block 116 in a conventional manner, after which control returns to block 104 to wait for additional events.
As mentioned above, a number of events associated with annotation and usage tracking are detected in blocks 106-114. One such event, a get definition event, is detected in block 106, and handled by passing control to block 118 to start a timer that is used to monitor the amount of time a user spends viewing a particular definition. A get definition event may be initiated, for example, in response to a user selecting a particular defined term.
Once the timer is started in block 118, control passes to block 120 to display the relevant definition, including one or more contexts (if provided). The definition is taken from the definition record 60 for that term (
Once a user is finished viewing a definition, block 120 passes control to block 122 to end the timer that was started in block 118. The elapsed time is then used in block 124 to log the help time for the definition, typically by adding the view time calculated by the timer of blocks 118 and 122 to any previous elapsed time stored in help time field 94 (
Another event, which is detected in block 108, is an add context event. Typically, this event is generated in response to a user selecting text or other information in an electronic document, and selecting a create context operation, e.g., via a pop-up or pull-down menu displayed on the reader when the text is selected. Material to be incorporated into a context may include text data, image data, animation data, video data, audio data, etc. Moreover, selection may incorporate practically any known manner for selecting information via a user interface, including various combinations of user gestures input via a touchscreen, a keyboard, a hard button, and combinations thereof.
In response to such event, block 108 passes control to block 126 to extract the relevant text or other information selected by a user. Then, a context record 69 (
Another event that may be detected in routine 100 is a create annotation file event, which is detected in block 110 and handled by calling a create annotation file routine 130. A create annotation file event may be generated, for example, in response to user selection from a menu when it is desired to compile the annotation data into an annotation file, typically for export. Therefore, as shown in block 132, it may be desirable to optionally export the annotation file to a location external to a reader. In the alternative, creating an annotation file and exporting the annotation file may be handled in separate events.
It will also be appreciated that creating an annotation file may generate any number of data structures or formats that are readable by an external device for the purposes of properly decoding the annotation data stored in the file. Also, a user identifier may be associated with annotation data in the file for combining the data with that of other users.
Another event that may be detected by routine 100 is a capture statistics event, which is detected in block 112 and handled by passing control to block 134 to capture the usage statistics, and optionally export those statistics to another device as shown in block 136. Capturing the statistics may be initiated by a user-selected menu option, or in other manners known in the art for receiving user input. By capturing the statistics, the current information stored in the statistics 44 of
Yet another event handled by routine 100 is an import annotation file event, which is detected in block 114 and handled by passing control to block 138 to optionally reset the annotation data stored in the handheld device, and then to block 140 to import a selected annotation file. Subsequent to importing the annotation file, the display may be updated at block 142, e.g., to implement the new highlighting and add any comments supplied in the imported annotation data.
In some implementations, resetting of the annotation data may not be required, particularly if annotation data associated with multiple users is to be stored and displayed in association with the same electronic document in the same handheld device. It should be appreciated that annotation files may be imported sequentially or may be collected and imported collectively into a handheld device. Moreover, it should be appreciated that an import annotation file event may be generated in a number of manners, including selecting from among a plurality of available annotation files, or inputting a specific file name. In other embodiments, importing of an annotation file may be initiated externally from the handheld device, and without receiving input from a user via the reader. Other modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
It should also be appreciated that additional events may also be detected and handled in routine 100 consistent with the invention. Thus, the list of events discussed in connection with
For each such page, control passes to block 154 to determine whether any text or portion of a document is highlighted on that page, e.g., by searching through the highlight data in annotation data 42 of
If no highlighted text is present on a page, or after completion of block 156, control next passes to block 158 to determine whether any comments are associated with a particular page. If so, control passes to block 160 to add comment record(s) to the annotation file. In addition, any contextual information may optionally be incorporated into the comment record. Then, upon completion of block 160, or if no comments are present on the current page, control passes to block 162 to determine whether any user-created contexts are associated with the page. If so, block 162 passes control to block 164 to add context record(s) to the annotation. Control then returns to block 152 to process additional pages in the book. Also, if no user contexts are associated with a particular page, block 162 passes control directly to block 152.
Upon processing of each page in the electronic document, block 152 passes control to block 166 to save the annotation file. Routine 130 is then complete.
