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The Jimmy Levan documentary, entitled GO FAST PULL UP, is available now and you should definitely do your best to see it and/or own it. Even more so if you came up being stoked on Jimmy Levan's riding and persona.
After watching the doc, I wanted to hit Chris Rye (who directed/edited GFPU) with some questions about the project. This is a solid read for sure with PLENTY of info and stories. Click below.
First… I need to mention that I thoroughly enjoyed GO FAST PULL UP and think you did a great job. This is a must see for anyone who came up in this era, no doubt about it. So thank you! Now, how did this documentary come to be? Fill us in on the backstory.
Thanks Nuno. Sometime in late 2014 I got a message from Will Smyth from Dig. He had seen the Baco documentary I did and mentioned something like, "Hey would be cool to catch up and I have an idea for a project about a guy we all know and love." But he didn't say who it was and I didn't ask. I just said, "Sure let's do a call" and then maybe 3 months passed and one day he pings me and reveals the mystery person: Jimmy LeVan.
At first he was thinking a short-ish piece but the more I thought about it, it seemed there was enough storyline to be a longer feature type documentary which is what it ended up being.
Who approached Jimmy with the idea for the documentary and what was his reaction? Was he on board right away or was there some hesitation?
After I had talked to Will, I was at my friend Corey's house visiting one weekend in the summer of 2015. Corey and I had met in 2007 when we did a non-BMX topic documentary and we have been good friends since. He doesn't really know anything about BMX but is a writer and always has great ideas for skits, short films and what not. He had helped me with a few things on the Baco doc and I was telling him about Jimmy, his crazy voice and whatnot, and that I was thinking about doing a documentary about him. We ended up calling Jimmy out of the blue that night and I put him on speaker phone so Corey could hear his voice. So Corey was sitting there listening to me ask Jimmy if it would be cool to do a documentary about him.
There was no hesitation from Jimmy whatsoever. "Yeah yeah, cool cool" or something along those lines was his response and he told me he'd be in Louisville with his mom and sister early September for the Grands. So I put that on my calendar figuring I could knock out a handful of interviews that weekend and it was basically on from there.
Having a history with Jimmy yourself, did you think this would be an easy story to tell, or was it a bit daunting?
I never thought it would be easy, but I was thinking a lot about what I remembered about him, my time around him and the things he had done in BMX, the launch of all the Midschool brands during that era etc. Just re-hashing what I knew and thinking about how it might all go together into a documentary story. Any new project is daunting, especially as you get up to speed with what it's actually going to be, the scope of it and all the work involved in getting there, all of which I didn't really know yet at the beginning of the project. It wasn't until after I had shot a couple dozen interviews and started digging around for materials that the reality of how difficult this was going to be started to become clear.
Getting to the end seemed almost impossible at some points, but I just kept slowly pressing along trying not to think about all the struggles that were yet to come.
What was the most difficult part of GO FAST for you?
When you start shooting interviews with people, you hear them talk about all kinds of things you either 1) know about 2) heard about 3) had no idea about. When a specific topic or event was talked about on camera, I would sit there listening and kind of do real-time mental editing of what they're saying, trying to figure out how to put this into a visual form, and what will be needed as far as b-roll, photos, etc.
Then later you have to go dig up all the specific bits of b-roll and imagery to bring the interviews to life. All that was in itself a 2 year research project just trying to find all this stuff. For me I always like to have options when editing, so I would try and find way more cover material than I might need just to feel more at ease with whatever might come up. Then with some things I eventually give up and never did find.
All that is difficult for sure, and seems never-ending, but the real challenge is making a film that is engaging and isn't boring to watch. To be creative and make something that does justice to the topic. That's the absolute hardest part when you really get down to it.
What was the initial projected timeline for the project and how long did you ultimately work on this for?
There was no timeline or deadline of any sort. It's an interesting way to work in the sense you have freedom with no deadline pressure, but at the same time months would fly by with not much accomplished for whatever reason. During the summers my young son would be at home with me so it was hard to work then. Then other times I wasn't motivated to work on it, and would go through phases of that on again off again. I know I did that for sure, probably because I knew this was going to be hard and wasn't sure if what I was producing would be good. You spend all this time shooting interviews, gathering up materials and by the end I had put a lot of pressure on myself trying to make something special.
A deadline would've made me finish it quicker, but for this project it was good not to have one. It gave me a lot of time to just think about how to put things together, run things over and over in my head trying to envision it playing out on screen in a way that would be cool. If I had been rushed the final film would've been a much different thing for sure. Plus, at this point in my life I didn't need the stress of a deadline constantly nagging at me. In the end it took 3-1/2 years from start to release, which is crazy when I think about it now. My son was 3-1/2 when I started and 7 when I finished. Half his life I was working on this.
You went around interviewing a bunch of notable people. How many hours of footage did you accumulate?
I personally shot 34 interviews, Dave Mavro shot 1 and Will Stroud also shot 1. So in total there were 36 shot and I would estimate about 40-50 hours of interviews were recorded. For b-roll there's gotta be somewhere in the 50-60 hour range. Overall probably around 100 hours in total, which sounds like a lot but some documentaries have 1000s of hours. But for this project it was just me editing so I had to be able to manage what I had. Bigger docs have teams of people split up doing what I did myself on this one.
For photos, which make up a lot of the film, there were around 75 contributors who gave me everything from slides, negative strips, Kodak film discs, prints and digital files like scans or RAW files. The photos folder is 125GB alone.
There were also lots of scans used from the magazines going all the way back to the early 80s, which I spent quite a bit of time and money tracking down and combing through looking for things relevant to the story and about Jimmy. Thanks to Gork putting me in touch with him, we got permission from Bob Osborn to use scans from all the Wizard Publications mags, like BMX Action, Freestylin' and Go, which was really special to me since I grew up worshiping those magazines. And even though this was a project with Dig, Jeff Z at Ride was absolutely amazing and sent me Jimmy's folder from their archive full of slides and negatives. So I am very thankful to all the photographers and people who helped dig up the things needed for a film like this.
Looking back, what stands out to you as a whole from all the interviews you did? Is there a general vibe, theme etc…
Excitement for sure and maybe a touch of concern. Whether concern for Jimmy himself or in my ability to do him justice I suppose. People were very excited it was happening and everyone was very accommodating with their time to help us.
Everybody that is close to Jimmy surely has some interesting Jimmy stories to tell. Was there a lot of stuff that came up that simply couldn't be shared?
Oh yes for sure. So. Many. Stories. Jimmy's a walking storybook, literally any person who comes into contact with him has at least one wild story. They are endless.
One of my favorites, which isn't on camera but was told to me from the period when Jimmy was living in Seattle. Jimmy and a crew of the Metal Bikes dudes took a road trip down to So Cal one weekend, I believe to ride some trails. So they get down there and they are all staying at a friend's house. He had a wife or girlfriend who had been saving up for a very expensive white leather couch she had been wanting for quite some time. Right before they get down there she finally buys her grail couch and it gets delivered to the house. When they all show up to crash the first night, she comes out and tells Jimmy and his crew very specifically, "The couch is off limits. None of you dirty fucks sleep on my new couch. No one."
So the friend prepares a little spot for Jimmy on the floor to sleep, with blankets and what not, then they all go out to the bars and get annihilated. The next morning everyone is asleep and the girl wakes up first, comes out into the living room and finds Jimmy sleeping butt ass naked on her new white leather couch. Jimmy wakes up and is like, "Oh shit, sorry about that." She loses her shit and from I can remember, gets the couch somehow returned to the store or replaced. Just a typical Jimmy story man.
Another was when they were all out riding and they go into some taco restaurant. As they enter the door, some dude is in the middle of robbing the joint with a gun pointed at the register girl. I guess he got scared and started to run out just as Jimmy and the crew were coming in. So as the robber passes Jimmy on the way out, Jimmy turns to him and says, "Ya dumb dick!" and immediately starts ordering a taco meal with the shellshocked girl as if nothing had just happened, "I'll take a cheesy nacho burrito #3 with a Diet Dew…".
There are so many stories it's ridiculous.
Is there a personal Jimmy memory/story that comes to mind that you would care to share?
The photos on the cover of the book. I had an idea for the cover to show a contrast between a high and a low point in his life. The top of course is Ed Docherty's famous Church Gap photo from Dig Issue 8, an obvious high point, but the bottom one was tough to figure out.
About a year into the project Jimmy had decided to leave the west coast and move out east to live with his sister Susie in New Jersey. He had rented a moving truck and was towing his car, literally living off his last bit of savings driving east. Coast to coast by yourself is a long ass drive and he had planned his route so he would stop by my place in Wisconsin on his way through to take a break for a couple days. He doesn't do well with modern tech so he was using a paper map that someone had drawn a line on showing which highways to take.
Just west of Minneapolis he was at a truck stop getting food and he somehow slipped and cracked his head on the floor, knocking himself out. He said he woke up not knowing where he was with restaurant staff and cops standing over him. He had an expired California driver's license and still 1300 miles to go. The fall had cut open a huge gash above his left eye and the cops were like, "What the hell is going on with this guy?" They told him, "We're going to walk over there and if you're gone when we get back we didn't see anything." So they let him go. He showed up at my house 6 hours later and this gash is still bleeding everywhere. He went into the bathroom and used super glue and butterfly stitches to close it up but the dude was seriously frazzled and a mess. The next morning I came out into the living room and he was standing by himself looking out the window. I ran and got my camera and that ended up being the bottom photo.
During the 3-1/2 years of making the film I never sent Jimmy any previews as I was editing things. So I don't think he really had any idea what I was up to and I'm sure it was driving him crazy after awhile. It took so long and some points I knew he was getting kind of impatient for it to get finished. So when it was finally done I flew him out to my place in Wisconsin and Dave Freimuth came over and the three of us sat down with some beers and watched it that night. I had no idea how Jimmy was going to react to some of it and it was surreal sitting there watching it with him for the first time. When it was over Jimmy was sitting on the couch in front of the TV and Dave came up behind and gave him a big hug and congratulated him. Jimmy was drying his eyes and it was at that moment I knew this was something special for him. I teared up a little myself seeing him emotional about it. I'm sure it's weird as hell watching a documentary about yourself and at the same time it was a huge relief for him to finally see it and be happy with the result.
The next night we had a little party with about a dozen friends over, and we all watched it with Jimmy when he saw it the second time. It was Jimmy's birthday, so afterwards we brought out a cake with "One Lap No Crap" written on it that my wife had picked up. At one point he was standing in the kitchen with everyone gathered around listening to him tell his wild stories with everyone laughing and having a blast. I was just sitting back watching this all unfold and it was a really special night for everyone there.
In terms of producing this thing, where was the lion's share of time time spent? Filming, editing, storyboarding etc… ?
By far the most time is spent sitting at the computer working in Adobe Premiere. Going through the interviews is very time consuming. When I first watch them I split them into many subclips, then type in notes about what is being said. Basically this is the main organizational stage of a documentary project where the interviews are going to serve as the backbone to the storyline. When all this is finished you can do keyword searches or sorting to find specific things people said while putting together a specific part of the film.
For photos I always try and track down the best quality I can find, like an original source slide or negative to scan. I have a rad film scanner which produces a really good quality image. A lot of time was also spent in Photoshop cleaning up scans or other random image work. Near the end of the project I got to test this new software that uses A.I. machine learning to enlarge small images without losing quality. It doesn't work all the time but when it does it's pretty amazing.
Editing is for sure the longest task and very slow going. If you've ever seen how those big thick steel cables are made, like the kind used on cranes and ships, there are all these smaller cables being twisted and wound into one end of a gigantic machine, and on the other end the big cable is slowly formed and spooled onto a huge reel. Editing is kind of like that, but you're feeding in interviews, b-roll, photos, graphics and music on one end, it all passes through your brain as you shape it in the timeline and something watchable comes out the other end.
I had so many problems with Premiere on this project too, it was constantly crashing and I would lose work sometimes and get so fucking pissed. Very frustrating. Adobe support was useless so I just had to work like that until it was done and just assume it would crash at any moment. Every night I would backup everything up on to 4 different drives in case anything happened.
Was there something you wanted in the final doc that didn't make it for one reason or another?
When the idea of Metal Bikes was first being hatched in fall of 1998, there was a weekend meeting held in Louisville with Jimmy, Brian Castillo and Zack Phillips from Kink. The late 90s were a wild time in BMX and Zack was super loose back then always doing wild shit. So the first night of the meeting Jimmy invites in these very attractive female neighbors to his apartment and everyone starts drinking (except Castillo). Next thing you know things start getting loose and a camera comes out. There was a photo taken of one of the women topless, standing over Zack, who was naked and bent over with a leather whip sticking out of his ass.
This photo was a thing of legend of course and no one had any clue where it was. I called Zack and he initially gave me permission to use it in the film, I'm assuming because he thought we would never find it. Then a few weeks later, straight up needle in a haystack style, Will Smyth miraculously pulls the slide from the Dig archive and next thing there's a scan and we're all just blown away this was found. I edited together the part where the photo was used and sent a preview to Zack with the note, "We found the photo, do you still give permission?" I already knew the answer and, completely understandably of course, Zack ultimately didn't want it used. At least finding it was a good story ha.
Between the doc itself and the badass booklet it comes packaged with, GO FAST PULL UP is a great piece of BMX history. So for that, thank you and everyone that was involved in making this a reality. Any closing words before we wrap this up?
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the film or supported it in any way. I think BMX needs these types of projects and without a support system they would never happen. Thank you to the J man himself for living such a crazy life and putting his trust in me to tell his story the best way I knew how. Thank you to Susie and Karen LeVan for all their help and support the whole way through. Thank you to Will Smyth at Dig for the genesis block idea and all the work and time he put into everything and for laying out the book. Thank you to Jerry Badders at Vans for support that helped me travel, and also for helping make the Swampfest premiere happen. Thank you to Jerrod Glasgow for companionship, laughs and memories while we road tripped all around America shooting interviews. And thank you to my extremely supportive wife Ginia and son Evan who encouraged and supported me the entire time from start to finish.
Where can people get or find out more about the documentary?
In the US propsbmx.com or in the UK hit up digbmxstore.com or 4Down Distribution shops.


