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Here are some shots of my dahlias.
Dahlia Boy [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a283/EBonci/DSC_0136.jpg[/IMG]
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by cailinriley z3 Calgary AB (My Page) on Sat, Sep 2, 06 at 23:56
Dahlia Boy, I hope you don't mind that I've posted your photos directly below. I don't know why they didn't show up in your message. However, if they don't show up in your preview, they won't show up on the forum. I hope I pasted them in the right order. I'm envious of your plants; mine have only just started to form buds...and we've already had our first light frost. I doubt I'll see any flowers in my garden this year. Sigh. Your flowers are beautiful. I especially love the ones in the close-up photos. |
Thanks for helping me post my photos....any idea what I did wrong? |
- Posted by sierra_z2b (My Page) on Sun, Sep 3, 06 at 10:54
Wow very pretty dahlias! Do you know the name of the second one? Sierra |
- Posted by reddscarlette 3a BC Can (My Page) on Sun, Sep 3, 06 at 14:18
Just gorgeous! Any idea what the second to last one is? The white one at 11"? I just GOTTA find me that one :) Nikki~ |
- Posted by bouquet_kansas z6Ks (My Page) on Sun, Sep 3, 06 at 23:34
Dahliaboy....your flowers are fantastic...could you post the names of them.....especially the red and white one....thanx......carol |
The first Dahlia is Gloriosa, it's a B varigated yellow/red. The second is Santa Claus, it's a BB red/white and the large white one next to my wife is Walter Hardisty. It's a AA and can get up to 14 inches across. Dahlia Boy |
- Posted by irishdancersgram SW Pa (My Page) on Wed, Sep 6, 06 at 20:04
Your dahlias are just gorgeous...Gives a newbie, like myself, alot of inspiration...Also, thanks for posting all the information about digging etc. |
- Posted by pitimpinai z5 Chicago (My Page) on Wed, Sep 6, 06 at 22:31
Beautiful, dahliaboy. What's the name of the red one in the 3rd photo? |
- Posted by anna_in_quebec z4 QC (My Page) on Thu, Sep 7, 06 at 17:01
For posting your photos, you need to copy and paste the line that starts with "tag", not "img". I think that will work! Anna |
The 3rd photo contains Sparatcus....a dark red A size dahlia. DB |
Dahliaboy, what are those white stakes you use? Metal or PVC? Other? How do they hold up to a heavy plant like Spartacus? And who is to the left of Spartacus? Very nice blooms there! |
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text:
Sat, May 17, 03 at 23:05
Has anyone found any new concealers for undereye circles that actual work? |
Follow-Up Postings:
The MAC one is very good, but kind of pricey. It covers my dark circles very well. |
- Posted by chinacat_sunflower (My Page) on Tue, May 27, 03 at 13:02
MAC is the best you can get over the counter...but there's a company called BEAUTY CONTROL, they do direct sales, but they have two products I can't live without... an eyeshadow 'primer' that comes in a tube, and a wet/dry compact. the duo hide dark eye circles AND the burn scar on my forehead (it's not raised, but there are times it bothers me, because of how shiny the skin is now) |
- Posted by inchworminjersey (My Page) on Thu, Jan 1, 04 at 11:14
I would love to know what MAC stands for... |
MAC stands for Make-Up Art Cosmetics, Inc. :) |
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
- Feb 17, 2013 -
After a long time of silence and non-developing with the team at libr.i o we decided to continue working on something new with libr.io. While working on the first mockups of the new design and functions I quickly realized it was something that might be in use of many notifications. So I decided to create myself a easy to use and lightweight jQuery plugin for displaying notification. And now I present you version 0.1 of this notification plugin for jQuery: Notiφ
Want to see a demo? Click here
Feel free to fork Notiφ on github!
- coding -


text:
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 20. August 2013
Merlin on Mac can import all day events of ics (calendar) files as exceptions in the 'working time' inspector of your Merlin project or resources.
It can also export project scheduling (or resources' assignments) as ics files so you can use them in your calendar applications.
Some Merlin users may however want to import events or todos of ics (calendar) files as activities in their Merlin projects. This is also possible if one first converts the ics files to csv and drags the csv file in a second step to Merlin.
To help our Merlin users with the conversion task, we've provided a free web service:
Please use and share it with others if find appropriate
Tags: Calendar, Conversion, CSV, ICS, Web Service, Working time
This feature does not seem to be working anymore.
Is it broken?
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL


text:
Title - 'London. Who said "Rabies"?. Fido strongly disapproves of the muzzling order!'
Various shots of dog with muzzle on; held on a lead. CU dog; with man's hand holding lead close by the dog's neck, the dog struggles a bit.
A man squats next to dog with his arms round the animal; adjusting the muzzle; he pets dog; woman's skirt and feet in picture. MS as man steps away; the woman's hand is holding lead.


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King James Version (KJV) | New International Version (NIV) |
38 Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in ; for the locust shall consume it. | 38 You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little, because locusts will devour it. |
The King James Version is in the public domain. (The King James Bible Version Online) | Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |


