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Seagulls are wild birds, their distinctive cry as they circle coastal areas are an integral part of a seaside town.
The town council do not have any control over the actions of seagulls, but having had to deal with requests about the aspects of their behaviour which cause a nuisance to people, we are able to give the seagull advice in the leaflet below. It is also advisable not to feed the gulls, and to either avoid eating outside, or eat outside with care, as the gulls commonly swoop to snatch food.
St Ives Seagull Advice Leaflet
The seagull advice leaflet contains guidance on how to tackle nuisance caused by seagulls for householders – how to deter gulls from nesting. Also, a warning to those eating outside – seagulls will swoop for food – some tips to help avoid this.
The Seagull Problem Seagulls are a common feature of many seaside towns and are becoming more common in urban settings due in large part to the easy availability of food and nesting sites. Seagull colonies can present problems including noise nuisance, fouling washing and cars and even swooping at people, usually to protect the gull's chicks or to snatch food. There can also be damage to roofs and gutters, and blockage of gas flues by nesting materials can have serious consequences if gas fumes are prevented from venting properly.


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U.S. parkway leased to Aussie firm
Opponents see tie to feds' sell-off of infrastructure to foreigners
Virginia Taxpayer's Association President Kenneth White
A decision by the Virginia Department of Transportation to lease the Pocahontas Parkway to an Australian investment consortium is drawing sharp criticism from opponents of public-private partnerships promoted by the Federal Highway Administration.
The VDOT signed a comprehensive agreement June 29, 2006, to lease the 8.8 mile Pocahontas Parkway toll road for 99-years to Transurban, an Australian investment consortium, for a one-time payment of $548 million and an agreement to construct a 1.58 mile, four-lane extension to Richmond International Airport.
The extension of the Pocahontas Parkway is pending a decision of the of the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide a $150 million construction credit to Transurban under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, or TIFIA.
Kenneth White, president of the Virginia Taxpayers Association, testified Monday before the Virginia House and Senate Joint Budget Committees he objected that the VDOT had paid a $2,000 fee, plus expenses, for Barbara Reese, VDOT's chief financial officer, to attend a September 2006 conference by EuroMoney Seminars at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.
WND previously reported EuroMoney Seminars, a UK-based company, intends to hold a seminar in Miami March 19-21 entitled "PPP: The North American Private Partnerships Intensive Seminar," designed to teach a small number of state and local government officials how to lease a wide range of public assets – including highways and water departments – to international and foreign private investment groups. The cost of attending the March 2007 EuroMoney seminar in Miami is $3,500 per person.
White, who has led his group for 34 years, objected to the Virginia congressional committees that Reese "was a programmed speaker at an unpublicized conference, the unlawful purpose of which was to expedite selling highways in Virginia and elsewhere in the United States to private commercial interests, many of them foreign."
In an e-mail to WND, Jeff Caldwell, VDOT assistant director of Public Affairs explained:
Barbara Reese is recognized nationally as an expert in public-private transportation financing as well as other innovative financing methods. Ms. Reese served on a panel at the September 2000 EuroMoney's North American PPP 2006 conference on infrastructure, along with other government experts from around the country. Ms. Reese did not pay any conference registration fee. Travel costs totaled $581 in accordance with state guidelines.
White told WND his group objects to VDOT using state funds to send any VDOT employee to the planned March 2007 EuroMoney seminar in Miami, even if the expenses were limited to travel, hotel and meals.
The Virginia Taxpayers Association's fundamental objection is that the VDOT has no right to lease to foreign interests state highways built with taxpayer money. White made this claim in his testimony to the Virginia House and Senate Budget Committees:
Virginia citizens were not told that the Pocahontas Parkway – which last June was leased to Transurban of Australia for 99 years – would be an opening wedge for a wholesale foreign consortium takeover of major U.S. interstates, under the NAFTA Superhighway System, with several south-north Mexico to Canada corridors, where foreigners would levy tolls without review by any U.S. elected officials and would even have eminent domain to grab millions of acres of valuable farm and urban land for the corridors.
Virginia is celebrating its 400th birthday this year – the Jamestown settlement, from which Pocahontas became famous, was founded in 1607.
The Virginia Taxpayers Association contends it is "clearly unlawful for any state government, as a separate entity, to take money from the sale of highways which have been fully paid for by, and which belong to, state and federal taxpayers, and not to the state government itself."
The Federal Highway Administration currently features the Pocahontas Parkway lease as a case study on its newly created website promoting what is becoming widely known within international investment banking as "PPP," or "Public-Private Partnerships."
The FHWA website provides detailed "how-to" information for state legislators and department of transportation to follow in making decisions to lease state highways to foreign investment groups.
White's testimony also supported Senate Joint Resolution No. 387, which has been introduced into the Virginia Senate by state Sen. Roscoe Reynolds. The resolution calls on the Virginia General Assembly to oppose any connections with Virginia highways that may be made in connecting a NAFTA Superhighway corridor through Virginia.
Reynolds' resolution also specifies support for H.C.R. 487, which was introduced by U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., to the House of Representatives in the previous Congress, calling for the House to oppose both NAFTA Superhighways and the creation of a North American Union.
As reported by WND, the resolution was co-sponsored by Reps. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.; Ron Paul, R-Texas; and Walter Jones, R-N.C. WND also has reported Goode is preparing to re-introduce the resolution to the new Congress.
If you wish to order by phone, call our toll-free order line at 1-800-4WND-COM (1-800-496-3266).
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subset: commoncrawl


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Apparently there is a horrible relationship between the daytime heat and the blinding dust storms: the hotter it is, the heat rises up and… something happens and the wind picks up and bam, dust storm. What this means is that just as it seems to hot to stay outside, and you want to dunk your head in the ice bucket even with the nasty half-melted water, you're forced to go into an enclosed space (in this case, the RV without air conditioning) and wait out the storm.
Anyways. It's actually just crazy hot outside but the spectre of a dust storm looms large. People seem to be sticking close to home. I think. At least I am. I tried twice to force myself to experience something and just ended back in camp, sweating my sunscreen off.
So, I'll take this opportunity to answer what I've been thinking about for much of the week, the larger question of Burning Man: are the girls/guys of Burning Man hot? Also, related questions like — do they get naked? and –Is there really an orgy tent? spring to mind.
It's a toughie. There are many bodies out on display here, undressed with great pomp and consideration(the range of pasties is really amazing. Duct tape over the nipples is for amateurs, the pros get wild at the fabric store.)The hot girl to guy ratio seemed tipped in favor of the hot girls but then again, the trappings and accessory choices of many of the men blind me to their potential attraction. (Women, too, but men seem sillier somehow naked). I have seen quite a few attractive couples around, looking like something out of "The Blue Lagoon".
But I've also seen lots of this:
RAVERS ARE EVERYWHERE. And they have some cultural connection to fake fur, my bete noir of fashion choices, that eludes me. (But maybe I can find out tonight). Really, the return (or maybe it never left) to raver stuff is mystifying to me. Especially when to be a good raver means fixing up you, your jewelry, your hats, your socks, your bike, whatever in the fake fur. I ran into a guy on the playa with fuzzy pants and a black fur coat over his head in the middle of the scorching afternoon. I asked him if he was hot and he was like, well, less so with the coat over my head. People! It's dangerous to sweat that much in the desert. Take the pacifier out of your mouth and put on something hemp or silk or just go naked.
There, that's my rant. Also, is a moment of zen.