It should be appreciated that other implementations may create an annotation file in other manners. For example, user-created contexts may not be associated with specific pages, and may be processed outside of the loop initiated by block 152. In addition, in some implementations creation of an annotation file may consist of nothing more than copying the annotation data 42 without any reformatting. Other modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Thread 168 begins in block 170 by starting a timer for the current page being viewed in the electronic document. Then, in block 172, the thread waits for user input that may be relevant for generating page-based usage statistics. Block 174 detects user input associated with a page completion, while block 176 detects user input related to either a reader being turned off or an electronic document or book being closed by the user, both of which reflect that the user is no longer viewing an electronic document. Additional user input, which is not relevant to page-based usage tracking, is handled, if necessary, in block 178. Control then returns to block 172 to wait for other input.
A page completion, as detected by block 174, will be initiated in response to a number of types of user input. For example, if a user selects a next or previous page, or attempts to directly access another page, a page completion may be detected. Other instances where a user is no longer viewing a current page subsequent to the input may also trigger a page completion detection consistent with the invention.
Whenever completion of a page is detected, block 174 passes control to block 182 to end the timer, and then to block 184 to log the page view time, typically by adding the elapsed time calculated by the timer to any amount stored in the page time field 78 for the statistic record 72 for the current page (
Next, block 186 determines whether the page is being reviewed, e.g., by detecting a value in the view count field greater than one. If it is determined that this is the first viewing of the page, control returns to block 170 to start the timer for another page (as, presumably, other program code handles the user input that indicates page completion, and thus initiates the display of a new page). Otherwise, control passes to block 188 to log the review time for the page, e.g., by adding the elapsed time calculated by the timer to the value stored in the review time field 84 for the record 72 for the page (
Detection of the reader being turned off or the book being closed is handled in block 176 by passing control to block 190 to end the timer started above in block 170. Other input that results in a user no longer viewing a particular electronic document may also be used to trigger block 176.
Once the timer is stopped, control passes to block 192 to log both the page view time and count for the current page. In addition, block 194 is called to log the power off by incrementing the value stored in the off count field 80 for the record 72 for the current page. Thread 168 then terminates, or optionally returns to block 170, e.g., if another book is opened.
It will be appreciated that page-based usage statistics may be collected in other manners, and that other organizational constructs of a document may be used to delimit usage statistics consistent with the invention. In still other embodiments, other organizational constructs may be monitored by collecting usage statistics from multiple pages in a particular organizational breakpoint. For example, chapters or sections may be tracked by collecting the usage statistics for the pages within such chapters or sections. Other modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
As discussed above, upon collection of usage statistics in the manner described herein, the statistics may be utilized in a number of environments for beneficial purposes.
As shown in block 202, for example, an instructor may create or select content for reading by one or more students or users. Then, as shown in block 204, the content may be distributed to the users, such that the content is loaded into the handheld devices for such users. Next, block 206 obtains usage statistics from those users after those users have presumably viewed the content.
Next, in block 208, the usage statistics are analyzed by an instructor or another person working in connection with the instructor. Then, as shown in block 210, the instructor or other person acts on the analyzed usage statistics in a number of ways, discussed below.
For example, where the content is being created by an instructor, or any other author for that matter, the usage statistics may be utilized in revising the content, e.g., to simplify certain passages, make certain passages more understandable, etc., as shown in block 212. Once the content is revised, the content may optionally be redistributed to users as shown by the arrow from block 212 to block 204. The usage statistics in this application are therefore utilized to assist an author in improving the quality of authored content based upon the usage statistic feedback generated by one or more users.
Also, if the content is associated with a particular lesson plan, the lesson plan may be revised as shown in block 214 based upon the usage statistics. For example, if an instructor determines that a particular reading assignment takes too long to read based upon the usage statistics of one or more students, the instructor may modify the lesson plan to shorten the assignment. Also, it should be appreciated that revising a lesson plan may affect future assignments for a current group of students, or may affect future students in subsequent classes. Also, as shown by the arrow from block 214 to block 204, revision of a lesson plan may require redistribution of the content to users. In the alternative, no such redistribution may occur.
As represented in block 216, the usage statistics may also be utilized to determine whether a particular user requires supplemental tutoring or instruction. For example, if a particular user takes longer to read a particular passage, or has a higher rate of review of certain pages, the user may have difficulty in comprehending the subject matter, and as such, an instructor may desire to provide supplemental assistance to that user.
Another action that may occur is acting on user delinquency as shown in block 218. For example, if it is determined that the pages in a particular assignment were not viewed for time indicative of some minimum time it would take a normal person to read a particular page, an instructor may determine that a particular user did not read an assignment, and take appropriate corrective action. Also, as discussed above, just the fact that an instructor is monitoring usage by students may encourage the students to follow all assignments.