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Have you ever heard of Quora?
It's a Q&A-style social media site. People ask questions and genuine no-kidding experts answer them. Then members vote the answers up or down. The Q&As you see in your newsfeed depend on who you follow, the interests you indicate, and (of course) the questions you pose.
My addiction to Quora flows from the quality of the answers: they're almost always insightful, experienced-based, and often brilliant.
The List of Triggers I Snagged from Quora
At any rate, one of the first Q&As I read on Quara was this one on cognitive biases: "What are some good examples of biases being exploited in marketing?"
And this answer from Kevin William Lord Barry struck me as well worth reading, copying, and (eventually) posting and riffing on as a (series of) blog post(s) [bolding is mine]:
"I think exploitation is too strong a word. Humans communication in general is an emotional thing. In any case, here's my master list:
1) Ethos (your perceived character) is the most important, as opposed to an appeal to pathos (emotions) or logos (logic).
2) People make judgments by comparison/anchoring.
3) People process information best from stories.
4) People are foremost interested in things that affect them.
5) Breaking patterns gets attention.
6) People look to other people's decisions when making decisions.
7) People will believe things more easily that fit their pre-existent mindset. The converse is also true.
8) People handle one idea at a time best.
9) People want more choices, but are happier with fewer.
10) People decide first, then rationalize — If people are stuck with something, they will like it more over time.
11) Experience is memory, the last part of the experience is weighted heavily."
I've got to admit, Kevin created a pretty good list — why esle would I have reprinted it here? — but…
- One, it's hardly exhaustive. I bet most of you could think of a few principles and biases well worth adding, and I invite you to do so in the comments,
- and Two, there's no commentary, just the bare list, even though each item begs for some elaboration.
So in future posts, I'll discuss what I'd add to the list, and then move through Kevin's list and offer a deep-dive on each item. But for now, I'm just kind of interested in your thoughts.
What psychological principles or levers would you readers add to or take away from this list?
P.S. I'm sure many of you Cialdini fans will recognized item #6 as an expression of Social Proof — which sort of begs one to add the other "Weapons of Influence" to this list of cognitive exploits. And if you're not familiar with Ciadlini, you can get an excellent quick and dirty intro to his 6 Principles of Influence from this video that my colleague, Tim Miles, sent me:
"Balls Beat Brains, Balls Beat Budgets" — Andy Nulman
Advertising with heart kicks two ways:
1) Advertising with Values & Passion (heart = soul)
2) Courageous Advertising (heart = lion hearted)
And, as you can see, both ways intersect in the heart. The word "courage" even comes from the French word for heart, which is why you can not only be courageous, but can encourage others, helping them to "take heart."
This isn't just theory, either; it's observable fact.
Every small business advertiser I've worked with who had the guts to take a strong stand in their advertising (and then to back their claims up when the time came) always found the source of their gutsy courage in deeply and passionately held beliefs and values. Values imparted through family traditions, defining moments, and relationships.
This is important because it's the business owners capable of advertising with heart that experience the most impressive (and sustained) growth.
So let's take a closer look at Andy Nulman's quote:
Balls Beat Brains
Of course smarts matter and sound strategy is crucial. But when it comes to small business advertising, the obstacles to adopting and implementing a sound strategy is rarely a lack of smarts or the inability to come up with (or have a professional come up with) a great strategy. The obstacle is always a lack of courage to embrace that great strategy once it has been presented.
Because great strategies are always gutsy.
This isn't to say they are risky, though. Often the riskiest thing is NOT to use a gutsy strategy.
Gutsy gets confused with risky simply because the identity of a privately owned company is inextricably tied to the self-image of the owner. So an owner of good taste and respectability can't help but react to any necessarily outrageous (i.e. gutsy) advertising strategy by feeling as if it requires taking exceptional risks with her self image.
Here's how that usually manifests:
1) "The risk of insult is the price of clarity"
To make an advertising claim powerful, you have to use surprising, vivid language, and your statements have to be made without the usual conditionals, exemptions, caveats, and contextual preambles that would render them perfectly defensible.
In other words, your words have to be dramatic. And to be dramatic you have to "cause a scene," which is to say you have to exhibit the crass bad manners of drawing attention to yourself by leveraging other people's attentional triggers.
Business owners with manners don't want to "cause a scene," so their natural tendency is to wimp on the messaging by filing off all the sharp edges from the ads. "We just can't say that!"
It takes courage (or shamelessness in general) to look at sharp messaging strategy and commit to it without flinching.
2) Saying what you stand against means making enemies
This one's pretty obvious, isn't it? If you choose whom to lose and state what you stand against, you're not only purposely excluding some people and drawing a line in the sand, you're also calling out anyone who believes otherwise.
Most business owners don't want to do that. They want everyone to like them (and give them their business), so pissing off anyone seems like a bad way to advertise. Unfortunately, no business can be all things to all people, and you can't have insiders without outsiders. You have to be for someone in particular, not everyone in general, if you want your message to resonate.
So only those business owners with the emotional passion to take a stand and the courage to make enemies end up with loyal customers, real brand value, and advertising capable of attracting and building such.
3) Strong Offers Absent Fine Print Means Occassionally Taking It On the Chin
My partner, Roy Williams calls it "budgeting for the knucklehead factor," and it comes down to this: when you make unconditional guarantees on something — the quality of your products, a no excuse delivery date, an offer of a free trial — you have to overcome the fear that people will take advantage of you.
Make no mistake, it's not a baseless fear; a small percentage of people WILL take advantage of you. That small percentage will shamelessly return an obviously abused or past-the-service-life item and ask for a replacement. Or gluttonously thieve three or four free trials, rather than limiting themselves to one. And so on.
Those people are knuckleheads, and yes, you should anticipate and budget for their shenanigans, precisely so that you can take it on the chin and smilingly live up to your promise.
Yet the real fear that business owners face isn't the reasonably assessed risk that a small percentage of people will take advantage of them; it's the nightmare scenario where 30% to 100% of them do. Fortunately, that scenario only exists in nightmares. Any business owner with the heart and the courage to face that fear down inevitably finds that the knuckleheads make an exceedingly small percentage of the population.
Believe it or not, the vast majority of people will treat you fairly, the vast majority of the time. Just ask companies like Walmart and LL Bean and Nordstroms — companies that make unconditional guarantees and suffer the knuckleheads in order to enjoy the business and loyalty (and profits) from the rest of us.
So for small businesses, this kind of advertising requires a double dose of courage: one to look past the irrational fear and make the strong promise or guarantee, and another to take it on the chin when the inevitable knucklehead forces the issue.
4) Telling Your Genesis Story Requires Real Vulnerability
Telling an audience about your life-defining moment takes guts because you are openly exposing your soul. But it's also one of the only ways we'll ever believe in your mission and your irrational commitment to it. As I wrote earlier, if you want us to believe in your superpowers, you've got to tell us about your genesis story.
And because telling a genesis story requires vulnerability, including one in your advertising takes guts. It takes heart in both senses of the word. Some business owners have it. Most don't. Just ask yourself, would you be willing to expose something like this:
"When I was seven years old, I held my father's head in my hands as he took his last breath and died. A thing like that stays with you. It helps you understand that relationships – people – are what life's all about.You gotta tell'em you love'em.
This is J.R. Dunn. So now you know why I became a jeweler. Fine jewelry is one of the ways we tell people we love 'em. When I got older and fell head-over-heals for Ann Marie, the love of my life, I didn't have enough money to buy her an engagement ring. She married me anyway. Go figure.
But I can promise you this: If you're thinking of getting engaged to the love of your life, come to J.R. Dunn Jewelers in Lighthouse Point. No one in Florida, no one in America, is going to give you a better engagement ring for your money than me. One of the great joys of my life is to make it possible for guys to give the woman they love the diamond she deserves.
There was nobody there for me when I needed an engagement ring. But I promise I'll be there for you."
That's J.R. Dunn's Genesis story. And it took real heart to broadcast it to the world in a radio ad. Would you have the courage to do the same?
Balls Beat Budgets
The formula is quite simple:
Salience * Repetition = Long Term Memory Storage
Salience is just another word for emotional importance (aka relevance). The more emotionally important something is, the less repetition it takes to lodge in your long term memory.
You can probably remember how and when you proposed to your wife, even though you only proposed once (and if you had to propose more than once, that definitely got permantly chiseled into your consciousness). You can also likely recall exactly where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news about 9–11.
And as a former high school teacher, I can also tell you that the opposite is true: as emotional importance falls to zero, the number of repetitions required to make something stick approaches infinity.
Courageous Advertising amps up the emotional importance — the surprise and the audacity — of the ads in order to boost the salience of the message. Assuming, of course, that the message had any relevance to the customer to begin with. Commiting to a relevant message to begin with requires courage, and then accepting gutsy wording/copy requires additional courage from the business owner.
The upshot is that courageous ads require significantly less repetition. And in advertiging, repetition = money. That's how small budgets beat big budgets, or in Andy's terms, how Balls Beat Budgets.
Better yet, audacious advertising gets it's own free press and attention — on an order way beyond what even most big budgets can buy. Just ask the creators of the Poo Pourri video below how much free news coverage and viral sharing their video received. It's on the order of hundreds of millions. And it was made for just a few thousand dollars.
Of course, it takes some audacity to make an ad like that, but that's the point, isn't it?
And it's not just about videos. This applies to publicity stunts, signage, store decoration, direct mail packages — everything. Audacity gets noticed, remarked on, and spread by word of mouth, social media, news, etc. This is another way that balls beat budget.
Of course, audacity is one thing, but audacity that reflects your values and deeply held beliefs is even better. Remember, it's best to combine both meanings of courage — heart and balls.
That's why effective advertising is almost always courageous advertising.
Every superhero franchise begins with a Genesis story.
Action Comics #1 starts with a baby superman-to-be sent forth from the doomed planet Kryptonite. Sent forth with his father's desire that he become a force for good on Earth. The Amazing Spider-Man #1 tells how Peter Parker gained super-powers after he was bitten by the radio-active spider and how he became Spider-man in reaction to his uncle Ben's murder.
In the same way, if you take any superhero movie that's the first in its franchise, you'll find a genesis story of that superhero — a tale that tells the audience:
- How the hero came to posses his powers,
- Who the hero is as a person, and
- What his mission is and Why he's dedicated to it
If you don't do that, you're hero won't be believable. Nor will he be sympathetic. You'll end up with a character whose super powers will seem too fantastic and "made up," and who will fail to inspire anyone to care about or root for him.
It's that simple: no genesis story, no superhero.
Superheros and Advertising
Interestingly, the three tasks of a Genesis story overlay perfectly with Aristotle's three elements of Ethos — the three things you must establish in order to persuade through an appeal to character. Here's how they match-up, using Jay Henrich's modern updates for the Ethos elements of phronesis, eunoia, and arete:
- Craft = Phronesis / Practical Wisdom = Powers
- Caring = Eunoia / Goodwill = Who the hero is as a person
- Cause = Areté / Virtue = Mission
Want to present a business owner as someone prospective customers should like and trust?
Then you need to cover these character elements. You have to convince the audience that the owner is great at what he does, that he cares about his customers, and that, at the end of the day, he's on a bigger mission than just making money.
And once you understand the superhero angle, it becomes pretty obvious that the most powerful way to communicate these elements is through a Genesis story.
Put more directly, if you're presenting the business owner as someone with superpowers — whether that's the power to heroically save the customer from a tough situation, or simply the power to do X better than any other business on the planet — than you're presenting them as a de facto superhero, and you need to tell the darn genesis story to make that message at all believable.
A Jewelry Superhero Genesis Story
Want an example of an Advertising Genesis story?
Here's one from my business partner, Roy Williams [paragraphing mine]:
"When I was seven years old, I held my father's head in my hands as he took his last breath and died. A thing like that stays with you. It helps you understand that relationships – people – are what life's all about.You gotta tell'em you love'em.
This is J.R. Dunn. So now you know why I became a jeweler. Fine jewelry is one of the ways we tell people we love 'em. When I got older and fell head-over-heals for Ann Marie, the love of my life, I didn't have enough money to buy her an engagement ring. She married me anyway. Go figure.
But I can promise you this: If you're thinking of getting engaged to the love of your life, come to J.R. Dunn Jewelers in Lighthouse Point. No one in Florida, no one in America, is going to give you a better engagement ring for your money than me. One of the great joys of my life is to make it possible for guys to give the woman they love the diamond she deserves.
There was nobody there for me when I needed an engagement ring. But I promise I'll be there for you."