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53rd Infantry
Officially organized at Fort Donelson,
Tennessee, on January 7, 1862, the 53rd Tennessee
Infantry was composed primarily of men from Giles and
Marshall Counties, Tennessee. Many of the Marshall County
men came from the area around Cornersville, which was
still part of Giles County in 1862. Giles Countian Alfred
Harris Abernathy was elected Colonel of the Regiment.
The men who composed the nine companies of
the regiment had begun forming in December, 1861, and had
assembled at Camp Weakley, near Nashville. Nine companies
were mustered into Confederate service at Fort Donelson:
Company A - Captain Theo Westmoreland
- Men from Giles County.
Company B - Captain William B. Holden
- Men from Marshall County.
Company C - Captain Alfred H.
Abernathy - Men from Gile County.
Company D - Captain Thomas F. Winston
- Men from Giles and Marshall.
Company E - Captain Isaac H. Hill -
Men from Giles and Marshall.
Company F - Captain William N. Baker
- Men from Giles and Perry County.
Company G - Captain James D. Bevers -
Men from Giles County.
Company I - Captain John R. White -
Men from Giles County.
Company K - Captain Milton C.
Alexander - Men from Giles County.
Company H had also been formed with
men from Nashville, but did not have sufficient men to be
sworn into Confederate service. These men soon left Fort
Donelson without permission. A second Company H was
organized in late 1862.
Giles Countian Hans H. Aymett replaced
Alfred Harris Abernathy as Captain of Company C when
Abernathy was elected Colonel of the regiment. Thomas F.
Winston of was elected Lieutenant Colonel and was
replaced by William H. Wilkes as Captain of Company D.
The Major elected was William N. Baker of Perry County,
who was replaced by John R. Coble as Captain of Company
The 53rd Tennessee had been almost decimated
by measles and had less than 300 men fit for duty when
they became part of the original garrison of Fort
Donelson in January, 1862. Among those who had died were:
The mission of Fort Donelson was to watch
over the Cumberland River and stop any Union gunboats or
troops that might be trying to reach Nashville. The
original garrison was small, but was soon increased to
approximately 15,000 as Confederate troops poured in from
Tennessee and Kentucky. Union General Grant attacked the
fort with 27,000 men and six gunboats on February 14. The
53rd Tennessee was part of Heiman's Brigade, along with
the 10th Tennessee, the 48th Tennessee, and the 27th
Alabama Infantry regiments. Heiman's Brigade took part in
some of the heaviest of the fighting. After several days
fighting the fort was surrendered on February 16, 1862,
and the men of the 53rd Tennessee were part of more than
11,000 Confederate soldiers that were taken to northern
prisons. Among the men of the 53rd Tennessee who died
during that battle were:
Richard Tucker Abernathy, son of Elisha and
Mary Ann Evans Abernathy, told of being wounded five
times during the Battle of Fort Donelson: "I went to
the hospital after I was wounded. I stayed in the
hospital 3 months then was carried out to Gilbert
Abernathy's and stayed four months. I was carried home in
a buggy and made the trip very well - my mother was going
to have my funeral preached Sunday and I got home
Saturday afternoon - she heard I was dead."
After spending seven months as
prisoners-of-war, the officers and men of the 53rd
Tennessee taken down the Mississippi River to Vicksburg,
Mississippi, where they were released on parole, then
declared exchanged on November 10, 1862. Colonel Alfred
H. Abernathy resigned and William H. Wilkes succeeded him
as Colonel of the regiment.
The 53rd Tennessee served in the Department
of Mississippi and East Louisiana during early 1863 and a
detachment of the regiment was involved in the siege,
bombardment and surrender of Port Hudson, Louisiana,
during May, June and July. In July, a detachment of the
regiment was present during the siege and assault of
Jackson, Mississippi. They remained in southern
Mississippi and Louisiana until they moved to Mobile,
Alabama, in September, 1863. From Mobile, the 53rd
Tennessee was ordered to join the Army of Tennessee near
Chattanooga. Lieutenant Colonel John R. White was in
command of the regiment when they reached Missionary
Ridge. The battle had been lost before they arrived, thus
they joined the Confederate Army of Tennessee as it
retreated to Dalton, Georgia. On December 14, 1863, the
53rd Tennessee was in Quarles' Brigade of Breckinridge's
Division. The regiment reported 212 effectives, 227
present, 220 arms.
On January 20, 1864, the 53rd Tennessee was
ordered to the Department of Alabama, Mississippi and
Eastern Louisiana and were back at Mobile on April 2,
1864. The regiment reported 222 effective soldiers out of
a total of 339, present and absent. The 53rd Tennessee
then returned to Georgia and were soon involved in the
fighting north of Atlanta, including Pumpkin Vine Creek,
Dallas, New Hope Church, Allatoona, Marietta, Kennesaw
Mountain, Peach Tree Creek and Lick Skillett Road. The
53rd Tennessee was present at the siege of Atlanta.
After the fall of Atlanta, the 53rd
Tennessee followed General Hood to Tennessee. On October
26, they were in Decatur, Alabama. They fought at
Franklin in November and at Nashville in December. As
Hood's Army of Tennessee retreated southward after being
soundly defeated at Franklin then Nashville, the 53rd
Tennessee was involved in a skirmish at Columbia,
Tennessee, on the 20th of December. Retreating on through
Pulaski during the Christmas holidays, they soon reached
the safety of the Tennessee River in north Alabama.
On March 31, 1865, the 53rd Tennessee was
reported as part of Quarles' Brigade at Smithfield, North
Carolina. The 53rd Tennessee was not accounted for in the
final order of battle for General Joseph E. Johnston's
Army of Tennessee on April 9, 1865. Some of the men of
the 53rd Tennessee surrendered at Greensboro, North
Carolina, on May 1, 1865, as part of the 4th Consolidated
Tennessee Infantry.
Others of the 53rd Tennessee Infantry who
did not survive the war:
Submitted by Bob Wamble


text:
Thursday, September 3, 2009
1 Year Ago
The full moon is a perfect way to usher in the new year for JohnRoscigno.com (please be lenient on the quality; no tripod + my first attempt at astral-photography = a little grainy) I said just about everything I wanted to about this blog last night, but I'm so happy to have made it full circle with this project. It's come a long way from where it was, and I think it's improved significantly, but I'd really love to get some feedback on how you've enjoyed this blog over the last year, so please leave me a comment (or 2 if you've really enjoyed it).
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text:
Wine estates in Hermanus
The name Hemel-en-Aarde Valley or, in English, Heaven and Earth Valley, conjures up pictures of a garden of Eden and perhaps ephemeral bodies floating in the air – this particular valley is a veritable garden of grapes and the wine produced is fit for the gods!
Take a meander up the Hermanus Wine Route on the R320 and discover some of the best Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinotage, Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz wines in the country.
The current reputation for outstandin
g cool climate wines that the Hermanus Wine Route enjoys was pioneered by Tim Hamilton Russell who planted the first Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes in 1975. Together with winemaker Peter Finlayson he established that the vineyards' proximity to the sea and the ensuing cooler growing climate would maximise the potential of the noble cultivars.
Today the route unites the passion of 15 wineries, each producing small quantities of premium quality wines that reflect the unique terroir and climate of their vineyards. Innovative blends are gaining in reputation as well with Peter Finlayson leading the pack with Bouchard Finlayson's Hanniball, awarded five stars by Platter's Wine Guide in 2012.
There is a sense of renewal and excitement every year as new cellars uncork their first vintages and stalwarts count their awards. There are rumours of some exciting Méthod Cap Classique wines that will soon be circulating.
The names of cellars and wines, often alluding to heavenly or biblical stories have added a quirky and original aspect that threads these properties together on the R320. At La Vierge one will encounter Temptation, Original Sin and Satyricon on labels; then there's Heaven, Creation, Mount Babylon, Jakob's Ladder and Hemelzicht to discover.
The topography of the area with mountains on either side and the proximity to the sea is not only perfect for the growing of grapes, but it also produces cellars with the most heavenly views. Many have taken advantage of this and added a restaurant to their list of attractions, making it a divine experience for lovers of food and wine.


