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sensitive light: photographing smoke | blog galleries (page size s m l ) |
Introduction Let me say straight away there is no right way to photograph smoke, it is largely a matter of experimentation to find out what works for you. This article is a description of my own methods, and a few things I have discovered along the way. I hope you find them useful. After ignoring smoke photography for 3 to 4 years I decided it was time to have another bash. In preparation for my latest smoke fest I searched the web for smoke images and smoke tutorials for inspiration and guidance from those taking smoke pictures while I was sitting with my feet up. Not surprisingly I found loads of them. Almost all the tutorials told me how easy it was to take smoke pictures, I spotted a gap in the market. I don't want to contradict anybody and say 'actually it is quite difficult' I just want to go into a little more detail and look at some of the pitfalls that could spoil the end results. Is yet another article on this subject necessary? There has been a how to photograph smoke article on sensitivelight.com since 2004 when it was the only article on the subject of coloured smoke photography. So it is not another article it is just the original one brought up to date. There is a lot of brilliant and stunning smoke art out there, but there are probably more out of focus, poorly exposed smoke art pictures on the web than there are out of focus poorly exposed pictures of cats. There must be a reason for this and it could be due to the lack of articles about what could be going wrong. Instead of directing this article at making the best smoke art pictures better, it is more to do with raising the standard within the genre as a whole. What I am looking for in my own work is well composed, clearly defined line and shape with smooth transition of smoke density throughout the image. The smoke should be, or at least appear to be, in focus across the image. Exposure should be controlled to the extent that there are no burned out whites or blocked up blacks in the smoke, unless this was the intention; blacks and whites do not take colour very well. Finally I should like to be able to print the image at 30 by 20 inches hang it on the wall and have it bear the scrutiny of those people who study large pictures from 6 inches away, you know the ones. That last part about large image size is probably the most difficult to achieve. Where to shoot The room where smoke art is created has a bearing on how the shooting session will go. For most control of the smoke plume a draught free room is required. For the sake of family life you may have to take into consideration the effect of incense and its smoke on the rest of the household. The ash from incense will mark fabric and carpets, probably not permanently but only you can know the implications of doing something dirty and smelly indoors. Ventilation is important for a number of reasons. After a while smoke will build up in the room you are using as a smoke studio. For your health it is important to be able to regularly clear the air. More importantly as smoke builds up it will scatter light, the background will become less black so you will lose contrast, and in the worst case you will be photographing through a haze which is not good for image sharpness. Smoke rises because it is hotter than the air around it, we know that much, but indoors it can only go so far. A shapeless fog of smoke will build up near the ceiling of the studio, and after a time as more smoke is added the fog will expand downwards until your eyes start to sting and you remember about ventilation. If you are working in a warm room the smoke will dissipate into a fog closer to the source (the smoldering tip of the incense stick) than it would in a cold room. So to some extent smoke pictures are going to look cleaner, crisper and more contrasty if shot in a cold room with a high ceiling than if shot in a warm room with a low ceiling. A room with an external door and windows would probably be best. Let the smoke build up for a while, say 20 minutes, then stop burning and then start flushing the room with clean air, use your judgement. Flushing will often result in lowering the room temperature which is also good. I find that 10 or 20 minutes with a particular configuration of lighting, camera settings, and smoke manipulation is long enough to want to run off to the computer and assess the results. Lighting the smoke Imagine a darkly appointed room with no shiny surfaces to encourage reflection. See it is lit by one small, high, single pane window, facing towards the sun, see the patch of sunlight on the floor. If the air in the room is dusty or smoky you will be able to see the whole ray of light from window to floor. If the air in the room is clean the ray will be invisible and just the patch of light on the floor will catch the sunlight. In the clean air room set a smoke column to pass through the sunbeam and photograph the smoke against the dark walls of the room. With any camera, and no tricks, simple effective smoke pictures can be taken ready for post processing. I have never found the right room, but I know some people have, and it saves an awful lot of messing about. On the down side this setup will only work at a certain time of day, if it is sunny, and not at all at night. Sunlight also has the annoying habit of moving around the room. The alternative that almost all of us are forced into is to light the smoke artificially. To enable the smoke to be seen there needs to be good contrast between the brightly lit smoke and the dark, unlit background. To get the degree of contrast required, in most cases the only option is a flash unit. Unfortunately most if not all on camera flash units will not be satisfactory, as the light that falls on the smoke will go on to fall on the background, reducing the contrast between smoke and background. An off camera remote flash unit is the way to go. One unit should be enough to light the scene although two or more units could be arranged to give a more even light across the area where the smoke is expected. The final placement of the lights is part of the trial and error, or experimentation you will need to go through. I have read several accounts where photographers have placed the lights low and angle them slightly upwards into the smoke, I dont do this I prefer to have the lights roughly level with the subject area. My reason is that as the smoke tends to be denser the closer it is to the source and I would prefer not to concentrate most of the light into the densest areas, instead go for a more even lighting. Flash to subject distance has to be considered, if the lights are too close to the smoke there will be a falloff of light from one side of the subject to the other, experiment. What happens to the light after it hits the smoke is a matter of supreme importance. We dont want any light to fall on or be reflected onto the background, similarly we dont want it to be shining on the camera creating flare. A lot can be achieved with some black card, scissors and a roll of sticky tape. Basic lighting setup As I am the proud owner of two studio flash units that is what I use. These two equally powered units are seen here set behind the smoke and at about 30 degrees off the viewing axis. I find that having the lights more behind than to the side of the smoke gives a better sense of depth and transparency in the shot. There is card hanging off the lights to ensure they dont leak onto the background, and card wrapped around the little vase holding the incense stick to stop reflections. The other items on the table are tea lights to manipulate the flow of smoke, more about these later, and a piece of cooking foil that has been shaped by scrunching it around my little finger, I just pop the foil on top of the incense stick to put it out. Flags to stop lens flare More black card, this time used as flags to stop the light from the flash heads from reaching the lens. I want to stress at this point that studio lights are not necessary, any off camera flash unit will work. Psycho_Babble the administrator of the flickr group Smoke and Mirrors wrote to say 'My crude set-up involves photographing with just an off camera flash and a simple black felt background, in the garage, no less.' We just use what we have available, I think exploiting the garage as a smoke studio is an excellent idea. The background. The nearer to black you can make your background the better. It may not sound all that important now, but when it comes to post processing, manipulating light levels and colour, having a black background is important. Black or scientific black (RGB 0,0,0) is immune to most of the post processing you will do later on, whereas dark grey or any other colour except white is not. Looking back at the picture of the basic lighting setup you can see several blacks in the picture. There is the black of the bed linen on the table and on the wall behind the lights, the black of the card hanging off the lights, and in the centre of the wall the true background for photographing is a length of cotton velvet, clearly they are not all the same. Available from fabric shops cotton velvet gives the densest, darkest, least reflective surface I have found to date. A similar product, nylon velvet has a reflective sheen and is not as good as that made of cotton. You may think that I am making too much of this black business, after all you can always pick up a black paintbrush in your image editor and make all the non smoke areas RGB black. In fact I often do this. However, where you want to preserve the natural look of a veil of smoke getting thinner and thinner until it finally disappears altogether, a paintbrush is not going to help if the background wasnt black to start with. If your background is not quite black there is another route you could take in post processing. Use the black point slider in your raw converter, or the black pointer in the Photoshop levels pallet, and force the not so black into true black. Again though, this is destructive, and that delicate diminishing veil is going to look far less delicate. Sources of smoke Anything small and non toxic that will smoulder without going out is a potential source of smoke. I use incense sticks because they are reasonably clean, reasonably cheap, easy to manage, burn for a long time, and have a light smooth smoke that dissipates easily after they have been extinguished. Not all incense sticks are equal, the smoke from all I have used appears grey to the eye. After some colour saturation is applied to the