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Salt Lake City, Utah – Jonah Weekad, a 21 years old Mormon, just came back from a mission in Sydney, Australia. He is now suing Uranus for emotional distress .
"I went to Australia thinking I would see the joy on people's face when they opened their door and saw a Mormon", Jonah writes on the Mormony Daily website. "I really believed I would convince many people to become Mormons. But I soon realised that for some reason, we are actually bothering them when we turn up on their doorstep uninvited".
At first Jonah relied on his faith and kept on going, ready to conquer Sydney and enlighten people. But soon, he started to lose hope.
"People just refused to believe that there is a God who lives on planet Kolob. So many people told me they would rather live on Uranus. At first, I didn't care. But after 3 months, I started to dread knocking on doors. I was really hoping the person on the other side would just slap it back in my face or insult me. After 6 months, I had to give up my mission. I was losing my sleep and my hair. I was sweating, just seeing a door. If I had to hear about Uranus one more time, I would just roll in a ball and cry in the middle of the street".
After coming back home and many long discussions with his elders, Jonah has decided to sue Uranus.
"Listen, I am just like any Mormon, I love Uranus. I alway have. But I feel like I have to make a point and demand reparation for the distress I felt and still feel"
Jonah is suing Uranus for 200 Millions Dollars but this is not the main reason he has decided to act.
"I want to make sure no Mormon has ever to go through the same thing as me"

subset: commoncrawl


text: A Bus Trip to the North Korean Border Beitrag erstellt am 20. Juni 201620. Juni 2016 von freier Autor North Korea is one of the most isolated places in the world, shrouded in secrecy. It is just a half-hour drive away from Seoul. Companies like the 'DMZ tour bus' run bus tours to the border and of... Mehr


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KALININGRAD, Russia (AP) — A day after being put under investigation by FIFA for complaining about the refereeing of their 2-1 World Cup defeat by Switzerland and misbehavior by fans, Serbia's football association has filed an official complaint with the sport's governing body alleging "biased officiating" by referee Feliz Brych.
In a statement posted on its website Sunday, the Football Association of Serbia said it submitted to FIFA "seven videos that clearly showed tendency in officiating of the referee Brych to the detriment of our national team."
Serbian officials have complained vociferously since Friday's match in Kaliningrad that their team was not awarded a penalty for a second-half challenge by two Swiss defenders on Aleksandar Mitrovic and that Brych did not consult the Video Assistant Referee about the incident.
They also have complained that Brych showed four Serbia players yellow cards but only one Swiss player was booked. That complaint was repeated in its official communication to FIFA.
Serbia escalated the dispute by questioning not just Brych's performance, but the fact that he was appointed to handle the match at all.
"We are not clear how the German referee could have been appointed for the match between Switzerland and Serbia, when it is well known that one of Swiss confederation cantons is a German canton," Serbia said in its statement.
The game already has generated controversy centered on nationalist hand gestures made by Switzerland players Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri following their goals. Both players also are under FIFA investigation after celebrating with a hand signal of the double-headed eagle on the Albanian flag.
Both goal scorers have ethnic Albanian Kosovo families. Kosovo is a former Serbian province whose 2008 declaration of independence is not recognized by Serbia, leading to ongoing friction between the Balkan neighbors.
But potential anger at the provocative hand gestures was far outweighed by Serb indignation at Brych's failure to consult the VAR system.
"At this World Cup, VAR has been used in all matches and its advantages have been applied to numerous disputable situations," the Serbia FA statement said. "We are wondering why Serbia is the only team at the World Cup with the referee who would not even check the replay of the disputable situations, and all to the detriment of our team."


