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If you have been considering having LASIK or PRK and your employer offers FSAs, signing up now should be a top priority. The reason is the amount of money that can be saved by putting FSA dollars towards the price of LASIK.
FSAs work by reducing the amount of money paid in income taxes by decreasing the employee's taxable income. This often equates to a 20-30% or more savings on LASIK. There is a limit to the amount of money that can be set aside each year. In 2015 the maximum contribution is $2,550. Depending on your tax bracket, this can be a total savings of over $1,000!
It is wise to have a LASIK pre-operative examination with a refractive surgeon before committing to such a high flex spending amount. The reason: not everyone is a candidate for LASIK and whatever money you set aside must be used before the end of the year or you lose it.
If you have been considering LASIK or PRK, now is the time. Budgets vary and it is our goal, at Raleigh Eye Center, to make getting LASIK a reality.
Give us a call and we can schedule a pre-operative examination. During this appointment you will not only find out if you are a candidate, we will also discuss the best options with regard to paying for LASIK. If you live in the Raleigh, NC area, call us today for an appointment so you can start 2015 with clear vision!
LASIK Cost Savings Options
There are a few options to help decrease the financial burden that comes with LASIK. Both LASIK or PRK are typically not covered by insurance, however, many insurance providers do offer a discount for policyholders. Give us a call today to find out if your insurance qualifies you for special savings on LASIK or PRK.
Flexible spending accounts can be used to pay for LASIK or PRK; however, employers are required to limit the amount that can put aside each year to $2500. For more information on flexible spending accounts, click here.
There are several companies that offer financing for LASIK and PRK. By taking advantage of 0% financing options, you can reduce the financial burden and enjoy the benefits of LASIK today.
LASIK vs. Contact Lenses
We are currently offering $1000 off LASIK and decided to use this price in our comparison. The typical cost for wearing contact lenses is $300 per year. This price includes solution but does not include doctor visits. Insurance may bring this amount down depending on the coverage. That would mean you would have spent an equal amount on contact lenses after approximately 9 years!
LASIK vs. Glasses
Continuing to use the discounted rate mentioned above, we decided to compare the cost of wearing eyeglasses to having LASIK. The average cost for eyeglasses is $244 according to Consumer Reports Health. Designer frames and special UV coatings come with a higher price tag. After purchasing only 11 pairs of glasses, the cost for LASIK or PRK has been matched.
The benefits of both LASIK and PRK are tremendous and long term. 86% of people under the age of 40 who had LASIK still do not wear glasses for distance. Once people pass their 40's, the need for reading glasses increases regardless of whether or not laser vision correction has been performed. If you have been considering LASIK or PRK, now is an excellent time to move forward as our $1000 off promotion ends August 31st. For more information, call (919) 876-2427 today!]]>
Most people don't start to develop cataracts, a yellowing and hardening of the lens of the eye, until they've reached age 60. Even without a family history, developing cataracts is a possibility. In fact, according to EyeSmart, by age 75, 70% of people will have cataracts.
Perhaps you've developed cataracts and are considering LASIK surgery to correct them. Commonwealth Eye Surgery draws distinctions between the two so that a candidate for either procedure will understand. LASIK corrects vision problems that can be remedied by wearing glasses or contact lenses. A cataract occurs when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy, usually because of age. A cataracts does not resolve on its own and isn't repairable with glasses or contacts.
The cloudier the lens becomes, the harder it is to see. Cataract surgery removes the lens within the eye and replaces it with an implant known as an intraocular lens. LASIK simply changes the shape of one's cornea, allowing for sharper vision. Both procedures are very common and safe. Since the eye is not reshaped during cataract surgery, performing LASIK after cataracts is often possible if still needed.
According to information from both the FDA and the USAEyes surgical certification board, there is no outright reason that makes LASIK eye surgery impossible for someone currently suffering from cataracts; however, we do not recommend it. This is where a consultation from a board certified ophthalmologist and proper research could help you make an informed decision. Do you still have questions and are considering LASIK or cataract surgery in Raleigh? Please give our office a call at (919) 876-2427.]]>
Diabetes, a condition where the body is unable to properly process sugar, is often attributed to an inadequate production of insulin. There are more than 29 million people with diabetes in the U.S. and approximately 382 million people across the globe. The creation of a device that will allow people with refractive errors to not only see clearly, but also eliminate finger sticks is groundbreaking. That's right, these lenses are also expected to correct one's vision in a way that is similar to a camera adjusting focus.
The smart lenses work through a tiny sensor located on each lens that monitors and reports blood glucose levels via an antenna that is thinner than a human hair. The information gathered can then be uploaded to a smartphone in real time. This information can also be shared with doctors.
Smart contact lenses are definitely something to get excited about, but they are still in the early stages of development. It is projected to be several years before they launch for public use.
Technology is a wonderful thing. We look forward to seeing the many ways brilliant people can help us live better lives in the future. You can read the full announcement here.]]>
A recent news report shared alarming details about a Taiwanese girl whose corneas were "devoured" by amoeba. The victim in the report left her disposable contact lenses in for six months – well over the recommended usage of one month. She also did not take her contact lenses out for cleaning or sleeping.
While her case is extreme, it is possible. It is reported that she contracted the amoeba through tap water which was used to wash her face. The culprit of the attack was found to be Acanthamoeba keratitis, a single celled, microscopic, free-living ameba.
Acanthamoeba is found across the globe in both fresh and marine water, shower heads, hot tubs, swimming pools, drinking water, air and soil. The acanthamoeba parasite is quite common and most people are exposed to it throughout our lives. Everyone is at risk for developing an infection from this parasite; however, people who wear contact lenses are at the greatest risk. Acanthamoeba keratitis is an eye infection that is often caused by not using proper hygiene when handling contact lenses. The parasite can get trapped on the eye by contact lenses where it can begin to wreak havoc.
The acanthamoeba parasite can penetrate the surface of the cornea by secreting a protein that dissolves layers of it. It then finds refuge in the eye and feeds not only on bacteria, but also eye cells. Treating acanthamoeba keratitis can be challenging because the parasite can go dormant in a hostile environment.
Symptoms typically include eye pain, redness, blurred vision, light sensitivity, excessive tearing and a foreign body sensation. It is important to seek out help immediately if such symptoms are present. Treatment is most successful when caught early.
To prevent acanthamoeba keratitis it is important to have regular eye examinations. If you wear contact lenses, you should follow the instructions provided by the lens manufacturer and be sure to remove your contacts before partaking in any activity that involves the water.
The risk of developing this infection is increased in the summer when people are using pools, hot tubs and even swimming in the ocean. If you do not like donning your glasses before jumping in the ocean or pool, you may also want to consider having LASIK or PRK.
If you have questions about acanthamoeba keratitis, or would like to schedule a LASIK or PRK consultation, please call Raleigh Eye Center at (919) 876-2427 or visit us online.]]>
Beginning around age 40-45 a condition called presbyopia sets in. Presbyopia occurs when the lens inside the eye becomes rigid and loses the ability to change focus. Many patients say they notice that they must extend objects out further in order to see them clearly. This is a symptom of presbyopia.
During a normal LASIK procedure, both eyes are corrected in order to see clearly at distance. The challenge for presbyopic patients is that if their eyes are fully corrected for distance, they will need to wear glasses for reading. This can be disheartening for someone hoping to be completely free of glasses after LASIK.
While LASIK is not going to change the normal aging of the eye, surgeons can diminish the need for reading glasses in presbyopic patients. They achieve this through monovision. With monovision one eye, typically the dominant eye is fully corrected for distance vision. The other eye is partially undercorrected for near vision.
As one could imagine, monovision can take some getting used to. At Raleigh Eye Center, we feel it is important for patients to trial monovision before having LASIK. Patients can do this by wearing monovision contact lenses for a short period of time. As the eyes adjust to monovision, the brain learns to use one eye for near and the other eye for distance.
Sounds like the best of both worlds, doesn't it? There is a compromise that must be made in order to have both near and far vision after age 40. Some people feel monovision affects the overall quality of their vision. Depth perception can also be compromised somewhat with monovision. Those who desire perfect vision should steer clear of monovision. However, most people feel monovision is an excellent compromise.
If you are considering LASIK and are near or past age 40, talk to our Raleigh LASIK experts to find out if monovision is right for you. An appointment with LASIK surgeon, Dr. James Kiley is the first step to learning which options are best for you.]]>
Raleigh Eye Center received a gold award for their Visually Challenged Moment radio spots created and aired on G105 in 2013. The radio spots featured the humorous side of not being able to see clearly due to refractive errors such as myopia and astigmatism and highlighted the visual improvements realized following LASIK.
The Aster Awards is one of the largest national competitions of its kind, recognizing healthcare professionals around the world. There were close to 3,000 entries received for this year's competition from around the globe. Awards are judged based on creativity, innovation, graphic design, production quality and overall effectiveness. Winning a gold award places Raleigh Eye Center in the top 5% in the nation. The full list of winners can be viewed by clicking here.