After hearing this ad, you now know, with absolute clarity:
- What kind of person J.R. Dunn is
- How he got his superpowers (along with how those superpowers can help you)
- What mission he's on and why he's dedicated to it
Better yet, you not only know these things about him, but you believe them. You believe these things about J.R. Dunn because he told you his genesis story. See how that works?
So what's YOUR genesis story, and are you bothering to tell it the way it ought to be told?
OK, before we do anything else, just watch this Audi Superbowl Commercial:
Now, let's talk about why that's such an amazing piece of storytelling…
How Long Is a Moment?
There's an apocryphal quote attributed to Steven Spielberg that talks about feature-length movies as "60 two-minute scenes" — with each scene capable of capturing and riveting the audience's attention. It's a fabulous way to think about filmic storytelling.
And, for advertising, it works just as well on the small scale.
Psychologists and neuroscientists tell us that a moment lasts 2.5 to 3 seconds, which is also roughly the same amount of time our brains can hold and process in working memory.
Handshakes last a moment. So do hugs. So does a glance into someone else's eyes. Go longer than that and it's both more than a moment and more than a slight change!
A moment, then, is exactly how long a single, vivid mental image is held in the mind's eye. Draw the imagery out too much longer than that and you're either building tension or risking the loss of your audience's attention.
So for me, I don't think of a 30-second spot as 30 seconds, I think of it as 10 great moments (or 20 moments for a 60 second spot).
That's 10 mental images, each vivid and interesting enough to capture the imagination, strung together to form a riveting mini-movie. For a TV spot it's a real mini-movie, and for a Radio or Print Ad, its a movie in the mind. Either way, creating one is a game of sequencing mental images for maximum impact.
All of which leaves only two questions:
- How do you pack as much wallop into each 3 second moment/image as possible
- How do you ensure that the moments all build into a meaningful story that ends with a bang
Packing Wallop Into a 3-Second Moment
Obviously, this is a big topic. Whole books could be (and have been) written about it. But here are the main techniques that come to my mind when I think about making each moment count:
- Entering late and leaving early through ritual,
- Visual Intrigue Through Imbalance (aka trouble),
- Forced participation/closure/enthymematic communication,
- Vivid & Striking Imagery (+ Persuasive Imagery) and Symbolism
- Speaking to Self-Image
- Leveraging High Stakes
And while all of these elements are important (and can be found in the Audi ad) I can't help but feel that the first one, the use of ritual, or what Terry Rossio describes as situation-based writing, is the key to most of the others. It's also the one that struck me the hardest when I watched Audi's 2013 Superbowl Ad.
Watch the ad again and see if you can't pick out every single ritualistic moment that whaps you in the face every three seconds:
- Looking in the mirror before a big event
- Mom seeing you off before High School Prom
- Younger sibling/sister as truth teller
- Dad handing you the keys to the car
- The visceral thrill of firing up a high-performance V-8
- Pulling up to and glancing over at the other car at a light
- Looking on with envy at the antics of the (limo-riding) in-group
- "Burning" the other car at a light
- Parking in the "Big Man's" reserved spot to thumb your nose at authority
- Strutting into a building while cooly flicking the car lock remote
- Entering a happening dance/club/party
- Stalking your way through a crowded dance floor/club/party.
- Spotting the hottest girl in the room
- Approaching a hot girl dancing in the midst of all her friends
- Taking a chance at kissing the pretty girl of your dreams
- The high school fight (over a girl)
- The post-fight black eye (worn with pride)
- The post-kiss sigh of ecstasy
- The "it was worth it" rebel yell
- The ending message: "Bravery. It's what defines us."
What you'll notice, as you watch the film, is that the vast majority of those moments come and go before you ever have a chance to get bored with them.
The ad always enters these scenes late and then leaves early because the creators chose each moment with care: they're either archetypal American growing-up rituals or just everyday, everyone-has-them rituals. No backstory or explanation required; we encounter them in media res and instantly know what's going on.
Not only that, but many of these moments are further augmented by multiple camera shots within the space of a single 3-second moment. These storytellers are putting the peddle to the metal visually, 'cause they ain't taking a chance with losing your attention.
Only two of those moments are allowed to linger and grow pregnant with suspense:
- Spotting/walking up to the girl and kissing the girl being one sequence, and
- The brewing, shocked, then angry reaction of the prom king.
Those sequences grow past a single moment because they gain in suspense and interest as they move past three seconds in length.
He kisses her for more than a moment, which sends your mind off spinning: How long is he going to kiss her? Is she going to slap him? No, holy crap, she's kissing him back! Shit, her date sees him, he's about to deck him, isn't he?
The other thing about these particular moments is that they're the obligatory scenes in the story.
Once the inciting incident kicks off —- once you find out the kid is going to prom alone — the question arises as to what he's going to do about it. What's he going to do at prom when he gets there? Yeah, he's got a cool car, but what's he going to do after he parks it and shows up at prom all alone? These moments answer that question, and so they deserve to play out over more than just a few seconds.
And this idea of set-up and pay-off brings us to…
Story Arc — Connecting Moments Together Meaningfully
The counterpoint to Spielberg's blurb on "60 two-minute scenes" is his quote on story structure:
"People have forgotten how to tell a story. Stories don't have a middle or an end any more. They usually have a beginning that never stops beginning."
So it's not only about individual scenes — they still have to be connected in a way that makes a point.
Obviously, this is a HUGE topic that many of the greatest minds in history have tackled. So by all means, go read what Aristotle had to say on the subject. Go read McKee's Story and all the other modern-day story structure gurus.
But also, let's maybe bring this down to the level of a blog post and talk about some quick and dirty how-to's. And with that in mind, here's what I've got for ya:
- Why "Therefore" and "but" are GOOD connectors, while "And then" sucks
- Brian McDonald on 3 Act Structure in a 5 minute documentary,
- Roy H. Wiliams on Choosing an Angle, Framing Your Scene, and Deciding How to End
- Set-ups and Pay-offs
- How Narrative Misdirection Makes Set-Ups and Pay-Offs More Powerful
- Applying Save The Cat's Beat Sheet to a 30-second Ad
And again, for me, the first element is key. If you're not connecting one moment to the next through causation or upset, then what's the point? Either you're paying off the promise of a previous moment with a "therefore," or you're throwing the audience off-guard by subverting their expectations with a "but then."
If you're not doing one of those two things, you're probably wasting time and losing the audience's attention.
What Makes Great Theatre and Holds Attention
Ultimately, most ads suck because people think they're making ads, and are willing to accept ads that sound like ads. They think ads don't have to grab your attention and hold your interest like a great movie or TV show or radio drama.
They are breathtakingly, spectacularly wrong.
This is explained brilliantly over at the Sell! Sell! Blog [Emphasis Mine]:
"Do You Only Know How To Make Ads?
The things that make a print advert work are the same things that make an editorial layout, or piece of printed art strong. The things that make a TV commercial great are the same things that make a TV programme, film or piece of video art great. The crucial difference being that, obviously, the ultimate job of the commercial work is to meet its brief; sell a product, change your opinion about something, etc. But still, the things that make it work in the end are the same craft skills that make other things strong in that media.
The problem comes when you forget this, and you think about making adverts. People tend to do things to adverts that they wouldn't do to an editorial piece of design, or to a film. But unfortunately ads don't get processed differently by people. Either it's good or it isn't good. There are no excuses just because it's an ad. But still, people try to cram in way too much information, over-the-top branding, social media logos, and other guff, because it's an ad.
Sometimes it makes you think that people, clients and agency alike, have forgotten how to make interesting things that also happen to be great ads, and they only know how to make things that look and sound like adverts."
So the question you ought to be left with is: does your ad guy just make ads that sound like ads, or is he a master at grabbing and guiding people's attention and desires?
Could your copywriter have scripted anything half as good as that Audi Ad?
P.S. Special shout out to my colleague Tim Miles for inspiring me to dissect this ad and answer exactly why I like it as much as I do.
Holy mega-bucks, Batman! On Saturday, the original Batmobile (from the old Adam West TV Show) sold for a whopping 4.2 Million Dollars.
You can watch the entire bidding process in the embedded YouTube video, if you want, but I'd advise skipping to the 8:14 mark, where they interview the winning bidder:
In response to the question, "what made you want that car?" Rick Champagne gave the following list:
- I grew up in that era, so it meant a lot to me.
- I've been watching that car for 20 years and waiting for this day [when it would finally be sold]
- I've been a Barret Jackson customer for well over 15 years
- The car is going to go in my living room
- I KNEW I was going to get it
So, just a few reflections from me on the event and Mr. Champagne's list:
Sentiment & Emotional Connection MATTERS
Yes, there is also exclusivity driving up the price of this car, but by far the biggest factor, and the one mentioned first by the winning bidder, is the emotional connection to the old TV show, and in turn, to the famous Batmobile.
If you're not taking this into account — if you're not baking a little Magical Thinking into your marketing and advertising — you probably ought to be.
Baby Boomers Control 70% of the Disposable Income in the US
Of course, given the era of the Batman TV show, it's not surprising that the winning bidder was a Baby Boomer. But don't overlook the fact that the majority of the buyers sloshing obscene amounts of disposable income around that auction house were also Boomers. That's because Baby Boomer's hold the majority of wealth and disposable income in America.
If you're selling luxury or high-end products or services and your marketing speaks primarily to or from a youth mindset, you might want to rethink that.
Anticipation Combined with Confidence Is An Unbeatable Combo
Rick Champagne has been waiting to buy this car for 20 years. That's a lot of anticipation, a lot of time Rick spent imagining himself buying that car.
Rick's also done business with the auction house, Barret Jackson, for "well over 15 years." That's a lot of repeat business and confidence.
It also helped, of course, that Barret Jackson had the car's original builder/designer and single-person owner on hand to further verify the authenticity of the vehicle. Personally, I think it would have been even better to have had Adam West there, too, but you can't have everything, I guess.
At any rate, the end result is that Rick Champagne was absolutely 100% certain that he was getting exactly what he wanted — the 100% genuine real deal — from a company that he had full faith and confidence in to deliver.
This is why he walked into the auction KNOWING that he was going to walk out as the new owner of that car.
What does your company do to help people IMAGINE buying from you and IMAGINE getting the benfit from your product or service?
When people walk into your business do they KNOW that they are going to buy from you? Or do they think they might possibly buy from you, if the pricing is competitive and you seem to have what they want?
So what are YOU doing to:
- Take advantage of, or establish, emotional connections?
- Give people full faith and confidence in your product or service?
- Allow people to develop confidence in you through previous business dealings?
- Provide something worth waiting for?
Here's a small business example: for most HVAC companies, the pay-off is when someone buys a new Heating and Air Conditioning System from them. That's payday.
But the smart companies don't wait for payday to try to get your business. They'd rather you develop confidence in them BEFOREHAND.
This process is started with great ads that establish an emotional connection to the listening audience. And if that emotional connection seems based on old-timey values and slightly older cultural references, well, that's probably NOT an accident.
This emotional connection is further strengthened by the offer of value-priced, high-quality tune-ups and fast, effective repairs. A strategy that ensures prospects call YOU when they need a tune-up.
And after 5 or more years of having their system tuned by you, YOU become the first person they call when there is a breakdown — and the only people they trust when it's time to buy that new system. Payday!
The icing on the cake? Well, with any luck, that new system will come with:
- advanced filtration,
- added humidity control,
- room temperature equalizing functionality, and
- energy saving features.
The kind of system that makes a home noticeably more comfortable and pleasant; a luxury system that the home owner desired for some time and planned on buying "someday," when it was time for a new one.
And that's how you can put some super-hero-powered CRACK-POW! — BAM! into your marketing and advertising.
It's a slight change, but it makes a world of difference, doesn't it?
The photo comes courtesy of a rather clever ad campaign for The Cape Times – something I was turned onto by the always-wonderful No Caption Needed blog. The intent was to make us see these iconic photos with new eyes, allowing the idea of a self-taken-phone-camera-pic to shake up a classic. And it worked.
But it also transforrmed the photos into something creepy, especially this one.
It's one thing to look on as the ecstasy of victory so overcomes a sailor's sensibilities that he kisses a stranger in the street; it's entirely another when the sailor still has the self-awareness to phone-pic himself during his supposed blissed-out moment.
Sometimes, it's just a whole lot better when someone else is controlling the camera and the spotlight. In fact, not just sometimes, but often.
Translating this to advertising and marketing:
- When others sing your praises, it comes off as credible and genuine; when you sing your praises, you come off as a wanna be Donald Trump
- When reviews praise an item to the sky, we believe it; when product copy does so, we read it with a large grain of salt
- When you tell me how great someone else is, you come off as passionate; when you tell me how great you are, you come off as arrogant
Well.. you get the picture. Why not let someone else hold the camera. Or, if you've got the camera, why not point it at something other than yourself?