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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
When I was little I loved taking road trips with my family. I can remember being about four or five years old and my uncle came to visit us in his new car – a Camaro. It had t-tops and I just remember sitting the backseat with the wind in my hair just loving every second. That's where my lifelong love of muscle cars began. Naturally my first car was a Camaro and at one time I owned three. It was because of my love of cars that my husband and I met. He had a camaro and it was car love at first sight!
My oldest was bitten by the car bug ever since he could walk. Disney Pixar Cars was released when he was 2 years old and it was the first movie he went to see in theaters. Naturally he loved the movie and still does to this day.
While he loves cars he's not a big fan of road trips. He gets bored after awhile so when I know we have a road trip coming up, I like to make sure I pack him some fun toys to keep him busy and fully charge his iPad so he can play some games.
His current favorite game is the Cars Daredevil app available now for free in the iTunes store. The app is currently compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPad touch and optimized for the iPhone 5, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
When we headed out last weekend to visit family, I downloaded the game to surprise him. I knew he'd love it and have fun playing it and he did. It's his favorite game right now.
He was thrilled when he found the green Ramone that is exclusive to Toys "R" Us.
Using his new vehicles and some of his favorites at home, we put together this little Cars On The Go kit to keep in the car for long road trips.
We even made fun little roadway play pieces out of felt that he can set up in the car for an instant playmat. I purchased a small container with a handle that will fit on the floor of the car that won't be in the way but will keep his toys easily within reach.
To make the felt pieces a little more sturdy, I attached them to pieces of foam board. Simply cut out your roadway – I made a few straight pieces and a curved track on the foam board. Then I cut out the pieces of felt to fit on top of that.
Once I glued the felt to the foam board, I used a bottle of white puffy paint to draw little lines on the road.
It was such a simply project that only cost $3.00 to make. He's had so much fun playing he's even brought his little car kit over to his cousin's house so they can all play together. It definitely has kept him entertained on long and short road trips and playing the Cars Daredevil app only enhances his playtime experience. The Cars On-The-Go kit brings his gaming to life all while keeping him happy and entertained.
I've shared with you my tips for keeping my little ones busy while on-the-go. What do you do to keep your kids entertained while on-the-go?


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1271 Tasting Notes
This is the best loose leaf Earl Grey I've had so far. I love the creamyness and the good level of bergamont flavor!
Full review on my tea blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/earl-grey-heaven-from-the-persimmon-tree-tea-review/
I'm super happy with the close up shot I took of this tea!
I had a rough brazilian jiu jitsu practice last night. Mostly involving a 220lb+ guy and having to repeatedly change levels, grab his legs, get up, practically pick him up and toss him to the ground. Got home, found out we had no hot water, so showered in cold water, ugg.
Woke up barely, hurting everywhere, and I made some black tea that I was intending to review for the blog, but inhaled it. Now I figure I should drink the rest of this oolong, which is like half a cup worth. Not sure why I didn't leave much. I dig the floral and the fleshy cream coconut taste.
I'm hoping to do a Zen tea order and send it to Canada when I visit, or have family bring it to me before visiting.
This came as a sample with my Georgia Tea Company order. I was looking for something to drink before jiu jitsu without having to open something new. Iced of course! I'm going to be overly hot and sweating once I start rolling!
Ehh, not for me. The raspberry flavor is good – I added rock sugar so the raspberry closely tastes like candy.
However, I can taste that red rooibos flavor – which I do not like! I feel like sucha brat for not liking a type of tea and I only like rooibos if I
1. Can't taste it
2. the flavoring manipulated to taste like crust or whatever in a blend.
So, if you like red rooibos, this has a good raspberry taste, especially iced!
Okay – I noticed on Della Terra site, it referenced a lower water temperature than what said on my package. I contacted them and they confirmed to do as per website instructions – 158 – 167°F
I totally noticed the difference between 175 and 160F steepings. The higher temp has less creamy and more vegetal and bitterness, whereas the 160F is more creamy and not bitter.
Overall, a nice creamy, tangy tea with a great mix of bases – the buttery green with a juicy white tea. I like this a little more than Lupicia's Strawberry & Vanilla as the flavoring tastes more natural and has a better base, but Lupicia is more forgiving and easier to steep.
Full blog post review on my blog, The Oolong owl http://oolongowl.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/strawberries-cream-from-della-terra-teas-tea-review/
This is the second review I've seen saying that this is better than Lupicia's, which I am totally in love with so now I am even MORE excited to try this one!
Post workout matcha! I made it a iced latte with bavarian cream matcha, splenda, soy protein and ice.
It was a really nice cool day, so I did a jog to the post office. Got home, lifted weights. Annoyed as I had to deload due to spraining my knee the other week and too much time off lifting, but I still did a decent job with 100lb squats. Of course, right now I'm sporting a taped up sprained finger from Friday. Sigh. Now to work up again to 150lb, BLEH!
The matcha tasted almost like ice cream here! Probably from the ice, and thick consistency of the protein powder.
I'm running low on this matcha and a couple others. Looks like another RLT matcha order in a month or so. Boo, so much to save up for!
I made a strong cup of this tea with lunch, a sort of post workout reward. Dang, I love the peachy orange with that humming ginger! So refreshing! I really needed refreshing, my muscles are killing me! I've decided to step up my working out, so I'm doing Rushfit again in the mornings.
Steep City teas – you're gonna kill my wallet. I'm saving up for another order. I wanna try the orange glam, purple peach, citrus sunshine oolong, and maybe Pom Pom, mint chocolate and a rooibos. Wahhh!
Sip down sample!
I was eating some thin mint girl scout cookies and decided I should have a minty tea. Weird, but I miss the Canadian girl guide cookies. Yeah, theres like 2 kinds, but I dunno.. these american ones don't taste as good and not as sweet. Made my husband go crazy as I eat Korean rice cake sweets, and those aren't really sweet! Ehhhh, maybe I just miss Canada. Man, I need those "Dad's Cookies" in that yellow bag. Too bad shipping to Canada sucks, I'd trade for cookies! I'll have to wait until family or friends visit from Canada again.
Anyways, I did this tea as a latte, unsweetened cuz I'm too lazy to do anymore. Pretty good – much better as a latte!
annnd sip down!
1oz sample didn't last long – I guess it doesn't help that it's a heavy fruit tea. I got 3 cups out of this, 2 of them iced – this being the last iced.
I tossed in some fresh blackberries in my iced tumbler along with lemon slices! I'm hoping I'll find a really good fruit only tea out there so I can load up for iced teas all summer.
If you like grapefruit, the pink grapefruit tea at theteaguy is really nice. The hibiscus lends a tartness that makes the flavour believable.
hmm, that sounds interesting. Next time I'm in Canada I gotta order from a bunch of Canadian tea sellers.
Having a nice strong cup of Coconut Grove. So coconutty with a delicious white tea base with a hint of rose. The tea tastes so snuggly for me this morning, if that makes sense.
I'm rating bumping this tea because I want to drink this all the time as it has become my favorite coconut tea so far!
I felt like treating myself before jiu jitsu tonight with this tea. There's some white belts testing out and will be in class – so I'm not the runty newer blue belt anymore and I can beat them up.. errr teach them new skills.
Anyways, I planned to pour King Of Fruits over ice but my crazy IngenuiTEA decided to jam so I couldn't pour, so this got oversteeped a minute until I got it unjammed (and burnt fingers). It's on the bitter side, I was panicking a bit as it's a 45 second steep, but some sweetener helped out a bit.
Mmmmm durian!