The Raleigh Eye Center has been improving the vision of Triangle area residents for over 30 years. With a reputation for providing quality, comprehensive eye care, the Raleigh Eye Center offers a full range of services from routine eye care to refractive, cataract and glaucoma surgery. Located in Raleigh at 3320 Executive Drive, Suite 111, Raleigh, NC 27609. For more information, call (800) 596-0384 or online at www.raleigheyecenter.com.]]>
Countless patients have told us that they wish they had LASIK sooner. Once they realize how much easier life is without glasses or contact lenses, they wish they had not waited.
If finances are a concern, Raleigh Eye Center is offering $1000 off LASIK plus 0 payments and 0% interest for 12 months! This will allow you to keep your money in the bank earning interest while you spend your time seeing clearly and enjoying the freedom of glasses and contact lens free living!
This is what Rebecca Paul had to say about her LASIK experience:
"Everything from the consultation to the actual surgery went very smoothly. The surgery itself was easy and tool about 10 minutes and was completely pain-free! I was back to work the next day with 20/15 vision!"
With LASIK you can enjoy a quick recovery time, however, you will need to avoid swimming for one week after surgery to reduce the risk of infection. If you have PRK, the healing time is greater and you must avoid certain sports including swimming for a longer period of time. We will be able to tell you which procedure is best suited for you during a consultation with Dr. James Kiley.
Don't spend your summer squinting, trying to find your way back to your family after swimming at the beach or pool. Get LASIK and get clear! Call us today to schedule a consultation at (919) 876-2427 or visit us online at www.raleigheyecenterlasik.com.]]>
Despite technological advancements, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness across the globe. Cataracts are considered to be an avoidable blindness.
Blindness from cataracts is most prevalent in remote areas of the world where there is a lack of access to eye care. In the US, 9.6% of Americans suffer from avoidable blindness. While this is much less than remote countries, proper education and access to medical care is necessary to win the war against avoidable blindness.
Here are five things you never know about cataracts.
We are fortunate to live in a developed country that has access to ophthalmologists trained in the diagnosis and removal of cataracts. While cataracts are believed to be a part of the aging process, blindness is not. Take care of your eyes and they will take care of you.
For more information about cataracts or cataract surgery, visit Raleigh Eye Center online by clicking here.]]>


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Category Archives: Commentary
Microsoft Likely Buying Minecraft for $2 Billion
That is $2,000,000,000.00 USD, for the record.
"The two companies quickly agreed on a framework and approximate price and have been working out the details since", the Bloomberg report states. "Persson will help out with the transition, though he is unlikely to remain beyond that".
The Kotaku article comments spend a lot of time questioning the wisdom of the move on Microsoft's behalf, and I am inclined to agree. Hasn't Minecraft reached the saturation point yet? Well, at $100 million in profit last year, maybe not. Still, it was originally hard for me to see the endgame here for Microsoft. In-game DLC? Pixelated horse armor? Banner ads on the title screen?
It is apparently much simpler than that: Microsoft is buying customers.
But Mr. Nadella has said that Microsoft views videogames as a way to expand the company's footholds in PCs and mobile phones. In a letter to employees in July, Mr. Nadella called gaming the "single biggest digital life category, measured in both time and money spent, in a mobile-first world."
[…] "Minecraft" could also help Microsoft appeal to a new generation of customers, especially on smartphones where Microsoft has struggled with both its homegrown Windows Phone devices and with apps on rival phone systems.
While there are other articles out there stating that Notch would never sell, the information we seem to have now is that, despite Notch having turned down similar offers in the past, it appears he is willing to sell this time around. Good for him. If you are wondering at what price point I would sell out to The Man, $2 billion is plenty. Hell, I'd settle for $2 million.
Especially if it meant I could just go do something else immediately. Or stop before I turned into another M. Night Shamamalamalan.
Humble Bundle: Best Thing, or Worst for Indie?
Current Humble Bundle up is the Humble Indie Bundle 12, featuring:
- SteamWorld Dig
- Hammerwatch
- Gunpoint
- [BTA] Papers, Please
- [BTA] Gone Home
- [$10+] Prison Architect
Prison Architect by itself is a $29.99 Early Release game that has only ever hit $9.99 before… in Humble Bundle's own store, in fact. So for the price of that one game, you get at least four other titles that have made some waves (i.e. Gaming Journalism™) in the indie scene: Gunpoint, Papers Please, LUFTRAUSERS, and Gone Home. Granted, most of these were topical back in 2013, but still, those four games were on my watch list (and I even bought two of them last year) without even considering Prison Architect.
As some Reddit commenters point out though, it is precisely bundles like this one that cement the "bundle or bust" mentality that surrounds indie games. I mean, let's face it, I probably shouldn't be buying any more games anyway, but it's to the point these days that I don't even bother checking Steam sales for most of these titles. If I hadn't bought Gunpoint and Papers, Please last year, I could have gotten even more consumer surplus for that sweaty Hamilton. Which makes me think "maybe I should remove Transistor, Spelunky, Banished, Child of Light, and Ironclad Tactics from my Steam wishlist and wait for a bundle sale."
Is that good for, well, anybody? I'll save some dollars at the expense of being topical and relevant, perhaps. I suppose the creators of SteamWorld Dig and Hammerwatch get a win in the form of a "sale" that they would likely have never made otherwise. Who knows, maybe I'll find those games super fun and end up eagerly awaiting their next release? Of course, by "eagerly awaiting" I likely mean eagerly waiting for the next bundle.
If you are confused as to what this #GamerGate thing is… you are not alone. Because it really isn't one thing any more, but a series of things that have all sort of been mixed together. For a summary of ongoing events, I recommend this Forbes article. In the meantime, I wanted to touch on the three main elements in reverse order.
Gaming Journalism
I pretty much agree with the recent Slate article titled "Gaming Journalism is Over."
The attacks on the press have ranged from well-reasoned to offensive to paranoid, but the gaming journalists unwisely decided to respond to the growing, nebulous anger by declaring that "gamers" were dead. Such articles appeared concurrently in Gamasutra (" 'Gamers' are over" and "A guide to ending 'gamers' "), Destructoid ("There are gamers at the gate, but they may already be dead"), Kotaku ("We might be witnessing the 'death of an identity' ") and Rock, Paper, Shotgun ("Gamers are over"), as well as Ars Technica ("The death of the 'gamers' "), Vice ("Killing the gamer identity") and BuzzFeed ("Gaming is leaving 'gamers' behind"). These articles share some traits in common besides their theses: They are unconvincing, lacking in hard evidence, and big on wishful thinking. A good number of them link to an obscure blog post by academic Dan Golding, "The End of Gamers," which argues, again without evidence, that "the gamer identity has been broken" and that the current unrest "is an attempt to retain hegemony." Kotaku writer Nathan Grayson linked to a similarly obtuse piece of academic argot (" 'Gamer' is selfish … conservative … tribalistic"), which in Grayson's words "breaks down the difference between 'gamer' as a manufactured identity versus loving games on multiple levels." I've written essays comparing games to the work of artist Kurt Schwitters and poet Kenneth Rexroth, and even I can't muster this level of vacuous self-importance on the subject.
Returning to the real world, the biggest problem with all these claims is that they are demonstrably untrue. A quick glance at financials shows that "gamers" are not going anywhere. If "gamers" really are dying, no one told the marketing departments for these publications, which continue to trumpet their "gamer" demographic to advertisers. What is going on instead is projection. As long as these journalists held a monopoly on gaming coverage, they could maintain a dismal relationship with their audience in spite of the fact that "most games coverage is almost indistinguishable from PR," in the words of disaffected game columnist Robert Florence, who himself wrote about corruption in gaming journalism before quitting Eurogamer. But all that's changing with the rise of long-form amateur gaming journalism and game commentating on YouTube and Twitch.tv, the latter of which was just bought by Amazon for $1 billion as the gaming press was declaring the end of gamers.
I am not entirely sure whether there is anything to add to that.
Well, I guess I will say that this "reckoning" (assuming anything at all actually changes) was a long time in coming. After all, how long have we existed with a review rubric in which numbers 1-6 did not exist on the 10-point scale? Professional gaming journalism simply doesn't occur without the "charity" of the game developers' review copies, or access for interviews, or any number of similar perks that understandably evaporate into the ether the moment an honest reviewer costs the company tens of thousands of sales. I was given a free Press™ pass for Darkfall: Unholy Alliance, but do I anticipate another such email from Aventurine? No, I do not. Unless perhaps I'm such small fries that their PR person doesn't bother purging the rolls. (Assuming they still have a job.)
But even these small perks are becoming increasingly irrelevant in an age of paid Alphas and Steam Early Releases. With the notable exception of Hearthstone, I pretty much have had the same access to the games I have written about as anyone who reads the posts. Obviously, "real" game journalists get all-expenses paid trips to conventions and hands-on impressions with AAA games that might be coming out, but the margin between gatekeeper and gamer is narrowing. You don't need to trust an established game journalist as to whether the latest release is worth $60 anymore, assuming you could trust them in the first place – just play the alpha/beta/early release yourself.
Indeed, at this point the most valuable person in gaming is whomever is out there telling you that a given game exists at all.
Who Are Gamers?
If I were being a purist, I would argue that Bhagpuss' inadvertent definition is best:
And that's probably at the root of why I don't identify as a Gamer. It's not an age thing. It's a prestige thing. After university, where having the high score on Galaxians was something to be envied, I rarely encountered any social situation where identifying as a Gamer wouldn't have been socially damaging.