image all will appear to have colour and some will display multiple colours intertwined. This is due to the construction of the stick having different elements that produce different colours in the smoke. The picture used as a banner right at the top of this page is from an incense stick that presents (after saturation) different colours in the smoke. This picture has had only global edits to the colour, no local edits were necessary. It was not until 2010 that I realised such sticks existed and now I have a choice between monochrome and duotone smoke to work with. Speak to your local incense specialist retailer and ask them which sticks are best for producing smoke, they might know just the right product. By the way, I did try garden incense sticks thinking they would be bigger and produce more dense smoke; they were and they did. It was the only time I felt light headed from the effects of inhaling too much smoke, I recommend that garden incense sticks should only be used in the garden. I have also experimented with tobacco products (I did this for you, so that you wouldn't have to. Thank you Graham.) which keep burning, produce a good quality smooth smoke, monochrome blue in colour, but are too expensive and no better than ordinary incense sticks. I tried paper, specifically the absorbent kitchen towel and also toilet roll. I took a couple of sheets and twisted them into a stick that would stand upright. Always at hand and virtually no cost the paper smouldered well without going out, it produced quit a lot of dense single colour grey/blue smoke. Interestingly the twist in the paper was reflected in the smoke, the lowest part of the plume exhibited a twist rather than the smooth laminar flow we would normally see. Unfortunately there is a downside, paper produces a lot of dirty ash. It also has a bad smell, not so much whilst burning but after it has been snuffed out. I left the remains of a partially burned paper roll in the studio overnight, and it took days to purge the room of that burnt paper smell. Manipulating the smoke. In perfectly still air the smoke will rise in a straight column driven by the heat from the smouldering source. After a certain height there will be slight turbulence and then the smoke will accumulate in a cloud. Try to avoid getting the cloud in the picture, it spoils focus and contrast. Unless breathing and heartbeat stop it is unlikely that this will happen whilst photographing smoke. There will be some air movement and you should see shapes forming in the smoke. To vary the patterns try wafting or blowing near the smoke. Another way to change the shape of the smoke is to introduce a small obstruction to the path of the smoke, I have used spoons, a cheese grater, and other sundry items, each seems to have its own profile in the way the smoke is affected. By using obstructions the drag on the smoke seems to slow down the turbulence making the smoke move lazily. To slow down the smoke even more introduce an obstruction like a funnel at an angle that will move the smoke column so that it is no longer directly above the heat. To speed up the smoke (and raise that cloud I mentioned earlier) add more heat. This can be done by placing 3 or 4 lit candles (I use tea lights) around the source of the smoke at a distance of a few inches. Focus. Out of focus smoke in smoke art holds very few charms for me. Where smoke is concerned, in or out of focus is a subjective assessment that we all have to make with each picture. Sharpening tools are getting better year by year but there isnt much I can do with a mainly out of focus image except delete it or heavily crop it into focus. To auto focus or to prefocus on the smoke is a contentious issue, there is something to say in favour off both methods. Just experiment and see what works best for you. I am firmly in the prefocus camp, I focus on where I expect the smoke to be. I usually stand away from the viewfinder to better see the shapes forming. It is a lot easier to react to a developing shape if you can see the whole scene; if you wait to see the perfect smoke shape in the viewfinder the chances are that youll be too late. It is best to use a remote release for this. If you are having trouble with focus it may be because from behind the camera you cant judge exactly where the smoke is in relation to distance from the lens. Try this, before lighting the incense but after your camera position, focal length and aperture have been decided. Set some markers in front and behind the incense, focus on the incense and fire a couple of test shots. Then assess where the area of acceptable focus lies. Leave one marker for the nearest point of acceptable focus, and one for the furthest. Now by using a remote release you can stand alongside the smoke and only shoot when you see a plume within these markers. Checking the exposure. Take just a few shots to start with; this is the time to check the exposure. Checking the histogram at this stage wont help unless you already have experience of shooting smoke. There is no bell curve with smoke photography, these are not shots in the park, they are shots in the dark. I recommend that you process a few shots at this stage to ensure you have all the settings right. Adjust the exposure so that the brightest part of the smoke is almost white. Over exposure will lose some detail and the smoke will look blocky and unattractive. Under exposure will result in lack of contrast and the smoke will blend too well with the background. Practise, and lots of it, is required to get all the exposure settings right. The trouble with image size. Smoke photography is a trial and error business, with the number of usable images representing a very small percentage of those taken. All I want is a beautiful shape, beautifully focused, and beautifully exposed. If all the basics are right this will happen from time to time, but to have it fill the frame as well appears to be asking too much. This has seldom, if ever, happened for me. It doesnt matter what the focal length of the lens is, you are always going to struggle with depth of field if you are photographing smoke in its turbulent phase. More precisely depth of field and acceptable image size in pixels. If you stand far enough back you can get the whole room in focus but the number of pixels devoted to the smoke will be tiny. I did innumerable trials using different lenses and focal lengths before I realised that it just doesnt make any real difference. I wont say dont waste your time, research is always good, just dont be surprised if you never find that magic focal length. If you are using one of those new 80 megapixel digital backs you are going to get more usable smoke pixels, but if your camera is more modestly endowed in that department you will have to resign yourself to relying on luck to get that really large image. The alternative is to build your smoke art from multiple exposures, that way there is no limit to the size of file you can create. Post processing. It is not my intention to delve into the black arts of Photoshop, we all have our own levels of expertise, favourite techniques etc. Most of what you have learnt, or will learn about image enhancement can be applied to smoke pictures. This section is about principals rather than recipes. Over time I must have used about every blending mode, third party plugin, and technique that I have available to me, but in the end simple is usually best. After the initial selection process, which takes the longest time, I start to work on an image. In the second phase of the selection process I open the image in a RAW processor, I am using Adobe Lightroom at the moment. If you are shooting in JPEG then use the image editor of your choice but RAW would be better because of the wide latitude afforded by that file format. Pump up the saturation not to maximum, if saturation is too high there is a risk of introducing noise. Tweak the colour temperature, again watch out for added noise if this is taken too far. Play with exposure, and the black point. Look at the cropping possibilities. Throw out all but the best. Cleanup. With the remainder it is time for the cleanup. Paint all the almost blacks in the background with RGB 0,0,0. Be careful not to swipe away any usable smoke. Use a hard brush if you are painting up close to a hard edge and a soft brush near soft edges. Spot the picture for sensor dust, and environmental dust, you were after all just before shooting, wafting dust around the studio. In the same way that dust appears, so do black holes, little patches where the smoke is less dense than its surrounding area, spot healing will do the trick. When you think you have dealt with all the spots invert the image and deal with the ones you have missed. Having now seen the smoke both on a black and a white background you will know which is more appealing. Applying colour. There are loads of ways to apply colour to the smoke I suggest you dabble, and experiment. I have tried lots of methods, from soft selections with colour balance and hue/saturation to gradient layers with the blend mode set to colour. There is no limits to, and certainly no correct way of applying colour. Sharpening or not. I would recommend that any sharpening is applied sparingly, to see artefacts on the edge of the smoke is not attractive. In some images I have gone the other way and applied a very small amount of edge sharpening combined with surface blur to smooth out the non edge areas of smoke. Try anything. Conclusion. I have found creating smoke art at times both frustrating and very satisfying. Some people manage to get things right from the word go and others have had to struggle to produce decent pictures. I hope that, if you intend to have a go at creating coloured smoke pictures, these notes help to put you straight into the first group. Have fun. I would love to have comments from anyone who feels that they can add to this article, or even disagree with what I have said for that matter. If you have experience of smoke photography and have something to say that might help others then please leave a comment. I should be particularly grateful to hear from anyone who has experience of different sources of smoke, especially if they exhibit multiple colours or pass on other distinctive qualities to the smoke, like the twist from twisted paper. For more smoke photographs see the Smoke art collection or the Smoke wheels collection Thanks, Graham. |
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© copyright Graham Jeffery 2003-12 | Hinckley smoke art photographer Graham Jeffery of Sensitive Light photography presents: Tips on photographing smoke |