text:
Children's Hospital – the largest stand-alone tertiary hospital in sub-Saharan Africa, dedicated entirely to children.
The Trust is an independent, non-profit organisation that relies on the benevolence of donors to realise its aims.
During the past two decades the Children's Hospital Trust has raised over R600 million to upgrade and expand the Hospital's buildings, purchase state-of-the-art equipment and develop professional staff – ensuring that this extraordinary beacon of hope, remains a world-class and globally-respected medical facility.
In 2011 the Trust expanded its fundraising reach beyond the Hospital's doors to impact more broadly on the quality of healthcare for children at more community touch-points. Projects and programmes prioritised will always impact directly on the services and outcomes at the Red Cross Children's Hospital.
100% of all donations go directly to the Hospital and prioritised child healthcare needs, and not a single cent is spent on administration costs.
With over 20 years' experience and an impeccable track record, the Children's Hospital Trust has entrenched itself as a highly respected leader in the funding of critical needs in child healthcare in South Africa and Africa. Whilst we have raised millions of Rands to address many pressing child healthcare needs to date, there is still so much more to be done.
The Journey back to Childhood
The Red Cross Children's Hospital does not operate in isolation, but rather within a health 'ecosystem' that starts at a community clinic level and progresses to specialist hospital care. A child's journey through the healthcare system is therefore often dependent on the quality of care they receive from more than one medical intervention.
Through funding gaps in paediatric healthcare, the Children's Hospital Trust is able to impact more broadly on the quality of healthcare for many more children – giving them the hope of a second chance at childhood.


text:
Great Fire of London: Panoramic woodcut, 1666
Even 18-foot-high walls cannot protect cities from fire when large portions of those cities are built of wood and bamboo and fires can trap people inside the city. This 1666 panoramic woodcut depicts the Great Fire of London. A city of about 500,000 inhabitants, flames swept through the city for three days, gutting the medieval section inside the old Roman City Wall. The fire consumed 13,200 houses and St. Paul's Cathedral. London Bridge, covered by houses is clearly shown in this image, and there were fears that the fire would cross the bridge and ignite Southwark on the other side of the river. The bridge houses did burn but a firebreak side of the bridge stopped the spread of flames. The fear of citywide fires is hard to imagine in today's modern world, yet the total destruction of cities by fire is well established in history as recently as the Second World War, where entire cities burned to the ground in man-made firestorms in Japan, England and Germany. The great cities of China and Japan were essentially made of bamboo and paper, and could burn even more easily than the largely wooden cities of the west such as London.


text:
NHS SBS processes millions of invoices for client organisations every year. In this section, suppliers can find out more about how NHS SBS works, how to submit invoices and find out the answers to frequently asked questions.
In this section, suppliers can find information about how to register for contract opportunities and details about the types of goods and services procured by NHS SBS on behalf of NHS and other public sector organisations.


text:
North American Technician Excellence
January 1, 2009
This article was originally printed on October 1, 2007.
Editor's Note: Contracting Business first interviewed NATE president Rex Boynton at HVAC Comfortech 1997 in Nashville, TN, and CB and NATE have worked as partners on many levels in the intervening decade. The story from that initial interview appeared in the October, 1997 issue of CB, so we thought our October, 2007 issue was the right place to celebrate what NATE has accomplished in its first 10 years.
Back in 1997, it wasn't uncommon to field a question about identity when discussing North American Technician Excellence. Today, 10 years down the road, there's a very clear answer as to who NATE is: NATE is more than 25,000 professional technicians from across North America who every day bring high levels of quality and value to the entire HVAC industry. NATE president Rex Boynton recently spoke with CB to look back at what has been a whirlwind first 10 years for the organization, and look ahead eagerly to the next 10.
Read the full article.
Welcome to North American Technician Excellence, Inc. The leading non-profit certification program for technicians in the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) industry and the only test supported by the entire industry.
2111 Wilson Blvd. Suite 510, Arlington, VA 22201
703-276-7247Toll Free: 877-420-6283 (NATE)


