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Gem Treasures Sterling Silver Mother-of-Pearl & Freshwater Cultured Pearl Swan Pendant
Embody grace and elegance with stunning contrast. Crafted from polished sterling silver, the pendant features a carved swam design. You'll find a freeform shaped 35 x 33mm black mother-of-pearl in a bezel setting, along with an oval shaped 10 x 8mm, two oval shaped 9 x 7mm, and two oval shaped 8 x 6mm cultured freshwater pearls dangling from the pendant.
Measuring 2-3/8"L x 1-1/8"W x 1/8"H, the pendant features a single bail and includes an 18" cable chain that secures with a spring ring clasp.
Part of the Gem Treasures Collection. All weights pertaining to diamond weights are minimum weights. Additionally, please note that many gemstones are treated to enhance their beauty. Click here for important information about gemstone enhancements and special care requirements.
Sterling silver, also called fine silver, is a beautifully lustrous cool-toned precious metal favored in fine jewelry among other products. The most reflective of all metals (excluding mercury), sterling silver looks stunning by itself and brings out the best hues in an array of colorful gemstones.
Sterling silver can be polished to a higher sheen than platinum. In fact, Ag, the chemical symbol for silver, comes from a word that means "white and shining." The surface of silver can boast that shiny, polished appearance, or can be brushed, satin, matte, sandblasted, antiqued or oxidized (chemically blackened).
In order to be called sterling silver, a metal must be made up of a minimum of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% alloy (meaning other metals), including but not limited to copper and nickel. The alloy is added to pure silver to make the metal more durable, tougher and harder. Sterling silver is designated a fineness of "925." Pieces with sterling silver may be marked "sterling."
Finishes on Sterling Silver Finishing, or plating, is a common treatment with sterling silver. Popular types of plating are rhodium plating, gold plating and anti-tarnish plating. Plating is used to extend the life and sheen of the jewelry. After sizing or buffing a piece of jewelry with a machine, it must be re-plated to restore the finish.
Caring for Sterling Silver Sterling silver becomes tarnished as the result of a natural chemical process that occurs when sterling silver is exposed to chemicals in the air, rubber, wool and latex. Humidity also plays a role in accelerating tarnishing. It's easy to keep your sterling silver sparkling, though, by taking a few steps to prevent tarnish and other wear and tear.
Mother-of-pearl is found on the shells of mollusks, such as mussels and oysters, and the shells of pseudopods, such as snails. When the young of these creatures come into the world, they create a shell "house" in order to preserve their existence. The walls of this housing are formed with layers their of secretions, ensuring a simultaneous growth of house and creature together.
Depending on the type of animal and the environment in which it lives, secretions create various shapes and colors found on the different types of mother-of-pearl. "White" mother-of-pearl comes from pearl-bearing oysters. It features high reflective properties and is one of the most commonly used types of this material. " Iridescent" mother-of-pearl is a type in which the colors of pink and green are predominant, while "variegated" mother-of-pearl is a multicolored type. "Stone" mother-of-pearl is white with a low reflective power, while "mat" mother-of-pearl is dull grey and also has a low reflective power.
The shiny quality of mother-of-pearl has attracted attention for thousands of years. The Louvre Museum features mother-of-pearl objects that belonged to the Sumerians and were found in Mesopotamia. In China, a dish with geometric-shaped pieces of mother-of-pearl was found that belonged to the Tang Dynasty in 618-906 A.D. Mother-of-pearl work was also common in ancient Italy, Greece and Cyprus. Today, different types of mother-of-pearl are commonly used in the art world. This type of art is certainly a challenge, for in order for them to be made into works of art, the mother-of-pearl pieces must be thick enough to withstand being worked upon and be of high enough quality to beautifully reflect colors of the rainbow.
About the Collection Experience the colorful allure of Gem Treasures™ - uniquely created gemstone jewelry designed to make a personal statement. Created with eye-catching details set in 14K gold or silver with brilliant gemstone accents, Gem Treasures™ adds a splash of color and pinch of panache to any look. By offering a full spectrum of gemstones, you can flawlessly embellish your current collection or use these pieces as a trendy foundation for a new collection. Eye-catching semi-precious gemstones frame each Gem Treasures piece in a multitude of designs and styles. Many designs use large center stones accented by diamonds and exotic stones, for maximum flair. Every item has a unique touch; whether you are looking for an exceptional topaz ring, a stunning aquamarine pendant or a charming tourmaline statement piece. Learn the secrets behind this beautiful assortment with guest and gem expert Chuck Clemency, whose engaging and dynamic personality brings out the best in gemstone jewelry. Share in his passion for the beauty of gemstones and discover your perfect jewelry counterpart. Share a laugh with Chuck as you make a bold personal statement with Gem Treasures™ Jewelry.
About the Guest Guest and jewelry expert Chuck Clemency began his career in jewelry in a rather interesting way. In 1976, he walked into a retail store that had two openings–one in sporting goods and one in jewelry. Taking note of Chuck's lime green suit, the manager thought Chuck would be perfect for the jewelry department. The rest is history! Chuck prides himself on the affordability of his products. He says what makes them really stand out from crowd are the expensive looks he offers at tremendous values. Chuck is most inspired by the enjoyment his designs add to his customers' lives.


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Eric Gundersen PresidentDevelopment Seed
Gundersen is paving the way for projects that share government data via open-source technology.
In the Apps for Democracy contest last year, his team won recognition for two Web sites that tap into Washington, D.C., government data. Gundersen's projects have ranged as far afield as Afghanistan, where he worked to share data from that nation's election, and he was involved in the Race to Resilience: Pandemic Information Sharing Initiative.
William Gaskins, executive vice president of the Efiia Group, said Gundersen's leadership on that project helped lessen the impact of the H1N1 virus in the United States last year. "His creative approach to utilizing open-source solutions to engage dialogues between public- and private-sector entities provided much-needed resilience at the community level, especially for those in most desperate need," Gaskins said.
Read more about the 2010 Federal 100 award winners.
About the Author
John Moore is a freelance writer based in Syracuse, N.Y.
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FCW is very pleased to announce the women and men who make up this year's Fed 100.
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40 Under 40
We profile 40 up-and-comers in the fields of business, tech, nonprofit, politics, science, and the arts to find out who exactly is shaping the future of Baltimore.
Timothy Barnhill, 39 architect There was a clue to Timothy Barnhill's fate as a boy: "For me, it was all about Legos," he says. "I was constantly building things." Now, when you scan Baltimore's...
Issue date:
October, 2013
Give It Away Now: More ideas
It's the season of giving, and there's no shortage of need out there. That being the case, we thought we'd suggest some local organizations that do good work all year round and would certainly welcome an extra hand in making the holidays shine a little brighter for everyone.
Gather Baltimore What they do: Collect unsold food from farmers' markets, farms, and other sources for redistribution to local meal programs, faith communities, and others in need. How to help:...
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November, 2013
Full Circle
Bike event Tour du Port celebrates 20 years this month.
Back in 1993, 500 cyclists came out to bike seven miles in conjunction with Port Fest, the city's annual celebration of its ports. "It was a very simple ride and basically just a family event,"...
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September, 2013
Surviving Lance
Diagnosed three times with cancer, CEO Doug Ulman fights to keep Livestrong's mission alive.
His appearance on stage last fall at Centennial High School's auditorium, with friends Brock Yetso and Lance Armstrong in tow, should've been a simple, happy homecoming for Doug Ulman. The 36-year-...
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June, 2013
Culture Clubs
Local institutions are trying to attract a younger generation.
Looking at the local events calendar for nonprofit institutions, you may be surprised. Black-tie galas have made way for museum happy hours and library beer tastings. As traditional supporters get...
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January, 2013
Caped Crusader
A local man has an unusual way of getting his message out.
It was a Sunday night in September at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens were taking on the dreaded New England Patriots, and it was just two minutes before halftime—but no eyes were on the players....
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December, 2012
Breath Of Life
In the fall of 2009, Monica Barlow was an apparently healthy 32-year-old training for a half marathon when a nagging cough sent her to see a doctor. The doctor recommended a CT scan, which revealed a...
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September, 2012
Emily's Milk And Honey
One local teenager's ripple effect makes waves in other young people's futures in Rwanda.
Emily Golden is a beautiful teenager from Timonium. She is tall and leggy, with long hair the color of thick honey, eyes flecked with the green and brown of autumn grasses, a quick smile, and she...
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September, 2012
Second Time's the Charm

Nonprofit Second Chance is settling quite nicely into its new home.

Once you visit the new home of Second Chance, one of the area's best architectural salvage sources, it becomes apparent why its recent move took several months to accomplish—even if it was literally...
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July, 2012
Monumental Feet
A nonprofit helps the homeless through running.
Barry Burnett is clean-cut, gainfully employed, and has a single-family house—hardly the image of someone who was once homeless, a convict, and an alcoholic. Out of jail and feeling desperate in...
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text: Arts and EntertainmentThe San Francisco Bay Area is an incredibly exciting and vibrant place to live! From the Arts to the outdoors, museums to all types of dining experiences, there are things for all interests. While impossible to offer a comprehensive list of things to do, check out some of the links below for ideas: Berkeley:www.downtownberkeley.com Oakland:visitoakland.org San Francisco:www.sanfrancisco.travel/todo/ |


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This archived Web page remains online for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. This page will not be altered or updated. Web pages that are archived on the Internet are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats of this page on the Contact Us page.
Introduction General Information Regulations List of Abbreviations and Acronyms Description of fonds and Collections List of fonds and Collections Name Index |
CBC VANCOUVER ORCHESTRA (1969- ) CBC Vancouver Orchestra fonds. - 1971-1977. - 1 cm of textual records. Administrative history Scope and content Immediate source of acquisition: acquired from the Orchestra, in several accessions, between 1971 and 1978. Restrictions: none. Finding aids: none. |


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Sponsored by: Brakes Plus
Posted: Nov 12, 2012 5:00 AM by Diana Kohnle
(HealthDay News) -- Lactose intolerance means the body can't properly digest lactose, a sugar naturally found in milk and other dairy products.
The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse says common symptoms of lactose intolerance, which usually develop within two hours of dairy consumption, include:
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.


