text:
The 123,000 MPH Plasma Engine That Could Finally Take Astronauts To Mars – "Veteran astronaut Franklin Chang Diaz has spent four decades developing his rocket fueled by nuclear reactors and liquid hydrogen. Now NASA just might let it fly…"
Google Wins Access To "Super Wi-Fi" Broadband Spectrum – "The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken new steps to open up the "white space" wireless spectrum, a move that could lead to the development of next-generation Wi-Fi. The FCC has given nine companies permission to manage and administrate the white space wireless spectrum, an unused spectrum used previously as a buffer between TV channels. With the transition to digital TV, buffer space has become unnecessary…."
ARM launches Cortex-R5, Cortex-R7 chips – "British chip design giant ARM has announced its latest chips for the smartphone market, the Cortex-R5 MPCore and Cortex-R7 MPCore, adding in support for LTE and LTE-Advanced platforms…."
FOUND: Gene Roddenberry's original 1964 pitch for Star Trek! – "Who was the first captain of Star Trek's U.S.S. Enterprise? And—was the Enterprise even the ship's name? You can find out all this and more by reading creator Gene Roddenberry's original pitch for his now-classic series…."
CU research focuses on printing food in 3-D – ""Everyone recognizes that someday everyone will have a 3-D printer in their home, downloading stuff off the Internet," he said. "Food printing will be the first reason they will want them in their homes.".."
Gene and the Machine: The shocking truth about the electric Volt – "K.C. Hernandez is 32, a marketing associate visiting from Chicago. I assure her that I am a working journalist and that my question is purely hypothetical. Judging by appearances alone, I ask, what would be my theoretical chance of having sex with her, expressed as a percentage? "
Scientists develop train that can go faster than airplane – "A model Maglev train that can travel as fast as a plane has been successfully developed in a laboratory in Southwest China, but putting the technology to use is still a long way away, an official from the lab told the Global Times Sunday…."
MoS2 offers tiny chips, with huge energy savings, Swiss find – "PFL researchers in Lausanne have shown that a material now used in lubricants could herald a long-awaited leap forward in the electronics industry, allowing smaller and more energy-efficient electronic chips: a material with "distinct advantages over traditional silicon or graphene". EPFL says molybdenite, also known as MoS2, could replace these two materials. It is the key to major energy savings, they note. If the electronics industry begins to move away from silicon the implications could be far-reaching…." See also: Now, 100K times more efficient transistors possible using molybdenite
Toshiba Qosimo T750 – the world's first color-changing notebook – "If you're concerned about how stylish your devices look, you may like the latest product announcement to come out of Toshba's labs: the Qosimo T750, the world's first color-changing notebook…."
How Was Egypt's Internet Access Shut Off? – "Preliminary investigations indicate that most of the country's ISPs cut Internet access within a 20-minute period, likely at the government's behest…" See also: As Egypt goes offline US gets internet 'kill switch' bill ready
Hulu Owners Looking To Make Hulu Even More Useless – "It's been almost two years since we suggested it might be impossible for Hulu to survive, given that it was in a bit of a "rock and a hard place" situation. The only way for it to really succeed long-term online was to disrupt the existing TV business. Because, if it didn't do that, others would and would kill Hulu. However, Hulu is owned by the existing TV business, and that means the company can't do what it needs to do…."
As Egypt goes offline US gets internet 'kill switch' bill ready – "As Egypt's government attempts to crackdown on street protests by shutting down internet and mobile phone services, the US is preparing to reintroduce a bill that could be used to shut down the internet…."
Research team casts light on asteroid deflection – "So you think global warming is a big problem? What could happen if a 25-million-ton chunk of rock slammed into Earth? When something similar happened 65 million years ago, the dinosaurs and other forms of life were wiped out…."
Should You Sell Your Apple Stock? – "Last Monday, Apple Inc. (AAPL) announced that its chairman and CEO, Steve Jobs, would be taking another leave of absence from the company after receiving a liver transplant only a year and a half ago. The news made national headlines beyond the business and financial media, and the buzz it created is a testament to the power and influence of one of the world's most dynamic CEOs…."
Photo Essay: Spectacular Waterfalls of the World
Childhood obesity linked to habits, not heredity: U-M study – "Are some children genetically tuned to be overweight, or is lifestyle to blame for childhood obesity? Check-ups of 1,003 Michigan sixth-graders in a school-based health program showed children who are obese were more likely to consume school lunch instead of a packed lunch from home and spend two hours a day watching TV or playing a video game…."
The lost tribe: Extraordinary new pictures of life in the depths of the Amazon jungle – "These incredibly detailed photographs offer a unique insight into the lives of one of the world's last uncontacted tribes. Spears aloft, faces daubed with vivid red paint these bewildered villagers stare up at the helicopter high above them…."
New Transistor for Plastic Electronics Exhibits the Best of Both Worlds – "In the quest to develop flexible plastic electronics, one of the stumbling blocks has been creating transistors with enough stability for them to function in a variety of environments while still maintaining the current needed to power the devices. Online in the journal Advanced Materials, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology describe a new method of combining top-gate organic field-effect transistors with a bilayer gate insulator. This allows the transistor to perform with incredible stability while exhibiting good current performance. In addition, the transistor can be mass produced in a regular atmosphere and can be created using lower temperatures, making it compatible with the plastic devices it will power…."
New Handheld Melanoma Scanner Instantly Identifies Skin Cancers With Laser Light – "Called the Verisante Aura, the device employs Raman spectroscopy to identify the molecular makeup of moles by changing the vibrational state of the molecular bonds in a skin growth. Shining a particular laser light on those bonds causes a shift in the kind of light that is reflected back to a sensor, and that shift belies exactly what kinds of molecules are there and in what concentration they exist…."
Scientists reveal key mechanism governing nicotine addiction – "Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified a pathway in the brain that regulates an individual's vulnerability to the addictive properties of nicotine. The findings suggest a new target for anti-smoking therapies…."
Researchers Find Method for Recycling Rubble, Rebuilding Haiti – "A year following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a method to recycle rubble into a strong construction material, which could be a possible solution for safely and inexpensively rebuilding Haiti's structures…."
Scientists See Dangers in Energy Drinks – "With widespread alarm about deaths linked to alcohol-and-caffeine-laced commercial drinks like the fruity malt beverage Four Loko, it's easy to overlook problems that may be linked to the so-called energy drinks that spawned them…."
Acid attack victim: I heard a horrible screaming sound… it was coming from me – "It was just a normal mirror but as I reached for it, my hand trembled. 'Take your time, Katie,' my psychologist Lisa said gently. 'Look at your chest first, then work your way up slowly.'…"
Roger Stockham Arrested With Explosives Outside Major U.S. Mosque – "A 63-year-old Southern California man who was traveling with explosives in his vehicle with the intention of blowing up one of the nation's largest mosques where mourners had gathered for a funeral was arrested in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan authorities said Sunday…."
The Organic Community Must Come Out Swinging at the Right Opponents – "On Thursday the USDA announced a policy that supports the interests of Monsanto and big biotech and deals a major blow to organic farming. They decided to "deregulate" genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa, meaning to allow its unrestricted use. In the months leading up to this decision, a coalition of us has been working ceaselessly to fight for any and all alternatives. I've personally spent days, nights, weekends and vacations as we worked right though the holidays along with our colleagues to try to prevent this chemical giant from steamrolling over farmers, consumers and organic foods supporters. So, it is particularly sad for me to report to you that in this latest round, which is surely just one chapter, they won and we lost…."
Virtual Self – "If you spend a lot of time online, you may even have an electronic alter ego–an avatar. An avatar is a movable image that people design to represent themselves in virtual reality environments or in cyberspace…."
Why is America so afraid? – "I thought this is what he wanted for the Arab world: democracy! But the market dropped, and the cable shows are filled with mistrust of the Arab street. Our talking heads can't stop talking about the Islamists. Chris Matthews cried out against the Muslim Brotherhood and shouted, Who is our guy here? — as if the U.S. can play a hand on the streets. While his guest Marc Ginsberg, a former ambassador to Morocco whose work seems to be dedicated to finding the few good Arabs out there, said that forces outside Egypt are funding the revolt — a grotesque statement, given the homegrown flavor of everything we have seen in the streets; and when Matthews pressed him, Ginsberg said, Hamas… Iran…."
What next for Egypt, the USA and the Middle East? – "As Washington struggles to come to terms with a rapidly changing Middle East, US President Barack Obama is acutely aware he must get Egypt right, for the wrong side of history eagerly beckons…."
Egypt and Tunisia usher in the new era of global food revolutions – "Political risk has returned with a vengeance. The first food revolutions of our Malthusian era have exposed the weak grip of authoritarian regimes in poor countries that import grain, whether in North Africa today or parts of Asia tomorrow…."
Al Jazeera English Blacked Out Across Most Of U.S. – "Canadian television viewers looking for the most thorough and in-depth coverage of the uprising in Egypt have the option of tuning into Al Jazeera English, whose on-the-ground coverage of the turmoil is unmatched by any other outlet. American viewers, meanwhile, have little choice but to wait until one of the U.S. cable-company-approved networks broadcasts footage from AJE, which the company makes publicly available. What they can't do is watch the network directly…."
Sourceforge Attack: Full Report – "As we've previously announced, SourceForge.net has been the target of a directed attack. We have completed the first round of analysis, and have a much more solid picture of what happened, the extent of the impact, our plan to reduce future risk of attack. We're still working hard on fixing things, but we wanted to share what we know with the community…."
Plentyoffish CEO: We Were Hacked, Almost Extorted – So I Emailed The Hacker's Mom – "The title of strangest WTF story of my morning is Plentyoffish CEO Markus Frind recounting how his online dating site got hacked, he and his wife were harassed and someone clumsily attempted to extort his company in the aftermath of the events. If that is in fact what happened…"
Plenty of Fish Hacked – Chris Russo explains what happened – "I just got in contact with Chris Russo who managed to hack into the largest dating site on the world PlentyOfFish.com. Marcus Frind, Founder of POF wrote an article accussing Chris of hacking /extorting POF and harassing his wife…."