In other words, you are a Gamer if you say you are a Gamer, accepting all the consequences of the admission.
I will admit a certain level of envy for the gamers just now entering high school, as they will likely not experience near the abuse that my generation (and older) endured when gaming was the reserved domain of nerds and outcasts. No doubt it was the same for comic book readers and others. There is indeed a sense of belonging that occurs amongst a persecuted group, and yes, identity. However, any sense of diminishment by widespread gaming acceptance is purely psychological. And, frankly, backwards.
Your identity as a Gamer should be tied to your unashamed passion for games. Full stop. Anything extra is a separate, superfluous identity you tacked on after the fact. "I liked this thing when it was hard to do so." Great… so you are a Gamer and a Pariah. Do you want a cookie?
Zoe Quinn, Anita Sarkeesian, etc
Last Word
There really is no conclusion to this post, other than a rather mild surprise as to how much has melted down in the past three weeks or so. Seven gaming publications basically simultaneously asserting their readers no longer exist (or are horrible)? Who the shit has the time to browse internet articles about games but Gamers? Hell, I didn't even play a game today due to reading gaming forums and writing this post.
Nevertheless, gaming journalism is one area in which I believe a total breakdown in "the establishment" will have a good outcome in the long-run. I mean, right now we have highly politicized real-world news monopolies (Fox vs CNN vs MSNBC) that only serve to insulate and divide people from alternate viewpoints. That's bad. But the same thing really can't exist in the gaming world because we ultimately play the games. If the game is shit, it's shit, no matter who told you it was roses. And now you have 10,000 alternative voices that will admittedly likely coalesce into a few power-brokers, but again, reality will be the final arbiter.
Indie Devs Are Kind of Assholes
Let's play a game called "In what context would this ever be a good idea for developers to write on internet forums?" First up, Lead Engine developer for a recently Kickstarted 16-bit action-RPG Elysian Shadows:
You know, half of what you said was actually fairly useful, but then the other half went into opinionated, biased, tangential bullshit, and you lost me entirely. Bump mapping? Have you LOOKED at our Kickstarter? Our sprites are CLEARLY bump mapped, and they're also specularly highlighted. There's even a section clearly describing that. Our later screenshots are also all billboarded and are entirely aligned to camera-space. Your divine wisdom would have been appreciated considerably more if you had refrained from being a total douche in the end… I was actually going to ask for your email and talk development with you… But instead I think I'll just head on back to Kickstarter and watch the money roll in for this abomination of an indie RPG coming to a Dreamcast near you! Funny, considering the majority of the backers are coming for the Dreamcast, then OUYA is doubling our funds from $150k to $300k. ;)
The correct answer is: none. I don't even care that the actual context was a bitter
vet dev expressing frustration that his/her own game went nowhere and even went on so far as to say "[…] your entire Kickstarter is everything I hate about "indie retro 16-bit RPGs […]." That basically anonymous poster the dev was responding to? Nobody gives two shits about them thirty seconds after closing the tab. But the dev? I'm walking away from the comment exchange thinking to myself "hey, that Falco Girgis dude is an asshole – I sort of hope his game crashes and fails."
Maybe that sentiment says more about me than anything else.
Regardless, what the dev gave up here was an opportunity to sell another copy of the game, perhaps demonstrate the competency of the team, and, you know, not be another asshole on the internet. We're full up, dude, we don't need any more.
But congrats on the game, or whatever. Maybe I'll check it out in an Humble Bundle in which I allocate zero dollars to your team.
[Civ5] Starting to See
Okay, okay. I'm starting to see why everyone is all "one… more… turn" when it comes to Civ 5.
After I wrote the post on Wednesday, I sat down to what ended up being an unintentional marathon gaming session. On reflection though, I am not even entirely sure why. I mean, yeah, "one more turn." But that was sort of because A) I did nothing of any meaning the last four turns, and B) something was actually occurring. I suddenly sat up in my chair, pointed at the screen, and said "No you fucking didn't!"
Whoops, that's actually a screenshot I took because I had no idea what was going on. Good on the Civ team for going the extra, multicultural mile there, but I've been playing against these computers for nearly 4000 years and I still couldn't tell you who Harun al-Rashid or Haile Selassie are, where Addis Ababa is located, how a trade route even gets plundered, or why I should really care when I can make another Caravan in 2 turns.
It is sort of funny because I ended up in the same position I remember being in way back in Civ 2: running out of things to build and just clicking End Turn until the next technology is unlocked. Pretty early in the game my capital ended up being a Wonder Farm, pumping out colossus statues and Big Bens every 5 turns until that well went dry. Then I seemed to have missed the religion boat entirely, at least until the Missionaries started pouring in from the North, giving my cities ecclesiastical whiplash every few turns.
And then… goddamn Brazil ruined everything. Or more specifically my hopes of a cultural victory.
It's funny how a little unprovoked continental warfare suddenly increases your average Decisions-Per-Turn. I wasn't able to muster enough forces to crush the last city – 107 Defense power, what? – but that's fine. I got the time… until nukes.
Just a few more turns…
Civ Mistake
As you may know, I have an embargo of sorts on buying brand new games. Not only are new games more expensive, but there rarely is any benefit to buying it early – assuming you are physically capable of waiting for a week or two, you will have a lot more information about whether a given game lives up to your expectations or not. And even if you're sure that it will be everything you dream it to be, it's possible the game will be a bug-ridden, unplayable mess those first few days/weeks. Remember Fallout: New Vegas? Or basically any Bethesda game, I suppose.
So anyway, I pre-purchased Civilization: Beyond Earth.
In my defense, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri was a seminal classic that still occupies a lot of my mindspace decades after the fact. Those quotes, man, those quotes. I still have a .TXT file on my computer that is full of profound nuggets of wisdom, many of which were transcribed from that game. Sure, most are real-world quotes that the game simply appropriated, but this was the means by which I was introduced to them for the first time. It sort of reminds me of how much Magic: the Gathering expanded my vocabulary and the fact that I experienced Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven for the first time in that bizarre intestinal parasite level in Earthworm Jim 2.
In any case, Beyond Earth was selling for $12.50 off on GreenManGaming. So… savings!
After re-watching some of the coverage for the game, it occurred to me that it looks a lot like Civ 5, which I have owned for months without ever having booted it up. And now that I have booted it up, I am beginning to sweat my decision a bit. Because, so far, my experience with Civ 5 is mirroring my experience with Crusader Kings 2 – namely as games that other people seem to enjoy way more than it seems likely or even possible.
Full disclosure: aside from Alpha Centauri, the only other Civ game I have played was Civ 2… on the Super Nintendo. I played the hell out of it and Alpha Centauri both, but these games aren't my wheelhouse per se.
I did a sort of beginner's match in Civ 5 and just started a second game on normal difficulty/Civ spread. With things approaching 1000 AD, I am sort of wondering when the fun starts. The problem from my perspective is that I don't seem to actually be making any decisions very often. I'm perfectly fine playing the "long game" in strategy titles, but I'm not particularly fine with spam-clicking Next Turn for 200 years. Moving a War Chariot around looking for Barbarians isn't exactly cutting it.
What I cannot quite figure out is whether this whether this is a sign of A) me doing something wrong, B) Civ 5 being a departure from prior games, or C) my own evolving tastes. I mean, I think it used to be that having a dozen cities was par for the course in older Civ titles, yes? Now I'm in the Classical age and just founded my 3rd city after some hemming and hawing. The beginner match I played was basically me rolling over my opponents militarily – with numerous interesting decisions to make each turn – but the warnings I kept getting every time I annexed a city and the penalties are leading me to believe that offensive units are only useful against Barbarians and Gandhi.
So, Civ 5 fans, am I doing it wrong? If it matters, I have all the DLC loaded already.
Subscriptions Are Dead; Long Live Subscriptions
Tobold has a post up talking about the fate of the subscription model. Namely, that while TESO and Wildstar devs are heroically trying to swim against the F2P current, the hard numbers and future MMO releases paint a different, more bleak picture. As somewhat hilariously pointed out by commenter Mike Andrade in that post, this sort of subscription analysis appears to be a Tobold yearly August tradition, but nevermind.
Both Gevlon in the comments and SynCaine in a post come out of the gate with a rather blistering one-two retort: 1) maybe recent sub games are floundering because the games themselves are bad, and 2) where are all the F2P successes then?
Granted, SynCaine moved the goal-posts a bit by specifying "day-1 F2P," when the facts of the matter are (likely) that subscription games that have made the F2P transition are only still online because of said transition. In other words, SWTOR and LOTRO and Aion and DDO and STO and TSW (etc) are perfectly valid examples of F2P success stories by virtue of those games still being online and profitable. That all of them would prefer the giant piles of initial subscriber cash isn't really saying anything about the long-term sustainability of the model itself. Why would any of them start off F2P if it's possible to not leave that money on the table?
But if we're looking ahead, I suppose ArchAge and SOE's flagship EverQuest Next being F2P might be potential candidates day-1 F2P success (however that ends up being defined).