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The Surgery Center at the Shawnee Mission Outpatient Pavilion is a state-of-the-art center equipped to provide many kinds of same-day, minimally invasive procedures.
The multi-specialty center offers general surgery services, as well as urological surgery, plastic surgery, endoscopy and pain management.
The center features four surgery suites, one treatment room, six pre-operative bays and 12 recovery bays. The open layout and colors are designed to be calming and relaxing for patients, and each recovery room is equipped with a flat-screen television.
For more information or to contact the Surgery Center, call 913-676-8550.
For pre-surgery instructions, click on a link below:
Patient Pre-Registration and History
Preparing for your Surgery
Surgery for Children
Bathing Instructions
Patient Bill of Rights (English)


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How to Talk So Kids Can Learn
From the heralded authors of the million-copy-plus bestseller How to Talk So Kids Will Listen comes a breakthrough book on one of the burning issues ... Show synopsis
You're signed up (and we ♥ you). Watch for our Welcome e-mail and your first coupon. Thanks!


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Paulette Clancy
Hi Christine I am a chemist by training too, so I understand this transition well from personal experience. No, you don't have to go back to college to get a ChE degree. There are professionally oriented master's degree programs that, while not a substitute for a BS in ChE, will give you a good foundation in the engineering side of the chemical industries. At Cornell, for instance, a chemist can complete a Master of Engineering (Chemical) in under two years (4 semesters), depending on the courses you took as an undergraduate. I've attached a file that gives you a brief description of the M. Eng. program at Cornell in Chemical Engineering. If you want more details there are two points of contact on the last slide. Being an engineer will certainly broaden your career options and significantly increase your starting salary relative to that of a BS chemistry graduate. It would help a lot if you were able to take some courses in your final year to help prepare you and cut down your time-to-degree . I hope this helps. Paulette Clancy
Dear Margarate, I am delighted to hear that you are considering Chemical Engineering as a major in college and perhaps as a career. As you might expect, Chemical Engineers spend a lot of time learning the fundamentals of chemistry, especially physical and organic chemistry. They also take a lot of mathematics courses (usually four) and they learn some physics and biology before specializing in the fundamentals of chemical engineering (courses like thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and chemical kinetics, but also process control, separation processes and heat and mass transfer). When you graduate, you will find that a degree in Chemical Engineering is valued by a broad range of potential employers: pharmaceutical companies, chemical companies, semiconductor and electronics companies, consumer products, and oil and gas companies. But chemical engineers graduates are also hired by some companies that you might not expect, like banks and other financial institutions, consulting firms, and food companies. Of course, safety at work is an issue. But there is not a reputable industry that I know that hires chemical engineers that doesn't have employee safety as their most important concern. The safety of workers in the chemical industry is, in fact, much better than the average manufacturing job in the U.S. But chemical engineers work in so many industries that, if safety is a particular concern, you can work in a department or in an industry that does not involve exposure to hazardous materials. Chemical engineering is a wonderfully versatile degree to have and we make important advances in the production of products that make life better. It's a very fulfilling career path and one in which safety concerns should not be the deciding factor in your choice of study at college. I hope you keep working at your studies and fulfill your dreams, whatever they may be. Paulette Clancy
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Mattel (NYSE: MAT) is the world's largest toy manufacturer.[1] Mattel makes some of the best known brands in the toy industry, including Barbie, Matchbox, Fisher-Price and Hot Wheels. In fiscal 2010, Mattel reported net sales of $5.856 billion and net income of $684.9 million.
In addition to the threat from video games, profit margins at Mattel and other traditional toy manufacturers are being squeezed by macro-economic factors largely out of their control, including pressure from retailers and rising input and distribution costs.[2] The retail landscape for toys has shifted and specialty retailers such as Toys'R'Us and FAO Schwartz are slowly adopting to the shift in childrens' entertainment towards video games. Behemoth discount retailer Wal-Mart (WMT) is currently the largest retailer of children's toys in the U.S., a shift which has pressured Mattel's margins as Wal-Mart demands low prices from its suppliers. Additionally, fluctuations in oil prices affect input costs for making plastic-based toys as well as distribution costs for transporting products from factories in Asia to other parts of the world.
(Read more at Wikinvest )


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Just in! Call or visit our website for more information.... More
CERTIFIED!! SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THIS VETTE AND 100+ OTHERS FOR SALE AT WWW.BUYAVETTE.NET! Carbon Flash exterior Ebony Custom interior. 505hp LS7 engine 6... More
This 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Z16 Grand Sport convertible finished in silver exterior with black leather and matching black convertible top. This is an outstanding... More
Despite the camouflage look you won't be sneaking around in this 2012 Chevy Silverado 4x4 Z71. Ridiculously over-built to handle the rigors of off-road... More
Exterior: Blade Silver Metallic Interior: Black with Light Gray Leather Body: 2-Door Coupe Engine: 430hp 6.2L LS3 Transmission: 6-Speed Manual Miles: 15,229 Options: Power Driver & Passenger Seats, Active Handling,... More
2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport for sale in our Chicago Showroom. This crisp 2012 Corvette Grand Sport is powered by a 6.2L LS3... More
Low-mileage Blade Silver Metallic 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible. Finished in sleek Blade Silver Metallic over Ebony, this is an attractive low-mileage C6 Corvette Convertible.... More
2012 COPO Camaro #028 Here is Your Opportunity for the chance to own one of the Very Rare 2012 COPO Camaro's. For the First time... More