It will be appreciated that the aforementioned uses of usage data need not be implemented in the same environment. Moreover, other utilizations of usage data will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure.
Other modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the invention lies in the claims hereinafter appended.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- at least one processor; and
- program code configured upon execution by the at least one processor to monitor usage of an electronic document by: tracking usage of a handheld electronic book reader by a user when viewing a plurality of pages in an electronic document stored in the handheld electronic book reader, wherein the user is a student, and wherein the electronic document includes educational material from a reading assignment that has been assigned to the student; for each of the plurality of pages, generating at least one usage statistic associated with that page based upon the tracked usage; using the usage statistic to determine whether the student has read the reading assignment; and determining whether to revise at least one of the electronic document and a lesson plan with which the electronic document is associated based upon the usage statistic.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program code is configured to track usage of the handheld electronic book reader by the user by at least one of tracking how long the user views a selected page among the plurality of pages, tracking how many times the user views a selected page among the plurality of pages, tracking how long the user views a selected page among the plurality of pages subsequent to a first viewing of the selected page, and tracking whether the user powers the handheld electronic book reader off while viewing a selected page among the plurality of pages.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one usage statistic is selected from the group consisting of page view time, power off count, page review count, page review time, and combinations thereof.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program code is further configured to:
- track usage of a second handheld electronic book reader by a second user when viewing a second copy of the electronic document that is stored in the second handheld electronic book reader;
- generate at least one usage statistic for the second user; and
- receive in an analysis computer the usage statistics for the first and second users from the first and second handheld electronic book readers.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program code is further configured to use the usage statistic to determine whether the user needs supplemental assistance.
6. An apparatus, comprising:
- at least one processor; and
- program code configured upon execution by the at least one processor to monitor usage of an electronic document by: tracking usage of a handheld electronic book reader by a user when viewing an electronic document stored in the handheld electronic book reader, including tracking user access to at least one term definition stored in the handheld electronic book reader when viewing the electronic document; generating at least one usage statistic for the user based upon the tracked usage, wherein tracking user access to at least one term definition includes tracking how many times the user views the term definition; and determining whether to revise at least one of the electronic document and a lesson plan with which the electronic document is associated based upon the usage statistic.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the program code is configured to track user access to at least one term definition by tracking how long the user views the term definition.
8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the term definition is associated with at least one context, and wherein the program code is configured to track user access to at least one term definition by tracking user access to the context.
9. A program product, comprising:
- a recordable computer readable medium; and
- program code stored on the recordable computer readable medium and configured upon execution to monitor usage of an electronic document by: tracking usage of a first handheld electronic book reader by a first user when viewing a first copy of an electronic document stored in the first handheld electronic book reader; tracking usage of a second electronic book reader by a second user when viewing a second copy of the electronic document stored in the second handheld electronic book reader; generating at least one usage statistic for each of the first and second users based upon the tracked usages; receiving in an analysis computer the usage statistics for the first and second users from the first and second handheld electronic book readers; and using the usage statistics for the first and second users to revise at least one of the electronic document and a lesson plan with which the electronic document is associated, wherein the electronic document comprises educational material, and wherein the first and second users are students assigned to read the educational material.
10. A program product, comprising:
- a recordable computer readable medium; and
- program code stored on the recordable computer readable medium and configured upon execution to monitor usage of an electronic document by: tracking usage of a handheld electronic book reader by a user when viewing an electronic document stored in the handheld electronic book reader, wherein the user is a student, and wherein the electronic document comprises educational material assigned to the student; generating at least one usage statistic for the user based upon the tracked usage; using the usage statistic to determine whether the user needs supplemental assistance with the educational material; and determining whether to revise at least one of the electronic document and a lesson plan with which the electronic document is associated based upon the usage statistic.
Patent History
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 13, 2008
Publication Date: Jun 12, 2008
Patent Grant number: 8118224
Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY)
Inventors: Eric Lawrence Barsness (Pine Island, MN), John Matthew Santosuosso (Rochester, MN)
Application Number: 12/030,344
International Classification: G06F 17/00 (20060101);


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The Changing World of Book Marketing and the Rise of the Independent Book Blogger
I spent a post last Monday extolling the virtues of a dozen book bloggers who had invited me to be a guest poster on my virtual tour. I'm not going to revisit that other than to say "read the post" and for goodness sakes, visit all their blogs. They are awesome people.
Yesterday, however, I had the pleasure of meeting one of the book bloggers I've been corresponding with over the past year and a half, and who hosted my post on ink Friday. Tif of http://tiftalksbooks.com is one of over 500 book bloggers who participated in Armchair BEA in May. In fact, she is one of the organizers and was swamped with emails and give-aways. But the conversation with Tif got me thinking about how book marketing is changing, even as you read this post….