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Error 127 in STWorkbench(Eclipse) on building even the most basic code. Any suggestion on the solution to this problem. You can see the error i am getting in the screenshots ...
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- 01-21-2013 #1
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Error 127
- 01-21-2013 #2
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I am running STWorkbench on Fedora16, with ARMv7 , ARMv5 and SH4 installed
- 01-21-2013 #3
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Please attach bigger images. These are too small to make anything meaningful of.
Sometimes, real fast is almost as good as real time.
Just remember, Semper Gumbi - always be flexible!
- 01-22-2013 #4
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I am using STWorkbench SDK Versioon: 4.1.1 build 20091008-1712 on Fedora 16.
I have installed all three architectures(sh4, armv7, armv5) as I think they can
co-exist. But when I try to compile any C file using either of the three, it
does not invoke the compiler. Also, there is a permanent warning "Error
Launching External Scanner Info General".
When I browse through the folder /opt/STM/STlinux....all the files are present
namely sh4-linux-gcc, sh4-linux-g++, same for armv5 and armv7.
To add to it while choosing particular toolset, ARMV7(cortex A9) and ARMV5 are
not present at all.
Thank You


text:
Hi there,
I'm a newbie, though I lurk from time to time to soak up knowledge from the forums. I just planted my very first tree (!!) and I think I did a pretty good job with the help of the Trees forum. I have a blank slate of a backyard, except for the new maple I planted a few days ago. The yard is rectangular, a typical suburban square shall we say. It slopes nicely from north to south, with excess water flowing to the southeast corner of the property. There it has eroded a bit of the soil underneath our neighbor's fence. Would it be unwise to plant a shrub or two that don't mind 'wet feet' in this area? I would love a few Winterberries there, or some other variety that would attract birds in for yummy snacks. Plus it would be less yard to mow! Thoughts, suggestions? I'm not looking to plant now...just planning for the future. |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Thu, Nov 3, 11 at 15:35
hi newbie ... you plant shrubs just like trees ... in clay or dampness.. you plant high.. regardless of the plants mature ability to cope ... planting high.. allows the plant.. to put its roots where it needs too.. so as to cope with excess water.. with a new planting.. i would be worried that i was creating a caldron ... especially in clay soil.. that would trap and retain water.. causing the roots to rot ... by planting half the root mass in the ground.. and half above.. and creating a mound with good draining soil above .. we create a situation.. where the plant can get 'established' ... getting over the stresses of planting.. before it has to worry about the deluge ... so whether or not.. a fully est'd plant can handle the water.. is not really as important as PROPER PLANTING of a babe ... make any sense??? ken |
- Posted by Sarabethers none (My Page) on Thu, Nov 3, 11 at 15:57
Yes, but I was worrying more about the use of the drainage area causing a backflow into my yard. There isn't a ton of water back there, only evident when we have a nice downpour. We have standing water then, but only a few inches in a very local spot. Just didn't know if planting a few shrubs there would make the drainage less efficient.. Fortunately, I have been planting all of my shrubs high and with ample area for lateral root development. Thank you again for the reminder. :) |
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Fri, Nov 4, 11 at 9:02
at my old house.. about 1/4 of the yard.. was completely under a foot of water at snow thaw.. for about 2 weeks ... otherwise i had good drainage ... absolutely nothing cared ... nothing failed for such ... if you are worried only about short term.. storm related issues.. i think you are worrying too much ... i THINK you are thinking you are dealing with a bog or marsh.. and that doesnt seem like what you describe as temporary inundations but all this is going to be impossible for any of us to give you a precise answer ... you are just going to have to keep planting.. and see what happens .... good luck ... |
- Posted by Sarabethers none (My Page) on Fri, Nov 4, 11 at 9:13
Ya, I figure I should just plant it--if it doesn't work, I'll move it or move it to my parents' farm. :) |
There are a ton of berry-bearing shrubs you could plant there: -Shrub Dogwoods |
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Blog | Comments |
WoW | 75 Comments |
Recent Comments:
Shifting Perspectives: Fun with race choice, part 2 {WoW}
Jun 1st 2010 7:53PM We are and will continue to be the most race-restricted class in the game. We currently have 2 races, compared to paladins' and shamans' 4. In Cataclysm, we'll have 4, while paladins will have 5 and shamans will have 6.
Choose My Adventure: Profession and death polls {WoW}
May 21st 2010 10:10PM You may have missed the point. It's to make Belt's life suck. Mining/Engineering FTW.
The OverAchiever: Pure win {WoW}
May 20th 2010 10:37PM (cutaia), you just made my god-damn day. Thank you very much.
Insider Trader: Selling arrows in singles for the price of a stack scam {WoW}
May 17th 2010 3:47PM Stop QQing. Selling a couple arrows is a far cry from unscrupulous. You're an idiot if you try to blame sellers for taking advantage of buyers too lazy to read.
"Morally equivalent to taking mats to enchant a piece of gear and not doing the promised enchant"? Only if you tell them you won't do the enchant first.
The Classifieds: One million gold in his pocket {WoW}
May 12th 2010 9:42PM I also wanted that to be a reply to my earlier comment. It's just not my day.
The Classifieds: One million gold in his pocket {WoW}
May 12th 2010 9:31PM /footinmouth. I swear I remember reading that somewhere... Downrate away, kids.
The Classifieds: One million gold in his pocket {WoW}
May 12th 2010 9:20PM Nice shop. The gold cap for gbanks is the same as it is for players: about 200k.
Breakfast Topic: Roto-scoping is not animation {WoW}
May 12th 2010 4:07PM I'd have to go with the blood elf male death animation. As much as I hate the entire race, their melodramatic last grasp towards the heavens feels so fitting. Even in death they're flamboyant.
WoW Magazine issue 2 preview now online {WoW}
May 12th 2010 4:01PM They didn't even bother to mention Twin Emps...
The Queue: Wherein Gray feels guilty {WoW}
May 3rd 2010 8:34PM MMO-Champion does a much nicer job of laying them out.


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PT Changhong Electric Indonesia – CHANGHONG commits itself to product innovation in the electronics industry. CHANGHONG also has established R&D centers in Shanghai and Shenzhen in China, American Silicon Valley, and Japan. CHANGHONG's goal is to actively participate in the development of a global digital industry. We need a motivated person to join us in Changhong Jakarta as:
Qualifications :
* Minimum Bachelor Degree (S1)
* Max. 35 years old
* Experience in electronic industry
* Willing to be placed at Tangerang
* Female
* Max. 30 years old
* Minimal Bachelor Degree
* Capable Chinese language (passive and active)
* Have good communication skills
* Have export import working experience is a plus
Please send CV to:
PT Changhong Electric Indonesia
Mangga Dua Raya Komplek Agung Sedayu
Blok J no. 39-40
Jakarta 10730


text:
The Los Angeles Dodgers, already without Matt Kemp in their lineup, lost Andre Ethier to an oblique injury in today's game against the San Francisco Giants. He was injured while sliding into second base in the first inning.
Ethier, who just recently signed a five year extension with the Dodgers worth $85 million, will likely be heading to the disabled list. On the season, Ethier has a .291/.355/.491 line with ten home runs.
Elian Herrera replaced him in right field today, and may get more playing time if Ethier is to miss an extended period of time. The Dodgers outfield options are now down to Bobby Abreu, Tony Gwynn Jr, Juan Rivera, Jerry Hairston Jr, Adam Kennedy and Elian Herrera.