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Mandela making progress in 7th day in the hospital
Wednesday - 4/3/2013, 8:37am  ET
JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- South Africa's government says Nelson Mandela "continues to make steady improvement" as he spends a 7th day in a hospital being treated for a recurring lung infection that developed into pneumonia.
Admirers around the world have sent prayers and good wishes to the 94-year-old who helped end white minority rule and avoided civil war by his insistence on reconciliation despite being jailed for 27 years.
A brief government statement said Mandela "continues to respond satisfactorily to treatment."
It said he has been visited by his family. Reporters saw his wife, Graca Machel, leave the hospital on Wednesday.
The government gave no indication when Mandela might leave the hospital. He contracted tuberculosis when he was jailed for 27 years by the apartheid government.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Faith Academy splits two gamesJuly 19, 2013, 9:00 am by Mark Goodson By Mark Goodson Highlander Sports Editor Faith Academy split two games in 7-on-7 football Tuesday night at Nelson Field. The team stands 5-4-1 in league play going into the final week of the season. Faith Academy will begin preseason football workouts on Monday, Aug. 5. The Flames rallied to beat Austin Reagan, 21-20, in Game 1 on Tuesday with Magnum Burcham returning an interception for the key touchdown. Zack Haydon completed 11 of 19 passes for 99 yards and one touchdown. Burcham also completed five of 11 passes and one score. Jacob Metcalf caught six passes for 47 yards and one score and Hanner Shipley added six receptions for 68 yards and a score. Burcham and Matt Manley also had receptions. The Flames had 136 yards passing compared to 153 for Reagan. In Game 2, Austin LBJ prevailed, 33-18. LBJ ran up 286 yards passing to 180 for the Flames. Haydon completed 18 of 28 passes for 170 yards and three scores. Metcalf had two touchdowns and Shipley one touchdown. Metcalf caught eight passes for 77 yards. Shipley and Manley had four receptions each. NOTES Faith Academy has completed its football schedule for the 2013 season. The team will scrimmage twice on the road against Fort Bend Christian and Austin St. Stephens. The opening scrimmage is Aug. 17 against Fort Bend Christian at Giddings. The scrimmage is 10 a.m. On Aug. 24, the Flames have a 9:30 a.m. scrimmage at St. Stephens. The regular season opener is Aug. 30 at St. Dominic Savio. The home opener is Sept. 6 against St. Anthony of San Antonio. Other home games for the Flames are Sept. 13 against Eastside Memorial, Sept. 20 versus St. Marys Hall of San Antonio, Oct. 4 St. Gerards and Nov. 1 against Central Texas Christian. Road games are: Aug 30 at St. Dominic Savio, Sept. 27 at John Paul II (Schertz), Oct. 11 at Holy Trinity (Temple), Oct. 18 at Texas School for Deaf (Austin) and Oct. 24 at San Antonio Hawkins (SA Wheatley Complex). |
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Simple and Complex ABCR: Genetic Predisposition to Retinal Disease The American Journal of Human Genetics, Volume 67, Issue 4, 1 October 2000, Pages 793-799 Rando Allikmets Full Text | PDF (80 kb) |
A Comprehensive Survey of Sequence Variation in the ABCA4 (ABCR) Gene in Stargardt Disease and Age-Related Macular Degeneration The American Journal of Human Genetics, Volume 67, Issue 4, 1 October 2000, Pages 800-813 Andrea Rivera, Karen White, Heidi Stöhr, Klaus Steiner, Nadine Hemmrich, Timo Grimm, Bernhard Jurklies, Birgit Lorenz, Hendrik P.N. Scholl, Eckhart Apfelstedt-Sylla and Bernhard H.F. Weber Abstract Stargardt disease (STGD) is a common autosomal recessive maculopathy of early and young-adult onset and is caused by alterations in the gene encoding the photoreceptor-specific ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter (ABCA4). We have studied 144 patients with STGD and 220 unaffected individuals ascertained from the German population, to complete a comprehensive, population-specific survey of the sequence variation in the ABCA4 gene. In addition, we have assessed the proposed role for ABCA4 in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common cause of late-onset blindness, by studying 200 affected individuals with late-stage disease. Using a screening strategy based primarily on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, we have identified in the three study groups a total of 127 unique alterations, of which 90 have not been previously reported, and have classified 72 as probable pathogenic mutations. Of the 288 STGD chromosomes studied, mutations were identified in 166, resulting in a detection rate of ∼58%. Eight different alleles account for 61% of the identified disease alleles, and at least one of these, the L541P-A1038V complex allele, appears to be a founder mutation in the German population. When the group with AMD and the control group were analyzed with the same methodology, 18 patients with AMD and 12 controls were found to harbor possible disease-associated alterations. This represents no significant difference between the two groups; however, for detection of modest effects of rare alleles in complex diseases, the analysis of larger cohorts of patients may be required. Abstract | Full Text | PDF (346 kb) |
Mutations in the ABCA4 (ABCR) Gene Are the Major Cause of Autosomal Recessive Cone-Rod Dystrophy The American Journal of Human Genetics, Volume 67, Issue 4, 1 October 2000, Pages 960-966 Alessandra Maugeri, B. Jeroen Klevering, Klaus Rohrschneider, Anita Blankenagel, Han G. Brunner, August F. Deutman, Carel B. Hoyng and Frans P.M. Cremers Abstract The photoreceptor cell–specific ATP-binding cassette transporter gene (ABCA4; previously denoted "ABCR") is mutated in most patients with autosomal recessive (AR) Stargardt disease (STGD1) or fundus flavimaculatus (FFM). In addition, a few cases with AR retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and AR cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) have been found to have ABCA4 mutations. To evaluate the importance of the ABCA4 gene as a cause of AR CRD, we selected 5 patients with AR CRD and 15 patients with isolated CRD, all from Germany and The Netherlands . Single-strand conformation–polymorphism analysis and sequencing revealed 19 ABCA4 mutations in 13 (65%) of 20 patients. In six patients, mutations were identified in both ABCA4 alleles; in seven patients, mutations were detected in one allele. One complex ABCA4 allele (L541P;A1038V) was found exclusively in German patients with CRD; one patient carried this complex allele homozygously, and five others were compound heterozygous. These findings suggest that mutations in the ABCA4 gene are the major cause of AR CRD. A primary role of the ABCA4 gene in STGD1/FFM and AR CRD, together with the gene's involvement in an as-yet-unknown proportion of cases with AR RP, strengthens the idea that mutations in the ABCA4 gene could be the most frequent cause of inherited retinal dystrophy in humans. Abstract | Full Text | PDF (464 kb) |
Copyright © 1999 The American Society of Human Genetics All rights reserved.
The American Journal of Human Genetics, Volume 64, Issue 4, 1024-1035, 1 April 1999
Alessandra Maugeri1, , , Marc A. van Driel1, Dorien J.R. van de Pol1, B. Jeroen Klevering2, Frank J.J. van Haren1, Nel Tijmes3, Arthur A.B. Bergen3, Klaus Rohrschneider4, Anita Blankenagel4, Alfred J.L.G. Pinckers2, Niklas Dahl5, Han G. Brunner1, August F. Deutman2, Carel B. Hoyng2 and Frans P.M. Cremers1
1 Department of Human Genetics, University Hospital Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
2 Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
3 The Netherlands Ophthalmic Research Institute, Amsterdam
4 Augenklinik, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Heidelberg
5 Unit of Clinical Genetics, Department of Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University Children`s Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
In 40 western European patients with Stargardt disease (STGD), we found 19 novel mutations in the retina-specific ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCR) gene, illustrating STGD's high allelic heterogeneity. One mutation, 2588G→C, identified in 15 (37.5%) patients, shows linkage disequilibrium with a rare polymorphism (2828G→A) in exon 19, suggesting a founder effect. The guanine at position 2588 is part of the 3′ splice site of exon 17. Analysis of the lymphoblastoid cell mRNA of two STGD patients with the 2588G→C mutation shows that the resulting mutant ABCR proteins either lack Gly863 or contain the missense mutation Gly863Ala. We hypothesize that the 2588G→C alteration is a mild mutation that causes STGD only in combination with a severe ABCR mutation. This is supported in that the accompanying ABCR mutations in at least five of eight STGD patients are null (severe) and that a combination of two mild mutations has not been observed among 68 STGD patients. The 2588G→C mutation is present in 1 of every 35 western Europeans, a rate higher than that of the most frequent severe autosomal recessive mutation, the cystic fibrosis conductance regulator gene mutation ΔPhe508. Given an STGD incidence of 1/10,000, homozygosity for the 2588G→C mutation or compound heterozygosity for this and other mild ABCR mutations probably does not result in an STGD phenotype.


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German Engineered
The original is back and will accompany you into the future! Following the acquisition of the Construction Group of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe, Kingspan plc. is the new owner of the HOESCH and ems brands.
The stated aim is that you - our customers and prospective customers - will continue to be supplied with high-quality building products and that the traditional brands will continue to occupy a premium segment in lightweight steel construction and to further develop the cold store construction sector.
From now on, we are available to you as HOESCH Bausysteme GmbH or selling under the ems trade name.
Since nothing is better than the original! The future of the brands is accompanied by a new public image which will be progressively introduced in all publications.
You can confidently build with the originals and use these originals to achieve a successful future.


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Midi Assignable Value boxes
I wrote another post to solicit user opinions about this but I thought I'd make a formal request here too:
Having a midi controller should improve workflow but many common functions require numeric input or use of the mouse to click and then use its scroll wheel. The user must go back and forth between controller and mouse and keyboard because no method to assign midi values to these functions currently exists. Since pretty much every box which requires a numerical value (Transpose, Level, Tempo, etc.) requires mouse and keyboard input, a quick way to give Reason users options would be to make the boxes assignable to a midi value and have the program translate the midi input as a +/- to the numerical value or as UP/DOWN cursor value from the keyboard. In NNXT, moving a note's root value and its position on the keyboard map would also be useful if they were hardware configurable. Thanks for your consideration. |
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A big portion of the buzz surrounding last year's film Crazy Heart consisted not only of the vivid performances from actors Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal (both nominated for Oscars at this Sunday's Academy Awards)--but also the movie's score. In particular, the movie's theme, "The Weary Kind," performed by alt-country rising sensation Ryan Bingham, who co-wrote the tune with the legendary T Bone Burnett.
Regular old fans of the film weren't the only ones taking notice of Bingham's composition. The yearning, loping tune has already won a Golden Globe, and is currently up for an Oscar (for Best Original Song) this weekend.
Unfortunately, Ryan's being cheated out of a huge part of what should be one of the biggest nights of his career to date. In a surprising decision made last month, the executive producers of the Awards show announced that they were doing away with the longstanding tradition of having Best Original Song nominees perform live on the telecast (instead, the nominated songs will be played over footage of their respective films).
So, Ryan will not be getting up on stage to perform "The Weary Kind." I'm sure you'll see him at the show--no doubt about it if he wins the Oscar. And I'm certain this decision isn't making fellow nominee Randy Newman--who's already won a billion or so awards--lose any sleep. But this really seems like a lousy break for a talented artist who is currently in the process of gaining career momentum.
If anyone has any doubts about Ryan being ripped off--I mean, this is the Oscars, not the Grammys, after all--may I remind any of you, who can remember, the 1998 Oscar performance of "Miss Misery," by Elliott Smith? Who is now dead--and how many people less would have known his affecting songwriting, if not for this bit of public prominence commemorating his role in shaping the mood of Good Will Hunting?
Ryan Bingham, I certainly hope, has a longer future ahead of him than Elliott Smith did in 1998. And, I am not concerned that this particular lame stroke of luck is going to make or break his career. Just being nominated for his song is a tremendous accolade and feather in his cap. I'm actually quite tickled pink he's up for an Academy Award--yet another massive stride for country music domination this year!But, because I do feel this was bad timing for him, I wanted to make sure you all got a look at him performing--if not at the Oscars, here at Yahoo! Music. Please check out this live footage and interview from our studios in 2008. Cross your fingers for Ryan this Sunday!
As always, be sure to:
Follow Yahoo! Music on Twitter
- Jeff Bridges
- Maggie Gyllenhaal