The subscription counter-example a lot of people have been using is FF14, which frankly shocked me in terms of subscriber numbers. Apparently there are 2 million of them? If legitimate, that would rocket it past all non-WoW MMOs to be one of the most successful subscription games of all time. Of course, it sells for $15 on Steam every three weeks, there's a sizable console market for the game (something not many MMOs can achieve), and it technically got a do-over that allowed it to "launch" with years of content instead of the normal zero. But still! That's impressive.
Okay, actually FF14 has two million "registered accounts," which is sort of like subscribers in the same way F2P games are "free to play." Still, subscriptions! 500,000 people log on at least once per day! For now, anyway.
Ultimately, I think a lot of the subscription game musing is sort of missing the point. While there are subtle pressures involved when you look at a subscription game – worrying about getting your money's worth even if $15/month is pocket change normally – I agree with people like SynCaine that say if a game is worth it, you'll pay the money… to a point. Because when you are talking about MMOs, the quality of the content itself is almost a tertiary concern to retention. Don't believe me? Then tell me how a game like WoW can get away with having zero new content from September 2013 to today and "only" lose around ~10.5% of its population. It's the people, stupid. Yeah, there's an underlying game space that needs to be entertaining enough to collect everyone in one spot and having fun during downtime, but how long is anyone really subscribing to a single-player game? You can have the most entertaining base game in the world, but if nobody is making those sticky social connections – perhaps because they already have social networks elsewhere – then they are just going to leave in three months anyway.
Frankly, the biggest issue with subscriptions are companies whom vastly overestimate their own popularity, and otherwise set themselves up for failure. If you budget your MMO such that you need 500,000 people paying $15/month just to survive, you're going to have a bad time. The lower that floor is, the more space you will have to grow the audience later. Or, hell, just maintain the people you have currently.
So while I do not believe the subscription model itself is going anywhere, I do think that it's only going to be particularly sustainable to those games which have tightly-wounded social pockets. Creating said pockets out of thin air is incredibly tough, but that's not going to stop games like TESO and Wildstar from at least capitalizing on 6-12 months of bonus revenue they would not have otherwise had if they went with B2P and/or F2P.
Blizzard News Recap
So, hey, how about that. Leave the country for just two weeks and look what happens.
Blizzard Q2 2014 Investor Call
The big news, of course, is the fact that WoW has dropped 800k subs and is down to 6.8 million from Q1. MMO-Champion has a rather interesting interactive graph on the linked page, but let's go ahead and take a screenshot for posterity:
Honestly, it is hard to add anything to that; the graph really speaks for itself. I guess it is interesting to note that we are now well below the numbers of vanilla WoW at this point. It is also interesting to note that the number of subscribers WoW lost in the last few months is larger than the total reported subs for The Elder Scrolls Online. Or Wildstar + EVE. So anytime someone happens to discount WoW as a fluke and/or "not representative of the genre as a whole," just remember that this is a fluke on scale with the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy.
There are bigger games, of course, like League of Legends. There still ain't any bigger MMOs. And let's face it: there isn't likely to ever be any.
Back to that investor call, and the unintentionally hilarious corporate doublespeak:
Starting off with World of Warcraft. The franchise remains healthy with revenues up year-over-year. This is due in part to ongoing interest in Warlords of Draenor presales, which now exceed 1.5 million, and the character boost, which suggests strong support for the expansion by the community.
Yeah, sure, I can see it that way, Mike Morhaime. Someone who purchases a(n additional) character boost is likely a person preparing to use said boosted character in the next expansion. At the same time, is a boosted character not also a vote of no confidence of all the content that it was boosted past? Shit, the expansion is not out for another three months, and this is a report of player behavior from earlier in the year anyway. I'm not one of those guys who cry over planned obsolescence, but c'mon man, this is a sword with two edges. Be careful where you pick it up.
In looking over the rest of the call transcript, most of it had to do with Destiny and Call of Duty questions. Hearthstone was a surprise darling, but we sort of knew that already.
Warloads of Draenor
Release date of November 13th. And there's a video!
I pretty much agree with the prevailing blogging opinion that the Warlords trailer is excellent on a technical level and somewhat of a horrible trainwreck on grokkable level. Are we supposed to know who these orcs are? It might be a little racist, but I can barely tell any of them apart. And then you get the confused sympathy going on, which results in you thinking the final boss of the expansion is actually a good guy. I mean, we just saw him kill a demon and everything! To the average person watching this thing, they aren't going to know that the final scene is meant to imply the "good guys" will soon be invading an alternate timeline in which they don't exist, only to be pushed back into their own world again and beaten silly by 10 or 25 kleptomaniacs in silly costumes.
And when I put it like that, I still almost feel bad for them.
Then I remember that alternate timelines and time travel in general is literally the worst narrative gimmick in literature (and all mediums, really), possibly tied with "it was all a dream." It is always total bullshit because nobody ever treats it seriously, least of all the authors themselves. Bioshock Infinite, anyone? Warlords is all just another Metzen Horde masturbation fantasy that plumbs the shockingly shallow depths of the Warcraft RTS plot in search of remaining nuggets (or crumbs thereof) which can be squeezed and bled before the swan song of an Emerald Dream expansion.
In my attempt at researching the possibility that the Warlords narrative could be saved by Naaru somehow, I stumbled upon this blog post which does a good job at asserting the fact that we might be battling high lieutenants of the Burning Legion by the end. Up to and including Sargeras. I like the research supporting that position, but again, it all highlights for me the reason why time travel is stupid everywhere. Because now there is an infinite number Sargerases, and Titans, and McGuffins such that the likelihood of the "original" world existing at all is vanishingly small. Maybe the Bronze Dragonflight are supposed to keep all that shit on lockdown, but all it takes is a single "he/she went insane" and suddenly they are attacking every reality.
…which is sort of how the Burning Legion are described. Hmm.
Nah. The writers over there aren't that clever.
Sometimes I Really Hate Bioware
So hey, there is another sale on Origin right now – pretty much the entire EA catalog (all six games) is reduced by 50% or more. Know what isn't reduced in price though? Goddamn Mass Effect DLC:
That's right, you can buy the entire Mass Effect franchise for $15. If you want to get all the canon DLC though, that will be an additional $64. For a 2+ year old game. For DLC that has never been on sale.
At this point I can no longer tell if Bioware is just stupid, or evil, or what. Is the nefarious plan to rope in new players at the $15 price-point and then squeeze the $64 out of the few who become super-enamored with the game? Or is the marketing department asleep at the wheel (or fired) and they just never got around to running the numbers on having a Bioware point sale? Or, you know, migrating from the goddamn ridiculous point system like every other game company?
I suppose the good news is that Casey Hudson, project director for KOTOR and the entire Mass Effect series, left Bioware last week. While I still have some sour grapes (more like sour raisins at this point) over the ME3 ending debacle, the fleshed-out endings went a long way in regaining my trust. I do not idolize content creators as a rule – individual works are the only thing that deserves respect – but this move makes it more likely that Bioware will be left with games I won't be compelled to play, thereby making it easier to both hate them and not give them money simultaneously.
But seriously, Bioware, put that goddamn Mass Effect DLC on sale and I will buy it.
Where Are All the Bodies?, pt 2
Almost exactly two years ago, I asked "Where are all the bodies?" in terms of a trend of flight from MMOs. Last week, Wilhelm presented the SuperData Research group's June report. The two slides of note are below:
As pointed out in the comments over on TAGN, the accuracy of numbers and legitimacy of the research company itself might be in question. For one thing, neither FFXI nor FFXIV are even on that list. The absence of Guild Wars 2 makes a little sense given the criteria for inclusion (subscription option), but the others? I dunno. Perhaps they are being implied in the missing 26% of market share. Which, incidentally, covers $756 million of the total revenue on the chart.
In an attempt to compare the subscription revenue graph to the last update from MMOData.net, I got the following result:
My methodology was to squish the one graph until the years lined up. Regardless, I have a hard time imagining the precipitous drop in subscription revenue on their chart is correlated in reality. There is a very real decline in overall MMO population – we have reached the same population levels from mid-2008 at this point – but revenue can't be that bad. Can it?
What is sorta interesting though is in the small text below the graph, which states the data was pulled from "36.9 million digital gamers." If you take that figure and multiply it by the market share, you get 13,284,000 as the WoW population. Of course, WoW did not have 13+ million subscribers in 2013. Discrepancy! Or is it? If you assume a 5% churn rate each month, at the end of the year you are left with 7,178,143. That is somewhat close to the estimated 7.6 million from this year. In other words, it's entirely possible that 13+ million players played WoW at some point during the year and 6 million of them cycled out.
On the other hand, when you plug EVE into that same equation, you get 1,107,000 players throughout 2013. So… maybe it's all bullshit.
Accuracy aside, I think the takeaway from all this is twofold. First, the MMO market has clearly peaked and we are transitioning into a much lower (presumed) equilibrium. Second, it's still surprising how money there is in the genre. I mean, look at SWTOR there. $165 million in revenue last year? It actually took this Forbes article to kind of shock me into the realization (emphasis added):
And what may be a surprise to many is that Star Wars: The Old Republic is actually #4 on the list, bringing in $165M in revenue last year. While much of the game went free-to-play after a disappointing debut, there's still a subscription model that has made the MMO profitable for EA. Often SWTOR is regarded as a cautionary tale in the industry in terms of bloated budgets, over-ambition and emulating competitors, but looking at the numbers, the game has evolved into a profitable enterprise for EA, and has made even its massive budget back at this point.