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Adele artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
February 17, 2011 In a three-song set at the NPR Music offices, the U.K. pop star showcases her brilliant voice.
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March 9, 2011 Rock critic Ken Tucker says Adele's second album, 21, effectively showcases her powerful voice.
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December 20, 2011 Fresh Air's critic looks back on a fruitful year and lists his favorite music releases of 2011.
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February 15, 2011 This week on All Songs Considered, the members of Seattle's Fleet Foxes break a three-year silence.


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In which I berate a fellow mother, but seriously, she totally deserves it
July 29, 2010
So there I was, hanging out at the Popular Neighborhood Play Area, minding my own business, by which I mean: MY OWN KIDS. I don't know about you, but I don't want to parent anybody else's children when hanging out at the Popular Neighborhood Play Area. It's been known to happen, of course, and when it does I blog about it. YOU ARE WELCOME.
My two excruciatingly adorable kiddos were clambering up and down the play structure, swooshing down the slide, and running over to me to hug my legs and proffer their chubby little cheeks for kisses. SO. ADORABLE. Right? There was no fighting and no whining and there I stood, congratulating myself on what an excellent job I've so obviously done in the Parenting Department. I take all credit! Where is my crown?!
One of them was sitting at the top of the slide, patiently waiting for the Shirley Temple-curled two-year-old at the bottom to remove her fanny from the slide so he could slide down. The way a slide is intended to be used. My heart fairly burst, Internet. Look at that darling little boy, waiting oh so calmly, with nary a shout or complaint!
But instead of moving her little behind, Shirley Temple started to climb up the slide. Oh dear.
Being two, she didn't get very far. Even when she realized climbing up was not going to work, she still didn't get out of the way. Then she took her pacifier out and hurled it at the slide. It slid down. Oh what fun! A new game!
Since it was a double slide, kids were still shooting down, but Jack, splendid boy that he is, was still at the top of the other side of the slide, glancing back and forth between me and Shirley Temple's mother. Who was sitting on a bench off to the side, talking with another mother, and, need I even add, totally wondrously oblivious.
Now, I don't know what YOU do in these situations, but my preferred course of action is NOTHING. I realize I could have gently guided Shirley away from the slide. I could have coaxed Jack off the slide, or negotiated a spot for him in the line for the other slide. I did none of these things, however. I prefer to have the first crack at parenting my child and assume others do too. I mean, her mother was RIGHT THERE. The situation was GLARINGLY APPARENT. It went on long enough that I probably should have just "nudged" her out of the way with a well-placed flip flop, but I didn't. I stood there staring at Shirley's mother, wondering when she was going to get a clue. Because at this point, Shirley was hurling her pacifier all over the slide, throwing herself on the ground in front of the slide and basically behaving as if the slide was entirely hers, and it was a horrible affront to her very existence that other children dared to touch it.
Finally, Shirley's mother's FRIEND noticed Shirley, and went to pick her up. As she held Shirley, my kid, no dummy, dove down the slide. Then the friend inexplicably put Shirley right back down in front of the slide and everything went back to normal - Shirley's mother went back to chatting, Shirley went back to hogging the slide.
My kids had caught on by this point, and, having ditched the slide all together, it was no longer an issue. I think I even lost track of Shirley at that point. La la la! Pretty tame as far as playground incidents go, am I right?
BUT THEN. I noticed Shirley wander a bit away from her mother and start to sort of climb on the fence. Not a big deal. She couldn't get out and I couldn't really see how she could hurt herself. I ignored it. Well, I ignored it until I heard the wailing. All out WAILING, Internet. And I looked down and to my right and there was Shirley trapped between the gap in the fence, half out, half in. STUCK.
And her mother hadn't even turned around.
With the sigh of a great and saintly martyr, I marched over to Shirley and yanked her out. Oh yes I did. She wasn't hurt, just frightened, I think. I am not a fan of getting stuck either.
The friend SORT of noticed, and began to stand up and finally - FINALLY! - the mother turned around. Feeling stupid, because 1) this wasn't my kid and 2) THIS WASN'T MY KID, I left Shirley to howl on the ground while the mother ambled over to see what was up. Then without saying ONE SINGLE WORD to the woman who rescued her daughter (ME!), without even making EYE contact, she picked up Shirley and dusted her off, put her in the stroller and away they went. It was almost as if the mother thought it was MY fault Shirley was shrieking, but you know I have a more generous and charitable soul than to think such a thing.
OH, what an irritating morning! I'm not even going to tell you about the lady in the bathroom, who had only the ONE older kid and NO stroller, who did not bother to hold the door open for me and my TWO tiny children and my one horribly ginormous double stroller and, in fact, let it slam shut on my stroller wheel. No, surely I'm a bigger person than to mention THAT.
Alas, the universe is not going to let me get away with posting this on the worldwide web for everyone else to see. Tomorrow I am totally going to run over someone with the ginormous stroller, or get caught talking on my phone while my kid steals another kid's shovel, I just know it. But I'm complainy today, all right? I'm kind of fist shaky. You know I totally space out on the job too, I just try to do it at HOME where no one can SEE. Come ON mothers of the Popular Neighborhood Play Area! GET A CLUE.
Visit Mighty Maggie's personal blog.


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Ice Cube stopped by "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Wednesday to talk about his ESPN documentary Straight Outta L.A., the Raiders' influence on N.W.A., and reports that he was dissing Dr. Dre on his new track "Drink the Kool-Aid."
"Nah, man. Dre's my man," he said in response to the controversy. "It's all compliments. It's called style and grace in hip-hop."
He also revealed that he was recently in the studio with Dre working on Detox and his new album I Am the West, due July 13.
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Ice Cube tha Greatest
Good interview :) cube packing good ;)
Yeaaa Yeeeaa!!!!
yea<< yea<< yeah Ice cube realy from the west
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He's out of his gourd!
People just don't understand what is involved in this. This an art-form! You know, I think that most people just think that I hold a camera and point at stuff, but there is a heck of a lot more to it than just that.
Do you have life insurance, Phil? Because if you do, you could always use a little more, I mean, who couldn't? But let me tell something - I got's a feeling [whistles] you ain't got any. Am I right or am I right or am I right?
Ned Ryerson
I have an alcoholic now.
Young psychiatrist
I think we should meet again, how's tomorrow for you?
Young psychiatrist
Friends don't let friends drive.
Hey Phil, if we wanted to hit mailboxes we could let Ralph drive.
Hey who else could go for some flap jacks right now?
He's my student.
Piano teacher