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I am looking for a satin nickel floor-mount tub filler, and the only one I've found that is reasonably priced is by Signature Hardware. I can't find much online about their reliability. Does anyone have any experience with them? Any other suggestions for reasonably priced fillers? |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by oldhousegal (My Page) on Sat, May 26, 12 at 14:05
I purchased my claw foot tub filler and all hardware for the shower and rod, through them over 6 years ago. Everything is solid, good weight/feel to it, the finish is as lovely now as it was then (Chrome). I don't remember much about the shipping but it did come packaged nicely. A friend purchased another shower set up from them a couple of years ago and had to return part of it due to changing her mind. The customer service was great. Last year I ordered some light switches from them. No complaints at all, and I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again. |
I'm happy to see this! I posted a message (it's still up; nobody has replied!) asking about Nottingham Brass fixtures, but I neglected to mention Signature Hardware; NB is their brand. We are also strongly considering a tub filler from them. (Very few out there work for our quirky situation.) Anyone else? Has anybody had any negative experiences with Signature Hardware plumbing fixtures? |
I have purchased from them before but it was door knobs and hardware. no problems. |
I bought a Thermae towel warmer from them (also apparently their brand) and love it. Very good customer service, as a small piece needed for installation was missing and they sent a new one right away. |
I bought a chrome tub-filler from them. Early days yet-- we've just moved into our house-- but so far it works well and looks great. They also gave me advice as to what height tub filler to get. |
Both baths look beautiful. Although I did not originate this thread, it answers one of my questions and I appreciate the posts. |
I have had a very different experience with their customer service. We have had a few issues with their customer service starting with our original order several months back when the wrong tub faucet was sent with our original order. The latest issue is we had a part that we needed replaced due to accident on our part. We asked for a exploded diagram of the assembly so that we could get the proper part ordered and our bathtub back online. They insisted we take a picture of the broken part only to come back at the end of the day and say it wasn't a manufacturers defect - we never claimed it was. We just wanted the part ordered expeditiously so that it would get to our plumber soonest and installed in the bath. As we embark on renovating 3 more baths and a kitchen I am dismayed that I cannot buy from them again because their styling is nice and the quality seems decent. They just fall on their faces when it comes to customer service. |
I've purchased several things from them (door hardware, heat vent register/covers, etc) and had to return one and exchange for a different size when the hvac guy changed the size of the duct (!) - Sig Hardware was great, waived shipping on the new item, even expedited it for me. I think they're terrific and would not hesitate to order anything from them. would definitely do it over the phone as their people are so knowledgeable. |
Trying to revive this old post with hopes that someone else will chime in... am reading very mixed reviews online. Anyone else with experience with sig hardware?? Thanks! |
- Posted by ginterpark (My Page) on Thu, Jan 9, 14 at 19:58
I have recently made several purchases from Signature Hardware for one of three bathroom remodels and am very satisfied: got a 36" vanity with marble top, which looks great; a brass shower rod, and some nifty curtain rings. Considering one of their towel warmers right now. The website is easy to navigate and shipping is quick and often free, depending on how much the item costs. |
- Posted by nancymyers2000 (My Page) on Thu, Jan 9, 14 at 20:26
We bought almost all our bathroom fixtures from Signature Hardware. Free standing tub, tub filler, sink faucets, shower panel and towel warmer. Everything was shipped in one order, was packed well, no missing pieces, no broken parts. Quality seems to be very good. I will order from them again. |
- Posted by Candace_Britt (My Page) on Fri, Jan 10, 14 at 10:55
Our limited experience was positive. We bought a vanity from them 2 years ago. I was hesitant to buy an item costing $$$s without seeing it in person but it is very good quality and sturdy. My contractor who was skeptical of mail-order was impressed, too. It showed up on time and was well packed. We are very happy so never had to deal with their customer service department. |
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I'm starting a new game and one of my players decided to play a tech priest. One of the uses of the Tech Use skill is crafting armour and weapons. My player asked me how does he is supposed to go about crafting something and right now I don't have a good answer for him.
So first I look at page 91 that has the side bar on crafting using Tech Use. It says the time, difficulty, and materials very greatly depending on the complexity of the item, the type of workshop they have, and their access to secrets of the Mechanicus. It then says to see the Crafting Sidebar on page 74.
Ok so now we look at page 74. Under Tech Use it just gives a description of the type of items that can be created using the skill. Materials actually gives specifics. My player needs to make a logistics test in order to obtain materials to build the item. The availability of the items is one step below the availability of the item we are trying to create.
Now we move onto the part about time. It says it is an extended test determined by the GM but gives a table of guidelines. So lets say he wants to create some armour. The table says it takes 1d10 hours and 6 Extended Test Successes.
So now I ask myself how do extended tests work? So we look at page 9 under Extended Tests. And it says some tasks take a long period of time to complete, in cases such as these the Game Master may require multiple Skill Tests to complete the task. This is known as an extended Test. In general, each Skill states within its description whether it requires an Extended Test. However, the Game Master may adjust the time represnted by each Test to best suit the situation and the needs of his campaign.
So that told me pretty much nothing. Given the example lets say my player has the materials and I rolled the dice and it's supposed to take him 6 hours to craft the armour. How does the extended test work? Do I have him roll Tech Use 6 times? What difficulty should the tests be set at? If he fails one of the tests does he fail to craft the armour? If he does fail do the materials get destroyed?
The whole thing is rather vague and I'm not sure how to handle it. I looked in my Dark Heresy and Death Watch books to see if they have better examples of extended tests and both of those were equally vague. So if anyone can tell me how this is supposed to work I would appreciate it.
How do extended tests and crafting work?
Posted 16 August 2012 - 05:37 PM
Posted 16 August 2012 - 06:28 PM
Extended tests require a bit of GM arbitration. They consist of two main parts: the target threshold, and the interval.
The GM needs to set both of these. The target can be something like 10 total DoSs, 15, 20, 30, etc. As high as you need it to be to represent the difficulty at hand. I don't have any good examples to give ya, but at minimum for something crafted, 10 should be the starting point.
Second, you must define the interval. It could be minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, etc. Pick what you feel would at least be the minimum time it takes to complete the task. The PC must be able to work about an 8 hour day on the project to make a test on any given day
In general, with crafting, one must also have the needed materials. This could come from logistics tests, the result of taking parts from gear on hand (perhaps somebody forgot to return comrade Joe's lasgun to the quartermaster after his face was introduced to that Ork's choppa). Obviously, in this case, the parts being used should reasonably have something to do with the intended product.
In fact, determining the qualities of the finished product should be your chief concern. Is the player pointing at an item in the book and saying "I want to craft that," or are they coming up with some new piece of gear ("I want to make a speargun that can shoot hunting lances"). What is the intended craftsmanship? Also, while you mention Tech Use, it is still more for electronic gear and demolitions. Trade(Armourer) might be a bit more apropriate when trying to make weapons and armour.
Generally, for any "gear" on the order of weapons or armour, I would go with a 1 week interval, and bare minimum, a 10 hit threshold (this is for something like say a flak vest or a laspistol). I would consider the parts for these to be Ubiquitous (if a logistics test is needed), or generally available from any amount of salvage from a battlefield. As items increase in size/complexity, I would start increasing the threshold by 5, or the interval by one "step" (e.g. 1 week -> 2 weeks, 2 weeks -> 1 month).
Its difficult to say what is and is not appropriate. In theory, anything is possible, but often times, the interval would be crazy high.
Posted 16 August 2012 - 07:00 PM
I get what you are trying to say but many of the examples you describe go specifically against what is stated in the book. I did make my own mistake in my example. According to the table in the book armour created using Tech Use takes 1d10 days and requires 12 successes.
For example you said that trade armourer would be more appropriate however under crafting it specifically says the only three skills capable of crafting are Chem-Use, Survival, and Tech Use. Second you describe how you would obtain materials and that also goes against what is stated in the book.
I would also like to know where you got the parts of an extended test. The book says nothing about threshold or interval. It does say it takes a certain amount of time so lets assume this equates with interval. However it says nothing about threshold and it certainly doesn't mention degrees of success. It seems to be suggesting a certain number of individual skill tests.
So once again lets go with my specific example of my player is trying to craft himself a suit of storm trooper carapace. It is very rare so the materials for it would be rare. It takes 1d10 days and requires 12 successes to craft. I roll and it takes 8 days. Given this example how would the extended test work for it?
Posted 16 August 2012 - 08:50 PM
Its only vaguely described on page 9. Mainly, there isn't that much to say as its intended to be a GM abstraction; there are no hard rules on the matter. All it says is the GM comes up with a target number, and a projected length of time. It references "multiple skill tests," and this is what the concept of the interval and threshold essentially are.
As for skills, the Trade skill does state that it is used for creating things. It does appear to either be an oversight or outright mistake to make no reference to it in the crafting sidebar. On its own, crafting is still such an abstract thing in the system that there really is no set way for it to be handled. It would seem rather gamey to say that someone who spends all their time crafting weapons and armour has no need to be skilled in Trade (armourer).
In your example, the interval is 1d10 days, and 12 successes. To do this, I would handle it as being start by determining the first interval, in the first case, 8. Roll the appropriate test. Get 5 DoSs (8 days have passed). Roll the 1d10 again, get a 6. Roll the skill check, 4 DoSs (9 DoSs, 14 days have passed). Roll 1d10 again, get 3. Roll Skill check, get 6 DoSs (15 DoSs, 17 days have passed). At this point the 12 threshold has been hit, the work is complete.
Posted 16 August 2012 - 09:16 PM
Gotcha. I appreciate the clarification although I wish the rules were slightly more concrete or at the least provided an example of an extended test.
Thanks for taking the time to answer.
Posted 17 August 2012 - 03:50 AM
As for your question about failed rolls, they go into the net success pool.
So suppose your techpriest had aquired the components to make an inferno pistol, somehow. And you decided he needed 25 successes with a 1 week interval, and that the test is hard (-20).
After the first week he rolls and gets 2 degrees of success. Progress.
Next week he rools and adds another. Progress.
On the 3rd weeks he fails by 2 degrees, and now only has 1 net success. This may take a while. Welcome to the 41st millenium.
If net successes drop into the negatives I would be inclined to rule that some of the materials were destroyed and some more creative requisitioning is called for.
Looking at the Trade skill is does appear to be strictly weaker than Tech-Use. It is clearly intended to be a crafting skill although it's 14 individual skills instead of 1 uberskill. (Although Trade: Chymist appears to be equal to Chem-Use and Archeologist, Cryptographer, Cook, Explorer, Linguist, Remembrancer, Soothsayer and Voidfarer are not covered by Tech-Use.) Plus Trade is easier to learn than Tech-Use (having one general apptitude.) Also it has a lore component that differs from what I would allow you to learn from Tech-Use.
But Tech-Use does seem to entirely enclose the craft aspects of Trade: Armourer, Astrographer, Scrimshawer, Shipwright and Technomat.