Read this post at "The Rubricant."
I may be a week late in expressing my full appreciation for book bloggers, but it is heartfelt.
Day 19 stats
Left Evansville IN at 9:00 a.m.
Arrived St. Louis at 12:15 p.m.
Miles today: 207
Total miles: 4534
According to the map, I have less than 3,000 miles remaining on this trip!


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Nike Skills Academy 2015
LeBron recently put on his annual LeBron James Skills Academy in conjunction with Nike in the Los Angeles area. The skills academy is attended by the top 80 high school players and top 20 college players in the nation. They gain insight from some of the most well renowned instructors and compete against each other in front of prominent college coaches, many factions of basketball media, and NBA scouts.
LeBron always likes to use different methods of training to keep his body in the best shape possible. He shared one of his techniques with his campers to try to spark their interest. James took the athletes to a beach in Santa Monica, California where he led them in yoga exercises before they began the day's workouts. The word on the boys' t-shirts, "Witness", rang true when they had the opportunity to observe an entirely different side of the two-time champion. There is hardly a dull moment with the Akron native, as he never fails to surprise us with his array of talents.


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In order to obtain and/or maintain a Golf Link number and a Golf Australia Handicap a player must be financial to an affiliated club of Golf Link.
This said, a Golf Link number once created, is not deleted. Therefore a Golf Link number can 'lapse' for any duration, then be activated at any time there after. The player will proceed with the standing G.A Handicap of the lapsed handicap history.
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The amazing people from over at BHAVE Hair sent me an amazing box of goodies with a range of their products. I've been testing them out and wanted to share with you guys what the go is with them all.
Just quickly, if you haven't heard of bhave before, their an awesome Australian owned and operated haircare brand. They've got everything to wash your hair, tone your hair if you'e a blonde like me, and keep it healthy and hydrated. They're actually the first Australian brand to use natural keratin technology in their products, which is basically the magic ingredient which leaves your hair feeling bomb. Aside from that, they also DON'T test on animals, have NO parabens in any of their products and use certified organic ingredients - winning on every level.
I've already raved about this product in my October Favourites, so you know I'm a bit of a fan of this stuff. This is basically a leave-in cream that will help to condition, protect and keep your hair under control. I use this once I've washed my hair, brushed it and just before I'm going to dry it. You only need a little blob of this stuff to run through the bottom section of your hair. I advise only using a small bit, only putting through the ends of your hair and giving it a dry afterwards. The first time I used it I threw on way to much all over my head and then tried to let it dry naturally - I used it all wrong and it left my hair less than stunning. But I've nailed how to use it now and it's a God send. And the best part; it has an awesome coconut scent which just screams summer and good vibes.
Another one that made it into the favourites, and for good reason. I've been putting oil on the ends of my hair for a while now to help keep my coloured ends from splitting and turning into a horrible-looking nightmare. I've been around the block trying some oils, so it doesn't take me long to know if I'm onto a winner or not - this one is a WINNER. First thing to note is it smells like bloody fairy floss! I don't know how but it's amazing! I put a small pump of this on the ends of my hair once I'm completely done using any heat on it and I've noticed a big difference - my ends don't get super dry and they don't split as much anymore.
Anything that claims to help split ends I'm all over it like a rash. The directions say to use this after you've completely finished styling your hair, like you would an oil, but I also like to throw some in while my hair is towel dry, before I hit it with the blow dryer. I think this in combination with some other products has certainly decreased my regularly of split ends, and I've found myself needing to trim off the ends less. Also the packaging of this one is so cool, you just push the top and it pumps out the perfect amount.
I love giving my hair a good treatment, so I was excited to try this product out. I prefer to do my treatments just before I'm about to give my hair a wash, so I lathered this over my dry hair and let it sit for maybe 20 minutes or so (basically until I get sick of sitting with it in and decide I want to wash it out) and followed with my normal washing routine. When I tested this I had recently used a new hair colouring product which was a little more drying on my hair than I was use to, so my hair was still a little dry after using this masque, but it was certainly improved. Also it smells like coconuts and makes me think of summer which always makes me happy,
Gunpowder Matt Styling Dust
I'd never used a product like this before because I worried this would leave my scalp super dry and knotty thanks to my coloured blonde hair - but I was pleasantly surprised. I still find this product so funny and interesting to use. Basically you pump a little bit onto your roots (out of the pump will fall bits of white dust) which you then massage into your scalp to give your mane some volume. The texture of the product in your hair is something I struggle to get use to. As someone who plays with their hair a lot and often runs fingers through the top of it numerous times throughout the day to push my growing-out bangs back, the powder stops the fingers from gliding through so easily. This had me worried that it would leave my hair feeling gross and knotty the next day, but surprisingly it was pretty good. I just ran a brush through my hair to brush out the remainder and I was good to go again.