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Chairman Levin, Ranking Member McCain, and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on the Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, known as "New START."
Last month, Secretary of Energy Chu testified before this committee on the New START Treaty. He described the Treaty's impact on Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) activities, and our ability to ensure the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile under the Treaty. I will reiterate the essential points made by Secretary Chu, and provide further information on NNSA activities to maintain the stockpile in the context of the New START Treaty and the policies contained in the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). Our strength rests on ensuring that our nuclear weapons stockpile remains safe, secure, and effective for as long as it is needed. Modernization and investment in our nuclear infrastructure is essential to this objective, while allowing a reduced role for nuclear weapons in our national security strategy. I will also comment on NNSA's role in the development and evaluation of treaty verification technology.
First and foremost, I want to make clear that the New START Treaty will not affect NNSA's ability to maintain the safety, security, and effectiveness of the Nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. NNSA sites—to include our production, testing, and National Laboratory facilities—will not be subject to inspection, and none of our operations will be subject to limitation. Our plans for investment in and modernization of the Nuclear Security Enterprise – the collection of NNSA laboratories, production sites and experimental facilities that support our stockpile stewardship program, our nuclear nonproliferation agenda, our Naval nuclear propulsion programs, and a host of other nuclear security missions – are essential irrespective of whether or not New START is ratified. Treaty implementation will not affect our plans. Warheads removed from deployed delivery vehicles to meet New START limits will continue to remain available to support maintenance and surveillance activities. They may also be retained as inactive reserve weapons, available to support nuclear component reuse if needed as part of future warhead life extension program (LEP) activities.
Warhead Life Extension Activities and the NPR
Ensuring the safety, security and effectiveness of the Nation's nuclear weapons stockpile is one of NNSA's primary missions. Maintaining the weapons stockpile without nuclear testing has been national policy for nearly 20 years, and we will continue to support that policy in the future. In addition to our maintenance, surveillance and warhead certification activities, important life extension milestones include the following:
- Completing by 2017 the ongoing LEP for the W76 warhead, which will extend its life for an additional 30 years;
- Completing a full scope LEP study for the B61 bomb and beginning production in 2017 to extend its service life, enhance its safety and use control features, and ensure its compatibility with modern aircraft; and
- Completing, with the Nuclear Weapons Council, a study of LEP options for maintaining the W78 ICBM warhead.
With respect to life extension options, while the NPR is clear that the United States will give preference to nuclear component refurbishment or reuse, it is equally clear that the full range of options will be considered for each warhead LEP, to include replacement of nuclear components. The report on the "New START Treaty Framework and Nuclear Force Structure Plans," submitted to Congress in response to Section 1251 of the Fiscal Year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, further explains that "[w]hile the NPR expresses a policy preference for refurbishment and reuse in decisions to proceed from study to engineering development, the Laboratory Directors will be expected to provide findings associated with the full range of LEP approaches, and to make a set of recommendations based solely on their best technical assessments of the ability of each LEP approach to meet critical stockpile management goals (weapon system safety, security, and effectiveness)."
The directors of Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia National Laboratories made their position on this approach clear in an April 9, 2010, joint statement. They assessed that "the approach outlined in the NPR, which excludes further nuclear testing and includes the consideration of the full range of life extension options (refurbishment of existing warheads, reuse of nuclear components from different warheads and replacement of nuclear components based on previously tested designs), provides the necessary technical flexibility to manage the nuclear stockpile into the future with an acceptable level of risk."
The Nuclear Posture Review also reinforced the necessity to maintain the capability of the most survivable leg of the triad with a sea-based strategic deterrent. Naval Reactors began reactor and propulsion plant design in fiscal year 2010 for the OHIO Replacement submarine to support the Navy's schedule. Reactor plant components will be procured in 2017 to allow for the long manufacturing spans and need for these components in submarine construction. Research, development and design efforts are underway for the development of reactor technologies to support the Navy's need for a reactor core that will last for the more-than-40-year life of the submarine. These efforts directly support recapitalizing the sea-based leg of the triad within full compliance of the New START Treaty.
Priorities for NNSA's Nuclear Security Enterprise
The NPR concluded that the NNSA needed to recapitalize the aging infrastructure and renew our human capital base. The recently completed Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan (SSMP) is the comprehensive resource plan to achieve this and to modernize NNSA's Nuclear Security Enterprise to support the objectives detailed in the Nuclear Posture Review. Implementation of the SSMP will allow us to accomplish the following:
- Strengthen the science, technology, and engineering base, including the computational and experimental capabilities, needed for conducting weapon system LEPs, weapons surety, surveillance, and annual certification without nuclear testing.
- Modernize the infrastructure necessary to fulfill stockpile stewardship requirements, including replacing outdated facilities with modern, efficient, cost-effective and properly-sized facilities. Key priorities are to:
- Complete the design and begin building the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Facility Replacement Nuclear Facility at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in order to complete construction by 2020, and ramp up to full operations by 2022;
- Increase pit manufacturing capacity and capability at the Plutonium Facility at Los Alamos; and
- Complete the design and begin building the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in order to complete construction by 2020, and ramp up to full operations by 2022.
- Recruit, develop and retain the next generation of nuclear security professionals responsible for stockpile stewardship. These individuals are today, and will be in the future, our greatest asset. They face critical and persistent scientific challenges as they implement our national policy to consider all life extension options to maintain the nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing. I believe that these challenges, combined with a national-level commitment to transform NNSA from a nuclear weapons complex into a modern, world-class 21st century Nuclear Security Enterprise will provide the environment to attract and retain the best and brightest scientists and engineers available. In addition, defense initiatives beyond stockpile stewardship, such as nuclear forensics and attribution, and treaty verification activities, provide a broadened mission that will push the envelope of nuclear technology and further challenge and develop our nuclear security professionals.
Maintaining Warhead Reliability
U.S. nuclear warhead reliability has always been held to the highest standards – and these standards for warhead reliability will remain exacting and extremely high, regardless of stockpile size. Over the course of the past twenty years, the stockpile has been reduced from over 21,000 warheads to approximately 5,100 at the end of fiscal year 2009 within the context of science-based stockpile stewardship and the continuing moratorium on nuclear testing. During this time, the National Laboratories have assessed our weapon systems on an annual basis and the Secretaries of Defense and Energy have annually certified to the President the safety, security and reliability of our stockpile. However, as the size of the stockpile continues to decrease, our deterrent must rely even more on a strong capabilities-based infrastructure that can respond rapidly to technical and geopolitical challenges—and this is what we will achieve through the programs and plans described in the SSMP. To ensure this infrastructure is in place when we need it, sustained national-level support over the next decade is essential.
Accordingly, we have included a substantial increase in funding in the fiscal year 2011-2015 budget request, shaped by our requirements and the ability of the Nuclear Security Enterprise to efficiently "ramp up" within the constraints of time, capacity and capability to spend the increased funds. In this regard, the President's budget request for the NNSA for the fiscal year 2011-2015 Future Years Nuclear Security Program is exactly right—it reflects what is both necessary and executable. The request includes an increase of $624 million in fiscal year 2011, and scales to $1.64 billion in fiscal year 2015. The Administration's plan calls for sustained investments at these higher levels such that over the next decade the United States will have invested over $80 billion in modernizing the NNSA infrastructure. This represents a nearly 30 percent increase over the next decade as compared with the investments in these programs over the course of the past decade. Again, however, sustained commitment and support over the next decade is essential.
NNSA Support to Treaty Verification
The United States relies on NNSA and the National Laboratories for the development, evaluation and utilization of technologies for a number of treaty verification and nonproliferation initiatives. Our work in this area includes, for example: advanced safeguards technology development to support the International Atomic Energy Agency; equipment development for and monitoring of the conversion of highly enriched uranium (HEU) to low enriched uranium under the U.S.-Russia HEU Purchase Agreement; and monitoring the extraction of spent fuel rods at the Yongbyon reactor in North Korea and verifying that the removed fuel rods were actually spent fuel. For strategic arms control purposes, we leverage the expertise of our physicists and engineers to develop advanced radiation detection equipment, as well as analyze the impact of the use of this equipment on or near U.S. assets. With regard to New START, U.S. inspectors will use equipment developed by the NNSA National Laboratories to confirm that objects on deployed delivery vehicles that are declared to be non-nuclear are, in fact, non-nuclear. This equipment, which was originally developed for verification under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, was also used by U.S. inspectors for verification under the 1991 START Treaty. Should new radiation detection equipment be required, specialists from throughout the Nuclear Security Enterprise will play an essential role in the development and evaluation process.
The New START Treaty, if ratified and entered into force, commits the United States and Russian Federation to further reduce our deployed strategic nuclear weapons in a transparent and verifiable manner, thereby increasing stability between our countries, while demonstrating in a concrete manner the U.S. and Russian commitment to our obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. This, I believe, will provide positive momentum for future U.S.-Russian collaboration, and will provide further credibility for maintaining a strong leadership role for the United States in international nonproliferation initiatives. Most importantly, the New START Treaty accomplishes these objectives without jeopardizing U.S. national security, and specifically it will not jeopardize the ability of the United States to maintain the safety, security and effectiveness of its nuclear weapons stockpile. For these reasons, I urge this body to favorably consider the New START Treaty.
Thank you. I look forward to answering your questions.