text:
Everybody loves books, everybody loves TeX, and everybody loves a bargain. Stock up today!
On this page we gather book-related links: books published by TUG and others, discounts from various publishers, book reviews, and more. If you'd like your TeX-related book to be reviewed, please drop a line to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Books published by TUG - Books by Donald E. Knuth - Other notable books - Affiliations and Discounts - Book reviews
These books can be ordered through TUG, or from most online bookstores. They are also available electronically to TUG members.
In June 2010, TUG published TeX's 25 Anniversary: A Commemorative Collection, a hardcover book of selected articles from TUGboat by Donald Knuth and other members of the original Stanford TeX project, with a foreword by Barbara Beeton and drawings by Duane Bibby. | |
In July 2009, TUG published TeX People: Interviews from the world of TeX, a book of more than fifty interviews from the TUG Interview Corner. |
The TeXbook by Donald E. Knuth. Available in hardcover or spiral bound. Novice and expert users alike will gain from The TeXbook the level of information they seek. Knuth warns newcomers away from the more difficult areas, while he entices experienced users with new challenges. The novice need not learn much about TeX to prepare a simple manuscript with it. But for the preparation of more complex documents, The TeXbook contains all the detail required.
The METAFONTbook by Donald E. Knuth. Metafont is a computer language that allows you to produce professional quality typefaces using mathematical type design. The METAFONTbook, a users guide and reference manual, enables readers with only minimal computer science or word processing experience to master the basic as well as the more advanced areas of Metafont programming.
Computers and Typesetting by Donald E. Knuth. This Millennium Boxed Set—five elegantly printed books that describe their own method of creation—celebrates Knuth's monumental coupling of programming and typography. Originally published in 1986, each volume has changed so much in subsequent printings that nearly every page has been touched in some way. Improvements to the books have followed developments in digital printing technology; they also reflect corrections submitted over the years by thousands of volunteers.
The Art of Computer Programming by Donald E. Knuth. This multivolume work is widely recognized as the definitive description of classical computer science. The first three volumes have for decades been an invaluable resource in programming theory and practice for students, researchers, and practitioners alike. It was also Knuth's proximate cause for creation of the TeX system.
The Art of Computer Programming, volume 4A, part 1 by Donald E. Knuth. In this long-awaited new volume, the old master turns his attention to some of his favorite topics in broadword computation and combinatorial generation (exhaustively listing fundamental combinatorial objects, such as permutations, partitions, and trees), as well as his more recent interests, such as binary decision diagrams.
Companion to the Papers of
Donald Knuth, by Donald Knuth, (Center for the Study of Language
and Information, Stanford, 2012. 441+xiii pp. Paperback,
$35.00, ISBN 978-1575866345. Hardcover, $70.00,
In this volume, Knuth explains and comments on the changes he has made to his work over the last twenty years in response to new technologies and the evolving understanding of key concepts in computer science. His commentary is supplemented by a full bibliography of his works and a number of interviews, which shed light on his professional life and publications, as well as provide interesting biographical details.
Typography, by Donald Knuth, which collects most of his TeX-related
papers and reports (Center for the Study of Language
and Information, ISBN 978-1575860107, 685pp).
A discount for this book is available. |
These are listed in alphabetical order by author.
A Specimen Portfolio of Wood Type in the Cary Collection (RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press,
Rochester. 2011. 305 pp. Spiral-bound, US$19.95. ISBN 978-1-933360-44-7). This book showcases over 250 of our best wood type specimens, including many complete fonts and samples from unusual designs. All specimen reproductions were painstakingly printed from the original wood type blocks, some distressed with 100 years of use and abuse. The resulting compendium is a rich typographic resource sure to delight any designer, scholar, collector and student of graphic arts history.
Manual of Typography, by Giambattista Bodoni (Stephan Füssel, editor. Taschen, 2010.
1208 pp. Hardcover, US$69.99. ISBN 978-3-8365-0553-6).
The two-volume set—published posthumously in a limited edition of 250—features 142 sets of roman and italic typefaces, a wide selection of borders, ornaments, symbols, and flowers, as well as Greek, Hebrew, Russian, Arabic, Phoenician, Armenian, Coptic, and Tibetan alphabets.
What Our Lettering Needs:
The Contribution of Hermann Zapf
to Calligraphy & Type Design at Hallmark Cards, by Rick Cusic (RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press,
Rochester. 2011. 136 pp. Paperback, US$24.95.
ISBN 978-1-933360-55-3). This book is a thorough account of Herman Zapf's contributions to the artistry and success of Hallmark Cards, an experience that is now fully blended into the company's rich retiage.
LaTeX and Friends, by Marc van Dongen (Springer, Feb. 29,
2012, x+330pp., 145 ill., 15 in color. Hardcover, $69.95
approx., ISBN 978-3-642-23815-4).
This book teaches all the ins and outs of LaTeX which are needed to write an article, report, thesis, or book. The book teaches by example, giving many worked out examples showing input and output side by side. The book presents the most recent techniques for presenting data plots, complex graphics, and computer presentations, but does not require previous knowledge. However, it is also a reference for the more seasoned user, with pointers to modern techniques and packages. Recurring themes in the book are consistent and effective presentation, planning and development, controlling style and content, and maintenance.
Trees, maps, and theorems, by Jean-luc Doumont (Principiae, Kraainem, Belgium. 192pp. Hardcover, $96.00, ISBN 978-90-813677-07).
Based on hundreds of interactive training sessions,
Trees, maps, and theorems offers overall guidelines
and practical tips toward getting messages across
optimally in written documents, oral presentations,
and graphical displays.
The Computer Science of TeX and LaTeX, by Victor Eijkhout (Lulu, 2012, 234 pp.
Paperback, US$17.05. ISBN 978-1-105-41591-3). PDF available (free) at http://eijkhout.net/texsci.
This book uses the TeX and LaTeX system to provide an introduction to a number of computer science topics.
This book is based on the lecture notes of a course taught at the University of Tennessee.
Just My Type: A book about fonts, by Simon Garfield (Gotham Books, 2011. 356 pp. Hardcover, US$27.50.
What does your favorite font say about you?
LaTeX, by David Griffiths and Desmond Higham (SIAM, ISBN
978-0-898713-83-1, 1997, 84pp).
A short example-based book covering
core LaTeX and a few packages.
Design for Hackers. Reverse-Engineering Beauty by David Kadavy
(Wiley &
Sons, 2011. 352 pp., Paperback, US39.99.
ISBN 978-1-119-99895-2). Learn the principles of beautiful design.
About more alphabets:
The types of Hermann Zapf by Jerry Kelly. Preface by Robert Bringhurst (The
Typophiles. 2011. 112 pp., 4.5′′× 7′′. Hardcover,
US$35.00. ISBN 9780984274406). This book, a companion volume to the Typophile Chapbook About Alphabets (1960, updated 1970), describes Zapf's post-1970 type designs and provides new research on many of the earlier types.
The Art of the Book in the Twentieth Century by Jerry Kelly (RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press,
Rochester. 2011. 200 pp. Hardcover, US$39.95.
ISBN 78-1-933360-46-1). Through the selection of eleven master designers, Jerry Kelly illustrates a wide range of styles: from classically inspired design and historical revival, to novel and modern layouts.
Guide to LaTeX, 4th Edition by Helmut Kopka and Patrick W. Daly. This popular book shows you how to begin using LaTeX to create high-quality documents. The book also serves as a handy reference for all LaTeX users. In this completely revised edition, the authors cover the LaTeX2e standard and offer more details, examples, exercises, tips, and tricks. They go beyond the core installation to describe the key contributed packages that have become essential to LaTeX processing. As did the three best-selling editions that preceded it, Guide to LaTeX, Fourth Edition will prove indispensable to anyone wishing to gain the benefits of LaTeX.
LaTeX Beginner's Guide by Stefan Kottwitz (Packt Publishing,
Birmingham-Mumbai, 2011. 314 pp.
Paperback, US$44.99). Create high-quality and professional-looking texts, articles, and books for Business and Science using LaTeX
Introduction to LaTeX by Leo Liu (Publishing House
of Electronics Industry (China), July, 2013, 566
pp., Paperback, CNY ¥79, ISBN 978-7-121-20208-7).
A review is available. |
LaTeX: A Document Preparation System, 2nd Edition by Leslie Lamport. This authoritative user's guide and reference manual for the LaTeX computer typesetting system has been revised to document features now available in the new standard software release—LaTeX2e. The new edition features additional styles and functions, improved font handling, and enhanced graphics capabilities. Other parts of the book have been revised to reflect user comments and suggestions. Selected sections have been rewritten to explain challenging concepts or functions, and the descriptions of both MakeIndex and BibTeX have been updated.
Plain TeX with PostScript - Integrating Plain TeX with PostScript by William Maguire. The book outlines a collection of the author's favourite TeX macros and PostScript procedures, which he has developed over the past three years. The book avoids the more esoteric aspects of plain TeX and covers macros totalling less than 1000 lines that can be used to produce a wide range of documents (including the book itself). Plain TeX offers the greatest flexibility in controlling font sizes, page layout and control of headers and footers without some of the constraints that are imposed by LaTeX packages.
The LaTeX Companion, 2nd Edition by Frank Mittelbach, Michel Goossens, Johannes Braams, David Carlisle, and Chris Rowley. The LaTeX Companion has long been the essential resource for anyone using LaTeX to create high-quality printed documents. This completely updated edition brings you all the latest information about LaTeX and the vast range of add-on packages now available—over 200 are covered! Full of new tips and tricks for using LaTeX in both traditional and modern typesetting, this book will also show you how to customize layout features to your own needs—from phrases and paragraphs to headings, lists, and pages.
The LaTeX Web Companion: Integrating TeX, HTML, and XML by Michel Goossens, Sebastian Rahtz, Eitan M. Gurari, Ross Moore, and Robert S. Sutor. This book shows how you can publish LaTeX documents on the web. LaTeX was born of the scientist's need to prepare well-formatted information, particularly with pictures and mathematics included; the web was born of the scientist's need to communicate information electronically. Until now, it has been difficult to find solutions that address both needs. HTML and today's Web browsers deal inadequately with the nontextual components of scientific documents. This book, at last, describes tools and techniques for transforming LaTeX sources into web formats for electronic publication, and for transforming web sources into LaTeX documents for optimal printing.
The LaTeX Graphics Companion, 2nd Edition by Michel Goossens, Frank Mittelbach, Sebastian Rahtz, Denis Roegel, Herbert Voss. The LaTeX typesetting system remains a popular choice for typesetting a wide variety of documents, from papers, journal articles, and presentations to books, especially those that include technical text or demand high-quality composition. This book is the most comprehensive guide to making illustrations in LaTeX documents, and it has been completely revised and expanded to include the latest developments in LaTeX graphics. The authors describe the most widely used packages, and provide hundreds of solutions to the most commonly encountered LaTeX illustration problems.
LaTeX Companions, Third Revised Boxed Set: A Complete Guide and Reference
for Preparing, Illustrating, and Publishing Technical
by Frank Mittelbach, Michel Goossens, Sebastian Rahtz, Helmut Kopka,
Patrick Daly.
This attractively priced boxed set
comprises four authoritative books on the LaTeX software system for
typesetting documents. Because LaTeX is especially good for
technical documents and is freely available for almost any computer
system, it has become a lingua franca of the scientific world.
Whether you are new to LaTeX or want to be sure that your LaTeX
library is current and complete, you will find a useful place for
this set on your reference shelf.
Zapf Exhibition:
The Calligraphy of Hermann & Gudrun Zapf, by Minako Sando & Akira Kobayashi (Japan
Letter Arts Forum, 2011, 64 pp. Paperback, US$29.95).
The exhibition was held in Tokyo in September, 2011. It was planned to be held in spring, which are the dates on the catalog, but it was postponed to September due to the earthquake and tsunami. The Japan Letter Arts Forum (J-LAF) and Akira Kobayashi, type director for Linotype GmBH, organized the exhibition.
LaTeX for Complete Novices, by Nicola L. C. Talbot (Dickimaw Books, 2012, x+279 pp. Paperback,
This introductory book covers the very basics of LaTeX with exercises along the way to get you started.
Using LaTeX to Write a PhD Thesis, by Nicola L. C. Talbot (Dickimaw Books, 2012, x+279 pp. Paperback,
This is a follow-on from LaTeX for Complete Novices geared towards students who want to use LaTeX to write their PhD theses.
Unicode Standard: Version 5.0.
This new edition of Unicode's official reference manual has been substantially updated to document the latest revisions to the Unicode Standard, with hundreds of pages of new information. It includes major revisions to text, figures, tables, definitions, and conformance clauses, and provides clear and practical answers to common questions. For the first time, the book contains the Unicode Standard Annexes, which specify vital processes such as text normalization and identifier parsing.
Tables with LaTeX, by Herbert Voß (UIT Cambridge, ISBN
978-1-906860-25-7, 2011, 240pp).
A practical book on typesetting
tables with LaTeX, covering many packages.
Mathematics with LaTeX, by Herbert Voß (UIT Cambridge, ISBN
978-1-906860-17-2, 2010, 304pp).
A practical book on typesetting mathematics with LaTeX, covering many packages. |
Presentations with
LaTeX, by Herbert Voß (DANTE e.V., Lehmanns Media, 2012, 2012. 212 pp.
Paperback, €19.95. ISBN 9783865414960).
This books how show to create presentations with the two most important classes, powerdot and beamer. In addition to the basic functionality, examples illustrate how to realise a custom corporate design to create a custom document class or package.
PSTricks: Graphics and PostScript for
TeX and LaTeX, by Herbert Voß (UIT Cambridge, 2011. 928 pp.
Paperback, US$64.99. ISBN 9781906860134).
The book describes everything, from how to draw simple lines on curves, to creating three-dimensional images, trees, knots, charts, etc. The book contains hundreds of examples, with ready-to-run code, for hardcopy or PDF output.
LaTeX Quick Reference, by Herbert Voß (UIT Cambridge, 2011. vi+234 pp.
Paperback, US$29.95. ISBN 9781906860219).
This is a quick-reference book for LaTeX users.
Alphabet Stories by Hermann Zapf (RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press,
Rochester. 2008. 150 pp. Hardcover, US$65.00.
ISBN 978-1-933360-29-4). Written as an anecdotal first-person account, the reader is treated to Zapf's personal recollections of technical breakthroughs. Zapf reveals milestones tracing his education in 1930s Germany, to his work on forefront of computer-aided typesetting in the 1970s, to the tour de force design of a complex calligraphic font — Zapfino in the late '90s. Vivid reproductions of Zapf's calligraphy, production proofs, typographic specimens, and photographs complete the portrait of one of the most prolific designers of our time.
All discounts, except for Pearson's, are exclusive for TUG members in good standing. The codes for the discounts can be found in the TUG members area.
The procedure is to register at InformIT.com (Pearson's online store), and specify TEXUG for your "Member Code". Then any purchases at their store will receive the 30% discount.
The same offer applies to any book under any Pearson imprint: Prentice-Hall, New Riders, Peachpit and more. We've selected a few important TeX-related titles below.
Some reviews from TUGboat (alphabetical by title):
Older reviews can be found on the TUGboat contents pages.