I actually just used this combination the other night when washing my hair and I was impressed. It's been so long since I've used two of the same branded products from the same line in my hair washing routine, I'm usually using all different types of brands. This stuff actually left my hair super soft and also smelling so good long after my hair dried.
When I opened the bottle and squeezed out the product, it came out a nice, deep purple colour, so I had hope this stuff would work. I tend to use more blue-based shampoos these days to achieve a real silver/white look, but this stuff still certainly worked for keeping any brassy tones out of my hair. It won't give you an ultra white look, but there will certainly not be any tacky, terrible looking yellow left in your hair. It also didn't leave my hair super dry or anything which is always a risk with purple shampoos, so put a tick in that box.
Again another two products I was pretty impressed with. They left my hair smooth and fairly knot free after washing, so I'm happy to incorporate these into my hair washing routine in the future.


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Pádraic lands TV role as hero knight
Adamstown's Pádraic Delaney has secured one of the leading roles in a major new American television series for the History Channel called Knightfall.
Knightfall chronicles the mysterious but true accounts of the Knights Templar, the elite warriors of the Crusades.
The series, which is being developed by an American Network A + E, tells the story of the Knights Templar movement and their eventual fall from grace and Delaney, 38, plays the role of Gawain, their expert swordsman.
Speaking from the film shoot in Prague, Delaney said he has never worked on anything on the scale of Knightfall.
He said: 'Landing the role reminds me of The Tudors and my role is much bigger in this. This series is on a bigger scale in terms of money and sets. I prefer to act in lower budget, indie type, character-driven projects, but I have a great character who has a lot of conflict of interests and loyalties.'
Delaney said the producers are looking to create the next big thing in television and Knightfall has already been picked up by Netflix.
'They are very much looking at Game of Thrones which is ending next year, as is the Vikings which is huge in America. The Americans love that vibe with ancient European history and swords and battles.'
Delaney landed the role having impressed at an audition in April. He said he usually puts thoughts of getting a part out of his mind as soon as he does an interview, but he wanted the role.
'This one stuck with me as it's about the Knights Templar and I don't think their story has been done before, only touched on in the Da Vinci Code and Indiana Jones.'
Delaney said the story opens with a spectacular scene, the Siege of Acre. The story jumps forward to the late 13th century when we meet his character Gawain, who is called after Sir Gawain of the knights of Arthurian legend.
'The main story begins about 200 years into the templars. It's after the fall of Jerusalem and Acre and our story is set in Paris and concerns the relationship the Templars had with King Philip The Fair.'
Delaney's character is one of the main Templar knights.
'He is the best sword fighter but he injures his leg during a sword fight protecting one of the knights who becomes the leader of the Knights Templar. He tells me I can no longer fight and that leads to conflict.'
Delaney has signed a five-year contract for numerous episodes and is expecting the series to be a success.
'Like with any new show it's down to the mercy of the audience. The producers have obviously put a lot of money into this. They do a lot of big shoots here in the at Barrandov Studios in Prague. Some of the crew members have worked on Bourne films and a Bond film and they said they've never worked on something of this scale. It's like Gladiator. I feel very lucky to be here working on this. The scripts and the crew are great.'
Delaney arrived in the Czech Republic in June and has been doing a lot of training at boot camps and with horse riding and swordfighting.
'We've also done a lot of circuit training for bonding with the other guys.'
He will continue on set until December when the first season is due to be completed.
Knightfall is due to air in early 2017 on American TV and is expected to be picked up by RTE.
The exterior sets were destroyed in a fire while Delaney was away with his girlfriend Eve Macklin in Vienna in late August. Around €4m in damage was caused but the producers arrived from America and said everything would be rebuilt and filming would continue.
Delaney said he is loving his time in Prague where the average temperature is 28 degrees.
'Since I've gotten here I haven't worn a pair of jeans, the weather has been so nice.'
The former Colaiste Abbain student said Knightfall has been one of the highlights of his career.
'I have been lucky in my career over the last few years as I've never really been worried about the next job.'