Even More Millionaires Defaulting on Mortgages – "Thomas has gone into strategic default. He could make payments but is refusing to put more money into a home that is worth less than his mortgage. Among luxury homeowners he is not alone. One in seven homeowners with loans over $1 million are seriously delinquent compared to one in 12 with mortgages below $1 million…. "
Money for nothing at Goldman – "How might you compensate management for a year in which profits plunged, you spent $550 million of shareholder money to settle a fraud investigation and your stock ended up more or less exactly where it started (see chart, right)? You might be tempted to nix raises or withhold bonuses to send a responsible message about linking pay to performance. But if so, you wouldn't be Goldman Sachs (GS). It just had the year described above – and responded by tripling everyone's base salary while boosting bonuses by 40%. Is this a great country or what?"
Swinging Stunt Scene from the SPIDER-MAN Movie Set Caught on Video – "Pictures of an certain scene in the Spidey reboot, currently filming in LA, have appeared all around the net this past week; but now a local resident managed to catch the action unfold on video…."
Thor Script Leaked Online and Paramount Nukes it – "Last night, an anonymous poster on the Comic Book Movie forums posted what was claimed to be the full script for Thor. The script appeared to confirm just about everything shown or rumored about the movie, and was said to be extremely faithful to the source material…"
An immigration reform window opens – "The economic downturn in the U.S. means it's a good time to stitch together comprehensive and politically palatable policies…"
Climber found standing after 1,000ft plunge – "Rescuers said a climber was lucky to be alive after he survived a 1,000ft (305m) plunge down a mountain…."
What Does Google's Subtle Censorship Say About Us? – "The latest news from Google is that searches related to online piracy through torrent downloads are being dropped from the much touted 'autocomplete' and 'instant search' functions. As we have noted in the past, the notion of Google shaping or even suggesting searches is a relatively strange concept on its own. And now terms like 'BitTorrent,' and 'Vodo' will no longer show up automatically in your search bar. Yet the filter seems somewhat arbitrary: An autocomplete search for 'how to pirate music' yields the large torrent site the Pirate Bay, and as plenty of critics have pointed out, a significant number of torrent downloads are legitimately legal. What gives? Did Google buckle to pressure from the MPAA, RIAA, and other entertainment industry interests?"
Weather Forecast Calls for a Hot 2011 – "Sure, the East Coast has been hit especially hard with snowstorms this winter. But be prepared. The weather forecast calls for a hot 2011. In fact, last year tied for the hottest year on record, the result of a long-term warming trend which will continue, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)…."
[[[Interesting Reading #675- Facebook causes unhappiness? Dr. Snake-Bot, twentyfold Internet increase, Laptop failure rates and much more!]]]
If you would like to follow Brainstuff on Twitter or Facebook, here are the links:
– Follow Brainstuff on Facebook
– Follow Brainstuff on Twitter


text:
Get Industry Attention with the 2012 Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowships and Two Other Competitions
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is kind of a big deal – and if you've never heard of the Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowships, it's a life-changing opportunity to write a script and win a grant. We've also go two other fantastic opportunities for script writers: Scriptapalooza and the Nantucket Film Festival Showtime Tony Cox Screenplay Competition. That's a mouthful, but let's see what's so special about these competitions.
2012 AMPAS Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowships
What's so special about this competition? How about the opportunity to be one of five screenwriters to win a $35,000 grant to spend however you'd like. Not only is that a significant amount of dough, but you'll also have a tremendous amount of Hollywood exposure if you're a winner. Here are their stipulations:
Screenwriters who have not earned more than $5,000 writing fictional work for film or television.
Entry scripts must be the original work of one writer, or of two writers who collaborated equally, and must be written originally in English. Adaptations and translated scripts are not eligible.
We expect fellows to complete one script during their fellowship year, but we don't really care whether they complete one or four – it's important only that they write.
If you've seen a Hollywood film recently, there's a good chance a Nicholl winner was involved with it. It's an elite club, but if you want a chance to enter, here are the dates: Early bird entry fee of US$35 (by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on March 15) or regular deadline entry fee of US$52 (by 11:59 p.m. PT on May 1).
While this competition does not have the reputation of Nicholl, Scriptapalooza is a terrific opportunity for newcomers and veterans alike. The first place winner receives $10,000 and there are winners in all genres that will also be awarded $500. If you're a Scriptapalooza semifinalist or winner, they will promote your screenplay for an entire year, and they'll get it read by countless producers, managers, and agents – so nothing to scoff at. Here's a video of some past winners:
Their first deadline is March 5, and their final deadline is April 19, with fees of $50 and $60, respectively.
Nantucket Film Festival Showtime Tony Cox Screenplay Competition
Another fantastic opportunity, the Nantucket Film Festival is in it's 17th year and their screenplay competition is accepting entries from anyone and everyone. Not only do you have a chance to win $5,000, but if you're a winner you'll spend a month in Nantucket at the Screenwriter's Colony.
It's a great opportunity to have your script read by industry professionals and the possibility of tremendous support from the festival. The deadlines are: March 12 at $55 and March 26 at $80.
All of these competitions will get industry attention, and if you've got a screenplay lying around, you owe it to yourself to brush it off and get it out there.
We're all here for the same reason: to better ourselves as writers, directors, cinematographers, producers, photographers... whatever our creative pursuit. Criticism is valuable as long as it is constructive, but personal attacks are grounds for deletion; you don't have to agree with us to learn something. We're all here to help each other, so thank you for adding to the conversation!
Harry on 02.21.12 @ 7:19PM
awesome info, thanks koo
Anil on 02.22.12 @ 1:35AM
You may want to consider adding the Bluecat and TVWriter.com contests to that list.
"A record 6,730 entries were received in 2011″ – wow! That's like the Sundance of screenplays!! Slightly discouraging… but anyway.
Yeah… percentage-wise, it's easier to get into Harvard/Yale/Anywhere than it is to win many of the high-volumen contests these days!
Melisa on 02.23.12 @ 3:15PM
I don't think the Nicholl grant is intended to fund the production of the film. I think it's intended to provide the writer time to continue writing? From their website:
"Fellowship recipients will be expected during the fellowship year to complete at least one original feature film screenplay.
Fellowship payments will be made quarterly subject to satisfactory progress of the recipient's work, as judged by the Academy's Nicholl Fellowships Committee."
I suppose you could spend it on film production, though! :)
I'd recommend the Austin Film Fest competition as well! Definitely top tier!
Joe Marine on 02.23.12 @ 4:08PM
Yes, that's true, thank you – all that's asked is that the writer complete one script during the year if they are a winner. I'll correct it to make it more specific.
Great info, badly needed though daunting. Thanks to you too, Melisa and Anil. But is this open to African writers wanting to tell African stories?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I saw the best bats of my generation destroyed by cutters.
"Atlanta is ours, and fairly won."
Michael Martinez
So much depends upon a right patella tendon not becoming inflamed and unbearably painful. *** Player Pages: Fangraphs, Baseball Reference Poetic beauty, the Imagists believed, was in simplicity....
All about Herndon
A good deal for a good player who for the past decade has been a ton of fun to watch. Win, win, win.
ESPN has the scoop. This is obviously very big news because Braun just won the NL MVP and, if Braun's appeal is denied, he would miss 50 games next season. Also, if this turns out to be true, the baseball punditocracy will never let you hear the end of it. A few things to consider before you go getting all righteously indignant: 1. From the linked article: "The positive result was triggered by elevated levels of testosterone in Braun's system, the sources also told "Outside the Lines." A subsequent, more comprehensive test revealed the testosterone was synthetic -- not produced by Braun's body. Every individual naturally produces testosterone and a substance called epitestosterone, typically at a ratio of 1-to-1. In Major League Baseball, if the ratio comes in at 4-to-1 or higher during testing, a player is deemed to have tested positive. The sources did not indicate how high above the threshold Braun's sample tested." So, as of now this is NOT a positive for steroids. 2. Ryan Braun's career isolated slugging (ISO): .251 Ryan Braun's 2011 ISO: .265 So, whatever Braun took -- if he in fact took anything -- did not provide a magical boost to his power numbers.
How to fix the MVP award.
Remembering Brad.
Footage from the 1987 Bull Blast
I am still seeing a number of people on this site and elsewhere who can't quite seem to accept that the Phillies realized their roughly 80 percent chance of not winning a World Series. In the minds...
Four more games.
For those of you troubled by the Phillies recent play: regardless of how they played their last eleven games, they would still have a strong chance of losing at some point in the playoffs.
In an interview in the October issue of Philadelphia magazine, Rollins says it's time for rich people like him to start paying more. "Warren Buffet pays less taxes percentage-wise than his secretary, you catch that?" Rollins asks. "How can that be?" "I'm blessed to pay a lot in taxes, " Rollins says. "I have friends and relatives that go day-to-day. Every American deserves to feel secure at the end of their life. So if it's going to lift two families up, go 'head, tax me more, I can handle it. Best I know, everyone's going to die. No one's taking money to the afterlife."Jimmy Rollins: social democrat. Via Philadelphia Magazine's "Daily Scoop" blog. I love this guy. Get a deal done, Rubes. NOTE: THIS IS A POLITICAL STATEMENT. THE DISCUSSION CONTAINED HEREIN IS POLITICAL. PARTICIPATE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Discuss tonight's Phillies game with fans.
Discuss the game with Phillies fans.
Baseball? Scavenger hunt? Wine, cheese, and beer? What more could you ask for? Here are the details: "The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) invites you to a baseball scavenger hunt this Thursday, September 15 at 6 p.m. The event, presented by the Young Friends of HSP, will showcase some of the society's finest baseball documents, including turn-of-the-century baseball cards, old photos from Shibe Park, score cards from the Pythian Base Ball Club, 19th-century sporting goods catalogs and much more. The evening's reception will feature wine, cheese, beer and snacks provided by Tria. During the reception, HSP will show the short film Base Ball: The Philadelphia Game from History Making Productions, a Philadelphia film production company founded by Sam Katz." It's only 15 bucks ($10 for members) and it's for a good cause.