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Uploaded by NTDTV on Nov 30, 2009
Vast numbers of Echizen jellyfish have appeared on Japan's Pacific coast this year, apparently after drifting from spawning grounds in Chinese and Korean waters.
An Echizen jellyfish can measure up to 2.2 meters in diameter and weigh up to 300 kg.
The non-edible creatures have caught fishermen in their grip, as the monster invertebrates clog nets and poison and crush catches with their stingers.
"I had never seen anything like this big before."
Some experts say the outbreak of jellyfish this season has cost Japan's fishing industry more than 100 million dollars.
Jellyfish even sank one Japanese fishing boat in the Pacific recently, after the vessel capsized because the weight of the creature stuck in its net.
Still, much about the mega-jellyfish remains a mystery.
[Kiyoshi Kawasaki, Asst. Director, Japan Fisheries Research Agency]:
"The rising sea temperatures could be a factor behind this phenomenon as they foster the growth of these jellyfish."
Pollution in the waters off China is also cited as a factor, which has made it easier for jellyfish to breed.
Related articles
- Jellyfish Blooms Not Caused By Global Warming And Overfishing Of Competitors – Huffington Post (huffingtonpost.com)
- Survey finds jellyfish takeover exaggerated (environmenteng.wordpress.com)
- Are jellyfish increasing in world's oceans? (sciencedaily.com)


text:
32 People Who Should Not Be Allowed On Facebook In 2013
TAKE NOTE, FACEBOOK! We're counting on you. posted on
4. People who don't know how to use spellcheck:
7. People who don't check out their surroundings before taking a selfie:
Via ign.com
9. People who have no idea how a fan works:
10. People who have no idea who celebrates Thanksgiving:
13. People not up-to-date on the current situation of the solar system:
16. People have no idea how the Internet works:
17. People who clearly missed the first part of the movie "Titanic:"
20. People unfamiliar with even the most basic geography:
21. People unfamiliar with the country of South Korea:
22. People who might have a very serious heart condition:
29. People who like to put their tongue in strange places:
smosh.com / Via cheezburger.com
31. People lamenting the loss of giant houses:
Follow BuzzFeed
Facebook Conversations


text:
Here's a fun way to help kids get rid of their fear of the dark. Print these stencils and surprise them with a visit from a few of their favorite Nick Jr. friends.
Watch Wallykazam Weekdays @ 1 PM ET on Nick!
Print the character stencils on to cardstock or heavy weight paper.
Cut the stencils out. To cut the inner area of the stencil out, bend slightly in half, and snip the center with the scissors. Creating this slit will make cutting the stencil out easier.
Once cut, use small pieces of tape to affix the stencils on to the flashlight. Light up a dark room with all the different Nick Jr. characters.
This snow bunny is ready for show and tell!
It's surprisingly simple to make a winter scene with your little bunny!
Winter is hare! Celebrate & decorate with the help of your favorite pair of snow bunnies
These oversized tags make it easy for little hands to zip up coats and jackets
Make a new memory game in minutes with our easy printable templates
Little bunnies will hop away happy with these party parting gifts!
Transform cellophane bags into personalized party favors!
Kids will love wearing this easy-to-make hare accessory!
"Dress up" empty containers and get organized!
Invite Max & Ruby to the dinner table!
Turn a shoe box into a new home for Max & Ruby!
Celebrate Mom's special day with an extra special card
Take these pups on a Halloween treat-or-tricking adventure!
Create your very own trick-or-treat bag with Dora!
Let PAW Patrol lead your kids on a fun night with these stencils!
You don't have to cast a spell to change a tissue box into this wicked treat holder
Make a spook-tacular bag for collecting Halloween goodies
Pop-up Halloween cards for little Guppies who pop in for trick-or-treating
Who's that knockin'... Ghosts? Goblins? Nope. It's the GUPPIES!
Dora's in the house!
Measuring from Milli's outfit, this will be an extremely fun Halloween!
Nothing's out of reach when your child heads out for Halloween in Bot's costume!
Homemade Team Umizoomi Halloween costumes for the Mighty Math Powers crowd
Your little ones can create magical moments with this fairy princess wand
Take Tasha trick-or-treating!
Your little Uniqua fan will feel pretty in pink in this costume.
Awesome antlers announce that Tyrone is making the rounds this Halloween!
Light up Halloween night with your kid's favorite characters!
Turn your preschooler into Kai-lan's koala pal, Tolee!
These wearable wings will let your child's imagination take flight!
Your kids will roar with delight once you transform them into this friendly tiger!
All hands and tentacles on board to make this under-the-ocean outfit
Dress up your preschooler as her favorite gifted guinea pig!
Dress your preschooler in this wonderful Ming-Ming costume!
Turn your little tike into Tuck. All it takes is a little teamwork!
For the cutest costume at a party, come as Tolee!
This clever costume comes to the rescue at any kind of party
Hot dog! It's Blue at the door for Halloween
Step out in style this Halloween!
Dress your preschooler as his favorite penguin pal!
Paint your little pups Blue this Halloween


text:
Apply now
You can apply directly to Swinburne for undergraduate, postgraduate and vocational education (TAFE) courses. Apply now
The course for your career
Apply now for undergraduate, postgraduate and vocational education (TAFE) courses commencing in March.
Your enrolment
Discover the answers to frequently asked questions about enrolment and timetables for new and returning students.
One-on-one appointments
Book an appointment to discuss your study options at Swinburne.
Women in Film & Television
Thursday 6 March, Women in Film & Television & Swinburne play host to the second annual International Women's Day celebration for leading women film school graduates.
Getting local government to embrace social media
Despite public support for government use of interactive technologies, fear and uncertainty are hindering local government from making the shift to social media
Jo Barraket appointed as the first Director for the Centre for Social Impact at Swinburne
One of Australia's leading social innovation and enterprise researchers joins the Centre for Social Impact at Swinburne.
First solar electric hybrid sports car
Swinburne students involved in Australia's first solar electric hybrid sports car being developed in Melbourne.
Think forward
Science, technology and innovation are changing the world, and in many ways Swinburne is helping shape the future.