I don't even know if that is true for sure, but remember, SWTOR budget was somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 million. So… are we still allowed to call the game a "failure?" The criteria gets a little goofy when you are making ~44% more than the paragon of subscription growth¹, EVE. We can maybe say that it could/should have earned more, but (presumably) profitable businesses really speak for themselves.
As always, I believe key to success is keeping realistic expectations and budgeting around that. If you need 500,000 or 1 million subscriptions to stay afloat, maybe you should calm your shit, Icarus. The entire market is like 18 million subs, and more than a third of those are locked down in Blizzard HQ. If you can get by with 50k or 100k, you should have no problems capturing a least a portion of the 500k+ people that seem to appear on MMO release days and leave a month later. Now more than any other time, you need to start small and work your way up.
¹ Which is more historical fact than current event. As far as I'm aware, EVE has lost subs at this point like all mortal MMO endeavors.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This is not the current vintage of South Africa's Mulderbosch chenin blanc ($12, purchased, 13.5%). In fact, it's two vintages old; the current is the 2013. But it's the best I could do in Dallas, where we view chenin blanc as the spawn of the devil and a wine to be ignored at all costs.
Nevertheless, it's worth reviewing for three reasons: First, because it's a quality white wine, as almost all Mulderbosch wines are. Second, because there is still a lot of it around, given the way South African wine is viewed by retailers and consumers in this country. Third, because the oh so haute wine bar where I bought it needs to be called out for selling a past vintage at suggested retail when the wine bar almost certainly bought it at a tremendous discount.
The Wine Curmudgeon is a big fan of Mulderbosch, which avoids many of the pitfalls — chasing trends, celebrity wine — that plague other South African producers. Its rose has been in and out of the $10 Hall of Fame (mostly because the price fluctuates), and the chenin is equally as impressive. If nothing else, that a three-year-old wine aged this well speaks volumes about the effort that went into making it.
The Mulderbosch is not fruity, like a California chenin, and it doesn't have the slate finish that the best French chenins have. Rather, it's a little rich and leans toward chardonnay, with subtle apple and pear fruit, qualities that almost certainly come from age. It also has an interesting spiciness, as well as a little oak. Given that oak is usually superfluous in this kind of wine, it's quite well done and adds some heft.
This is real wine — serve it with roasted and grilled chicken, or even main course salads. It deserves more attention and respect than it gets, and especially from a retailer who treats it as a cash cow and not as real wine.


text:
Flash Memory Summit
30 Jul
Three sessions that caught my eye when perusing the program for FMS taking place next week at the Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA. I particular like the new take on TINA from Dr. Tsutsui of Sony.
30 Jul
Three sessions that caught my eye when perusing the program for FMS taking place next week at the Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA. I particular like the new take on TINA from Dr. Tsutsui of Sony.
29 Jul
Medical devices usually have to be sterilized before they can be utilized. This is typically achieved by exposure to high levels of radiation and temperature. Electronic memory has always been a problem in such devices as the data
01 Jul
News from HP, Crossbar and Adesto Technologies (Blog sponsor) who have just announced the shipment of their millionth CBRAM product. Quite a milestone for a next generation technology product
28 May
Blaise Mouttet is an interesting guy who runs a nanotech blog focused on IP including ReRAM. He has just updated his study on US patents related to Resistance Switching Materials and Devices. There is a huge amount of analysis and information in this …
16 May
Latest Update: ASM International Technology seminar on Technology for advanced embedded memory applications, 5/21/2014, Leti Memory Workshop, 6/24/2014,
14 May
from Lucian Shifren, Principal Engineer, ARM Inc. While many options exist to extend the roadmap for standalone FLASH (such as vertical FLASH), embedded FLASH has a much shorter runway. While standalone FLASH can be optimized for memory function, embedded FLASH needs
12 May
Update At Intermolecular's Q1 2014 conference call. more details emerged about IMI's semiconductor related activity. Q1 was obviously tough as CDP's with ATMI and Global Foundries as well as SanDisk/Toshiba ended and precipitated an 18% head count reduction. Ouch…. The Micron program, however …
29 Apr
Andy Walker is Founder and President of Schiltron Corporation, Mountain View, California. Please tell us a little about Schiltron Corporation? Schiltron Corporation is a Silicon Valley startup funded to investigate options for 3D
09 Apr
Memory Cell with Threshold Switch (US8642985) by Frederick T. Chen. A high-density resistive memory traditionally coupled a transistor and a switching resistance in the same cell. While the functionality was easy to predict with this configuration, the density is often compromised by the …
04 Apr
Following on from the last post on ReRAM related news from the SPIE Advanced Lithography Conference in February, some words on a panel session on 'Alternative Forms of Scaling' covering the various 3D approaches to scaling.
20 Mar
The SPIE Litho conference every February is one of the things I really miss being located this side of the Pond. I used to attend regularly starting when it was held at the San Jose Fairmont. I was involved in running one of …
10 Mar
from Andy Walker, Founder and President of Schiltron Corporation The concepts of 3D NAND and V-NAND have received so much publicity since last August that no-one should be faulted for thinking that we are on the verge of a sea-change in how high …
27 Feb
From Nicolas Baron, Co-founder and CEO, KnowMade, France. The integration limit of flash memories is approaching, and emerging Non-Volatile Memories (eNVM) to replace conventional Flash Memories have been proposed.
24 Feb
Highlights from this year's ISSCC conference included more details of the Sony/Micron 16Gb ReRAM chip and Samsung's 3D NAND (V-NAND) chip both of which have featured in recent Forum blogs. The Sony/Micron chip is more accurately described as


text:
Our next Open House is Thursday November 13 from 6 to 8 PM. At this time you will be able to meet individually with teachers. At 5:30 in the auditorium we will also repeat the MCAS results presentation. Look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday.
Sincerely yours,
Gene Constantino
On Tuesday October 7th at 6 PM in the Auditorium, the Lynn Classical Guidance Dept. will be sponsoring an information and discussion night for Parents of our Senior class. Topics include Graduation requirements, important dates, College application process, financial aid options, and scholarship opportunities. We hope that you are able to attend this very important evening.
Thank you
Gene Constantino
Welcome everyone to a new school year. As you are aware Jupiter is our online grade book for students and parents.
If you had a password last year you may use this same one again. If you need assistance or have not received a password, please contact the Guidance office at 781-477-7409. For clarification purposes, if you signed up for text alerts on Jupiter for absences, you will receive an alert if your son or daughter misses an individual class. This probably should be ignored for the first couple of days as we have had many assemblies and changes in schedules. If your son or daughter is absent from school you will still receive the telephone message from our automated system. You will also receive a call if they are late to school.
All students received information sheets that must be filled out and returned to school as soon as possible. For students who drive to school they must complete the Registration Form to receive a parking sticker. WE WILL NOT BE CHARGING STUDENTS FOR THIS FIRST STICKER. If you do not have a parking sticker you cannot park in the lot.
Our first Open House is next Thursday September 11th from 6:00-8:00. At this time you will be meeting with each teacher in a rotating modified class schedule. At 5:15 we will also have an informational meeting in the Auditorium with regards to the School Council. Nomination forms for parents and community members will be available. Also we will be giving you a Title 1 funding overview at that time.
Thank you
Gene Constantino
Download Your Nomination Form Here! MS Word or PDF
Visit our photo gallery for more pictures!
Click here for the gallery!
Principal Welcome
It has been my honor to be the Principal of this historic school for the past four years. I started my teaching career as a Special Education Teacher in 1976. I have been at Lynn Classical since 1981. I also served as a Guidance Counselor and Vice Principal. We hope that your son or daughter has a most positive academic and social experience while at this school. Our administrative team, teachers and support staff are very committed to meeting the needs of all students. We encourage communication and look forward to any suggestions.
Gene Constantino
Our Mission Statement
The Lynn Classical High School mission is to meet the needs of all of our students and ensure they become knowledgeable, conscientious, productive, and self-reliant learners who are college and career ready. The school community shares in the responsibility of providing our graduates with the 21st century skills necessary to be successful on a local and global scale. We celebrate our diversity, cultivate creativity and respect, and take pride in knowing our school is safe and supportive for all.


text:
fyrinnae.com domain research
Indexed pages:
Links from homepages:
10 links (from 8 hosts)
updated November 6, 2013
updated November 6, 2013
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Latest result: Website is UP
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HTML size: 13196 bytes
Url: http://fyrinnae.com
Content_type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
Http_code: 200
Header_size: 671
Request_size: 171
Filetime: -1
Total_time: 0.602466
Namelookup_time: 0.313331
Connect_time: 0.361169
Pretransfer_time: 0.361198
Size_download: 13196
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Download_content_length: 13196
Starttransfer_time: 0.504611
SoftLayer Technologies (SoftLayer Technologies Inc.)