The Phillies have run roughshod over their National League competition and are sitting pretty with a double-digit lead not only in the division, but for home field advantage throughout the playoffs...
The Phillies' playoff death march of death was forestalled by one day as the Milwaukee Brewers staved off a four game home sweep behind a strong pitching performance from Yovani Gallardo.
Having long since tired of casual romantic encounters, I've decided to cast my net for someone who is in it for the long haul. Although I've searched far and wide for my terrestrial soulmate, I...
Discuss the game with fans.
Phillies lose, Joe West Joe Wests.
Phillies win 9-0 behind a masterful performance by a master.
Hi there! Do you have any burning questions about life, love, and/or baseball? Would you like those questions "answered" by a syndicated, award-winning advice columnist? Well, you are in luck, because as of this instant I am accepting open queries to appear in my occasional "Dear Fuqua" advice column. Submission is simple: just write a paragraph explaining what's troubling you and address it to fuquamanuel (at) gmail (dot) com. Include whether you wish to submit anonymously and, if not, what name I should use to credit you. I can't promise all submissions will be included in the column, so the most entertaining ones will likely get preference.
To David Herndon on his special day.
Discuss the game with Phillies fans.
From today's broadcast (via @dhm).
Phillies links from around the web.
...And you'd never guess it from how they are received by Phillies fans.
The Phillies beat the Pirates 6-5 in the 10th fueled by a monster day from Raul Ibanez.
As part of the new SB Nation launch, prior users will need to choose a permanent username, along with a new password.
Your username will be used to login to SB Nation going forward.
Please login to your Vox Media account. This account will be linked to your previously existing Eater account.
As part of the new SB Nation launch, prior MT authors will need to choose a new username and password.
Your username will be used to login to SB Nation going forward.
We'll email you a reset link.
If you signed up using a 3rd party account like Facebook or Twitter, please login with it instead.
You must be a member of SBNation.com to participate.
We have our own Community Guidelines at SBNation.com. You should read them.
You must be a member of SBNation.com to participate.
We have our own Community Guidelines at SBNation.com. You should read them.
Choose an available username to complete sign up.
In order to provide our users with a better overall experience, we ask for more information from Facebook when using it to login so that we can learn more about our audience and provide you with the best possible experience. We do not store specific user data and the sharing of it is not required to login with Facebook.


text:
Rush County Schools Board of Trustees member Jeff Slaton indicated at the panel's Tuesday evening meeting that he is considering resigning from the board at next month's meeting.
Slaton wasn't specific about why he is considering such a move, but did say that he wasn't getting done what he had hoped to and that he "might be more effective from the other side of the table."
Fellow board member John Wilson said he hopes Slaton reconsiders.
Attempts to contact Slaton for additional insight and comment were unsuccessful. Watch the Rushville Republican for more on this story as information becomes available.
In other news, the start of the local school year is fast approaching. Kindergartners should report to class Tuesday, Aug. 6; Wednesday, Aug. 7 is the first day of the new school year for grades 1 to 12.
"It is imperative that people register their kids," superintendent of schools Dr. John Williams said. "Doing so is critical for planning class sizes, hiring teachers and a host of other considerations."
If you have questions about the enrollment or registration process you should call the school in your area or the RCS administrative office at (765) 932-4186. Back to school information can also be found on the corporation's Website at http://rcs.rushville.k12.in.us/.
In keeping with House Enrolled Act 1381, the board also passed a motion establishing policy regarding out-of-district transfers.
The policy basically states that Rush County Schools will accept such transfer requests with the exception of those involving senior students at the high school level. Dr. Williams said that for a number of reasons excluding seniors potentially benefits RCS with respect to impact on graduation rates and the high school's "report card" from the state.
Dr. Williams said several other school systems have adopted similar policies.


text:
Erk FM 60 – Drowning In A Whirpool of Music
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11:43 — 65.7MB)
Welcome to episode 60 of Erk FM. On this episode, there is a wide range of music from Deuce Management & Promotion. It has been a very big week in the Erk FM studio with the upcoming commencement of Insomnia Radio: Australia as well as 6 artist interviews recorded this week (with interview 7 to come). For the moment, Erk FM will be coming to you down the pipe & into your ears twice a week during the rest of February & March with interviews on Tuesdays and the regular Erk FM episodes on Fridays. If you are subscribed to either the Erk FM or Channel Erk 5 in 1 feeds via iTunes or RSS, you will automatically get the interviews on Tuesdays as well as the regular shows.
Song list:
- Bubble - The Jawbone Band
- Orange Juice - The Jawbone Band
- A Million Miles - Shade Aman
- Is It Any Wonder - Shade Aman
- I Love It When It Rains - Michael Lloyd Pinq
- Inside - Curfew
- This Is Where Your Story Ends - Nabil Khazzaka
- Already Gone - Eleven Fables
- One Half - Chromatone
- Woman In Black - Digla
- Flick of a Switch - Secret Wish


text:
We Were Smarter About Copyright Law 100 Years Ago 152
from the intelligent-debate dept.
I will only say this, that if the measure before us should pass, and should produce one-tenth part of the evil which it is calculated to produce, and which I fully expect it to produce, there will soon be a remedy, though of a very objectionable kind. Just as the absurd acts which prohibited the sale of game were virtually repealed by the poacher, just as many absurd revenue acts have been virtually repealed by the smuggler, so will this law be virtually repealed by piratical booksellers. At present the holder of copyright has the public feeling on his side. Those who invade copyright are regarded as knaves who take the bread out of the mouths of deserving men. Everybody is well pleased to see them restrained by the law, and compelled to refund their ill-gotten gains. No tradesman of good repute will have anything to do with such disgraceful transactions. Pass this law: and that feeling is at an end. Men very different from the present race of piratical booksellers will soon infringe this intolerable monopoly. Great masses of capital will be constantly employed in the violation of the law. Every art will be employed to evade legal pursuit; and the whole nation will be in the plot. On which side indeed should the public sympathy be when the question is whether some book as popular as Robinson Crusoe, or the Pilgrim's Progress, shall be in every cottage, or whether it shall be confined to the libraries of the rich for the advantage of the great-grandson of a bookseller who, a hundred years before, drove a hard bargain for the copyright with the author when in great distress? Remember too that, when once it ceases to be considered as wrong and discreditable to invade literary property, no person can say where the invasion will stop. The public seldom makes nice distinctions. The wholesome copyright which now exists will share in the disgrace and danger of the new copyright which you are about to create. And you will find that, in attempting to impose unreasonable restraints on the reprinting of the works of the dead, you have, to a great extent, annulled those restraints which now prevent men from pillaging and defrauding the living.
- Thomas McCauley on copyright, 1841 [baens-universe.com].
That's not copyright law from the year 1852, that's just the sequentially numbered page on that website. If you want to read up on 19th century US copyright law, try this pdf file [ipmall.info]. It covers 1790 through 1905. It really wasn't until the end of the 19th century that any sort of infringement was criminalized. It made certain infringing public performances a misdemeanor, so infringers faced up to 1 year.
You violating copyright shouldn't be the end of your financial life or freedom. A fine, certainly but the magnitudes that have always been in place are ridiculous.
You were not able to break copyright rules around 1900 by accident. You don't copy a book without being pretty deliberate about it, and you certainly don't give copies of a book away for free.
So in 1900 it was a fair assumption that copyright breach of any scale to speak of was commercial by nature. Today, that argument is no longer true. So stiff legal punishment was way more in place in 1900 than it is today.
Your presumption that the violation of copyright in some way guarantees harm done to the holder of the copyright is an interesting and novel economic theory. Have you got a citation you would like to share?
You can argue about the proportion of piracy that involves lost sales. But if even one person downloading a free copy would have bought one instead then yes, the holder has lost some money.
That's common sense, I don't think a citation exists for it. Then again, some of us don't need one.
But here's the problem: the very concept of "marginal cost of production" is nearly made obsolete by computers and the Internet. It used to be that the effort to produce the copies was proportional to the number of copies being made. Not any more. (Why else would we have spam?)
Maybe the real measure of value is the total cost of production. It used to be that total cost and marginal cost were pretty closely related. But in today's world, the amount of effort to create a work has stayed the same (apparent quality of said work should be ignored for the sake of this discussion), while the effort to duplicate or distribute said work has gone way down.
This is the same situation created by the printing press in the 1500s: it used to be that monks had to transcribe documents by hand in order to distribute them thus making scrolls and so on highly prized. Suddenly people could make many, many more copies quite easily. However, it still required individual effort to make each copy, so marginal cost of production still applied.
Radio and television upset the balance even further. Someone could broadcast a work just once, and it didn't matter how many people were watching or listening. But the market managed to twist a way to apply the idea of "marginal cost" by figuring out about how many people were tuning in, thus deriving an apparent value. Hence, advertising and the Nielsen ratings.
There's not going to be an easy answer to the problem.
the cost per copy that would theoretically be lost is much lower now than at any time.
I don't see how you come to that conclusion, since it was never the physical reproduction cost that the author/composer was losing. I doubt the amount of work needed to write a novel or symphony has changed by the same order of magnitude. Creativity doesn't auotomate well.
True, but because it is so much easier to copy books today it is also easy to cause far greater harm to the copyright holders. Today any idiot can easily and anonymously copy and distribute a book by the millions, so it can be argued that actually today there is a greater need for stiff fines as deterrence, or alternatively, a new workable model of protecting the rights of the author and incentive to create, without the need for such strict enforcement of copyright but unfortunately there is no such model yet.
I'm sympathetic to the latter argument, that a 'new, workable model' of managing creative works be considered. But you've made a mistake by assuming a priori that it will be envisioned and enacted as including a concept of 'rights of the author'. Authors' rights as a definable concept have been nebulous at best since they were first posited.