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3 Day Cod Hole and Ribbon Reefs Trip
Trip Report Cod Hole 02/04/2018 26 guests boarded Spirit Of Freedom as it sat by the Wharf in Cairns; it was a somewhat cloudy day.
Being up in the Far North Queensland this time of the year is Wet season so we are very accustomed to having the odd Cyclone brewing here and there. Today we had Cyclone Iris down in the south, which made conditions for our first check out dive a tad bit windy! Nothing we couldn't handle! Whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger and we jumped in at Norman Reef, Troppos to dive below the surface and enjoy the peace and calm of The Great Barrier Reef!
Once everyone was accustomed to the Spirit way of diving wesat for a marvelous dinner prepared by our chef Sam and headed up North.
Tuesday morning we awoke up on the Ribbon Reefs at Steves Bommie, with a bit of current running Steves produced the goods as always, plenty of schooling fish enjoying the water flow and lots of amazing macro life to find hiding around the pinnacle.
Then we cruised up to RR#5, Clam Gardens where the winds had well and truly left us, and the conditions were looking lovely! Guests enjoyed cruising around the nice sloping bank finding Giant Clams and even a couple of guests Nicky and Wendy were lucky enough to spot not 1 but 3 MANTA RAYS!
Then onwards and up wards towards RR#9 Coral Princess Bommie, where we saw some White Tip Reef Sharks and lots of Pipe Fish, Nudibranchs and Sea Cucumbers.
Moving around to Challenger Bay we tied up for a double dive here, the afternoon dive was great, Leafy Scorpion Fish, Sharks, Turtles, Bat Fish, Spiny Cheek Anemone Fish and Garden Eels scattered around on the sand!
Then jumped in for our night dive and watched, as the site became a feeding frenzy of Grey Reef Sharks, White Tip Reef Sharks, Red Bass and GT's using our torchlight to hunt their prey! Awesome experience for everyone onboard especially those who's was their first night dive!
Wednesday we woke up for a morning dive at Google Gardens, and could not have asked for better conditions. Low winds and minimal swell and current let the divers explore the whole site. This site is truly amazing with the amount of hard coral coverage as well as small soft corals around all the bommies.
Then we moved over to Pixie Pinnacle where the guests enjoyed diving around the big underwater structure with plenty of fish everywhere to see. Schools of Fusiliers, Anthias scattered the bommie and schools of Jacks circling in the blue.
We headed up to RR#10 for the Cod Hole dive and it was an awesome feed with 3 big Potato Cod coming into say hello to all the divers. The big friendly sea puppies got up close and into everyone personal space just how they like it.
We then made our way to Snake Pit for the last dive of the trip and as it has been full moon recently we've been experiencing some big tides, thus bringing some current. So we had a nice strong current running through the site.
Being in-between Lizard Island and the Reef it doesn't offer too much protection, however with current comes life and we spotted 10-12 Eagle Rays, plenty of fish and even a huge Logger Head Turtle. You may have to work a little harder on this site, but it offers the marine life that Spirit Of Freedom dives for!
Once again finishing off another amazing Cod Hole Trip as we steamed over toLizard Island and enjoyed an Aussie Style BBQ onboard and the beautiful sunset.
Thank you to all the guests for a great trip, with fun & safe diving, we look forward to seeing you all underwater again soon!
No Troubles, Just Bubbles Lucy Hutchinson Trip Director