text:
One evening last month I sat down to a first session with a game I had been really been looking forward to. My goal: get two turns in. I wasn't planning to play a whole game; I wasn't even planning for two correct turns. I was planning for two turns with a bunch of take-backs and oopsies and lessons learned so I could beat my understanding of the game into shape. That way when I sat down to it the second time, I'd be all ready to go. I love this part of gaming.
I'll revise that -- I often love this part of gaming.
In the past I've had some magical moments. Valor & Victory, Arkham Horror, Warriors of God, Ghost Stories . . . when things are working I slow my reading down to extend the fun. Discovering a new game is like undressing a new girlfriend for the first time. There's no sense hurrying.
But it became apparent that I wasn't going to get lucky. The rulebook was a mess. I tried to skip over the vague and confusing parts, hoping that material that followed would provide context, but it didn't . . . three pages forward, two pages back, no clear core concepts . . . after an hour I dropped the instructions onto the board and assessed: I wasn't trying to figure out the game anymore. I was trying to figure out the rulebook. Then I assessed if it was worth the hassle at all. Because that's what it was, a hassle. I hate this part of gaming.
I know I know, I sound like a petulant child that didn't get his cookie. But I do this for a living. I write (and read) software manuals that manage excruciating levels of detail. In theory I'm a software engineer but in reality I spend the bulk of my work hours communicating with customers and technical staff, acting as a translator between the two. As the primary architect my writing needs to do two things well -- inform, and persuade. The "inform" part is pretty obvious since that's what design documents are for. But the "persuade" part is often more important, because if someone isn't on board with the fundamental concepts being described they're going to balk, and the project is going to fail. So that is the soul of my job. I explain; I enable; I comfort. I persuade. That's my job.
So petulant child is pretty apt. I'm a short-tempered SOB when I sit down with a game rulebook because it's likely the fourth or fifth technical doc I've dealt with that day and I'm not getting paid to read it this time. It's not my job to figure out a game from cryptic clues. If it's a hassle I may as well spend the next two hours billing a customer for reading their doc instead.
This is the baggage I bring to the table when I open a rule book for the first time. I want to figure out gameplay not documentation. I'm not alone -- whether you realize it or not each of you feels this way to one degree or another. What I've learned from writing tech docs for the last nineteen years is this -- nobody wants to figure out my doc. If I can't get their head off of the text and into the concepts, I'm gonna pay for it.
With that in mind, let's talk about your rulebook.
(Ok, the complaining part is done. From here on in it's recommendation and observation, so if you don't want to hear me lecture this is a good place to stop.)
Let's pretend you've written a game. THE game. The next Settlers, the next Imperium, the next Hannibal is on the table in all its glory, ready to be packaged up and sent away for a big ol' production run. I'm going to boil its contents into these four basic categories -- bits, box, board, and knowledge. Guess which one I think matters most.
The bits to your game can be replaced in five minutes with an old playing card and a ball-point pen. With scissors you can make it to stand up on its own. The box -- helps to sell the thing but after that it's useless. The board has some artistic merit but it too could be replicated with a slice of cardboard and crayons in a pinch. In fact I'd wager most of you have have futzed a missing part on short notice, caring little at the loss of authenticity or aesthetic value. Because what you desired most was the knowledge part, the game . . . in this case your game.
The piece that matters most is the knowledge. This is the conclusion you need to reach before it's too late: the child of your efforts, the true intellectual product born out of your hours of hard work is encapsulated in its rules. That's what your customers come for. If you can't deliver them, the prettiest package in the world isn't going to fix it.
Oh I know -- you're filing the last two sentences in the no-shit-sherlock category, but from what I can tell this is a profound concept to a lot of publishers. There's plenty of crap rulebooks out there. They come out with spelling errors, typos (including some really glaring ones), examples and images that don't adhere to the rules they're supposed to describe, confusing terminology, the works, all printed on super-gloss paper in custom font with kick-ass art wrapped around it. This isn't printing error. This is mental error. This is lazy error. This is labor-cutting in the last 3% of the development cycle. This is not touching third base after hitting the ball out of the frikkin' park.
But there's gold out there too, and a quarter-century of engineer training has taught me this important lesson: if something works really well, rip it apart to look at the pieces. That's what I do when I read rule books. I evaluate how well they enable my learning and manage my confidence. When they work it's magic, and I read them again to figure out why. I get better at my job by reading layman-accessible docs.
So what follows is my advice on how to write a decent technical document. Take it with a grain of salt -- I write software manuals and architecture descriptions not game instructions, so some of this won't be a perfect fit. But with any luck discussion will follow and voices with better suited experience will chime in, and one or two of the ideas generated will work their way in before you send your game off to the printer. That's your deadline and remember, you'll only get one shot at this. That's rule #1.
Rule #1 You Get One Shot At This.
There's a period of time between the shrink wrap tightening and the customer opening your game for the first time. During this interval you're helpless. The game is what it is, and once it's out the door it's going to have to get along on its own. The heart of your game, the printed rules, may as well be cast in stone. So they have be right the first time.
Look at this from your customer's perspective: they've met you halfway. They've invested money and are coming to you genuinely eager to learn, ready to dedicate time and energy to establish a working relationship with you. Notice the language -- I'm not saying a relationship with your game, I'm saying a relationship with you. The box they bought is an inanimate object. But that rulebook inside speaks with your voice, so it's your good name on the line. That customer has extended their hand and come to this moment thinking, "I get to learn this game today!" because in their heart they want a happy experience. They want this relationship to work. They've invested money, now they're investing time, and the last thing they want is to look like a chump. You customer wants your game to work -- that's why they bought it. First impressions matter, so don't blow this.
The moment your customer finds themself rereading a passage out loud, the moment they wonder why the example on the page doesn't seem to match the paragraph next to it or start paging back and forth to see if there's something they missed, their confidence in you and your game (and often themselves) begins to waver. They stop trusting your product. That's a hard error to recover from, so the rules have to be clear and they have to be correct. Mistakes aren't minor things. They sow worry and doubt. Mistakes turn "I get to learn this game today!" into "I gotta manage these issues today" and that is the kiss of death. The moment worry or doubt appears you've entered into a failure cycle. Everything that follows will have to work harder.
And don't talk to me about living rules. Living rules are bullshit. Don't talk to me about forums or chat groups or player aids that "fix" problems after the product has been delivered, because this isn't just about managing a broken rule. This is about managing the customer's perception of your product. If they start thinking they can't depend on the rulebook to be a dependable source of knowledge it's over. Nobody wants to reprint your corrected rulebook or look up that latest clarification. Spend the time necessary to get every bit of the rules as clear and as correct and as complete as humanly possible before you publish, because when you boil it all down, that rulebook IS the game.
Rule #2 The Rulebook IS The Game.
Bits and cover art sex up a game, but fundamentally board games are about the play, and you need to get "the play" across to end-users. This isn't just about getting the rules correct, it's about getting the rules right. There's a difference -- "correct" means not wrong. "Right" is harder. Right means effective. Right means successful. Right means that knowledge transfer dependably occurs between you and the player. "Knowledge transfer" is the fundamental goal of all technical documentation. Regardless of how well designed your game is in your mind, you're the only person that will get that view of it. The rest of us will use the rulebook. It's the last word, the ultimate source of knowledge. In rule 1 I focused on getting the rules "as clear and as correct and as complete as humanly possible" and if you ignore everything that follows I'll consider it a fair compromise. But you need approach this effort fully aware that the person reading your document doesn't have the same background you do. Look at the following excerpt from the rulebook for High Frontier. This passage hits first-time readers at the top of page one, when they have fifteen seconds of game knowledge under their belt:
The first paragraph contains four metadata definitions. In theory they make things clearer later in the text. Phhlt. In these four sentences brain power that should be focusing on understanding the game is being directed to understanding document structure. Honestly, if the user can't figure out that easily overlooked rules have a black backdrop, telling them isn't going to help. That italics thing -- telling them that something is defined elsewhere in the doc but not telling them where -- thanks for the help bud!
What follows right after that is an introductory paragraph that forward-references eight different game concepts! I'm in a unique position to appreciate this because it has the distinct aroma of MIL-STD-498, a technical documentation standard used by the United States Department of Defense to manage complex engineering processes. I have no doubt the author's employment in the aerospace industry puts him in contact with dozens of documents that look like this or any one of a hundred similar standards, and he has my sympathy. I'd wager he's structuring his rulebook this way because he sees these concepts everyday -- it's our nature to work to our toolset. That may not be the case -- he may actually enjoy MIL-STD-498 and if so we should start up a fund, but here's two questions that raise an important issue with this approach:
1. Who's the only person who has any real interest in reading a paragraph entitled "High Frontier Summary"?
Answer -- someone reading the rules for the first time.
2. Who's the one person you never ever ever want to bamboozle with metadata, obscure lingo and forward references?
Answer -- someone reading the rules for the first time.
All that mumbo-jumbo makes sense if you already know the game, but experienced players will never read that summary again. A new player will, and when they do the'll say, "holy shit I can't even understand the damn summary" and that's not the frame of mind you want them in when they read what follows. What I said about "confidence" in rule 1 matters -- you need your reader to be on board. Rule books need to be precise, but this is introductory material, and at this early point in the text the single most important task is to create a solid foundation for the reader. Foundation is critical to knowledge transfer, especially in a game with as many conceptually unique features as this one. Visual cues that tell the reader they're not understanding 40% of the meaning in the game summary isn't just counter-productive, it's . . . well . . . kind of rude. I'm sure that wasn't the author's intention, but nobody gives a damn about intention. Rule books are about results. The purpose of summary passages is to clear complexity out of the way in order to focus on fundamental concepts in the game. An introduction's gross generalizations serve a purpose -- at this point in the rules technical precision needs to take a back seat to establishing foundational concepts in order to grow the new reader's understanding.
Two sentences. If I had been on tech review for Twilight Imperium I'd have removed the TI acronym definition in the first line (and likely the acronym from the entire rulebook) as well as the "see later" at the end. "See later" serves no purpose here -- it's the beginning of the rulebook; everything is later. That said, this summary provides enough technical detail for foundational concepts without bowling over a first-time reader. Two friends I asked to read this did it without speaking the words out loud or rereading. Neither lifted nor lowered their eyebrows. At the end one responded, "ok" and the other "alright", each keeping their eyes on the page as they did so. They were tuned in. This passage worked for them. The two sentences from Twilight Imperium's summary are correct, but they're also right. They've provided information that effectively moves the reader down the path to understanding. Details can follow now that core concepts are in place.
(Edit -- Ok, on second proof-read of this article I changed my mind. "See later" is a cue to the first-time reader not to worry about what the term "game-ending condition" means and in that aspect it aids in their confidence. "Described later" might have been a better choice, but I'll concede that "see later" is a solid addition to the text. I'm still learning too.)
I'm not talking about compromising correctness; never mislead the reader. This is about level of detail. Invite the user into your game by setting the firehose on low for a few minutes. Later on there will be plenty of opportunity to go into details and no one will complain about having to skip over material they found useful their first time out. At times you need to specify details with precision, and at times, whether you like it or not, you need to set them aside to focus on basic exposition. In short, your rulebook needs to speak in two voices.
Rule #3 Rulebooks Need to Speak in Two Voices.
Well written rulebooks shift between summary and detail throughout their text. You might think that readers would find this jarring, but in reality they use less detailed passages as islands of safety, relatively soft patches where they can come up for air and consider the game from a big-picture perspective. Summary passages simultaneously provide comfort and an understanding of how the smaller pieces fit into the larger whole of your game. Well written manuals do this throughout the text, using cues to indicate which voice they're speaking in. It could be a background color, a font, even a simple convention like first paragraph of each section. But it doesn't even need to be that overt. Readers figure it out by tone and word-selection only, and for good reason. It's a natural language concept. In real life people speak differently when they're providing contextual background. Their word choice, their voice, their gestures, even their posture, these all change when someone pauses mid-topic to bring an uninformed or confused listener back into understanding. The next time somebody walks up and continues a discussion you've had previously, interrupt them and ask, "what are we talking about here?" then listen for the change.
Your rulebook, though a static document, needs to be aware of this fundamental knowledge transfer question: are you understanding me? When you presented your game to playtesters or interested buyers you got visual and verbal feedback from them and you reacted to it. That's not going to be possible from a thousand miles or fifty years away. Here's something that is possible -- you know the parts of your rules where people have struggled in the past when you've explained the game verbally. You also know how you fixed the miscommunication. Figure out how you provided background context to get the user up to speed and get that into the doc. That change of verbiage worked for you in real life so there's no reason to abandon it in text.
Generally I'll throw crap up onto a page when I'm describing a complex portion of screen or data flow just to get the creative process started. Then I'll refine it, refine again, but even after that I'll get a twinge on passages that don't seem to have proper footing. A gut feel, I'm suspicious these passages will fail so I speak them out loud. That usually tells the tale for me. I envision stupid looks and I go off script (still verbally here) to try to dig my way out of the box. That off-script material, the hang-on-let's-back-up-a-minute verbiage that comes out of your mouth when you're explaining your game is important stuff. It's your second voice. Don't lose it. Get it onto the page as you speak. That's your summary material.
The process of getting your second voice into the rules is important because on its most basic level, your rulebook is you. It's your voice explaining the game just like you would in person. For all intents and purposes your rulebook is a carefully worded speech.
Rule #4 Rulebooks Are Like A Carefully Worded Speech.
I said it above, your rulebook is your voice. It's your opportunity to sit down in the living room of a person that's giving your game a chance. You need to explain. You need to find a way to reach them. Remember -- they're not you, so be sure to cover the stuff you take for granted. Basics, detail, review.
The most common (and remarkably cutesy) recommendation you'll hear from speech teachers is this: tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them. This tell-them-three-times strategy is sage advice whenever even small amounts of complexity come into the picture.
In section 5 of the Warriors of God rulebook the title and first three sentences set the stage for the overall concept of "initiative" in the game. They announce the concept being discussed, describe the action, then summarize the result of it. That's the first tell. Initiative in WofG has a little complication, so those details are described in the five simple sentences that follow, each getting its own moment in the sun. Those are tell #2. Following that (and closing out the Initiative section of the rules) is an example describing how the rules play out for one particular implementation, tell #3. Each of these three tells is key to understanding, and each provides a different service to the reader.