A fundamental conflict exists between the creator's benefit and society's. It's a natural desire for all creators to want recognition (and ideally, validation) for their
""The moral rights regime differs greatly between countries, but typically includes the right to be identified as the author of the work and the right to object to any distortion or mutilation of the work which would be prejudicial to his or her honour or reputation"
In short, societies don't recognise author's rights."
Quite on the contrary! Look at the very definition you pasted: When has been the time when any society hasn't recognized authorship and the moral right of the author to any modification of hi
It took 160 years, but everything he said came true.
No, by the fact that there is a rising Pirate Party in a few countries. I don't dispute that it is currently very disorganized and ill-defined, but it exists.
It is by the fact that more and more people are obtaining copyrighted content from the internet illegally.
It is by the fact that more and more people think that this is okay.
Right now, many governments of the world and the recording industry are trying to fight it. Whether they are winning or not, only time will tell. In that respect, not everything he said has come true, but what hasn't come true still has the potential to.
The main point the GP was trying to make is that he predicted that in the future it would become extremely easy to copy something; so easy, in fact, that anybody could do it. That did come true, and that did take 160 years.
That's not really clear. It's getting less and less easy technically to copy things due to better copyright protection technology, and the more aggressive legal action. Technically skilled people will probably always find a way to copy content but most people are not technically skilled.
Are you wilfully blind? The younger generation which knows it way around computers is perpetrating copyright infringement on a widespread scale. Nobody has to cite facts and figures to prove this, because it's obvious to ANY
To an extent, this was what he was warning against (though he set no time constraints) -- that eventually people would complain about the existence of copyright regardless of length of time. He argued that making the law too broad and absurd (arguable - I'm not debating whether he was right on this issue) would cause people to view the entire thing as an unnecessary evil.
What we see in the past is copyright being extended and broadened continually over time, and people eventually arguing against it as a who
> From the fact that in the last 160 years there was an explosion of copyrighted information
> that is far more widely available, to more people, at a lower price, with more choice than
> ever before in history?
This might have something to do with the fact that McCauley _won_ the debate and his position was adopted...
We've only been in the regime he was talking about for less than a decade, and the things he talked about are in fact coming true. Give it a few more decades....
That's a lot of words to say this: Go too far and the public will stop respecting the law(s).
Even more radical, Victor Hugo wrote in 1878 (yeah, a bit later; but the'yre from the same generation: Hugo was born just 2 years later than Macaulay):
Before the publication, the author has an unquestionable and unlimited right. But once the work has been published, the author is not its master anymore. It is then the other one who seizes it. Call him the name you want: human mind, public domain, society. This character is the one who says: "I'm here, I take this work, I do what I believe I have to do with it, I, human mind ; I own it, it is now mine".
Victor Hugo was also instrumental in getting the Berne Convention [wikipedia.org] enacted.
Something tells me that the context of that quote is very important. I don't read it as being contrary to the idea of copyrights, merely an informed view of their nature.
You cannot depend for literary instruction and amusement on the leisure of men occupied in the pursuits of active life. Such men may occasionally produce compositions of great merit. But you must not look to such men for works which require deep meditation and long research.
It's like he foresaw the blogosphere.
If he'd posted that on ye slashdotte, he'd have been modded a troll and called an elitist.
Given though the change in things from copying being a natural barrier to being an unnatural barrier, do you really believe he would still think copyright the best way of doing things? The guy was very smart, I do not doubt that if he lived today he would see more opportunities than were available when he made that speech. The other aspect is given hindsight, would he lament the negative effect copyright has had to be more harmful than the positive effect he envisioned?
I would argue that given the history o
No. You should read the article I linked. It's very long, but it's a good read.
There already was a copyright law, and it allowed 14 years [wikipedia.org] - a term which was considered reasonable and which has been determined to be optimal [arstechnica.com]. The law he was arguing against proposed the life of the author plus 25 years. It was modified to conform to his recommendation of a longer than 14 but finite and predictable length of 42 years from publication, no extensions, no consideration for the longevity of the author. It was m
Another explanation might be the failure of practicing fully communal societies like the U.S.S.R. Back then it could have been construed as possible for art to flourish with everything in the public domain. After watching the few movies that came out of communist countries, I think it definitely inhibits the production of quality art.
I don't think that the problem is in the "public domain" thing but it's in the "dictatorship" thing that went on. Practically all the artists - especially those with any skill - were recruited to work for the propagandamachine.
In addition, horrible bureucratic machine added to that. Not only did it mean that many were assigned to jobs that didn't suit them best (IE: Someone with very hight artistic skill assigned to work long days at a factory) but emphasis was on numbers. Producing 10 average quality works
Another explanation might be the failure of practicing fully communal societies like the U.S.S.R. Back then it could have been construed as possible for art to flourish with everything in the public domain. After watching the few movies that came out of communist countries, I think it definitely inhibits the production of quality art.
Are you saying that the Soviet Union didn't produce good movies? There are a lot of big-name American and foreign filmmakers who would disagree with you.
When I studied filmmaking, they divided the world into before and after Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Eisenstein [wikipedia.org] (although by now Eisenstein has become a cliche). Eisenstein was invited to Hollywood (there's a famous picture of Eisenstein shaking hands with Micky Mouse at the Walt Disney studio), and Hollywood filmmakers deliberately set out to learn as much as they could from Eisenstein. The Soviet filmmakers were universally admired. I saw a lot of Soviet movies at the Museum of Modern Art. Don't forget, this is the land of Chekov.
Eisenstein's fortune was that (1) Lenin thought that film was a new and powerful medium that could be used to convince the masses to join in their collective struggle, and the Soviet Union put a lot of resources into it and (2) he was a favorite of Stalin, who also gave him pretty much a free hand. If you found favor with the dictator, you could be pretty creative in the USSR.
The Soviets were pretty good in all the visual arts. Do a Google Image search for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suprematism [wikipedia.org] Malevich or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Lissitzky [wikipedia.org] Lissitsky. And of course they were brilliant musicians.
The great creative flourishing of Soviet art came to an unfortunate end with Stalin, but the Soviet cinema was still pretty good at least until the end of the war.
Nobody knows how Communism would have turned out if it had a more benevolent dictator than Stalin.
The great thing about the Soviet Union was that they didn't believe in copyrights or patents for most of their existence. They flooded the world with books and phonograph records cheap enough to be affordable in the third world, which an army of translators converted into every language of the world. They had good science books. There were physics courses at Columbia University that used Soviet textbooks.
If the Soviet Union were still around, and continued those patent policies, we would have the entire classical music canon in great performances in the public domain.
But the one thing the Soviets did brilliantly was make good movies.
If Stalin had been replaced by some humane Communist who wasn't prepared to liquidate millions of kulaks in the cause of collectivising Soviet agriculture and freeing up labour for industrial work in the cities building tanks, well... I have a funny feeling that quite a lot of us would be speaking German today.
Mind you, if he'd been replaced by some moderate Communist who wasn't monumentally gullible and who actually read Mein Kampf before signing treaties with Hitler, then the Soviets might have been better prepared for a fight in the first place.
Mind you, if he'd been replaced by some moderate Communist who wasn't monumentally gullible and who actually read Mein Kampf before signing treaties with Hitler, then the Soviets might have been better prepared for a fight in the first place.
If the western allies hadn't forced Imperial Germany to sign the treaty of Versailles, or at least reduced the war debts payable by Germany to the point where it didn't completely bankrupt the German people, forcing the price of a loaf of bread to 5 Deutschmarks (in 1
>>The great creative flourishing of Soviet art came to an unfortunate end with Stalin
You say that like it was an accident.
All communist regimes end up being dictatorial by nature (if people do what they want, it's called capitalism). Look at Mao and his blossoming of a thousand flowers for another great example of this.
if people do what they want, it's called capitalism.
People in the Scandinavian countries did what they want, and they got mixed capitalism/socialism. (No health insurance premiums, no college loans.)
Capitalism doesn't inherently prevent dictatorships.
Look at Chile, Argentina, Guatemala, Haiti.
We've had dictatorships in the U.S. all the time. Look at the Alien and Sedition Acts, the McCarthy days, or the late Bush Administration. The only thing that stopped the Bush Administration from arresting anyone he pleased for any reason, including law-abiding po
You misunderstand communism, then, or at least are confusing it with socialism. Communism, at its heart, is a centrally controlled economy where the government determines where you work, how much you earn, etc. The bits about egalitarianism, holding properties in common, and the doing away with money are essentially window dressing, and do not actually happen in any communist societies.
Someone ends up owning the farms, making decisions about what to grow, and who can or cannot leave the farm, and it's certa
You misunderstand communism, then, or at least are confusing it with socialism. Communism, at its heart, is a centrally controlled economy where the government determines where you work, how much you earn, etc.
I don't know. It was difficult in the U.S. to get objective information about the USSR. You could go to jail in the U.S. for advocating Communism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_v._United_States [wikipedia.org] and teachers were fired. So I never knew who to believe.
I once read (actually copy-edited) a business school book on management accounting, and they gave case histories from the Soviet Union. Apparently the Soviet Union had internal markets, and the factories were run by managers who had a lot of autonomy. The
The reason, one could argue, that art in the Soviet Union ended up in the doldrums is not that there was too much freedom, but not enough.
If "everything is in the public domain", that by itself implies that there are no copyright or IP laws to constrain creativity. It is intellectual freedom.
What killed creativity in the USSR was, instead,the censorship. They had great artists (in all media), but the only ones to ever be allowed to flourish were those that towed the party line. Plenty of great artists undou
The USSR's big problem was that people with a flair for the arts didn't necessarily become artists, only people with a flair for ideologically correct art did. Meanwhile, decidedly non-creative bureaucrats decided what art was ideologically correct and appropriately reflected the ideals of society. The artist could agree or go do something besides art.