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Sat, Jun 9, 07 at 13:08
Can you please help me id this plant? It's been recently introduced in masses along a Dutch roadside and is absolutely stunning -- a sea of purple approximately a meter high (1 yard). The stems are slightly prickly.
Many thanks. |
Follow-Up Postings:
Viper's Bugloss. Considered a weed in North America, but is native to Europe |
Here is a link that might be useful: Bugloss
Judy - Many thanks! I might just have to adopt this "weed" into my garden. Along the roadside it's stunning. |
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text: Virginia State University's Walter M. Johnson Math & Computer Science (WJMCS) Club has been awarded the NCWIT-Symantec Student Seed Fund grant. The funds will be used for Computer Science Saturday programs for 20 high school girls attending local schools. The programs will be taught by three female computer science undergraduate coordinators and one female faculty mentor. The activities will build upon the best practices in computer science education research to inspire, empower and inform high school girls to pursue computer science.


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Hi All, Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of good food and family to share it with. I'm off to work today, so won't be painting. I do know that my next project will be the trash to treasure pail for my neighbor. I'm excited about finishing it so I can see her face when I return it to her! Love to do that kind of thing. Slept in a little longer this morning since it was foggy and cool outside--nice luxury once in awhile, isn't it? Know I'll probably put the Fall decorations away and start pulling out the Christmas ones after the weekend (might have to work Sat. if other employee is still sick, and little GD spends Sunday afternoons with me.) Lots of things to look forward to--hope you think so too. Have a good day, and hop on in here and chat a bit if you like. I love to hear what all of you are doing. Luvs |
Follow-Up Postings:
Happy Day After to you too Luvs! I will be pulling out some Christmas decorations today too. |
- Posted by luvstocraft (My Page) on Fri, Nov 24, 06 at 21:55
Anj, You just made me feel TIRED! Wow, what a lineup of projects you have there girl! Sounds to me like you might just have to burn some "midnight oil" to finish all that by Christmas! But wait! You are still YOUNG--I forgot that you still have all that youthful energy. Ha ha Sounds like you have some great projects all lined up. I'll be looking forward to all your pics as you finish them. Have fun. Luvs |
I cheated and put out a few Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving because my "little" granddaughter won't be here for christmas.(I hate divorce) I couldn't decide how I was decorating. LOL BUT the next thing will definitely be Christmas. Forge ahead. Jlily |
- Posted by luvstocraft (My Page) on Tue, Nov 28, 06 at 11:50
Jlily, So glad you had that time with your GD. Mine lives close by right now, and I love it. Just can't imagine how hard it would be if they lived far away! Good you got some Christmas decs already out--now you have a head start. I pulled the boxes down and out of the storage area yesterday --then I was tired so haven't started decorating yet. Trying to get some painting done too, so will just do some of each today I guess. It's fun tho, and I am so glad I get to be home more now--don't know how I did everything and worked 40+ hours a week too! Guess you just do what you gotta do, right? TTYL Luvs |
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Ruling the country for for 41 years until his demise in October 2011, Muammar Gaddafi did some truly amazing things for his country and repeatedly tried to unite and empower the whole of Africa. So despite what you've heard on the radio, seen in the media or on the TV Gaddafi did some powerful things that were not very reminiscent ... Read More »
Tag Archives: libya
Dick Cheney, the former vice president and Darth Vader of the Bush regime, says former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should be held accountable for the incident in Benghazi. "She was secretary of state at the time that it happened," Cheney told Fox's Chris Wallace. "She was one of the first in Washington to know about it. I think she clearly ... Read More »
13 most underreported news stories of 2013
From Aaron Swartz to Assange, Monsanto to Manning, fracking fears, Iraq carnage and more, here are RT's "Top 13 of 2013." These vastly underreported stories are some of the biggest ones to fly under the mainstream media's radar this year. The persecution and death of Aaron Swartz The visionary cofounder of Reddit and open access advocate who played a key role ... Read More »
Benghazi a premeditated terrorist attack say whistleblowers, government caught in cover up
For weeks after the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other operatives were killed, President Obama and his administration told the American people and the world that it all went down because of an anti-Muslim video made by a hapless California man. "While the United States rejects efforts to denigrate ... Read More »
Hillary Clinton's 'hacked' Benghazi emails
On the back of widespread public interest RT has decided to publish in their entirety a series of memos which were allegedly sent from a one-time White House aide to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The emails, which were allegedly sent by former political adviser Sidney Blumenthal to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were forwarded to RT by a hacker using ... Read More »
Clinton won't testify on Benghazi due to 'concussion'
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will not have to testify before a Senate hearing concerning the deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi after she fainted and sustained a concussion last week. Clinton, 65, is currently recovering at home following last week's incident, when extreme dehydration caused by a stomach virus resulted in her losing consciousness on Thursday. ... Read More »
Congress to investigate whether Petraeus scandal was a political cover-up
CIA Director David Petraeus revealed his affair almost immediately after the election, even though the FBI may have discovered it months ago. The timing has caused Congress to wonder if it was a political cover-up to help Obama's campaign. The FBI began a criminal investigation in February after discovering that Paula Broadwell, Petraeus' 40-year-old mistress and biographer, had accessed the ... Read More »
US mission in Benghazi was a CIA operation
When the bodies of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans killed in Benghazi, Libya, arrived at Andrews Air Force Base after the Sept. 11 attack, they were greeted by the president, the vice president and the secretaries of state and defense. Conspicuously absent was CIA Director David Petraeus. Officials close to Mr. Petraeus say he stayed away in an ... Read More »
CIA agents were told to 'stand down' in Benghazi
- Revelations shed new light on the effectiveness of the CIA at Benghazi and the level of support they were given. - When the CIA annex come under attack the field agents were denied a request for military help despite a counter terrorism team being two hours away in Italy. - There was full communication between operatives on the ground ... Read More »
'War crime': Gaddafi, his son and over 60 loyalists executed by rebel fighters
Libyan rebels abused and mass murdered Colonel Gaddafi, his son Mutassim, and 66 loyalists, after their capture a year ago, Human Rights Watch says. It calls for an investigation and prosecution of those responsible for what they slam as war crime. The 50-page report "Death of a Dictator: Bloody Vengeance in Sirte" details the last hours of Muammar Gaddafi's life ... Read More »


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This problem is known to me, the reason are changes in rainmeter 3.0.0. It changed path of retrieve data and my programs download data and store them in old place.
I am working on patch and when I will solve it I will let you known.
I will also change language.inc file for English to change "Kredyty" to "Credits". Sorry for than .
I will be very grateful for the German translation. Here you have a base for translation: fav.me/d5jjiq2
Swap memory (or virtual memory) is a reserved amount of memory on your hard drive.
b:R -bits inside (I'm not sure about shortcut, it comes from the original skin.)
b:W - bits outside
bit - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit
L.Y. - Light Years


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Hummingbird Feeders attract other birds and will happen often.
Many of us who put up hummingbird feeders may be surprised to quickly find them visited by other birds.
We get many letters from our visitors about this issue, wondering what to do!
Some don't mind the other birds but still want hummingbirds and others want hummingbirds exclusively. Hopefully, we will help with some advice.
A list of birds that might enjoy feeding from hummingbird feeders:
A Little Story:
"I remember excitedly putting up my first bluebird houses several years ago only to find them occupied by swallows.
Wish as I might, putting out a sign "Bluebirds Only" wouldn't have worked!
I enjoyed my beautiful Tree Swallows and put out more bluebird houses in a different location in an attempt to get my bluebirds.
Eventually, I had both swallows and bluebirds.
So nature will adapt and yet we can have our way."
If an unexpected guest is not a problem, simply add more hummingbird feeders in different locations.
Everyone will be well fed and happy.
If you prefer to restrict the hummingbird feeders to hummingbirds, use feeders without perches.
As you probably noticed by now, the larger birds will crowd out the tiny hummingbirds.
The key is knowing that hummingbirds are marvels at flight.
Without a perch, a feeder is useless to any bird other than a hummingbird.
Hummingbirds are the only birds that can hover and sip the nectar in flight.
Purchase Feeder without Perches
Please take note that there are special nectar feeders made for orioles.
These oriole feeders are orange and are made to be a better fit for their beaks.
If orioles are the birds using your hummingbird feeders, it would be better to purchase an oriole feeder for them.
Since Hummingbird Feeders Attract Other Birds............... Happy Bird Watching!