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|"Martin Goldhahn" <mgoldh...@gmail.com>
|subversion authentication in maven2 build fails
|Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:19:53 GMT
Hi! I use continuum 1.1 and run a maven2 build. THe build fails with the following message: Provider message: The svn command failed. Command output: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- svn: PROPFIND request failed on '/repos/portal/parent-pom/trunk' svn: PROPFIND of '/repos/portal/parent-pom/trunk': authorization failed (http://source.uis.no) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Continuum runs as a web application under tomcat 6 on Linux as user tomcat6. Maven 2.0.9 is installed on this machine. The subversion repository is served by mod_svn and apache-2.2 on Windows. The authentication is done with the mod_authnz_ldap. This setup works fine for anything else but continuum. I added a <server> section in $M2_HOME/conf/settings.xml with the needed credential and password. But Continuum doesn't seem to pick that up. I also set the debug parameter on the maven build definition, but that didn't show more information than the one above. Where can I set the authentication information for the svn command? Cheers Martin
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Monday, July 18, 2016
Classroom humor!
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Pastor Isaacson's Continuing Education
I had applied and was accepted to attend a continuing education event at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI. The seminar is titled, "Digital Pluralism and the Death and Resurrection of the Church." Basically, we'll be looking at the effects our pluralistic society has had on the church, looking at the things we have done to contribute to this, and what are some solutions/things-we-can-do to address the decline in attendance in traditional church and how can we move forward as an engaging and meaningful faith expression of the Christian church.
I will try to contribute daily to my blog (no promises!) and encourage responses and questions as I engage with the instructor and other participants in learning and discussion. I also had "homework" to prepare for this seminar. Two books: Preaching at the Crossroads by David Lose (who is leading the seminar) and Christianity After Religion by Diana Butler Bass. We were also asked to watch two movies before attending: Pleasantville and Big Fish. I commend them to you. They are very much on the creative side of film-making so don't expect a "normal" movie experience. I would love to hear your impressions.
We'll also be looking at fall lectionary texts to see how we might apply our learning to our preaching.
Where are the Isaacson's??
Just wanted to let everyone know what has been going on at the Isaacson house lately. As some of you may know, Kristen has been dealing with sever back pain for a number of years. She has been able to work but her pain has left her exhausted at the end of the day. She has been working with doctors, physical therapists, and chiropractors through the years. Having had enough, she sought out more advanced relief and found the Laser Spine Institute. After initial consults, they offered her some laser surgical procedures that they believe will give her much relief.
So we left home on June 28 for Tampa, FL. She had some preliminary meetings, MRI, and pre-op blocking procedures that week. She had her first surgical procedure on Tuesday, July 5. Working on her lower lumbar spine she had a laser decompression, cleaned out a herniation, and laser section on a nerve in her L 4/5. After a few days of recovery, she had a second procedure on Monday, July 11. This time they focused on her neck, decompression, laser section of nerve, and removal of a bone spur on C 6/7 and C 5/6.
Her post-op appointments were very positive. These were minimally invasive procedures with just a few small incisions on her lower back and neck. Her recovery is simple – four weeks of walking, icing, and resting her back. Then gradual increases in exercise and movement. She still has difficulty sitting and standing for any period of time but we are seeing progress and are hopeful that these procedures will be the answer to helping get a more normal life back.
I took vacation time for these three weeks focused on Kristen's health. While I seem to have some skills at care-giving, I am not a nurse. The procedures were basically out-patient so I saw to her needs as she recovered in our hotel room across the road from the Institute. Needless to say we are tired of living out of suitcases for three weeks but it seems that it has been well worth the effort.
Thank you for your prayers and concerns. Thanks to our parents who have been helpful and supportive through this time and for watching Karsten in our absence. Thanks to Ryan for mowing our yard and to Adrianne for watering plants. Thanks to the French's for watching our dog Sweetie for part of this time. Thanks to Trinity's staff for making things work in my absence. We move forward from here and the future looks promising.
I'm not quite back to work. We arrived back in Crookston on Thursday night, July 14. I had a wedding rehearsal on July 15, wedding on July 16 along with a premarriage consult for another couple getting married on July 23. I'm flying out Sunday, July 17 for a scheduled continuing education event in Grand Rapids, MI and am returning Friday, July 22. Karsten is home with Kristen and parents are stopping in daily. I'm performing the wedding on July 23 and planning to preach and lead worship on July 24. I'll be back in the office on July 26. I plan to be home and working the entire month of August!
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Vintage stationary engines
Vintage Stationary Engine Photo, Videos, Info | Vintage Stationary Engines for Sale on eBay as available
Vintage stationary engine photo, videos, info and vintage stationary engines for sale on ebay as available
Here you will find information, photos, videos and vintage engines and parts for sale, as well news and blog links concerning vintage engines.
If you are looking for vintage engines and parts, this could be the right place for you to look.
Soon I will add Vintage Engines and parts from the US and the UK to it as well.
This site is in development and will take some time to build. Oct 2011
Photo courtesy of CC geograh in the uk by Evelyn Simak
This is a very interesting hobby for a few people and the effort, which goes into keeping these old engines running, is nothing more then amazing.
Many shows and field days have displays on such a variety of stationary engines driven by steam, petrol and kerosene. They also come in many different sizes and had many uses in particular in agricultural.
For more pictures go to Wolfie at Redgage
What would you like to see more of? - This is a longer term project and will be updated frequently
In order to help me to make this the best site for you please enter the poll or leave a comment right at the end of this page.
What would you like more of
Sideshaft Vintage Stationary Engine
Makers of stationary engines and some history
It is sometimes hard to believe that these little engines were the forerunners to our modern machinery. The applications for these stationary engines were plenty such as pumping water, power tools, drive saws to cut firewood, move people and not to forget it was running the first power plants.
Life was starting to get easier at the turn of the century and the engines could do the job of a few men.
Photo:Ruston and Horsby Diesel Milling Engine (Ashley Dace) / CC BY-SA 2.0
Richard Hornsby & Sons:
Richard Hornsby & Sons were a large engine and machinery manufacturer in Lincolnshire, England from 1828 until 1918. After that it was taken over by Rustons of Lincoln and became a subsidiary and this created Rustons&Hornsby.
Hornsby & Sons manufactured mainly agriculture machinery such as threshing machines and traction engines. Everything was tested on their own farm before they turned it into production.
Richard Hornsby also developed the early crawler system, which he patented and later sold what became later caterpillar.
Interesting Hornsby Facts:
- 1898, a Hornsby designed engine was used to provide electrical power for the Statue of Liberty.
- 1896, Hornsby built the world's first tractor and locomotive powered by oil engines.
- Manufacturers in Sweden and Denmark built thousands of engines using the Hornsby design to power fishing boats.
- Marconi used a Hornsby engine for power in his early wireless telegraphy experiments.
- Among the famous people who have used Hornsby engines are Rudyard Kipling, the Duke of Roxburghe, Viscount Curzon, Lord Rothschild and the Czar of Russia.
- Hornsby engine was used to light the Taj Mahal and the tunnels in the Rock of Gibraltar.
- Hornsby engines were used in the Arctic Circle, Malta, Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, Jerusalem, Jaffa, India, South and Central Africa and South America.
Wolseley Stationary Engine
Lister Vintage Engines
R. A. Lister and Co came into existence in 1867 by Robert Ashton Lister. Having been a manufacturer of farming equipment for many years, Lister started in the early 20th century to engineer petrol engines to run shearing equipment after the invention of the internal combustion engine.
Photo Courtesy of CC BulldozerD11
Under the management of Percy Lister, who was a grandson of Robert Ashton Lister, the company grew quite rapidly and had a workforce of about 2000 by 1926. With around 6000 customers in the UK alone the company had to run 24 hours a day. Australia and New Zealand were also big customers for their shearing equipment.
Lister started to produce a cold start (CS) diesel engine in 1929, which they had designed themselves. This diesel engine was a slow running engine (600rpm), but very reliable and was used in driving electric generators and irrigation pumps because of their longevity. These engines run for many years and were widely used in the British Commonwealth.
Link to a Lister D Vintage Engines
Despite the depression, Lister was producing around 600 engines a week. The majority was small engines from 1.5 to 3hp and was used on building sites.
The Lister 'D' is still one of the most widely seen vintage stationary engines in the UK.
As it always happens when someone comes up with something good other people copy it. Other countries produced the Listeroids engine, which was based on the Lister engine. (see below)
After the 2nd World War Lister couldn't achieve the high's of the 20's and 30's due to more competition (Petter and overseas) and the higher labor cost
Finally in 1965 Listers was sold to Hawker-Siddeley who already bought Petter in 1957. In 1986 merging the 2 old rivals into Lister-Petter formed a new company. This gave strength to the new company by building on there past successes.
Due to the uncertainty in the late 80's and 90',which nearly caused the collapse of the company, part of the company was sold of to Deutz. Some investors who were interested in rebuilding the old product range bought the core of the company.
In the new century Lister-Petter still assemble small engines from the old site in Dursley, but the new investors started to extend the product range into more powerful engines.
Listeroid engines:
In 1987 production of the Lister CS engines stopped in England, but because of the good reputation it was continued to be built in India and exported to other countries. The quality of the engines produced now is at the same level as the originals Lister build engines.
Because these engines are easy to maintain and repair they are well sort after for the outback or remote areas. Another advantage of these engines is variety of alternative fuels that can be used in them.
Hit and Miss Engines
Coming soon
Wolseley Stationary Engines
coming soon
Here are links to Vintage Stationary Engines Sites
- The Sussex and Kent Weald Stationary Engine Group's
Welcome to the Sussex and Kent Weald Stationary Engine Group's web site. The club caters for people's interest in the restoration of old Internal Combustion Stationary Engines as used in Agriculture and Industry. We are a young growing club with 220+
- Melbourne Steam Traction Engine Club
Presents photographs of machinery including steam rollers, tractors, and vintage industrial equipment. Provides details of restoration projects and club meetings.
- Peter's Old Engines in Oz
Collector of old stationary engines and machinery. This is an awesome site. Lots of information there including pictures from a workshop to restore engines
- Vintage Stationary Engines
This is a UK site with plenty of UK Vintage Stationary Engines and spare parts for sale on the UK Ebay site, They all in their own categories Lister Engines, Ruston Engines and so on. If you are looking for part in the UK you certainly should conside
Open Crank Stationary Vintage Engines
Frisco Gas Engines
Here are Links to Photos of Vintage Stationary Engines
Just click the link to see the Photo
Every Link will open in a new window for you.
The following link is the main tag for Stationary Engines on the Vintage Mowers site. Below you will find the links which get you directly to the photos.
Photo of a Alfa Laval 4HP Vintage Engine
Photo set of 3 of a Bamford 2 HP Stationary engine
Restoring a Marco Compressor Video
This video isn't really a video, but more like a slide show. Steamwally who uploaded this video shows in steps on how he restored this compressor in picture form with some text thrown in.
This video is still good and interesting to watch. After 6 and a half minutes he demonstrates the running of the restored marco compressor
Sit back and enjoy.
Vintage Stationary Engines Videos
Here is a video about 2 vintage stationary engine enthusiast starting up 6 small stationary engines in the backyard.
Watch out for when they do crank them up, as you will see they use different methods to start the engines.
They also explain what engine is what.
Lister Vintage Engines Videos
Video 1:
A Lister tr1 running after restoration
Video 2:
1946 Lister D type stationary petrol engine manufactured in Dursley, England
Video 3:
A 2hp 1948 Lister D
More Lister Vintage Engines Videos
Video 1:
A wonderful old Lister engine
6 horsepower diesel backup generator charging a 48V battery bank
Video 3:
Another Lister Vintage Engine
Which county do you want to see more of on eBay?
UK Vintage engine and parts
These items are all from the UK.
US Vintage engine, parts and manuals
These items are all from the US
Vintage stationary engine books
Feel free to comment on what you liked or what i have missed
Some nice picture you include here which is very helpful to understand you lens. Thanks.
Dang.. this is a really interesting lens.. LOVE all the pics. Angel blessed.
Very interesting. I love the thought of old engines given new live or just living on and on and on and ........
Only a smiling visitor here to share the love
Awesome! My dad is a vintage engine buff, and I've sent him a link. He'll love this! And you found the coolest pictures!
Fascinating collection! Thanks for sharing!
Some of those old stationary engines are a delight to look at. Built as practical working equipment but truly works of art. Thanks very much for making this lens.
Nice, I have seen some of these in mills and old steam donkeys. Thanks for checking out my page as well
cool lens, it makes me remind of my school time. Thank you
Amazing lens on vintage farm engines - well done!
Great subject and lovely pics. Old engines always fascinate. Hugs
Excellent lens. Very interesting.
although it is not used in the modern truck, it is a good way to be changed as a toy
a great way to keep its value
Love the history of stationary engine manufacturers!
i love the pictures!
Blessed by a SquidAngel.
Nice one
Innovative lens idea!
Interesting topic.
I have an acquaintance who collects and restores old gasoline engines. Very interesting hobby. Very interesting lens.
its still can be use?
Hi, Wolfie! Just found a link to this lens on Redgage! What a brilliant lens! You've really made yourself so much work with it! My husband is into preserved steam railways and I like them, too, but I absolutely love vintage stationary engines, such beauties they are! Thanks for this great information!
Beautiful lens! Thanks for visiting my lenses and liking them.
A very imformative lens. Great pictures.
A good collection of Vintage engines, reminded me of the good old days.
nice and rare collection
Very cool, I find these fascinating.
Nice work,
Robin :)
I reckon we'll all be using things like this again if energy prices keep going up!
nice lens
These are great old vintage machines. Every year close to where we live they hold the Great Dorset Steam Fair, which is the biggest collection of Steam Engines and Traction Engines in the UK. I think you would be like a kid in a candy store there.


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9130S Orion lounge chair is made in the colour black. The lounge chair is made from a hot galvanized steel frame and braided with maintenance-free ArtFibre. Orion is designed to be able to stand outside throughout the year in all kinds of weather. The lounge chair is perfect for your backyard or terrace on a pleasant summer day. Orion is an elegant Nordic design by the Danish furniture manufacturer Sika-Design which is located on Funen. It is possible to buy a cushion for the lounge chair, which is sewn at our Danish sewing room in Rynkeby. If you prefer cushions in your own fabric, we are happy to contact you to provide information about material use.
Width: 75 cm | 29.6 inches *
Depth: 46 cm | 18.2 inches *
Height: 64 cm | 25.2 inches *
Seat height: 45 cm | 17.8 inches *
Weight: 13.5 kg | 0 lbs *
* Measurements & weight displayed do not include any selected add-on


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Contact DredgeWire
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DredgeWire is published by Industrial Digital Media, LLC.