They not only eliminated capitol markets in the USSR, the market for ideas was also closed. What the people wanted or what the art world would praise was irr
Anyone who thinks this is about anything other than a bunch of rich bastards exploiting a segment of the population is deluding themselves. They're simply upset that they got their hand caught in the cookie jar and now pay people smarter and more eloquent than them lots and lots of money to explain why the establishment owes them that cookie. Damn, I love America. Those few of us who are compelled from silence and apathy quickly settle on endless argumentation and debate, rather than activism. We weren't sm
Anyone who thinks this is about anything other than a bunch of rich bastards exploiting a segment of the population is deluding themselves.
That was quite a rant, but you failed to mention which side you were on.... either side would make the same claim. (on the pro-copyright side, the "rich bastards" would be well-off computer owners and their offspring, and the exploited segment would be those poor performers and songwriters)
However we have been fed misinformation and lies by the 'industries' and a lot of the general population is beginning to believe it.
I don't call that smarter.
Ok, i missed a word in the subject and thought it said ARE, not WERE.. just ignore the comment
No, the reason you never heard of the all-too-real Andrew Galambos' [wikipedia.org] absolutarian IP concepts is because he had his lecture attendees sign an NDA! Would Galambos compromise his principles by giving away his startling revelations or permitting the great unwashed unrecompensed access to his revolutionary concepts? NAY!
I recall it's in the works of Locke that property rights and property owners are seen as fundamental to defining entitlement to democratic rights and privileges.
You're recalling only a third of Locke's theory. The other two thirds are that after you have reserved your property rights, there has to be "enough" and "good enough" of the same left for everyone else, and that you should never appropriate more than you can use. And arguably, patents fail in those aspects (ppt) [universita...ichting.be].
If you studied both copyright law and patent law then
- You must have noticed that with patents, once an item covered by the patent is sold, it is out of control of the patent proprietor.
- You also must have noticed that there are very stringent requirements before a patent is granted (and if they were not met, you can do something about it), not to mention the cost involved, and comes with a territorial restriction.
- You must have noticed that patents have a limit of 20 years (and maintenance fees have to b
- You must have noticed that with patents, once an item covered by the patent is sold, it is out of control of the patent proprietor.
When a book is sold it is out of the control of the book owner in the exact same manner. With neither patents nor copyrighted items are you are allowed to duplicate the effort. But you are allowed to apply the first sale doctrine.
(and if they were not met, you can do something about it)
As long as the patent isn't owned by a coorporation who can play the mutually assured destruction card (a.k.a. the defensive patent doctrine). Oh, and you would have to afford to spend a huge amount of money on litigation, praying that you win.
You must have noticed that patents have a limit of 20 years (and maintenance fees have to be paid).
While the time limit is indeed shorter
The Constitution's wording is ambiguous on this point, but seems to treat "intellectual property" as a privilege rather than a fundamental right. The theory echoes Jefferson's argument that ideas are like a candle-flame, such that "he that lights his taper from mine" doesn't diminish my supply of light
That we've been treating IP like a right is hardly surprising if you pay attention to the conversations of those who have power (politicians, business le
Not just $5 billion but $5 trillion if you are referring to the quoted piece. I find it hilarious that politicians are prone to accept these figures without a hint of substance or peer review. Even if the figure is accurate (and I've no reason to suppose they couldn't count up $5 trillion from transactions in IP), the equation is not complete without all information being considered equally. Some ones they likely missed are:
There was a great deal of progress made before the invention of IP law. Humans are compelled by their natures to create and learn the creations of others and improve upon them. This is called progress.
Some time ago it was commonly agreed (with some dissent) that to reward creation with a monopoly on the use of that creation might accellerate progress, which is a social good.
I've seen some research to suggest that the optimal term for this monopoly is around 12-14 years. Any longer than that and the mon
"Do/should we recognize a creator as having a property right to his creations because there's a moral right to control them, or only because we think it's convenient for society? Ie., is this a 'fundamental right' or a government-granted privilege?"
You are confusing philosophy, with motive, and with what works in reality. Philosophically speaking, we are free to argue over the "fundamentality of the right," but there will be no direct consequences from that argument. The real consequences (reality), if we so desire them (motive), can only come in the form of government privilege, because that is how we enforce order, and shape our behavior. Only when it is a granted privilege, can we rely on that privilege, legally.
The real question should always be a
We've largely abandoned the notion of fundamental rights in the US, to our great peril. Because of that abandonment it's harder to think clearly about the question.
How so? The US has long settled on a utilitarian model of copyrights and patents, and it has served us well. It's only been in the last century or so that we've allowed authors and inventors too great a voice in setting policy that things have gotten out of hand.
while a song or story is created from a person's mind and so is at least as legitimat
What the presented material shows, is that our attitude was different from today's. Whether that was smarter or stupider, depends on one's opinions. The article provides nothing to add to the debate...
The phonograph of 1910 would set you back $50-$250 good-as-gold dollars.
Why else do you think public performance rights -
the coin-in-the-slot nickelodeon - became the real sticking point for musicians and composers?
The phonograph record or cylinder of those days was for all practical purposes a rental.
Only the most expensive players would have had separate - acoustically linked - tonearms and horns ["speakers'] and a diamond or perhaps carbide-tipped stylus.
Edison used custom pressings and a set up like t
I like living in an era of computing and modern medicine. I don't feel nostaligic for a time when you were likely to die before you hit 40. I think we should probably abolish copyright altogether, but we could at least start by limiting it to 5 years. If the "artist" or creator can't perform their work sufficiently well to compete with others performing it (ie much better) they don't deserve the revenue. The argument that nothing new would be created is pure fud.
Most people can own and operate a camera but will still hire a professional photographer (and mosti will not the cheapest one) to shoot their wedding. Professional photography isn't dead. We haven't had to artificially regulate it. There will always be room for people to be paid to do something well, or at least well as judged by the populace.
Copyright isn't to stop amateur photographers from taking pictures. It's to stop crooks from selling someone else's pictures. In fact, it has nothing at all to do with the actual taking of the pictures. It's the end product that is covered.
While I think Copyright is way too strong, and should be something that ends within the author's lifetime, and not a century afterward, I think dropping it altogether is too far to the extreme, too.
"any and numerous classes of public benefactors continue ceaselessly to pour forth their flood of useful ideas, adding to the common stock of knowledge. No one regards it as immoral or unethical to use these ideas..."
Ideas are NOT copyrighted and have never been. If you think this is a decent argument against copyright, then you've already lost the argument. The only people who conflate "ideas" with "copyright" are people trying to drag you to a predefined conclusion.
Well, not an idea, but an expression of an idea. Other people are free to examine that expression, determine the idea, and create their own expression of it.
Ideas are NOT copyrighted and have never been.
Yeah, right, that's why you can enforce a copyright on characters and settings, even when you do not copy the work those characters and settings appear in. The idea/expression dichotomy is not particularly strong.
Ideas is not subject to copyright but definitely protected by intellectual property laws in many countries. The famous double-click patent, or patent on streaming media, downloading, or blinking text-marker comes to mind.
Ideas are NOT copyrighted and have never been
Copyright law draws a distinction between idea and expression. Expressions, according to the law, are copyrightable. Ideas are not. This is important because it preserves freedom of speech: you can express the same idea with a different expression. That's the theory.
Please, then, tell me, is Mickey Mouse an idea, or an expression? If it is an expression, what idea is it expressing?
A court actually ruled on this one. Its conclusion? The "idea" of Mick
Whatever happened to Winnie the Pooh in Canada? I remember a big deal was made of the fact that Canadian copyright expires 50 years after the death of the author, which would put Winnie in the Canadian PD sometime in 2006, but I never heard anything after the fact.
I ask because even 50 years seems like an insane amount of time to cling to a copyright, but here in America (land of the free corporate overlords) we're looking at upwards of 120 years on some things. If I want to find PD samples to use in songs I have to scrape together what I can find from what few recordings even existed at the time. The original intent of copyright has been so thoroughly corrupted that there's little or no resemblance to what it was supposed to represent.
I believe Disney owns Winnie the Pooh IP, at least in America.
Knowing that, regardless of whether it actually is PD in Canada or not, I'd expect one hell of a legal fight if you tried to use it. Disney's lawyers are about as ruthless as they come.
"Are you aware that I have not broken any laws?"
"But people in the USA can download your copy. We're taking you down, pirate."
"So you're saying that Canadian citizens living in Canada are subject to USA law?"
"Oh, yes, we'd like that very much."
Careful what you do here--Disney could pretty much order the invasion of Canada.
Speaking of which, do private security companies operate across borders? Could Disney Security invade Canada? I'm sure that logistically they could... but would they? I'd rat
Not a clue. If you're in Canada, take the initiative: go fish out your copy of Winnie-the-Pooh from the big box of relics of your childhood you have in the attic, transcribe it, and upload it to gutenberg.ca. Then do The House at Pooh Corner, Wh
Whatever happened to Winnie the Pooh in Canada? I remember a big deal was made of the fact that Canadian copyright expires 50 years after the death of the author, which would put Winnie in the Canadian PD sometime in 2006, but I never heard anything after the fact.
Disney made Pooh movies, remember? It's a pretty safe bet that even if canadian copyright laws enable you to use him, the House of Mouse will sick its flying monkeys to tear you to pieces in court.
I cannot draw a cart, nor eat dried oats; If it be man's work I will do it.


text:
News: Michael Jackson Diagnosed W/ Rare Lung Condition, "He Needs A Lung Transplant"
Sunday, Dec 21, 2008 10:38PM
Famous pop star Michael Jackson is reportedly suffering from a rare and potentially fatal lung condition.
According to New York's Daily News, the Grammy winning singer has been diagnosed with Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency and is going to require an emergency transplant operation. Best selling biographer Ian Halperin claims Jackson has secretly withheld his health condition as it worsened.
"He's had it for years but it's gotten worse," Halperin told In Touch magazine. "He needs a lung transplant but may be too weak to go through with it."
The 50 year-old performer reportedly is also suffering from other health problems leaving him in critical conditions.
"He also has emphysema and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, which doctors have had a lot of trouble stopping," Halperin added. "The vision in his left eye is 95 percent gone."