Hosting abuse phone:
office +1-214-442-0605
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22.214.171.124 United States (1 changes since November 8, 2009)
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November 8, 2009 126.96.36.199 (Corporate Colocation) → 22.214.171.124(SoftLayer Technologies)
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Domain registrar:
NETEARTH ONE INC. D/B/A NETEARTH domain profile
Domains using same registrar:4,112
Domains using same registrar:4,112
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|November 8, 2009
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Fyrinnae, eye shadow, eyeshadow, loose eye shadow, powder blush, cosmetics, makeup, fryinnae, fyrianne, bright eye shadow, stage makeup, make up, eyeliner, eye liner, cosmetic glitter, eye safe glitter, neon eye shadow, matte eye shadow, matte eyeshadow, glitter eye shadow, shimmer eye shadow, shimmer eyeshadow, sparkle eye shadow, ,Fyrinnae, eye shadow, eyeshadow, loose eye shadow, Pixie epoxy, powder blush, cosmetics, makeup, fryinnae, fyrianne, bright eye shadow, stage makeup, make up, eyeliner, eye line
Fyrinnae Cosmetics. (
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text:
Interview with Nomadic Samuel – Number 1 Travel Blogger in the World (@NomadicSamuel)
Who is Nomadic Samuel?
"A quirky digital nomad who has been on the dusty trail for 7 consecutive years."
A tale of stark contrast, best begun with some extremely interesting facts about the #1 Travel Blogger in our opinion!
Name: Samuel Jeffery
Born: 1981, Canada.
Visited: 26 countries including 8 in South America and 16 in Asia, involving a 68 hour non-stop bus ride! He has no current plans to EVER return to North America.
Careers: 13 ranging from paperboy to Canadian soldier reservist.
Vehicles: Camel, Horse, Donkey, Elephant, Ostrich
Diet: Silkworm larvae, raw squid, snake wine, snake blood, llama
Moving onto the interview with Nomadic Samuel
What are the top five facts, which people should know about your online personality?
That's a great question to start an interview! I have a feeling I have a reputation for being quirky, eccentric, hard-working, adventurous and playful.
How does it feel to be the number 1 travel blogger?
Oh my! I honestly don't think I'm anywhere close to that but I do appreciate you saying such a thing. I think what most people don't realize is that I've been travelling and taking photos for years. My main travel blog Nomadic Samuel is relatively quite young (less than two years old) but my passion for travel and the resources I have to share reflect my experiences as a backpacker and teacher overseas since 2005.
Which football team do you support?
Well, here's the interesting thing. As a Canadian, I don't follow football nearly as much as others; however, when I was in Buenos Aires in 2010, I became a de-facto fan of the Argentine National team given that Canada is typically defeated by island nations I've never even heard of. Although they were knocked out by Germany I'm confident they'll do well in Brazil next year. The sport I really follow with absolute passion is ice hockey. My favourite team is the Chicago Blackhawks and right now they're battling it out with the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup.
What do we need to know before travelling around the world?
That it's something anyone can do. Honestly, with a bit of planning and saving one can turn their dreams of exploring the world into reality.
Is it better to travel when you are young or old?
Travelling at any age is fantastic. There are families taking their children on around the world trips at a very young age. I honestly can't think of a better education. On the flip side, I've met backpackers who are over eighty with more vigour and zest for life than their twenty year old counterparts. I think one of the special characteristics of travel is that it can be (and is) for all ages.
How many countries have you been to?
I've been to roughly 30 countries. If I wasn't so thoroughly addicted to travel in Asia I'm sure I would have covered double that amount – especially in Europe.
How much of being a really successful blogger is great writing and how much is technical stuff like SEO and social networking?
It's equally as important. The common saying is that content is King; however, without an emphasis on social media, networking, marketing and SEO it's extremely difficult to find that precious needle in a haystack.
Any ideas on how to get traffic fast?
A great way to drive traffic to your site in the initial stages, before you have an audience, is to network with other bloggers in your field and utilize social media. When I first started, I was commenting on roughly 50 blogs a day, writing at least one lengthy post per day and sharing a photo of the day along with a slideshow of the day. I used stumble upon to really drive traffic to my site before I was getting any love from Google. Whatever methods you use it's going to take a lot of hard work, consistency and dedication to start from scratch and build something of significance.
What was it about making money online which attracted you to this occupation?
In my case, I didn't start my blog to make money. I've been sharing my photos and videos for years prior to launching my blog as it was my hobby. Luckily, when I found out other people were making money with their travel blogs, I did suddenly become very interested.
You regularly make several thousand dollars per month, what is the top obstacle that lies between a blogger and making this sort of return through their online activities?
The biggest obstacle is putting all of your energy into just one project. In order to make decent money online you need to have many different passive income streams. It's definitely not better to have one site making $1000 a month than 15 different income streams making $200 each. The key is diversity and outsourcing.
How do you manage your time to maximize efficiency?
I shut down all forms of distractions. I turn off my music, shut down my social media channels and just focus on one project at a time. That is except for when I don't However, I'm getting better at this all of the time.
What unique information and ideas does your blog offer to new bloggers?
My site is more for other travellers or those in the dreaming/planning stages of travel; however, one of my most popular posts was a guide for travel bloggers: How to do well in your first year of travel blogging The post received a lot comments and good feedback.
What is the significance of guest blogging and do you have any great tips for bloggers who are looking to use it to boost traffic?
Guest posting is a phenomenal way to boost your traffic. First off, you're exposing yourself to an entirely new audience. Secondly, you're building important links back to your site. If you want to guest post on another blog make sure to do your research on the blog and try to build a relationship with the face(s) behind the site before sending a pitch. Your pitch should include a brief description of who you are, what you'd like to post about and how you plan on promoting the post. For better results make sure the post you plan on writing is harmonious to the general theme or style of that particular blog.
At this stage do you have any new plans or directions with which you want to experiment?
Absolutely! I'm just starting out so I'm still full of ambition. I'd love to lead tours in the future and start selling more products on my site.
What motivated you to choose the money-making/writing/blogging topic for your site?
I've received a lot of emails from other travel bloggers wanting to know how to improve their traffic, domain authority, Alexa score and social media presence. Instead of answering these emails individually, which I don't always have time to do, I'll occasionally write a post on the subject of travel blogging.
The internet is a fast-changing place, what big changes would you advise new bloggers to watch out for?
Long gone are the days that you could spam your way to the top. For those just starting out really focus on quality content and social media presence.
Nomadic Samuel has compiled a list of the Top 100 Travel Sites.
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text: Ouch...well take care of yourself chica cuz we want to see you around the next weekend and the next and the next.... Ok so, this weekend is a work weekend at the new site (which still needs a name so lets come up with sommat clever) for the upcoming Crown Tournament in January!! Things that need to be taken care of are mostly things that need to be done with a group of a few good men :) other than those things, if you want a personal campsite then please come out and work on that. Mike has proposed to make a viewing stand, bandstand, what have you, for us to use. If anyone has any wood to donate to that cause that would be awesome!! The weather looks to be chilly and cold Saturday morning. I personally wont be on site until Sunday, when the temp is supposed to get up to the 70's. I plan on clearning out the fenceline of dead debris, and then just clearing up trees around the list field. If you plan on camping and have a period tent please let me know so I can make sure we have the period tents up around the field in the open areas. Brian, are you coming out this weekend to mark out the list field? If so what day are you planning on doing that I need to make sure I am there with you! I believe that is all...those of you that are under the weather please get better. We want to have you all a part of our Barony in many days to come! Cheers! Mirabelis From: runa.herd at earthlink.net To: ravensfort at lists.ansteorra.org Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 12:34:59 -0600 Subject: [Ravensfort] Work Weekend Don't know if I'll be at the work weekend. Waiting to see if I have bronchitis or pneumonia. Sher Montgomery & The Thundering Herd http://runa-herd.livejournal.com http://thethunderingherd.net http://www.bootyparlorparties.com/SherMontgomery http://www.bedlambazaar.com http://bedlambazaar.blogspot.com _________________________________________________________________ Windows 7: Unclutter your desktop. Learn more. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/videos-tours.aspx?h=7sec&slideid=1&media=aero-shake-7second&listid=1&stop=1&ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_7secdemo:122009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://lists.ansteorra.org/pipermail/ravensfort-ansteorra.org/attachments/20091210/4aac1b49/attachment.htm>


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Lucy Park
Primary tabs
Year Established:
No votes yet
Lots of trees and elevation. Good finesse course. Alt. pin placements. Scorecard/maps at High Flyer at 10th and Fillmore.
Course Details
# Holes: 18
Target Type: Mach III
Tee Type: Concrete
Course Length: 4,500ft
Alternate Length: 0ft
Hole Length: Under 300ft: 12 | 300 - 400ft: 5 | Over 400ft: 1
West at Abilene exit (5th St.) from Central Fwy, 1 mile to right on Sunset Dr., to entrance. 1st tee just before log cabin by park bench.
Email: Gary Robison
Contact Phone #1: (940) 761-2747
Course Map
This course has no maps.