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Hearing Aids for Small-Group Leaders
Why listening is such a valuable tool for those of us in charge
Jesus as a Small-Group Leader (pt. 1)
An exploration of Christ's use of community as a means to change the world
Making Your Small Groups Models of Evangelism
How to excel at the most difficult of your church's five purposes
Out of the Holy Huddles and Into the World
Your small groups role in outreach and evangelism
The Makings of a Great Outreach-Focused Group
Helpful advice for starting and maintaining a small group of seekers
Upside-Down Assimilation
Moving people from outreach small groups to the larger church community
Turning Our Group Inside Out
The evolution of an outreach-focused small group
Top Ten: New Years
The top ten New Year's resolutions your group really needs to make
Coming Forth with Lazarus
Understanding the Sabbath in light of God's sovereignty
Scripture Memory: A Missing Discipline
Six benefits of hiding God's Word in your heart
Having a Good Cry
Learn to deal honestly and openly with strong emotions in your small group.
Treat or Refer?
Practical advice for ministering to emotionally and spiritually wounded group members.
Listening Through Attending Behavior
You need to understand this powerful method of communicating attention (or lack thereof).
How to Recruit Potential Small-Group Leaders
A step-by-step approach to an important slice of your group ministry
Gearing Up for Small Groups
Practical tips for recruiting leaders and launching groups
Seven Mistakes of New Small-Group Leaders
And how to avoid them when you're on the hot seat


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|News date
You like running and breathing the fresh air of the mountain, but 26 kilometers are too much for your legs or you don't have enough time for the training? Marcialonga gives you another chance not to be missed! Since two years Marcialonga Running Coop, the race from Val di Fassa to Val di Fiemme, has launched its new challenge: the relay.
The 26 k of the course are split into three different legs, which will be covered by each member of the team giving the opportunity to everybody to live the race's emotions that only Marcialonga offers. (LOOK AT THE COURSE)
This competition format has been already tested by other Italian Marathons obtaining a great success, with the Milan Marathon, which took place on April, 7th, that showed more than 15.000 runners participating at the relay race! An experience that Marcialonga Team experienced in person in the last three editions: in this way it has been established a partnership with Sport Senza Frontiere (a nonprofit organization with focus on social integration and the right to sport) which opened the solidarity project of Marcialonga Coop. The Relay wants to pass down the values like "sport is for everybody", the importance of physical health and sharing the activities with other people as well as the message to help others. Being part of the relay means, indeed, support Sport Senza Frontiere or other non for profit local associations since a part of the registration price will be donated from Marcialonga to the projects team will decide to sustain. Very soon all the concerning NPO will be published. (LOOK AT THE NPO LIST)
Marcialonga Coop becomes a sport day in company of your friends, which offers the chance to be the real protagonist of a race that not only gives emotions to participants, but realizes the essential positive value of sport itself in the society. (LOOK AT THE PROGRAM)
Title sponsors
Main Sponsors
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Institutional Partners