The first is the anchor -- it's the piece that provides a preparatory foundation of the concept for first-time readers, and also serves to quickly describe the section so it can be found when flipping through the rules for clarification mid-game.
The second part is lawyerville. While the first part is intentionally vague so as to not contradict what follows, part two is designed to carefully paint all the corners of the initiative space in clear detail. It handles the general case, it handles the exceptional cases, it handles all the potential initiative use-cases presented by gameplay and does so in unambiguous, pocket-sized sentences. In this particular example it breaks the case of "a tie" apart from "a tie on turn one" because they're different. They could have been combined and I personally would have been tempted to do so, but each having a separate sentence makes it very clear when to apply each, and cleanly separates them in case someone tries to get picky. Experienced players will key on this middle part where the detail lies.
The third part is sanity check. The example in the last sentence comes back again to speak to the first-time reader, building their confidence and providing a check-bit to the concepts that have been presented. This isn't just about clarity -- you're managing the readers comfort level and confidence. This is the question and answer period that you'd provide if you were there in person. Since you're not, you need to play both roles, asking a question that's likely to reinforce understanding and allowing the end-user to see their interpretation of parts 1 and 2 come up with the same answer as yours. That "got it" moment allows them to move on with confidence.
In Warriors of God's case the tell-them-three-times strategy is utilized in three different ways. The second can be seen in the opening sentences of Section 6.0, the section that follows the Initiative rules displayed above:
Section five focused on Initiative but made reference to action impulses. In this section that follows the concept of Initiative is reinforced by indicating what it's used for, and the concept of action impulses takes center stage. Each section is providing support for the section on either side of it, building the concepts into the unified package.
This unity is supported further by a more global use of the tell-them-three-times concept: an overall order of operations early in the rules that offers the grand scheme of play, the broad brush stokes that reveal the overall narrative:
This is tell #1 for the entire rule book. Each phase listed has a corresponding section in the rules (tell #2) and examples follow. This "Abbreviated Sequence of Play" serves no useful purpose from a technical perspective. There's nothing there, no rules. No one is going to look to it for clarification of a situation during play, but that's alright. It's groundwork, tell-them-what-you're-going-to-tell-them. It's foundational material that provides a roadmap to the players.
Wargamers are going to look at this and yawn. They've seen it a hundred times. In that part of the industry managing a complex ruleset has been critical for forty years, and the cultural tools they've developed to address it seem natural to their user base. But modern eurogame publishers seem obsessed with minimizing rule book length. Is this out of fear that long rules may scare new people away? If you want to scare someone away write short, precise, "orthogonal" rules in curt sentences. Length presented in layers that gradually ramps into the complexity is comforting, and everyone understands how skipping ahead works.
Let's look at Ingenious. There's about three rules to this game. Is a long rulebook needed for something this simple? There aren't enough rules to make it long. But in comparison to the number of core concepts in the game, the rulebook is verbose . . .
. . . and utilizes tell-them-three-times pretty well. The overview section you see on page one is a bit dense for my tastes but approachable, and provides a grand review of virtually the entire play with relatively simple language.
Ingenious has a problem with its core concept (i.e., an exceptional game state requiring a special rule) which is addressed in a section that follows the other rules in detail, and finally play examples show how both the board and scoring tracks function. (The rule set is available in its full-size glory on the publisher's website here -- http://new.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/Ingenious/ingenious.pdf) Are the rules long? No, but comparatively yes, and I don't think anyone is balking a game of Ingenious because you have to turn the page over. Most simple games can get away with two or three full-sized pages provided they present the material in a comfortable way. If a reader is drawn in by the first three sentences he'll continue into the nitty gritty. Though it may look inviting to condense everything onto one side of a piece of paper, that mindset is asking for trouble. When you start making writing decisions based on the space you want to fit into you've set inappropriate goals. You'll likely achieve them.
More complex titles will be less forgiving, but no one is stepping into a big game looking for "short". They're looking for "good" and more than a few guys I've played take perverse joy in the size of a ruleset. Though newbies may be intimidated by size hobby gamers are only interested in the text's ability to teach and confirm, not its ability to get done quickly. If someone has spent $50+ for a game they're going to read slowly to get their money's worth. Give them their money's worth. This isn't an elevator pitch. Take the time to really tell your story.
Rule #5 Rulebooks Are Like A Story.
At 24 pages Arkham Horror's rule book is big for good reason -- it has a big job to do. As much story as game, "Arkham" needs to have a lot of moving parts in order to keep interest in the story it weaves. The rulebook is along for the ride. Story indeed -- that "sequence of play" concept we saw for Warriors of God above exists in Arkham's rulebook as well, but it has so many steps that the writers chose not to present it in one go -- there's no master action summary in the rules. Instead they nested steps within steps to reduce complexity for early readers. Yes boys and girls, there's only five phases in Arkham Horror. But -- each phase has multiple sub-phases.
Five is a magic number. Psychologists tell us we're generally capable of handling about five conceptual items simultaneously, and the general rule in technical writing (and architectural design for that matter) is 5 plus or minus 2. That is, when breaking a concept into parts it's best to use somewhere between three and seven pieces so that the reader can wrap their head around all of them simultaneously. Any more than seven and pieces start getting dropped on the floor.
A lot of games push that limit including Warriors of God above. They invariably depend on quick-refs or markers on board tracks to assist the user's memory. Arkham's sequence of play is WAY bigger than that, and the rulebook has to manage all the complexity that goes with it.
But oh what a rulebook it is, and I'll tell you the secret to its success: "just turn the page". After your first read through you can play the overwhelming majority of the game with three turns of the page -- three turns of the page describe one turn of the game.
FFG's decision to three-column their text on wide pages means that virtually the entire sequence of play fits on seven story-telling pages, giving new players a personal assistant to manage complexity in their early turns. In spite of a LOT going on I had pieces on the board before I had finished reading the rule book for the first time.
There's complexity, but there's also story arc, and I'm not just talking about the game. Arkham's rules tell their own story, doing it with structure and continuity that give the player footing in the game's current state and minimize the need to search. Rules appear as they are needed, so new players can follow along with their finger as they proceed through the turn. Seasoned players can locate rules easily because their understanding of the game narrative gives them understanding of the rule book. Arkham lends itself well to this concept better than most but even games with a more unstructured thread of play do well when they use a substantial section of their ruleset to describe action sequence and an example turn.
The idea of having just-in-time-rules (i.e., rules that proceed in the same order as the gameplay) may seem an obvious choice, but it's often ignored. Recent reading brought me to a Sequence of Play (in section 4) that instructed me to move my piece (section 6) then perform an action (section 5). The ordering meant I had to keep back-paging. Others place charts and tables on the back cover of the rule book and then cross-reference them on other pages, forcing new users to break mental focus as they locate the table in question. That's the issue here -- mental focus. When we finish a page and turn to the top of the next we do it without blinking. Our mind stays focused on the content because the transition requires no thought. But the moment we have to pick something out in a non-linear fashion (i.e., undertake a new mental task to search) we lose frame of reference. We come up for air at a moment that may be detrimental to learning. Keeping text in a single flow lets the reader keep their head in the game. This applies to widgets too -- a summary page of all the tables and charts is nice . . . for seasoned players. But printing those tables inline next to their associated rules is better for new players, and both reader types need to be taken care of. Remember -- two voices. Don't break story to save fourteen cents on the publish price -- if your action is complicated, include tables and charts mid-text AND provide a quick-reference page showing all of them in one place. Too much? When in doubt, inline. To this day I can tell you the pages where to-hit charts and saving throws were located in the original Dungeon Master's Guide, a book I haven't opened since 1985. Hell, I could find them in a copy today by riffling the pages. They were summarized in the back as well, but I never used them there. I first learned them embedded in the text and that's where I've permanently filed them in my intellectual concept of the game.
Arkham Horror's rules manage more than play sequence. They also manage state -- the current condition of each spot on the board has an effect on the actions taken each turn. If this is sounding like it might be complicated you're right. Arkham's nesting of action and state generally goes two levels deep, sometimes four levels deep and often needs to manage exceptions within that four-level stack. This game shouldn't exist. But Arkham's verbose rulebook takes the time to break everything into bite-size pieces and presents them in a just-in-time fashion. When you get to the point in the game where a rule comes into play it's likely on the page already opened in front of you, maybe under your index finger.
"The Doom Track Advances" section shown above is nested within a state, which is nested within an action, which is nested within a phase. Four levels deeps sounds unmanageable, but when seen within the greater story arc of the rulebook it has context. It works, especially since all the material needed for each part of the play is nested in the text and on a single page. The only cross-reference appearing here refers to "The Ancient One Awakens!" -- the cataclysmic event that triggers end-game and signals an exit from the story told on pages 6-12.
Arkham Horror manages complexity by walking you through the game in the same way you play it, and by using all the explanation and examples it needs to get the job done. The rulebook obeys rule 4's tell-them-three times rule with phase summaries, detailed descriptions and good, clear examples to reinforce learning. Is it long? Yep. Is it hard to read? Not a bit. The fundamental requirement for rulebooks -- knowledge transfer -- is in full bloom and, considering the amount of complexity required for the game, it's designed to be open on the table for your first dozen plays. Arkham is a pleasure for new players. They may not like the game, but they understand it. When someone asks a question the guy with the book can generally read the passage from the page that's currently open and quote a matching example if need be.
(Edit -- my recollections of my introduction to Arkham Horror, a solo session with pieces on the board as I proceeded through my first read, include an issue with the description of the portals action. Passage through portals was not firmly embedded in my core understanding on first play -- two turns or three to pass through? One in each spot and one to step out, or hit the two spots and you're done? To this day it's the rule that "sticks out" to me and doesn't feel a part of the whole. I still look it up. Given the size of the ruleset this is a very minor quibble, but an indication of what happens when someone is less sure of one aspect of your game. It becomes a liability to them, a point of misconfidence, and in my case something I still think about years later. That doesn't do your game any favors.)
When rulebooks are a pleasure, people want to give the game a fair shot, maybe two. They want to give it the time it needs to come alive. They want to get on the Internet and talk about playing not ask about how to.
Rule #6 Your Rulebook Controls the Message.
Twenty-five years ago an incomplete or poorly worded rule book meant each purchaser had no choice but to grit their teeth and make a decision on how to play. They would figure out what they thought was the most straightforward interpretation that would match the spirit of the game. The acronym COWTRA -- "concentrate on what the rules allow" was an admonishment not to interpret a game away from its core concept, not to read things into the play that weren't written on the page. These days that isolation is gone. Players contact the developer directly by email to complain about inconsistent verb tense. It's not uncommon to see someone open an Internet thread with the phrase "I'm playing right now . . ." hoping for an answer before they continue their game. And you know what? They get one, and often it's from a complete screwball. "Gee Tom, nothing in the rules says you can't float your Panzers across the Volga, so technically I don't see why you need to use the bridge."
You want to inspire confidence in the quality of your game? Take the time to get the part of the package your players will reach for first right. I didn't say correct, correct is easy. I said right. Don't just get the wording smithed up -- get the framing right, get the numbering right, get the examples right, get the figures right. Cover the little details. Provide a way for rules lawyers to clearly cite passages that answer stupid questions, because stupid questions are going to come. There's plenty of stupid people out there and most are loudmouths to boot. That's ok -- what matters is that someone can respond to them with an unambiguous answer and cite where they found the information. The information for that response has to come from an authoritative source (preferably one you control) and if a copy of it is available to the person asking all the better. That means it has to be in the box; it has to be the rules. The day someone replies to a rules question with, "I heard an interview with the designer and he said . . . " you're toast. The ultimate authoritative source is the copy of the rules that came in the box. Taking the time to get it right controls your game's message and gives it the chance it deserves to succeed in spite of the damn Internet. Build success into the package from day one.
Unfortunately technical writers cost money and pretty much no one wants to pay them anymore. This is what our more productive world has brought us to. Text is embedded in visually stunning artwork but content is lacking, incoherent or wrong. I don't have an answer for that one. It's likely you'll need to develop writing skills yourself or pretend to be friends with someone who has them already. Short of a big publisher (i.e., Hasbro size) I'd wager you're on your own for getting the job done. Get lots of eyes on your drafts and ask for questions. They'll want to give comments, but tell them to ask questions too. Questions hold the key. And remember two voices -- you need both kinds of users to review. People new to the game will provide very different feedback from comfortable players.
Rule #7 Usage Failure Is Product Failure.
In my job I watch people use data screens with the manual open beside them. It's pretty remarkable how often they misread or misuse something that appears to me to be very straightforward. When I say I watch them I don't mean I watch what they're doing, I mean I watch them. I look for the struggle. I look for the miscue. I look for the moment when their perception changes from excitement to concern. THAT is when I look at where they are and what they're doing. If one person stumbles on a screen it's notable. If two people stumble, it's wrong. The screen is wrong. It may not be broken, but that doesn't mean it's right and if it's not right someone is going to use it incorrectly and the system is going to go into an error state. Error states suck. Error states cost money. Error states occur when two parts of the product aren't working together properly, and the end-users are part of my system every bit as much as the hardware and software I've put on the desk in front of them.
Your end-users are an important part of your game, and I have some bad news for you. Whether you like it or not the success of your effort is largely going to be measured by whether they succeed, not whether you succeed. Every piece you deliver needs to work for them. This one isn't limited to the rulebook. But they'll complain if a piece is hard to handle or text is too small to read. Those errors are obvious to them. Rules are a different story. Testers will tell you about misspellings and typos, but "usage failure" is harder. Most users don't even know what it is. They think they don't understand because the game is really different, or more complex than they're used to, or maybe they think they're just stupid. People don't like admitting they're stupid. They keep their mouths shut and continue reading, hoping you don't notice.
You need to notice. You need to watch people read your rulebook. You need to bring someone to the table that's never played a hobby game before and see if they can get it right. You need to count page turns. You need to see if they read passages out loud or not. You need to set a radio next to them and notice what page they're on when they turn it off. That's the page that's too complex.
I appreciate that everyone wants to produce quality. I also appreciate that parts shipped from China, and price pressures, and deadlines, and a million other bullshit details are pressing on your project from all directions. Much of that may be beyond your control. The one piece you may still have ownership of is the rulebook. That's ok -- the rulebook IS the game. Spend the time and take some pride. This is important. Your grandson may use it to teach his kids someday.