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November 30th, 2000 Port Wolfgang Puck: Grilled Squab With Spago Mole The public knows Wolfgang Puck as the head of a restaurant empire that spans the nation and includes everything from fine dining (Spago, Postrio) to fast food (Wolfgang Puck Cafés).
For the full article, check out the new issue of Wine Spectator, on newsstands November 30, 2000.
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Processing Time - Orders typically ship in 2-5 business days. Transit via UPS Ground can take up to 6 business days. Braided and custom-made products may take 2 to 3 weeks for delivery.
Free Shipping to Contiguous United States - We do not ship to Alaska, Hawaii or the Caribbean Islands at this time.
Oversized items - Orders that ship freight may take up to 2 weeks from shipment date to be delivered. You will be contacted by the trucking company to schedule a delivery appointment.
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Sierra Bryant Multi Rug
Item #: 200JRMO3A-P Add to Wishlist
Features: This product has the following features:
- Collection: Sierra
- Material: 100% Wool
- Weave: Hand Knotted
- Styles: Contemporary Rugs
- Origin: India
- Available in the following sizes: 6' x 9'
- Clean & Care: Vacuum regularly as new wool rugs can shed yarn fibers for up to three months. Avoid direct and continuous exposure to sunlight. Do not pull loose ends, clip them with scissors to remove. Clean liquid spills immediately by blotting with cloth or sponge. For hard to remove stains, professional rug cleaning is recommended.
This rug is soft, shaggy and modern. It adds lot of texture and color to our living room. The blocks of color are bigger than I imagined but that's a good thing. I was worried about the rug being too busy but it's great. It does shed (like all new rugs). Because the rug is so shaggy, it puts out small balls of wool but I suspect it will stop after a while.
RECOMMENDED: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.This rug is AMAZING! The pictures do not do it justice! It is so cool looking...funky and retro it would look great anywhere and the quality is excellent!
RECOMMENDED: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.Fill out the information below.


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In 2011, Charlie Morton altered his mechanics in a way that mimicked one of the best starting pitchers of the last decade. Thanks to Bucs' pitching guru Jim Benedict, Morton became a near clone of Roy Halladay:
(GIFs via SB Nation)
The results have paid off for Morton – who earned a three-year contract extension in December – especially with his Halladay-like sinker. Now, he's working on refining another pitch the recently-retired Halladay perfected: the split changeup.
David Todd tweeted this – by way of Travis Sawchik – this afternoon:
Just told by @Sawchik_Trib that ChazMo threw his split change today. Could neutralize lefties. Would be big deal. #Pirates #electricstuff
— David Todd (@DTonPirates) March 4, 2014
(Morton had a nice outing against the Tigers, pitching three almost perfect innings.)
Halladay added the split change to his repertoire prior to the 2010 season. His old changeup was hit hard in '09 – .333 opponent batting average, .528 slugging. Halladay saw much better results with the split-fingered version from 2010 through 2013: .216 average, .301 slugging, plus a lower percentage of line drives and a higher percentage of whiffs.
Ground Chuck has thrown a splitter a bit in the past, but just 6% of the time in 2013. Perfecting it and throwing it more often would give him another solid offspeed offering to play with, in addition to his curve. Furthermore, as DT mentioned, it could help him neutralize left-handed hitters. Morton has had huge platoon splits in his career:
vs. RHH: 251/.316/.345
vs. LHH: .327/.410/.497
Lefties crushed Morton's pitches last year (especially his bread-and-butter sinker), except for his curve. Anything to give him an advantage against left-handed hitters would be a big deal; maybe the split change will be it. Let's hope another Halladay-esque improvement helps produce more #ElectricStuff.
Morton is a huge part of the Pirates rotation this year (and the next two or three) in an underrated way. He will never be in the spotlight as an ace, but has the potential to be a really solid backend starter. Along with the rest of the staff, Morton still has something to prove. Can he stay healthy? He's only made more than 20 starts once. Is he worth the money? It could end up being a bargain. I'll be rooting for him.
Go Bucs
Photo: Justin K. Aller/Getty
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[…] similarities of their deliveries. Halladay also developed a split-change later in his career, so Morton adopting the pitch provides another point of comparison to the future Hall Of Famer. However, it wasn't the split-change that made the difference for Halladay against lefties. […]
Pingback: Grapefruit League Report: Week 2 | From Forbes to Federal 10 Mar, 2014
[…] Tuesday, 3/4 – Pirates 5, Tigers 2 Three strong innings for Charlie Morton, including a glimpse of his split change. […]
Pingback: Charlie Morton < 500 | Where Have You Gone Andy Van Slyke? 20 Jan, 2015
[…] general, Morton's search for a pitch to use against lefties has centered on his split-change, and even though it seems like his usage of the pitch barely bumped up in 2014 vs. 2013 (~7% from […]


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Adam is a travel blogger and co-founder/Editor in Chief of both Travel Blogger Academy and Trekity. His guest posts were published on some of the biggest websites in his niche, including Business Insider, LifeHack, ProBlogger and Vegabondish.
You can read his blog at Travel Blog where he shares awesome tips to building & running a profitable travel blog.
Adam, please introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi, I'm Adam Costa, co-founder of Trekity.com and TravelBloggerAcademy.com. Trekity is a free travel inspiration site with over 800 pages of content, while TBA is a blog covering the business and marketing side of travel blogging.
What was your experience with travel and marketing? What are the lessons learned?
Unlike many travel bloggers (who start with a travel blog and then learn marketing), both my wife Darcie and I have extensive marketing experience. I've been a copywriter/marketer for over five years, and have done contract work for Google and an SEO firm based in Florida.
Lesson learned: Be unique, be transparent, and always over-deliver.
How did you manage to get so many of your guest posts published on the top blogs in your niche?
My wife Darcie is an animal when it comes to pitching guest posts. Seriously. We published 51 guest posts on our launch day, and it took 90 days to plan. Darcie pitched about 200 sites for guest posts, then requested they all go live on the same day. 60 agreed, we wrote the content ourselves, and 51 published on the agreed date (with the remaining nine publishing a few days/weeks later).
What kind of research do you do before you approach the editor/the owner of the blog?
We read the blog, of course, look at what they've recently posted (so we don't double up) and what's popular on their blog.
How do you go about pitching your guest post to the decision maker?
We always start off personal. No "Dear Sir/Madam…" nonsense. Use their name. Say something nice about their blog. Then explain you're a pro and want to include killer content for them. Don't talk about links – it comes across as spammy. Talk about CONTENT.
How effective guest posting was for you in terms of generating traffic and building brand?
I wrote a post on Think Traffic which showed the traffic results. In summary, it wasn't great for direct traffic, but those authoritative links improve our SEO which will deliver search traffic for months, if not years to come.
But the real benefit was actually meeting these people, showing we're professional, and having the opportunity to work with them in the future.
What would be your advice for someone who's just starting out with guest posting?
Build a large list of prospective sites. Then organize them by Domain Authority and use Canned Responses for the majority of your email – but be very, very sure to personalize the first part. (I literally wrote the guide on guest posting for travel bloggers here.
What was your experience with guest posting? What are the lessons learned while doing guest posting for big blogs?
My experience with guest posting has been awesome, and I recommend people do it more. When it comes to writing for big blogs, go for it. Chances are, you'll get a few bites – and those that don't reply aren't saying "no", they're just really busy. Keep posting, keep networking, and you'll get there someday.


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Sewer district officials making some headway
- Details
- Parent Category: News
- Category: Phelps County News
- Written by Chris Daniels
- Hits: 628
The Phelps County Public Water Supply District (PWSD) #4 board met on Monday night, noting that improvements have been made. The district, which is facing bankruptcy if things can't be turned around, had a productive month in collecting delinquent payments in July, but still faces many challenges as grinder pumps continue to break and costs for repair keep rising.
Last month, Don Holt offered his services to fix many of the problems left by the previous contractor. Holt has been working to find trouble areas in the system and repair what he can.
"A lot of people don't pay their bills and we don't have a surplus of these pumps because we don't have the money to keep them right now," Holt said. "That's our goal. If you call at 3 p.m. with a problem, we want a pump ready to be installed."
Infiltration has been a problem, with additional water from downspouts and other areas getting into the system. These areas will need to be identified to stop extra infiltration, which causes stress on the system.
"The more it rains, the more issues we have. Maintenance and repairs go up," board member John Staples said.
The board moved to have Doug Counts take over for Holt, who wanted to concentrate on his business. Counts works for the St. James Municipal Utilities and would offer his assistance on repairs and maintenance when not working for the city. Counts would be paid $25 per hour, half of Holt's fee, and is certified to work on the system.
As for the financial situation facing the board, there were encouraging changes in June. Total cash came to $12,185, which was slightly up from May. Accounts receivable were down, with more district customers paying their bills from previous months. Delinquent customers have been contacted and the district is hoping to work with them in getting caught up, which will bring in more cash.
"Repairs and maintenance were over budget again," board secretary Sheila Flint said. Costs of repairing the system is the key factor in the financial crisis facing the district, but new companies are being used for better equipment.
Board members feel there are some improvements that have been made and will continue to seek areas to conserve money. An old, unused generator could be sold for a little additional income as well as vacant property, which the district could put a lien on for non-payment of utilities. The board is currently working to secure a loan, which could also assist getting the district in working order.