text:
Department, Institute
Document Type
- Conference Object (34)
- Article (13)
- Book (2)
Year of publication
- 3D user interface (5)
- 3D user interfaces (2)
- Augmented reality (2)
- Navigation (2)
- Virtual Reality (2)
- Virtual reality (2)
- human factors (2)
- interface design (2)
- peripheral vision (2)
- virtual reality (2)
3D User Interfaces (2005)
Recent studies have shown that through a careful combination of multiple sensory channels, so called multisensory binding effects can be achieved that can be beneficial for collision detection and texture recognition feedback. During the design of a new pen-input device called Tactylus, specific focus was put on exploring multisensory effects of audiotactile cues to create a new, but effective way to interact in virtual environments with the purpose to overcome several of the problems noticed in current devices.
In this paper, we present an Augmented Reality (AR) system for aiding field workers of utility companies in outdoor tasks such as maintenance, planning or surveying of underground infrastructure. Our work addresses these issues using spatial interaction and visualization techniques for mobile AR applications and as well as for a new mobile device design. We also present results from evaluations of the prototype application for underground infrastructure spanning various user groups. Our application has been driven by feedback from industrial collaborators in the utility sector, and includes a translation tool for automatically importing data from utility company databases of underground assets.
This paper focuses on the design of devices for handheld spatial interaction. In particular, it addresses the requirements and construction of a new platform for interactive AR, described from an ergonomics stance, prioritizing human factors of spatial interaction. The result is a multi-configurable platform for spatial interaction, evaluated in two AR application scenarios. The user tests validate the design with regards to grip, weight balance and control allocation, and provide new insights on the human factors involved in handheld spatial interaction.
Environment monitoring using multiple observation cameras is increasingly popular. Different techniques exist to visualize the incoming video streams, but only few evaluations are available to find the best suitable one for a given task and context. This article compares three techniques for browsing video feeds from cameras that are located around the user in an unstructured manner. The techniques allow mobile users to gain extra information about the surroundings, the objects and the actors in the environment by observing a site from different perspectives. The techniques relate local and remote cameras topologically, via a tunnel, or via bird's eye viewpoint. Their common goal is to enhance spatial awareness of the viewer, without relying on a model or previous knowledge of the environment. We introduce several factors of spatial awareness inherent to multi-camera systems, and present a comparative evaluation of the proposed techniques with respect to spatial understanding and workload.
In this paper, we report on four generations of display-sensor platforms for handheld augmented reality. The paper is organized as a compendium of requirements that guided the design and construction of each generation of the handheld platforms. The first generation, reported in [17]), was a result of various studies on ergonomics and human factors. Thereafter, each following iteration in the design-production process was guided by experiences and evaluations that resulted in new guidelines for future versions. We describe the evolution of hardware for handheld augmented reality, the requirements and guidelines that motivated its construction.
This paper provides a classification of perceptual issues in augmented reality, created with a visual processing and interpretation pipeline in mind. We organize issues into ones related to the environment, capturing, augmentation, display, and individual user differences. We also illuminate issues associated with more recent platforms such as handhelds or projector-camera systems. Throughout, we describe current approaches to addressing these problems, and suggest directions for future research.
In this paper, we explore techniques that aim to improve site understanding for outdoor Augmented Reality (AR) applications. While the first person perspective in AR is a direct way of filtering and zooming on a portion of the data set, it severely narrows overview of the situation, particularly over large areas. We present two interactive techniques to overcome this problem: multi-view AR and variable perspective view. We describe in details the conceptual, visualization and interaction aspects of these techniques and their evaluation through a comparative user study. The results we have obtained strengthen the validity of our approach and the applicability of our methods to a large range of application domains.
In particular driven by today's game console technology, the number of 3D interaction techniques that integrate multiple modalities is steadily increasing. However, many developers do not fully explore and deploy the sensorimotor possibilities of the human body, partly because of methodological and knowledge limitations. In this paper, we propose a design approach for 3D interaction techniques, which considers the full potential of the human body. We show how "human potential" can be analyzed and how such analysis can be instrumental in designing new or alternative multi-sensory and potentially full body interfaces.
Analysing the Effects of a Wide Field of View Augmented Reality Display on Search Performance in Divided Attention Tasks (2014)
A wide field of view augmented reality display is a special type of head-worn device that enables users to view augmentations in the peripheral visual field. However, the actual effects of a wide field of view display on the perception of augmentations have not been widely studied. To improve our understanding of this type of display when conducting divided attention search tasks, we conducted an in depth experiment testing two view management methods, in-view and in-situ labelling. With in-view labelling, search target annotations appear on the display border with a corresponding leader line, whereas in-situ annotations appear without a leader line, as if they are affixed to the referenced objects in the environment. Results show that target discovery rates consistently drop with in-view labelling and increase with in-situ labelling as display angle approaches 100 degrees of field of view. Past this point, the performances of the two view management methods begin to converge, suggesting equivalent discovery rates at approximately 130 degrees of field of view. Results also indicate that users exhibited lower discovery rates for targets appearing in peripheral vision, and that there is little impact of field of view on response time and mental workload.
Within this article, we offer a new design perspective for the analysis, creation, and validation of 3D user interfaces using assistive technology as source of inspiration. While 3DUI design has matured over the last decade, many open issues remain to be solved. An assistive technology design perspective can aid: it can offer a stringent test environment to uncover issues and provides a different view on design by looking at human potential. Subsequently, we will look at major fields of interest, identifying pitfalls in 3DUI design and how assistive technology can be used to overcome these issues, outlining particular fields of research, or research directions, that deserve further attention.
We report on two experiments that deploy low-frequency audio and strong vibrations to induce haptic-like sensations throughout the human body. Vibration is quite frequently deployed in immersive systems, for example to provide collision feedback, but its actual effects are not well understood [Kruijff & Pander 2005; Kruijff et al. 2015]. The starting point of our experiments was a study by Rasmussen [Rasmussen 1982], which found that different vibration frequencies were experienced differently throughout the body. We will show how vibrations affect sensations throughout the body and may provide some directional cues to some parts of the body, yet also illustrate the difficulties.
In this article, we report on a user study investigating the effects of multisensory cues on triggering the emotional response in immersive games. Yet, isolating the effect of a specific sensory cue on the emotional state is a difficult feat. The performed experiment is a first of a series that aims at producing usable guidelines that can be applied to reproducing similar emotional responses, as well as the methods to measure the effects. As such, we are interested in methodologies to both design effective stimuli, and assess the quality and effect thereof. We start with identifying main challenges and the followed methodology. Thereafter, we closely analyze the study results to address some of the challenges, and identify where the potential is for improving the induced stimuli (cause) and effect, as well as the analytical methods used to pinpoint the extent of the effect.
This paper introduces a novel zooming interface deploying a pico projector that, instead of a second visual display, leverages audioscapes for contextual information. The technique enhances current flashlight metaphor approaches, supporting flexible usage within the domain of spatial augmented reality to focus on object or environment-related details. Within a user study we focused on quantifying the projection limitations related to depiction of details through the pico projector and validated the interaction approach. The quantified results of the study correlate pixel density, detail and proximity, which can greatly aid to design more effective, legible zooming interfaces for pico projectors - the study can form an example testbed that can be applied well for testing aberrations with other projectors. Furthermore, users rated the zooming technique using audioscapes well, showing the validity of the approach. The studies form the foundation for extending our work by detailing out the audio-visual approach and looking more closely in the role of real-world features on interpreting projected content.
The study of locomotion in virtual environments is a diverse and rewarding research area. Yet, creating effective and intuitive locomotion techniques is challenging, especially when users cannot move around freely. While using handheld input devices for navigation may often be good enough, it does not match our natural experience of motion in the real world. Frequently, there are strong arguments for supporting body-centered self-motion cues as they may improve orientation and spatial judgments, and reduce motion sickness. Yet, how these cues can be introduced while the user is not moving around physically is not well understood. Actuated solutions such as motion platforms can be an option, but they are expensive and difficult to maintain. Alternatively, within this article we focus on the effect of upper-body tilt while users are seated, as previous work has indicated positive effects on self-motion perception. We report on two studies that investigated the effects of static and dynamic upper body leaning on perceived distances traveled and self-motion perception (vection). Static leaning (i.e., keeping a constant forward torso inclination) had a positive effect on self-motion, while dynamic torso leaning showed mixed results. We discuss these results and identify further steps necessary to design improved embodied locomotion control techniques that do not require actuated motion platforms.
When navigating larger virtual environments and computer games, natural walking is often unfeasible. Here, we investigate how alternatives such as joystick- or leaning-based locomotion interfaces ("human joystick") can be enhanced by adding walking-related cues following a sensory substitution approach. Using a custom-designed foot haptics system and evaluating it in a multi-part study, we show that adding walking related auditory cues (footstep sounds), visual cues (simulating bobbing head-motions from walking), and vibrotactile cues (via vibrotactile transducers and bass-shakers under participants' feet) could all enhance participants' sensation of self-motion (vection) and involement/presence. These benefits occurred similarly for seated joystick and standing leaning locomotion. Footstep sounds and vibrotactile cues also enhanced participants' self-reported ability to judge self-motion velocities and distances traveled. Compared to seated joystick control, standing leaning enhanced self-motion sensations. Combining standing leaning with a minimal walking-in-place procedure showed no benefits and reduced usability, though. Together, results highlight the potential of incorporating walking-related auditory, visual, and vibrotactile cues for improving user experience and self-motion perception in applications such as virtual reality, gaming, and tele-presence.
The Effect of Visual Distractors in Peripheral Vision on User Performance in Large Display Wall Systems (2016)
Supported by their large size and high resolution, display walls suit well for different collaboration types. However, in order to foster instead of impede collaboration processes, interaction techniques need to be carefully designed, taking into regard the possibilities and limitations of the display size, and their effects on human perception and performance. In this paper we investigate the impact of visual distractors (which, for instance, might be caused by other collaborators' input) in peripheral vision on short-term memory and attention. The distractors occur frequently when multiple users collaborate in large wall display systems and may draw attention away from the main task, as such potentially affecting performance and cognitive load. Yet, the effect of these distractors is hardly understood. Gaining a better understanding thus may provide valuable input for designing more effective user interfaces. In this article, we report on two interrelated studies that investigated the effect of distractors. Depending on when the distractor is inserted in the task performance sequence, as well as the location of the distractor, user performance can be disturbed: we will show that distractors may not affect short term memory, but do have an effect on attention. We will closely look into the effects, and identify future directions to design more effective interfaces.
Head-mounted displays with dense pixel arrays used for virtual reality applications require high frame rates and low latency rendering. This forms a challenging use case for any rendering approach. In addition to its ability of generating realistic images, ray tracing offers a number of distinct advantages, but has been held back mainly by its performance. In this paper, we present an approach that significantly improves image generation performance of ray tracing. This is done by combining foveated rendering based on eye tracking with reprojection rendering using previous frames in order to drastically reduce the number of new image samples per frame. To reproject samples a coarse geometry is reconstructed from a G-Buffer. Possible errors introduced by this reprojection as well as parts that are critical to the perception are scheduled for resampling. Additionally, a coarse color buffer is used to provide an initial image, refined smoothly by more samples were needed. Evaluations and user tests show that our method achieves real-time frame rates, while visual differences compared to fully rendered images are hardly perceivable. As a result, we can ray trace non-trivial static scenes for the Oculus DK2 HMD at 1182 × 1464 per eye within the the VSync limits without perceived visual differences.
Human beings spend much time under the influence of artificial lighting. Often, it is beneficial to adapt lighting to the task, as well as the user's mental and physical constitution and well-being. This formulates new requirements for lighting - human-centric lighting - and drives a need for new light control methods in interior spaces. In this paper we present a holistic system that provides a novel approach to human-centric lighting by introducing simulation methods into interactive light control, to adapt the lighting based on the user's needs. We look at a simulation and evaluation platform that uses interactive stochastic spectral rendering methods to simulate light sources, allowing for their interactive adjustment and adaption.
In this course, we will take a detailed look at various breeds of spatial navigation interfaces that allow for locomotion in digital 3D environments such as games, virtual environments or even the exploration of abstract data sets. We will closely look into the basics of navigation, unraveling the psychophysics (including wayfinding) and actual navigation (travel) aspects. The theoretical foundations form the basis for the practical skillset we will develop, by providing an in-depth discussion of navigation devices and techniques, and a step-by-step discussion of multiple real-world case studies. Doing so, we will cover the full range of navigation techniques from handheld to full-body, highly engaging and partly unconventional methods and tackle spatial navigation with hands-on-experience and tips for design and validation of novel interfaces. In particular, we will be looking at affordable setups and ways to "trick" out users to enable a realistic feeling of self-motion in the explored environments. As such, the course unites the theory and practice of spatial navigation, serving as entry point to understand and improve upon currently existing methods for the application domain at hand.


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This article was originally written by me for The Little Writing Company and I wanted to share on here as it can be a concern for mums just like me. Arlo's not at the age where he is using iPads or playing computer games but I'm sure it won't be long, so it's good to know that actually a bit of screen time isn't as harmful as some make out!
Although it can be worrying knowing our kids are on the big wide web, modern day technology and all it's wonders is simply the way of the world now. But is that a bad thing?
Knowing the safety measures we can take to ensure our kids are using their screens properly and securely is of course key, but we shouldn't forget that our screens can prove hugely beneficial to our kids learning and development in addition to encouraging pen and paper activities.
Here I list 8 reasons why screen-time is good for our children.
1. Good visual attention
Is it tricky to get your little ones away from their screens? This has a lot do with how preoccupied they are, focusing on the task at hand and what is required of them next. Using technology will equip children to pay more attention to detail (big or small) to complete an activity.
This also helps their motivation, because many apps and games encourage children to complete a level in order to move on to the next one. This sort of learning process may prove beneficial later on in encouraging children to try to overcome the challenges in front of them away from their screens.
2. Discovering a new talent
Using technology may open up some doors for your child and they could discover new skills or even a talent. As parents you will start to learn their interests from how they respond to different activities online. Using technology or apps for writing exercises could kickstart your child's love of creative writing and stories, or exposing them to different music could unlock their love of singing. You never know!
3. Expressing their creativity
There are many apps that offer a chance for kids to get really creative and most importantly have fun and enjoy their screen time. Photography, music, funny faces, voice recordings and colouring are just some of the types of creative applications on offer for children to get stuck into. Peppa Pig Paintbox is a favourite in our house.
4. Reading and writing
There are lots of eBooks and other educational resources that can be located online which will give your child the opportunity to practise their reading and writing. Many online applications offer pronunciation tasks and are really engaging for kids. Not only do some apps encourage practising words aloud, some are multi-sensory and allow you to draw letters on the screen.
TIP: Still offer the dictionary and encourage your child to look up a word or spelling away from their screens. It will also be beneficial to use physical, fun and educational flash cards for reading and writing practice too.
5. Hand-eye co-ordination skills
By using online applications, children will start to follow objects on their screens and start to engage in their screen activity. This kind of hand-eye coordination is really beneficial as it's a skill which will be practised a lot at school when they are writing and drawing.
6. Enhances learning
In the simplest sense, once your children have learnt something, the internet doesn't just leave it at that. Research resources are limitless and can help children enhance and broaden their knowledge about something more than ever before – all in one place, the big wide web!
7. Bonding with family and friends
Modern-day technology gives our children the opportunity to speak to faraway family and friends on video chat. Whether they sing songs together or read stories, this is a special and personal online activity the whole family can benefit from.
8. Preparing for the future
Despite our views on technology and even the ambitions and goals of our children in the future, technology is everywhere and is almost guaranteed to be a part of their career. Getting them used to navigating online will give them a real advantage in their working life. Even before that, some schools are now incorporating screen time as part of their curriculum to support learning.