Course Photos
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No Course Reviews
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Bodybuilding.com Foundation Series CLA, 90 Softgels
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417 Third Avenue Albany, Georgia 31701(229) 312-1000
2000 Palmyra Rd. Albany, Georgia 31701(229) 434-2000
126 Hwy. 280 West Americus, Georgia 31719(229) 924-6011
807 S. Isabella St. Sylvester, Georgia 31791(229) 776-6961
361 Randolph St. Cuthbert, Georgia 39840(229) 732-2181
FRIDAY, March 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Patient requests for specific drugs have a major influence on the medicines prescribed by doctors, a new study suggests.
The findings raise questions and concerns about how direct-to-consumer advertising for brand-name drugs affects medicine safety and costs, the researchers said.
The study authors created videos of actors who portrayed patients with two common, painful conditions. One was sciatica that caused back and leg pain, and the other was arthritis that caused knee pain.
In the videos, half of the "patients" with sciatica specifically requested a strong narcotic painkiller called oxycodone, and half of those with knee pain asked for the prescription drug Celebrex. The others requested "just something to make it better."
The videos were shown to 192 primary care doctors, who were then asked how they would treat the patients. About 20 percent of the sciatica patients who asked for oxycodone would have received it, compared with 1 percent of those who made no specific request, the investigators found.
The researchers noted that strong narcotic painkillers such as oxycodone are not generally recommended for sciatica.
About half of the knee arthritis patients who asked for Celebrex would have received it, compared with one-quarter of those who made no specific request. Celebrex is much more expensive than other drug options and provides no additional benefit, said study leader John McKinlay, of New England Research Institutes, and colleagues.
The authors said their findings, published in the April issue of the journal Medical Care, highlight the potential negative effects of direct-to-consumer advertising of drugs via so-called "Ask Your Doctor" ads.
The United States is one of only two countries that allow this type of controversial marketing, according to a journal news release.
"Supporters defend the practice as a way to empower consumers, while opponents argue that commercially motivated messages leads to inappropriate patient requests for medication," Dr. G. Caleb Alexander, deputy editor of Medical Care, said in the news release.
"In order to resolve this debate, more research is needed to determine the effects of [direct-to-consumer] advertising on patient and physician behavior, especially how it affects prescribing decisions and health outcomes," he said.
More information
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has more about direct-to-consumer drug ads.
SOURCE: Medical Care, news release, March 14, 2014
The third-party content provided in the Health Library of phoebeputney.com is for informational purposes only and is not designed to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease, or replace the professional medical advice you receive from your physician. If you or your child has or suspect you may have a health problem, please consult your primary care physician. If you or your child may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 or other emergency health care provider immediately in the United States or the appropriate health agency of your country. For more information regarding site usage, please visit: Privacy Information, Terms of Use or Disclaimer.
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Upcoming Performances
Family Holiday Pops
Sunday, November 30, 2014, 7:30 p.m.
McDowell Auditorium
Meet Mozart and the Phantom
Saturday, January 24, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
Grace Brethren Church
View entire schedule and concert details.
The mission of the Ashland Symphony Orchestra is to enhance the quality of life in the Ashland area through the presentation of outstanding orchestral music and music education for all. Join us throughout the year for concerts, fundraisers and other special events.
The Ashland Symphony consists of over 60 members performing under the artistic leadership of maestro Arie Lipsky.Read More
The ASO congratulates our 2013-2014 Scholarship Winners pictured here with Maestro Arie Lipsky. From Left to Right: Maestro Lipsky, Kayin McDonald, Alison Walker, and Akila Venkataramany.


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Nobody in MLS looks better than the Galaxy did in the first half;
however, they only got one goal. I don't think the Rapids can beat
LA in the play-offs, so we need to finish 4 in the conference and
be a cross-over wild card team in the stupid play-off system.
I was at the Rapids – Santos Laguna CONCACAF match last night and
the Rapids were crushed. It was humbling.


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NOAA Corporate Finance and Administrative Services offices strive to deliver quality services to NOAA's Mission program customers through effective communication and management of people, technology, business processes, and financial resources.
Today, in advance of a White House meeting with members of the President's State, Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, the Administration launched the first phase of the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit called for in President Obama's Climate Action Plan.
NOAA today announced the appointment of 13 members to a new federal Ocean Exploration Advisory Board that will provide guidance to NOAA and the nation on the exploration of our ocean.
A NOAA-led research team has discovered a new species of deep-sea coral and a nursery area for catsharks and skates in the underwater canyons located close to the Gulf of Farallones andCordell Bank national marine sanctuaries off the Sonoma coast.


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Phytoestrogen Serum
For all skin types, especially for premature and mature skin lacking elasticity; for hormonal skin problems.
By ilike
Size: 35mL/1.2fl.oz
Country: Hungary
For all skin types, especially for premature and mature skin lacking elasticity; for hormonal skin problems.
More about this product
An antioxidant rich liposome gel with organic herbal estrogens that balance, hydrate and firm the skin to achieve a youthful complexion. It normalizes oil production to reduce hormonal breakouts.
Average rating: 4 out of 5 hearts
By S.G. on February 19, 2012
Reduces blemishes and repairs skin
Didn't clear up all my blemishes, but perhaps that's too much to expect, even at this price. I think it has reduced them, though, and has certainly repaired my skin from years of damage and hormonal outbreaks. Don't expect miracles, but it's a pretty good serum.
By Sherri on October 16, 2014
Great and out of stock
Excellent anti-aging serum that has been out of stock on this site for months. Would buy again if it were available.
Directions for use
After cleansing and toning, apply serum and massage in with circular motions on entire face and neck area, avoiding the eyes. Apply moisturizer over serum. For oilier skin: Apply serum as a cream substitute in the summer or under very humid weather conditions. Use a couple drops of ilike herbal oils to enrich your moisturizer.
Active Ingredients: Flaxseed, Hop, Clover, Yucca, Hungarian Paprika, Lavender Oil, Vitamins C, E and F, Bioflavonoids, Saponins, Pectins, Plant Protein, Phytoestrogens
INCI Ingredients: Linum Usitatissimum, Humulus Lupulus, Trifolium Pratense, Glycerin, Yucca Vera, Capsicum Annuum, Alcohol, Xathan Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Lavandula Angustifolia, Fragrance (essential oils), Citric Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Linalool*, Limonene*
*component of essential oils


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Hold down Control (PC) or Command (Mac) key + mouseclick to select more than one option
|Avg. Dinner Entrée
|Greater than $25
|$18.01 - $25
|$12.01 - $18
|$7.01 - $12
|Less than $7
Posted by The Goldsmiths on 08/29/2006
Gennaro's is a winner! The food has been consistently wonderful in the 10 years we've been going. Crowded, yes; cramped, sometimes; noisy, yes! But that's because the food is exemplary! Service- with Michael or Andrew is great ---otherwise, it's OK. But the quality and taste of the food is superb and overrides the service and ambience. The gnocchi is the best I've ever had, anywhere! Order from the Specials because they really are -very Italian and creative as well. Gennaro is very obliging when a guest asks for something "without cheese" or "light on the garlic" or "just a touch of cream". It's all cooked to order -so it's worth the wait. The wine list is fairly priced and quite diverse -something for everyone from novice to afficianado. We see "regulars" each time we go -Gennaro's gets a big repeat business from people who know food ---celebrities, critics and foodies. The pastas are great --but so are the lamb chops and the duck --and fish as well. Vegetarians can always find good choice, too. Don't be dissuaded by the naysayers --Gennaro must be doing something right...and deserves a very high rating!
Posted by Sorbs on 08/16/2006
One of my favorite Italian places in the city. Everything is good. CASH ONLY - NO RESERVATIONS. Great - great food. Don't even read the menu - just order off of the specials. They have 1 really good waiter - the rest are so-so. If you don't get the good one - don't expect good service. It really won't matter though - the food makes it worth it.
Posted by Gaspare on 08/16/2006
We ate here when it was half the size. Then the food was pretty good but we were crammed in like sardines and the experience was uncomfortable. When we tried Gennaro's again last night, we were more cramped than before with waiters and customers bumping into us every few minutes, the din prevented any conversation and we were hurried through each course. The food which was OK but expensive became irrelevant and I was pleased to get out.
Posted by Lee from Bergen Co. on 05/28/2006
This is my second visit to Gennaro. Loved it both times and I plan on going back soon and often. We had friends visiting and they were impressed. The beef carpaccio was probably the best I have ever tasted.
Posted by Peter on 05/04/2006
We live around the corner from Gennaro and could always count on it for reasonably priced and tasty, if not inventive, Italian food. In the last three months, we've gone twice, and the wheels seem to be coming off. Service was rushed, indifferent, and sloppy (no water, poor bread etc.) and they have stopped garnishing the plates. A small but telling detail. Frankly, the flavors seemed muddy. And their habit of having more specials than items on the printed menu is just silly. And beware the prices of the specials! ...as someone who has eaten there dozens of times (but no longer), my advice is to stay away. Why stand in line for lousy service and mediocre food?
Posted by real zagat on 02/18/2006
Food is over-rated at best - every item on the menu is a disingenious version of the of the true Italian dish. Believe me, there's no better critic than a first generation Italiano.....Ciao
Posted by Sarah on 02/18/2006
We love Gennaro! The food is really excellent. The regular menu is a little small so always ask for the daily specials; they have tons. Everyone we've taken there has loved the food. Lines are out the door at prime eating hours, so go early (especially if you have kids) or go late and you'll be fine. Or you can always order - we order from there about once a week and haven't gone wrong. The gnocchi is fantastic - I won't order it anywhere else. Yes the place is crowded and you may have to wait a while, but that's part of the experience. You can't beat the quality of the food and the value of the prices anywhere. This is definitely not a generic Italian place - and in our minds, that's a good thing.