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Cedar Rapids Weather
City Buys Another Vacant Waterloo Building
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) - The Waterloo City Council has voted to buy another vacant downtown building.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that the building along the west bank of the Cedar River over the years has housed bars, a meat market, music store and flea market. The purchase price was $102,000. The city has been buying downtown properties for projects that included apartments, the Cedar Valley SportsPlex and the RiverLoop Expo and Public Market. Others properties have been acquired without a particular project in mind. Community Planning and Development Director Noel Anderson told the newspaper that the city didn't have specific plans for its latest purchase. He says the building likely will be razed, but there's no hurry to do so. Conversation GuidelinesBe KindDon't use abusive, offensive, threatening, racist, vulgar or sexually-oriented language. Share KnowledgeBe truthful. Share what you know and what you are passionate about. Stay focusedPromote lively and healthy debate. Stay on topic. Ask questions and give feedback on the story's topic. Report TroubleHelp us maintain a quality comment section by reporting comments that are offensive. If you see a comment that is offensive, or you feel violates our guidelines, simply click on the "x" to the far right of the comment to report it. read the full guidelines here » Commenting will be disabled on stories dealing with the following subject matter: Crime, sexual abuse, property fires, automobile accidents, Amber Alerts, Operation Quickfinds and suicides. |
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Easton S1 BBCOR: BB13S1 Adult
$199.99 – $329.99 |
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72 Product Reviews
Questions and Answers
Got a question about the Easton S1 BBCOR: BB13S1 Adult? Ask our team of experts, and they will respond within 24 hours.
Ask A QuestionAre there any differences in design between the 2014 and 2013 S1s?
Yes, the 2014 Easton S1 BBCOR will feature Easton's updated graphic designs.
I am 5' 10" 165 lbs. I am a sophomore on varsity. I struggle at the plate often. Should I get the S1, S2, or S3? What size?
Based on your height and weight, we suggest a 32" model in the Easton S1 BBCOR (BB13S1) Adult. The Easton S1 has the lightest swing weight of the 3 bats and it will provide you with the biggest advantage at the plate.
I am 5'11 and weigh 190 lbs. and beginning to play college ball. What size bat do you think I need? I know this is a speed series bat and I need a quicker bat. Could I still have some home runs or to the warning track type hits?
The Easton S1 BBCOR (BB13S1) is a very balanced bat and great for a player that wants a quicker bat. It uses top of the line composite materials for outstanding performance. It is very possible to get a homerun with the Easton S1.
Product Description
New for 2013! The next generation of Power Brigade has arrived. Now in its second season, this groundbreaking line of bats is unlike anything else on the field today. The concept is simple: Help players hit for power. However, Easton realizes that different players achieve a powerful swing in different ways. That's why the Power Brigade is divided into two distinct series - the XL Series (XL1, XL2, and XL3) and the Speed Series (S1, S2, S3, and S4). The XL Series is designed for bigger, stronger hitters who derive their power from a bat with more mass. Smaller length to weight ratios, and an extra-long barrel with a massive sweet spot and a slight end load characterize the XL Series. The Speed Series, on the other hand, helps players increase their swing speed in order to generate more power. These bats feature lighter length to weight ratios, a lower M.O.I., and a balanced feel. Further trying to equip players with their perfect bat, Easton offers all of its Power Brigade bats in a two-piece IMX Composite/SIC Black Carbon design (XL1, S1), a two-piece IMX Composite/THT100 Scandium Alloy hybrid design (XL2, S2), and a one-piece THT Scandium Alloy design (XL3, S3, S4). Two of the highest performing materials ever used on a bat, Easton's patented IMX Composite optimizes the sweet spot for maximum performance, while their THT Scandium Alloy provides solid durability and allows for a larger alloy sweet spot than is seen anywhere else on the field. Throw in an array of additional world-class Easton technology, and you've got a line of bats that can't be topped. Easton: Personalize Your Power! The S1 is BBCOR Certified and approved for high school and collegiate play. It is backed by Easton's Exclusive 400 Day Manufacturer's Warranty. Free Shipping!
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News & AnnouncementsRSS
Changes to the way HLP is moderated (For Real This Time!)
For those of you who use the forums rather than just looking at the front page, we've made some changes to the way we will be moderating HLP in the future. You can find details here.
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HLP Newsletter - March 2014
Why, hello everyone. Welcome to March! Spring is about to arrive... right? (Well, not here anyway.)
You may notice something a little different about me this month. There's a goofy picture under my name, as well as a new goofy title, "Just Another Administraitor". And- wait. That's not so goofy. Pyros are awesome...
Anyway, on to more important news, there is a large discussion taking place about forum guidelines. Be sure to read it and give your input. As well, anyone who's considering releasing content on HLP should read and give feedback on this licensing thread. The more clear these things are, the smoother modders and mod teams can function!
And! Not. Only. That. But if you've got news thats fit to be announced but if its not earth shattering as an announcement or a highlight, please post it in this news ticker thread and hopefully someone will be along quick enough to add it to the news roll above the forum. (Note: This method may change in the near future if we can get something better cooking.)
Thats a long intro, lets get to the fun stuff!
Did you enjoy the single mission campaign The Blade Itself with War in Heaven? Sure you did! Now Lepanto's started a series of missions that follow the great captains of BP as they command their giant starships.
Want to make your own? Lepanto's still got you covered with this tutorial on how to get all set up!
Other than that its kind of quiet on the campaign front. There's lots of small rumblings here and there with Shetland and Frontlines but lets be super patient and not rush greatness.
The Hound's got some first missions he has put up for people to review and give critique. I haven't had a chance to see them yet, but from what other people are writing, they seem pretty cool!
gin's also got his first mission out for people to try for Diaspora. Go slag some toasters!
Oh hey, I also forgot to mention last month, with the release of the 2014 Mediavps, I also re-released Vassago's Dirge to take advantage of the new content and new features added since its original release. If you liked Blue Planet or Transcend, you'll probably like this trip too!
by niffiwan
Another month, more coding and scripting goodness is flowing FSO's way. Hopefully there will be a new stable release soon as it would be grand for both the mediavps_2014 and JAD:XA to be supported by official releases...
And now for a little copy-pasta; here's a list the new features which have been committed to trunk in the last month. These will all be in the latest Nightly Build which are posted (for Windows at least) each day that there is a change to the trunk code. Check it out if you're feeling brave or are developing mods, or if you just want to help with testing. Just remember that the nightlies also have the latest bugs as well as the latest features (but hey, it's better to find bugs in a nightly build than in the next release!)
New features!
- Allowed the $Weapon class hook condition to work on $Weapon Collision hooks - zookeeper
- Adds set-motion-debris-override sexp. This can be used to control the presence of motion debris, and overrides any user choice made through the -nomotiondebris commandline flag - The_E
- Add lua function to get a handle of the current player - m!m
- Add -no_unfocused_pause option - m!m
- Add a SEXP for checking the current state of ship flags - karajorma
- Make the Mission Objectives editor a little larger. Cause why not? - karajorma
- Bigger (and better?) Briefing and Debriefing editors - Axem
And for something a little different, here's a bugs scoreboard:
fixed | new | delta | outstanding | |
Coverity (this month) | 23 | 5 | -18 | 433 |
Mantis (last 30 days) | 7 | 9 | +2 | 187 |
And while the subject is on bugs, Battuta has written another bug hunt post - read it at your own peril!
RgaNoris has started a discussion about the subobject vertices limit in FSO. It seems that all subobjects (including the main detail0 object) are limited to 64k verts due to the use of an unsigned short (16 bit) as an index. The_E has whipped up some code for FSO, it's now just PCS2 that'll need some love to add support there as well.
After 2.5 years of no updates in the thread, m!m has released some test builds with compressed VP support! This is pretty exciting as modder should be able to package up their mods using ubiquitous compression utilities rather than our collection of custom VP editors. And there's benefits in reduced assets size and better error detection. Head over and give that build a spin!
APNGASM. It's not forgotten, there was a recent update from the kickstarter. While it has been slower than expected, progress had been made with a stable v3.0.0 release. Command line tools are available, but the GUI isn't quite ready yet.
z64555 has finished a revamp of the FSO debug console. It's a feature that's practically been forgotten since retail, it provides tools to tweak the behaviour of FSO as it's running. Sounds very interesting, and I want to dig into it to find out what it can do.
ngld has taken Hellzeds bash script and ported it to python. The result is a nice looking cross platform installer! Windows users can grab a stand-alone exec to run here. OSX & Linux users will need to install dependencies and run the python script for now.
And Goober5000s installer has released a new version as well, squashing bugs and adding new features. It should update Freespace2 to v1.20 and install OpenAL, with the ability to extract VPs from the GOG installer looking like the last feature needed before version 2.1 is released.
Annnnd... maybe I should let Axem talk about his new Journal script I'll just say that it looks really cool, it provides a way for modders to better integrate background information (the technical term is "fluff") into the natural flow of a campaign. And for an idea which would have a neat synergy with the new script, coders, take a look here...
And to close out, a mysterious magic|man has been integrating Chromium with FSO... what's next? Twitter feeds in your techroom? P3D in your briefing? Javascript in your HUD gauges?
BW's back with Head Anis of our favorite fish eating, head loving aliens, the Vasudans. Look! They even have scarves! Upgrade your Vasudan fashion today!
Steve-O's got some really great pics of the latest version of the Hyperion (also called the Karuna in BP). No tiles on this baby, just sweet sexy uvmaps.
whitearrow's begun texturing his awesomesauce frigate. What more can you say! (Besides awesomesauce)
ShivanHunter's released a landscape model and a mini-tutorial for making one! Just check that pic below to see how beautiful the scenes can get! Now if only we could get the AI to... not fly into the ground...
Col. hornet is still around, slowly refining his giant Hera Carrier. I'm sure the hangar bays will be awesome to fly through.
fightermedic's back with another Lego-inspired ship. The Venom bomber, which looks to be a fast piece of work.