While no official word from Jackson or his rep has yet to be released, brother Jermaine Jackson recently told Fox News "He's not doing so well right now. This isn't a good time."
In related news, Mike is being sued by the protagonist of his 1983 hit record "Billie Jean," by Billie Jean Jackson for $1 billion.
According to Access Hollywood, Bille Jean, believed to be Lavon Powlis, claims to legally be married to the singer and is also requesting joint custody of MJ's 6 year-old son, Blanket.
Billie Jean is known for various encounters and lawsuits against him including filing a $150 million paterneity lawsuit in 1987 claiming Mike was responsible for fathering three of her kids but refused to pay child support. The suit was later dropped.
No official word on either a settlement being made or trial date announcement.


text:
When I read about the new wrinkles for the TNT broadcast, I thought, "BAD idea!" But after watching, my take was, "Mixed bag."
I'd guessed that TNT's micing of players and coaches would produce some huge embarrassment and be pulled after one game. But that expectation was based on the mics being "live." In reality, TNT is just letting viewers hear little edited soundbites, which are kind of fun. I particularly liked the Roy clips--first when he tried to put on Oden about something Shaq had told him, then when he got excited about James Jones' outside shooting.
As for the rest of it--the mics & camera in the locker room and the in-game coach's interview segment--I vote thumbs down. The coach should be able to talk to his players freely in the locker room--including yelling at them and pointing to weaknesses in the opposition. So putting mics and cameras in there is going to interfere with a coach's ability to do his job.
Similiarly, the in-game coach's interviews seemed intrusive to me. I don't like the dugout interviews they've started doing in baseball; you always feel this is something the manager is putting up with and that it's taking him away from what he needs to be doing and thinking about in mid-game. But for basketball, it's worse. Basketball is much faster-paced than baseball, and I think every minute--even the time between quarters when the coach's interviews were conducted--is precious. Nate didn't even bother to say "Later" when his interview was completed!
So again, I liked getting to hear the occasional edited soundbites. I always see players laughing on the bench and wonder what the joke was. If it's G-rated, why not let the audience in on it every once in awhile--where's the harm? But the rest of the new TNT wrinkles seem intrusive to me. I don't like the feeling that t.v. is interferring with the game anymore than it already is (what with the t.v. timeouts, etc.).
What do you guys think?


text:
|Mail Travel
|Enter a search term or r code to search the Mail Travel site
5* Madeira - The Vine Hotel
Based on: London Gatwick (LGW), 3rd Dec 2014
Request Callback
- The Vine Hotel, MadeiraThe Vine Hotel, MadeiraMadeiraMadeiraMadeira
Free upgrade from superior double to grand deluxe room
7 nights - Beach Holiday
Funchal is a beautiful, modern, cosmopolitan city nestled in a great natural amphitheatre, facing the blue Atlantic with a backdrop of dramatic mountains.
Located in the stunning south of Madeira, it has guaranteed sunshine all year round, top class restaurants and a vibrant but varied nightlife. Enjoy many water sports such as diving, surfing, boat trips, swimming with the dolphins and whale watching. Golf lovers can enjoy spectacular rounds of golf on the famous courses or just simply enjoy a light lunch at cafes.
What's Included
- Return flights
- Seven nights' five-star bed-and-breakfast accommodation in a Grand Deluxe room
- Baggage
- Transfers
Holiday Provided By
This holiday is provided by Broadway Travel (ABTA 17088, ATOL 3634). These ABTA and ATOL bonds mean that, when you book a Broadway Travel holiday, you can be 100% sure that your money is safe. Please click here to view the Terms and Conditions of travel (this link opens in a new window).


text:
Event Home Page | Program | Hotel Information | Speakers | Register
Gabriel Calzada
Gabriel Calzada Alvarez, Ph.D. is founder-president of the classical liberal think tank Instituto Juan de Mariana and has been associate professor of economics at King Juan Carlos University in Spain since 2004, where he is in charge of the applied economics courses at the Environmental Science Faculty. Calzada is also associate professor of economics at IE University and visiting professor at the Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala. He has published academic articles on a variety of topics including Energy, Defense and Security and Urban Planning in a dozen of publications, has published more than 300 economic op-eds, and appears weekly on national television and radio. International publications like Wall Street Journal or The Economist have produced editorial pieces on his researches. Gabriel has also testified before the US Congress on energy related issues and has presented testimonies for the record both at the US Senate and the US House of Representative where no significant number of politicians seems to have taken his advises very seriously.
Ann Bernstein, Executive Director, Centre for Development and Enterprise
Ann Bernstein heads the Centre for Development and Enterprise, South Africa. An independent think tank CDE is regarded by many including the London Financial Times as South Africa's leading policy centre for social and economic development. In addition, CDE has a special focus on the role of business and its contribution to development.
Ann was a member of the Transition Team and then the Board of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (1994 – 2001). In 2005 she was selected as a Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy, Washington DC. In 2007 she joined the Board of the Brenthurst Foundation. In 2008 and in 2009 she was an invited faculty member at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Her new book, The Case for Business in Developing Economies was published by Penguin in 2010 and issued in paperback late in 2011. It has received favourable reviews in the South African media, in the Economist and the Financial Times.
Jay Ambrose, syndicated columnist
Jay Ambrose is a nationally syndicated political columnist. Prior to his current tenure, he served as editor to numerous publications, such as Knickerbocker News, Winchester Sun, Rocky Mountain News in Denver, and the El Paso Herald-Post in El Paso. He was also director of editorial policy for Scripps Howard Newspapers in Washington, D.C. Ambrose is the recipient of several writing awards, including: the national Walker Stone Award for Outstanding Editorial Writing, First Place in Editorial Writing for the Texas UPI Editors Association, The Best in Southwest Regional Editors UPI editorial writing for nine states and the New York State Publishers Award for Community Service. The El Paso Herald Post was a Pulitzer finalist for work done to promote literacy, a cause to which Ambrose devoted himself for several years. Ambrose currently teaches at Colorado Christian University and is a fellow of a think tank at the school, Centennial Institute.
Jude Blanchette, Editor, IMPencil.org, Atlas Network
Jude joined Atlas in January 2009 as a member of the Institute Relations team, focusing on think tanks in Asia. Prior to joining Atlas, he was a China-based special correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor, a research assistant at the Cato Institute, and the Henry Hazlitt Research Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education. He studied economics at Loyola University and Mandarin Chinese at the Beijing Institute of Technology. He currently resides in Shanghai, China.
Baishali Bomjan, Associate Director, Asia Centre for Enterprise
Baishali joined Centre for Civil Society (CCS), a Delhi based think tank in 2008 to head its Communication and Public Relations department. She has conceptualized, designed and managed several international and national programs, certificate courses for journalists and publications of the Centre. Having worked extensively in both the development sector and the print media in Nepal and India, her work profile includes serving as the Director of Nuns Welfare Foundation of Nepal, Editor of Spark (corporate magazine) and Assistant Editor of the boss and VOW (Voice of Women), Nepal's leading business and women's magazines. She holds an MSc in Zoology from the University of North Bengal, India.
Alejandro Chafuen, President, Atlas Network
Alex served as President and CEO of Atlas from 1991-2009, and was elected to its Board in 2009. He is also the president and founder of the Hispanic American Center of Economic Research and is the author of Faith and Liberty. He serves on the boards of the Chase Foundation, the Acton Institute, and the Fraser Institute. A graduate of the Argentina Catholic University, he was Associate Professor at the Argentine Catholic University, University of Buenos Aires, and The Hispanic American University, CA. He recently became a Trustee for Grove City College, PA.
Rainer Heufers, Senior Fellow - Think Tank MBA
Rainer Heufers is the founder and Managing Director of Siap Solutions Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based consulting firm that provides strategic counseling, public policy consulting, leadership training, and other services to international think tanks, political parties, corporations, and government agencies.
After more than a decade of research on the social and economic transformation of the People's Republic of China, Rainer Heufers represented the German Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty from 1999 to 2011 in several Asian nations, including Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia. He also supported the development of a network of free market think tanks from around Asia: the Economic Freedom Network Asia (EFN Asia).
Todd Hollenbeck, Colorado Campus Coordinator, Students For Liberty
Todd is the Colorado Campus Coordinator for Students For Liberty and is joining their Executive Board in June. He is also the Executive Director of the Free Minds Film Festival, a Colorado Springs based pro-liberty film festival, and co-founder of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs chapter of Young Americans for Liberty. He has interened at the Independence Institute in Denver and Americans for Tax Reform Washington, DC.
Todd received his bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in Political Science and is currently working on his Masters of Business Administration.
Lance Izumi, Senior Director of Education Studies, Pacific Research Institute
Lance Izumi is Koret Senior Fellow and Senior Director of Education Studies at the Pacific Research Institute. He is the author numerous books, including Obama's Education Takeover and Short-Circuited: The Challenges Facing the Online Learning Revolution in California. He is also the co-author of Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice and co-executive producer of the award-winning 2009 PBS-broadcast film documentary Not as Good As You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School. In 2008, The New York Times selected Lance Izumi as one of its online contributors on the presidential race and education issues. He continues to write regularly for The New York Times' "Room for Debate" opinion series. He is a current member and former two-term president of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Mr. Izumi served as chief speechwriter and director of writing and research for California Governor George Deukmejian. He also served in the administration of President Ronald Reagan as speechwriter to United States Attorney General Edwin Meese III.
Axel Kaiser, Senior Fellow, Instituto Democracia y Mercado (Chile)
Axel worked as a professor of Political Philosophy and Latin American Politics, Chile. He writes an opinion columnist in the Chilean newspapers Diario Financiero and El Mercurio. He is the author of several books and is a senior fellow of Democracia y Mercado Institute.