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On Evernote, GTD, Reference and Support Material
Evernote is an extremely powerful tool and with it's incredible feature set including omnipresence on all devices and platforms it is amongst the essential applications of many. I had an on/off relationship with Evernote for some years, mainly due to it's instability and a feeling of me and my data being locked in, but in the last two years I have eventually embraced it as my default application for reference material including a premium subscription.
This has happened as a consequence of more stable releases of the application and improved - although still far from perfect - export options. And, to be brutally honest, also due to lack of alternatives.
While Dropbox can store your PDFs and sync them on your various devices, you'll miss the tagging, OCR and many other functionalities that Evernote provides. Beyond Dropbox, with can be greatly enhanced with various tools and applications on both Mac OS and iOS pushing it closer to Evernote's feature set, there really is not a single viable alternative. Even without a strong rival Evernote evolved neatly in the last years, but some competition would certainly help this market as it helps every market.
Once there was Yojimbo, the beloved 'everything'-bucket of many nerds. While it still exists, it definitely did not keep up with Evernote. Maybe Bare Bones Software, the developers of Yojimbo, also did not want to keep up and focussed their efforts on their other main product, BBEdit. With barely any feature releases over the years, the disappearance of MobileMe and iDisk, on which Yojimbo relied for Mac-to-Mac sync, and with a half-baked iPad version (Wifi sync, sensa iCloud), it is way behind, feeling abandoned by it's once large user base and potentially also by it's developers.
Evernote and GTD
If you store every little snippet, note and document in Evernote, you'll quickly start thinking "why not using it for your task management as well?". Evernote's flexible note formatting includes the ability to create task lists and it's incredible powerful search allows you to find your task lists back. Even to a granularity of searching for incomplete (unchecked) actions (try a search with todo:{false|true}) across all your notes.
For many this is a viable option saving them some hard earned cash that otherwise needed to be invested into not necessarily inexpensive task management suites like OmniFocus and Things. Dependent on your task management requirements Evernote may be just what you need.
In his post about titled "From OmniFocus to Evernote" Fraser Speirs reflects how he employed Evernote to be his trusted and fully integrated system for everything GTD. Just like I have written about in the past, Fraser has recognised the dilution of contexts such as 'online' and 'offline'.
In my GTD system, I would estimate that 95% of all tasks could be done "anywhere": contact someone, send a file, write a thing. The vanishingly few things that can't are not worth planning for. Basically, contexts had lost their relevance in GTD for me. Projects still matter, as do actions, but contexts weren't working.
Following this conclusion he has seen Reference Material becoming more important to him, his projects and actions. OmniFocus is not particular good when it comes to Reference Material (actually I believe Fraser is referring more to Support Material, which is aiding the projects you are working on and different to Reference Material - at least in the original David Allen GTD definition - which is for, well, general reference). You can link folders and files into the note fields of projects and tasks and there are helpful AppleScripts that get you some level of integration between OmniFocus and your file system, including Dropbox if you like, but that is as far as it goes.
Fraser Speirs decided that his Reference Material which already is in Evernote is so fundamental to his workflow that he could and should have is tasks managed in Evernote as well. Using Notebook Stacks that represent his Areas of Responsibility, he created corresponding task list notes for each of them and enjoys the tight integration that Evernote offers with many other services
- Because so many iOS apps support "send this thing by email", it's easy to get files, images, etc into Evernote from iOS.
- Reference material or tasks that arrive via email get forwarded to my Evernote email address. I can tag them by adding hashtags to the subject and route them to notebooks using @notebook. I'm using Gmail filters to automatically add some emails to Evernote.
- I use ifttt.com to archive my Instagram photos into Evernote.
- I can use Siri to dictate a note by composing an email to my Evernote upload address. Tip: add your Evernote address to your personal address card and give it the label "evernote", then you can tell Siri to "Email evernote".
- I can tweet to Evernote by sending a DM to @myEN (more info on this here) - this is doubly convenient with "Tap to Tweet" in iOS 6's Notification Center.
- Although I have switched to Pocket, the web-to-Evernote workflow I documented a while ago is still possible.
Why Evernote is not ideal for GTD
In the above example the main reason why Fraser Speirs implementation works for him is because he has entirely dropped the concept of contexts. He did it by purpose and his system, centred on projects and Areas of Responsibility, works well for him now which is the most important point.
However, if you still need and like contexts you could follow other GTD implementation guides like The Secret Weapon or essentially create an action list by contexts, just like you would do if you would implement GTD with plain text files or paper.
Still you need to appreciate that Evernote is designed to be a bucket for all your notes, plain text, pictures, audio, PDFs or other file types and not specifically developed to manage tasks. The main challenge many will face is that Evernote looks at a task list - or better at a note that contains, amongst other things, tasks - as one solid note. Nearly all task management applications understand the concept of a single task as an entity and allow you to combine, view and search your actions at that level of granularity. This is how OmniFocus Perspective feature works or how tasks with certain tags in Things get displayed if you decide to filter by them. Flagging individual tasks or sorting by due dates is something Evernote is not capable of doing and may never be. This is why it may work for some people as a task management tool, but by far not for everyone.
A fairly good indication that my assessment is not entirely off is the fact that "Evernote Essentials" author Brett Kelly uses OmniFocus as his tool of choice when it comes to task management. There is nothing wrong with that as it just illustrates that still different applications are developed for different purposes.
Evernote for Support and Reference Material
Where Evernote really excels is in keeping your Support and Reference Materials always available on all your devices with fast and easy access. That's also exactly what I use it for.
Less for Support Materials as these tend to be documents I am actively working on that are not well kept in Evernote while being in progress. Whether these are Excel sheets, Pages documents, PowerPoint presentations or even plain text drafts of blog posts, Evernote really does not integrate too good with my creation, review and edit workflow. Once you have the final version Evernote may well be a good place to store them for future reference.
However, if you work for a big corporation like I do storing any (confidential) business documents on Evernote may get you into trouble with your Information Security Policy. Even though you can have local notebooks in Evernote that do not sync with the cloud I keep professional documents out of Evernote in principle. They live on my local hard drive and that's it. Also having local notebooks in Evernote feels like you are missing out on 50% of Evernote's value.
What I really use Evernote for is all my private Reference Materials: Mainly PDFs and web snippets are wha I store in Evernote. When being on the road spotting something of interest I want to remember, like a great wine or nice restaurant, I may even take a picture or make a quick audio note in Evernote on my iPhone.
But the majority of stuff that finds its way into Evernote are invoices, receipts, stuff like insurance contracts and manuals. Many of them get automatically picked up by Hazel from my Downloads folder, renamed and imported via AppleScript straight into Evernote. Others end there as part of my paperless workflow after being scanned with my Doxie Go.
Interesting (productivity) articles from the web, research for my OmniFocus eBook, web design and development tutorials as well as mundane things like recipes or research for a planned purchase are dropped into Evernote via it's web browser clipping service. Using Pocket lots of articles are saved for reading later and considered valuable once read also get directly imported into Evernote through Pocket's direct integration.
Evernote 5.0
Evernote has recently launched Evernote 5.0 for Mac as a public beta and also announced major overhauls of it's iOS version. The new version feature significant improvements of the user interface and interaction design on all platform and are a joy to use. Finally, as we like to say in tech-lala-land, Evernote is polishing the human interface to it's powerful and useful service and meeting today's high UI/UX standards. The below video gives you an overview of the Evernote 5.0 for Mac changes and this post on the Evernote blog helps you getting the public beta onto your machine.
I am sure my mate Brett Kelly is frantically updating his eBook to reflect the changes of Evernote 5.0, but meanwhile it is still worth ordering your copy of "Evernote Essentials" as pretty much all tips are still as good and valid as prior to Evernote 5.0. You are missing out if you are a heavy Evernote user and you do not have Brett's book yet.


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03/05/2010 At the high profile, glittery event held at Milk Studios in Los Angeles on April 10, Hasselblad executives presented an H4D-40 to Michael Schmidt, Austria-born, California-based fashion, portrait, and architecture photographer, to test drive for a month. Now halfway through his month, Michael and his H4D have become inseparable.
When contacted about his unexpected good fortune, Michael wryly responded, sounding much like Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone journalist in the 60s and 70s, known for his so-called "Gonzo journalism" writing style. Said Michael, "My initial reaction was confusion and shear excitement, followed by fear and terror! What will I shoot? What if I'm not good? I could just picture them saying when they selected me, 'Yeah, send the freak a $30,000 camera. Let him fall in love with it then we'll take it away.'"Tanya," was shot April 2010 in Michael's studio, Los Angles, CA, with the H4D-40 and 80mm for Lunalba. Michael Schmidt Photography, www.mesfoto.com"Model Test," taken April 2010 in his Los Angeles studio with the H4D-40 and 80mm lens. For Model Test, Vision LA. Michael Schmidt Photography, www.mesfoto.com