DahBlount's started to release some information on his own personal mod, and he's also got a WIP of a Heavy Assault Frigate named the Agasaya. And ship certainly looks heavy assault. There's no kill like overkill, right?
cahdoge has begun to take his first steps into 3d modelling with a space galleon in space. He's looking for tips and advice, so if you've got some you can spare him, I'm sure he would enjoy it very much.
Rga's back with a very promising start to the Moloch! There's nothing fishy about this galactic horror.
Whoa, hold on here. Where's the Oddgrim ship? And the Scooby update?! Please excuse me, I must inform the authorities about two missing people. Everyone, remain calm, don't panic!
This month's modding article is about cutscene sexps. They are a wonderful set of sexps that allow you to have real fun with displaying your campaign. The only problem is that they can be a little tricky to use. So I wrote some stuff on the wiki about the quirks.
Check it out!
Next month will be about kitbashing models with PCS2. For when that ship you want is just needs a few small tweaks to make it perfect...
by mjn.mixael
Last month's theme was Love, and I absolutely applaud the creativity displayed!
Seriously. A beam drawing a heart on a Sath?. Win. A dynamic shot of Freespace's most famous lovebirds?. Awesome. Showcasing JAD's ridiculous weapons. <3! And of course a love story between HLP members, Axem and Mpez. You know there's going to be a campaign featuring them someday!
All in all, though I just had to go with Mpez's attempt to court Axem. Not only that, but I'm Batman.
Screencap Scoreboard:
Ckid - 1
Mpez - 1
As a reminder, we're going to do things slightly differently this year. Our many campaigns are filled with emotional ups, downs, and/or lackthereof. So we'll highlight that with a whole year's worth of emotional themes. I don't care what's in the image as long as it portrays the particular feeling for the month.
So for March, let's explore Loneliness.
Watch those HUD gauges (especially that sneaky FPS gauge) and check out the Screencam Script to help you win a badge and bragging rights. You can see the rules and the previous winners here on the Wiki.
I'm going to be slightly changing when the newsletter is posted. Instead of (roughly) on the 1st of each month, I'm going to go for (roughly) the first weekend of each month. This will give me a little breathing room if I fall behind for whatever reason. Until then!
HLP Newsletter - February 2014
Welcome to February! The month of love. And judging by the results in this thread, the Temeraire is going to be getting a lot of Valentines! But my heart belongs to another ship, and before I go out and order chocolate for it, lets see what we did in January.
Not quite a campaign, but the aptly named 2014 Mediavps have been released! So many new models, so little room here to tell you about them, so just download it if you haven't already!
Remember how I told you about a crazy campaign in development with Cylons and Shivans and... other things to blow up. Well there's a demo out now! Its a one man, first mod ever sort of thing, so really keep that in mind if you want to try it out.
Battuta's been a posting madman lately, and some of it teases you with the inner workings of Blue Planet: War in Heaven Act 4. There's also neat stuff about Vasudans and BP3, and even a War in Heaven VOICE ACTING DEATHMARCH. Does this guy sleep?
And Diaspora has an initial release on their 1.1 patch, now including amazingly rendered briefing cutscenes. I mean check it out!
And in our frequently updating mini-mod showcase: Black Wolf, working on Frontlines teases us with a picture of a new Vasudan Station, and Rheyah working on Shetland teases us with stock tips that are sure to pay off in 383 years. (I've already put my money away!)
And if you're looking for an updated classic to play, the FSCRP has you covered with a dual release of Incursion and Return to SOL. (Props to Macfie for pointing out I forgot this!)
by niffiwan
Onwards to February... and I'm running out of time to get this to Axem and I can't think of anything decently witty or interesting to put here so have some random blatherings instead... (and yeah, I should really appreciate the weather I have a lot more!!! )
And now for a little copy-pasta; here's a list the new features which have been committed to trunk in the last month. These will all be in the latest Nightly Build which are posted (for Windows at least) each day that there is a change to the trunk code. Check it out if you're feeling brave or are developing mods, or if you just want to help with testing. Just remember that the nightlies also have the latest bugs as well as the latest features (but hey, it's better to find bugs in a nightly build than in the next release!)
New features!
- From December; red-alert will now work with ships that appear at some point subsequent to mission start - Goober5000 (the old behaviour was that a ship that was not present at mission start would ignore any red alert data from the previous mission)
- Add scaling option to Yarns hud gauges - niffiwan (modders can now choose if they want to automatically scale gauges or not; default is the scaling)
- Allow training missions to also show mission goals - karajorma (pretty much self explanatory)
- Add support for replaying briefing and command briefing cutscenes - karajorma (say hello to beautiful briefing cutscenes in Diaspora 1.1)
- add the Call-SSM-Strike SEXP - X3N0-Life-Form (a simpler way to add missiles of subspace doom!)
- add $Velocity Inherit weapons table option - zookeeper (i.e. the percentage of the parent ship's velocity that is inherited by the weapon)
- add $Acceleration Time weapons table option - zookeeper (modders can now change the default 1 sec accelerate-to-max-velocity time for secondaries)
- add "no homing speed ramp" weapon flag - zookeeper (similar to the previous feature, this allows the removal of the 1 sec speed up time)
- scripting access to ship orders; also allows modifying some order values - Admiral MS
- add scripting function to get the wing of a ship - Admiral MS
- add scripting function to get the waypoint-list of a waypoint - Admiral MS (all three of these give more scripting options which will see use in Admiral MS's RTS mod, hurrah!)
- Add -profile_write_file options to write frame times to a file - from m!m (makes it easier to graph framerates when testing performance improvements)
Rounding out the months coding commits, we had more bugfixes and Coverity fixes. Yay!
Echelon9 has created a Newbie Projects wiki page, a list of easy tasks that would be suitable for any new coders wishing to start working on the FSO codebase. This is a great idea to lower the barrier of entry into coding for FSO, and we're always interested in more coders!
Also from Echelon9 is some work on rationalisation of the AI code. The AI code is a fairly scary part of FSO and it's easy to break AI behaviour by accident so rationalisation work is good. As long as we don't break the AI code in the process of trying to make it harder to break the AI code...
m!m has done some work on Shader Refactoring. It's a reorganisation into simpler and more object-oriented code, with a benefit of some performance improvements. The only unfortunate side effect is that this the same area of the code that Swifty has been working on, so there's a need to sync/merge the changes together to ensure that they don't conflict with each other. Regardless of that, it's good refactoring work
Spicious has released a new version of PCS2. The main features is an increased submodel normals limit, the limit is now 64k total normals per submodel whereas it used to be around 30k or so. Some extra minor goodies are displaying the vertex count instead of the poly/tri count, and some performance improvements.
FelixJim has posted a planned update for the In-Mission Techroom Script. It's still a plan at this stage as there's one outstanding bug that needs code review (calling all code reviewers!!) and to be committed to trunk. Anyway, the plans will remove a number of limitations in the current script - all very cool.
Also from FelixJim is an update to the Simple Animation Script. Chock full of goodies to help modders create freeform briefings, so go check it out.
Now, call off the hounds of pestering because Goober has released a beta of his promised cross-platform installer! On time too, with about 5 mins to spare While there were a few serious bugs in the 1st version, these have been cleaned up (congratulations to m!m for spotting the most serious issue) and it's looking pretty good. While it's not quite ready for a public release more testing is always good, so if you have some spare time download it, give it a go and report back with your experiences.
And it seems to be the season for installers, LogicalMadness has come out of nowhere with a Windows Installshield based installer (the rd in 3 months!). It's also in a beta state and I'm sure he'd appreciate testing and feedback so that it can be improved.
And lastly, since it doesn't seem to be getting much attention here's a reminder about Antipodes 9: SDL Everywhere. This is a feature we (the SCP) want to be in the next FSO stable release, so it would be great to get some more testing & feedback on it. And I'd like to make a special call to anyone who has a force-feedback joystick since one of the main features of Antipodes 9 is SDL support for force-feedback. Not many of the coders have these so we'd really appreciate more testing so we can ensure that the new code works as expected, and we can move closer to being able to commit this into trunk.
Cool Col. Hornet has continued his amazing progress on the amazing GTCa Hera. Link goes to the first post with an up to date p3d window and wow, that size comparision with the Raynor! I fear how many fighters that thing could carry!
From the depths of the underworld, peterv returns! With presents! The GTF Ierax. A Valkyrie-like fighter that is sure to either ruin your day, or your opponents!
Aesaar and Hades are teaming up to reimagine some of the FreeSpace 2 fighters based on concept art that StarSlayer drew eons ago. Right now there's just the Herc II, the turkiest of all Terran fighters.
An4ximandros has another ship wip (apparently his 10^100 x 10^100th try), and it sure looks like a fun model to fly through while trying to lose trailing Shivan fighters! (Hey An4x, when can we see the other umpthmillion ships?! Sincerely, your secret fan, Axem)
Whitearrow has announced that his heavy frigate is done the modelling stage (with only 60,000 polygons!). So while we wait for that monster to be finished lets enjoy some pretty renders.
ShadowWolf is taking an old fighter, Aldo's Claymore 2b, and given it a bit of a facelift. I can't wait to fly it and pray the engine pylons don't get blown to bits!
In MediaVP territory, those guys are still working hard even with the release of the 2014 mediavps.
Lc4Hunter continues his Iceni model. Bosch will be able to demand access to the Sirius jump node in so much style, that Command will have no choice but to let him go... (Waitaminute...)
Oddgrim continues to use his insane texturing powers for good and not evil by starting work on Hades' insane Leviathan. (Can you find the easter eggs he has hidden on the textures?)
As well Hades gives the Fenris a related update to match the Levithan's new style. Oh Fenris, why couldn't you take more hits and be a little more useful? (FYI Fenris is on the right)
And finally we close this section with Rga Noris's early WIP of a new Moloch! Hooray!
This month's article is about Mission Infrastructure and Checkpoints. It's really long, so I put it up on the wiki. Its got fun and colorful pictures!
Basically I explain a semi-simple system of allowing you to divide your mission into chunks so you can skip to parts without having to play the parts before. This helps with testing long missions. And as a side-effect, it makes adding checkpoints a breeze. Adding the checkpoint was the EASIEST PART.