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Tel: (925)265-4090
Wood Rose offers a complete college preparatory curriculum for grades 9 to 12.
Our mission is to develop knowledgeable and virtuous leaders by living the "Gift of Self".
We hope to renew our culture by educating young men and women to love learning and their neighbor.
The mission of Wood Rose College Preparatory is to develop knowledgeable and virtuous leaders who live the "Gift of Self." Wood Rose College Preparatory defines "Gift of Self" as service to others members of society through virtuous leadership by example.
The Gift of Self idea derives from Christian Personalism, a philosophy perfected by Pope John Paul II.
If man realizes that true happiness comes from his conscious effort to serve others through a sincere 'gift of self,' then, he can express his love for his fellow man and experience love himself.
At Wood Rose College Preparatory a special emphasis is placed on mirroring the hidden life of Jesus Christ, perfect God and perfect Man and the Holy Family as supreme models of individual and family life, and serving each student as a reflection of Christ Himself.
It is the goal of Wood Rose College Preparatory to teach this philosophy of the 'gift of self' to its entire community by the example of its teachers, board members, parents and students.
School Overview
|School Membership(s)School Assoc.
|National Independent Private Schools Association
|Religious Affiliation
|Roman Catholic
|Grades Offered
|Grades 9 - 12
Student Body
|Total Students
|25 students
|Student Body Type
|% Students of Color
State avg.: 41%
|Students by Grade
Academics and Faculty
|Total Classroom Teachers
|4 teachers
|Student : Teacher Ratio
National avg.: 13:1
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ConcordWood Rose Academy
4347 Cowell Rd
Concord, CA, 94518
(925)825-4644(Roman Catholic)0.5 mi | 164 students | Gr. NS-8
ConcordLa Petite Academy
4304 Cowell Rd
Concord, CA, 94518
(925)676-4416Daycare / Preschool0.5 mi | 38 students | Gr. K
ConcordKings Valley Christian School
4255 Clayton Road
Concord, CA, 94521
(925)687-2020(Christian)0.7 mi | 280 students | Gr. NS-8
ConcordAngels Montessori Preschool
1566 Bailey Rd
Concord, CA, 94521
(925)686-5621Montessori School0.7 mi | 28 students | Gr. K
ConcordConcord KinderCare
1551 Bailey Road
Concord, CA, 94521
(925)682-9560Daycare / Preschool0.7 mi | 77 students | Gr. NS-PK
School Reviews
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Updated October 26, 2014
What do you do when you are dissatisfied with your local public schools? Homeschool your children? Send them to private school? Let's look at your options.
Your religion matters to you. You want your child to attend a school which will combine academics and religious education. Here is an overview of what is available together with some links to denominational web sites.
Add things up and you'll quickly find the answer- math is crucial both in academics and the real world. By following these strategies and following personal training programs, students can uncover their weaknesses and conquer math.


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Government workers in the city of Seattle have been advised that the terms "citizen" and "brown bag" are potentially offensive
Seattle Bans the Word "Citizen" Because it Might Offend Non-Citizens
Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam. He is completing a book on the international challenges America faces in the 21st century.
Brave New Handbook
Rashad Hussain's Samigate
Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and author of the New York Times bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. His latest book, Arab Winter Comes to America: The Truth About the War We're In, is now available.
FIRE – Temple University Charges Unconstitutional 'Security' Fee for Geert Wilders Event; Dutch Trial Begins Today over Controversial Expression
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Temple University Charges Unconstitutional 'Security' Fee for Geert Wilders Event; Dutch Trial Begins Today over Controversial Expression
January 20, 2010
Dutch politician Geert Wilders' trial begins today in Amsterdam over his controversial remarks about terrorism and Islam. While such a trial would be unconstitutional in the United States thanks to the First Amendment, students at Temple University in Philadelphia are nevertheless facing an unconstitutional, after-the-fact security fee levied by the university for hosting a presentation by Wilders.


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We're excited to offer organically grown, whole-cone Chinook, Cascade, Crystal, and CTZ for sale on our website.
Check it out! We're offering %20 off whole cone hops through October. Plus Free Shipping for orders of 1lb or more. See the Hops Order page for details!
For order information, go to the Hops Order page.
New! Take a look at our new Fresh Hop page.


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It's the basketball off-season and, as per usual, Coach Dana Altman is out busy recruiting players from around the country to fit his scheme for the upcoming season. Around this time last year, Altman recruited the extremely talented, high-flying Elgin Cook from the JC ranks.
This past season, Cook made a huge impact with the 2014 NCAA tournament-bound Ducks, and he is expected to do the same next season as well — thankfully, given that several players have either graduated, transferred, or left the team for other reasons. So, before Cook begins his reign of dominance next year – and before I can say "I told you so" — let's take a look at where he's from and what he's all about.
Cook was born Elgin Rashad Cook to parents Alvin Robertson and Cecelia Cook in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If the name "Alvin Robertson" sounds familiar, it's because he's an NBA legend. Not only was Robertson a four-time all-star and one-time Defensive POY, but he's also one of four NBA players to record a quadruple-double.
Robertson was also named most-improved player in 1986, and still holds the record for career steals-per game at 2.71. In addition to having a gold medal from the 1984 Summer Olympics, Robertson has the notoriety of having a son as talented as Elgin. Clearly, Cook's defensive prowess and work ethic exhibited last season were handed down from his father.
Cook showcased these skills in Milwaukee up until the end of his junior year in high school. While living with his mother, Cook averaged 16 points and 7.5 rebounds on the way to a Wisconsin state tournament appearance. Although being academically ineligible for three games and later breaking his wrist, Cook still managed to lead Hamilton High School to a 20-4 mark.
During this time, Cook was rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com. He was first team all-city, first team all-league, conference POY, and Wisconsin's best player, per Wisconsin Sports Network ratings. Wisconsin high school basketball fans were excited to see what Cook would do his senior year, especially since 6'8″ teammate Kevon Looney was beginning to blossom – but Cook abruptly moved to Houston.
When asked by Milwaukee's Journal Sentinel why he chose to leave the state and enrol in the Christian Life Center Academy, Cook replied that it was because of the competition. "Houston is a much bigger city and there's a lot more competition. And it's a prep school, so there are people from all over, not just Milwaukee … I needed to grow as a player and as a student, and I thought it would be better to go to Christian Life."
Cook excelled enough in Houston to receive – and accept — an offer from Iowa State, but again he confused commentators by withdrawing that commitment, instead attending Northwest Florida St.
After red-shirting his first season, Cook caught fire in his second year. Named the conference POY, Cook led his No. 3-ranked squad to a 30-4 record and the NJCAA national championship game. During this sophomore campaign, Cook averaged 15 points and 6 rebounds, while shooting an astounding 65 percent from the field! The 6th-rated JC prospect began to draw Division I scouts from around the country, including our beloved Oregon.
After a short period of contemplation, Cook chose to transfer to Eugene instead of Gonzaga, due to his father being close friends with a Ducks assistant coach.
Cook found Oregon to his liking, and quickly began where he left off, using his incredible athleticism and dedication to will the Ducks to victory. He led the team in field goal percentage — he was third all-time for the Ducks in this category — and although he averaged only 17 minutes per game, Cook still managed to average 7 points a game.
While he didn't excel in every contest, when the Ducks needed him, he was there. He was particularly effective against USC, North Dakota, and BYU, his best game all season, with 23 points and 8 boards.
Everyone familiar with Ducks hoops loves Elgin Cook. He has all the tools required to be great, including a toughness instilled in him by his dad — and he still has two years of eligibility left. While largely a bench player in the last campaign, look for him to compete for a starting position during the 2014-2015 season.
A season that just may belong to Elgin Cook.
Top Photo by Craig Strobeck
- The best Damn Opponent analysis on the web is coming out on Thursdays. Rory Davidson is a rising star at FishDuck.com as an analyst and you will always learn something new from him every week. Kim Hastings is our legendary humor writer who will be lampooning our opponent each week on Thursdays as well. So we will honor our opponent with Rory's respectful analysis...and then Kim will punch with glee and the opposing fans will have laugh at themselves. (or get indignant) What fun! Learning football and hooting at the opposition on Thursdays!
- Want to help mentor and teach students at FishDuck.com? Be an ADVISOR to a department! We want people who are a little older to counsel associates and keep them on track. Knowledge of a dept. is not necessary and if you were in Eugene? All the better although other locations can work. If you can spare 3-5 hours a week, and enjoy working with students and like keeping things organized…then contact me email@example.com
- Get experience in Media Management? Be a Managing Editor at FishDuck.com! If you can spare an hour a day to help the site stay on track, then you will be making decisions and learning skills that can help in Website or Newsroom management. A six month commitment required due to the training period, but it can help your resume as one who helping to manage over 40 writers and editors! Contact me firstname.lastname@example.com