Delaney was home during the summer visiting his parents Sheelagh and Michael Delaney and grandmother. His career has taken off having attended the Beckett Centre in Trinity College, Dublin, where he graduated with a BA in Drama & Theatre Studies in 2001. Having worked on Shakespearian roles in theatre and in the Irish television series Pure Mule and The Clinic, Delaney first appeared before international audiences as Irish revolutionary Teddy O'Donovan in Ken Loach's award winning film The Wind That Shakes the Barley, opposite Cillian Murphy.
Gorey Guardian


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I've been mentioned on HBO's VICE News! With a link to my campaign website! Check out the article and scan down to the paragraph before the first photo midway down the article. Let's get MAD!
get MAD and vote blue!
for more about my campaign: www.mad4nm.com
Up to 1,000 Democratic candidates are about to make the 2018 congressional primaries completely insane
The 2018 midterms are still 561 days away, but an unprecedented early surge of Democrats have already declared their candidacies for the House of Representatives, setting up what will likely be one of the longest and most crowded series of House Democratic primary campaigns in memory. Already 408 De…


text: Ilka Kramer June 28, 2016 by Arseny Vesnin in Art, Photography, Portfolios, Switzerland As of the most convenient mediums to capture reality, photography sometimes moves a step beyond it and takes us on a journey to the unknown. Ilka Kramer does just that, creating unearthly scenes that question our perception of landscapes. — iGNANT In a time where we lose direct contact with nature, we accede to it only by the view. — Ilka Kramer All images © Ilka Kramer


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Shoulder and Half Life-Sized Mount
Make all cuts down the back.
Do not cut past brisket
It is imperative to keep the animal cool, either by gutting the animal (please do not gut if doing a dorsal cut), or skinning the animal.
Allow the skin to cool to the touch, then fold, flesh side together and place in a bag, preferably a breathable bag.
Keep out of direct sunlight and away from exhaust heat from any vehicle.
Do not salt, or let skin air burn.
Do not slit the throat.


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Lavender Jelly
Several years later, I now have unperfectly manicured lavender bushes, and have yet to lovingly dry the lavender into thoughtful sachets for friends and acquaintances. Usually I hack the things down once or twice a summer and throw away what I cut. But this year I decided to try to do something useful with the cuttings. Having really gotten the jam bug this year, I tried my hand at lavender jelly.
Here's all you do. First, come about June, hack the heck out of your bushes. Here's half of what I cut. The other half, I'm ashamed to say, went into the compost. Next year I'll consider sachets...
With a little luck, you'll have a lovely and enthusiastic assistant helping:
Now separate the lavender into little bunches. It's a thrill to know that the buds look like bugs; I was desperately brushing buds off myself, thinking we had a kitchen infestation. But the terror is worth the end result:
You need to tie up the little bunches and let them dry, upside down, not touching each other, for about two weeks. They should also be out of direct sunlight. Our house is short on space, so the living room bookshelves were adorned. Here's some of the harvest in progress:
And here's a close-up of my improvisational tying. Thing is, lavender is so beautiful it stands up to knotted kitchen twine, baby hairbands, and old bread ties. Still, I'm not seeing the staff of Martha Stewart Living paying me a visit anytime soon:
The strings of lavender were secured with a collection of books I trash-picked from behind my college library more than 20 years ago. I have yet to crack one of these, so it's good to know they're getting some use:
In about two weeks, you're ready to remove the buds from the stems. I read lots of advice online advocating removing the buds by putting the bunches in a pillowcase, rolling them around, and removing both the stripped stems and the buds. I tried this method and found it cumbersome and messy. After trial and error, I found the best option was to roll the bunches between my fingers and thumb over a clean piece of paper, and then roll the paper and funnel the buds into a jar for storage.
Making the jelly is really very quick -- about an hour start to finish, including steeping the lavender. Outside of the lavender (which was free and organic), the recipe just requires some pectin, sugar, and lemon juice. The recipe I used is here, and it was so simple I didn't make changes. The recipe says you'll get about five half-pint jars; I got almost six.
I was so tickled with this jelly -- the fact that I could do something useful with what had essentially become a weed. I also absolutely love the taste. It's definitely lavender, but not remotely overpowering. Just soft and delicious. The first batch I made I handed out like a meth addict on the beach: Lavender Jelly for All! So I recently made another batch. I have enough dried lavender buds left for at least two more. I'm seeing some unusual teacher gifts for the holidays...
Happy canning!