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I request that the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority rescind its grant to the Pack Square Conservancy, made for the purpose of constructing a visitor center and restroom facility, and grant the money to the City of Asheville for the same purpose.
The City of Asheville has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to complete construction projects in a timely manner and frequently under estimate.
The Pack Square Conservancy has repeatedly demonstrated an astonishing inability to complete projects on time or within anything like original estimates.
The further delay of the long promised restroom facilities, apparently in response to the requests of a small segment of special interests in our community is beyond laughable. I am completely fed up with the Conservancy's ineptitude and delays.
It is long past time for a thorough and professional audit of the Conservancy books over its entire life, with an accounting to the people of this community for all moneys spent for any purpose and it is also long past time for the City and County to reclaim the park that has been held hostage by a confederacy of dunces for far too long.
The people of Asheville and Buncombe County deserve better.
Thanks for your attention.
Cecil Bothwell
Asheville City Council
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text:
Creepy kids of the screen
You've seen them...those little minors that give you the heebie-jeebies. They just seem off. Case in point: the little girl from "Orphan." Which got us thinking, she isn't the first and she won't be the last creepy kid on screen that gives spine-tingling vibes...check out our list.
Image 1 of 19
Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther in 'Orphan'
Polite, artistic and warm...everything you'd hope for when adopting a child. That is until you take her home and realize she's lurking in the corners of your house, plotting the deaths of your existing family members...so much for one happy family. Not everything is as it seems.
-- Darcel Rockett, Zap2it.com |
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If you want to see Paris without staying in a huge hotel or an overpriced name brand hotel, the HdPM in the Marais is your best bet for convenience and comfort without breaking the bank. We stayed 4 nights over Thanksgiving weekend and had a great experience. Both of our rooms were cozy and meticulously cleaned. The Hermès bath products... More
- Also Known As:
- Du Petit Moulin Paris
- Du Petit Moulin Hotel
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Hotels.com, Expedia, Booking.com, Priceline, TripOnline SA and Venere so you can book your Hotel du Petit Moulin reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.


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March 15 2014 BOOKLIST
January 2014
Titles similar to Berg Fashion Library
Oxford University Press has completed a huge project with the 10-volume Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion and an online counterpart, Berg Fashion Library, created in collaboration with Berg Publishers. The print resource has more than 760 articles, written by 721 scholars from all over the world, and 2,000 black-and-white illustrations, making it the largest reference source on dress and fashion. Editor Eicher, professor emeritus, University of Minnesota, is a specialist in the anthropology of dress and is considered an expert on African textiles. She is the editor for the titles in Berg's Dress, Body, Culture series.
The Berg Fashion Library contains the full text and images that are in the print edition of the encyclopedia. Many of these images are in color. It also includes more than 50 Berg imprint e-books, with others to be added. A color image bank has 1,600 images from the Victoria and Albert Museum's fashion collection. In 2011, Berg will be adding 2,000 images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. Also here are reference sources, including A–Z of Fashion and the Dictionary of Fashion History. In the future, libraries subscribing to three journals published by Berg (Fashion Practice, Fashion Theory, and Textile) will be able to link directly to cited articles.
Search is by keyword or advanced search, and both can be limited to Image Only, which often retrieves beautiful pictures from the Victoria and Albert Museum, including photos of three pairs of Manolo Blahnik shoes and a ball gown from 1800. There is also an expandable browse under broad topics such as People, Period, Textile, and so forth. Within results lists, a Refine Search box gives the user options for narrowing a search by broad topic, with further refinement by narrower terms. New searches can be launched within an entry using a Highlight and Find function. An interactive time line enables browsing chronologically from 1600 to the present. The database can also be browsed by place. Citation information is available but not easy to locate. Entries can be shared, e-mailed, and printed. Users who register for My Stuff can create and save personalized content.
This is a valuable resource for anyone interested in fashion and dress but particularly useful for students in anthropology, art history, cultural studies, museum studies, and, of course, fashion and textiles. It is recommended for undergraduate and graduate institutions with majors in these areas plus large public libraries. The additional resources of the Berg Fashion Library, including color illustrations, the ease of use, and the popularity of online sources, may be the deciding factors between print and online. Prices are $1,995 for the print encyclopedia and $995 to $2,995 for an annual subscription to the online version with unlimited access and the option of a discount on the print encyclopedia if purchased in 2010. (Last accessed October 6, 2010.)