Seriously, this stuff comes in super handy when you have a mission that has this many events (Thank goodness for multi-monitors!)
Next month: Cutscene sexps, this most idiosyncratic sexps in FreeSpace. And... that's saying something.
by mjn.mixael
Last month's theme was Rage. There weren't too many entries, but some really nice ones showed up in just the last few days.
It took me quite some time to choose the winner this month... I really liked several of the images, but in the end.. I kept finding myself going back to one in particular. I love the angle of the scene and how it draws your eye across the bow of the ship, over weapons and straight to the explosion. Very well composed shot from a great looking mod.
CKid wins the first month of the year with this one.
Honorable mention to Droid's post because that was full of win. Although, I was properly quoted as saying I didn't care what was in the image.. I thought it went without saying that these are meant to be in-mission screenshots! But I give Droid and Lorric extra props for thinking outside the skybox. (C wut I did thar?)
Screencap Scoreboard:
Ckid - 1
As a reminder, we're going to do things slightly differently this year. Our many campaigns are filled with emotional ups, downs, and/or lackthereof. So we'll highlight that with a whole year's worth of emotional themes. I don't care what's in the image as long as it portrays the particular feeling for the month. And yes, February is be the month of Love. (I recommend lots of red or pink colored images!)
Watch those HUD gauges (especially that sneaky FPS gauge) and check out the Screencam Script to help you win a badge and bragging rights. You can see the rules and the previous winners here on the Wiki.
BlackWolf's started a CBAni reference wiki drive project march revolution... thing. Help out and... be eternally satisfied with inner peace.
Also, as if Battuta isn't doing enough, he also managed to kidnap Spoon and reveal all the secrets of his... secrets. (One day I will be kawaii* as Spoon)
(TL Note: Kawaii means cute)
Also props to Rga Noris for taking some pics when p3d suddenly stopped working for me!
HLP Newsletter - January 2014
Welcome to the wooooorld of tomorrow! Yes, its 2014! Which means that things like personal spaceships and subspace are a year closer! Also Shivans are a year closer, but lets ignore that for now. We should probably take a look at what happened last month before venturing off into the future.
First off, congrats to everyone who released something in 2013! Apologies for the delay on the annual video, but it is here now!
But specifically for December, I actually got something released! Go enjoy Just Another Day Xtreme Arcade as a way to make up for the late newsletter and late video! It's got explosions and pewpew and... things... Oh and fun. Can't forget fun.
Otherwise, you ARE checking out the other promising campaigns brewing up in the Missions and Campaigns board, right? Well, if not, allow me to summarize:
Rheyah continues his steady work with Shetland, teasing a cool screenshot and mentions of cool script integration.
My work exposing these new campaigns, has gotten FIZ to leak a little bit more intriguing info about his "Aquitaine Chronicles" mini-campaign. And wait, there's no pics!
As well, bullhorn has given some more info on his Ex Orbito campaign, it'll feature NTF victories before the GTVA deploys their secret weapon known only as... Alpha 1. And yes, we have a pic here too!
And Bryan See has a rather interesting crossover campaign started. It's got the GTVA battling the Cylons from Battlestar Galactica! What more could you ask? Also there's pics. Wonderous pics.
And last but not least, Inferno is teasing us with a discussion thread for their campaign that isn't released yet! But it makes up for it by having pics and the chance to get some info about the campaign by asking the devs.
by niffiwan
Ah summer. Humid heat from 7am followed by afternoon storms :blah: I should invest in a good UPS / power surge protector so I don't have to keep turning my PC off in the afternoon/evening!
(ED Note: I don't know, I'd sure take that over being colder than the North Pole!)
And now for a little copy-pasta; here's a list the new features which have been committed to trunk in the last month. These will all be in the latest Nightly Build which are posted (for Windows at least) each day that there is a change to the trunk code. Check it out if you're feeling brave or are developing mods, or if you just want to help with testing. Just remember that the nightlies also have the latest bugs as well as the latest features (but hey, it's better to find bugs in a nightly build than in the next release!)
New features!
- For wing names with hash symbols, put the ship number before the hash (plus refactor part of wing names code) - Goober5000 (useful if you want wing members to have correct names in identically named but different wings)
- Bump model insignia faces/vertexes limits - niffiwan (so insignia can be placed on curvy models)
- Added an $On Ship Arrive scripting hook - zookeeper
- Made +delay and +acceleration in animation code optional and default to 0 - zookeeper
- Enabled fighterbay door animations to better define which bay path must be used or not used for the animation to trigger - zookeeper
- Yarns Adaptable HUD - Yarn & m!m & niffiwan (a new way of configuring HUD gauge positions, including a non-stretched HUD for retail without requiring a table. There's a few things still being added to this)
- Added scripting function for drawing filled and unfilled arcs and made drawCircle able to draw unfilled circles - zookeeper
- Added support for multiple control presets - zookeeper
- Allow game_settings.tbl to define the FS2NetD port, so TCs can work out of the box on *nix, etc - chief1983 (currently, setting the port in multi.cfg only works because on Windows the game and user data folders are still in the same place)
- Add the was-destroyed-delay SEXP by the WCS team. Add support to alter-ship-flag for hiding ship names - karajorma
- Add lua on-collision hooks for beams - Axem & Wanderer
- Ported the $On Action and $On Action Stopped scripting hooks. Also bumps the char limit for conditions from 32 to 64 - zookeeper
Apart from the features, there's been bugfixes, in particular zookeeper has been squashing bugs in the new model point shields code, and of course MOAH Coverity & Address Sanitizer related fixes (as an aside, compared to similar size open source projects (100k-500k lines of code) FSO currently has a defect density of 1.15 (per 1000 lines of code), compared to the average of 0.6 - so there's still quite some room for improvement).
X3N0-Life-Form has submitted a patch to add a simple SSM sexp. It looks like it may be ready to commit soon.
There was a discussion about moving some command line parameters to be tabled options instead. There was also a similar conversation about having bloooooommm and other default lighting settings in a table as well. Both ideas sound good to me, so it just seems that we need someone with some time to pick this up and make it happen :)
And now... the question of an installer! I wonder if us regulars at HLP sometimes forget how tricky it can be to install FSO and its mods when you're just starting out. The documentation is pretty good but finding it can be difficult if you're arriving via google, none of the 1st page of results in my google search returned the new & updated installation threads by jg18 :( And of course, for better or for worse, many game players these days expect a simple click and point style installation process, and we need players to play all the awesome work that our members create! Towards the end of that thread Goober implied that there'd be some news after the holidays were over, so I'm now charging all you readers, PESTER THE GUY (in a good natured way of course) if he hasn't delivered some news by the end of January! :p
If you've been following Star Citizen, you'll know that they pushed back the dogfight module. But MatthTheGeek said "Oh yeah?" and managed to pull the P52 Merlin (all 100k+ polys) and threw it into FreeSpace for a quick standalone experience.
Steve-O has also released the latest version of his Fighter Pack (weapons included!). This includes all the redone ships, including the redone Saracen/Durga. Great looking ships if you need some custom ones.
Col. Hornet has started work on a TCa Hera, a carrier that bears a strong similarity to Aesaar's Diomedes in BP. Which is awesome. Getting a strong air craft carrier vibe from this.
Betrayal's got a neat looking ship in the works, the TFg Vengeance. A pocket destroyer, with few anti-capital weapons, but lots of anti-fighter ones. It looks like quite a blunt instrument.
Speaking of... blount instruments...
DahBlount's finally shown that new version of the Nuadha that I mentioned last month. I see its still got its giant beam cannon, very good. Keep up the good work!
And making a surprising debut in the FSU forums, Lc4Hunter not only shows off a new Iceni, but also a new Demon! The Demon sorely needs an upgrade, maybe then it can get some love in campaigns again.
Oh Oddgrim, what is this. ANOTHER Vasudan ship? Ho hum.
Oh AND a high poly version of the Vasudan support ship from FS1? You make me sick.
And Scooby. TWO more ships? Give other people a chance. C'mon bros.
by mjn.mixael
Last month's theme was Free-For-All. There were a lot of very, very good entries and it took me a while to narrow it down. In the end, though.. it just has to go to..
CKid with this pic from BP. Wowzers, that looks nice. Who do I pay to get my mods to look that good?
Here are a few runner ups that I also really loved. Darius MatthTheGeek
Screencap 2013 Final Scoreboard:
ssmit132 - 2
X3N0-Life-Form - 1
FreeSpaceFreak - 1
mjn.mixael - 1
Belisarius - 1
MatthTheGeek - 1
knossosfs2 - 1
Betrayal - 1
Aesaar - 1
Axem - 1
CKid - 1
Review the year's worth of winning screenshots here. The goal was to show what FSO can do, and I think that was easily achieved. As for the year's winner? The scoreboard says it all. ssmit132 wins with 2 points where everyone else has 1. Enjoy some more pixels in the form of a badge, ssmit132!
Guess what. It's 2014! That means a new screencap season! I'll be interested to see if ssmit132 can hold on to that golden badge of glory next year. :) We're going to do things slightly differently this year. Our many campaigns are filled with emotional ups, downs, and/or lackthereof. So let's highlight that with a whole year's worth of emotional themes. I don't care what's in the image as long as it portrays the particular feeling for the month. And yes, February will be the month of love. However, January is the month of Rage.
So get out there and capture all the Rage you can in an image!
Watch those HUD gauges (especially that sneaky FPS gauge) and check out the Screencam Script to help you win a badge and bragging rights. You can see the rules and the previous winners here on the Wiki.
Let's keep this nice and easy, what campaigns are you waiting for in 2014? Planning on starting your own?
HLP Newsletter - December 2013
Ho ho ho! Merry Shivanmas, everyone! Bring out your trees and get ready for a visit from Sathanas Claus! If you've been a good boy and/or girl, he'll invite you for a tour of his workshop. If not, your homeworld gets glassed over.
So what presents did we get last month?
What's this? A picture heavy preview post for a total conversion? Yes, please! Check out all of Eiswolf's cool pics for his Aerotech TC, which I've touched on before.
Two FREDders have made announcements for their small mini-campaigns! First is Bullhorn and a GTVA-NTF campaign called Ex Orbito. 3-5 missions, done in about a month? Sounds almost perfect... just need some pics in there... hint. Hint.
FIZ is also looking at making a campaign based on the squadrons of FS2 before Alpha 1 came by and stole all the fame for himself. Let's all give him the feedback to go make an amazing set of stories!