Labels: canning, condiments, garden


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Showing all entries for food
Jan 10, 2012
There's no zealot like a convert
For 41 years I did not, would not, tried to but could not, eat sushi. Everyone I knew was like: OMG, sushi is the greatest food evar, what is wrong with you, were you raised by wolves or something? Well, or something, but that's another story. No, it just felt weird in my mouth. The nori was chewy and the rice was sticky and it was always like I had too much food in my mouth. Also, let's be honest, I seriously lack chopstick skills. There was just nothing fun or comfortable about eating this food.
I used to know this manager dude guy, let's call him Jabba, and whenever you took him to dinner, especially if ribs were involved, you basically had to put a garbage bag over him because OMG there was BBQ sauce and rib particulate matter everywhere. And you'd be sitting at the table with him, hiding behind your napkin, trying not to cry - with laughter AND sadness. That's kinda what it was like taking me to a sushi bar. Edamame flying everywhere, rice all over my face, how do you eat this stuff? CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME A FORK?
And then, I don't know what happened. Well, yes I do, it's the fault of an adorable 4 year old. WHO EATS SUSHI. And has amazing chopstick skills. She lent me a pair of her training chopsticks (purple giraffe, if I remember correctly), and someone handed me a plate of avocado sushi, and I was suddenly propelled into an alternate universe where OMG, sushi is the greatest food evar!
So for 41 years I didn't eat sushi and then in the last 7 months I've basically been obsessed with it. All that to say I had sushi for lunch today. And for dinner a few days ago. And we'll see what the week brings... I'll tell you what though, right now, the wasabi is doing wonders for my cold. Seriously, I'm not happy til the tip of nose tingles. And bonus points if I can make tears spurt out my eyes.
Mar 4, 2011
Bittman on Soup
Bittman's latest column, Creamy, Brothy, Earthy, Hearty, isn't just about soup, it's about improvisation, which is a kitchen skill I envy. Some people can just open the pantry, grab things, and make something wonderful; I am not exactly one of those people.
I don't really improvise, I substitute, and it's usually for reasons like: he won't eat onions, or she won't eat mushrooms, or I would rather eat any bean in the known universe other than a pinto bean. That is to say, I generally rely on a recipe for a starting point, and from there I tinker. Honestly, the only thing I (sort of) made up recently was Orange Tofu and the reason I was inspired to try it is because I still have about 104,208 jars of the Photon Jelly (orange marmalade, minus the marmalade part) that I made last year, and I've got to do something with them. And I say sort of made up because it wasn't so much made up as it was mashup - as in, I started with a couple recipes and combined the parts I thought would go together. In my defense, it turned out pretty good.
In any case, Bittman doesn't provide recipes, instead he breaks soup up into categories, and then gives some basic instructions, along with a few variations. The object of the exercise is to come up with your own variations, which I will certainly have to try. The column is a good starting point, and he's got a follow up on his blog with a few more suggestions.
Do let me know if you come up with anything tasty!
Feb 7, 2011
US Department of GMOnew food labels, and in the comments someone wondered how long it would be until organics became corrupted by economics. Um, how about now?
Just last week, the USDA granted non-regulated status to Monsanto's GMO alfalfa. Big deal, you don't eat alfalfa, right? Except you do if you eat beef or dairy. So what's the problem? Well, GMO foods can't be certified organic under USDA guidelines. Now if you're thinking that organic growers don't use GMO seeds, you're correct, but the problem here is that cross pollination is inevitable. See where I'm going with this? At some point there won't be any non-GMO alfalfa which means no organic alfalfa, which means no organic beef or dairy. Well, until the USDA decides to redefine what organic means.
The USDA is apparently on a tear, because last Friday they deregulated Monsanto's GMO sugar beets too. If you're wondering what's up with the love affair between the USDA and Monsanto, I suggest you look no further than Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, aka Monsanto's Buddy.
In other news, chocolate is now a fruit. I'm sorry, did I say fruit? I meant super fruit. The first line of that article should tell you everything you need to know: When researchers at the Hershey Center for Health & Nutrition...
You know what I find most funny about this? And no, it's not that there is a Hershey Center for Health & Nutrition (I wonder if it includes dental). The funny part is that just 4 years ago Hershey lobbied the FDA to change the definition of chocolate. They wanted to substitute partially hydrogenated vegetable oils for cocoa butter in addition to using artificial sweeteners and milk substitutes. In other words, they wanted to make not-chocolate but still call it chocolate. Now, they want to make chocolate and call it a super fruit. I can't wait to see what kind of new food label they'll put on their chocolate super fruit bars.