Axel has a Masters in Commerce Investment and Arbitration and Master of Arts in American Studies, as well as a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Dr. Matthew Ladner, Senior Advisor of Policy and Research, Foundation for Excellence in Education
Dr. Matthew Ladner is the Senior Advisor of Policy and Research for the Foundation for Excellence in Education. He previously served as Vice President of Research and Goldwater Institute. Prior to joining Goldwater, Ladner was director of state projects at the Alliance for School Choice. Ladner has written numerous studies on school choice, charter schools and special education reform and coauthored Report Card on American Education: Ranking State K-12 Performance, Progress and Reform for the American Legislative Exchange Council. Ladner has testified before Congress, the United States Commission of Civil Rights and numerous state legislative committees. Ladner is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and received both a Masters and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Houston. Ladner is a Senior Fellow with the Foundation for Educational Choice and the Goldwater Institute.
Casey Lartigue, Director for International Relations, Center for Free Enterprise
Casey Lartigue is the Director for International Relations at the Center for Free Enterprise in Seoul, South Korea. He is a former talk show host on XM 169 The Power and a former policy analyst at the Cato Institute. He is co-editor of the book Educational Freedom in Urban America: Five Decades After Brown v. Board of Education. His writings have been published in USA Today, Ed. magazine (Harvard Graduate School of Education), Education Week, the New York Post, the Washington Times, Asian Week and the Washington Post. He has spoken at the National Press Club, Harvard University Law School, the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, been a featured guest on the Rush Limbaugh Show and C-SPAN, and testified before Congress on school choice in the nation's capital. He has a master's degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a bachelor's degree from the Harvard University Extension School.
Andrew Leigh is a screenwriter and producer based in Los Angeles. He co-founded Taliesin Nexus, a nonprofit that educates and promotes liberty-minded filmmakers. Andrew has written or rewritten screenplays for numerous production companies and also served as a story editor for CAA, Sony Pictures and MGM. He conceived and produced a new documentary feature, "The Museum of Government Waste," which is in post-production and, with any luck, will be released this fall. Andrew has also worked as a staff reporter for Investor's Business Daily and as a Senate aide on Capitol Hill. His writing has appeared in many publications including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Weekly Standard, National Review, and Sculpture Magazine. He is a contributor to Breitbart.com's Big Hollywood and Big Government and Greg Gutfeld's DailyGut.com. Andrew earned a B.A. from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law.
Leonard P. Liggio, Executive Vice President of Academics, Atlas Network
Leonard is Distinguished Senior Scholar at the Institute for Humane Studies. He is Senior Vice President of The Mont Pelerin Society, a Trustee of the Philadelphia Society, and a Research Professor in George Mason University's School of Law. According to Alejandro Chafuen, "Leonard's hard work and generosity have made him one of the most respected figures in the international movement for liberty. He is perhaps the person best-suited to strengthen Atlas's position as a promoter of independent think tanks."
Brad Lips, Chief Executive Officer, Atlas Network
Brad joined Atlas in 1998 and became its Chief Executive Officer in 2009. He received his MBA from the Goizueta Business School of Emory University and his BA from Princeton University. In 1997-1998, Brad was researching regulatory issues for The Progress & Freedom Foundation before being persuaded by Alex Chafuen in 1998 to come to Atlas. Previously, Brad was a research associate for Smith Barney Inc. He is a member of the Mont Pelerin Society and the John Templeton Foundation. He has written on classical liberal ideas, including The Reagan Vision, published by the Goldwater Institute, and two chapters in Freedom Champions, published by Atlas in 2011.
Deroy Murdock, Senior Fellow – Media Programs
Mr. Murdock, a New York-based senior fellow with the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, is a columnist with the Scripps Howard News Service and a media fellow with the Hoover Institution (Stanford University) on War, Revolution and Peace.
Tom G. Palmer, Executive Vice President for International Programs, Atlas Network
Tom previously served as Vice President for International Programs at the Cato Institute and Director of the Center for Promotion of Human Rights. He is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and Director of Cato University, the Institute's educational arm. He is the author of Realizing Freedom: The Theory, History, and Practice of Liberty. He received his BA from St. Johns College, MD, his MA in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, and his doctorate from Oxford University.
Sean Paige, Executive Director, The Pike Peak Freedom Forum
Sean Paige is deputy state director of Americans for Prosperity Colorado and executive director of The Peak Freedom Forum, a group promoting economic and civic literacy in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado. He's been involved in public policy work for nearly 25 years, first in Washington D.C. and more recently in Colorado.
He came to Colorado in 2002 as editorial page editor at The Colorado Springs Gazette, where he spent five years vigorously championing the paper's libertarian editorial philosophy, and has since served on both the Colorado Springs City Council and Colorado Springs Utilities Board. His 14 years in Washington included stints at the White House and as a congressional staff member. He's a former spokesman for Citizens Against Government Waste, a former Warren Brookes Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and he's also been a reporter and columnist for Insight Magazine, a news weekly published by The Washington Times. His latest new media project is MonkeywrenchingAmerica.com, a website spotlighting the threat professional green extremists pose to our property rights, economy, limited government ideals and freedoms.
James Paterson, Editior, IPA Review
James Paterson is the Editor of the IPA Review at the Institute of Public Affairs. He is a columnist with Think and Grow Rich magazine and is regularly published in The Spectator Australia and ABC's The Drum. His articles have also appeared in The Australian, the Australian Financial Review, the Herald Sun, the Courier Mail, Quadrant, CIS Policy magazine and The Punch.
James has appeared on radio and television dozens of times to discuss policy and political issues, including ABC's Q&A, Australia's top rating current affairs television program. James regularly appears on Melbourne Talk Radio as a guest 'opinionator' discussing the issues of the day. James has also been a guest speaker at the Perth Writers Festival and the National Young Writers Festival.
In addition to editing the Institute of Public Affairs' magazine and appearing in the media on behalf of the organisation, James fulfils a number of other important roles at the IPA. James manages the IPA's social media presence including its Facebook and Twitter accounts and its weekly email to more than 20,000 subscribers. James is also primarily responsible for designing the IPA's membership recruitment strategy which will be key to the organisation's ongoing financial viability.
James is a graduate of the University of Melbourne where he completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce with concentrations in political science and economics. Prior to joining the IPA James was a writer in the public affairs department of an industry association and spent three and a half years as an adviser to a Liberal Senator
Anne Schieber, Senior Investigative Analyst, Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Anne Schieber is the senior investigative analyst for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. She produces investigative video reports that demonstrate the impact of public policies on people's lives.
Prior to joining the Mackinac Center staff, Anne spent 30 years in broadcast journalism. She was a high-profile, award-winning reporter and anchor for WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids between 1998 and 2011. Anne has also worked for stations in Kalamazoo, Minneapolis, Buffalo, N.Y., and Allentown, Penn.
Over her career, she has won numerous awards, including a "Best Individual Reporting" honor from the Associated Press and "Journalist of the Year" from the Michigan Small Business Administration. Anne received her bachelor's degree from Villanova University.
Adam Selig, CEO, Engage America
Adam Selig has a unique combination of financial, communication and social media technology experience and he has brought that together to help propel Engage America and the issues it represents into the consciousness of American population. In addition to Engage America, Adam is the Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Lumentus, LLC, a technology-enabled strategic communications firm that helps clients manage brand reputation issues across media platforms. Prior to Lumentus, Adam was the Chief Executive Officer of Visible Technologies.. Adam has been responsible for expanding and managing business for clients, including General Electric, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Time Warner. During his tenure at Broadstreet, he stewarded the company's 600% growth. He was also responsible for the sale of Broadstreet to the London based communication conglomerate, Incepta, plc (later merged with Huntsworth, plc) and converting a private company into a division of a public entity.
Adam also worked as a CPA at Ernst & Young, LLP. He has a BS in Accounting from Binghamton University and an MBA in Business Administration from Columbia University and the London Business School in a joint international program. Engage America is mobilizing bloggers and other activists to make arguments backed with facts, as they engage with online communities in discussions of tax policy, government spending, regulation and other topics relevant to restoring a free economy.
Tanja Stumberger, Senior Fellow, Atlas Network
Tanja Štumberger joined Atlas in January 2012 as Senior Fellow. Her work focuses on the Atlas Network in Europe. In addition, Tanja is Executive Director of the Liberty Seminars in Slovenia. Between 2006 and 2011, she was a research associate and manager of global external relations at the Cato Institute. As an undergraduate, Tanja Štumberger studied Applied Economics at University of Maribor, Slovenia, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. She did her graduate studies in American Political Thought at University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Georgetown University, USA.
Shira Rawlinson, Communications Coordinator, Institute for Justice
As the Institute for Justice's Communications Coordinator, Shira Rawlinson works on IJ's award-winning media team to make the case for economic liberty, free speech, private property rights school choice and the need for judicial engagement. She has secured news coverage in various outlets nationwide, including the BBC, CBS Evening News, New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, National Review, Reason Magazine, National Law Journal and the Times-Picayune. Before joining the Institute in 2009, Shira worked on political campaigns in California and New Mexico as well in the British House of Commons for a Member of Parliament. Shira resides in Washington D.C.
Matt Warner, Director of Programs, Atlas Network
Matt served as director of the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) Natural Resources Task Force. In this position, Matt worked closely with state legislative leaders to champion free market energy and environmental policy priorities. Before joining ALEC, Matt was director of public affairs for the James Madison Institute (JMI), a Florida-based think tank where he managed media and legislative affairs. Matt is a graduate of Florida State University and is a graduate student in economics at George Mason University.
Uqualla, Shaman
Uqualla is a member of the Havasupai Tribe, who live within a remote area in the western Grand Canyon. A spiritual emissary and ceremonialist, he was born into a family with a Medicine Man Grandfather, Arthur Kaska. His mother was given the knowledge of the "traditional ways"—hunts, deer tanning, gourd making, singing and dances—and passed these gifts to her children. As a recognized ceremonial entity and spiritual advisor, Uqualla is often called to officiate unions, birth, blessings and healings. His Sacred Oratory, a lecture, is heard throughout Japan, Europe, South America, and the United States.
Carmina Valdizan, Operations Manager, Free Cities Institute
Carmina Valdizan is the current Operations Manager of the Free Cities Institute; a think tank associated with the Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala. She co-founded Fundación Libertad of Panama in 2001 and is a current member of the Board. She attended Atlas Think Tank MBA in 2011.