Going back to Bullhorn for a second, he's started a FRED game of sorts, Operation Dynamic. Two sides, each controlled by a FREDder, plan their own side of an operation, with Bullhorn being the ref. This really sounds very good and fun. I have high hopes to see something great come from this. (It's like Squad War, only for FREDders!)
And of course we have our three usual campaigns dealing out bite-sized chunks of updates. Frontlines has tugs, dynamic action reports and bombs. Shetland has more WORDS (but very soft and fluffy words). And JAD has... a race course with beams and ego.
by niffiwan
Another month so soon? And for those welcoming the cold weather in the northern hemisphere, spare a thought for those in the southern currently sweltering their way towards summer... I wish you could send some of that cold weather our way
Anyway, on with the show, here's a list the new features which have been committed to trunk in the last month. These will all be in the latest Nightly Build which are posted (for Windows at least) each day that there is a change to the trunk code. So check it out if you're feeling brave or are developing mods, or if you just want to help with testing. Just remember that the nightlies also have the latest bugs as well as the latest features (but hey, it's better to find bugs in a nightly build than in the next release!)
New features!
- excluding weapons from linked fire penalty - Wanderer (i.e. a per-weapon flag in addition to the existing AI profiles flag)
- scramble messages on a per-ship basis - Goober5000
- model point shields - zookeeper (switch your deflectors on double front)
- allow modder to specify countermeasure type on a per-species basis - Goober5000
- Persona-specific promotion debriefings - Yarn (i.e. you can switch between different personas in the same campaign/mod)
- Add support for the framecap menu option - chief1983 (for WebUI standalone servers)
- WebUI features including support for an alternate management port, non-default usernames/passwords, and writing to the fs2_standalone.log - Echelon9
- Adds depth buffer access to post processing shaders (via use of the depth_tex uniform) - The_E (this allows cel shading, see below for more detail)
- Allow briefing icons for ships & wings to be specified per ship & per wing - Goober5000 (the old way was per species only)
Apart from the features, there's been more bugfixes, more support for XCode5 on OSX, Goober5000 has finished his memset/memcopy refactoring and a few more Coverity related fixes.
Wanderer is looking to restart work to complete Objecttypes support. This is pretty cool, and here's an example which will show some of that coolness. Say you have a cargo depot and you want a cruiser to arrive and blow away all the cargo (thanks to BlackWolf for the example). Currently FSO will not let the cruiser open fire on the cargo, probably due to various missions in FS1/FS2 which required this sort of behaviour. If you do want the cruiser to open fire, you need to add a hack like putting an invisible no-collide enemy ship inside the cargo (thanks to zookeeper for the solution). However, objecttypes gives an alternative, you could add a new class called "cargo_killin_cruiser" and add cargo to the allowed targeting list, or just change the existing cruiser entry if you don't have any missions where you need cruisers to ignore cargo. Pretty cool eh? There's more info on the wiki. And if you're a modder with an opinion on the default object type for non-retail ships, go post in the thread linked above. Feedback is good!
Moving along, Hellzed has posted a bash installation script for Linux that extracts the VPs from the GOG installer. Very useful if you don't want to mess with WINE, or install on Windows. There also seems to be a followup in progress that could do also install mods, intriguing...
In wxFRED2 land, z64555 has posted another progress report. The wxFRED2 code has now been linked into the rest of the FSO code for all platforms, which means the way is clear to work on more than just the interface. Happy days
Swifty has given us all a real treat with a preview of his Variance Shadow Maps (aka Soft shadows) WIP. That's a mighty fine looking feature, looking forward to seeing it added to trunk in future
On the scriping front, Scooby_Doo has updated his rotating animation script
And lastly, in the new features section I mentioned CEL shading, and here are the results. Kobrar has created some GLSL shaders to give that objects that cartoony look, perfect for mods with a certain feel/theme. Some ships work well without any changes, others may need some texture tweaks in order to look their best. There's another pic and a video showcasing this over in the Celebration of Freespace thread. I don't believe that all the issues have been ironed out yet, but it's still a great effort.
The Media VP team has released an open beta of the 2014 Media VPs! Loads of new and exciting ships! Check it out, dudes!
Are you ready to ROCK OUT? fightermedic's got some giant asteroids ready to crash into your ships. Or for you to crash into. Point is, something's going to be crashing into these things. Because why else would you add them?
The Inferno team has showed off their giant Sol Gate. This being Inferno, we need to ask: Just HOW big is it?
AFAIK even Gigas or Icanus would suit in the current Solgate...But what about the Gargants! WHAT. ABOUT. THE GARGANTS?!
Headdie's also been updating his workshop thread with two new ships. A Vasudan cruiser and a Terran corvette. We've even got some sights of some texturing going on... Always a fantastic sign!
DahBlount has apparently made some big changes to his GTD Nuadha... but I can't seem to find them. No pics and the p3d link seems to have vanished... Someone, halp.
But what he DOES have an update on is his sleek looking fighter, the Ningirama. Such a fin-e ship. Okay, that pun doesn't work... I'll think of something later.
Hey Col. Hornet, how's your super cool GTF Hydra going?
I decided to stop the modelling process. The model is now undergoing the UV mapping.Aw, I can't make a screenshot of that! I'll just use this pic instead.
Oddgrim, what is this?! ANOTHER Vasudan Cruiser? What are we going to do with all these ships? Make some sort of... campaign with them?
Scooby's got a brand new thread for his WIP ships! Now with p3d embedded stuff! Anyway, his pair of new ships this month is the Imp and the Super Hornet.
So, hey. p3d has quickly become an integral part of showing off our works in progress. whitearrow has taken it upon himself to begin to maintain a list of us with p3d accounts modellers are using around HLP!
How do I even start with you? There's just too much to talk and discuss. So many weird and unrelated angles to approach this. It's so different and unlike all other campaigns in nearly every way.
Let's start off with a quick description of Windmills for people who haven't played it (who could those people possibly be, anyway?!). You're part of a simulation where you play as GTVA Command. Give orders to ships for them to act. Your actions will draw reactions from your opponents. Send in a reinforcement cruiser? Enemy sends bombers. Don't save a specific ship? Well, that will cost you later. So simple, yet so highly nerve wracking.
Everything's got a very Defcon-ish feel to it . Since this is, supposedly, a simulation, we're treated to retail ships with super glowing colors. Red or Green. (Guess which ones are yours.) The sound track is quiet but still creepy. You see everything, and control everything, but you're so helpless. The sounds are so distant that all you can hear are the beams, ships warping in, and their deaths.
Fight valiantly? Use your ships wisely in cunning tactics? Well, the enemy doesn't care. They'll send in a destroyer from nowhere with little for you to react other than "accept you just lost 5,000 brave men". There is no fairness here. You complete the missions to the best of your abilities, and even then its never good enough for the war effort. There's so many mutually exclusive choices you're forced to make with no idea how they will pan out later on. Does that convoy really mean anything? Does that disabled cruiser?
In typical Ransom fashion, we're treated to a blurring of every sort of line. From morality, motivations, and of course, reality. (Funny story, sometimes Windmills likes to crash with newer builds and I was wondering for a few minutes if this wasn't one of Ransom's tricks. But alas, it was real crashes) The campaign is short, but densely packed with ideas that you really need to go and experience in the campaign. I don't want to give too much away because so much of the campaign is atmosphere and the raw experience.
I know this review is kind of sparse and short, but the less you know what you're getting into, the better. It's just one of those weird and awesome campaigns.
The idea behind this is just so great and awesome and just highlights the modding scene here. I'm not just talking about the campaign, but the idea that we can do things with the engine that just goes completely out of the box. If, in 1999, you told me half the stuff we have in campaigns these days: GTVA command simulators (Windmills, RTS Script), shoot-em-up inspired adventures (The Antagonist, SHUMPSpace), complex player controlled dialog (BP:WiH), and even teenaged girls buying food at the store (JAD), I would go "Are we still talking about FreeSpace? (Also that last idea sounds interesting)".
I can only hope that we're going to see more Windmills and other insane campaigns in the future.
No idea what or when the next campaign spotlight will be! Stay tuned for how this is going to change!
(In the meantime, look around the forums for InsaneBaron's most excellent reviews! Quite more indepth than mine that talk about everything in the mod, rather than just my general musing about it)
by mjn.mixael
Last month's theme was 2013 Modding Contest. There were very few entries. It was a tough choice. Son I am dissapoint. However, the winner is...
ssmit132 showing off two of neat new models in an asteroid field.
Screencap Scoreboard:
ssmit132 - 2
X3N0-Life-Form - 1
FreeSpaceFreak - 1
mjn.mixael - 1
Belisarius - 1
MatthTheGeek - 1
knossosfs2 - 1
Betrayal - 1
Aesaar - 1
Axem - 1
ssmit132 is now the year's leader! December is the last month for the year and it's still possible to tie up the score and win the year if you've already got a point on the board!
That said, December is the perfect month for you to jump in for the first time because December's theme is 'Anything Goes!'. Any shot of anything doing anything is eligible for entry!
Watch those HUD gauges (especially that sneaky FPS gauge) and check out the Screencam Script to help you win a badge and bragging rights. You can see the rules and the previous winners here on the Wiki.
The newsletter is going to be a little different next year! Instead of monthly campaign reviews, we're going to jazz it up a bit. The segments will go into a rotation, one month a FREDding tutorials/tips article, another month: interviews, and then a campaign review the next. But January's issue won't have any of those, because I'll be working on the mega 2013 release video instead.
But if you have an idea and are able to write something up all by yourself, please feel free to submit it!
Or just general ideas is fine too!
Click this link to read all news.


text:
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Added to Wishlist!
Sheath the One Dress in Berry
Final Sale: This item cannot be returned or exchanged.
- 100% Polyester.
- Fabric does not provide stretch. Removable belt is adjustable and measures 26 to 29.5 inches for size Small; 28 to 32 inches for Medium; 30 to 33.5 inches for Large.
- Machine wash cold inside-out. Hang to dry. Do not bleach. Do not iron.
- Unlined. Sheer neck and back. Hidden back zipper with hook and eye closure. Pockets at sides.
- Imported
Size | S | M | L |
Length | 34.5 | 35 | 35.5 |
All measurements in inches.