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Crawford Elementary School first-grade teacher Jan Rogers has a framed drawing hanging in her classroom of her first-grade teacher. Rogers said she absolutely loved her, and held onto the picture long after first grade ended.
"It's just funny that I ended up as a first-grade teacher as well," said Rogers. "I just thought she was the greatest."
A lot of people think Rogers is the greatest. Last Wednesday she became the first recipient of the Cocker Kids Foundation's "North Fork Teacher Appreciation Award." The award "is representative of all the excellent, dedicated teachers in the community who make a difference to children every day," according to a press release by the KCF. She has taught at CES for 20 years, and for 22 years for the Delta County 50-J School District.
"My class would like to know that I'm speechless," said Rogers after receiving the award. "What an honor, when I look at all these fabulous educators and what a great privilege to represent you. Thank you very much."
Rogers said she comes from "a whole family of teachers. I just thought I wasn't one of the crew, but I am." She had planned to be a stay-at-home mom, and began teaching out of necessity when her family needed extra income. "And all the jobs I found weren't that great," she recalled. "So we said, 'Well, maybe you could be a teacher.' And I thought, 'Well, maybe I could.'"
She began with a student teaching position, and loved it, she said. "Oh, I didn't count on it being this fun. I really want to do this." She got her first teaching job shortly afterward and has been teaching ever since.
Rogers said that being able to manage the classroom is an essential part of teaching, "so that you're free, everybody is just free to learn." She finds inspiration from a quote by Yeats she keeps posted by her classroom door: "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
"I think getting kids excited about learning is the thing that I love most about teaching. And I think that's something that kids enjoy about being in my class. I'm excited about it, and so are they."
Rogers, who received "multiple nominations" from peers, community members and parents, was selected from more than 60 nominees and chosen by a committee of CKF board members and representatives from the North Fork Valley.
CKF board member Bob Pennetta emceed the award ceremony, held at Heritage Hall in Hotchkiss and attended by about 250 teachers, business and community members and students. The Hotchkiss High School band and Paonia choir provided entertainment.
The selection committee holds "all teachers in high esteem and we want to thank all of our educators for what you do every day for the youth of our valley," said Pennetta. The selection process was difficult, "because we could only pick one person." The award "serves as recognition for all of our educators and for the excellent and dedicated public school teachers of the North Fork Valley."
Pennetta said it is the CKF's desire "... that this award continues to be presented annually for decades to come."
Like all teachers, Rogers is making plans for the summer, which will include tutoring, some rest, and maybe a trip. She was also presented with a check from CKF for $10,000. And what does she plan to do with all the money?
"Oh, I'm going to have to figure out an answer for that one, because people are asking me," said Rogers." I haven't thought about it in the least."
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Earlier today, we talked about how the Miami Marlins were considering promoting Jose Fernandez in 2013 if he had a dominant campaign in Double-A next season. This mirrored the sort of promotion schedule that elite Marlins prospects like Josh Beckett and Giancarlo Stanton also received when they tore through the Double-A level.
But it also got me thinking about just how the Marlins have treated other pitching prospects in the past. The Fish have had only a few household, in-house draftees on the pitching side make it to the major leagues and stick for an extended period of time this decade. How have those players been treated, and how are they different from Fernandez in their performance?
To discuss this, let's look back at three prominent pitching prospects who were originally drafted by the Marlins and made their debuts with the organization.
Josh Johnson
Johnson is perhaps the most successful Marlins pitching prospect in team history, having gone on to pitch the third most number of innings among pitchers in Marlins history and having accrued the most Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in method of measure among pitchers in team history. Yet ironically, Johnson was the weakest of these three pitching prospects who will be mentioned, as he was only ranked once in Baseball America's Top 100 prospects and only once mentioned among the team's top ten prospects. Despite all of his major league success, Johnson was ranked as the 80th best prospect in baseball heading into 2006.
The reason for Johnson's lack of name recognition as a prospect was that he simply was never that good in the minors.
Year | Level | K% | lgK% | BB% | lgBB% | ERA | lgERA |
2003 | South Atlantic League (Low-A) | 16.9 | 19.3 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 3.61 | 3.65 |
2004 | Florida State League (High-A) | 20.6 | 18.5 | 9.6 | 8.8 | 3.46 | 3.83 |
2005 | Southern League (Doube-A) | 18.9 | 18.9 | 8.4 | 9.0 | 3.87 | 4.04 |
As you can see from those numbers, Johnson never impressed statistically enough to justify a high ranking in terms of prospect lists. Unlike Fernandez, who romped through Low- and High-A with impressive, otherworldly figures, Johnson merely got by as around a league average pitcher at each level. Now granted, being league average when you are two years younger on average than the league is pretty good. However, combine that with his scouting report of mediocre stuff and you can see why there was never a whole lot of buzz behind the fourth-round draft pick of the 2002 draft.
Johnson's stock did go up following his Double-A season, and that is logical because his velocity had apparently increased and his slightly above-average performance in Double-A led to better reviews. Still, the Marlins watched Johnson finish out the season in Double-A rather than aggressively bring him up, instead only handing a cup of coffee in September after A.J. Burnett was kicked off the team. Johnson's stock rose, but it never went up high enough like Fernandez's has that it would warrant a midseson call-up.
Of the pitchers drafted highly in the 2002 draft, Olsen was always considered the better prospect. He was drafted in the second round and immediately got on the top 100 prospect lists with impressive numbers coming from a lefty starter.
Year | Level | K% | lgK% | BB% | lgBB% | ERA | lgERA |
2002 | Gulf Coast League (Rookie) | 23.2 | 18.2 | 7.9 | 9.5 | 2.96 | 3.52 |
2003 | South Atlantic League (Low-A) | 24.2 | 19.3 | 11.0 | 9.1 | 2.81 | 3.65 |
2004 | Florida State League (High-A) | 27.7 | 18.5 | 9.3 | 8.8 | 2.97 | 3.83 |
2005 | Southern League (Doube-A) | 27.9 | 18.9 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 3.92 | 4.04 |
One look at Olsen's numbers versus Johnson's and you can see why he was so highly touted. Those kind of strikeout rates from a left-handed starter are almost unheard of, and he kept it up consistently and indeed improved upon his strikeout marks as he climbed in levels. Aside from his stint in Greensboro in 2003, he never displayed major control concerns in terms of walk rate either.
If there was one clear example of dominant performance in the minors akin to Fernandez among these three pitchers, it would have been Olsen's. Olsen also received a 2005 cup of coffee in September, but he only pitched 80 2/3 innings in Double-A before presumably getting hurt. Entering 2006, he was the 34th ranked prospect in baseball, so he was about as well-respected as Jacob Turner is now. So he was never quite at Fernandez's level of recognition, but had the Marlins needed a starting pitcher, I would not have been surprised to see Olsen make the midseason jump in 2005.
Volstad was the highest pick among these three pitchers, having been drafted in the first round in 2005. Like the other two, he was a prep pitcher who had to work his way up the minors, but unlike those two, he actually did receive a midseason promotion.
Year | Level | K% | lgK% | BB% | lgBB% | ERA | lgERA |
2005 | Gulf Coast League (Rookie) | 23.4 | 19.6 | 3.6 | 8.6 | 2.33 | 3.94 |
2005 | New York-Penn League (Short Season-A) | 17.1 | 20.0 | 6.5 | 9.0 | 2.13 | 3.94 |
2006 | South Atlantic League (Low-A) | 15.6 | 19.3 | 5.7 | 8.9 | 3.08 | 3.88 |
2007 | Florida State League (High-A) | 16.4 | 18.2 | 6.5 | 8.4 | 4.50 | 3.95 |
2007 | Southern League (Doube-A) | 14.1 | 19.5 | 5.7 | 9.1 | 3.16 | 4.07 |
2008 | Southern League (Doube-A) | 14.6 | 18.1 | 5.0 | 9.5 | 3.36 | 4.20 |
Like Olsen before him, Volstad spent time in the Gulf Coast League before he began his first full season of professional baseball in Greensboro in Low-A. Unlike Olsen, he got an early promotion to Double-A. Also unlike Olsen, he never dominated statistically at any level despite showing great ERA numbers. While Johnson toiled as something of a league average pitcher in all categories, Volstad disguised himself by preventing runs via being stingy on homers while at the same time refusing to walk or strike out a hitter.
In retrospect, the signs had to be on the wall for a guy like Volstad. Again, he was young for each level, but he was never able to beat hitters with his stuff at any level other than short-season ball. Sure, there are always pitchers in the majors who get away with good control and few strikeouts, but those guys are usually decent or only a little below the average in terms of strikeouts when they are in the minors. In his last two seasons in Double-A, Volstad was not whiffing hitters at even a 15 percent rate, which had to raise alarms even as his control looked solid.
Nevertheless, the Marlins were impressed enough to bring him up to the big leagues, and he had a successful first season since his midseason jump. Of course, from there you know the rest of his horrid career in Florida. But unlike the case of Fernandez, Volstad never dominated at any time and yet still received a midseason promotion.
Availability the Determining Factor
Ultimately, the Marlins followed more or less a typical promotion progression for a pitching prospect considered among the best in baseball. In each case, the Fish allowed the pitcher to work through Low and High-A and some time in Double-A. In each case, no pitcher earned a true abbreviated stint in Double-A; even Volstad's promotion in 2008 came following a repeat season at the level after he had been brought up to Carolina in the middle of 2007. Each pitcher received at least 80 innings of work at the level before getting a call up to the majors.
The difference between the situation for Johnson and Olsen, who appeared more ready for big league action than Volstad? During their Double-A season in 2005, the Marlins had all five rotation spots filled, as the club was making their Wild Card run with A.J. Burnett, Josh Beckett, Dontrelle Willis, Jason Vargas, and Brian Moehler. Sure, a case could have been made to replace the eminently replaceable Moehler, but Olsen would have been the preferred choice and he was hurt. In 2008, on the other hand, Volstad entered a rotation anchored previously by Ricky Nolasco, Olsen, and a cavalcade of journeymen biding time for the returns of Anibal Sanchez and Josh Johnson. There was a spot available for Volstad, who had already done his time.
What about in 2013? Well, neither Wade LeBlanc nor Nathan Eovaldi have really stood out as firm choices at the back end of the rotation, and if they continue to struggle next season and the Marlins do not opt for a free agent option, there is a chance Fernandez may just take the role. But keep in mind that the Marlins have never done this to any one pitcher, as even Volstad received a full slate of Double-A games split into two season. If Fernandez has a season closer to par for Double-A, do not expect him to show up in the majors until September, as the Marlins did with Johnson and Olsen. Only if Fernandez dominates will he get a chance at the big show by age 21.


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A cross between a 4x4 and a super-mini, the Nissan Juke is fun to look at and entertaining to drive, as well as proving fairly practical. It's let down only by its mediocre fuel economy and emissions. Read more
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Screenshots and more with Shutter
Take control of your screenshots with Shutter, which puts other screen
capture programs to shame.
Screenshot programs abound for Linux. Gnome users need only hit Alt+Printscreen, for example, for a shot of a single window, or just Printscreen to get a shot of the entire desktop. But what if you need a bit more control over your screenshots? And what about editing? Surely there's a program that can do everything in one package.
Read full article as PDF:
080-083_desktop.pdf (5.45 MB)Comments
capture windows with more than one frame and audio capture problems in linux
I think most people say on windows use captured video shots with programs, not just the one frame but mpeg2 or other with audio, linux seems to have a problem with screen , screenshot video programs , they work in windows but not so much in linux, and lets not forget how hard it is to get a ipod touch to transfer in linux, you can do it, but the default software in linux is just not that good for storing your video or audio files for a ipod transfer and thats possible with usb cable but not the apps thou their no current way to transfer that stuff to it in linux yet
Tag Cloud
New TLS Attack Takes the S out of HTTPS
Vulnerability affects many Linux web servers
Munich Adopts Kolab
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Phone vendor partnerships bring Mark Shuttleworth's dream of Ubuntu on a phone a step closer to reality.
Piviti Seeks Funding
Donors will get to vote on new features for the free video editor.
Debian Tech Committee Votes for systemd
Debian project puts init out to pasture and says no to Ubuntu's Upstart.
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Ultra-sophisticated attack tool might have originated from a state-sponsored intelligence service.
Epoch 1.0 Released
New alternative for init comes with a small footprint and minimal configuration.
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X marks the target for the next-generation windowing system.
Red Hat Adopts CentOS
Super-clone CentOS Linux gets beamed up to the mother ship.
W3C Promotes Media Source Extensions
HTML technology will enable new video editing and playback options.