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The Obama administration's latest overuse of executive authority at Guantánamo Bay is a decision not to let lawyers visit clients in detention under terms that have been in place since 2004. Because these meetings pose little risk and would send a message about America's adherence to the rule of law, the administration looks as if it is imperiously punishing detainees for their temerity in bringing legal challenges to their detention and losing.
In one case, the administration is saying that the Yemeni national Yasin Qasem Muhammad Ismail no longer has the right to meet with his counsel, David Remes, because his plea to be released was "terminated." The Justice Department will only let them meet, it said in an e-mail to Mr. Remes, if he signs a new memorandum giving the government what Mr. Remes calls "absolute authority over access to counsel."
A military officer would decide each time whether lawyer and client could meet. Mr. Remes could not use classified information he developed for the client without permission. He could not share what he learned from his client with other lawyers of detainees, as he could previously. He could not use it to help defend his client against criminal charges if the government brings them. He could not advocate for him with human rights groups.
Mr. Remes refused to sign. He and colleagues filed a motion this month with the federal magistrate handling disputes about lawyer-client visits at Guantánamo Bay. They argue that while their client is detained, "he retains the right to pursue any available legal avenues to obtain his release" and without "a full and fair opportunity to meet with counsel in a confidential privileged setting," his "right to challenge his detention" means nothing.
Four years after the Supreme Court ruled that "the privilege of habeas corpus entitles the prisoner to a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate that he is being held pursuant to 'the erroneous application or interpretation' of relevant law," the government may be calculating that it can decide what "meaningful" means.
But if the wars where detainees were captured have been to defend American interests, surely the country has an interest in an unequivocal commitment to the rule of law, including full legal representation for detainees.Continue reading the main story