Jan 25, 2011
Per Serving
This article in yesterday's NYT kinda makes me laugh. Honestly, I don't know where to begin, with the idea that proposed food labeling could be so confusing that one might think ice cream is good for you, or that ice cream, and not lack of moderation + lack of exercise + who the hell even knows what is in processed food, is what is bad for you.
The food industry isn't about food, it's about marketing food. That's why the picture on the front of the package looks like art compared to what is actually inside the package, and the ingredients on the back are in 3 point type. They don't want you to know what's in your food, they just want you to buy it.
My favorite part though, is this:
The F.D.A. has said it was interested in a British labeling system using a traffic signal logo to show favorable (green) and unfavorable (red) nutrient content. Industry, however, has resisted such a display, which it fears might drive away consumers.
Drive them where?
I can't lay this entirely at the feet of the food industry. People could make better food choices if they wanted to. They could educate themselves about where their food comes from, and how it's made, if they wanted to. They just don't want to. This applies as much to people who buy open and heat food as those who think free range chickens are actually free.
People are so far removed from where their food comes from, and the food industry really, really likes that. So if the administration wants to do something useful, I propose this for the new labeling system: if it contains actual food, you can label it FOOD, otherwise you have to call it what it is: CRAP.
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There are many different types of caviar with many different flavor profiles and textures. We always recommend serving caviar simply to allow for the individual characteristics to shine. For this, blini or softly toasted brioche with either crème fraiche or high quality butter is perfect. If you're feeling adventurous though, we have some of our favorite recipes featuring sustainable seafood with caviar as the highlight.
Beet & Ricotta Ravioli with Tarragon Cream Sauce & Saffron Whitefish
This dish couldn't be more perfect for Valentine's Day with its beautiful hues of pink and red. Luscious beet filling with a hint of sweetness in a smooth cream sauce all topped with decadent ruby pearls of saffron infused whitefish caviar. Guaranteed to impress your special someone.
Egg Cup
Soft scrambled egg in an eggshell topped with crème fraiche and our California White Sturgeon nestled inside an egg cup.
Caviar Parfait
Layers of California Caviar Company Trout Roe, Paddlefish and Saffron Infused Whitefish Roe, egg, crème fraiche and chives all deliciously tiered to tantalize your taste buds. Work your way to the end using the super yummy brioche sticks.
Deviled Eggs and Mushroom Matzo Brei
Passover Recipes: Mushroom Matzo Brei with Truffle Whitefish and Deviled Eggs with Salmon Roe.
Caviar and Cabbage Canapes
We've put an Irish twist on a Turkish favorite. The Ottoman Empire was famous for introducing the dolma, now we've upgraded it with the luscious flavors of seafood.
Mashed Potatoes with Truffle Infused Whitefish Roe
Making your Thanksgiving sublime this year! Check out our new holiday recipes. We are revisiting the classics with our featured recipes that add our signature elegant touches to make your holiday feast a memorable one.
See more recipes on the next page...


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The Vita K solution for dark circles is usually one of the top sellers on Amazon.com in the dark circle treatments category, so we decided to take a look at it and compare it to the Dark Circle Serum, which is sold at a much higher price point when you compare the two eye serums.
Vita K Dark Circles Solution Review
This eye serum talks about using the power of Vitamin K to fade away dark circles and blotches. While it is a great concept and we like their marketing ploy that "dark circles make you look tired," their claim that "nothing works faster" was quite wrong. We have had various teams of people test numerous eye serums and Vita K didn't hold a candle to the competition in that respect. Keep reading to find out more about Vita K's skin care product for dark circles and find real Amazon.com reviews by following the live links included in the detailed review.
There are positives and negatives when a company lists a product for sale on Amazon.com, and this is a perfect example of why. There are more 1 star reviews for Vita K then there are 5 star, and that means more people were extremely let down instead of being extremely pleased. When you sell a product for around $10, like this one, it's really hard to drive consumers crazy and generate the poor reviews.
One review on Amazon states "Shiny Cover up more than anything else." Others weren't as nice. Out of the positive reviews out there none were over the top or raving about the product. We will keep tabs on this as we do with all other products in the eye serum niche.
Positives about Vita K:
1. Available on Amazon.com. While this might not sound too endorsing, you can rest assured your order will be fulfilled and processed with ease.
2. Affordable. As low as $10.99. This is certainly within everyone's anti-aging budget.
Negatives about Vita K:
Unfortunately, like the old saying goes, "you get what you pay for." This didn't work as well as other eye products with the big name ingredients. At least it doesn't set consumers back too much if they do decide to try this on a whim that it will work like some of the other top selling eye serums that pack a little more punch.