In 2002 Carmina founded Kobold Toys and in 2008 co-founded Kobold Toys online; a retail specialty Toy Store. She studied Law at Universidad Francisco Marroquín. In the upcoming months she will become and advocate of the Free Cities Institute.


text:
- Funding Received
- $11 Million in 1 Round from 2 Investors
- Most Recent Funding
- $11 Million Series A on June 24, 2014
- Founded:
- January 17, 2007
- Headquarters:
- Vancouver, BC
- Description:
- Tasktop develops Mylyn, Tasktop Dev and Tasktop Sync to provide software lifecycle infrastructure in task management and synchronization.
- Founders:
- Gail Murphy, Mik Kersten
- Categories:
- Tracking, Task Management, Productivity Software, Software
- Website:
- http://tasktop.com
Detailed DescriptionUpdate
Over a million users employ Tasktop's ALM integration technology to transform the productivity of software delivery, by connecting the development, testing, Agile planning, project management and operations functions into a unified software development and delivery team.
Organizations have worked hard to create a tool infrastructure that will make all members of the software development and delivery team more productive. They've invested in Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tools such as Requirements Management, Test Management, Agile Project Management, Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) and Service Desk products.
But when it comes to sharing the artifacts they create, business analysts, product managers, product owners, developers, architects, testers, system administrators, project managers, Scrum masters and help desk professionals all find their work stuck within their tool silos. The result is a lack of visibility and traceability that has become the main bottleneck on effective software delivery. This lack of integration and insight into software delivery has become the main bottleneck for adopting new solutions, modernizing the lifecycle, and delivering software at scale.
Our flagship product, Tasktop Sync is the market-leading Software Lifecycle Integration bus. Sync provides real-time, fully automated, enterprise-scale synchronization among the artifacts created and managed within the disparate tools used in software development and delivery organizations. Tasktop Sync works in the background, keeping the flow of information among the practitioners and their tools, constant. Everyone works in their tool of choice, but has real-time access to the changes and activity streams other team members are making in their tools of choice. Practitioners are better informed and save time.The organization has end-to-end traceability and management has greater visibility across the entire project team, providing information for better decision making and planning.
Tasktop Dev is our enterprise version of the popular Eclipse Mylyn open source project. Our founder, Dr. Mik Kersten invented the notion of a task-focused IDE when doing his PhD research in developer productivity. He created and leads the Mylyn project as a result of that work. He founded Tasktop to create a more enterprise-scale, fully supported version of Mylyn: Tasktop Dev. Dev provides users of Eclipse and Microsoft Visual Studio IDE seamless access to their ALM tools without having to leave their IDE of choice. Our experience with this client-side integration gave rise to Tasktop Sync, a server-side integration solution.
Through this work, we've developed unparalleled experience with all aspects of software development and delivery, including in-depth knowledge of the panoply of tools enterprises use to manage this lifecycle. We've codified this knowledge into a semantic model of the software lifecycle that is unique in the industry, providing Tasktop Sync a distinctive foundation for integration.
Given our independent nature (we don't compete with any ALM tools or their vendors), we've established ourselves as a neutral party between all of the adjoining and competing tool vendors, home-grown solutions, and open source projects. Not only do we have partnerships with most of the leading vendors in this space, we're proud to have established OEM relationships with most of the leading vendors in this space, including CA, HP, IBM and Serena.
We've learned to connect legacy tools with the latest SaaS tool offerings, connecting the past with the present. We're pleased to be in a unique position to be well-regarded as ALM experts by our customers, partners and the industry at large. Our thought-leaders are often sought out to speak at conferences and to contribute published works.
All this experience has led us to define a new category of software practice, Software Lifecycle Integration (SLI), to fulfill our mission to "connect the world of software delivery."
Current Team (9)Update
Gail Murphy
Chief Scientist & Co-Founder
Jan, 2007
Mik Kersten
CEO & Co-Founder
Jan, 2007
Neelan Choksi
President & COO
Sep, 2010
Dave West
Chief Product Officer
Apr, 2012
Betty Zakheim
VP, Marketing
Jun, 2013
Jason Baldy
VP, Americas
Nicole Bryan
VP, Product Management
David Green
VP of Architecture
Past Team (1)Update
Richard McKern
VP Sales
Feb, 2010 - Jun, 2013
Funding Rounds (1) - $11MUpdate
$11M / Series A
Jun 24, 2014Investors:
Board Members and Advisors (6)Update
Mike Satterfield
Board Member
Jun, 2014
John Thornton
Board Member
Jun, 2014
Dimitri Sirota
Rod Johnson
Board Advisor
Brian Barry
Board Advisor
Lee Nackman
Board Advisor
Investors (2)Update
Yaletown Venture Partners
Yaletown is a venture capital firm that focuses on early stage cleanteach and IT investments in...
Austin Ventures
Austin Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in early stage and middle market companies.
Offices/Locations (3)Update
Boston Office
125 Cambridge Park Dr.
Suite 301
Cambridge, MA 02140
Austin Office
524 N. Lamar Blvd.
Suite 202
Austin, TX 78703
Vancouver Office
1100 -1500 West Georgia
Vancouver, BC V6G 2Z6
News (6)Update
eWeek Article on SLIeweek.com
Dave West's article in InformationWeek (part 2)informationweek.com
Dave West's article in InformationWeek (part 1)informationweek.com
Tasktop Offers Open-Source Effort To Link And Sync The API Economy03/25/13 -techcrunch.com


text:
Mumbai: India's luxury market, which grew 15 percent in the last three years and which is estimated to have reached $7.58 billion in 2012, is witnessing emergence of `closet consumers', a report has said.It defines `closet consumers' as those who look at the cost and value even when shopping for luxury products. "The inner conflict between a middle class mindset and the globally rich income level, between conspicuous consumption and a level of luxury which is a reward for hard work shapes what we call the closet consumer," industry body CII and IMRB International said in the report titled `The Changing Face of Luxury in India'.Such consumers' definitions, symbols of luxury are often at variance with conventional definitions and symbols.The report divides closet consumer into four segments -- Connoisseurs, Experientialists, Aesthetes and Flaunters. Accordingly, in the recent past luxury products have grown the fastest at near 22 percent, compared with luxury services at around 15 percent and luxury assets at a much lower 9.4 percent, primarily contributed by slow growth in luxury real estate.The growth in the luxury market is on account of robust growth in the luxury categories like apparel and accessories, perfumes, fine dining and automotive.However, the report said the Indian luxury market accounts for a negligible 1-2 percent of the global luxury market."Multiple factors are contributing to the slow growth -- low priority status assigned to luxuries by the government, lack of adequate range of luxury goods and service levels that are below par."Industry experts believe that it is the Indian culture that dissuades people from flaunting their wealth, but experts are also optimistic about change in mindset in coming years. "The luxury market will boom in India over the next few years," the report said.
from PTI
Coca Cola expects India to be in top 5 markets
Coca Cola, the world's largest soft drink maker, today said it won't slow down its USD 5 billion investment plans in India.
from IANS
Indian IT to build next gen enterprises
The resilient Indian IT industry is building next generation enterprises to leverage the emerging opportunities in cloud computing and mobility space worldwide.
from In.com
Nissan unveiled a revamped version of its sports utility vehicle- Terrano in Mumbai on Tuesday.
from IBNLive
WagonR Stingray launched in India
Maruti has launched an upmarket looking Wagon R, called the Stingray (no relevance to Corvette Stingray or any other legendary car with that name plate) in India at Rs 4.09 lakh, ex-Delhi.
from In.com
The Rolls Royce Wraith rolls into India
Luxury automobile makers Rolls Royce launched their latest offering - the Rolls Royce Wraith - in India on Monday
from IBNLive
To summarise the collective commentary on why the rupee is falling, the immediate triggers are the imposition of capital controls and the hike in import duties on 'non-essentials' like gold and flat screen TVs.
from IBNLive
RBI takes steps to curb the volatility of rupee
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday announced a slew of measures, including Rs 8,000 crore bond buyback, to ease liquidity and ensure adequate credit flow to the productive sectors of the economy.


text:
Goodbye Gaza, Hello Paris...
Hear this
This text will be replaced
Explore this
Reported by
Scott Cameron
If you listen to the show regularly, at some point in the last few years you've probably heard Neal talk with Steven Erlanger. He's been the Jerusalem Bureau Chief for The New York Times since 2004. Now, he's getting ready to move on... to Paris, actually, to take up the Bureau Chief position there for the Times. In his years covering Israel, Gaza, and the surrounding region, he's seen political progress, violent setbacks, significant elections, presidential visits, and the list goes on. Before he leaves Jerusalem, we'll talk with him one last time from the Middle East, about what's happened there — and what hasn't — in the last four years.
Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Missing some content? Check the source: NPR
Copyright(c) 2014, NPR


text:
Food + Drinks
Homemade Pasta in a Snap
Oretta Zanini De Vita, author of Encyclopedia of Pasta, shares her recipe for rustic Tuscan pici. No machine or rolling pin required.
- 6 lb all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon lightly fruity extra-virgin olive oil
Sift the flour and salt onto a wood cutting board. Shape into a mound and make a well in the center. Carefully pour the water and oil into the well. Stir with a fork to incorporate the flour, a little at a time, into the water and oil until you have a dough. Knead the dough, pressing down on it with your palms until it is very firm (at least 20 minutes). Cover with an inverted bowl and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pinch off a walnut-size piece of dough. Using your palms, roll the dough on the board until it resembles a thick piece of spaghetti about 10 inches long. Repeat until you have used up all the dough. Lay the pici on a floured kitchen towel and cover with a second towel. Do not leave them for more than a few hours. Boil the pici in a large pot of salted water until al dente (up to 20 minutes). Serve with your favorite tomato sauce.
- Keywords
- style and advice,
- food and drinks,
- recipe,
- pasta,
- homemade