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AMMAN (AFP) - A budding romance between a Jordanian man and woman turned into an ugly public divorce when the couple found out that they were in fact man and wife, state media reported.
Separated for several months, boredom and chance briefly re-united Bakr Melhem and his wife Sanaa in an Internet chat room, the official Petra news agency said.
~ posted by Sean Carroll
at 11:38 AM ~
link ~


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I was working on the script for the next "Points of View" video this morning when the door chime signaled that somebody was at the door who considered something to be much more important than the "do NOT disturb" sign I had put up at eye level (with four inch lettering no less!).
As you can guess, I made the critical mistake of answering the door. I didn't feel that I had much of a choice really since when I tried ignoring it they just stood there ringing the bloody thing every half a minute or so.
It turned out to be a neighbor from down the street. He had his computer with him and as soon as I opened the door he started literally begging me to help him. He said he was writing a letter in word and suddenly it was gone and he was in a total panic.
I told him that the guys at the nearby computer store where he bought it the week before would be much better suited to taking care of his problem. He only said that he couldn't go there and that he really needed this letter back in a big hurry. I gave in and invited him in. As he put the computer on my kitchen table he thanked me profusely for agreeing to help him. He said that he would have gone to the computer store but the last time he did they told him not to ever come back.
Hearing that, I knew the problem had to be something in the "simple problems that drive techs nuts" category and I was right. The computer had shut down on him because he had been running it on batter power. When the battery got low enough, the machine did like many do these days, it went into hibernate mode and shut down.
It took me another hour to convince him that it was perfectly ok to keep the computer connected to outlet power and charge the battery while he was using it.
The stories I heard about his previous trips to the computer store for help sounded like a listing of every tech support nightmare stories I've ever heard.
Technorati Tags: tech support, computer problem, tech support nightmare


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Alfred Ernest Marples, Baron Marples of Wallasey, is very sad because the Public Data Corporation wants to lock public data away behind fees.
site describes the issues, and makes is easy you submit your opinion to the public consultation via a form.
Please respond now! Time runs out on 27th October 2011. It's just like the Mayan apocalypse, but for open data.
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The Rebel® Bumble Bug is a nice, juicy-looking morsel that will provoke strikes from just about anything that swims. Fish the ultra-light Bumble Bug on top, or pop it under the water and swim it in. Either way, the Bumble Bug's wide-wobble, extra-loud rattles and enticing appearance will have your reel buzzing all day.


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Looking for a Used Charger in your area?
CarGurus has 25,933 nationwide Charger listings starting at $1,800.
2006 Dodge Charger Overview
The rebirth of the Dodge Charger combines the concerns of today's car buyer (fuel economy, safety, handling) with the nostalgia for a muscle car era where speed and cool lines ruled.
The 2006 Dodge Charger has been reborn as a four-door sedan (to the disappointment of some old Charger fans), but with a powerful engine to open up on empty back roads. Built on a Dodge Magnum platform, though a bit longer, it's basically a family sports car. The 2006 Charger is available in five trims. The base SE model has a 3.5-liter V6 engine rated at 250 hp, and plenty of standard features that are often options in other cars (power everything, traction control, adjustable seats). The SXT is an SE with leather-wrapped steering wheel, chrome grille, remote exterior mirrors, 60/40 split-fold seats, and other add-ons.
For those not as interested in fuel economy, the R/T model's biggest draw is its 5.7-liter, Hemi V8 engine rated at 340-hp. It has been clocked at 0-60 in six seconds and can alternate between four and eight cylinders. It comes standard with a 5-speed AutoStick transmission that allows you to shift between automatic and manual. Also standard are leather seats, heated mirrors and seats, 18-inch wheels, and a 19-gallon gas tank. The R/T is also available with a Road and Track package, that is geared more for high performance steering and suspension and ups the horsepower to 350. Finally, the Daytona R/T is basically the R/T with a sportier look, including bold color options, a honeycomb grille, rear spoiler, suede interior accents, and an R/T badge harking back to the '70s street racer.
On the outside, the Dodge Charger is more rounded and curvy than its classic grandfather, but retains the long, forward-propelling hood. A gently sloping roof, large angled headlights, a cross-hair grille, and tinted windhsields round out the look. Inside, the instrument panel is recessed in tunneled pockets with silver accents.
The car has been rated highly by experts and owners alike, who point out its quiet and comfortable ride (due to the high-performance suspension and traction control) precise steering, responsive brakes, and excellent power. Complaints include a lack of steering feedback and, despite a roomy interior (40-inches of legroom), the low roof makes it tight for taller folks. Many were disappointed by the use of plastic on the dashboard.
2006 Dodge Charger Top Comparisons
Users ranked 2006 Dodge Charger against other cars which they drove/owned. Each ranking was based on 9 categories. Here is the summary of top rankings.
Cars compared to 2006 Dodge Charger
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Dodge Charger Questions
Headlight Replacement
Will headlights from a 06 magnum fit a 06 charger
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I have a 2006 dodge charger 2.7 and it cranks but wont start. Codes that come up are crank sensor n for throttle pedal n sensor. I already replaced crank sensor. I changed spark plugs n they were b...
Where Is The Remote Receiver Keyless Entry On Dodge Charger R.t 5.7 2006
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Am i able to take the 5.7l out of a 2005 Durango and put it in my 2006 charger rt
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Dodge Charger Experts
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Debt Settlement is a procedure of negotiating with creditors to accept sum that is less than the full amount of the debt payable. Money build up in a special account until enough has been saved to disburse off one creditor, and after that the procedure repeats until the debts have been repaid.
Apache Junction, Avondale, Bisbee, Buckeye, Bullhead, Camp Verde, Casa Grande, Chandler, Chino Valley, Coolidge, Cottonwood, Douglas,Marana, El Mirage, Eloy, Flagstaff, Florence, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Glendale, Globe, Goodyear, Guadalupe, Kingman.
Debt settlement in Arizona, also identified as debt arbitration or debt negotiation, is an approach to debt reduction in which the debtor and creditor agree on a reduced balance that will be regarded as payment in full.
Debt Reduction in Arizona is the best alternative to filing and avoiding bankruptcy. Our debt settlement in Arizona, negotiation, elimination & management program helps you to reduce & eliminate credit card debt. Contact us today at to enjoy a debt free life!
Debt Consolidation is a service provided by Consumer Credit Counseling organizations nationwide. It works the same as Consumer Credit Counseling. If you are not more than 60 days late on your bills, the Consumer Credit Counseling organizations work out with your creditors and reduce your interest rate. You have to pay back complete debts but at a inferior interest rate.
Lake Havasu, Mesa, Nogales, Oro Valley, Page, Paradise Valley, Payson, Peoria, Phoenix, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Safford, San Luis, Scottsdale, Sedona, Show Low, Sierra Vista, Somerton
, South Tucson, Surprise, Tempe, Tucson, Winslow, Yuma.