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Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. is one of the world's leading retailers and wholesalers of doughnuts and packaged sweets. The company owns and franchises Krispy Kreme doughnut stores which make and retail varieties of doughnuts and a wide range of coffees and other beverages. It operates about 530 stores both locally and in foreign countries like Australia, Canada, Indonesia, and Mexico among other countries. The company is head quartered in Winston-Salem in North Carolina, the US Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.
In this paper financial analysis is done between Krispy Kreme and average industry which is comprised of other companies in the restaurant industry for example the Starbucks and McDonalds.
Financial Ratio Analysis
Some of the key ratios analyzed in this case study includes the following: Return on Equity (ROE), Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Investments (ROI),profitability, margins and returns, liquidity and leverage, financial position and efficiency ratios.
Quick ratio: This is the measuring of liquidity ratio which is done by comparing current assets minus inventories divided by current liabilities. Krispy Kreme's quick ratio is 1.73, while the industry's is 0.69. This is a very positive ratio for the firm because it indicates that the firm has a competitive advantage over the industry when it comes to its ability to pay off its debt. i.e. its ability is superior as compared to that of the industry.
Inventory turnover ratio: this is cost of the goods sold divided by inventory. The firms turn over ratio is 20.03. This means that the company is able to sell their inventory in 18 days on average as compared to the industry's turn over which is 31.78 hence can sell their inventory in 11 days. From the fact that Krispy Kreme is a very liquid company, as far as speed of inventory is concerned, there are a little behind them.
Return on Assets (ROA): this is the key indicator in evaluating how the management is generating profits from operations. ROA is net income divided by total assets. The Krispy Kreme ROA is 12.28, while that of the industry is 9.15 and this considerable difference in the ratios means that the firm has a huge advantage in that for every dollar in total assets, Krispy produces $12.12 in net income as the industry produces $9.15; therefore it means that Krispy Kreme is good in using its assets to produce more income and thus high profit margin.
Price-to -sales multiple of the Krispy Kreme's is significantly higher (4.64) as compared to that of the industry (1.63) which means that it's very positive for medium to large sized firm.
The price-earnings multiple of the Krispy Kreme's is 16.18 while that of the industry is 21.73. this from investors perspective indicate that Krispy Kreme is extremely overpriced as compared to its competitors and earnings will continue to increase hence the company is more likely to increase their stock which is a generally a good sign for the company.
SWOT analysis of Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme's has the capability to align its strategy and execution of its brand potential. They have their priorities set on having both brand value and internal cultural values. Using their brand as a platform, it has developed strategies such as promoting, understanding and protecting their brand, penetrating complementary, offering off-premises channels of sells, and linking everything they do.
Also, Krispy Kreme are very committed to organization building through adaptation of common values of integrity, learning, sharing, authenticity and having positive expectations. Adopting commitment values affects both internal and external relationships which then serves as a stage for all policies and programs.
Krispy Kreme has limited challenges in developing a successful strategy in standard market cycle meaning that they can easily satisfy its customers needs which works to their advantage when it comes to competitive edge.
Also their Doughnut theater experience combined with clever marketing creates a myth for consumers. Krispy Kreme relies on word of mouth before which they flood the market with memorabilia including T-shirts and hats forming an unpaid loyalty base.
Their strongest marketing focus is their charitable efforts through wholesale charges to charities and giveaways and by doing this they emphasize on their value on commitment to the community.
Upgrading their extranet to a more standardized, browser interface where administrators can sign specific resources required by users for their framework while protecting important information from their competitors has proven to be a competitive advantage for the company. Here, information can be delivered to customers and employees anytime anywhere. Also, it allows the firm to operate more efficiently and stay ahead of competition while avoiding high hidden costs of technology ownership. In addition to the use of internet, customers can be emailed regular newsletters about the company and this removes the excessive costs of printing and distribution.
A looming problem for Krispy Kreme firm is the low inventory turnover ratio which currently averages approximately eighteen days as compared to the industry average of nine days. If not attended to quickly the firms supply line will continue to cost more money and reduce future profits.
The financial condition of Krispy Kreme is superior to that of its competitors but does have some areas that need improvement. Krispy Kreme's young management is showing that they want to be cautious and have employed an almost zero tolerance policy regarding debt.
Diversification strategy should be considered. Given the fact that its customers enjoy their sweetness of their doughnuts suggest that they also enjoy the prevailing environment. Perhaps by allowing customers to see the actually process of cooking and glazing the doughnuts will go along way to attracting more customers while keeping them loyal.
Since doughnuts are generally morning consumption, other freshness for the rest of the day should be explored for instance diversifying into fresh baked breads for evenings or deli-type sandwiches throughout the day.
Despite the fact that Krispy Kreme strategy of upgraded extranet services works well for the company now, there is an opportunity to consider alternatives in altering or expanding the same to suit the continuous growth of the company as they enter new markets.
Other trends such as the recurrence of health food manias and other consumer preference issues are also threats to Krispy Kreme's potential especially in terms of customer numbers.
Krispy Kreme needs to continuously reinvent their strategies to stay ahead in terms of competition as other company's in the same industry are posing serious competition in regard to doughnut tastes e.g. LaMar's Doughnuts is the biggest prospective threat to Krispy Kreme since they go to its customers by operating neighborhood bars and in high traffic areas.
One of the most troubling financial indicators for Krispy Kreme are their market value ratios (p/cf,p/b etc) which indicates that in the current market they are valued higher than their counterparts
Considering the financial analysis of Krispy Kreme, the firm is performing well in the industry and still has a great potential of even doing better. Analysis shows that the firm is still new in the market and has been able to differentiate itself and its products from its competitors. This therefore indicates that Krispy Kreme has bright future.


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A retired Chicago police officer accused of killing his wife could go to trial in February, but his attorney has questions about the man's mental state.
Attorneys set a tentative Feb. 4 trial date Tuesday morning for 73-year-old Lorin Volberding to go before a jury on murder charges.
Police arrested Volberding on Feb. 3, 2017, after finding his wife and fellow retired officer, Elizabeth Volberding, shot dead in the couple's Spring Grove home.
Lorin Volberding's attorney, Henry Sugden, agreed Tuesday to the February jury trial, but said he'd like to have a professional evaluate the man's mental state.
It's not the first time the subject has been brought up in court.
In a 2015 petition seeking an order of protection against Lorin Volberding, Elizabeth Volberding noted that her husband was diagnosed with "acute dementia" in December 2014.
She also wrote that Lorin Volberding came into her bedroom and threatened to kill her before going to the basement, where the couple stored their guns. Officers at the time had Lorin Volberding involuntarily admitted to the hospital for a mental health evaluation, according to the petition.
McHenry County Assistant State's Attorney Robert Zalud referenced the 2015 domestic situation in a request he filed shortly after Lorin Volberding arrived at the McHenry County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Zalud called the bond "unreasonably low" and requested that Judge Sharon Prather increase the amount, which she agreed to.
In August, Sugden unsuccessfully requested to reduce Lorin Volberding's bond and allow the 73-year-old to live with a family member in Chicago. Sugden cited several of Lorin Volberding's health problems, including surgery and a brush with throat cancer.
Lorin Volberding remained at the jail Tuesday on a $3 million bond on the murder charges.
He also faces more recent charges filed in March after police said he pushed a correctional officer at the county jail.