text:
Another day in Colorado. Another middling effort. Another loss. Another lost series.
Clayton Richard did not have his stuff today and Chase Headley could not quite account for enough of the offense to bring the Padres to victory, managing only two home runs and three RBI. May has well have stayed home if you ask me if that's all you're gonna contribute, yo. Chase, if you'll recall, was odd man out when it came to contract extension time, but obviously isn't letting it phase him.
Will Venable also had a good day, going 2 for 4 in the leadoff spot in place of a resting Cameron Maybin. Bud Black figured that it would be, "a good day to give him a blow".
And really, if you stop to think about it, who among us wouldn't trade a Padres loss for a good blow every now and then?
Go Padres.
Roll Callllllll...
P.S. tonoxtono comments a sh_t ton.
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Everything is a Remix | |
A four part video series on the history of cut and paste culture, which turns out to include all culture. |
Everything is a Remix (Kirby Ferguson, United States, 2011-2012; 45 min.) Nothing is original, says Kirby Ferguson. From Bob Dylan to Steve Jobs, he says our most celebrated creators borrow, steal and transform. Kirby Ferguson explores creativity in a world where "everything is a remix" in this four part video series. The film has important implications for everything from music production to property rights. Ferguson's thesis is both radical and provocative.


text:
There are any number of excellent resources related to the Valley. Annotations of scholarly resources can be found in Resources section. The resources below highlight the cultural and public dimensions of life in the Valley.
- Silicon Valley cultural sites and resources - Demographics of the Valley - Finding Information on Local Events


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Mariah Carey
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The best-selling female performer of the 1990s,
Mariah Carey
rose to superstardom on the strength of her stunning five-octave voice. An elastic talent who moved easily from glossy ballads to hip-hop-inspired dance-pop, she earned frequent comparison to rivals
Whitney Houston
Celine Dion
, but did them both one better by composing all of her own material. Born in Long Island, NY, on March 27, 1970,
moved to New York City at the age of 17 -- just one day after graduating high school -- to pursue a music career; there she befriended keyboardist
Ben Margulies
, with whom she began writing songs. Her big break came as a backing vocalist on a studio session with dance-pop singer
Brenda K. Starr
, who handed
's demo tape to Columbia Records head
Tommy Mottola
at a party. According to legend,
listened to the tape in his limo while driving home that same evening, and was so immediately struck by
's talent that he doubled back to the party to track her down.
After signing to Columbia,
entered the studio to begin work on her 1990 self-titled debut LP. The heavily promoted album was a chart-topping smash, launching no less than four number one singles: "Vision of Love," "Love Takes Time," "Someday," and "I Don't Wanna Cry." Her overnight success earned Grammy Awards as Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist, and expectations were high for
's follow-up, 1991's
. The album did not disappoint, as the title track reached number one -- a record fifth consecutive chart-topper -- while both "Can't Let Go" and "Make It Happen" landed in the Top Five.
's next release was 1992's
MTV Unplugged
EP, which generated a number one cover of
the Jackson 5
's "I'll Be There." Featured on the track was backup singer
Trey Lorenz
, whose appearance immediately helped him land a recording contract of his own.
In June 1993,
-- some two decades her senior -- in a headline-grabbing ceremony; months later, she released her third full-length effort,
Music Box
, which became her best-selling record to date. Two more singles, "Dreamlover" and "Hero," reached the top spot on the charts.
's first tour followed and was widely panned by critics; undaunted, she resurfaced in 1994 with a holiday release titled
Merry Christmas
, scoring a seasonal smash with "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Released in 1995,
reflected a new artistic maturity; the first single, "Fantasy," debuted at number one, making
the first female artist and just the second performer ever to accomplish the feat. The follow-up, "One Sweet Day" -- a collaboration with
Boyz II Men
-- repeated the trick, and remained lodged at the top of the charts for a record 16 weeks.
After separating from
returned in 1997 with
, another staggering success and her most hip-hop-flavored recording to date.
-- a collection featuring her 13 previous chart-topping singles as well as "The Prince of Egypt (When You Believe)," a duet with
Whitney Houston
effectively pairing the two most successful female recording artists in pop history -- followed late the next year. With "Heartbreaker," the first single from her 1999 album
became the first artist to top the charts in each year of the 1990s; the record also pushed her ahead of
the Beatles
as the artist with the most cumulative weeks spent atop the Hot 100 singles chart.
However, the early 2000s weren't as kind to
. After signing an $80 million deal in 2001 with Virgin -- the biggest record contract ever -- she experienced a very public personal and professional meltdown that included rambling; suicidal messages on her website; an appearance on
where, clad only in a T-shirt, she handed out Popsicles to the audience; and last but not least, the poorly received movie
and its attendant soundtrack (which was also her Virgin Records debut). Both the film and the album did poorly critically as well as commercially, with
making just under $4 million in its total U.S. gross and the soundtrack struggling to make gold sales. Following these setbacks, Virgin and
parted ways early in 2002, with the label paying her $28 million. That spring, she found a new home with Island/Def Jam, where she set up her own label, MonarC Music. In December, she released her ninth album,
, which failed to become a success.
The Emancipation of Mimi
, her most successful work in years, appeared in 2005. It climbed to multi-platinum status and earned
three Grammy awards -- Best Contemporary R&B Album and, for the single "We Belong Together," Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song -- thus restoring her status as a megastar. Two weeks before the release of her subsequent album, April 2008's
scored her 18th number one hit with "Touch My Body," a feat that pushed her into second place (past
, no less) among all artists with the most chart-topping singles. Although that hit song, along with the late April news that she married
Nick Cannon
, kept her in the spotlight that year, the remainder of the album's spinoffs weren't nearly as successful; only "Bye Bye" managed to scrape the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. She went back to work fairly quickly, however, and
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
-- featuring collaborations with the-Dream, as well as a cover of
's "I Want to Know What Love Is" -- became her 12th studio album upon its September 2009 release. Despite some positive reviews,
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
turned into
's least successful studio album, generating no big hits. The following year,
released Merry Christmas II You for the 2010 holiday season. Not long before its release,
announced that she and Cannon were expecting their first child.
Jason Ankeny, Rovi
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Availability: Econo Lodge Moonlight Beach
Please enter your travel dates.
Standard Room, 1 Queen Bed, Non Smoking
Standard Room, 1 King Bed, Non Smoking
Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds, Non Smoking
Room, 2 Double Beds
Hotel with an outdoor pool, in Encinitas (Carlsbad - Oceanside)
This hotel is located in Encinitas (Carlsbad - Oceanside), close to the beach, Moonlight State Beach, San Diego Botanic Garden, and Swamis Beach. Area attractions also include Legoland California and Carlsbad Premium Outlets.
Hotel Features
Econo Lodge Moonlight Beach provides complimentary wireless Internet access, free parking, and a 24-hour front desk.
Room Amenities
In addition to refrigerators and microwaves, guestrooms feature air conditioning along with climate control and coffee/tea makers.
Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!Econo Lodge Moonlight Beach Amenities
- General
A complimentary breakfast is offered. High-speed wireless Internet access is complimentary. Onsite parking is complimentary.
Econo Lodge Moonlight Beach is a smoke-free property.
- Number of floors - 2
- Total number of rooms - 30
- 24-hour front desk
- Free parking
- Swimming pool - outdoor
- Free breakfast
- Free Wi-Fi
- Smoke-free property
- Internet
Available in some public areas: Free Wi-Fi
- Parking
Free parking
- Room Amenities
- Air conditioning
- Refrigerator
- Coffee/tea maker
- Microwave
- Hair dryer
- Iron/ironing board
- Complimentary newspaper
- Climate control
- Dining
Guests are offered a complimentary continental breakfast.
- Accessibility
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessible path of travel
- Accessible bathroom
- Roll-in shower
- Accessible parking
- In-room accessibility
- Braille or raised signage
Econo Lodge Moonlight Beach Policies & Fees
- Check-in
Minimum check-in age is 18
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
- Check-out
Check-out time is 11 AM
- Payment types
Accepted at this hotel: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Carte Blanche, Discover, JCB International
- Pets
Pets allowed
- General
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- Fees
- The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
- Pet fee: USD 25 per night
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.