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CI - in the morning... is it working ??
(btw.. Lotte doesn't have this at all. No blinking whatsoever. Just "plug and play"...)
A nice tip on CiCircle - the Yahoo group..
OK, I just watched this short film that I think might be the best film about cochlear implants ever.
It is very funny and it will explain why some kids don't like to put their processors on in the morning. Or maybe I just have a strange sense of humor.
(It's also a great demo on how to fix an Advanced Bionics T-mic.)
Warning: the lyricsof the background music are probably not child-appropriate.
It is a great movie and the powerful "hookup" will possibly be valid for some CI-users.
Lotte is not affected like this when she puts her CI's on in the morning. Not a blink!!
But I like the way deafness is shown; just the heartbeat is "felt", no other sounds. How the hearing is turned on, and the tap that was not heard before can now be heard.
How only part of the song is understood with only 1 CI, and when the other one comes on, there's definitely something wrong.
Love how the repair is visualized, and how in the end, the guy can hear those beautiful words... "I love you!"
Have a look, and enjoy !!
(YouTube version below.)


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Ron Goble Biography
Designer artist Ron Goble studied architecture and has worked in watercolors and stained glass for many years. Then the love of blending beautiful woods and the variations of grains and natural colors into elegant designs led him into woodturning. Ron is a member of the Arizona Association of Woodturners, the American Association of Woodturners, and the World of Woodturners. The Combination of exotic woods and beautiful designs come together in his elegant pieces of art. Each of his collector quality pieces are unique, one-of-a-kind designs. He begins each segmented piece with an engineered precision drawing that determines the exact shape, size, angle and cut, so that the hundreds of pieces of wood fit precisely together to match the shape of his finished design. He also designs and makes pens with exotic woods from all over the world.
Galleries: shown in the Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ; Galerie Esteban in Santa Fe; and the El Prado Galleries in Sedona, CA.


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CoTherix™: An Actelion Company
CoTherix is an affiliate of Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Allschwil/Basel, Switzerland, that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative treatments to serve unmet medical needs.
Actelion's US offices are located in South San Francisco, in the heart of California's pharmaceutical and biotechnology development region.
Product: Miglustat - Prescribing Information


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Govern Tags More Efficiently
2019 Digital Analytics and Governance Report
Learn the identities, responsibilities, and priorities of analytics practitioners going into 2019 with the proprietary report created by ObservePoint.
Free Website AuditSTART NOW
The Tag Governance Framework: How to Govern Your Analytics and Marketing Tags
Digital analytics holds the key to understanding your users. But what's the key to good digital analytics data? Learn more.
How to Catch Analytics Errors Before They Destroy Your Credibility
Take a proactive approach to governing your analytics and marketing tags so you can avoid losing face with people that need your data.
Use WebAssurance to test your analytics and marketing tags so you can make better decisions off better data.
What Is Tag Validation?
Tag validation takes auditing one step further giving you confidence in your site and data you can trust.
Tag Governance: Your Best Martech Investment in 2019
Tag governance is the best investment in martech companies can make in 2019 as it helps you overcome challenges facing your data and decisions.
NBCUniversal Enforces Data QA from End-to-End
Learn how NBCUniversal used ObservePoint to implement end-to-end tag governance in their organization.
Poor Data Quality Threatens Your Company's Efficiency
This article discusses how how poor data quality can decrease efficiency in your organization.
Lima Consulting Experiences 300% Faster Accuracy
Learn how Lima Consulting tripled their efficiency by auditing analytics tags with ObservePoint. Fill out the form for a free whitepaper.
Tagging Plan: How to Clean Up the Chaos
Planning your implementation before deploying tags is essential for ensuring none of your data collection falls through the cracks.
Why You Should Audit Your Web Tags
Why You Should Audit Your Web Tags outlines key considerations surrounding broken tags and how to avoid them.
How to Align Marketing and IT Analytics Implementation Workflows
Learn from ObservePoint's Eric Dumain and Jim Cain from Napkyn Analytics about how to integrate workflows between marketing and IT for more successful analytics teamwork.
7 Cases Where You Can't Afford to Skip Analytics Testing
Learn how to find a world where insights are trustworthy and tracking technology always works like you expect it to.
Left in the Dark—Generating a Solution Design Reference When Your Developer Leaves
This article discusses how to avoid being left in the dark about your analytics and marketing implementation when your developer leaves.
Tag Auditing Tools: What They Are and Why You Need One
Learn how tag auditing tools (or just tag audit tools) help companies govern analytics and marketing tags on their websites and apps rapidly and at scale.
Why Automate Your Web Analytics QA?
This article reveals the importance of automation in your web analytics QA. Learn how audits and automation can save you time, stress, and ultimately money.
Using ObservePoint's Rules Engine for Robust Tag Validation
This article discusses how to use ObservePoint's powerful rules engine to customize tag validation across your MarTech deployment.
How HPE Cleaned Up Their Analytics Across Business Units
Learn how HPE used ObservePoint's WebAssurance to improve their analytics across their business. Fill out the form to receive a free case study.
Define custom rules of expected values to test against your existing analytics implementation.
Custom Actions
Trigger event-based tags during an audit or journey and capture their network requests.
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Tobacco Awareness Program
The Tobacco Awareness Program (TAP) is a comprehensive tobacco cessation curriculum addressing both smoking and spit tobacco. This eight-session program provides information, self-assessment opportunities and challenging weekly assignments to help participants in grades 7 – 12 quit using tobacco. Additional sessions are provided for participants who want to continue in a cessation support process after completing the basic curriculum.
The TAP curriculum gently guides tobacco users to their quit date and helps them remain tobacco-free. It takes into account the fact that participants begin, continue and decide to quit for a wide variety of reasons. The TAP curriculum encourages each person to choose the methods of cessation they believe will work best for them.
Facilitators provide guidance and support as participants design their individual approaches to quitting. Facilitators teach them the skills to quit and remain tobacco-free. Instruction materials include a guidebook, teaching aids, videos, guest speakers and handouts, all designed to grab attention and motivate participants to make healthy lifestyle decisions.
Program Goals are to
- Increase awareness of the short- and long-term effects of continued tobacco use.
- Increase awareness of their own level of risk for becoming victims of tobacco use.
- Help participants identify their own best ways to quit using tobacco.
Mary Lanning Healthcare Cardiopulmonary Unit


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Glad to meet you.../
Upon our arrival home, we were greeted by Hazel's cousins from both families, Stella, Emilia, Lilly, Cooper, Sawyer and Owen (and of course several aunties, zias, uncles, zios, grandmas, grandpas, and friends). Everyone has been so happy and full of love for Hazel, I think she is thriving on love alone... although she is doing a great job eating and looking chubbier and chubbier everyday. We are so happy to finally share our very special little girl with all our truly accepting families and friends. All of whom have taken such a vested interest in our daughter. We could not be more excited to watch Hazel grow up and reach her full potential, which will be achieved because of all the love and support she will receive from family and friends.What a wonderful feeling to bring a child into this world and know that they are loved beyond words. It's the kind of love that makes you want to love more and more!!